Charter

Article I: Names and Identifications

Student Body – The student body consists of students enrolled at Cumberland Valley Christian School [hereafter CVCS] for the current academic year
Student Council – The Student Council consists of elected students from the ninth through twelfth grades under the conditions delineated in Article VI
Executive Student Council – consists of the elected Student Council President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Formal Coordinator and the President of SOC
Class Officers – The Class officers consist of student body members in the specific grade level who tend to the business of their particular grade level activities. The body of officers is hereafter referred to as the Class executive Council.
Administrative Committee – The administrative powers of CVCS are embodied in the President of CVCS, which is the titular position of the Senior Pastor of the Open Door Church of Chambersburg, PA. For the day-to-day activities of CVCS, the President of CVCS enables a School Principal, School Administrator and the Director of School Development.

Article II: Purpose

To glorify and honor God, and be used by Him
Be an effective form of leadership in the school
R EACHING THE COMMUNITY
E XCELLENCE IN CHARACTER
V OLUNTEER
E NCOURAGE CLASSMATES
L EADERSHIP
A CTIVITY ACTIVATION
T EAM CONCEPT
I NSPIRE SCHOOL SPIRIT
O PEN TO GOD’S CALLING
N OTHING LESS THAN OUR BEST
Learn how to organize projects and activities effectively
Make a difference, be active, and be able to be counted on
Have a stepped plan of action with details and guidelines
Take active steps toward our goals

Article III: Organization

The Student Council will be the primary government responsible for student activities in fulfillment of the Purpose as delineated in Article II of this Charter.

The Student Council shall have an Executive Council consisting of President, Vice President, Secretary, Formal Coordinator and Treasurer and the President of SOC as an ex oficio member..
Class presidents from the ninth through twelfth grades shall represent their homerooms during Student Council meetings. If there are multiple homerooms in a grade level, the other homeroom will be represented by the highest ranking class officer from the other homeroom as listed in 2.1. Their attendance is the responsibility of the class president. Junior High classrooms shall be represented by a classroom representative duly elected during the Student Council elections.

Each grade level shall maintain a slate of class officers for each year, starting with their ninth grade year. Class elections shall be conducted after the Student Council elections but before the conclusion of the preceding school year.

The class officers shall be:
(1) Class President
(2) Class Vice President
(3) Class Treasurer
(4) Class Secretary
(5) Class Chaplain – One per each homeroom
If there is a lack of eligible candidates, [for eligibility requirements: refer to VI.2.1.7]
Secretary and Treasurer may be combined

Article IV: Powers

The immediate superior entity of the Student Council and of each organized class is the Administrative Committee, as created by the CVCS Charter and currently includes the President of CVCS, the Principal of CVCS, and the administrative assistants of the High School and the Upper Elementary.
All measures passed by the Student Council, the Executive Council, or the Class governments must be approved by the Administrative Committee before they become effective.
The Presidents of Student Council and of the individual classes, along with their advisors are encouraged to keep in constant communication with the administration to prevent awkward invocations of IV.2
The Student Council has no power to regulate the activities or finances of the organized classes.

Article V: Officers and Duties

Student Council President shall

be the functional leader of the Student Council by

administrating full SC meetings
be the “Face of the Student Council” at meetings with parents, public, etc.

take charge of different SC projects by

taking on leadership roles
delegating responsibilities

give prospective students a tour after the administrative interview.
attend executive session meetings with advisor, monthly full-bodied Student Council Meetings and scheduled special sessions for leadership training
vote in executive decisions
be active in Student Council projects both in and out of school
give the Sixth Grade Graduation “Welcome to the High School” Address
be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom.
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness

Student Council Vice President shall

substitute for President when necessary
administrate different projects with the President
take charge of the Calendar (When projects are to be done, various due dates/deadlines)
give prospective students a tour after the administrative interview.
prepare meeting agendas for full meetings due to the advisor the Monday before full meeting and disseminate them at least 24 hours before the stated meeting
attend executive session meetings with advisor, monthly full-bodied Student Council Meetings and scheduled special sessions for leadership training
vote in executive decisions
be active in Student Council projects both in and out of school
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness
Be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom.

