Jack Lawrence is this year’s Hillcrest Scholarship Fund recipient. (Provided photo)

LAKE PLACID — Two Lake Placid High School alumni are hosting an event to celebrate this year’s Hillcrest Scholarship Fund recipient, Jack Lawrence, while raising money for next year’s recipient over wine and wings this Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m.

The Hillcrest Scholarship was created in 2019 by Lake Placid High School alumni Grant Reynolds and Artur Novoselsky for LPCS students who are pursuing their creative passions in higher education. The fund is named after Novoselsky and Reynolds’ old neighborhood on Hillcrest Avenue.

Lawrence’s passion is for the environment. The Hillcrest Scholarship is helping him with tuition at the University of New Hampshire, where he started studying Environmental Conservation and Sustainability this fall. Lawrence said growing up hiking and fishing in the Adirondacks influenced his interest in sustainability. In college, he wants to learn more about how humans can live more cooperatively with nature. He believes it’s “critical right now to focus on how we can more sustainably use natural resources.”

Lawrence said he’s not sure if he wants to return to the Adirondacks for work after graduation; he wants to do some exploring.

“I love the Adirondacks, but I also want to see what else there is,” he said.

Lawrence was selected for the Hillcrest Scholarship after meeting academic criteria and writing a statement explaining why he was a good candidate. LPHS usually holds an annual scholarship night in the auditorium, where administrators reveal the recipients of the year’s scholarships. But because of COVID-19 related restrictions, Lawrence heard the news from a scholarship announcement video that the high school sent out to students. Lawrence said he was excited to receive the scholarship, since he has two sisters who are also going into higher education.

“Relieving some of the financial burden from my parents was definitely a good feeling,” he said.

Along with the Hillcrest Scholarship, Lawrence received scholarships from a few other organizations, including the American Legion.

Tickets to the wine and wing night scholarship celebration and fundraiser, which will be hosted at Lisa G’s on Sentinel Road, range from $30 to $100. Tickets are available in advance online through Eventbrite or can be purchased at the door upon arrival. All of the ticket proceeds will go to the Hillcrest fund for the 2022 recipient.