Wye River Upper School has announced that State Senator E.J. Pipkin will sponsor Senate Bill 33 to support the funding for the renovation of the Centreville Armory as the permanent home of Wye River Upper School (WRUS).
Wye River Upper School is an independent high school serving the strengths and needs of bright students with learning differences. Many students enroll at WRUS on the verge of failure in their local schools because their learning differences were not well supported. Nearly half of the WRUS students hail from counties west of the bay.
WRUS grandparent Donna McCready is happy to voice her support for the school and this bill. Commuting daily for a year from their family’s Calvert County home, Donna now rents a condo in Kent County to make the daily trip less time consuming. They return home on weekends. Her granddaughter will graduate this year and continue her education in college. “Our family has made some very significant sacrifices to place her here, but it has been worth every bit, as she is back to her true self again, as a student and a person,” says McCready.
Terri Carta, President of the school’s parent association and a resident of Davidsonville in Anne Arundel County, expresses her enthusiastic support for the bill. “I don’t know where we would be without this school. My son was simply not happy or successful in our local school. We searched high and low for the right school and found WRUS. Coming across the Bridge every day is well worth the effort, as he is so much happier and more productive at WRUS.”
WRUS Executive Director Chrissy Aull recently announced news of the bill to the school’s Trustees, staff, students, families and friends, in a letter seeking their support.
With an initial leadership level gift, the school purchased the Armory in late 2010 and launched a campaign to raise $5 million dollars to renovate the 1926 structure. Having moved through the design phase, the building stands “shovel ready” except for the final push for needed funding.
To date, the “Building Great Minds. Saving Great Spaces.” campaign has garnered $3 million in gifts and pledges. Senate Bill 33, also known as a bond bill, seeks $500,000. in capital funds.
Maryland sets aside a predetermined amount of funding for non-government owned capital projects each year. The capital funds are separate from the state annual operating budget.
“We are grateful for Senator Pipkin’s interest and leadership on this matter, as well as the continued support we’ve received from his staff,” said Aull. “Because WRUS has such a broad geographic reach, our students hail from ten legislative districts, including those in Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Calvert and Montgomery Counties, we believe other sponsors will be signing on.”
“With the involvement of our students and families, we expect to inform those legislators of the need for WRUS and the funds to assure this renovation,” reports John Devlin, WRUS Board Chair.