Student Council Secretary shall

be responsible for the taking of notes during any Student Council posted meetings
prepare a finished, typed copy of the Section 3.1 minutes [as per ACSI and KCEA requirements] and present to the advisor for copies to be disseminated to all Student Council members, the advisor, school principal and High School administrative assistant no more than one week after the meeting.
attend executive session meetings with advisor, monthly full-bodied Student Council Meetings and scheduled special sessions for leadership training
give prospective students a tour after the administrative interview.
participate in Student Council projects
be active in Student Council projects both in and out of school
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness
be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom.

Student Council Formal Coordinator shall

be a member of the junior class
be responsible for planning, organization and execution of the year-end Sr. High Banquet
be an integral part of the organizing of the Elementary Field Day with at least one co-organizer from Student Council
vote in executive decisions
give prospective students a tour after the administrative interview.
attend executive session meetings with advisor, monthly full-bodied Student Council Meetings and scheduled special sessions for leadership training
participate in Student Council projects
be active in Student Council projects both in and out of school
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness
be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom.

Student Council Treasurer shall

attend executive session meetings with advisor, monthly full-bodied Student Council Meetings and scheduled special sessions for leadership training
be active in Student Council projects both in and out of school
be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom.
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness
schedule students for regular Student Council fundraisers (i.e. ice cream)
complete all necessary purchase orders and deposits for the school account
keep account ledgers for the various Student Council projects
give prospective students a tour after the administrative interview.
participate in Student Council projects
vote in executive decisions

Student Council Representative (only for seventh and eighth grade homerooms) shall

relay Student Council meeting results to classrooms
encourage participation in Student Council initiatives
assist the executive officers in Student Council projects
keep track of student participation in Spirit Weeks
“be a school cheerleader”
give prospective students a tour after their administrative interview if asked
complete a year-end evaluation of Student Council’s year and its effectiveness
be evaluated regularly by administration and faculty as to leadership in and out of the classroom
not be granted the privilege of voting in Student Council meetings.
Class Officers

Class President shall

conduct all announced class meetings
conduct all unannounced class meetings (at advisor’s discretion)
be responsible for assigned class activities
attend all Student Council full meetings
participate in Student Council activities and projects unless written excuse is presented and accepted by the Student Council Advisor
be a responsible leader willing to work for all class activities
giving a prospective student possibly entering their graduating class a tour with or without the parents
vote in executive sessions

Class Vice President shall

serve in all capacities of Class President if the Class President is unable to do so.
replace the Class President if the Class President is removed by administration for major offense(s).
be responsible for all class social activities and scheduling
be a responsible leader willing to work for all class activities.
vote in executive sessions

Class Secretary shall

record all votes, decisions and consequential ideas shared during all class meetings; scheduled and unscheduled.
prepare a finished, typed copy of the Section 3.1 minutes and present to the advisor for copies to be disseminated to all class officers, the advisor, school principal and High School administrative assistant [as per ACSI and KCEA requirements].
be a responsible leader willing to work for all class activities.
vote in executive sessions

Class Treasurer shall

collect all class monies and keep accounts, both of the general class and for each individual student towards their senior trip
prepare a year-end accounting of general class funds for each student at the end of each school year and as the advisor asks throughout the year.
prepare a year-end accounting for each student for their account towards the senior trip
be a responsible leader willing to work for all class activities.
vote in executive session

Class Chaplain shall

be responsible for class devotions each day
have another responsible student (may be another officer) be responsible for devotions should the chaplain be absent for any reason
be a responsible leader willing to work for all class activities.
vote in executive session

Article VI: Process of Elections

The Student Council Advisor shall administrate all officer elections, both those of Student Council and of the Class officers where all officer positions are chosen.
Student Council Elections
Nominations

