ByLaws

Constitution of the Catholic Youth Organization
 of St. Joseph Parish, Avon Lake, Ohio

 


ARTICLE I   Name

 

            The name of this organization shall be the Catholic Youth Organization of St. Joseph Parish, Avon Lake, Ohio (hereinafter “CYO”)

 

 

ARTICLE II  Purpose, Function and Objective

 

Section 1.   Purpose

 

            The purpose of this CYO is to assist in the Church’s ministry to its youth.

 

Section 2.   Function

 

            A.  CYO functions to guide, serve, and assist the family, the parish, and the local community by providing a combined program of spiritual, social, athletic, and service activities which are creative and challenging for youth and which call forth the gifts and the talents of youth in their leisure time.

            B.  CYO coordinates and provides programs that are not otherwise provided or available to the youth of the parish and local community.

            C.  CYO strives to unite the entire community in the activities and projects of the youth.

 

Section 3.   Objective

 

            The objective of CYO is to promote the spiritual and physical development of youth  through their participation in CYO programs.

 

 

ARTICLE III  Eligibility for Membership and for Youth

 

Section 1.   Membership

 

            The general membership of St. Joseph CYO shall consist of:

·         The Pastor and any Assistant Pastors

·         The Principal of St. Joseph Day School

·         The Director of the Parish School of Religion

·         The parents or legal guardians of any participating youth who has been officially registered on a St. Joseph CYO sponsored team or activity presently or within the immediately preceding year, and the person officially registered to act as coaches or advisors of a St. Joseph CYO sponsored team or activity presently or during any previous year.

 

Section 2.  Youth Participation.

 

            Youth participation is subject to compliance with, but not limited solely to, the requirements of the Diocese of Cleveland  CYO eligibility rules. Any youth shall be eligible for participation in St. Joseph CYO programs and activities if the youth is enrolled in St. Joseph day school or the youth is currently enrolled and active in the St. Joseph PSR program and was enrolled and active in a PSR program during the previous school year.   In the event that there are insufficient numbers of youths to adequately fill a roster, then roster positions will be opened to members of adjoining parishes who are currently enrolled and active in that parish’s PSR program and was enrolled and active in a PSR program during the previous school year.

(As amended 12/12/95)

 

 

ARTICLE IV  Officer Elections, Duties and Powers

 

Section 1.  Office Elections

 

            A President, Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and up to three (3) Officers at Large shall be elected from the nominations made by the nominating committee and by members of the general membership to terms by secret ballot majority vote of the members of the general membership present at the open meeting in June of each year as follows:

President...............................1 Year

Vice President.......................2 Years

Second Vice President..........3 Years

Secretary.............................. 1 Year

Treasurer...............................1 Year

Officers at Large (up to 3)….1 year

The officers of a term for more than one year shall advance to the next higher position automatically, and after the initial election, only the Second Vice President shall be elected.

 

Section 2. Duties and Powers of Officers

 

            A. The President shall preside as chairman at regular and special CYO meetings and at the regular and special meetings of the Executive Committees; shall act as chairman of the nominating committee; shall act as the public representative of the CYO and as the CYO representative to Parish Council; and shall perform such other duties and exercise such other powers as may from time to time be delegated to him.

 

            B.  The Vice President shall preside and act in the place of the President when he is absent or unable to act; he shall act as chairman of the program committee; and he shall be the Athletic Director.

 

            C.  The Second Vice President shall assist the President and Vice President (Athletic Director) when requested.  It will be the duty of the Second Vice President to find a suitable successor subject to the approval by the nominating committee.

D.     The Treasurer shall oversee the financial affairs of the CYO; shall make monthly financial report at regular CYO meetings. 

 

            E.  The Secretary shall prepare, publish, and maintain minutes of CYO meetings; shall conduct, receive, and dispose of all correspondence as directed; shall preserve all reports and documents committed to his care; shall act as chairman of the Public Relations Committee; and shall receive and publish all sports schedules.

 

ARTICLE V.  Executive Committee Membership, Meetings, and Responsibilities

 

Section 1.  Executive Committee

 

A.  Membership

 

            The Executive Committee shall consist of the President who shall act as chairman, the Vice President, the Second Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and up to three (3) Officers at Large. The St. Joseph Parish Pastor shall be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.

 

B.  Meetings

 

            The Executive Committee shall meet and act at regular CYO meetings and may meet at the call of the Chairman or of any two members and may act by majority vote of the members present so long as at least a majority of the members have been given one day’s notice of the time and place of the meeting and the business to be acted upon at such meeting.

 

C.  Responsibilities

 

            The Executive Committee shall have responsibility for appointing coaches and parent representatives for each CYO sponsored team or activity, for presenting at the May CYO meeting the name of one candidate for nomination for the positions of Second vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer to be filled at the general membership election meeting in June, and for selecting all standing or special  committee chairmen or directors not otherwise provided for in this constitution, and for authorizing any action or expense of an emergency nature when such action or expense must be taken or incurred prior to the next regular CYO meeting.

