Crofton High School Efforts Earn County Executive Steve Schuh an Award

CROFTON, MD — The Crofton Rotary Club will award County Executive Steve Schuh its “Service Above Self Award” for his efforts in making Crofton High School a reality. The presentation is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Jan. 28, according to a county news release.

“For years politicians have talked about building a Crofton High School, but, through the efforts of our administration, this project is now becoming a reality,” said Schuh. “I am excited for what this new high school will mean for the next generation of Crofton area students.”

When Schuh came into office, Crofton High School was not in the school system's capital budget. For the first time in history, the County Executive, working with the school system, allocated funds for the project in his proposed FY 2016 six year capital budget. The project was also a major recommendation of the school infrastructure study performed by MGT of America.

Though the County Council initially stripped the design and construction funding for the project in June 2015, Schuh worked with Superintendent George Arlotto to ensure that funding was restored in the FY 2017 budget. Crofton High School will be the first incrementally new high school built in Anne Arundel County since 1982.

The project is projected to educate 1,700 students and will reduce the size of surrounding high schools, helping ensure Schuh’s goal of reducing average high school sizes to closer to the national average.

"The Rotary Club of Crofton Maryland, one of the area’s leading community service organizations, understands how very long the Crofton community has waited for a local high school and the opportunity for the community’s children to complete their schooling together,” said Barry DesRoches, president of the Croton Rotary Club. “As the Crofton High School quickly moves from being a hope to becoming a reality, we owe County Executive Schuh a debt of gratitude for his openness to the community’s concerns and leadership on this long-standing issue. It is truly our honor to recognize his efforts with our "Service Above Self" award."

Past winners of the “Service Above Self” award include:

• Lisa Vernon: Executive Director of the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council who are dedicated to serving the needs of adults in Anne Arundel County who are not yet functionally literate, or who are not yet functionally literate in the English language.
• Gary Hedt and Michael Thomas: "For the Kids" is a local non-profit charitable organization in Crofton started by Gary and Michael Thomas to benefit children in our community. They sponsor the For the Kids Golf tournament. They donate all of the proceeds to a local child who is suffering from some type of illness or hardship. To date, we have donated over $225,000 to local families in need.
• Jacob Landis: Landis is an Annapolis resident who made headlines for his amazing 2013-2014 nationwide bicycle tour to 30 professional baseball parks known as "Jacobs Ride" to raise awareness and money for those with hearing loss.

The Crofton Rotary Club was founded as the Bowie-Crofton Rotary Club in 1969. Today, the Crofton Rotary includes members from across the greater Crofton area, helping encourage humanitarian efforts through charity and generosity.

Photo of County Executive Steve Schuh courtesy of Anne Arundel County