Braeden Woodson was ejected off the back of his dad’s motorcycle in a collision on 167th Street West and 21st Street North last Friday. Braeden was 10.
“I’ve been a teacher for 18 years, and I’ve never experienced one of my students dying,” said Mandy Hardman.
Hardman was Woodson’s second grade teacher.
“He was always smiling. He pushed through when things got hard, never got discouraged,” she explained. “Braeden was one of the best friends that I think I know, and he just had a way of walking into a room and making everyone feel loved.”
KSN spoke to a number of staff members at Maize South Elementary and each of them said Braeden could light up any room. This is the first death the campus has experienced so staff and students were provided with counseling opportunities to work through the loss.
“Today, we activated our crisis team that’s made up of different district personnel,” said counselor, Katie Frank. “They were available throughout the day, week and rest of the school year if we need them.”
Family has asked for their privacy as they mourn the loss of Braeden and his father who was also killed in the car crash.