 

Section 2.  Regular CYO Meetings

 

A.  Attendance

 

            Attendance at CYO regular meetings shall be open to any member of the St. Joseph CYO general membership.

 

B.  Meetings

 

            1.  The CYO meetings shall be held monthly from August to June on the Second Tuesday of the month at a designated room in the parish plant.  Upon appropriate notice to members of the general membership, special meetings may be called by the chairman or by two of the Executive Committee.

 

            2.  A simple majority of those present and voting shall carry any motion unless otherwise specified in this constitution.

 

            3.  Unless otherwise permitted by the chairman, the right of any person to address any general meeting shall be limited to those whose petition has been approved for the agenda in advance of the meeting.

 

            4.  A written record of actions transacted at the CYO meetings, prepared by the secretary in minutes or otherwise, shall be preserved in the CYO files.

            5.  The rules of parliamentary procedure as contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern meetings of the CYO.

 

            6.  The ordinary order of meetings shall be:

a.      Prayer

b.      Recording of attendees

c.      Approval of minutes as published or amended

d.      Treasurer’s Report

e.      Communications
      1. Parish Council
      2.  Other

f.        Activity/Committee reports (e.g. football, volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, tournament, awards banquet)

g.      Old Business

h.      New Business

i.         Adjournment

j.         Prayer

 

C.  Responsibilities

 

            The members of the general membership of CYO, acting through regular or special meetings, shall have responsibility for directing all CYO policies, programs, activities, affairs and other matters; and may adopt bylaws by a vote of one more than a simple majority of the members present at any regular meeting, provided that the bylaws have been presented in writing at the previous CYO meeting.

 

ARTICLE VI  Standing and Special Committees

 

            Standing committees concerned with the permanent work of the CYO and special committees concerned with special works or projects shall be appointed by the executive committee. Each such committee shall operate under a chairman, shall keep a record of proceedings and shall report to the members of the general membership at regular CYO meetings.

 

Section 1.  Standing Committees

 

            A.  The Nominating Committee shall consist of the members of the Executive Committee under the chairmanship of the President.  the nominating committee shall be responsible for nominating at the May meeting a suitable and willing candidate for officer to be elected at the June meeting.  The names of such nominees, the date, time and place of the June general membership election meeting, and the fact that additional nominations may be made from the floor during such meeting, shall be made known to the members of the general membership by some suitable means.

 

            B.  The Program Committee shall consist of the President who shall act as chairman and such other members as he shall select.  The committee shall be responsible for the overall planning and supervision of special committees for special projects authorized by the general membership such as annual basketball tournaments, fund raising dances, award banquets, communion breakfasts, and other such activities.  The committee shall meet on the call of the chairman, and shall prepare and continually maintain a schedule of any required fund-raising program activities for review and adoption by the general membership.

 

            C.  The Uniform, Equipment and Property Committee shall consist of the Treasurer who shall act as chairman, and such other members as he shall elect.  The committee shall meet at the call of the treasurer; shall be responsible for ascertaining from time to time the location and condition of all CYO owned uniforms, equipment and property; and whenever appropriate shall make reports and recommendations at regular or special meetings of the general membership regarding such uniform, equipment and property.

 

            D.  The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer who shall act as chairman and such other members as he shall select.  The committee shall meet after election of officers in June, shall prepare a proposed budget of expected revenues and expenses for the coming year for presentation and adoption at the September meeting of the general membership, and shall subsequently prepare a statement of actual revenues and expenses for the year for presentation at the June meeting. 

 

            E.  The Public Relations Committee shall consist of the Secretary who shall act as chairman and such other members as he shall select.  The committee shall assist in the preparation and publication of bulletin, brochure, newspaper, and other media announcements of CYO programs and activities.

 

Section 2. Special Committees

 

            Special Committees for special projects shall be approved by action of the general membership , shall be presided over by chairman appointed by the Executive committee, and be disbanded upon project completion and report.

 

ARTICLE VII  Amendments

 

This constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of those members of the general membership present at a regular meeting, provided the amendment has been presented at the previous regular meeting of the general membership, and made known to the general membership by some suitable means.

 



Bylaws of the Constitution
 of the Catholic Youth Organization
 of St. Joseph Parish

 

 


I.  Team Formation Guidelines

 

A.  A team will be formed whenever there is sufficient interest and number of qualified participants, and a qualified coach is available.

 

B.  Teams should be split when possible to provide maximum opportunities for participation.

 

C.       In situations where the number of student-

athletes registered for a specific sport and division warrant, and assuming the availability of sufficient number of certified CYO coach/volunteers, multiple teams will be formed for that sport/division.  Roster sizes of these teams are to be as equal as practically possible.  The parish Athletic Director, the responsible parish Sport Commissioner and the coaches of the teams shall be jointly responsible for determining the rosters through skill assessments made during non-biased, performance-based evaluation session(s).

