10 Years of Braj Has Helped Change School’s Culture

by Beau Toepfer ’24

Even though I’m a senior, it’s my first Monday All School Meeting, or ASM. The CRMS barn is packed full of all 200 plus students and faculty, and we just finished the agenda of speeches and announcements. I recall an ominous email I received right before the meeting, “You all [seniors] throw on your cloaks as soon as it goes dark.” Suddenly someone pulls the hood of my sweatshirt over my head and I follow the mass of seniors, lanterns in hand and cloaks over head, down to the front where I try to follow along for the first ‘Braj’ ceremony of the school year.

While that particular Braj ceremony resembled an occultish religious ceremony to scare the freshmen, all the previous ASMs for the past 10 years have had a Braj ceremony. Every Monday, someone writes a speech and picks a student or staff member who they believe deserves this award. Following that, they pass on a heavy chain necklace from which dangles a massive copper sheet metal ‘B’. The rules, or ‘commandments,’ of passing on this prestigious award include: 

a) One cannot pass the Braj Award onto the same person twice

b) Whoever passes on the Braj has to offer a speech shedding light on the kindness or exceptional acts for which they are awarding the Braj to the new recipient

c) The recipient must wear/keep the chain for the week

Nic Reitman ‘14 created the Braj award a decade ago, and gave students and faculty an essential opportunity to express themselves and their gratitude. Thanks to him and his peer Jamison Orr ‘14, who encouraged him to make the Braj a tradition, the community of CRMS has grown closer with people being able to congratulate each other on their achievements in a setting that brings light to the recipient as a person.

The Braj provides an opportunity for more growth and self reflection in the CRMS community. Alongside some other ASM traditions, like practicing mindfulness or senior speeches, the Braj offers more opportunities for people to grow and reflect on themselves. 

“It provides a weekly moment of gratitude,” Kayo Ogilby, CRMS faculty and the mastermind behind ASMs said. “Whenever we practice gratitude in our lives it has so many rewards and benefits as individuals and as a community.”

Not only does it show gratitude during the meetings, but it helps students focus on being more altruistic in their day-to-day lives.

“[The Braj] definitely steers students one at a time towards looking at things with a ‘gratitude’ lens,” Matt Bowers, a CRMS faculty who was the first recipient of the Braj, said.

As the Braj has evolved over the years since its inception, it has fostered a student-centric and student-driven community. The Braj adds yet another outlet for students to speak up and recognize those in their community, as well as be as altruistic and caring as they can be.