University High School: Quinn Lipke leads by doing, both on and off the track field

There are no easy labels for Quinn Lipke, and that’s just as well.

Poised to graduate from University High School, Lipke has excelled at almost every Advanced Placement class, placed at the state track meet in the javelin and volunteered with the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council.

Yes, Lipke is hard to define, but his track coach gave it a good shot.

“He’s that Clark Kent-kind of guy,” said Ernesto Aguilar, who also is a counselor at U-Hi. “He’s quiet on the inside but very gifted,” Aguilar said.

Lipke has quietly made a difference on the track team, which lacked a javelin coach. Not only did Lipke go on to place fourth at state last year, he transformed javelin into the most popular event in the program.

“Now we have about 25 guys throwing the javelin,” Aguilar said. “He runs our athletes through the workout drills, putting all of them first, before himself.

“That is so humble,” Aguilar said. “Quinn respects everyone and is well-liked by everyone in the building. And he’s made a big impact for our school.”

In selecting Lipke for inclusion in The Spokesman-Review’s graduation edition, the school said in a statement that “what truly distinguishes Quinn is his approach to learning. His personal philosophy is to try everything once because opportunities are rare and everyone is smart in different ways.

Track and field wasn’t Lipke’s first choice. A solid baseball pitcher, “he kept hitting his friends, and he didn’t like that,” said his mother, Lindsey Dunham.

Lipke also started on the Titans basketball team.

Lipke has an even bigger workload in the classroom. “Lots of AP classes … my parents have always asked me to challenge myself.”

His favorite: AP European History with teacher Sara Wagenblast. “It’s not the most enthralling topic, but she was excellent in her planning.”

Lipke’s passion for the underdog goes far beyond helping struggling javelin throwers.

He has spent many hours volunteering with the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council, specifically its efforts to reduce sentences for first-time DUI offenders through the court system.

Ideally that means working with judges to impose alternatives to jail time.

The connection came through his grandmother, who babysat Lipke years ago. Across the street lives Linda Thompson, director of GSSAC since 1993.

“We work in a formal setting with serious issues, and it’s a meaningful way to help the community,” Lipke said.

Back at school, Lipke devoted his senior capstone project to discrimination, especially the less-obvious forms that can profoundly affect a young person’s future.

“I focused on multiple forms of discrimination,” Lipke said. “For example, when a student is passionate about a subject like biology but a teacher dissuades her from pursuing that.”

Lipke’s academic pursuits will take him to USC, where his parents graduated.

“They were pushing it a little, but it really is the best option for me,” Lipke said

Once there, Lipke will take the road less traveled. On the premed track, his undergraduate focus will be on gerontology, the study of aging and human development.