Student Senate

Mission Statement of the Constitution for the HKIS High School Senate

In order to enhance the experience provided by the Hong Kong International School, we have endeavored to create a government that shall represent all aspects of student interest and concern. By providing a forum of student representatives where the student body has the opportunity to voice their opinions, we respond with effective and responsible action to school issues to improve the community and are dedicated to fulfilling the school’s mission statement.

I. Purpose

A) The Senate is a group of students providing:

1. A forum for the discussion of student body issues in order to improve the school community.
2. Committees and councils for the creative solutions of student body issues.
3. Proposals to the High School students, faculty, administration, and various leadership committees representing the student body either directly through student body referendum or indirectly.

B) It is recognized that the final authority for the school operation rests with the Hong Kong International School Board of Managers, who yield responsibilities to the administration and faculty and, in turn, to the students in order to achieve the most effective educational environment possible.

II. Function

A) The Senate will manage the organization and coordination of all student government activities throughout the academic year. It will work to improve the overall program of the High School, and it will seek out new opportunities for student leadership and involvement in the High School. The Senate will perform these functions through the following specific means:

1. Evaluating school rules and protocols by submitting resolutions to the necessary committees and councils.
2. Communicating with faculty through appointed departments with special liaisons assigned on a need basis.
3. Keeping the student body informed in the workings of the Senate, school events, and extracurricular activities.
4. Regulating the creation and function of clubs through the Club Council.
5. Managing funds to clubs and donation process of service clubs.
6. Working with the administration to schedule student life events.
7. Coordinating extracurricular academic programs as requested by the faculty
8. Coordinating all student government elections.
9. Create subcommittees on a need basis and legitimate reason.
10. Altering its structure and function on a need basis.
11. Organizing and running a Spirit Days every semester.
12. Reassessing the Constitution every four years.
13. Conducting a school-wide census every two academic years.
    • Should there be a need to conduct one due to reasons pertaining to the student body, one could be held in the off-year.

III. Procedures and Operations

A) The Senate is made up of 24 students:

1. A Presiding Officer.
2. Six Executive Council Senators.
3. Sixteen Class Officers.
4. Two appointed Exco Officers.

B) The Presiding Officer will:

1. Preside over Senate and is elected by the student body.
2. Set agendas and preside over Senate meetings.
3. Schedule meetings with High School Administration and Senate Faculty Advisors on a regular basis.
4. Communicate to the student body the goals and progress of the Senate on a regular basis.
5. Work closely with other Senators and Class Officers, supporting their initiatives, and fostering collaboration amongst various roles.
6. Sit on the Site Council as a Senate Representative.

C) Executive Council Senators will:

1. Run for a Senate position on a topical platform and will preside over councils.
2. Lead in the Executive Council.
   • Executive Council Senators will also lead the following Councils:
     1. Academic Life – Academic Advisory Council.
     2. Athletics – Activities Council.
     3. Citizenship – Culture and Climate Council.
     4. Student Life – Spirit Council.
     5. Service – Service Council.
     6. Public Relations – To be determined.
   • Each council must be presided by a senator.
   • A senator may only preside over one council alone, and one in conjunction with other senators. There may only be a maximum of two councils presided by multiple senators.
   • All senators must regularly communicate the activities of the council(s) they preside over with the entire Senate

D) Class Officers are four positions entitled for all four grades in High School and are only voted by the corresponding grade level.

E) Executive Council Senators and Class Officers must be elected every year.

F) Represents student body in Site Council through

1. The Presiding Officer.
2. Executive Council Senators in issues only pertaining to the role.
3. Vice Presidents of each grade.
   • Should the vice president be unable to attend site council meetings, the class officer will discuss amongst themselves to be represented by another member.

 

IV. Roles of Executive Council Senators

A) Senator of Academics

1. Purpose
   • Oversee the academic well-being of the student body by representing and communicating their academic needs.
   • Ensuring student voice in the decision-making process regarding academic issues within school related to topics such as courses, exams, academic resources, as well as specific department-related concerns and queries.
2. Responsibilities
   • Lead various initiatives relating to academic life.
   • Work closely with the Associate Principal of Academics by relaying academic-related concerns from students.
   • Oversee and support academic clubs.
   • Preside over the Academic Advisory Council.
     1. Purpose – Discuss issues regarding courses, exams, academic resources, as well as specific department-related concerns and queries will be discussed and reviewed by this council.
     2. Composition – Equal number of Students per grade. These students should encompass the interests of various academic disciplines.

B) Senator of Athletics

1. Purpose
   • Oversee issues related to sports-related issues.
   • Represent the voices of athletes in Senate.
2. Responsibilities
   • Work closely with the High School Athletics and Activities Coordinator.
   • Oversee, check-in with, and support athletic clubs.
   • Assist the planning of various athletic local and international tournaments,
   • Preside over the Athletics Council.
     1. Purpose – Provide assistance for the spirit across all athletic activities at HKIS (e.g. posters/videos). The council is also responsible for representing all athletic teams and planning Friday Night Light events over the course of the school year.
     2. Composition – Events, Advertisement, Technology/Photography Teams.

