Business Partner of the Year (Under 50 Employees): Russell Fabrication (Nominated by AACPS Magnet Programs & South River High) was represented by Ronald Russell.
Russell Fabrication was instrumental to the development of the South River High School Solar Hawks Solar Car, “The Challenger,” that recently competed in the Solar Car Challenge. A word-of-mouth recommendation brought Mr. Russell to the club’s planning meeting in October of 2022. The club shared their sentiments, “From our first meeting it was instantly obvious that Mr. Russell’s experiences, attitude and resources would benefit the Solar Hawks team immensely. His past projects, from building underwater vehicles to dealing with wind factors onboard yachts, would help in the design and manufacture of every step of the project.” Mr. Russell is recognized as the type of professional representation that magnifies the value of project-based learning in educational curriculum and provides authentic assessment of what students have learned and can do. Mr. Russell was a force multiplier when teamed with other partners from beyond the walls of the school. A graduated student recalls his time with the project, “Aside from Ron’s expansive knowledge and expertise, his ability to support and inspire our solar car team has had an immeasurable impact on all of us.” From the success of the partnership, the team has started the process to grow the program on the South River campus by expanding partnerships with students and faculty at both Central Middle as well as at the Center of Applied Technology (CAT)–South. We are excited to share the Solar Hawks collaboration with Russell Fabrication story and look to it as a model that can be replicated in more school communities in the future.
