Ryan Dailor (photo above left) and Mason Bulling (photo above right) are the valedictorian and salutatorian of the HF-L Class of 2021. Photos provided by HF-L High School
Ryan Dailor and Mason Bulling have been good friends for a number of years and, when they were sophomores, would often take walks on the Lehigh Valley Trail. While their conversations were meaningful, they rarely talked about school.
Yet, here they are at the pinnacle of their high school years and at the top of the Class of 2021 academically at Honeoye Falls-Lima High School. Dailor is the valedictorian and Bulling the salutatorian.
Dailor, the son of Heather and Joe Dailor, carries a 4.22 grade point average. He will attend Northeastern University in its Honors Program studying electrical and computer engineering. He also considered the University of Notre Dame and Cornell University.
“Two main factors led me to choose Northeastern,” Dailor said. “First, they have a co-op program where you can get actual experience in the workforce and the other is that I wanted to have the opportunity to compete in cross country running, indoor track and outdoor track. I am hoping to walk-on the cross country team this fall.”
Dailor has taken a number of high-level academic courses at HF-L, including 10 Advanced Placement courses in European History, U.S. History, English Language and Composition, AP Calculus BC, Physics 1, English Literature, Macroeconomics, Statistics, Physics C and Government and Politics. He also studied Multivariable Calculus through a dual credit program with Monroe Community College.
This year, Dailor was President of National Honor Society which he was a member of for two years. He was also in the Spanish National Honor Society, the Big/Little Cougar program which pairs high school students with younger students in a mentor program, the Wind Ensemble for four years and the Jazz Ensemble for three years. He was President of the Wind Ensemble, in which he played percussion, this year and played piano for the Jazz Ensemble.
Dailor could be described as the quintessential triple threat as he is gifted not just academically and musically, but also in athletics. He was on the varsity cross country running team for four years, winning six league meets and the Section V Class B Championship last fall with a time of 16 minutes, 44 seconds and helping the team capture the Section V Class B Championship. He was on the Varsity Nordic Ski team for three years, placing 13th in 38:36.60 at the Section V Championship, helping the unbeaten Cougars team win the Section V title this winter. He competed for the track team for three years, winning the 800 meters (2:03.29), the 1600 meters (4:27.30) and the 3200 meters (10:21.55) and helping the 1600 relay to a victory (3:29.66) as the team finished second at the Section V Class B1 Championship a week ago. He helped the Nordic Ski team to a team title in his junior year and the cross country running, Nordic Ski and track teams to sectional team titles in his sophomore year. He is hoping to run cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at Northeastern University.
Outside of school, Dailor has worked for about a year as a tech at IPad Rehab in the village of Honeoye Falls. Over the summer, he has also helped at Mendon Acres and refereed Little League Baseball and Youth Basketball games. He also played percussion in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for one year. Over the past two summers, he has attended the High Peaks Distance Camp at Lake Placid and was in its Pathfinders Leadership Program.
Dailor has received Department academic awards for AP Calculus BC, Physics 1, U.S. History and English Language and Composition and the Dartmouth College Book Award. He was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist Commended Student and selected for the National Rural and Small Town Scholar Recognition Program. Dailor auditioned for the New York State School Music Association All-State Symphonic Orchestra and was selected for mallet percussion. He also received the John Philip Sousa Band Award this year. He received All-Greater Rochester 1st team honors in cross country last fall and received the Devin Snyder Most Outstanding Athlete for track at the Section V Class B1 Championship a week ago.
There are many teachers and coaches who have made an impact on Dailor.
“One of them is Mr. Mark Borden who I had for band for three years,” Dailor said. “He showed me what it meant to have a passion for something and share that passion, focusing on what you are doing and caring about doing it. Another is my cross country, Nordic Ski and track coach Bernie Gardner who, like Mr. Borden, always expected the best from me and pushed me to test my potential and my limits. Another would be Mr. Jeff Somers, my physics teacher. The school was going to cancel the physics program, Physics C, that I was in at the end of my junior year and he helped get it reinstated and showed he cared about his students.”
Dailor said the COVID-19 pandemic and the past 15 months have given him time to think about who he is and what he wants to do instead of dwelling on what he has missed out on. It’s not surprising that he talked about something that meaningful given that his favorite memory is those walks with Bulling along the Lehigh Valley Trail where they would discuss finding meaning in life and the meaning of success in life.
Bulling, the son of Mel Pooler and Kevin Bulling, carries a 4.19 grade point average. He will attend Cornell University to study biometry and statistics.
“It was the only college I applied to,” Bulling said. “It’s a nice school, a good location and a family member is an alumni of the school. I am interested in math, science and finance and the biometry major involves all of them. I can go in several different career directions such as computer programming.”
Bulling challenged himself academically with courses such as Advanced Placement European History, AP Computer Science, AP Psychology, AP Physics, AP English Language and Composition, AP U.S. History, AP Calculus BC, AP Government and Politics, AP English Literature, AP Physics C-Mechanics, AP Physics C-electricity, AP Statistics, AP Macroeconomics and AP Chemistry.
In addition to being a member of National Honor Society, Bulling was involved with the Link Crew at school. He ran on the cross country team as a junior.
Bulling received several academic department awards, including ones for AP Chemistry and AP Computer Science. He received the American Chemical Society Award and the University of Rochester Dr. Carlos Stroud Book Award.
A four-year member of the varsity tennis team, Bulling won eight matches in doubles play this spring, usually teaming with Nick Burch. He does not intend to pursue a sport in college.
Bulling said HF-L graduates Sam Gilbert and Phil Ackerman and classmate Ryan Dailor have made an impact on him along with teachers, Mr. Jeff Somers and Mrs. Kara Utegg.
“Sam, Phil and Ryan are all motivational, helpful and leaders and they helped me realize my potential,” Bulling said. “Mr. Somers and Mrs. Utegg were great teachers.”
Among his favorite memories are hanging out with his friends during lunch and good times with Assistant Principal Mr. Scott Hassall.
