By Laws

Articles of Association, laws, by-laws and mode of operation

1) Name: The name of the Association shall be: Holmwood Past Students Association UK Chapter And shall be abbreviated as: HPSA UK Chapter And shall be referred to in this document simply as “the Association”

2) Purpose/Aim:

i) The purpose of the Association is to provide an organization through which members can give back something to the institution that has touch their lives in a very special way.

ii) The Association shall provide a means by which members can work together in brotherly love for the benefit of themselves, HTHS, the student body, the community of which we are apart and the Jamaican community both at home and abroad.

iii) The Association shall provide a means for members to network with each other and with members of other chapters for the advancement of their personal goals and aspirations and for the achievement of the aims and objectives of the Association

iv) To promote fellowship and good will amongst its members

Notes:

It is the duty of the Association to support its members in their pursuits as the success of individual members reflects the success of the Association and the institution it represents. The more successful the members are the more they are able to meet their obligations to the Association, thereby enabling the continued existence of the Association and the achievement of its goals. The Association’s support for the pursuits of its members constitutes a benefit of membership.

3) Membership:

i) Membership in the Association shall be of two (2) classes: Full membership referred to simply as “member” and Affiliate membership referred to simply as “affiliates”

ii) The class of member shall refer to any pass student of HTHS who normally resides in the UK and who choose to register with the Association.

iii) The class of Affiliates shall refer to any member of the public who is deemed to be of good repute and wishes to hold membership in the Association.

iv) An individual shall be granted membership in the class of member by simply demonstrating that he/she is a pass student of holmwood.

v) An individual wishing to gain affiliate membership must be associated in some form or another with HTHS. This association could be: being a spouse, partner, friend or relative of a pass student or current student. The individual must be of good character and must be recommended for membership by at least one individual who hold the class of member in the Association.

vi) Affiliates will enjoy all the benefits of membership but cannot stand for election or appointment to any position in the Association.

vii) Affiliates are expected to support all the activities of the Association and to attend all members and committee meetings so long as it is convenient for them to do so.

viii) Membership of whatever class can be terminated by

    (a) simple resignation or

    (b) A member conducting him/herself in a manner that is deemed inconsistent with the high ideals of the Association and the institution it represents. Usually such conducts would fall under the category of a criminal conviction for fraud, murder, rape or any other serious crime.

4) Membership Fees:

Membership fees shall be set by the board and shall be kept at a minimum

Notes:

Membership fees should be considered as a donation to the financial operation of the Association and not as something binding and necessary for membership. It is expected that the financial needs of the Association be met through fund raising activities fully supported by its members and the public at large. Membership fees therefore only serves as a start up fund for any venture undertaken by the Association and also as a reliable source of funding on which to plan activities and make projections.

5) The Board Members:

i) The Board members of the Association shall consist of the immediate past president, president, 1st vice president, 2nd vice president, treasurer, secretary, public relations officer, a sergeant of arms, and the directors of the various committees in the Association. ii) The Board shall be responsible to govern the Association, to make amendments to the mode of operation of the Association. iii) The Board shall be accountable for all the assets of the Association including the bank account/s of the Association. iv) The Board shall make changes or amendments base on simple majority votes at the board level. v) The Board shall be responsible to authorize the disbursement of any funds in excess of one hundred pounds (£100). vi) The board shall be the final level of authority in the Association. vii) The Board shall be chaired by the President or his/her deputy in the absent of the President.

viii) The board shall make all decisions base on a simple majority vote at board level.

ix) The board shall not sit and or make any decision regarding the Association if more than 50% of the board members are absent from a board members meeting.

x) The board shall have board members meeting every other month on the day of general members meeting, three (3) hours prior to the start of the general membership meeting.

6) Appointments:

i) Appointment to any position or office in the Association shall be for a period of one (1) year only.

ii) Appointment to any position will normally be approve by the board and

initiated by the board

iii) The prospective appointee reserves the right to decline the offer of appointment to a position in the Association.

Notes

Every member belonging to the class of member in the Association should prepare himself to take up positions in the Association at various times and is expected to serve at any level at least once throughout the life of his membership with the Association. Service in the Association should be considered as a benefit to the member as it allows the member to develop his or her leadership skills and other expertises and to represent himself and the Association in the position to which he has been appointed. This being the case members should welcome the appointment and look forward to learn and develop themselves in the warm and friendly atmosphere of fellow past students.

