ARTICLE I: Name of Organization
1.0 The Organization shall be known as the Markham District High School Classics Club and herein after shall be referred to as the Club.
ARTICLE II: Purpose of Organization
1.0 The Club shall work towards:
a) providing an academic and social environment for enrichment in the fields of Classical Civilizations and Languages;
b) benefiting its membership as well as the Markham District High School community in enhancing the high school experience;
c) supporting Markham District High School teams in competitions related to the field of Classical Civilizations and Languages.
ARTICLE III: Structure
1.0 The General Membership shall be the legislative body of the Club and shall be composed of all officially registered members.
2.0 The Executive shall be the administrative body of the Club and shall be composed of elected and appointed members from the General Membership.
ARTICLE IV: Membership
1.0 There shall be two levels of membership within the Club:
a) general membership;
b) honorary membership.
2.0 General membership shall:
a) be open to all students of Markham District High School upon official registration and payment of the Markham District High School Student Activity Fee as well as an annual membership fee determined by the Executive;
b) have the right:
i. to speak on all matters pertaining to the Club,
ii. to vote in all elections,
iii. to seek nomination for any executive position for which they qualify
iv. to partake in any events of the Club;
c) be informed of all general meetings, events, and elections of the Club.
3.0 Honorary membership shall:
a) be unofficial;
b) be open to any Markham District High School alumnus and previous member of the Club without official registration or payment of the annual membership fee;
c) have the right:
i. to speak on all matters pertaining to the Club,
ii. to partake in any events of the Club to which they have been invited,
iii. to request invitation to any events of the Club.
4.0 Membership in the Club shall be valid from the time of official registration and payment of the membership fee to the final day of the school year.
5.0 All levels of membership must abide by this constitution and the policies of Markham District High School and the York Region District School Board. Any member who fails to do so may have their membership revoked without return of any paid fees.
ARTICLE V: Executive
1.0 The members of the Executive, in general, shall:
a) strive to fulfill the purpose of the organization and provide as many enrichment activities as possible for Club members and the student body;
b) strive to prepare students for classical competitions as best as possible;
c) decide the necessity of variable positions (Article V, Sections 7.0 and 8.0)
d) decide executive and general membership meeting dates and frequency
2.0 Voting may take place in the event of dissension in decision-making. Only the following positions may vote and motion for a vote if they are present at the Executive meeting at the time of the decision:
a) President
b) Vice President
c) Treasurer/Secretary
d) Publicist/Archivist
e) Competitions Chair
f) Class Representative(s)
g) Academic Head
h) Creative Head
i) Athletic Head
j) Student Advisor
k) Teacher Advisor
3.0 There shall be one President, elected by the General Membership, who shall previously have maintained a position on the Club Executive for no less than one full school year, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) schedule and chair all Executive meetings, and in case of foreseen absence, prepare the Vice President to chair the meeting;
c) produce an agenda to be followed at each Executive meeting;
d) represent the Club and make decisions on its behalf when necessary, or prepare a delegate to do so;
e) be responsible for all correspondence between the Club and outside parties, including the Markham District High School Administration, StudentsĄ¯ Activity Council, and Club sponsors;
f) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
3.1 If, at the discretion of the Executive, there are not enough candidates for the position of President, the Executive may allow, with a majority vote of the Executive, any person to run for the position of President, so long as:
a) they have attended an adequate number of meetings, at the decision of the Executive, so that they have enough experience to be in the leadership role of the Club; and/or
b) they have held a position in the club, not necessarily on the Executive, of significant responsibility or have had a leadership role in the organization of a Club event; and/or
c) they have held a position of leadership elsewhere in the school.
