Bylaws
Bylaws of East Bernard High School
POWER SET
ARTICLE I:
NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be POWER SET (Powerful Opportunities for Women Eager and Ready for Science, Engineering, and Technology).
Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be to target female East Bernard HS students who show significant interest and aptitude in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields and provide for exploring future educational and professional opportunities.
ARTICLE II:
THE PRINCIPAL
Section 1. The principal shall reserve the right to approve all activities and decisions of the organization.
Section 2. The principal shall annually appoint one member of the faculty as an advisor/sponsor, who may serve consecutive terms.
ARTICLE III:
POWER SET ADVISOR/SPONSOR
Section 1. The advisor/sponsor shall be responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison between faculty, administration, students, community, and NPI.
Section 2. The advisor/sponsor shall maintain files on membership, activities, and financial transactions.
Section 3. The advisor/sponsor shall regularly review each member for compliance with the organization’s standards, obligations, and minimum requirements.
Section 4. The advisor/sponsor shall help the organization’s officers understand and carry out their duties.
Section 5. The advisor/sponsor shall be a voting members of the Advisory Board.
Section 6. The advisor/sponsor shall maintain the required records and documentation for the Nuclear Power Institute (NPI).
ARTICLE IV:
Section 1. The Advisory Board shall consist of four voting members including the chapter advisor/sponsor, and a NPI representative.
Section 2. The Advisory Board shall meet at least once a year to review the procedures of the organization, select members, and to consider non-selection, dismissal, other disciplinary actions, and warning cases.
Section 3. The Advisory Board will develop and revise, when necessary, all organization procedures for selection, discipline, and dismissal of members.
ARTICLE V:
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Membership in the East Bernard High School POWER SET is an honor and an outstanding opportunity. Selection for membership is by the Advisory Board and is based on outstanding STEM aptitude, scholarship, service, and character. Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate these qualities.
Section 2. Section 2. To be eligible for membership the candidate must be a female student ages 14 to 21 and in the 11th, or 12th grade at
East Bernard High School. The candidates must be U.S. Citizens. Students are selected for membership at the beginning of each school year.
Section 3. Prospective members must meet the organization’s scholarship requirement: students must achieve “Masters Grade Level” on at least one (1) of the following sections of the STAAR test during the previous school year – Algebra 1 and/or Biology. In addition, each prospect must have a GPA of at least 3.5 and currently be enrolled in at two (2) Dual Credit, AP, Pre AP, or Advanced classes. To maintain membership, members shall have an unweighted GPA of 3.5 at the end of each semester and be enrolled in at least two (2) Dual Credit, AP, Pre AP, or Advanced classes. In addition, prospective members must meet the organization’s character requirement.
Section 4. Candidates shall be selected according to the following procedure: students who meet the STEM aptitude, scholarship and character requirements will be nominated for membership. Nominees will then have the opportunity to submit an application for membership showing their qualifications, their desire to be in the organization as illustrated by the completion of the required essay, and all of the necessary verification documents including a copy of the following: birth certificate, social security card, updated school transcript, picture ID, and media release form. Only candidates who submit a complete application will be considered for admission by the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will then conduct a mandatory interview with each candidate. Students are selected for membership by a majority vote of the Advisory Board based on STEM aptitude, scholarship, service, and character.
ARTICLE VI:
THE OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of POWER SET shall be president, vice-president, secretary/reporter and student advisor.
Section 2. The officers shall be elected by a majority of votes at the April meeting. Graduating seniors shall not vote. In the case of a tie vote, the tie will be broken according to the highest GPA. The officers shall be elected from the continuing members in good standing.
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the president to preside at the meetings of this organization and to represent POWER SET in any outside activities.
Section 4. The vice-president shall preside in the absence of the president and shall be head of the project committee(s).
Section 5. The chapter secretary/reporter shall keep the minutes of meetings, a record of all business, an accurate record of attendance, and report all activities of the chapter, when appropriate, to the local news media or to the school.
Section 6. The student advisor shall help any, and all, members with problems that they might be having. Student Advisor will notify members of upcoming events, update the bulletin board with current announcements and activities, and assist the secretary/reporter when it is deemed necessary.
ARTICLE VII:
MEETINGS
Section 1. The organization shall meet once a month during the school year. The organization advisor/sponsor has the right to call special meetings when necessary or appropriate.
Section 2. Each member is expected to attend all meetings and participate in all activities. If it becomes necessary for her to miss a meeting or an activity, she must provide one of the advisor/sponsor with an excuse in writing prior to the meeting or activity except in case of illness. Failure to attend two meetings without an excuse during the period of one year or missing one activity without an excuse warrants a warning letter. Two unexcused tardies shall equal one unexcused absence.
