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Five Elementary Students Receive AAA Lifesaving Medal for Heroic Actions

AAA honors students' lifesaving heroics while on duty as AAA School Safety Patrollers with prestigious award; visits to White House, U.S. Capitol; behind-the-scenes view of FBI

WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AAA honored five students for their lifesaving heroics while on duty as AAA School Safety Patrol members during a ceremony near our nation's capital today. The students received the prestigious AAA Lifesaving Medal for their quick thinking during life threatening situations that ranged from pulling a student out of the path of a distracted driver on his mobile phone to saving a child from a motorist that ignored the flashing lights of a stopped school bus.

The five join an elite group of only 382 students to receive the AAA Lifesaving Medal since it was first awarded to a lifesaving AAA School Safety Patrol member in 1949.

AAA Public Affairs Vice President Kathleen Marvaso and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Phil Celestini, who are both former AAA School Safety Patrol members, awarded the AAA Lifesaving Medal to five elementary school students for their heroics in addition to recognizing 11 National Patrollers of the Year from throughout the country for their leadership skills and a National Patrol Advisor of the Year for her dedication to school-zone safety.

Today's awards ceremony was the culmination of a three-day event in the nation's capital honoring the students that included a trip to the White House and U.S. Capitol as well as an exclusive hands-on, behind-the-scenes VIP event with the FBI.

The students receiving the AAA Lifesaving Award included:

Norman Wallace - Age 11

Hybla Valley Elementary School, Alexandria, Va.

One afternoon, Norman was at his bus patrol post where he rides the bus and helps safely direct children as they exit the bus. During a routine stop, Norman was outside the bus on crossing duty. He heard the revving engine of a car behind him and turned to see a vehicle turning onto the street and speeding towards a 5-year-old girl crossing in front of the bus. Norman quickly grabbed the girl and pulled her close to him as the car sped past the bus with no regard for its flashing red lights and outstretched stop sign. The bus driver witnessed the incident and said Norman acted quickly and remained calm and steady. She said she could not describe how wonderful it is to have someone like him as part of the bus-safety program.

Hunter Turner - Age 10

Strassburg Elementary School, Sauk Village, Ill.

Hunter was on duty near a very crowded intersection with cars parked on both sides of the streets, grass medians separating one of the roads and heavy traffic in all directions making it difficult to see all of the traffic at one time. Because of this, the Patrol Advisor typically monitors the intersection. One afternoon in October a student was chatting with friends and began crossing the street without stopping or looking for traffic. Hunter quickly scooped the student up and pushed him back onto the sidewalk as an SUV was turning. The advisor said in her 25 years as Patrol Advisor it was the closest she has seen a car come to making contact with a student. Had Hunter not stepped in, the 9 year old would have been struck.

Matthew Krause - Age 10

Waterville Primary School, Waterville, Ohio

After only two weeks at his AAA School Safety Patrol post, Matt's quick thinking saved a kindergarten student. When the 5 year old's mother dropped him off for school, the kindergartener became extremely upset about her leaving. Not wanting to hold up traffic, the mother pulled forward and turned into a parking space. Matt spotted the crying young boy as he ran along the sidewalk following his mother's car. He ran after him and caught up to him right before he ran across the drive to his mother's parked car. Matt stopped the child from darting into the drive just as a truck was passing by. Several witnesses said the driver would likely have not seen the child nor had time to stop if the kindergartener had not been stopped by Matt.

Lulu Beltran - Age 10

Dixie Downs Elementary School, St. George, Utah

Lulu was on duty after school helping students, parents and others safely cross the school's drive near its exit onto the road. She saw a car coming towards the exit. At first, she thought its driver saw her with her bright crossing flag and AAA School Safety uniform as well as the young girl that was crossing the drive. But as the car got closer, she saw the man at the wheel holding his cell phone to his ear with his shoulder and drinking out of a bottle and realized he was too distracted to see them and wasn't going to stop. She grabbed the girl crossing the drive by the hood of her sweatshirt and yanked her out of the way--almost falling backwards--to keep the student from being struck by the car. The driver never stopped and pulled out of the school in a hurry.

Sierra Clark - Age 10

Minnehaha Elementary School, Vancouver, Wash.

On a sunny morning in September 2008, Sierra was on duty near the school's entrance with her Patrol Advisor helping students cross the busy road in front of the school. As students were crossing, a small white car suddenly sped around a corner and towards a crossing fifth-grade girl. Sierra quickly pushed the girl out of the way before the car flew by and quickly turned into the driveway of the school without any regard for the School Safety Patrol or students crossing the street.

The 2009 National Patrollers of the Years, also recognized during today's ceremony, included:

Fourth Grader: Mary Gorski,Mokena, Ill.

Fifth Graders: Quinn Larson,Prairie Farm, Wis.

Natalie Marshall,Virginia Beach, Va.

Megan Montemurro,Melville, N.Y.

Mary Carter Mullins,Germantown, Tenn.

Jeremiah Parlock, Lesage, W.V.

Gabriella VanAken,Hillsdale, Mich.

Jessica Wirth,Front Royal, Va.

Sixth Graders: Molly McCarroll,Englewood, Ohio

Brittany McCartney,Meadville, Pa.

Vishaal Prasad,Elk Grove, Calif.

The 2009 National Patrol Advisor of the Year is Karen Sternstein from Chabot Elementary School inOakland, Calif.

The AAA School Safety Patrol program has helped improve student travel to and from school for more than 89 years. Currently, more than a half million students in 30,000 schools across the country participate in the program, and the AAA Lifesaving and Patroller of the Year ceremony is designed to celebrate the remarkable efforts of these students.

Former AAA School Safety Patrol members include Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden as well as several Supreme Court Justices, U.S. Senators, governors and U.S. Olympic gold medalists.

AsNorth America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

AAA news releases, high resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.

Video and photos of the AAA Lifesaving Medal recipients and National Patrollers of the Year during their time in the nation's capital is available at http://www.flickr.com/AAAsafety.

An informational video about the AAA School Safety Patrol program is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQsnzhi584g.

A list of famous former AAA School Safety Patrol members is available at http://www.aaapublicaffairs.com/Main/Default.asp?CategoryID=7&SubCategoryID=25&ContentID=71&SubContentID=96&.

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SOURCE AAA