4.0 There shall be one Vice President, elected by the General Membership, who shall previously have held membership in the Club for no less than one full school year, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) chair any Executive meetings in the absence of the President;
c) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
5.0 There shall be one Treasurer/Secretary, elected by the General Membership, who shall previously have held membership in the Club for no less than one full school year, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) take minutes at each Executive meeting and communicate them to the Executive;
c) maintain a financial record of the ClubĄ¯s account by communicating with the Markham District High School Accounts Secretary and report financial status to the Executive when called upon;
d) maintain a record of registered Club members;
e) communicate electronically with all registered Club members or prepare a delegate to do so;
f) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
6.0 There shall be one Publicist/Archivist, appointed by the current Executive, who shall previously have held membership in the Club for no less than one full school year, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) maintain the Club website, updating it on a period determined by the Executive, or prepare a delegate to do so;
c) publish the Club newsletter on a period determined by the Executive, or prepare a delegate to do so;
d) collect photos and memorabilia from all Club initiatives for use in the Club Scrapbook;
e) create the Club Scrapbook for competition in the Ontario StudentsĄ¯ Classics Conference or prepare a delegate to do so;
f) be responsible for the marketing of all Club initiatives, including the production of posters and announcements;
g) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
7.0 There shall be one Competitions Chair, appointed by the current Executive, who shall previously have held membership in the Club for no less than one full school year, have attended one Ontario StudentsĄ¯ Classics Conference, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) seek and organize competition opportunities for members;
c) organize and assist in preparation for all competitions held by the Club;
d) produce a budget for required funds for competition preparation;
e) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
8.0 For every Latin, Ancient Greek, or Classical Civilizations class (NOTE: a class may constitute more than one course or course section) not comprised of any Executive members, there shall be, at the decision of the executive, one class representative, elected by all students in their class in September of their term, who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) present all concerns and ideas of their class to the Executive;
c) announce all Club initiatives to their class;
d) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
9.0 There shall be three non-executive positions, namely the Academic Head, Creative Head, and Athletic Head, appointed by the current Executive, who shall previously have held membership in the Club for no less than one full school year, and who shall, in general:
a) attend Executive meetings when requested;
b) participate in the organization and executive of Club initiatives when requested.
9.1 The Academic Head specifically shall:
a) assist in the preparation of competitors for all academic competitions;
b) organize events (e.g. competitions, lectures, seminars, etc.) for the promotion and preparation of academic competitions;
c) assist in the choosing of competitors to represent Markham District High School and the Club in academic competitions when requested.
9.2 The Creative Head specifically shall:
a) assist in the preparation of competitors for all creative competitions;
b) assist in the choosing of competitors to organize the Ontario StudentsĄ¯ Classics Conference Fashion Show, Skit, and Archaeological Dig when requested;
c) organize creative project submissions for the Ontario StudentsĄ¯ Classics Conference and other competitions.
9.3 The Athletic Head specifically shall:
a) assist in the preparation of competitors for all athletic competitions;
b) assist in the choosing of competitors to represent Markham District High School and the Club in athletic competitions when requested.
10.0 There may be one Student Advisor, appointed by and on the discretion of the new Executive, who shall previously have maintained a position on the Club Executive for no less than one full school year, and who shall:
a) strive to attend and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) use experience to advise the Executive in their decisions;
c) participate in the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
11.0 The structure of the Club Executive may be amended only before General Membership registration of its term.
ARTICLE VI: Teacher Advisor
1.0 A teacher advisor shall be selected by the current executive at the time of Executive election, who shall be a member of the Markham District High School Moderns Department, teach at least one classical civilizations or languages course, and who shall:
a) strive to supervise and contribute positively to all Executive meetings;
b) advise the Executive in their decisions;
c) act as a liaison between the Executive and the Markham District High School Administration when necessary;
d) supervise and facilitate the organization and execution of all Club initiatives.
2.0 The teacher advisor shall have the power to veto any decision of the Executive after thorough discussion and deliberation on the grounds of reasonability or safety.
3.0 A teacher advisor shall not be dismissed without their consent or the unanimous agreement of all Executive members.
ARTICLE VII: Meetings
1.0 There shall be no required number, frequency, or protocol for General Membership meetings.
2.0 Executive meetings shall take place at a time and frequency determined by the Executive, occurring no less than once per month. It is suggested that the meetings take place no less than once per week and be cancelled when deemed inconvenient or unnecessary.
3.0 Executive meetings shall:
a) be open or closed to General Membership at the discretion of the Executive;
b) be chaired by the President, or the Vice President in the absence of the President;
c) be supervised by the Teacher Advisor;
4.0 Dissension at an Executive meeting shall be settled by a majority vote with no less than seventy percent of the Executive present.