7) Duties of the various Offices:

i) Office of the Immediate Pass President

a) To facilitate continuity on the board of the Association

b) To support the President and give advice when approach.

c) To be a resource person on the board making available his

experience of the pass year to new board members

ii) Office of the President

a) To chair all board meetings and all general membership meetings

b) To represent the board and the Association at international meetings,

meetings with the press or the public at large.

c) To represent the board and the Association in general

d) To stair the operations of the Association and ensure the success and

continuity of the Association.

e) To plan and implement developmental activities for the Association

and its members.

f) To ensure that the Association meets its obligation to HTHS and the

student body.

g) To ensure that the Association is always in good standing in the eyes

of the public.

h) To be answerable to the board which has final authority and which can

only be exercise by simple majority vote.

i) To be a signatory on the accounts of the Association and all official

communications of the Association

j) To approve at his discretion the disbursement of funds in the amounts

less than one hundred pounds (£100).

k) To perform all the duties that is normally associated with the office of

Presidency.

iii) Office of the 1st Vice President:

a) To assist the President in the execution of his duties

b) To act in the capacity of a board member

c) To deputize for the President when necessary

d) To be prepared to take up the post of Presidency either at the end of

the term of office or in the unfortunate even that situation necessitate his

instalment before the end of a term in office.

e) To facilitate continuity on the board.

iv) Office of the 2nd Vice President

a) To act in the capacity of a board member

b) To succeed to the office of 1st Vice President and eventually

Presidency in the appropriate time duration or if situation necessitates an

earlier appointment.

c) To ensure continuity on the board.

v) Office of the Board Secretary

a) To act in the capacity of board member

b) To take minutes at all board meetings and at all general members

meetings.

c) To prepare minutes and email copies to the board members and

general membership.

d) To be a signatory on the accounts of the Association

e) To perform all duties in keeping with that of a board secretary.

vi) Office of the Treasurer

a) To act in the capacity of a board member

b) To collect and account for all funds raise by the Association and to

lodge such funds in the bank account of the Association.

c) To disburse funds appropriately after such disbursements have been

approve by the board or President as appropriate.

d) To be a signatory on the accounts of the Association.

e) To present the treasurers report at the board meeting and general

membership meeting and to send copies of the treasurers report via email to

all members of the Association

Notes

There shall be three (3) signatories on the accounts of the Association (President, Secretary and Treasurer). All disbursement of funds shall be in the form of a cheque which shall require the signature of any two (2) of the three (3) signatories.

vii) Office of Directors:

a) To act in the capacity of a board member

b) To Chair the meetings of the various committees of which they are

directors.

c) To plan, implement and where necessary seek board approval for

various activities associated with their particular committee.

d) To appoint a member to act as secretary at each committee meetings

e) To have regular committee meetings

f) To report to the board at board meetings the activities and plans of

their committees.

g) To plan activities geared for the advancement of the Association, its

members and the institution it represents.

h) To work along side the treasurer to ensure that all funds raised by

their committees are accounted for and lodge into the Association’s accounts.

viii) Office of the Sergeant of Arms:

a) To call meetings to order

b) Welcome members, guests and or visitors

c) Initiate Prayers and the singing of the National Anthem of Jamaica

d) Conduct 50/50 raffles at meetings

e) Generally ensure that meetings get off to a warm and jovial start (this

can be facilitated by having a very good joke storey to give at the start of

each meetings)

ix) Office of the Public Relations Officer:

a) To act in the capacity of a board member

b) Perform all duties consistent with that of a PRO

c) Make contacts with prospective new member and share with them the

work and benefits of the Association.

d) Work along side the various committees to make contact with the

public where necessary to facilitate events, fund raising and granting of

Awards etc.

e) To represent the Association in all matters requiring the expertises of a

PRO.

8) Meetings:

The Association shall conduct the following meetings:

a) Board meetings

b) General members meetings

c) Committee meetings

i) Board meetings shall be held at least once every two (2) months on the

last Saturday of the month at 1400hrs if meeting physically at a specific

location or 1800hrs via web-conferencing.

ii) General members meetings shall be held at least once every two (2)

months on the last Saturday of the month at 1800hrs if meeting physically at a

specific location or on the last Sunday of the month at 1600hrs via web-

conferencing.

iii) Committees shall meet as often as necessary and at a time and

location stipulated by the directors of the respective committees. Meetings

can either be web-conferencing or at a specific location.

iv) To promote fellowship and to give tangible physical existence to the

Association, it shall be binding on the members to hold meetings physically at

a specific location at least three (3) times per year.

v) Meetings shall be held alternately in London, Birmingham and or any

other UK cities where a significant population of members resides.

vi) Only board members shall normally attend board meetings.

vii) Committee meetings shall be open to all members for attendance

whether or not the member is a member of that committee.

viii) All general members meetings when held physically shall start with a

prayer reflecting the religious affiliation of the members, followed by the

singing of the Jamaican national anthem. The meetings will vary in formality

base on the location: When held as a dinner/luncheon at a pub or restaurant

certain aspects such as prayer and anthem may be omitted if appropriate.

When held at a hotel or private location the normal proceeding should be

adhered to. The meetings should normally take the following format:

1) Sounding of the hammer 3 times to signify the start of the meeting and

indicate to members that their attention should now be directed at the head

table.

2) Call to order by the Sargeant of Arms or President

3) Prayer by any religiously inclined member. The member should always

be approached before hand to confirm his willingness to do the prayers.

4) Singing of the national anthem. This can be conducted by a member

as well, who should be asked in advance. If the flag of Jamaica is present

members should face the flag when singing the anthem and the flag should

be placed to the right of the head table.

5) The Sargeant of Arms/President shall then welcome members and

their guest. In formal settings food and refreshments can then begin to be

served at this time.