C) Senator of Citizenship

1. Purpose
   • Manage disciplinary/citizenship issues within the student body.
   • Promote sustainability and a positive culture of well-being, diversity, and inclusion on campus.
   • Cultivate a healthy and supportive environment in both academics and non-academic aspects of student life.
2. Responsibilities
   • Work closely with the Associate Principal for Student Life.
   • Review and update rules as needed (dress code, misconduct, sustainability, etc.).
   • Oversee public awareness campaigns for disciplinary issues,.
   • Oversee, check-in with, and support wellbeing and sustainability clubs.
   • Be an advocate and partners to the Wellbeing Board and the Sustainability Board, overseeing and managing general sustainability and well-being program implementation.

D) Senator of Student Life

1. Purpose
   • Responsible for extracurricular activities and club-related items such as new club proposals, meeting day assignments, club marketplace, and student spirit activities.
2. Responsibilities
   • Work closely with the Associate Principal of Student Life.
   • Oversee the management and creation of clubs such as allocation of meeting rooms and times.
   • Lead in school-wide events such as Club Marketplace, Spirit Week, or Spirit Day.
   • Support and manage special interest clubs.
   • Oversee, check-in with, and support special interest and arts clubs.
   • Head club-related Senator meetings and initiatives.
   • Preside over the Spirit Council:
     1. The Spirit Council is an ExCo Subcommittee driven by the Senator of Student Life. The council aims to develop a warmer atmosphere, create a more interconnected community, and nurture school spirit at HKIS. With an emphasis on cross-collaboration with pre-existing organizations (e.g. PFO, Clubs, Class Officers), the Spirit Council will empower their members to carry out their own projects and events, as well as increase the sense of community, comfort, and quality of life at HKIS.
     2. Composition – A leadership team and a member-makeup that typically consists of passionate, committed, and uplifting students from 9th through 12th grade.

E) Senator of Public Relations

1. Purpose
   • Integrate the student body with the activities of the Executive Council and the general HKIS Community.
   • Informing the community of the affairs of the Senate.
   • Handling the visual and written communication for Senate, ExCo, and if applicable, their respective subcommittees.
2. Responsibilities
   • Work closely with the High School Technology Coach
   • Communicate the content of Senate meetings to the student body through the Senate website, forum, and other multimedia.
   • Write regular Senate updates in school publications.
   • Review and support HKIS Publication Clubs.
   • Assist clubs in the promotion of their events.
   • Collaborate with Student Digital Leadership Team (SDLT) in promoting digital content.
     Preside/create a council if the senator deems it is necessary.

F) Senator of Service

1. Purpose
   • Responsible for the aspect of student life that pertains specifically to service.
   • Oversee all service clubs and activities at the school.
2. Responsibility
   • Organize school-wide service-related functions and events.
   • Work closely with the Associate Principal of Student Life, High School Seeds of
     Service (SOS) faculty advisor, and schoolwide Service Coordinator (as needed)
   • Assist with the administration of the Seeds of Service (SOS) program,
   • Plan and lead service leadership workshops.
   • Facilitate service club participation in community events run by Parent Faculty Organization (PFO).
   • Oversee the SOS Council:
     1. Purpose – Support all service clubs in their initiatives, organization. promotion, club collaborations, and other needs; facilitate and organize school-wide service initiatives.
     2. Composition – Consists of six to eight students who dividedly oversee four sectors of which all service clubs fall into: Social Justice, Student Empowerment, Senior Support, and Special Needs. The Senator of Service may or may not be a part of the SOS Committee (as one of the six to eight students) concurrently.

G) All Executive Council members are obligated to partake in a leadership course during the school year (given no major conflicts).

 

V. Roles of Class Officers

A) Each grade is entitled to 4 class officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

B) Class Officers will be full voting members of the Student Senate and will represent the voice and opinions of their class to the Senate.

C) In order to serve their class effectively, class officers will:

1. Organize regular meetings.
2. Distribute work equally amongst all class officers.
3. Communicate effectively and timely with each other.
4. Go beyond specialization of each role to fulfill general class officer duties.

D) The above standards should be monitored by a faculty advisor and the Executive Council.

E) Class Officers (CO) are a group of four students of equal standing comprised of the following roles:

1. President
   • Leads the Class Officer team, ensuring that it consistently delivers on the interest of the student body.
   • Responsible for overseeing meetings, communicating with other class presidents, and promoting class spirit
   • Responsible for setting goals and agenda of the Class Officer group.
2. Vice President
   • Support their fellow class officers in organising class events, raising school spirit, and representing the interest of their grade.
   • Represent the grade on the Site Council.
3. Secretary
   • Effectively communicate with their grade about Class Officer activity.
   • Take necessary notes during meetings.
4. Treasurer
   • Oversee the management of the financial affairs of the class, including tasks such as fundraising and managing cash flow

 

VI. Executive Council Appointed Roles

A) The Executive Council Secretary and Treasurer of the Senate will be appointed by the Student Senators following the election of the Executive Council Election.

B) Those interested must apply through an application process and are decided by Executive Council.

C) Do not vote in Senate Meetings.

