Steven Zocco IV (photo above left) and Abigail Mincer (photo above right) are the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 2022 at Lima Christian School. Photos provided by Lima Christian School
The Lima Christian School Class of 2022 was a small group of just 11 students, but both the valedictorian and salutatorian of the class say that is partly why they have enjoyed their time at the school even though neither one attended the school until they were in the seventh-grade or eighth-grade.
Steven Zocco IV of LeRoy is the Lima Christian School Class of 2022 valedictorian. Abigail “Abby” Mincer of Bloomfield is the Salutatorian.
Zocco will be attending St. John Fisher University with his acceptance into the Honors Program. He intends to major in political science/pre-law.
“I am interested in corporate law,” said Zocco, who will minor in corporate finance. “St. John Fisher’s program is a 3+3 program with Syracuse University.”
Carrying a 4.0 grade point average, Zocco challenged himself in the classroom with one Advanced Placement course and five dual credit courses with Genesee Community College. He took Advanced Placement U.S. History and courses in Biology, PreCalculus, Calculus, Physics and Advanced Painting through GCC.
Zocco, the son of Verginia and Steve Zocco, has served as the Class of 2022 President and this year was the School President. He has been in the National Honor Society for three years. Zocco participated in the Missions Club all four years of high school. He played varsity basketball in both his freshman and sophomore years. He played both bass and guitar for the school worship team.
Outside of school, Zocco has had a part-time job since he was 16 years old. Currently, he works at Aluminum Injection Mold in LeRoy. He plays bass and guitar in his free time. He has also helped at the FoodLink in LeRoy for quite a while. He has volunteered with Operation Christmas Child every year for a number of years.
Zocco has received Departmental Awards for Art and Math in his junior year and Art and Economics this year.
“I came to Lima Christian as an eighth-grader,” said Zocco, who also looked at potentially attending Rochester Institute of Technology. “It has been a wonderful experience. It is a close community here and whenever you need something, there is always someone to help you or guide you. My favorite memories of high school here are all the class functions and activities and hanging out with my friends.”
Asked about someone whom he admires and has inspired him, Zocco said his calculus teacher, Dr. Minter.
“She has done everything she can to help us with our academics and she has been so supportive of us,” he said.
Mincer, the daughter of Shelby and Cassidy Mincer, will attend State University of New York College at Geneseo to study Early Childhood/Childhood Education. She also seriously considered St. John Fisher or Finger Lakes Community College but chose Geneseo State because of its education program.
“I want to go into teaching at the kindergarten through sixth-grade level and so many of the teachers I have had enjoyed the program there,” Mincer said. “It has always been something I was interested in. I really like education and have always done well in school. I admire teachers and how much they dedicate themselves to teaching their students.”
Mincer carried a 4.0 grade point average or between 96-97 on the scale of 100. She has taken four dual credit courses through Genesee Community College: Psychology, PreCalculus, Physics and Statistics.
Her involvement in school activities has been extensive and varied. She was in National Honor Society and the Drama Club. She has served as the class secretary and Student Council secretary.
She has volunteered helping out with the younger students during recess. She was involved in the Mentors for Minis program (a kind of Big Brother/Big Sister program) that pairs older students with elementary-age level students until COVID shut the program down two years ago and played flute in the school band before COVID shut down the band program which has not yet restarted at the school. Mincer played varsity soccer for four years, serving as a co-captain last fall when she was a starter at sweeper on defense and had four goals (second on the team) with one assist. She played softball for four years, the last three on varsity. This past spring, she was a co-captain and played either first base or pitched. She had 16 hits, which was tied for fifth on the team, and struck out 41 batters.
Outside of school, Mincer has volunteered with a Local Support Shelf through church, New Hope Fellowship, and has helped sort and stock donations of clothes, food and any other items.
Mincer received a Department Award for Spanish as a junior and for Statistics this year. She was named Lima Christian’s Female Senior Athlete of the Year from the Private-Parochial League and received a scholarship through the Private-Parochial League. She was named All-League 1st team for soccer last fall and All-League 1st team for softball this spring.
Coming to Lima Christian School as a seventh-grader, Mincer said it has been a wonderful experience.
“It is a close-knit school and everyone supports everyone else,” Mincer said. “The teachers and staff here have shown me that anything is possible.”
Among those who have inspired her is her sister and Lima Christian teachers Mrs. Christa and Val Coykendall.
“My sister inspires me through the way she has grown up and set the stage for us younger siblings as far as her drive and determination,” Mincer said. “Mrs. Christa has inspired me to be the best version of myself. She has been very supportive of everything I have done and that our class has done. Coach Val has also had a huge impact on my life, showing me what hard work is and how to stay positive.”
