Bylaws
I. Membership
1. Eligibility Requirements to be met by all Sponsors:
a. The Sponsor of the chapter must be a current member of the AATF. If sponsorship of the SHF chapter is maintained by more than one French teacher, all sponsors must meet this requirement.
b. In the case of a chartered home school, each individual/teacher nominating students must be a current AATF member.
c. All SHF sponsors must maintain membership in the AATF on an annual basis.
2. General Eligibility Requirements to be met by all students:
a. Selection of candidates shall be the responsibility of the Sponsor/s.
b. Membership shall be based on scholarship in general and scholarship in French in particular, along with interest, participation and leadership in French activities.
c. Invitation to membership shall be restricted to those students actively engaged in the study of French in a secondary school when appropriate courses are available or when outside courses become part of the student’s secondary transcript, credits and grade point.
d. Candidates must be enrolled in the fourth semester of French or higher, i.e., the second semester of Level II or the equivalent
e. Candidates must be in the 10th, 11th or 12th grade of high school. Exception is made for 9th grade students who meet requirement "d" above because of work at the middle school or junior high level.
f. Transfer students must have spent at least one full semester in the high school before becoming eligible for invitation to membership.
g. Selection of candidates and induction ceremonies may take place at any time during the academic year.
3. Scholastic Eligibility Requirements to be met by all students:
a. Candidates must have maintained an A- (A minus) average or higher in French throughout their secondary school study of French, including the semester of selection and all previous work awarded secondary school credit.
b. Candidates must have maintained a B- (B minus) average or higher in all other secondary school subjects prior to the semester of selection. French may not be used to calculate this average.
4. Member Status
a. Any further requirements for continuing membership must be included in the bylaws of the local chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français.
*In the case of Warwick students, the requirements are as follow:
* You must obey by the anti-bullying policy of the Warwick School District. The Warwick School District defines bullying as follow:
“Bullying means an intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act or series of acts directed at another student or students, which occurs in a school setting and/or outside a school setting, that is severe, persistent or pervasive and has the effect of doing any of the following:
- Substantial interference with a student’s education.
- Creation of a threatening environment.
- Substantial disruption of the orderly operation of the school.
Bullying, as defined in this policy, includes cyberbullying. The term bullying or cyberbullying shall not be interpreted to infringe upon a student’s rights to engage in legally protected speech or conduct.”
*School setting means in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a designated bus stop or at any activity sponsored, supervised or sanctioned by the school.
*Students must display character and leadership qualities as per the program “Character Counts!” and its “Six Pillars of Character”. Note that the National Honor Society also follows this program. The Warwick chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français uses the following guidelines, among others, in order to select its members.
A member of the French Honor Society:
- Has the courage to do the right thing
- Builds a good reputation
- Doesn’t take advantage of others
- Treats all people fairly
- Is considerate of the feelings of others
- Doesn’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone
- Is kind and compassionate
In other words, a member of the French Honor Society is above reproach, exemplifies positive attitude, promotes a good school environment and is an advocate for all people around her/him.
b. The sponsor of the Société Honoraire de Français is empowered to revoke a student's membership, based on requirements stated in the local SHF chapter constitution, bylaws or school policies, for failure to maintain a high scholastic average, behavior inappropriate to an honor society, lack of participation in Société Honoraire de Français activities, insufficient service hours, failure to attend the induction ceremony, etc.
c. Upon graduation, student members are considered alumni members of the Société Honoraire de Français.
II. Dues and Fees
- The amount of the one-time charter fee for creating a chapter shall be designated by the SHF National Council.
- The fee for student membership in the Société Honoraire de Français, payable at the time of induction, shall be designated by the SHF National Council. This fee is payable once, and the inductee remains a member of the Société Honoraire de Français as long as he/she is a secondary school student in good standing.
III. Awards
1. Upon selection and payment of the induction fee, candidates shall be awarded an official certificate of membership to the Société Honoraire de Français. Student members may order pins and other logo items and materials through the chapter sponsor.
2. Chapters may designate awards of their own in addition to official SHF certificates.
3. Graduating members of the Société Honoraire de Français may wear blue, white and red honor cords or white cords.
4. The official Société Honoraire de Français seal, available from Société Honoraire de Français headquarters, may be affixed to the student's diploma and/or certificate.
