Luke Lepkowski (photo above left) and Isaac Settle (photo top right) were the top students of the Class of 2021 at Lima Christian School. Photos provided by Lima Christian School
Classmates at Lima Christian School, Luke Lepkowski and Isaac Settle will be classmates at college next year. The two young men also share one other thing in common: they are both academic standouts with Lepkowski being named the Class of 2021’s valedictorian and Settle the salutatorian at LCS.
Lepkowski, the son of Gwen and Paul Lepkowski of Avon, carried an A+ average. He will be attending Rochester Institute of Technology next fall to study computer science. He also looked at Roberts Wesleyan College.
“I’ve been around computers my whole life because my father works in computer security,” Lepkowski said. “I also like programming and I have been programming for about 11 years, making games and such.”
Challenging himself academically, Lepkowski took Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition, along with PreCalculus and Statistics, Calculus 1, Calculus 2, Physics 1 and Physics 2 through Genesee Community College’s dual credit program and English 101 through Roberts Wesleyan College.
Lepkowski has been a member of National Honor Society for two years. All throughout high school, he has been a member of the school’s Tech team which helps with setting up microphones for Friday chapel and other school events.
Outside of school, Lepkowski has helped the church he and his family attend, Celebrate Family Church in Leicester, with video-streaming its services and any other church events. He also enjoys making computer games and likes to hike.
Lepkowski has earned many awards and honors. He has received an English Department Award, an Outstanding Scholarship Award, a Science Department Award, an award for his Economics class and an award from the National Recognition Program for Rural and Small Town Scholars from the College Board.
A student at Lima Christian since kindergarten, Lepkowski said he has fond memories of his years at the school.
“I have enjoyed being here; it is like being a member of a community at Lima Christian School,” Lepkowski said. “Everyone is very kind to each other. I have also learned a lot from all of my teachers here. They are all really great teachers; they have been there for us as students.”
Since things have been very different the last 15 months due to COVID-19, Lepkowski said he has learned a lot in that time.
“Things change but life still goes on,” he said. “Even though things have changed, some things are constant and you have to look to those positive things to stay positive even when times are dark.”
Settle, the son of Trina and Aaron Settle of Honeoye Falls, earned the honor of being the Lima Christian School Class of 2021 salutatorian with a 98.36 academic average. He will also being attending RIT in the fall to major in computing and information technology. While RIT was by far his top choice, he also applied to Syracuse University, Allegheny College and the University of Rochester.
“I would like to go into administration or networking,” Settle said. “I worked closely with our IT guy at Lima Christian School, Jerry Thompson, through the summer and during the school year as well and that increased my interest in computers.”
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition is just one of many high-level courses that Settle has taken at Lima Christian. The others are PreCalculus and Statistics, Calculus 1 and Calculus 2, Physics 1 and Physics 2 through dual credit arrangement with GCC and English 101 through dual credit with Roberts Wesleyan College.
Settle has been a member of National Honor Society for three years. He was Vice President of the Class of 2021 in eighth-grade and has been class treasurer since his freshman year. He was a member of band for one year, the Mentors for Minis program (which pairs older students with elementary-age students at the school) from eighth-grade through his junior year, Masterminds and the school’s Tech team. Settle played junior varsity basketball and one year of varsity soccer.
Outside of school, Settle has been a camp counselor at Summer’s Best Two Weeks program at Lima Christian for two years. He has worked at Honeoye Falls Market Place for two years. A member of the youth group at The Father’s House in Chili, he has helped videostream the Sunday service at the church.
Settle has been on the school’s High Honor Roll every semester since his freshman year. He has received an English Department Award and the American Chemical Society Award.
Among his favorite memories of Lima Christian School, which he has attended since he was in eighth-grade, are serving the school and its students through the Technology Team and the sense of community at the school.
“The teachers I have had here are wonderful,” Settle said. “They have all made an impact on me, but particularly English teacher, Mrs. Kelly Wendlandt, math and science teacher, Dr. Eileen Minter, and Mr. Thompson.”
The last 15 months have taught Settle many things.
“One is to not take things for granted,” he said. “The other is be patient with yourself and with others.”
