George Roberts, Our Fifth District Citizen of the Year

Source:  Patch.

In 2011, I started a new tradition by naming three individuals as Fifth District Citizens of the Year:  one from Towson, one from Parkville, and one from Perry Hall.   When I asked for nominations this year, many of the individuals who were recommended were somehow associated with what was probably the biggest event in the Fifth District this year:  the shooting at Perry Hall High School.

This year, based upon input from residents and community leaders, I am recognizing Perry Hall High School Principal George Roberts as the Fifth District Citizen of the Year. Since arriving at Perry Hall High School in 2008, Mr. Roberts has instilled a spirit of excellence, pride, and tradition at Baltimore County’s largest public school. He brought back the sense of history that had faded before his arrival. He improved the look of the school and focused on student achievement, positioning Perry Hall as one of Newsweek’s top American high schools. 

What particularly distinguished Mr. Roberts this year, however, was his calm but assertive presence during and after the August 27th shooting. During the most difficult day in the history of Perry Hall High School, he set an example of leadership that was truly exemplary.

There were many individuals who provided extraordinary assistance that day, from the heroic faculty who restrained the gunman to our public safety professionals, but Mr. Roberts set the tone of leadership that was needed on August 27th and days afterward.

Mr. Roberts and his family live in another part of the Fifth District, in Towson.  I am proud to recognize Mr. Roberts and thank the entire Perry Hall family for those who supported the school during such a difficult year.

Perry Hall High School's 50th Anniversary

2013 will mark Perry Hall High School's fiftieth anniversary.   The original location was what is now Perry Hall Middle School.   When that place became too crowded, the school system constructed the current high school down Ebenezer Road and converted the first building into a junior high school.

The Perry Hall High coat of arms.

I am very proud to have graduated from Perry Hall High School, and am actually the first alumnus to serve on the Baltimore County Council.   Today, I went back to be interviewed for a documentary that will be unveiled at a banquet in 2013. 

My years at Perry Hall High School were a half a lifetime ago, not only for me but almost a half-lifetime in the history of the school.   In 1987, when I entered PHHS, our community was in the middle of a housing boom.   Farms were being plowed under for new housing developments, and plans were underway for new highways like Honeygo Boulevard that would shuttle cars to White Marsh Mall, then only six years old.  The mall was the hangout for teenagers on Friday and Saturday nights.  The closest movies were at Golden Ring Mall.

My memories of high school are of cross-country competitions and marching band trips, It's Academic outings and Homecoming parades.  Perry Hall High School has always been a big school, and its population then was about 1,800 students (500 less than today).  But despite the size, there was a feeling of pride and togetherness that drew the school and community together.

Today's principal, George Roberts, has brought back the history and traditions that were largely ignored by previous administrators.   I am very happy he and Assistant Principal Steve Arnold are heading up an anniversary committee.   Several events are currently being planned.  If you are interested, stop by the meeting on Monday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library.