It’s OK, you don’t have to feel too bad for the student 
We have told him until we are blue in the face that it’s rude to not do the work teachers assign and that they put thought and effort into creating those assignments. We’ve also told him how important it is to chat with teachers and put in that extra effort to have a good relationship. He says he “doesn’t want to be a butt-kisser like my sister.” The sister who of course got great recs! I think it has to do with maturity and he will just have to learn that in school and in the workplace relationships matter just as much and even more than the fact that he is quick and clever.
That being said, he does have great relationships with two AP social studies/history teachers. They seem to get him and appreciate his ways. I am thinking maybe he should just go with those two recommendations even though they aren’t STEM. Thoughts? He is not planning to major in science or math - yes maybe Econ, but Econ more along the lines of Econ/PoliSci, etc.