Crossland High School

6901 Temple Hill Rd, Temple Hills, MD 20748

(301) 449-4800

Crossland High School is a comprehensive high school dedicated to preparing students to be productive citizens in the 21st century. The school consists of a traditional program and a Technical Academy, designed to provide students with marketable skills in the areas of cosmetology, drafting, welding, nursing, horticulture, masonry, air conditioning refrigeration, printing and culinary arts.

The school's operates under three Basic Beliefs. These beliefs are;

 "Respect for the Individual"

"The Best Possible Service to the Community"

 and

"The Pursuit of Excellence"

 All initiatives are written with this in mind. We strive to motivate our students to achieve academic excellence, and we celebrate their excellence publicly and proudly.

Crossland is named after a prominent early Maryland family

The father of George Calvert, first baronet of Baltimore, was Leonard Calvert, a country gentlemen of Yorkshire. He married Alicia Crossland, daughter and heiress of John Crossland, another Yorkshire gentlemen. Both families were of the class entitled to have arms. The arms of the Lords Calvert and Crossland, quarter the family arms of Calvert with the family arms of Crossland, form the Maryland State Flag.

The design of the Maryland Flag consists of the arms of the Calvert family quartered with the arms of the Crossland family. The Calvert family was that of the Lords Baltimore, the first Lord, George Calvert, being the founder of the colony of Maryland in 1634. The Crossland family was that of the first Lord's mother. As she had no brother and so was the heiress of her family estate, she was permitted under heraldic law to quarter her arms with those of her husband. Reading horizontally from the top of the staff, the first and second quarters are the Calvert and Crossland arms, respectively.

The Crossland arms are quarterly, argent (silver) and gules (red), and a cross bottony counterchanged. In flags the color silver is represented by white.

  

Legislative History

Crossland High School grew out of Federal support for vocational education that began with the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917. The Smith-Hughes Act firmly supported the notion of a separate vocational education system and support courses offered by vocational schools. The act called for specific skill training, focused on entry-level skills, and helped establish separate state boards for vocational education.

By the 1960s, the vocational education system was firmly established, and Congress recognized the need for a new focus. As a result, the 1963 Vocational Education Act aimed at strengthening and expanding vocational education, while still supporting the separate system approach by funding the construction of area vocational schools, broadened the definition of vocational education to include occupational programs in comprehensive high schools, such as business and commerce.

On April 27, 1967, President Lyndon Baines Johnson dedicated the Crossland Vocational Center, in Camp Springs MD, on April 27, 1967. I was a high school junior. While marking the 50th anniversary of the Smith-Hughes Act, a charter pledging federal support for vocational ...President Lyndon Baines Johnson dedicated the Crossland Vocational Center in Camp Springs MD and marked the 50th anniversary of the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917.

More than forty years ago, President Johnson visited Crossland High School. It was the spring of 1967, and the Vietnam War was raging. President Johnson stepped out of a helicopter parked in a field on the side of our high school, the Crossland student body had no advance notice and there was no early press release of the president’s visit. However, when Secret Service agents appeared on the roof of the school the students and faculty knew rumors about the importance of the guest were true.

Standing before a large crowd of very subdued high school students, President Johnson noted the importance of providing opportunities such that “every young American shall obtain as much education as he wants and as much training as he can absorb and can use.”

“Once we considered education a public expense; we know now that it is a public investment.”

And he reminded all that “…there is nothing more important to freedom in the world, to liberty in the world, to the dignity of man than education.”

Words are forgotten but inspiration lives on. Students in attendance on that day may not remember President Johnson’s remarks but they will never forget his visit or why he was there.

Early School History

Nov 8, 1964, New U.S Funds Will Further Area Vocational Work The vocational education picture in the Washington area is expected to change gradually, over the next three years, due to recent federal legislation….

Nov 11, 1964, Crossland Adds an Additional 24 Rooms to the existing building program…

Nov 25, 1964, New Schools in County Plan Listed, The proposed $90.4-million building program for Prince Georges County schools unveiled yesterday, points out the need for new facilities in the Belair area of Bowie, to follow the building of Crossland High School in Camp Springs…

Jan 27, 1965, Prince George’s County Ask to End night Football, High schools in Prince Georges County would play no night football games and would be limited to a nine-game season under a policy recommended yesterday to the Board of Education by Superintendent William S. Schmidt.

Nov 25, 1964, New Schools in County Plan Listed, The proposed $90.4-million building program for Prince Georges County schools unveiled yesterday, points out the need for new facilities in the Belair area of Bowie, to follow the building of Crossland High School in Camp Springs…