Scholarship created in honor of killed Heritage HS student

His 15-year-old son, Braden, was killed in a vehicle accident on Sept. 29. Braden's 17-year-old sister, Faith, was behind the wheel. Two other students in the vehicle were also injured.

The N.C. State Highway Patrol said Faith Rock’s failure to yield to oncoming traffic was a contributing factor in the crash.

“Time makes you grieve less often, but you don’t grieve less,” Stan Rock said Thursday. “Normal kind of died with Braden. There’s nothing normal left.”

Stan Rock talked about his son inside Heritage High School’s Band Room, where Braden played the xylophone in the school marching band.

His instrument sits in the band room as a tribute, adorned with a t-shirt created in Braden’s likeness and a mask he wanted the percussion section to wear.

“I could hear Braden cackling in the background,” said Brian Page, the school’s public announcer.

Page has started a scholarship in Braden’s memory.

“The interesting piece is, unlike many scholarships, it's not awarded by adults,” he said. “The winner will not be picked by adults, it'll be picked by the other band members.”

The plan is to award the first Braden Rock Memorial Scholarship to a senior band member in the spring.

The honor is only fitting for Braden, Stan Rock said.

“The biggest...the strongest quality that Braden had was, he saw the value of someone's soul,” he said.

Anyone interested in contributing to the scholarship can send donations to:

In the memo line, write "Rock Scholarship."