Student of the Week: Gibault student is a technology whiz with a big heart

Technology problems are no big deal at Gibault Catholic High School in Waterloo as long as Adam Zeveski is around.

The 17-year-old senior always is being called on by students and employees who need help with their laptops, tablets or smartphones.

“All the teachers have my cellphone number,” said Adam, who lives in Mascoutah. “They just text me when they have problems.”

Adam even works on the school’s computer system occasionally.

“He’s an extremely reliable, trustworthy kid, and he doesn’t toot his own horn,” said Mike Kirkpatrick, who teaches computer application and digital art. “He’s very humble.”

Kirkpatrick and Adam work together as adviser and president of the Tech Club. Adam also runs the sound system for school assemblies and serves on the Broadcast Team, which does play-by-play announcing at basketball games.

“I just set up the camera and plug it into the computer,” said co-commentator Riley Menard, 17, of Ruma. “Adam knows all the rest. He gets us connected to the Internet for live streaming.”

Beyond technology, Adam and Riley are members of the school’s bowling team.

“Adam throws the ball really hard,” Riley said. “When he gets a strike, we all make a noise like a semi horn.”

Adam also keeps busy outside of school. He is a part-time custodian at St. Joseph Catholic School in Freeburg and volunteer dishwasher at monthly fish fries. He also helps with the parish picnic and Thanksgiving meal deliveries.

Perhaps most impressive, Adam has spearheaded his own community service project every year since eighth grade.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “I just like to make other people happy, especially people who don’t have much to look forward to.”

Adam’s first project was part of his confirmation process. He raised money with a 50/50 raffle, bought 400 new books for needy children and distributed them to medical offices.

Adam was particularly moved by a small boy in one waiting room.

“He asked if he could have a book, and I just let him pick one out of the box,” Adam said. “It was about space exploration. He was so excited. It was just a little book, but it made me feel good to see his reaction.”

Adam later collected 95 bags of toiletries for a specialized living center, 78 pairs of jeans for disadvantaged youths and 1,826 books for a mobile soup kitchen and library. His 2002 green GMC truck came in handy.

As a junior, Adam volunteered as an IT specialist for a financially strapped grade school. This month, he’s traveling to Ecuador with 14 other Gibault students to work at an orphanage.

“He has just always stepped up to help people,” said his mother, Mary, 54, an administrative assistant in a radiology office.

“We have a neighbor who’s (disabled),” she said. “When it snowed the other day, Adam went over there and cleared off his driveway so he could get out in his wheelchair and get his mail. No one asked him to do it.”

Mary and her husband, Phil, a tool and die maker, also were proud of Adam last spring when St. Joseph’s pastor had a death in the family and its full-time custodian was recovering from surgery.

“On school mornings before going to Gibault, Adam would stop in and turn the lights on and check the boiler and just take a quick walk around to check on things,” Mary said.

The Zeveskis have two other children, Tom, 27, and Jennifer, 28, and two granddaughters.

Adam’s hobbies are hunting, fishing, woodworking and model-building. He also likes boating and swimming at Rend Lake.

“After I graduate, I’m going to go to SIUE for computer engineering,” he said. “I’d like to get a job with Boeing.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Student of the Week: Gibault student is a technology whiz with a big heart."