Bigfork student wins car in PAVE

Not many 15-year olds can say they’ve won a car, but Bigfork High School student Ethan Olson can.

Olson’s name was drawn Thursday during a school assembly making him the new owner of a remodeled 1993 Saturn.

The drawing, which also awarded students with other prizes, was the school year finale of the Positive Actions for Vikings and Valkyries Everyday — or PAVE — program.

Travis Bruyer, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office community resource officer, initiated the program at Bigfork High School last fall to encourage students to practice safe habits and make good choices.

The car was donated by a family for the drawing and remodeled by Bigfork students.

Olson had seen the car getting worked on throughout the school year, but wasn’t expecting to be the winner.

Before the drawing Olson said to his friends, “I could probably use a car.”

When he won, he was in disbelief, but excited, he said.

“I called my mom and said ‘hey I won a car’ and she didn’t believe me,” he said. He told her to come down to the school and see for herself.

Olson hopes to get his drivers’ license later this month.

To qualify to win the car students had to maintain a good academic standing, have good attendance and uphold a pledge they signed at the beginning of the school year. The pledge required students to practice safe habits — wearing a seatbelt, not texting a driving, and staying away from drugs and alcohol.

This was the first year the sheriff’s department has done this kind of program and Bruyer felt it was a success. He hopes to continue to improve the program at Bigfork and start a similar initiative at Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell.

He’s continuing community outreach and working with to procure another car to give away next year.

Bruyer was very impressed with how Bigfork students embraced the program. “The honor society and student council really took the ball and ran with it this year,” he said. “I can’t wait to see what they do with it next year. I just want to be there to support them in it.”

Bruyer was working until the last minute, finalizing the remodel on the car, finishing the final touchups just a few weeks before the drawing.

“He was just a young man who signed up and was playing by the rules,” he said. “I was just elated, because this is going to be a great summer for this kid.”