Caroline Frisbee, Caty and Lonnie Collinsworth collaborate to create a scholarship fund. (Kelsey Evans/Whitefish Pilot)
Lonnie Collinsworth may have taught art for 33 years, but he isn’t quite done leaving a positive mark on Whitefish students.
“Working with high school students is one of my greatest joys in my life, besides my wife and family,” Collinsworth said. “Teaching – I just love it so much. But because of health reasons, it was time for me to retire.”
But the gift of teaching will just keep giving for Lonnie, as he and his wife Caty are now partnering with the Whitefish Education Foundation to give an annual scholarship for Whitefish High School graduates.
Collinsworth grew up in western Montana, taught in eastern Montana for 13 years, then moved to Whitefish where he spent the last 20 years of his career teaching art at Whitefish High School.
“It’s not the length of teaching – it’s his passion. The way he touches kids’ lives has been incredible, so the grief of retiring has been impactful. So, the scholarship helps weave Lonnie back into kids’ lives,” Caty Collinsworth said.
But before the scholarship could become a reality, the Collinsworths had some thinking to do.
First being that Lonnie is humble and took some convincing from Caty, and second, there was the question of how to go about making a scholarship.
“We thought, is this even an option?” Caty said.
Fortunately, when the Collinsworths found out about Whitefish Education Foundation, things fell in place.
“To learn that Jesse [Kuntz, director at the foundation] could set this up professionally, and to have the confidence to know that it’s going to be executed how we see it happening… it was amazing,” Caty said.
Funding for the scholarship is thanks to Caty’s grandfather’s successes and generosity, followed by Caty’s mother who ran the Thomas Memorial Foundation. When Caty’s mother passed away last year, seven siblings decided to disperse the memorial funds to different causes.
“We understand how hard it is to go to college these days, and it’s important for both of us to help in whatever way possible,” Caty said.
“And what I’ve noticed through teaching that every little bit helps. Sometimes we think, oh, it’s not going to be enough – but every bit counts,” Lonnie said.
Starting with the class of 2025 and every year for the foreseeable future, $1,500 will be donated to a Whitefish student through a fund that has been invested.
“I think the magic to it is now it’s multigenerational … from grandparents, to parents, to future students. I mean, you talk about lasting impact … But that’s what’s so Whitefish about it, too,” said Caroline Frisbee, chair of the Whitefish Education Foundation’s Scholarship Mentor Program.
The Lonnie Collinsworth Scholarship’s applications will be organized by the foundation. The requirements keep the award relatively open for students to apply to. Applicants must be a Montana resident pursuing any field at any two or four-year college, in state or out of state, and to have held a 3.0 GPA and taken at least one year of art in high school.
“When I was teaching art, I noticed that many students already knew they wanted to be an engineer, a doctor, a welder – and that’s part of the fun. They were achieving so many different things and it’s great to help them pursue any education,” Lonnie said.
“What I’ve witnessed with Lonnie is that he connected with all students … it was never about art talent or where students came from or what their interests were. He just loved them regardless,” Caty =said.
It is a part of the foundation’s mission to connect individuals and businesses like Lonnie and Caty to students, “who might not even know opportunities exist, which is so unique to Whitefish too,” Frisbee said.
The mission goes far beyond administering scholarships, though. Dedicated volunteers provide regular mentoring to Whitefish High School students on navigating college scholarships.
Now in their second year, the foundation has grown from four volunteers to 20, who meet one-on-one with students at Whitefish High School every Friday. Mentors help create organizational structure for applying to scholarships and providing guidance throughout the full application process.
“We try to coach that all of this is from those around you, specifically for you. This is from Whitefish for you to go, explore and become, and then share it with us,” Frisbee said.
While the foundation can help those invested in Whitefish students to set up long-term scholarships like the Collinsworths’, they’re not limited to any particular type of gift. The foundation can also help administer applications and funds for one-time gifts.
“It can simply be neighbors on a block who throw something together,” Frisbee said.
Both Frisbee and the Collinsworths already look forward to the scholarship award ceremony this spring.
“It’s just, a lot of these students don’t have that support at home. They don’t think it’s possible. But we can help make it happen. And when we see them at the awards ceremony, we’ll see the gap closing,” Frisbee said.
Closing the gap is a mindset that Lonnie Collinsworth as a teacher, Caroline Frisbee as a mentor, and Caty Collinsworth as a supporter all share.
“It just takes one teacher – my art teacher, for me,” Lonnie said. “It just takes one.”
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