ARTICLE VIII: Elections
1.0 The Executive shall be elected and appointed in late May or early June for one term beginning the final day of the school year and ending the final day of the following school year.
2.0 By-elections may be held with a majority vote of the Executive and permission of the Teacher Advisor.
3.0 Notice shall be given to the General Membership no fewer than seven days before an election.
4.0 The election and by-election procedure shall be as follows:
a) any general member may be nominated by any other general member for any elected position for which he or she qualifies;
b) after nominations have been declared, nominations shall be closed and speeches shall be heard from all nominees;
c) where there is only one nominee for a position, the nominee shall be acclaimed and deemed elected to that position;
d) where there is more than one nominee for a position, all general members present shall vote with secret ballots;
e) any member(s) of the current Executive shall count the ballots and the nominee with the majority of votes for a position shall be deemed elected to that position;
f) in the case of a tie, upon the discretion of the current Executive, a revote may be taken, or, if the position is not that of President, it may be shared.
5.0 The appointment procedure shall be as follows:
a) any general member may be nominated by any other general member for any election position for which he or she qualifies;
b) after nominations have been declared, nominations shall be closed and candidates shall be interviewed by the current Executive
c) where there is only one nominee for a position, the nominee shall be acclaimed and deemed elected to that position;
d) where there is more than one nominee for a position, all Executive members present shall vote;
e) the nominee with the majority of votes for a position shall be deemed elected to that position;
f) in the case of a tie, upon the discretion of the current Executive, a revote may be taken, or it may be shared.
6.0 Any additional procedures shall be decided at the discretion of the current Executive.
7.0 If for any reason a position becomes vacant after election, a by-election shall be held for that position within a month of the position becoming vacant.
ARTICLE IX: Impeachment
1.0 The decision of impeachment shall rest entirely upon the Executive, which may impeach an Executive member on the grounds of:
a) ceasing membership in the Club;
b) violating this constitution or any policies of Markham District High School or the York Region District School Board;
c) neglecting duties as stated in this constitution.
2.0 The Executive shall impeach a member on any other grounds only if the consent of the Teacher Advisor is given.
3.0 Notice of the impeachment shall be given to the Executive member in question no fewer than seven days before impeachment.
4.0 The Executive member in question shall be given the opportunity to speak to the Executive in his or her defence with support, live or in writing, from the General Membership prior to impeachment.
ARTICLE X: Amendments
1.0 Amendments to this constitution may be made by the Executive to any section of any article, providing:
a) motion for change is given to the Executive no fewer than seven days before voting;
b) the consent of the Teacher Advisor is given;
c) the Executive in its entirety is present for voting;
d) a majority of the Executive favours the amendment.
2.0 Amendments to this constitution shall take effect immediately after approval.
ARTICLE XI: Club Cookie
1.0 A cookie may, at the discretion of the Executive, be appointed to be the Club Cookie for one term.
2.0 The cookie, which does not necessarily have to be a cookie but perhaps another delicious edible item, shall portray at least one of the following characteristics:
a) be deformed, misshapen, or ill-manufactured so that its defects may be a topic of conversation at Executive meetings; and/or
b) be somehow symbolic of racial harmony or some other current global initiative; and/or
c) taste good; and/or
d) cost less than its own mass of its component raw materials, thereby causing reason for all sorts of wonder and amazement.
3.0 Once a cookie or its equivalent has been appointed as the official Club Cookie, it shall not be eaten or dethroned without unanimous consent of the Executive.
ARTICLE XII: Dissolution of Organization
1.0 The Club shall be dissolved only if:
a) the General Membership is notified no fewer than seven days before dissolution;
b) the consent of the Teacher Advisor is given;
c) the Executive in its entirety is present for voting;
d) a majority of the Executive favours dissolution;
e) no general member is willing to maintain the Club and establish an executive.
2.0 Assets of the Club granted by the Markham District High School StudentsĄ¯ Activity Council or Administration shall be returned in their entirety.
3.0 Remaining assets of the Club shall be given to the Markham District High School Moderns Department to hold in trust in case of restoration of the Club.
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