McCook Community Foundation Fund awarded six scholarships this spring for the 2022-23 academic year, including the Bernard and Nelda Haag Scholarship and the Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship.

The Haag Scholarship, worth $1,000, was given to Naomi Farnsworth, who graduated from Wallace High School in May 2021 and attends Casper College in Casper, Wyoming. Farnsworth is studying animal science to become a bovine embryologist with the intention of being part of the cattle industry in Nebraska. 

The Haag Scholarship selection is based upon leadership and self-motivation through involvement in extracurricular activities in high school; a dedication to agriculture or rural living; and a desire to return to a rural area or Southwest Nebraska. 

The Barbara Fassler-Neumann Nursing Scholarship provided five scholarships for a total of $6,000. The scholarship may be awarded to recent high school graduates as well as those currently practicing medical professionals who have resided in the area for at least four years.

One scholarship worth $2,000 each was awarded to Tucker Gillespie, who will graduate from McCook High School and plans to attend Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he will study neuroscience and medicine.

Four additional $1,000 scholarships were awarded to Katherine Kjendal, a 2017 MHS graduate who is attending Creighton University and studying pharmacy; Holly Thomas, a 2018 MHS graduate who is attending the University of Nebraska Medical Center and studying to be a pharmacist; Shelby Skolout, a 2018 MHS graduate studying at Clarkson College to become a nurse; and Haiden Loop, a 2018 MHS graduate and 2022 UNL graduate, who will study at UNMC to become a pharmacist.

The Haag Scholarship has been given since 2006, while the Hassler-Neumann Scholarship is now in its seventh year. Both scholarships are distributed through the McCook Community Foundation Fund, an affiliate of the Nebraska Community Foundation.