 

In the 4th (Elemental), 5th (Developmental), and 6th grade (Cadet) Divisions, teams shall be formed so that equal talent exists on each team.  “A” and “B” teams will be formed in each of the 7th (Junior Varsity) and 8th grade (Varsity) Divisions.  In the event that the number of student-athletes permits the formation of three or more teams, one “A” team will be created with the “B” teams being formed so that equal talent exists on each “B” team.  Once the size of the teams is determined, the roster of the “A” team will be filled with players ranking highest in the skills assessment process in the evaluation session.  The remaining pool of players will form the “B” team or in the event of multiple “B” teams be divided so that equal talent exists on each “B” team. 

 

There are several reasons why a player selected for an “A” team might prefer to play for a “B” team, including (but not limited to) the following:  desire for more playing time, a desire to compete a different level of competition, and conflicting academic, athletic and/or social priorities.  Should a player selected for an “A” team prefer to play for a “B” team, that player’s desire will be accommodated up to the point that the final rosters are submitted to the CYO offices.  No changes or exceptions are permitted once rosters have been finalized.  In the event that an “A” player transfers to a “B” team as described above, and in an effort to maintain balanced team sizes, the opportunity to join the “A” team will be extended to the “B” team members in the order determined during the performance evaluation sessions. 

 

A coach may, with the approval of the Athletic Director and responsible Sport Commissioner, opt to enter his/her team in a Cuyahoga County division.

    

 

II.  Player Participation Guidelines

 

A.  Regular Season Events

 

1.      Fifth Grade:  all participants should share playing time equally.

2.      Sixth Grade: all participants should share playing time equally.

3.      Seventh Grade:  all participants should play a minimum of 25% of the available time.

4.      Eighth Grade:  all participants should receive playing time sufficient to satisfy Western Region CYO requirements.

 

B.   Tournament Events

 

            1.  Western Region CYO regulations for playing time are to take precedent over tournaments.

            2.  Participants and parents should be notified in advance of any tournament and what playing time requirements exist for the specific tournament.

            3.  St. Joseph CYO playing time requirements will apply to a St. Joseph Tournament.

 

III.  Coach Selection Guidelines

 

A.  Coaches must meet Western Region CYO requirements:

1.      CYO certification.

2.      Demonstrate support of the CYO athletic philosophy (attached).

B.  Coaches should be selected that best meet the following requirements:

1.      Demonstrate Christian values in their daily lifestyles.

2.      A good knowledge of the specific sport.

3.      The ability to organize and communicate effectively with young people.

4.      Supportive of St. Joseph CYO guidelines.

(Revised February 8, 2000.)

 

IV.  Cheerleader Guidelines

 

The rules governing CYO Cheerleading at St. Joseph Parish, Avon Lake will be in compliance with, but not limited solely to, the Western Region CYO Cheerleading rules and philosophies.

 

A.  Cheerleading Squad Policy

 

            1.  There will be NO cuts.  Any girl meeting the Rules, Regulations and Policies for the St. Joseph Cheerleaders, will be accepted as a team member.

 

            2.  All members of the squad will share equally the duties of cheerleading.

 

            3.  The number that will cheer at each event will be determined by the number of uniforms available.

 

            4.  In the event that there are an insufficient number of uniforms, the uniforms will be exchange among team members so that each squad member shall participate in an established rotation and share equally in cheerleading duties.

 

            5.  In the event  that there is a limit to the number of participants permitted on the field, court, etc., the cheerleaders must cheer in rotation so as to assure equal participation in the event.

 

            6.  Each squad member will be subject to all Rules, Regulations, and Policies for the St. Joseph Cheerleaders.

           

B.  Competition Cheerleader Squad Policy

 

            1.  Tryouts will be held prior to the competition season to determine the competition squad.

 

            2.   Any cheerleading squad member meeting the Rules, Regulations, and Policies for the St. Joseph Cheerleaders will be eligible for tryouts.

 

            3.  Tryout dates shall be held four weeks prior to the competition season, but not prior to November 1st in order that all girls be given ample time to develop their individual skills.

 

            4.  Tryouts will have a minimum of three independent judges and require evaluation for :

a.  Own cheer (clarity and volume)

b.  Jumps

c.  Splits

d.  Cartwheel

 

            5.  The Cheerleading Competition Squad shall consist of eight (8) girls (or less if school enrollment dictates) plus one (1) alternate.

 

            6.  Permission slip must be returned to the principal prior to the night of tryouts in order to be eligible.  Cheerleaders are subject to the same regulations as other athletes.

 

            7.  A Competition Cheerleader’s first responsibility is to the squad.  Participation in other sports is permitted, but if a conflict develops between school sports, her first commitment is to the cheerleading squad.