CONSTITUTION

We, alumni, former students, and friends of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s Convent High Schools, Monrovia, Liberia, who reside in the United States of America, have come together to form this non-profit corporation called the St. Patrick’s / St. Teresa’s High Schools Alumni Association, USA Inc., hereafter called the “Corporation”, and hereby established this Constitution.  

ARTICLE I

OBJECTIVES 

The objectives of this Corporation shall be: 

1. To provide financial and other assistance to St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s High Schools to enable them to maintain and improve their high standard of excellent high school education in Monrovia, Liberia.

 

2. To gather together as a group to discuss problems, issues, plans and strategies in support of objective 1.

 

3. To provide a forum for alumni and friends of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s in the USA to network and socialize annually.

 

To foster these objectives, the Corporation’s aims will be: 

To ENCOURAGE COMMUNICATIONS among its members, former administrators and faculty, and the current administration of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s; 

To STIMULATE DISCOURSE among its membership regarding effective means of assistance to St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s, the role of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s in the future of Liberia, and concrete ways the Corporation can be involved in the achievement of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s missions; 

To PLAN AND LAUNCH PROJECTS that will enable fundraising for St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s Convent to fulfill their respective missions; 

To ESTABLISH A NETWORK within the USA that will enable the members to support one another, visit with one another when in various areas of the USA, and allow members in various disciplines to form collaboration units; 

To NETWORK AND SOCIALIZE with the membership and their families, thus providing an environment in which we can perpetuate our traditions. 

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP 

Section 2.1              Membership shall be open to all alumni and friends of St. Patrick’s High School or St. Teresa’s Convent High Schools, Monrovia, Liberia, residing in the USA 

                                                                         i)                    For the purpose of this Constitution, the term ‘alumni of St. Patrick’s/ St. Teresa’s High Schools’ shall denote any person who was a part of the student body of St. Patrick’s and St. Teresa’s for any period of time. 

                                                                       ii)                    Members must have dues fully paid to be eligible to vote or hold elected offices 

                                                                      iii)                    Members in good financial standing shall be entitled to one vote during the annual conference  

                                                                     iv)                    Membership dues will be determined by the Board of Directors as per the Bylaws 

                                                                       v)                    Members must be fully registered and in good financial standing at least six months before being eligible to hold elected office. 

Section 2.2              All friends and spouses of the active membership shall be granted associate membership without the right to hold elected positions. 

i)                 Associate members must have dues fully paid to participate in all functions 

ii)               Associate membership dues will be determined by the Board of Directors as per the Bylaws 

Section 2.3              All former and current administrators and faculty are automatically bestowed honorary membership with no voting rights. 

ARTICLE III

MEETINGS AND ORGANIZATION 

Section 3.1              The Corporation will meet rotationally once a year at an annual conference in various areas of the USA. The annual conference shall be the policy making body of the Corporation. The meeting will be held during the Memorial Day weekend. Decision by the Corporation shall be made by a two-thirds majority vote of members present who are eligible to vote. 

Section 3.2              The meeting shall be presided over by the National President until the National President-Elect is sworn in, following which, he/she will preside. The president-Elect and Officers for the following year shall be voted upon at the annual meeting. 

Section 3.3              The meeting will always be held at a location designated by the President-Elect. 

Section 3.4             There shall be a Board of Directors, which shall coordinate the policies and programs of the Annual Conference. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a year before the Annual Conference, and may at such meeting develop and propose new programs and policies for approval at the Annual Conference. The members of the Board shall include the National President, three immediate Past National Presidents (serving a maximum of three years each), the Presidents of active Local Chapters, and two representatives from the general membership to be elected at the Annual Conference.  The Board shall be chaired by a Chairman, who will be elected by members of the Board. The Board of Directors shall represent the Corporation in all legal matters and shall perform such other related duties as may be required of them.

Section 3.5              There shall be various Chapters of the Corporation throughout the United State of America, which shall, except otherwise provided for in this Constitution, be formed and conducted according to the procedures set forth in the Corporation’s Bylaws to be enacted subsequent to this constitution. The Chapters shall plan and implement programs and policies designed to aid the Corporation in achieving its objectives, although the implementation of such programs shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Director. Each Chapter shall be headed by a President who shall be elected by the eligible voting membership of his/her Chapter. 

