Article I: Name and Purpose
Section 1 The name of this organization will be the English Language Arts Honor Society, hereafter known as ELA.
Section 2 The mission and purposes of this organization will be literary and educational.
ELA will strive to:
- Confer distinction upon middle school students for high achievement in the English Language Arts;
- Provide, through its local chapters, cultural stimulation in middle school environments;
- Encourage interest in the English Language Arts;
- Promote exemplary character and good fellowship among its members; and
- Serve society by fostering literacy.
Section 3 ELA will be under the sponsorship and supervision of the National English Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta, International English Honor Society.
Article II: Local Chapters
Section 1 Any middle school is eligible to apply for a charter of a local chapter. Each school will have its own chapter.
Section 2 Each chapter must complete an online sign-up and pay a fee determined by the ELA Director. This fee is currently $150.
Section 3 Each chapter must pay an annual affiliation fee determined by the ELA Director.
Section 4 Student membership fees will be collected annually, and the cost will be set by the ELA Director. The fee is currently $7 per year.
Section 5 Local chapter member dues, if any, will be determined by the local chapter and will be subject to the approval of the school’s principal/board of governors.
Section 6 Duly chartered local chapters must conform to this Constitution as set forth by the ELA Director. Failure to do so may result in the loss of the charter.
Section 7 Each chapter must enroll students at the beginning of each school year, in a pre-established enrollment window, and pay associated student membership fees.
Section 8 Any chapter that fails to fulfill the provisions of this Constitution and bylaws, or which conducts its affairs and business in such a way as to contradict or impede the progress and purposes of ELA, will forfeit its charter.
Section 9 A chapter that does not submit student member information and pay member fees and its annual affiliation fee will be deemed inactive. After two years of inactive status, the chapter will forfeit its charter. The chapter may be reinstated upon submitting reactivation papers and fees.
Article III: The Principal
Section 1 The principal of a school at which a local chapter has been chartered reserves the right to approve all activities and decisions of that chapter.
Section 2 The principal will appoint two or more members of the school’s faculty and staff as Chapter Advisors, who will be responsible for the local chapter.
Section 3 The principal will receive appeals in cases of candidates’ non-selection or the dismissal of members.
Article IV: Chapter Advisors
Section 1 At least one Chapter Advisor must be a member of the English faculty; the second Advisor may be a teacher in another humanities field, a school librarian, a school administrator, or another member of school staff. Both Advisors will be appointed by the principal. The area in which each Advisor works must be made clear during the Charter Application.
Section 2 Chapter Advisors are responsible for the direct, day-to-day supervision of the chapter and act as liaison among students, faculty, administration, and community.
Section 3 Chapter Advisors must maintain files on membership, chapter history, activities, financial transactions, and chapter bylaws.
Section 4 Chapter Advisors ensure that each student member complies with Society standards and obligations.
Section 5 Chapter Advisors help Chapter Leaders understand and carry out their duties.
Section 6 Chapter Advisors receive free ELA membership as long as they are running an active chapter.
Section 7 Chapter Advisors are the major liaison between the local chapter and the Central Office, submitting membership information and fees, and any other items requested by the Director; they will also receive items, pertaining to membership, sent by the Central Office.
Article V: Student Membership
Section 1 Membership in local chapters is an honor bestowed on students. Selection for membership is based both on academic accomplishment in English and English-related courses, as well as on overall academic accomplishment. For the purposes of identifying “English,” individual schools may use any courses that use the “English”, “ELA”, or “Language Arts” designation on report cards in fulfilling “English” requirements.
Section 2 Once selected, members have the responsibility to continue to demonstrate high standards in English. Failure to do so will result in removal from membership.
Section 3 Active student members of ELA must be middle school students and remain active members while they maintain the required standards and until graduation, at which time they can apply to become National English Honor Society members at a local high school chapter.
Section 4 Student membership is calculated on an annual basis and can be renewed at the start of each school year when a student meets the requirements outlined in “Selection of Members” below.
Section 5 Any ELA member who transfers to another school with an ELA chapter and brings a letter of verification from the former principal or Chapter Advisor to the new school ELA Chapter Advisor will be automatically accepted as a member in the new school’s chapter. Chapter Advisors must inform the Central Office of this change as soon as possible.
Section 6 Membership may not be determined, in any way, on the basis of citizenship status, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, geography, national origin, physical traits, race, religion, sexual orientation, skin color, or socioeconomic status.
Section 7 Acceptance into ELA does not confer automatic acceptance into the National English Honor Society, Sigma Kappa Delta, or Sigma Tau Delta.
Article VI: Selection of Members
Section 1 Candidates for membership must be in grades/years 6, 7, 8, or 9 and enrolled at an accredited middle school.
Section 2 Candidates must have achieved a minimum overall “B” grade in English prior to induction as members.
Section 3 Candidates achieving the minimal requirements may be invited to apply for membership in ELA. The application process will require candidates to demonstrate their desire to be a member of ELA. Application processes developed by Chapter Advisors may include additional criteria (i.e., application essays, letters of recommendation, etc.) but all requirements must be based on demonstrated academic performance, interest in ELA, and applicant character.
Section 4 Chapter Advisors may raise, but not lower, academic membership criteria.
Section 5 Any member whose grades in English drop below the chapter’s minimum admission requirement for a whole year after they have been admitted to ELA membership will not be able to continue as members the following year. Such members may be readmitted when current minimum membership criteria are met.
Section 6 The method of selection of eligible students and their election to membership will be determined by Chapter Advisors and will be consistent with the rules and regulations of ELA.
