St. Gerard’s parish in Fort Oglethorpe has two outstanding students among its parish family members.

Matthew Kapinos and Terry Swope are Star Students representing Ridgeland High School in Rossville, Ga. and Lakeview High School in Fort Oglethorpe respectively. The recognition from the local Chambers of Commerce is awarded the student with the highest Scholastic Aptitude Test scores in each school.

Matthew is the son of retired Air Force Colonel Victor and Kathryn Kapinos of Rossville and is a National Merit Scholarship finalist. Terry is the son of Ronald and Linda Swope of Ringgold, Ga. He is the recipient of the University of Georgia Alumni Scholarship and plans to attend UGA.

Matthew has been offered scholarships from the U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps and the U.S. Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. Accepted at several universities, he is awaiting word from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy to which he has been nominated.

St. Gerard’s parish, serving Catoosa and Walker counties as well as families from the Chattanooga area, has approximately 250 households.