Walther Lutheran High School junior Zach Cassity of Winfield didn’t act all that surprised when he received the news that he scored a 35 on the ACT® standardized college placement test. A perfect score of 36 is rarely seen, but that is what Cassity attained on the Math section of the test, along with 35 in both English and Reading, and a 33 in Science.
“I usually know that I did well, and I felt like I did,” said the modest boy who scored 30 when he took the test four years ago at Walther’s annual December ACT® Test for 8th graders. When asked how he does so well, Zach shrugs and struggles to explain how it comes so naturally. “I really enjoy problem solving,” he offers, “and I always test well.” He did not do a lot of pretest preparation, but he admits he did work on some notes for the Math portion.
About that perfect 36 on the ACT® Math section – Zach’s sophomore year Honors Geometry teacher, Cynthia Holliday, was pleased, but she didn’t act all that surprised either. “Zach has a true passion for learning math,” she explained. “He challenges himself to understand new concepts and solve extremely difficult problems,” Holliday continued, “and He uses his God-given talents in this area to their fullest.”
Zach’s teachers at Walther agree that he is certainly a good student, but they offered glimpses of a young man who is not solely an academic. “Zach is a pretty avid guitar player,” shared his Physics teacher Ray Murphy. Art instructor Jeff Carnehl said that Zach is occasionally involved in Art Club and knows he spent a “teen week” with Lutheran youth at Camp Arcadia in Michigan not long ago. “Zach has shown the ability to be a diligent cross country runner,” shared Coach Luis Samayoa, who shared that one of Zach’s strengths is his patience.
Zach tries to participate in a variety of extracurricular activities but doesn’t view himself as a “renaissance man.” He likes his schoolwork and looks forward to doing “something in engineering and technology.” Zach’s father can probably claim some influence on his son’s future career choice. “My dad is an engineer,” shares Zach. “He works with bridges.”
Zach’s parents, Patrick and Lisa Cassity, are proud of their son’s accomplishment by shy away from taking any credit for it. “It’s all Zach,” said Lisa. “We really haven’t done any of this. We’re amazed at how well he has done, but it certainly has been the way he’s always been.” She recalled how Zach was reading at age 3 and that he has consistently achieved very high academic milestones throughout his school years.
“Zach is an immensely gifted young man,” said Kevin Charpentier, who facilitated the Cassitys in their selection of Walther as the high school of choice for Zach. “His first comment to me following the test centered on his plans to retake the ACT® and strive for perfection. Zach certainly desires to be a faithful steward of the great gifts God has entrusted to him,” added Charpentier.
Walther Lutheran High School is a co-educational Christian school located at 9th and Chicago in Melrose Park. The school has an enrollment of just over 400 students from fifty-seven different Chicago area zip codes. For more information about Walther Lutheran High School, call 708.344.0404 or visit Walther.com.