ARTICLE VIII:
THROUGH MENTORING
Section 1. Each member must participate in the Power GRID (Girls Responding to Industry Demands) mentoring program.
Section 2. The Power GRID program is a year-long commitment between the POWER SET member mentor and the mentee. Mentees will consist of at-risk students from East Bernard Elementary and Junior High Schools who have been selected by their campus administrators. The objective of the program is to increase sense of self worth, improve perspective toward STEM education, develop and define short-term and long-term goals, encourage social awareness through community service projects, and build positive relationships and support networks with adults and peers.
Section 3. Failure to correctly complete and/or document in the Power GRID mentoring activities will result in a warning letter and/or dismissal.
ARTICLE IX:
SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATION
Section 1. Seniors who are members in good standing are eligible to apply for any POWER SET Scholarship Program opportunities that may become available.
Section 2. Organizations making those scholarships available will select the recipients in accordance with the guidelines of the Organization offering the scholarship.
ARTICLE X:
FACULTY SUPERVISION AND EVALUATION
Section 1. Each member must uphold the standards of service and character throughout her membership, and she will be evaluated by faculty members from time to time. If she should receive an unsatisfactory evaluation, she will receive a warning letter.
ARTICLE XI:
DISMISSAL OF MEMBERS
Section 1. Members who fall below the standards that were the basis for their selection shall be promptly warned in writing by the advisor/sponsor and given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency, except that in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or the law, a member does not necessarily have to be warned. Receipt of a warning letter means the member has been placed on probation for one academic school year.
Section 2. When a member is placed on probation for any reason, she must attend meetings and participate in activities, but she cannot vote in meetings or hold an office. When an officer is placed on probation, a new officer shall be elected to take her place permanently.
Section 3. Members shall receive a warning letter and be placed on probation for the following offenses:
- Failure to meet the scholarship requirement
- Failure to participate in POWER SET and/or Power GRID activities.
- Failure to attend the regular meetings of the organization
- Failure to participate in any activity the organization deems appropriate
- Failure to maintain the high ideals of leadership and character.
- Failure to abide by school rules as stated in the student handbook
Section 4. Any active member who fails to meet the scholarship requirement at the end of a semester shall receive a warning letter, placing her on probation, and she shall be given one semester to meet the scholarship requirement. Failure to meet the scholarship requirement at the end of the probationary semester will result in a dismissal hearing before the Advisory Board with their vote (may be done via email).
Section 5. A member is allowed only one (1) warning letter per academic school year. A subsequent offense of any kind during the same school year a warning letter has been issued will result in a dismissal hearing and vote of the Advisory Board.
Section 6. Conduct that warrants placement in the district’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program also warrants dismissal from POWER SET.
Section 7. Conduct that warrants expulsion from school also warrants dismissal from POWER SET.
Section 8. For purposes of dismissal, a majority vote via e-mail of the Advisory Board is required.
Section 9. If a student is dismissed from POWER SET, any items issued to her, as a member of POWER SET must be returned, including but not limited to, the pearls, polo, t-shirts, and other parts of the ”uniform”.
ARTICLE XII:
RESOLUTION IN ACADEMIC HONESTY
Section 1. An act of academic dishonesty shall warrant a warning letter and placement on probation for one school year.
Section 2. The use of an unauthorized source or reference for any schoolwork, or any violation of EBISD’s Academic Honesty Policy shall be considered an act of academic dishonesty.
ARTICLE XIII:
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These bylaws may be amended by the POWER SET advisory/sponsor and/or principal with the approval of the NPI.
Section 2. Members will be notified of the current Bylaws as part of the yearly membership application process and notified of any change in an open meeting at least one month prior to activation of the said changes.
ARTICLE XIV:
FIELD TRIPS
Section 1. Because the purpose of POWER SET is to provide for exploring educational and professional opportunities, all field trips associated with the organization are mandatory. Because POWER SET is allowed minimal school days for POWER SET field trips, most of the field trips will be on Saturdays, other non-school days, or after school hours. The organization understands the nature of conflicts due to scheduling outside of school hours, but because the purpose is to promote these field trips and educational opportunities, the trips are mandatory. Failure to attend without a written excuse based on a valid reason submitted by a parent or guardian will result in a warning letter.
Section 2. Valid reasons include the following:
- A wedding or funeral of a family member
- A school sponsored UIL event
- A school sponsored non-UIL event that is directly associated with the school and has a school employee/agent as the sponsor as required by policy.
- A school sponsored non-UIL event that is directly associated with the school and has a school employee/agent as the sponsor as required by policy that was scheduled BEFORE a POWER SET event.
- An SAT, ACT, or other college entrance exam, if and only if an activity stated in the previous three reasons occurs on all other available test dates so that the test date cannot be change to an alternate date.