Madison Berndt, Charlotte Knopf and Bryson Lippold Lead Local Hansen Scholarship Honorees
Thirty-three students from five Salina-area high schools were recognized in the 2026 Dane G. Hansen Foundation scholarship competition, with winners coming from Salina Central, Salina South, Sacred Heart, Southeast of Saline and Ell-Saline. The Dane G. Hansen Foundation announced that 229 high school seniors from 47 northwest Kansas schools were selected in the program’s 51st annual competition. By count from the official winners list, 33 of those recipients came from the five local schools.
The Hansen scholarship program includes four tracks: Hansen Leader of Tomorrow, Hansen Scholar, Hansen Student and Career and Technical Education scholarships. According to the foundation, the Leader of Tomorrow awards are worth $10,000 and may be renewed for three additional years, Hansen Scholar awards are $6,500 and may be renewed for three additional years, and both Hansen Student and Career and Technical Education scholarships are $4,000 and may be renewed for one additional year.
For the academic scholarship tracks, USD 305’s scholarship page says students pursuing the Leaders of Tomorrow, Hansen Scholar and Hansen Student awards had to qualify for the Hansen Scholarship Academic Test with at least a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 23 ACT composite score. The district page also notes that career and technical applicants complete a separate application through the Hansen Foundation.
Local recipients of the top-tier Hansen Leader of Tomorrow scholarship were Madison Berndt of Salina Central and Charlotte Knopf and Bryson Lippold of Southeast of Saline.
Local Hansen Scholar recipients were Reese Krone and Jocelyn Taylor of Ell-Saline, Isaac Berndt of Sacred Heart, Wyatt Angell, Sarah Day and Mac Sheforgen of Salina Central, Kristen Kinion, Jose Pinedo De La Torre and Julie Lai of Salina South, and Madison Givens and Abigail Pearson of Southeast of Saline.
Local Hansen Student recipients were Riley Johnson of Ell-Saline, Coby Burr of Sacred Heart, Rorik Crepps and Anna Kraft of Salina Central, and Ella Baird, Elijah Castro, Summer Fauci-Wills, Chase Freeman, Kate Hull, Isabelle Maxton and Isabelah McGinty of Salina South.
Local Career and Technical Education scholarship recipients were Tarin Carlson of Ell-Saline, Natalie Hogeland, Carley Ingram and Angel McMurray of Salina Central, and Cale Hammond, Lilliana Rasmussen, Cason Shaw and Easton Wilcox of Salina South.
Among the local schools, Salina South had the largest number of recipients with 14, followed by Salina Central with nine. Southeast of Saline and Ell-Saline each had four recipients, while Sacred Heart had two. Those totals are based on the official 2026 winners list published by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.