Notices to SHH Sponsors concerning school closures

Why Induct this Fall?

Did school closures interrupt your 2020 induction plans? If so, we encourage you to catch up as soon as possible.

Click here for reasons why you should consider a fall 2020 induction.

Click here to view some examples of a virtual induction ceremony.

SHH Graduation Regalia Orders

We are excited to see that many schools are moving forward with graduation plans, whether they be virtual, drive-in, drive-through, or postponed for a smaller crowd at a later date. Some graduations have already passed while others are still in the works. If you still need to order graduation regalia for your seniors, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Only authorized SHH sponsors can purchase graduation regalia.
To be able to purchase regalia, you must have a current AATSP membership.
Seniors receiving graduation regalia must be previously inducted and their $5 membership dues already paid to the AATSP.
It is AATSP policy that in order to purchase items categorized as "official merchandise" from the AATSP Store, sponsors must first register their inductees for the current school year and pay their induction fees. If you were unable to collect or pay fees this year, you must reach out to the SHH Director to explain your situation and request an exception.
Any orders that do not meet our usual guidelines (current AATSP membership and induction fees paid for 2019-2020) will be placed on hold until an exception is granted. Please allow extra time for this process.
If you recently paid your membership and/or 2019-2020 induction fees, it may take a few days to add your name to the authorized sponsors list. Please contact the SHH Director if your order is placed on hold but fees are paid.
The AATSP Store is a separate business contracted to sell SHH merchandise. They release orders to sponsors on our approved lists, but questions concerning shipment or payment should be addressed to the AATSP Store.
See below for some AATSP Store specials available through June 2, 2020.

We appreciate those of you who have already gone through the process to order official SHH merchandise. We hope everyone is able to celebrate and honor the achievements of their seniors this year.

CONSIDERING SPRING 2020 INDUCTIONS AMID SCHOOL CLOSURES

(updated April 15, 2020)

Dear Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica Sponsors,

In this time of uncertainty, we wanted to provide our dedicated SHH sponsors with some reassurance. We realize that for the majority of teachers, extra-curricular responsibilities are not one of their priorities right now. Therefore, we want to offer SHH sponsors with a few options concerning their chapter status and inductions.

If you were able to register your inductees, pay their national dues, and hold your induction ceremony prior to school closures, then you are in good standing. Keep in mind that any service requirements you give your students are part of your local guidelines. It is up to you as sponsor to relax or waive those requirements. If there were service opportunities that your students would have participated in during the time period that activities are prohibited, then we encourage you to waive or minimize your requirements for this semester.

If you have registered your inductees and paid their national dues but have had to postpone your actual ceremony, you are marked active in our database and have a few options on how to conduct that ceremony.

If it is possible, you may hold a virtual ceremony for your attendees:

You could use an online streaming service such as Google Hangouts, Zoom, Skype, Facebook Live, etc. as your school/district policies allow. Any student wishing to attend virtually will need to have internet access.
Sponsors may also induct students in a ceremony that the sponsor records and sends via email or a school-approved messaging system such as Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.
Prior to streaming or recording, you will need to complete the certificates with the students’ names. At the time the students would get their certificate, hold it up to the camera.
You may modify the induction script slightly as needed to accommodate the setting you are using. (For example, students will not be signing the register.) You may also take on the roles of the President and Secretary yourself if you are unable to have those officers participate live with you. Be sure to make any revisions prior to streaming or recording.
If you would like students to participate (live or with a recording), consider asking them ahead of time to have a candle, flashlight, or an image of a candle. Afterwards, they can send you a photo of themselves with this “light” to add to your chapter’s historical documentations.
A recorded video may become a sort of keepsake for students to share with family members.

If the above is not possible, when school opens again, you may hold a smaller ceremony. This may be during one of your regular meeting times or it could be something simple immediately before or after school, if you would like to invite guests. Provided that you are not inducting seniors, you may wait until the early fall to do this.

If you were unable to collect and/or pay the national dues to us, please know that we will grant a grace period before marking any chapters inactive. We highly encourage you to induct the 2019-2020 inductees as soon as you are able, but we will not mark you inactive as long as you registered new members in 2018-2019 or are a new chapter chartered after January 1, 2019. This grace period will be automatically extended to all chapters who meet the previously described requirements. All sponsors are expected to maintain a current AATSP membership, even if unable to register inductees.

Note: If you were in the middle of collecting dues at the time school was closed, you will need to consult with your local administration or bookkeeper concerning how to handle the money collected from students.

As a reminder, it is AATSP policy that you must register the 2019-2020 inductees and pay their national dues before you can purchase “official” SHH merchandise, including graduation regalia. Any orders for graduation regalia will be immediately placed on hold if you have not yet paid the new inductees' dues. However, we realize that in these current circumstances, we may need to allow some exceptions so that you can still purchase graduation regalia for your seniors even though you are unable to hold a ceremony this year. If you believe this case will apply to you, please allow some time and planning so that we can work with you through the verification process to allow an exception. A sponsor must be a current AATSP member to receive any exceptions.

Sponsors who want to order with this exception should first place their order with the AATSP Store and then contact the SHH Director to request the order be released. Please include your name, the school name, and the AATSP Store order number in your request.

We hope all sponsors are able to stay home and stay healthy during this uncertain time. If you need assistance or ideas, please reach out to any of your SHH Advisory Board members.

Sincerely,

Kelly Scheetz

Director, Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica