BEMIDJI — As an avid Vikings fan, Bemidji Middle School social studies teacher Jeff Brown has been known to subject his students to a quiz on Monday mornings if the team lost the previous day’s game.

Despite what might be an inconvenient start to the week for a group of sixth-graders, Brown is lovingly described as the kind of teacher who “goes the extra mile every day, not for recognition, but because it’s simply who he is,” Bemidji Education Association Awards Program Chair Kate Pearson noted.

For this reason, and countless others, Brown was named Teacher of the Year during the BEA’s annual all-faculty event on Wednesday at Bemidji High School.

After announcing Brown as the 2025 recipient, Pearson read through the kind words his colleagues provided that proved why he was a deserving c

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