Section 7 A description of the selection procedure and local chapter criteria should be made available to all the school’s students, faculty, and parents prior to admission taking place.
Section 8 The ELA Director will not review the judgment of the Chapter Advisors regarding selection of individual members to local chapters as long as selection criteria are based on demonstrated academic achievement and other considerations identified by Chapter Advisors. Opinions solicited from the ELA Director concerning membership decisions will be advisory only.
Section 9 Final decisions concerning membership will be the responsibility of the school principal.
Article VII: Induction
Section 1 Each local chapter must organize an appropriate ceremony for the induction of new members. The local chapter and its Chapter Advisors will determine the procedures for and nature of this ceremony. Newly inducted members will receive their membership certificates and other appropriate materials as their membership is affirmed.
Section 2 In the event that an individual qualifies for membership after the date of the induction ceremony, but within the enrollment window, they may be inducted at a regular chapter meeting provided that membership data and fees have been submitted to the Central Office within the enrollment window.
Article VIII: Removal From Membership
Section 1 The Chapter Advisors, in compliance with the rules and regulations of ELA, will determine the procedure for removal from membership. A written description of the removal process must be available to interested parties.
Section 2 Members who fall below the standards that were the basis for their selection will be warned in writing by the Chapter Advisor and given a reasonable amount of time to correct the deficiency. Removal from membership can be immediate in the case of flagrant violation of school rules or civil laws.
Section 3 In all cases of impending removal from membership, a member will have the right to a hearing before the Chapter Advisors.
Section 4 A member may be reinstated during the following enrollment window if the Chapter Advisors determine that the member is once again qualified for membership.
Section 5 Chapter Advisors must notify the Central Office of any chapter member dismissals.
Section 6 The ELA Director will not hear appeals in cases of removal from membership.
Article IX: Student Leadership
Section 1 Chapter Leaders, their duties, and the method of their election will be determined by the members of the chapter, approved by the Chapter Advisors and the school principal, and described in the chapter bylaws.
Section 2 New officers should be elected in the fall, installed at a special ceremony or at the induction ceremony, and will serve a term of one academic year. Leaders cannot serve further terms.
Article X: Local Chapter Executive Commitees
Section 1 The chapter’s executive committee will consist of the chapter’s Leaders and the Chapter Advisor.
Section 2 The chapter’s executive committee has general supervision of the chapter, can make recommendations to chapter members, and determines and performs such other duties as specified in the chapter bylaws. All actions and recommendations made by the executive committee are subject to the review of the Chapter Advisors.
Section 3 The executive committee has the responsibility for ensuring that chapter activities and procedures follow school policy and regulations.
Article XI: Meetings
Section 1 Each chapter must hold regular meetings during the school year, on days designated by the executive committee and in accordance with school policy and regulations.
Section 2 The regularity of the meetings (i.e., weekly, monthly, bimonthly) should be designated in the chapter bylaws, but they must occur no less than once per quarter.
Section 3 The Chapter President or other designated student leader, in consultation with the Chapter Advisor, may call special meetings of the chapter.
Article XII: Activities
Section 1 Each chapter will determine, in accordance with the Chapter Advisor, appropriate activities to undertake during the school year.
Section 2 Local chapters may organize district, state, national, or international ELA activities, the purpose of which is to sponsor events for local chapter members and to develop projects on a wide scale.
Section 3 All ELA activities must have the following characteristics: fulfill a need within the school or community; have the support of the Chapter Advisors; be appropriate and educationally defensible; and be well-planned and executed. These activities may or may not directly pertain to the discipline of English but should in some ways reflect the activity’s appropriateness to the goals and mission of ELA.
Section 4 Each chapter must publicize its projects in a positive, responsible, and tasteful manner suitable for representing a national honor society such as ELA.
Section 5 Each chapter must submit a report of its activities at the end of each school year. Chapters can also submit evidence of an community-focused project to the Chapter Showcase program. All submisisons will be considered for the Chapter Showcase Award.
Article XII: Official Insignia
Section 1 ELA will have an official logo selected by the ELA Director, who will have exclusive control of its use.
Section 2 Only active and honorary members are be entitled to wear this emblem in any form.
Section 3 Any member who resigns or is removed from membership will not be entitled to wear this emblem.
Section 4 All ELA insignia must be procured from the Central Office; members and local chapters may not reproduce or substitute any officially designated insignia.
Section 5 The official colors of ELA are teal, gold, and maroon.
Section 6 The official flowers of ELA are dark pink and yellow flowers. These represent growth, happiness, hope, and positivity. We suggest the use of roses, carnations, marigolds, or chrysanthemums.
Article XIII: Local Chapter Bylaws
Section 1 Each chapter should write bylaws to amplify sections of the constitution and to clarify the chapter’s operating procedures. Bylaws do not need the approval of the ELA Director but must be consistent with this constitution.
Section 2 Chapter bylaws can contain, but are not limited to, information concerning: membership selection criteria; the scheduling of meetings; the election, duties, and responsibilities of officers; Chapter Advisors; criteria for removal of membership; chapter dues (if any); and the method and procedure for ratification of the bylaws.
Section 3 Each chapter must ensure that a copy of its bylaws is on file with the school.
Article XIV: Amendments
Section 1 This Constitution may be amended at any time by the ELA Director; any changes will be communicated to chapters and Chapter Advisors prior to their implementation.
Section 2 Local chapters may petition the ELA Director with recommended amendments to the Constitution.
