MAPLETON, Maine – Brandon “BJ” Brown, 17 of Mapleton, has been named the STAR Student of November at Maine Connections Academy, a tuition-free online public school serving students in grades 7-12 statewide. Brown is being recognized for his academic success and achievement as the captain of the Aroostook Huskies Football Club‘s championship team this November.
The Huskies are a part of the Maine Independent Football League, which plays against other teams in China and Berlin, New Hampshire. After a long season of travel and balancing schoolwork, Brown’s team claimed the 2025 championship 36-32 on Nov. 8.
With only three years of football under his belt, Brown has made it a major focus during his high school career. He has made a name for himself on both the offensive and defensive lines of the Huskies and was awarded best lineman in 2025. He became the captain and helped lead the self-funding activities to keep the independent team equipped for the season. Brown has been thankful for the amazing efforts of his head coach Stuart Wyckoff and next-level insights from former NFL player Daren Stone, who specialized in elevating the wide receivers and cornerbacks on the team.
As a student athlete, Brown has had a unique journey. His family had a difficult time with the hybrid situation schools had to adapt to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown’s mother Janet began researching online schooling and found Maine Connections Academy. She enrolled him in seventh and eighth grade. After trying his local brick-and-mortar school for his ninth grade year, Brown realized Maine Connections Academy was the right path for him, so he re-enrolled for his grade 10 year and has been there ever since.
“It was so easy to get up and go,” says Brown about starting at Maine Connections Academy. Instead of trying to learn five subjects a day in the brick-and-mortar school setting, he found it much easier to focus on each subject individually online to complete his monthly and quarterly coursework.
Brown admits, “I’m happy to come back to finish off my education here.” Though he is a big fan of history, he is currently loving his introduction to statistics class.
Though Brown has an amazing aptitude for study and scholarly work, he has set his eyes on football scholarships throughout the country. Barring this, he has set his goals to enlist and serve in either the Army or the Marines. Many of his friends, family, teammates and teachers are excited to see where Brown brings his talents and capabilities as he closes out his senior year and looks to the future.
