When the class of 2021 thinks about the last four years at BV, many will remember sports seasons, school dances and the friends they have made. However, for senior Jason Berg one of the most memorable aspects of high school was the relationship he built with his sophomore grade Honors ELA teacher Stephanie Braden.

“If you can imagine Jason and a HELA 10 class –– it was bonkers,” Braden said. “Jason has such a good heart. When he came to my Tiger Paws last year, I got to see more of that good heart. He was so good to so many students in the room, and he just became like a son –– like he was adopted into the Braden family.”

From then on, Braden and Berg have both had a huge impact on each other’s lives.

“I have a really good relationship with Mrs. Braden –– she’s like my school mom,” Berg said. “We usually just talk about life, how our day has been and plans for the weekend.”

After sophomore year, Berg would eat lunch in her room during Tiger Paws and visit with her during his free classes, which continued up until school was made online. Now that BV is back in-person full time but without Tiger Paws, Berg continues to make time to see her.

“I visit her on the daily,” Berg said. “If I can’t visit her every day, I’d say probably like three times a week at minimum.”

With the stress that school brings many students, Berg enjoys having someone he can talk to in the building.

“I can always go in there [and] get help from her with anything that has to do with school or just relationship problems or anything like that,” Berg said. “I know I can talk to her about anything — she just makes me feel safe when I go into her room.”

Additionally, Berg has learned a lot from Braden — both inside and outside of the classroom.

“Mrs. Braden is the one that made school easier for me, but she has also taught me that I’m more than how I do in school,” Berg said. “She made me realize I can do anything I put my mind to.”

Instead of his identity being only what’s in the gradebook, Braden helped Berg realize the importance of those you spend your time with.

“School education and life is all about relationships and finding someone you can connect with and can motivate you and you can motivate them,” Braden said. “You just have got to find a person.”

After graduation, Berg and Braden plan on staying in-touch. Berg encourages current underclassmen to form their own bonds with their educators.

“It helps a lot if you can just have one or two teachers that you become really close with,” Berg said. “I feel like if you can be close to the teacher, it can really help your high school career and make high school a lot easier for you –– you can feel safe there and it’s nice.”