He pauses, drawing in a long thoughtful breath, and considers his next answer. But it seems as though his answer is unnecessary. The words “Quince Orchard High School Security Assistant Bradford Bernardo” stitched on his pressed uniform speak for themselves.

At 7:15 A.M., most of us are rummaging through the fridge, desperately grabbing breakfast “to-go,” to prepare ourselves for just another long school day. But on the morning of December 19, Bernardo faced a dangerous situation and difficult decision that would affect much more than his digestive system.

As four Cougars advanced through the crosswalk on their way to school, a car with a frost-covered windshield and poor visibility approached the crosswalk at a high rate of speed with no indication of slowing. Bernardo threw himself in front of a group of students to prevent them from being hit, endangering his life to ensure the safety of others.

“I was just mainly focused on that the kids were okay and that they made it across,” Bernardo reflected.

Fortunately, the car did stop and there were no injuries. According to Security Assistant Tammy Shellhorse, who shared the morning crosswalk duty with Bernardo during the incident, “if [Bernardo] had not reacted so quickly, at least two of our students would have been hit.”

“We do more than just guard the school,” said QOHS Security Leader Mike Owens, “and he is a great example of the security team’s mission: health, safety and welfare.” Owens believes that Bernardo “went above and beyond” his duty by “protecting students who he didn’t even know,” and describes Bernardo as “old school,” with “deep-set values” that focus on students and putting his job before all distractions.

Bernardo received QOHS’ newly established “Wow” award for his noble efforts, which acknowledges faculty members’ personal and school-related achievements monthly. At home, Bernardo is a husband and the father of a 21 year-old daughter attending Fredrick Community College and a 20 year-old son attending Sheppard University. He worked as an Instructional Assistant at Mark Twain School for ten years before gracing QOHS for nearly 14.

Bernardo encourages students to “be mindful that even though you are in the crosswalk, you still need to pay attention to the cars.”