05/19/2026
The Hilltop Guild awarded eight scholarships this year worth $13,000 to students from Estes Park High School and Lyons High School.
The four scholarships awarded to Estes Park students are as follows: The 2 Hilltop Guild scholarships, at $1,5000 each, went to Matthew Harding and Charlotte O’Sullivan-Blea, respectively. Matthew is planning to attend either the Colorado School of Mines or Colorado State University. Charlotte going to attend University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Marjorie McCulloch Scholarship of $2,000 is named for a late Guild member who lived modestly in a small cabin in the Meeker Park area and surprised everyone with generous gifts to the Hilltop Guild and the local fire department upon her death. In her will she requested that her scholarships be awarded to graduating high school students going on to college to major in journalism or a medically related field.
Her scholarship was awarded to Alexis Hennings, who plans to major in nursing and will attend the nursing program at Aims Community College.
The $1,500 Nick Peters Memorial Scholarship is named for the husband of Guild member Jan Peters. Nick served in Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic. He was a car mechanic throughout his life. In his personal life, Nick enjoyed woodworking, building everything from picture frames to furniture. This scholarship acknowledges his lifelong interests.
This year, the Nick Peters Memorial Scholarship went to Michael Putman, who has demonstrated an interest in auto mechanics and plans to become an electrician.
The four scholarships awarded to Lyons High School students include the $1,500 Hilltop Guild Scholarship to Zeke Paznokas who plans to attend Colorado State University this fall where he will major in business administration with a focus on marketing.
The Colette McDonald Memorial Scholarship of $1,500 went to Bayleigh Clark.
Colette was active in the Guild for many years, joining in 2005 and serving as president in 2011. She was curious and enjoyed learning new things and as a result worked on several different committees throughout the years, sometimes as a member and sometimes as chair. Colette was a cheerful soul, and the Guild lost a true friend when she died in 2025.
Her scholarship recipient, Bayleigh, plans to attend Colorado State University with the goal of becoming a forensic psychologist, which would allow her to work within the justice system.
The second $2,000 Marjorie McCulloch Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Lauren Hunter who plans to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder. Her goal is pediatric dentistry and public health, with a minor in Spanish. She has already formed a nonprofit, School Smiles, where she provides Title 1 schools with dental hygiene kits.
The $1,500 Gerald Halsey Memorial Scholarship was presented to Alex Parker who plans to attend Colorado State University and study fish, wildlife and conservation biology so that he can work in outdoor Colorado.
The late Jerry Halsey was a conference-winning, three-sport athlete in high school in Minnesota. While in the Navy he was stationed on an aircraft carrier and an additional duty was being a member of the All-Navy basketball team. In college where he had a basketball
scholarship, he earned a Master's degree in Special Education. As a teacher, he also coached cross country, track, football, and of course, basketball. His widow, Carol Halsey, the longtime chair of the Guild's Philanthropic Committee, was delighted with the selection of Alex Parker because he more than met Jerry's background.
