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National Honor Society

McKinney Christian Academy Chapter Bylaws

Purpose

The MCA chapter of the National Honor Society exists to promote excellence in mind, body and spirit by creating enthusiasm for scholarship, stimulating a desire to render service, promoting leadership, and developing character in MCA students and in the entire MCA community for the sake of Jesus Christ, our LORD (Col 3:23-24; 1 Cor 10:31).

Induction

Select 10th-12th grade MCA students are invited to join the NHS in March or April, and inducted after a review in May.  MCA NHS members are students who have distinguished themselves in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character, as determined by vote of the MCA NHS faculty council.  Invitations are issued by the faculty council based on scholarship and conduct.  Selection of members is based on submission and faculty council review of a membership packet.  Meeting the minimum objective requirements for invitation does not guarantee invitation.  Similarly, invitation to membership does not guarantee induction, nor does submission of a membership packet guarantee induction.

Requirements for NHS Invitation

  • A minimum 3.50 cumulative high school (grades 9-12) grade point average.
  • A maximum of 8 total days absent in the current academic year.
  • No behavioral detentions or repeated violation detentions, Saturday schools, school suspensions, or any MCA code of conduct, honor code, or sportsmanship code of conduct violations for the current academic year.
  • A minimum of one full semester at MCA, or the written recommendation of the student’s previous principal.

Requirements for NHS Membership

  • Submission of a membership packet.
  • Exhibiting and maintaining a 3.50 minimum high school GPA.
  • A maximum of 8 total days absent in any academic year.
  • No behavioral detentions or repeated violation detentions, Saturday schools, school suspensions, or any MCA code of conduct, honor code, or sportsmanship code of conduct violations.
  • Exhibiting and maintaining NHS chapter and MCA standards in character, conduct, and servant leadership
    • Character: Faith (Heb 11:1; 2 Cor 5:7), Love (1 Cor 13; Matt 22:37-40), Humility (Phil 2:5-11), Integrity (Prov 11:3), Courage (1 Sam 17:32), and Honesty (Dt 25:15-16) are all benchmarks of Christian character.
    • Conduct: Christians shall live obediently (John 14:23-24), by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26), adhering to the MCA code of conduct, honor code, and sportsmanship code of conduct.
    • Servant leadership: Jesus Christ is the model of servant leadership (Matt 1:17-18; John 13; Matt 28:18-20).
  • Exhibiting and maintaining NHS chapter and MCA standards in community service, which includes:
    • A minimum of 10 hours of an NHS chapter community service project per year. (A “year” begins each May at the MCA NHS induction ceremony, and ends at the NHS induction ceremony the following year.)
    • An additional minimum of 10 hours of a personal service project per year.
    • An additional minimum of 10 hours of tutoring at MCA per year.
  • Regular attendance of monthly NHS chapter meetings. (Minimum attendance of 6 of the 9 monthly meetings each year, without missing 2 consecutive.)

Petitioning for an NHS membership invitation

Any MCA high school student who meets the invitation requirements may petition the faculty council for an MCA NHS invitation.  The petition must be in the form of a single page, typed letter to the faculty council outlining the student’s qualifications and her/his reasons for seeking membership.  The letter must be endorsed (by signature) by two MCA faculty members, and submitted to the NHS chapter advisor in a sealed envelope with the petitioning student’s name and “NHS membership invitation petition” on it.  Petitioning does not guarantee issuance of an invitation, but petitions will be considered during the invitation process.

Officers

MCA NHS officers will be nominated and elected during the inaugural monthly meeting, held in September each year.  The officers shall be:

  • President:  Calls and runs meetings, delegates tasks, coordinates chapter activities.
  • Vice President:  Organizes the annual NHS service project and backs-up the president.
  • Treasurer:  Collects and disperses monies and provides general accounting.
  • Secretary:  Administrative- Submits and records meeting minutes, letters, etc.
  • Historian :  Documents chapter history by semester and assists the secretary.

The Executive Committee

The MCA NHS executive committee is comprised of the officers and the NHS adviser.  It is responsible for the general supervision of the MCA NHS chapter and for making recommendations to chapter membership.

Meetings

There will be regular monthly NHS meetings during the academic year.  They will be held each month (Sept – May).

Dues

Annual dues are $10.00, payable at the September meeting.

Faculty supervision

The MCA chapter of the NHS will be coordinated by a (non-voting) faculty advisor and legislated by a faculty council comprised of five full time faculty members.  All MCA NHS chapter activities shall be under the authority of the faculty council and the principal.

Disciplinary Action

Disciplinary action, including probation and/or dismissal from MCA NHS chapter membership may result from a failure to maintain the requirements for membership.  Any and all disciplinary action will be initiated by majority vote of the faculty council.

Process for MCA NHS disciplinary action:

  1. A potential deficiency is brought to the attention of the faculty council.
  2. After investigation, the council will decide, based on a (private) majority vote, whether to
    • Dismiss the student from NHS membership.
    • Place the student on probation.
      • The council must determine the duration of the probation.
      • Failure to comply by the end of probation results in dismissal.
    • Dismiss the alleged deficiency without disciplinary action.
  3. Following any vote for disciplinary action, the faculty council will notify the student in writing of the alleged deficiency and the resulting disciplinary action.
  4. Any MCA NHS member who receives written notification of disciplinary action may request, in writing within 7 days of notification, a hearing before the faculty council.
  5. Any MCA NHS member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the faculty council to the MCA upper school principal.