6) From this point onward the presentations from the head table can

become less formal. The Sargeant of Arms can conduct the 50/50 raffle and

award the prizes (1st and 2nd only). Give any joke, read out notices, etc then

hand over to the President who will give a short speech then invite each

board member to give their report. In formal settings the reports can be less

detailed and minutes of the last meeting can be omitted.

7) After the reading of the reports the President should be at hand to

respond to questions and concerns posed by the general membership.

8) If there is an invited guest speaker, the President shall introduce him

at this time. If there is no guest speaker the President should give a short

presentation on any matter of concern to the board and or the Association in

general.

9) The President/Sargeant of Arms shall bring the meeting to a close with

the sounding of the hammer 3 times and bid members farewell. The venue

and date of the next meeting and any last minute announcements can be

made at this point.

ix) In formal meetings the head table shall consist of the board members

and guest speaker.

x) Meetings shall normally last for less than 3 hours when held in formal

locations or at the home of a member. When held in a pub or restaurant the

time can be extended as it pleases the members.

xi) General meetings shall be open to everyone and as such members

are encouraged to take a guest along with them especially when the meetings

are held at a pub, restaurant or hotel.

9) Website:

i) The website of the Association shall be: www.holmwooduk.com

ii) All members shall be entitled to an email address with this website

which

will have the following format: membersname@holmwooduk.com

members should contact the webmaster at webmaster@holmwooduk.com to

have their email address set up.

iii) Members shall endeavour to have their contact details listed on the site

and

to have these details kept up to date.

iv) As the website forms an integral part of the Association, if the

webmaster does not hold a board position during a term of operation the

board may at its discretion have the webmaster present at meetings as an

invited member.

v) The website and newsletter sent via email only shall be the main

methods of communicating with members.

vi) Minutes of meetings shall be stored on the Association’s website at a

secure location accessible to only registered members of the UK Chapter.

10) Committees:

The following committees shall be operative in the Association:

a) The Awards Committee

b) Fund raising and events planning committee

c) Audit committee

d) Planning and development committee

i) Each committee shall consist of a Director and at least 3 members and

shall operate in accordance with article 8 section (iii) and (vii)

ii) The Awards committee shall be responsible to issue the various

awards of the Association and shall be responsible for recommending to the

board the establishment of specific awards.

a) The Awards committee shall be responsible to establish the criteria for

the granting of specific Awards.

b) The Awards committee shall be responsible for all matters relating to

the issuing of an Award from the Association.

iii) The Fund raising and events planning committee shall be responsible

for all fund raising activities of the Association. This committee shall be

responsible to plan all social events for fellowship and fund raising purposes

and is responsible to ensure that the Association benefits financially from all

social events planned and conducted.

a) This committee shall be responsible to plan and implement fund raising

events and calendar events such as Christmas dinner and/or new years ball,

summer outings, nights out, barbeque etc.

b) This committee shall be responsible for all fund raising aspects of fund

raising and events planning.

c) This committee shall be responsible to plan and implement the annual

banquet and installation of new president and board members.

iv) Planning and Development committee:

a) Shall be responsible to plan and implement activities geared at

developing the Association and the institution it represents

b) Shall be responsible to plan ways and means of increasing the assets

and influence of the Association.

c) Shall be responsible to plan and implement methods to ensure that the

Association is recognized nationally and internationally.

11) Banquet and installation ceremony

a) The annual banquet and installation ceremony shall be held on the bank

holiday weekend in August of every year, commencing August 2008.

b) The venue will normally be a hotel in London.

c) The banquet and ceremony will take the following format:

i) The Sargeant of Arms shall play the role of master of ceremony and

shall start the banquet and installation ceremony as per Article 8 section (iii)

sub-section 1- 5

ii) The out going President shall then give a report of the success and

achievement of his team over the pass year and thank his team and members

for their support.

iii) The out going President shall then introduce the new President to the

members speaking a little about his character, experience and other general

information of interest. Shake hand and officially hand over the Office of

Presidency to the new President. He should then pose a toast to the new

President and his team.

iv) The new President shall then thank the out going President and board

members, then introduce the new team of board member and state briefly

what he hopes to achieve during his term in office.

v) The new President shall then pose a toast to the out going President

and team for their service to the Association.

vi) All Awards and the announcements of Awards shall be given at this

time.

vii) Following the Awards presentations members will then be left to wine,

dine, eat drink and dance and be merry until they say when (normally for up

to 1 – 2:00am).

12) Awards:

i) The Association shall present the following Awards annually starting in

August 2008:

a) An Award of not less than two hundred pounds (£200) to the 2nd form

student with the best overall average for the school year ending in June of the

year the Award is given.

b) An Award equivalent to the cost for at least 5 CXC subjects to the 4th

form student with the best overall average for the school year ending in June

of the year Award is given.

c) The Association shall work with other chapters or by itself to provide a

3 year scholarship for the student with the best CXC and or A-Level passes to

study in the UK or the USA.

d) The Association shall have in place a needy student fund to provide

disbursements to students in need of financial support.