Branson students win top scholarships, spotlighting local academic achievement

Branson High School senior Mason Riddle was named one of four initial winners in the 2025-2026 Mary John Goree Las Animas County Scholarship Foundation class, giving a tiny southern Colorado town another student headed for major college support.

Riddle was announced alongside Cadence Doering of Hoehne High School, Eva Sage McGill of Hawaii Preparatory Academy, who lives in Aguilar, and Brice Phelps of Hoehne High School. The foundation’s awards are designed for Las Animas County residents attending four-year colleges and universities, with a mission to reward academic excellence and widen the range of schools local students can consider.

That financial support is substantial. Goree recipients receive a minimum award equal to the greater of Princeton University’s full tuition and fees for the award year or the full tuition and fees at the college they attend, subject to the program’s cap. For families weighing college costs, that kind of backing can change whether a student leaves home with manageable debt or a much larger financial burden.

The recognition also points to Branson’s outsized role in a very small community. Branson School District says it serves about 400 students across two publicly funded K-12 schools and employs roughly 45 teachers and staff. The district describes Branson as the southernmost town in Colorado, with a 2025 population of 58. In a town that small, a scholarship winner is not an abstract success story. It is a student many neighbors know by name, a family milestone that can be felt across the community.

Branson’s presence in the county scholarship conversation is not new. Brock Doherty of Branson High School was among the initial winners in the 2023-2024 Goree class, and Finn Warner of Branson High School was part of the 2020 scholarship group. That pattern matters in Las Animas County, where school success is often measured not only by test scores or diplomas, but by how many graduates can step into college with real options.

The Goree scholarship program continues the vision of William M. John, through the Mary John Goree Scholarship at Princeton University, by encouraging academic excellence and expanding college choices for local students. For Branson, each winner reinforces the same message: even from one of Colorado’s smallest towns, students can earn a place at the state and national level, and carry county pride with them beyond county lines.