Hall County schools Superintendent Will Schofield has been honored with the Gainesville Rotary Club's Guardian of Ethics Award.

Fellow club member and Hall County Magistrate Judge David Burroughs said Schofield was chosen for the award because he stresses character education in the Hall County school system and is recognized as a leader in his profession.

Schofield has led the school system through times of rapid growth and the current economic downturn in "a very professional and ethical way," Burroughs said.

Burroughs said he had personally witnessed Schofield's support of his employees.

"When some of his teachers get subpoenaed to come to court in a custody battle ... he not only supports them, he's come to court with them to be there to provide moral support," Burroughs said. "I think classroom teachers really appreciate that, because the environment that the teachers have to teach in these days, it's a difficult one. There are a lot of demands, and to know that their superintendent backs them up, I know, means a lot to them."

By receiving the local club's award, Schofield is also nominated for the Rotary's district-wide award, named for Canton Rotarian Robert S. Stubbs II, who died in 2002.

The districtwide award will be announced at the Rotary Club's district conference in April.

The superintendent said Friday that he was humbled to be chosen. Schofield is the third person to receive the award.

"A superintendent is like a head coach. You get more blame than you deserve, and you get more credit than you deserve," Schofield said. "Any time we get a positive award, it's nothing more than a reflection of the people that I work with and the students that we have the honor to serve. So on their behalf, I can be pleased that we got it."

The award is given to a club member whose personal and professional life exemplifies the Rotary Club's four-way test, which calls for honesty, fairness, building goodwill and friendships and performing actions that benefit all.