Section 3.6             There shall be five standing committees of the Corporation; Executive, Financial/Audit, Planning, Election, and Outreach. Additionally, the Board of Directors shall, from time to time, create ad-hoc committees as the need therefore arises. Such ad-hoc committees shall exist until dissolved by the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES 

Section 4.1              The officers of the Corporation shall include: the National President, National Vice-President, National President-Elect, National Treasurer, National Financial Secretary, National Secretary, and Nation Chaplain. These Officers shall all be members in good standing who shall be elected by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership present and eligible to vote during the annual Conference. They shall be elected to hold office for a term of one year. Members must be fully registered and in good standing at least six months before eligible to hold elected office. 

Section 4.2                     The National President shall:                                    

                                                                       i).                    Be the Chief Executive officer and spokesperson of the Corporation. To avoid any conflict of interest (i.e., being a graduate of another Liberian High School) he/she must be a graduate of St. Patrick’s or St. Teresa’s Convent High School to qualify for this position. 

                                                                      ii).                    Appoint and/or commission, in consultation with the Executive Committee members, all ad-hoc committee chairpersons 

                                                                    iii).                    Propose to the Board, for approval, programs or projects relevant to the attainment of the Corporation’s purpose and aims 

                                                                    iv).                    Be one of the three signatories of all checks or vouchers drawn on the Corporation’s account 

                                                                     v).                    Preside over the first part of the annual meeting until the swearing-in of the President-Elect, whereupon he/she shall turn over the gravel 

                                                                    vi).                    See that the Officers of the Corporation discharge their duties faithfully, impartially, accurately, and promptly, and he/she shall enforce strict observance of the laws and policies of the Corporation. 

                                                                  vii).                    Be a member of the Board of Directors 

                                                                 viii).                    Convene and chair the Executive Committee for emergency of extraordinary sessions at any time

                                                                     ix).                  Have attended at least two National Conventions prior to his/her election 

Section 4.3                     The National Vice President shall: 

i)                     Act on behalf of the National President, in the absence, impeachment, or death of the National President  

ii)                   Be a member of the Executive Committee 

iii)                  Serve on all committees as ex-officio member 

iv)                 Carry out any additional duties, in the interest of the Corporation, that may be assigned to him/her by the National President 

v)                   To avoid any conflict of interest (i.e., being a graduate of another Liberian High School) he/she must be a graduate of St. Patrick’s or St. Teresa’s Convent High School to qualify for this position 

Section 4.4                     The National President-Elect shall: 

i)                 Succeed the National President at the subsequent Convent 

ii)               Organize and plan the subsequent Annual Convention meeting at a location designated by him/her 

iii)              Be a member of the Executive Committee 

iv)             To avoid any conflict of interest (i.e., being a graduate of another Liberian High School) he/she must be a graduate of St. Patrick’s or St. Teresa’s Convent High School to qualify for this position 

Section 4.5                     The Treasurer shall:              

i)                 Be the principal financial officer 

ii)               Be a member of the Executive Committee 

iii)              Be the custodian of all funds of the Corporation obtained from any source 

iv)             Receive from the Financial Secretary all monies received for the Corporation and shall deposit forthwith said monies into an approved bank account for the Corporation, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee or by majority vote of the membership 

v)               Pay all bills and/or orders drawn on behalf of the Corporation and signed by the Financial Secretary or countersigned by the President 

vi)             Keep accounts of monies received and show at all times the amount of moneys in the general expense fund and those in each existing special fund. He/She, together with the Financial Secretary, will make a detailed financial report at the annual meeting and have copies circulated to the membership 

vii)            Be one of the three signatories of all checks or vouchers drawn on the Corporation’s accounts 

Section 4.6                     The Financial Secretary shall: 

i)                 Collect and receive all monies due the Corporation from any source, keep an account of indebtedness of each member and make proper record of moneys collected, received, or arrears paid in the books provided for that purpose 

ii)               Pay all monies to the treasurer of the Corporation at any time any money is collected or received 

iii)              Keep the roll of the membership, their addresses, years at St. Patrick’s / St. Teresa’s, year graduated, current occupation 

iv)             Be one of the three signatories of all checks or vouchers drawn on the Corporation’s accounts 

v)               Be a member of the Executive Committee 

vi)             Keep certain records of the financial and business transactions of the Corporation upon books approved by the Executive Committee and shall draw all orders on the Treasurer when ordered by the President for payments of claims or demands against the Corporation, which orders shall be signed by him/her and countersigned by the President 

vii)            Be the accountant of the Corporation, keeping said accounts, so that same will show complete and accurate financial standing of the Corporation and its membership at all times

