Lakeside IB student heading to West Point

In recent years, the Somers school district has turned out a number of exceptional students who excel both academically and in their ability to lead and influence others in positive ways. And while Duncan Aylor is no exception to the rule, he would be the first to say he's done nothing extraordinary.

Rather, Aylor contends that within every student lies a seed of greatness, or at least the ability to turn dreams into reality. What separates those who achieve and those who do not, he adds, boils down to just a couple of things: character and commitment.

Aylor, who graduated Flathead High School last month with a full international baccalaureate and will soon be fulfilling his own dream of attending West Point, is no stranger to those traits. They have lighted his path through the valley of decision like twin torches, which are always before him and - thanks to his parents, teachers and coaches - within him.

"My interest in West Point sprung from my interest in the Army," Aylor said. "I've wanted to go to West Point and be in the Army since I was a little kid. Having that goal has kind of kept me on track. That was definitely the heart of my ambition, in school."

Aylor recalls making a plaque when he was in elementary school. Using a wood burner, he write on a flat piece of wood, "West Point U.S. Military Academy, Duncan Aylor, Class of 2013," and hung it on his wall.

"I don't think I did very good in school, in elementary school," he said, "so I think that definitely focused me. It gave me something to strive for in everything that I did."

Aylor was born in Utah and moved to Lakeside in the second grade. By the time he reached middle school, he was already making straight A's in all his classes.

In high school, he decided to go for a full IB diploma, managing to pull off a 4.0 GPA for seven semesters despite his rigorous schedule.

Besides his studies, Aylor also played football, wrestled, competed in track, founded and became the president of the school's Spanish Club, was active in the Anchor Club and volunteered with both the winter and summer Special Olympics. Along with being in the National Honor Society during his senior year, he lettered in multiple sports and activities every year except his freshman year.

This year, he took fourth place at divisional in wrestling, even though he didn't place at state. He also placed second in the 300 meter hurdles, fourth in the 110 hurdles and fifth in javelin at divisional in track, for which he placed third in the 300 meter hurdles and fifth in the 100 hurdles at state.

Not only did Aylor graduate Flathead with honors, but the opportunities for the future continued to mount before his very eyes. Aylor wanted to give himself some options, just in case he didn't get into West Point due to a medical disqualification or change in plans, so he applied to the Merchant Marine Academy, Naval Academy and Air Force Academy, as well as Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he thought he could use a Marine Corps ROTC scholarship he had received.

To his surprise, all four military academies and Rice University accepted him.

"It was really frustrating, because West Point was always my dream when I was a little kid, but now I had all these options available to me," he said. "I spent a lot of time researching each one and finding out what branch of the service I wanted to go into."

Many of his friends and advisors encouraged him to go into the Naval or Air Force Academy, and Aylor actually considered becoming a Navy carrier pilot for fixed wing aircraft. However, nothing changed the fact that West Point had been the dream that motivated him throughout his school years, and to have invested so much of himself toward attaining that dream was no small thing.

"Everybody has their dream of what they want to do that they believe will be fulfilling to them," Aylor said. "A lot of people told me that they would do things different if they were in my shoes, but I still had a huge desire to go into West Point and go into the Army."

Aylor said much of the appeal of his dream has been his desire to serve his country.

"I love the United States, and I love living in this country," he said. "I've been blessed throughout my life, and I want to give back by serving my country and defending the ideals that this country was founded upon."

Four of the qualities that he says have guided him are honor, duty, integrity and character. Honor, he says, entails the resolve to never quit and never shame or disqualify oneself. Duty, he adds, entails responsibility to one's family, community and country. Integrity, he says, means not taking short cuts because you know that taking the easy way means disrespecting yourself and others. As for character, Aylor said it means inner strength and fortitude to stand up for one's values, fulfilling one's obligations, and not succumbing to negative influences or pressures.

For those values, Aylor credits his family, whom he says have always supported him and done all they could to help him reach his goals. However, he also credits many of his coaches, who have inspired him to better himself-among them, track coach Tom Gillespie who taught and coached him at Somers Middle School and who also helped coach track at Flathead High School.

However, Aylor said he also owes part of his success to the support he has received from the Flathead community and countless individuals who have encouraged him along the way. For that, he said, he was always be grateful.