IV. Duties of the officers of the SHF National Council
1. The President
- The President of the Société Honoraire de Français shall act as liaison officer with the AATF, shall promote the establishment of new SHF chapters and monitor the welfare of those already established, and shall preside over the SHF National Council.
- The President shall respond to inquiries regarding eligibility and other SHF constitutional questions.
- The President shall appoint, with the approval of the SHF Council, the Editor of L’Elan.
- The President shall issue the call for action when a matter requires an immediate decision in the interim between conventions.
- The President shall arrange, in conjunction with the Executive Secretaries of SHF and of AATF, for the annual meeting of the SHF National Council.
2. The Executive Secretary
a. The Executive Secretary shall receive the dues and annual reports from Sponsors, keep a national file of SHF chapters and accounts, keep the President of the Société Honoraire de Français informed of the progress of the Société, and act as secretary at the annual meeting. The Executive Secretary shall issue a charter for the establishment of a chapter and certificates of membership to student inductees.
b. The Executive Secretary shall keep an account of all financial transactions and shall render an accounting each year at the close of the fiscal year to the Executive Director of the AATF and the President of SHF. Société Honoraire de Français accounts shall be included in the annual audit of the AATF.
c. The Executive Secretary shall compile a yearly report on the activities and finances of the Société Honoraire de Français and shall send copies of this report to all members of the SHF National Council. This report shall also be distributed to the members of the Executive Council of the AATF at their annual meeting.
3. The Editor
a. The Editor of the Société Honoraire de Français newsletter, L'Elan, shall be responsible for editing and publishing all content that appears in the newsletter.
b. L’Elan shall appear twice per year.
4. The SHF National Council shall act in the interim between conventions upon matters requiring an immediate decision. Such voting, requiring a simple majority for approval or disapproval, may take place electronically.
5. No person shall hold more than one office on the SHF National Council.
V. Elections
1. The President, an SHF Chapter Sponsor or former sponsor, shall be elected by a plurality vote of the active Sponsors either electronically or via L’Elan.
2. The President shall serve a two-year term (twice renewable), beginning January 1 of the odd-numbered years.
3. The Editor of the Newsletter, an SHF Chapter Sponsor or former sponsor, shall be appointed by the President of the Société Honoraire de Français for a two-year term (twice renewable).
4. Sponsor representatives shall be elected to a two-year term (twice renewable) by a plurality vote of the active Sponsors either electronically or via L’Elan.
5. Should a position on the SHF National Council become vacant for any reason, the President of the AATF shall appoint a successor to serve until such time as the National Council of the Société Honoraire de Français can select a successor.
VI. Chapter Status
1. Each chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français shall have its own local constitution and bylaws. Requirements for membership may exceed the national constitution and bylaws, but may not require less.
2. To maintain an active chapter of the Société Honoraire de Français, the sponsor shall forward in April-June of each year to the Executive Secretary a brief summary of the activities of the local chapter. These summaries shall form the basis of the national "Report to the Chapters” and shall be printed as space allows in L'Elan.
3. A chapter which does not submit an annual report, submit a list of inductees or order materials from SHF during a period of two years shall be considered inactive. To regain active status, the chapter must resubmit an application accompanied by a chapter reactivation fee.
VII. Publications
1. The Société Honoraire de Français shall publish a newsletter to be sent to all active Chapter Sponsors. The official name of this publication shall be L'Elan.
2. All contests sponsored by the Société Honoraire de Français and any stipends or awards distributed shall be announced in L'Elan.
VII. Finances
- Fiscal Year
The Fiscal Year shall run from 1 July to 30 June.
2. Compensation
a. Of the members of the SHF National Council, only the Executive Secretary (as well as the Executive Director of the AATF) shall receive a salary, to be set by the Executive Council of the AATF.
b. The Editor of L’Elan shall receive compensation by action of the SHF National Council, to be confirmed by the Executive Council of the AATF.
c. Expenses shall be reimbursed according to a policy set by the SHF National Council, in accordance with policies set by the Executive Council of the AATF.
3. Funds
a. The finances of the Société Honoraire de Français shall be under the supervision of the Executive Secretary who shall be bonded at the expense of the AATF.
b. The Executive Secretary shall make disbursements at the direction of the SHF National Council in accordance with national policies for payments and reimbursements.
c. The Executive Secretary shall establish and maintain appropriate accounts in the name of the Société Honoraire de Français of the AATF to receive funds and to disburse them as appropriate.
Final Revision -- October 2014 (Warwick, January 2017)
