Allan James Olson Class of 1998

Where did you grow up?

Allan Olson: Brattleboro, Vermont

What years did you attend Hilltop Montessori?

AO: From second grade through eighth (1991-1998)

What schools did you attend after HMS?

AO: I went to Northfield Mount Hermon, and then to Johns Hopkins where I majored in Civil Engineering. I'm currently working on a Masters Degree in Structural Engineering at Cornell.

What would you like to do after graduating?

AO: I'd like to work with a top-level firm while spending some time living abroad, working "on the frontier" of structural design (high-profile, high-end buildings, bridges, etc). I'd also like to learn Mandarin. Asia is bristling with tower cranes, and if there's going to be a business language other than English, it will probably be Mandarin.

What would you do if you had a million dollars?

AO: I'd invest $950,000 in municipal bonds and then buy a really nice motorcycle!

What is the role of a structural engineer?

AO: To ensure that the structures we depend upon are dependable; to design in an ethical fashion with an eye toward safety, economics, and aesthetics.

What are some exciting things going on in design right now?

AO: "Green Design" is a very exciting trend in skyscraper design. By utilizing passive heating and cooling systems these buildings realize significant energy savings. Some even recycle rainwater for use in bathroom sinks. The benefits realized from such systems increase with the volume of the building, so as energy prices soar, the trend will probably continue.

Do you have a favorite place?

Yes, my new house in Guilford. It's so peaceful–instant meditation just to be there.

What are some of your fondest memories of Hilltop?

AO: I remember Anne Stevens reading books–like The Odyssey – aloud in Upper El. She gave the characters energy and the books came alive for me. I also remember making a model of the ancient city of Alexandria with its buildings and roads – it was a great tactile learning tool. I also remember enormous sled jumps on the hillside and building tree forts in the woods.

What are you reading right now?

AO: Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter Bernstein. As far as favorites, though, I love all the Harry Potter books, and I can't wait for the seventh!

Which teachers had an affect on you?

AO: Anne Stevens with her energetic, organized, active classroom; Kevin Campbell and his lessons on morality, writing, and looking deeper into things; and Barry Lane for film and aikido.

Ultimately, what kind of impact did Hilltop Montessori have on you?

AO: HMS directly affected my spatial imagination. At an early age, I remember thinking abstractly in three dimensions. This has obvious advantages in my chosen field. I even use the Mortensen math shapes sometimes in my head to reckon a multiplication problem.

I left Hilltop as a more independent, self confident person. In the words of William Ernest Henley’s "Inviticus":

"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul."