KCC honors teen for citizenship and giving spirit

Mason Rice, 13, was recently invited to Klamath Community College for a special meeting with the school president and mascot Baxter the Badger in recognition of his upstanding citizenship efforts during the Christmas season.

In December, Rice decided to utilize his rewards dollars earned at Ponderosa Middle School through good behavior for others rather than on himself, cashing in months of earnings to acquire a fully decorated Christmas tree to donate to a family in need. His mother, Stacy McCarl, along with teachers, also assisted in the effort, providing lights and a tree stand.

A family in Klamath Falls that was unable to afford a tree was found, and the tree provided right before Christmas eve. The tree delivery was videoed and uploaded to TikTok, where it quickly went viral online and has to date been viewed more than 500,000 times.

“I had the tree and waited for a family to contact us to say they needed a tree, I just wanted to do it to help out,” said Rice.

In addition, Rice is also an active volunteer assisting with food donations through the family’s church, and according to his mom regularly helps others by mowing lawns and shoveling driveways.

“He’s a good kid, he’s always doing nice things like this,” McCarl said. “A lot of people have contacted us saying that Mason gave them hope for this generation.”

Upon viewing the viral video, KCC staff relayed Rice’s community efforts to KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez, who invited Rice and McCarl to campus in January to bestow upon them the first-ever “Badger of Honor” award for citizenship.

An avid BMX bike enthusiast, Rice recently lost his bike, and also suffered a broken foot due to a school bullying incident. Upon learning this, Dr. Gutierrez pledged that the KCC Foundation would also acquire a new bicycle for Rice, in addition to the certificate and badger plushy received in recognition of his efforts.

“You represent the kind of quality citizenship we want to see in the next generation, and we wanted to thank you for that,” Dr. Gutierrez told Rice.

A week later Rice returned to campus, where KCC Director of Student Retention and Student Success Oscar Herrera presented him with his new bicycle.

The Badger of Honor award will continue, given to staff, students, or citizens who selflessly go above and beyond in their efforts to serve the community.