Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night keeps this loyal sentry from directing traffic or watching over the school with his golf cart. His name is Jon Pachkofsky, although to many he is simply known as “the security guard.”

Many students are familiar with Pachkofsky, who can be seen waving traffic into the parking lot every morning. However, few know his story.

With two college-age daughters of his own, Pachkofsky has begun to feel almost parental to the students here at BSM. He is courteous–always opening doors for people–and devoted to his work. “It gets in your blood,” said Pachkofsky, “It’s good to help people. Even if the people aren’t always happy about it.”

Pachkofsky has had a long history of protecting people in all different types of situations. “I’ve been doing security work for 25 years” said Pachkofsky, whose work has ranged from night-club security to airport security, to serving as an armed escort and bodyguard. “[I’ve done] mostly all armed security,” said Pachkofsky.

At one point in his life, he even ran an armed patrol in Florida. “[We] saved a few lives, threw bad guys in jail, saw a few miracles,” said Pachkofsky.

Back in Minnesota, Pachkofsky worked at Bearpath. He also worked for a security company, which eventually led him to BSM. Pachkofsky was hired because the school was having trouble with traffic. After serving as a part of the company, Pachkofsky was later asked to train other guards to fill the traffic position. “Traffic is the worst job,” said Pachkofsky. It was for this reason that no one could be found to take the permanent position.

Pachkofsky didn’t mind it too much though, because he ended up taking the job. “It’s a great group of young people,” said Pachkofsky. “If I didn’t [like it] I wouldn’t be standing in the cold.”

However, Pachkofsky’s job is not only directing morning traffic, it also includes watching over the entire school grounds. “I keep an eye on all three parking lots,” said Pachkofsky. He also makes sure the building and the fields are secure, sometimes to the annoyance of certain people. “People get mad at me,” said Pachkofsky, as he often locks doors, causing an inconvenience for the sake of safety.

But it is this extra caution that keeps our school safe. Many students and teachers remember the break-ins last spring, but many do not know the measures that have been taken to ensure that this does not happen. “Last year I kicked about 100 people out of the lots who were not supposed to be there,” said Pachkofsky.

Pachkofsky does not even get a break on nights and weekends from his security duties. “I’m on call 24-7,” said Pachkofsky. If there is a problem at the school or the alarm goes off, he will be there. He has also never missed a day of work, an impressive feat given the cold, brutal weather conditions.

So the next time he helps you cross the street or gives you a ride to your car when you leave your headlights on, show a little appreciation for Jon Pachkofsky, BSM’s “security guard”… and guardian angel.