There has been a lot of talk about a certain senior here at BAHS. From skipping a grade, starting an engineering program, or being involved with student council and class cabinet, Vail Olson is the topic of conversation.

Vail is highly involved in clubs and extracurricular activities. These include Engineering Club, Student Council, Class Cabinet, National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA). He has been a resident of Bellefonte since he was a baby and has not left since. Although he loves Bellefonte, Vail is eager to graduate and move on to college. So eager in fact, he made the decision to skip a grade.

“I am very happy that I am skipping a grade. I may be missing some of the time without responsibilities, but I have never really enjoyed being dependent,” Vail said. 

Vail made this decision so he can get an early head start on joining the workforce and building up his savings.

“It was difficult for me, especially in 10th grade, to take four extra classes on top of my original curriculum. I also took classes over the summer, which never gave me a true break from school.” 

Although it was a tough decision to skip a grade, Vail is excited to move on and learn new things to help him in the future when searching for a job. Vail plans to go to Penn State. He will dual major in mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering. Even more impressive, Vail has started an engineering program here at BAHS.

“Starting the engineering program took extensive conversations with admin and teachers. It was difficult to make students aware of the club at times, but now we have a good group of involved students.”

Vail is a role model for many here in Bellefonte, and he will continue to have a positive influence on the people around him for years to come.