National Honor Society

Section 1. The Head of the Upper School shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the chapter.

Section 2. The Head of the Upper School shall annually appoint a member of the faculty as chapter adviser, who may serve consecutive terms.

Section 3. The Head of the Upper School shall annually appoint a Faculty Council composed of five members plus one alternate of the school’s faculty who may serve consecutive terms.

Section 4. The Head of the Upper School shall receive appeals in cases of non-selection of candidates, and the disciplining or dismissal of members. The Faculty Council is not at liberty to discuss the proceedings of the selection process. The proceedings are confidential. All inquiries shall be directed to the Head of the Upper School.

Section 1. The Chapter Adviser shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, and community.

Section 2. The Chapter Adviser shall maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, and financial transactions. The chapter adviser shall send the annual report to the national office.

Section 3. The Chapter Adviser shall regularly review each member for compliance with Society standards and obligations.

Section 4. The Chapter Adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council and shall facilitate all meetings of the Council.

Section 1. The Faculty Council shall consist of five voting faculty members appointed annually by the Head of Upper School. The chapter adviser shall be an ex-officio, non-voting, sixth member of the Faculty Council. The Head of Upper School may not be included in the Faculty Council. 

Section 2. The term of the Faculty Council shall be one year. Members may be appointed to consecutive terms.

Section 3. The Faculty Council shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the chapter, select members and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases.

Section 4. The Faculty Council will develop and revise, when necessary, all chapter procedures for selection, discipline, and dismissal of members, all of which must remain in compliance with the national guidelines.

Section 1. Membership in The Bolles School Alpha Chapter of the National Honor Society is an honor bestowed upon a student. Selection for membership is by a Faculty Council and is based on outstanding scholarship, character, leadership, and service. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.

Section 2. Membership shall be known as active, honorary, and alumni. Active members shall become alumni members at graduation. Alumni members shall have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.

Section 3. The Faculty Council shall reserve the right to award honorary membership to school officials, principals, teachers, NHS advisors, adults, students with disabilities, or foreign exchange students in recognition of achievement and/or outstanding service rendered to the school in keeping with the purposes of the National Honor Society. Honorary members shall have no voice or vote in chapter affairs.

Section 4. Candidates become members when inducted at the induction ceremony.

Section 5. Members who are seniors in good standing are eligible to be nominated by their chapters to compete in the National Honor Society Scholarship Program.

Section 6. A National Honor Society member who is inducted prior to their enrollment at Bolles, transfers to The Bolles School, and brings a letter of recommendation from the former school head or chapter adviser to The Bolles School adviser shall be accepted automatically as a member in The Bolles School Alpha Chapter of the National Honor Society. Transfer members must meet the new chapter's standards within one semester in order to retain membership.

Section 7. Members who resign or are dismissed are never again eligible for membership or its benefits.

Section 1. Selection to National Honor Society is a privilege, not a right. Membership is granted through Faculty Council selection. This is not an election, nor is membership automatically conveyed based only on a specific level of academic achievement. National Honor Society is more than an honor roll and emphasizes all four components of the selection process (scholarship, character, leadership, and service) in the selection process. This honor, recognized throughout the nation, is both the public recognition of accomplishment and the private commitment to continued excellence on the part of the new member. To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a member of the junior or senior class. Candidates must have been in attendance at the school the equivalent of one semester. Many students, including students of military parents, are required to move with parents or guardians who have transferred in their work. In these cases, the Faculty Council may waive the semester regulation based on the recommendation from the previous school head.

Section 2. In order to be considered, candidates must have a cumulative, weighted (if applicable), minimum 4.125 Bolles GPA. Candidates will then be evaluated on the basis of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

Section 3. The selection of each member to the chapter shall be by a majority vote of the Faculty Council.

Section 4. As the first step in the selection process, students' academic records are reviewed to determine those persons who are scholastically eligible for membership.

Section 5. Students who are eligible scholastically are invited to submit further information regarding the remaining three pillars, Character, Service and Leadership, to the Chapter Advisor. Information submitted after the deadline will not be considered. The Chapter Advisor then passes on the information to the five appointed members of the Faculty Council who will in a confidential vote determine the selection of members into The Alpha Chapter of The Bolles School National Honor Society. The Faculty Council will report the results of the vote to the Chapter Advisor who will report the inductee list to the Head of Upper School.

Section 6. Upon completion of the selection process, students are notified of the decision by the Chapter Advisor via email.

Section 7. Families or guardians of the inductees are informed in writing about the selection and the timing of the evening induction ceremony.

Section 8. Students considered by the Faculty Council who are not selected for induction into The Bolles School Alpha Chapter of the National Honor Society are informed individually about their non-selection by the Chapter Advisor.

Section 1. Members who fall below the standards which were the basis for their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the Chapter Adviser and given a time period of one interim grading period to correct the deficiency. Any conduct deemed unbecoming a member of The Bolles School National Honor Society, can result in that member being dismissed at the sole discretion of the Head of the Bolles Upper School. 

Section 2. In all cases of impending dismissal, a member shall have a right to a hearing before the Faculty Council.

Section 3. For purposes of dismissal, a majority vote of the Faculty Council is required.

Section 4. A member who has been dismissed may appeal the decision of the Faculty Council to the Head of Upper School.

Section 5. The National Council, State Council, and the NASSP shall hear no appeals in dismissal cases.

Section 1. The chapter shall determine one or more service projects each year.

Section 2. All members shall regularly participate in these activities.