Magnolia ISD student Kristian Rau received the National Boy Scouts of America Honor Medal with Crossed Palms at the BSA Court of Honor ceremony on Monday, September 11. 

The Honor Medal with Crossed Palms is the rarest of the six levels of Lifesaving and Meritorious Action Awards given by the Boy Scouts organization. Since its inception in the early 1900s, only 311 BSA scouts and adults have been awarded the prestigious medal. The award is presented to scout members and adult leaders who demonstrate heroism in saving or attempting to save a life at extreme risk to themselves. 

In November 2020, Kristian, a member of BSA Troop 623, was a student at Bear Branch Jr. High when he recognized another student in immediate danger. Thinking quickly, he intervened and prevented a dire situation. 

Now a junior at Magnolia High School, Kristian was bestowed with the medal by the Council Chair for Merit Awards of the BSA Sam Houston Area Council, Matt Maranto who commented “Kristian’s actions that day are a wonderful, brilliant reflection of the values taught by his faith, by his loving, supporting parents, indeed, all the members of his family, of the Troop 623 community, its dedicated scout leaders and by…the Boy Scouts of America.”