D) Responsibilities of Secretary:

1. Work closely with the Presiding Officer and Faculty Advisor for Senate Meetings.
2. Act as a liaison with Executive Council and Class Officer to maintain strong internal communication.
3. Actively participate in preparing for key events and initiatives by other Senator.
4. Take minutes during Senate meetings.

E) Responsibilities of Treasurer:

1. Audit club finances in support of Senator roles.
2. Liaison with relevant institutional bodies (e.g., PFO, Annual Fund).
3. Supporting training for handling club finances.
4. Oversee the donation process for initiatives with the relevant institutional bodies. 5. Manage Executive Council funds.
5. Support Class Officers when necessary.

 

VII. Meetings

A) The members of the Senate will meet according to a predetermined schedule distributed by the Presiding Officer at the beginning of the year. The Senator may call special meetings with one school day notice by agenda for cause as determined by their discretion. Attendance will be mandatory.

B) The debates held within the meetings will be based on proposals and discussions. These will either be submitted by individuals or by the appropriate councils.

C) Other students, faculty, and parents are invited and encouraged to attend all plenary Senate meetings as non-voting members.

D) If a Senator misses three or more meetings with and without notice, excluding special cases at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, the matter shall be referred to the Senate for deliberation. The Senate shall then decide to take appropriate action, ranging from issuing the student a warning to beginning impeachment proceedings.

 

VIII. Faculty Advisors

A) Faculty Advisors are appointed by the High School Administration to work closely with the Senate.

B) The Faculty Advisors will attend all Senate meetings but do not have a vote.

C) The Faculty Advisors will oversee voting procedures to ensure voting protocol has been followed.

 

IX. Senate Voting Procedures

A) All members of the Senate have one vote each, except for the Secretary, Treasurer, and Faculty Representatives.

B) The Presiding Officer shall decide which matters require a simple majority and which ones require a 2∕3 majority of those voting. This shall be done prior to the vote.

C) On major matters concerning the whole student body, the Senate, by 3⁄4 vote, may elect to send the resolution for final action to the whole student body for a vote, determined by simple majority of the student body voting.

D) In the event that a member of the Senate leaves HKIS during the year, a new election for that position will be held.

E) For a vote to be binding, a quorum of 2∕3 of the voting Senators must be present for the vote.

F) A cloture could be invoked with the consent of 2∕3 of the voting members, which would immediately force an official vote on the matter at hand.

1. The Presiding Officer must organize a vote to invoke cloture immediately if a member calls for one.
2. Should the vote to invoke cloture not pass, the Presiding Officer may choose not to entertain any further calls for cloture for the rest of the meeting.

 

X. Elections

A. All students currently attending Hong Kong International School High School who will return for the following school year are eligible to run for School Senate.

B. All candidates interested in seeking a position in the Senate should be listed in a schoolwide announcement prior to the commencement of nominations.

C. Those currently holding a role in the Senate and will return the following year must not interfere in the campaigning process.

D. A student may only run for one position in the Senate per election.

E. School Senators and the Presiding Officer will be elected by the entire student body at the end of the previous school year.

F. Class Officers will be elected by the class with terms beginning at the onset of the next school year.

G. Students who are put on disciplinary warning or disciplinary probation during an election period are prohibited from running for Senate.

H. Students will vote in a preferential voting system for Presiding Officer, Executive Council Senators and Class Officers.

1. A ranked-based voting system will allow students to rank their preferred candidates. Should their first-choice candidate be eliminated due to the least amount of votes, their votes will be carried over to their second choice. This procedure will continue until a winner is determined.
2. Students can abstain from voting.
3. Students can rank certain candidates and leave the rest blank.

I. Should a candidate win by a vote or tie occur, a tie-breaker will held immediately when possible.

J. Results will be announced the day it is voted.

K. Only the Presiding Officer and Faculty Advisors have the right to access voting results.

L. Faculty Advisor must keep ballots after each election for a month in the case of any discrepancies.
 

XI. Impeachment

A) A member of the Senate can be impeached if it is alleged they made violations of the Constitution in bad faith or for continuous or severe misconduct as a member of the HKIS community.

B) Should a member of the Senate wish to impeach any other member of the Senate, a petition stating his/her grievances and bearing the signatures of 1∕3 of the Senators will be required to initiate impeachment proceedings.

C) A fair hearing supervised by the faculty advisors will be held in front of the Senate, with both sides given an equal opportunity to present their case.

D) Removal is achieved by 2∕3 of votes.

E) Should the High School Leadership Team deem a Senator to have violated major behavioral expectations as outlined in the student handbook, he/she shall be removed without a hearing from Senate.

F) Should a member of the Senate be impeached within a month before the election, the Senate may internally nominate a member to temporarily assume the role.

 

XII. Amendments

A) Amendment topics should be made public to the student body as they are being debated.

B) A petition must be submitted with greater than 1∕3 signatures of voting members of the Senate.

C) Debate on an amendment must cease after ten regular school weeks or six Senate meetings.

D) A simple majority vote shall occur after each meeting to indicate want to endured discussions.

E) Amendments will pass within the Senate under a 2∕3 majority vote.

F) Submitting the amendment to the student body for approval by a simple majority of those voting.