Nominations taken from student body in early April
No limit as to how many candidates students can nominate
Each nomination form can only nominate one person for one position
Effort must be given to ensure each position in competitively elected
Each nomination form must be signed by the nominating student
One nomination form should be handed to students in homeroom (to get them thinking about it)
All nominations are to be returned either: directly to advisor or to a box at the office where extra forms are left for students to make additional nominations
No student should know they have been nominated for any position
All nominations are recorded and turned into the office
Multiple nominations for a student for the same position is irrelevant
Students may be nominated for more than one position
Nominations should last no more than one week with strict cut off
Only next year’s Seniors and Juniors, are eligible for an executive council position. Eighth through Eleventh grade classes may nominate for executive positions. Sixth and Seventh grade classes may only nominate their representatives.
Only persons previously a part of Student Council are eligible for SC President.
Special nomination process for Treasurer and Banquet Coordinator will be completed by the current Executive Council with the advice and consent of the Advisor.

The Executive Council, except for those eligible, will be presented a list of eligible students based on grades.
The Executive Council will select six eligible students for Treasurer and six students for Banquet Coordinator.

Sixth grade will vote separately for their class representatives. They will not be present during the assembly and their election results will be announced during the Sixth grade graduation.
Officer Qualifications
A student is required to have attended CVCS for a minimum of one scholastic year concurrent to their current attendance and attend CVCS as a full-time student during the elected term.
All nominees must be cleared for academics by guidance counselor

Academic Requirements: Student must have a combined average of 80% [Cumulative 2.5 GPA]
Guidance counselor will return with ineligible names crossed out [if necessary]

All nominees must be cleared for attitude/class room deportment by high school faculty

A list of students who are nominated (after clearance for grades) should be distributed to all teachers
Teachers are welcome to cross off any student they have concerns about
Any one teacher veto does not necessarily eliminate a student from a nomination
SC advisor receives teacher’s forms and seeks out any teachers with vetoes to gather their concerns
Taking the teacher’s concern under advisement, the administrative committee together with the Student Council Advisor will make a final decision about whether to include that student in the election

Student notification of nomination
ONLY after the final clearance of students by administration will students will be notified of their nomination
Students are called together for each office and given a description of the expectations along with a commitment paper
Commitment Contract shall include:

a testimony of a student’s spiritual standing
an acceptance of this charter’s requirements and procedures, with its subsequent bylaws
a parent’s signature that they understand the requirements of the position and commit themselves to support and encourage their child to fulfill the position’s responsibilities

Students are asked to pray and consider the position
Students must sign a separate commitment for each individual office they are willing to serve in
TAKE NO COMMITMENT PAPERS THE SAME DAY. Students must be given an opportunity to reflect on the requirements before signing off.
All commitment papers must be kept on file for the duration of the student’s term of office
Student Council Election Assembly
All students are required to attend who are present the assembly day.
Student Council Election Assembly takes place during the week of Achievement test while seniors are on their trip
Candidates for President are to prepare 3-5 minute speeches addressing

All speeches should contain: (but not required)

their personal qualifications
their vision for the school
their vision for Student Council
What is their emphasis when it comes to serving God
Other

All speeches must be pre-approved by advisor and/or administration before they are delivered

Other Executive nominees are introduced to the student body – speeches are not given
Purpose of Student Council is described to student body by advisor
An oath is administered to all candidates before the student electorate such as: “I, [student name] do solemnly pledge to assume the title and duties of the position I am nominated for, should I be elected. I promise before God, the student body, and the administration to serve while demonstrating Christian love and leadership.”

