Friday night lights shine down on the packed stadium filled with red. Cheerleaders in front of the stands lead the student body in snapping and clapping to the Warhawk beat; the stadium is alive as the cheers blend into a unified wave of school spirit.
The Norman F. Bradford Jr. stadium is the pinnacle of school spirit. With a view of the “Home of the Warhawks” slogan on the water tower, the stadium hosts pep rallies as well as sporting events of nearly every type, including, most famously, Friday night football games. While the football field is familiar to many, the dedication is often overlooked.
A Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) educator for 28 years and Madison’s principal for seven, Bradford left a lasting impact on the county beyond his name on the stadium. After teaching at Madison for eight years, he helped open Marshall, Oakton and South Lakes High Schools before returning to Madison to serve as principal in 1980. He enjoyed working with young people, hoping to challenge them to grow not only academically, but as people as well.
According to the 1986 Montpellier Yearbook, “he wants his students to remember him for ‘the four F’s: Firmness, Fairness, Friendliness and Forgiveness”.
Through the four F’s, Bradford aimed for each student to have a positive self-image; he wanted all students to achieve, both socially and academically.
The 1987 Montpellier cited “Mr. Bradford’s job includes many things, but his primary concern is to make sure all students receive the proper education for a promising future.”
This wasn’t an easy task, though. He noticed previous school leaders had a lack of sensitivity when working with students. Therefore, he changed this perspective, often aiming to put students before his self-image.
“I’d walk the halls, and the reason I would walk the halls is extremely important.” Bradford said in an interview for The Oral History of the Public School Principalship. “Those students, in particular those students know who you are, what you are, and what you stand for, everything else falls in place.”
Walking the halls also allowed him to learn student names and build relationships. He’d ask students whether they have done well for themselves and for the school. He wanted students, and the school, to be the best, typically working sixty hours a week to meet that goal.
“Mr. Bradford usually gets home about 10:00 p.m.” the 1986 Montpellier yearbook noted. “He goes to sports events, meetings, band and chorus concerts and other school related functions to represent Madison.”
His motive to support all students was recognized in 1986 when Bradford received the Distinguished Education Leadership Award from the Washington Post. The Post highlighted his “eagerness to go beyond day-to-day demands.”
In 1987, Bradford won the first documented FCPS Outstanding Principal of the Year Award. At the ceremony for the Principal of the Year Award, all students and faculty celebrated with him in the library. It wasn’t just an award for him–it was an award for the school. Bradford retired that year after serving 28 years in FCPS.
It can be inevitable, though, when a leader leaves the community, their name won’t live past the impact. When asked about Bradford’s work, many current students and faculty, without the mention of the stadium’s dedication, weren’t aware.
The stadium, left dedicated in Bradford’s name, is a token of the school’s appreciation and a reminder of his personal philosophy for education, which encapsulates many of the memories made on the field, in the stands and ultimately, in the school.
“I wanted every student in that building to be challenged, to be worked with, to feel as though he belonged there, that we wanted him there and felt that he did have something to contribute” Bradford said in an interview for The Oral History of the Public School Principalship.
