'Keep being great': Shaq Mason celebrates Christmas with Columbia students

Christmas arrived early for the students of Baker Elementary School thanks to the generosity of a national football star and his ongoing effort to give back to the community where he was raised.

With shrieks of joy and excitement, the Columbia schools’ more than 340 students unwrapped a bag of gifts presented to them by Shaquille Olajuwon Mason, the 28-year-old offensive guard for the National Football League’s New England Patriots.

This year, unable to attend the event in person, Mason shared a video message with the students of Baker Elementary.

“I hear you have done a great job in the classroom, and I want to thank you all for your efforts this year,” Mason, a two-time Super Bowl champion told the students. “In a token of appreciation — from me to you — I wanted to get you guys a few things for Christmas I hope you guys like. Happy holidays and keep being great. Merry Christmas.”

The special gift included a tablet, toys and a some candy to celebrate the holiday season.

The schools gymnasium roared with excited from the students as they unwrapped the gifts. The annual event has become known as the Shaq Mason Christmas.”

Wendy Tiller, a special education teaching assistant, watched as her son Max tore open the holiday-themed bag containing the gifts with immense joy.

“I feel so grateful,” Tiller told The Daily Herald as she watched her son open each item. “I am grateful. It is a surprise for us. I thank him for his generosity. He did not have to do this.”

Tiller said the surprise gifts will bring relief to their household this holiday season, as she prepares to celebrate the holiday with her four children.

Mason’s mother Alicia McGuire was at the school on behalf of her son as he prepared for an upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts.

More: Shaq Mason Christmas brings holiday cheer to Highland Park students

“It is a blessing to be a blessing,” McGuire said after leading a countdown before the children enthusiastically opened the gifts. “I am elated. I am very proud of my son, and the man he has become. This is what he wants to do, and it is the right thing to do. This is all I ever wanted him to be — a good person.”

In 2019, she launched the Shaq Mason Foundation, a fund that annually donates toys, food and other items to local families in need.

Baker Elementary has been designated by the federal government as a Title 1 school. The classification labels schools where the majority of the student body resides in low-income households and are eligible for the free lunch programs.

Rene Palakovic, the director of federal programs for the school district, said the federal designation is made for households with a combined annual income of less than $26,000.

“Children are always the priority,” McGuire said. “It is a blessing to see a need and be able to fill it. It really is that simple."

The celebration marked the fourth consecutive year that Mason presented gifts to the entire student body of an elementary school in Maury County Public Schools.

When Mason was a student at MCPS, he attended the now closed McDowell Elementary School before attending Whitthorne Middle School and Columbia Central High School, where he graduated in 2011.

McGuire said her son was an A student, who was challenged by his educators at the public school system.

Chris Poynter, the school district’s director of nursing and physical education, was busy at work inside the elementary school gymnasium directing volunteers and school staff as the giveaway took place.

“It is an exciting time,” Poynter said. “We are blessed to be a part of it. At the end of the day, this is what it is all about. We are so fortunate to be able to give back.”

Michael Hickman, the school district’s superintendent of schools, also shared part in the experience.

“This brings joy to every adult standing here,” Hickman said. “It reminds us that this is what it is all about.”

Last year, Mason was able to return to Columbia, where he donned a Santa Claus costume, while handing out toys at McDowell Elementary School.

With the school planned to close that spring, it was the last time Mason would have the opportunity to celebrate the holiday at the campus that he attended as a child.

Mason was also an active member of the Boys & Girls Club, while growing up in Maury County.

He showed promise on the gridiron when he earned the title of an All-State player in 2010.

After gradating from the high school, Mason played for Georgia Tech from 2011 to 2014 before being drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

In 2017, he returned to Columbia to retire his old jersey and celebrate the opening of the Columbia Teen Center.

That year, he also hosted a football camp for the region’s youth at Columbia’s Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

Reach Mike Christen at mchristen@c-dh.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeChristenCDH and on Instagram at @michaelmarco. Please consider supporting his work and that of other Daily Herald journalists by subscribing to the publication.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Shaq Mason celebrates Christmas with Columbia students