GILPIN COUNTY — One of the benefits of attending a small mountain school like Gilpin County School is the amount of support students receive from the community around them. 

That support was easy to see Wednesday night, May 13, 2026, as the Class of 2026, a total of 28 students, received over $300,000 in scholarships and awards during the annual Senior Scholarship Awards Banquet at Gilpin County School.

Honor Roll students pose for photos after being recognized for maintaining high GPA's during the Gilpin County Senior Scholarship Awards Banquet on May 13.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Families, teachers, friends, and community members filled the cafeteria for the celebration with a catered dinner from Olive Garden, including chicken alfredo, tomato pasta, salad, and breadsticks. 

The Gilpin Booster Club helped organize the event, which recognized academics, athletics, leadership, theater, volunteer work, and post-secondary plans for the graduating class.

School staff opened the evening by congratulating students for surviving “assignments, exams, early mornings, and maybe one or two Chromebook issues.”

Students were first recognized for academic achievement through the school’s honor roll program. 

Eagle Honor Roll students earned GPAs between 3.0 and 3.49; Principal’s Honor Roll students maintained GPAs between 3.5 and 3.99; and Superintendent’s Honor Roll students achieved GPAs of 4.0 or higher.

Allison Webb was named valedictorian. Adele Fisher earned salutatorian honors for the Class of 2026. Congratulations, Allison and Adele!

Valedictorian Allison Webb, left, and salutatorian Adele Fisher stand together after being recognized during the Class of 2026 Senior Scholarship Awards Banquet Wednesday night at Gilpin County School.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Senior class sponsor Paul Hanson also recognized students for achievements ranging from physics and AP Calculus to athletics, choir, student council, mentorship, and theater participation.

The largest scholarship presentation of the evening came from the City of Black Hawk. Administrative Services Director Ms. Corey Colombin presented $10,000 scholarships to each of the graduating seniors.

She explained that the City’s scholarship program has now awarded more than $1.1 million since it began in 1994.

Colombin shared the big news that the scholarship structure was recently updated to better support part-time students and trade school students as well as traditional university students.

Several local organizations also awarded scholarships throughout the evening. The Shelby Allen Memorial Scholarship honored the legacy of the beloved Nederland volleyball coach who died in 2020 along with her husband, Cody Allen. Adele Fisher received the second-place award while Elise Vincent earned the first-place scholarship.

A Gilpin senior shares a laugh with his younger brother during the capping ceremony Wednesday evening at Gilpin County School. The annual tradition allows graduating seniors to choose a family member or mentor to place their graduation cap on their head while sharing a short tribute.

Photo by Mindy Leary

The Gilpin County Education Foundation awarded $12,500 in scholarships this year alone, bringing its scholarship support since 2012 to nearly $125,000. 

Students announced plans to pursue careers in fields including aerospace engineering, biochemistry, civil engineering, criminal justice, business administration, graphic design, exercise science, and theater.

The evening ended with the annual capping ceremony, where seniors invited parents, siblings, and mentors onstage to place graduation caps on their heads while sharing short tributes about the people who helped them reach graduation. Some speeches were heartfelt for the audience, while others drew chuckles from classmates.

The caps were thrown in the traditional manner at the Class of 2026 graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the Gilpin County High school.