 

Section 4.7                     The Secretary shall: 

i)                 Keep a true record of the doings of the Corporation upon books approved by the Executive Committee 

ii)               Conduct all correspondence of the Corporation and shall perform such duties as the Corporation or the Executive Committee may direct 

iii)              Be a member of the Executive Committee 

Section 4.8                     The Chaplain shall: 

i)                 Conduct all religious exercises of the Corporation 

ii)               Be a member of the Executive Committee

 

ARTICLE V

VACANCIES AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE 

Section 5.1                     Vacancies

i)                 A vacancy shall be deemed to occur when the occupant of any office provided for in this Constitution shall have resigned or been removed from office or become otherwise incapable of carry out the functions of the office 

ii)               In the event of a vacancy, the Board of Directors may appoint to an office, to serve for the duration of the term of that office, any person that it deems is capable of serving the functions of that office. The Board of Directors may also take any other measures deemed appropriate where there is a vacancy 

Section 5.2                     Removal from Office 

i)                 Any person holding office under this Constitution, including those appointed to the various standing committees, may be removed from office upon notice, after a hearing, and for cause by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be the sole judges of cause and their decision shall represent the final decision of the Corporation 

ARTICLE VI

STANDING COMMITTEES 

Section 6.1                     The Executive Committee shall: 

i)                 Comprise of all elected officers and be headed by the President 

ii)               Meet regularly on a quarterly basis and whenever an emergency or extraordinary circumstance arises 

iii)              Run the day-to-day operation of the Corporation and inform the membership of decisions made and the status of an-going programs of projects 

Section 6.2                     The Financial/Audit Committee shall: 

i)                 Semi-annually audit the books of the Treasurer and Financial Secretary and make an audit report to the membership at the business of the Annual meeting 

ii)               Also audit the report of the Planning Committee 

iii)              Comprise of three members voted on by membership, with the Chairman voted for by membership. 

Section 6.3                     The Planning Committee shall: 

i)                 Plan all of the activities of the upcoming annual meeting and shall be answerable to the President-Elect and the Executive Committee 

ii)               Plan and execute fund raising activities that will assist in defraying the expenses of holding the annual meeting 

iii)              Report to the body during the business session how monies raised were spent, giving all receipts to the Financial Secretary 

iv)             Comprise of four member voted on by the membership, with the President-Elect as its Chairman 

Section 6.4                     The Elections Committee shall: 

i)                 Comprise of three members voted by the membership, with the chair being designated by the President 

ii)               Conduct all election, via secret ballot. Therefore, ballot preparation and dissemination will be its responsibility 

iii)              Inform the membership of the results in a certified report at the annual meeting 

Section 6.5                     The Outreach Committee shall: 

i)                 Comprise of three or more volunteer members, with its chair being designated by the President 

ii)               Develop, plan, and execute programs to improve relationships with and among members, especially in significant life events such as death of a member or his/her relative, marriage, or birth 

iii)              Inform the membership of their work at the Annual Meeting 

ARTICLES VII

LOCAL AND REGIONAL CHAPTERS 

Section 7.1                     Chapters shall: 

i)                 Be encouraged in cities and regions of the USA where ten (10) or more of the membership reside 

ii)               Conform with the general mandate of the National Corporation and shall have their Constitution patterned after the National Corporation’s 

iii)              Pay dues, different from the individual national dues, which will be determined each year at the annual meeting 

iv)             Be required to host the annual convention, in consultation with the President-Elect and the Planning Committee 

 

ARTICLE VIII

AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION 

Section 8.1              This Constitution may be amended at any regular annual meeting. However, all amendments must be forwarded to the Planning Committee, for inclusion in the business session activities, at least sixty (60) days before the annual meeting convenes. The amendments must be distributed to the entire membership for review prior to ratification 

i)                 A two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the membership present and in good standing shall effect said amendment 

ARTICLE IX

RULES AND BY-LAWS 

Section 9.1              The Corporation will come with rules and by-laws at its first annual meeting, which will be appended to the Constitution. These rules and by-laws may be amended by two-thirds of the membership present. By-laws may be repealed by the adoption by-laws to that effect.