Recognizing Those Behind Student Success: NBPS Seniors Honor Their Mentors

At North Broward Preparatory School, our teachers go the extra mile for students both in and out of the classroom. Through personalized instruction, small class sizes, and educators who genuinely care about each learner, students feel the impact of their teachers every day.

This season, our varsity football team introduced a new tradition to recognize the educators and mentors who have made a lasting difference in their lives. Every game day, football players wear their jerseys to school. Ahead of Senior Night at the end of October, however, their mentors wore them too.

The 16 seniors on our varsity football team each selected a teacher, coach, counselor, or mentor who played an important role in their journey at NBPS. The student athletes surprised their chosen mentors by presenting them with their jersey and sharing why they had been selected. The jerseys served as a visible reminder of the relationships that helped shape students throughout their time at school.

Mentors were chosen from across the NBPS community. Some seniors selected teachers they had in Middle School, while others recognized college counselors or faculty members who had supported them. While each story was unique, every jersey represented the impact of guidance, encouragement, and meaningful connections formed over the years.

That evening, the mentors joined the student-athletes and their families on the field as part of the Senior Night ceremony, standing alongside the seniors as they were recognized.

“Being a teacher means so many little things. Most of the moments are about how I see my students. I see them greet me with smiles; I see them work hard and not give up; I see them care for others. This time, my student, Tanner Gilman, gave me the beautiful feeling of being seen,” said Ms. Li after receiving Tanner’s jersey. “He sees me as someone who has made an impact on his life. I feel so lucky to have had him in my physics class. I’ve had so many ‘I see’ moments with him. Now, through gratitude, he gives me the feeling of ‘I have been seen.’ And in return, he inspires me to keep seeing, recognizing, and believing in the potential of my future students. It was my honor to wear his jersey to the game.”

“I can't even begin to explain how much it means to me that Mateo chose me as his mentor,” said Mr.Lynch. “Mateo was part of the very first group of students I taught at NB, and he has always been a special student to me. I've watched him work so hard over the years, always pushing himself to get better and reach his goals. I would see him on the field in the morning before school started, kicking ball after ball. Then again after school doing it all over again. Seeing all that hard work pay off and watching the success he's having has been awesome. I couldn't be happier for him or prouder of the young man he's become. The fact that he would think of me as someone who had an impact on his life honestly blows me away. I'm just incredibly thankful that he thought of me, and I can't wait to see what he accomplishes next!”

Tanner Gilman, one of our senior student-athletes, was equally moved by the opportunity to have Ms. Li represent him during the Senior Night ceremony.

“I felt a sense of pride and gratitude as I presented my jersey to Ms. Li. She made a lasting impact on my life,” said Gilman. “It was more than just asking her to wear my jersey for Senior Night. It was a thank you to a mentor who helped shape my high school experience.”

This tradition highlights just one example of the role our teachers play in the lives of our students. NBPS educators balance creating a rigorous, engaging academic experience with building relationships that extend far beyond the classroom. The connections formed between students and teachers are an important part of what makes the North Broward Prep experience so meaningful, and this new tradition provided a powerful reminder of the impact those relationships can have long after a class has ended.