Elections

should take place the day following the assembly or the next
Each classroom receives specific ballots.
Executive candidates appear on all ballots except the sixth grade
No ballots are to be counted by any homeroom teacher – save the Student Council Advisor’s should they serve in both capacities
No results are to be announced/posted until all homerooms ballots are accounted for and tallied
Ties are broken by selection by current Student Council by secret ballot excluding any student who is party to the tie.
Announcements of elected students can be over the intercom or by posting a roster

Class Officer Elections
Election process for Class officers mirrors the Student Council process except for these differences

Class officer nominations MUST take place the week after the Student Council membership is finalized
No Student Council member is eligible for a Class Officer position
There will no assembly for class officers
Class Officers can only be nominated by members of their own grade
Note: Teachers have been known to eliminate certain students from Student Council consideration, but not class officerships. This is neither unusual nor irregular

Any vacated position in the Student Council, or in the individual classes, will be filled by nomination by the presiding officer, with approval from the administrative committee, and vote by the governing executive council.
If the president position is vacated, the Vice President assumes the role of President and the Vice President position is filled by the above process.

Article VII: Discipline

In desire to promote responsibility and leadership among the individual members of the Student Council, and to maintain the integrity of the Council, the Student Council shall have the power to discipline its membership according the procedures set forth in this Charter and through its bylaws.
Any member of the Student Council or Class executive council who is found by administration to have committed a major offense – as delineated by the Student Handbook – shall be suspended from their office for two calendar months.

Article VIII: Meetings

Student Council Meetings will be convened once a month
Meeting responsibilities for each executive position

All executive officer meeting requirements are due by the end of the school the Monday before the scheduled meeting (except the Secretary’s meeting notes)
Agendas should be prepared by the President to be disseminated at least 24 hours before the stated meeting
Vice President is responsible to present written report of assigned tasks since last meeting and whether they were completed on time
Secretary is responsible for the typing of all meeting notes and returning them to the advisor no later than one week after the meeting
Banquet Coordinator is responsible to present written report about the status of the Banquet’s planning (kept secret from the seniors)
Treasurer shall present written report a rendering of the accounts

President serves as meeting chair.
Student Council Executive Council Meetings will be convened once a month opposite of the scheduled full Student Council Meetings
Agenda should be prepared before the meeting by the advisor and the president
Class Meetings will be scheduled for once a month
Class President serves as chair for all scheduled meetings
Agendas should be prepared by the advisor and president prior to the meeting

Article IX: Amendments

By-laws shall be designated by the following nomenclature: SC – YY– ##. YY is representative of the academic year passed and ## is representative of number of bylaws passed in that year.

A two-thirds vote by the Student Council membership shall be necessary to amend this Charter by secret registered ballot.

Bylaw SC – 05 – 01

Officer Accountability Bylaw

Purpose:

Student Council is only as effective as its members. Encouragement is necessary to help officers complete tasks they have volunteered for or have been assigned as part of their duties. Conduct Referral slips by the administration or removal from the Student Council are not acceptable disciplinary actions in this setting. Small pecuniary fines will be collected from students for failing to fulfill their duties as laid out in the Charter of Incorporation. This bylaw is necessary to give members of Student Council impetus to fulfill their chartered duties in a timely fashion.

Procedure

Elected members of the Executive Council will remit $10 to the Student Council Advisor to be kept by the Cumberland Valley Christian School Business Office for the duration of the academic year.
Class Presidents of the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Classes, as well as the class representatives of the Seventh and Eighth Grades will remit $5 to the Student Council Advisor to be kept by the Cumberland Valley Christian School Business Office for the duration of the academic year.
Following fines will be administered by the Student Council Advisor or the Student Council President with the advice and consent of the Student Council Advisor.
Failure to fulfill Chartered responsibilities or assigned tasks related to their area of responsibility – 0.50¢
Failure to attend an announced meeting - $1.00
Failure to arrive on time to announced meetings, being more than five minutes late. 0.10¢ for each minute late. Not to exceed the total amount of an entire missed meeting.
Failure to behave appropriately during Student Council meetings – 0.25¢
It is the responsibility of the elected officer to present in writing to the Student Council President or the Student Council Advisor any valid reason they should be excused from any assigned duty or Student Council activity.
Notification of an accessed fine will be given in writing to the fined member by the Student Council Advisor
Fines will be deducted from the deposit collected.
The balance of each officer’s deposit is returned to the officer upon the completion of their final chartered responsibility.


	[Charter]