HBRMS Says Goodbye to our 5 sets of twins in 8th grade
The odds of having twins according to Healthline.com is one out of every 250 births. Well the HBRMS 8th grade class has 56 total students and in those 56 students we have 5 sets of twins. Below are some general comments from our twins about middle school, this year and being a twin.
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| Emma and Carmela |
Emma Key
Being a twin can be good at times and can be bad at times. Carmela and I have had a heck of a 2020-2021 school year adapting to this whole covid pandemic. We have had quite a rollercoaster this year from losing our uncle unexpectedly to welcoming a new little human into the world. Middle school has its advantages and disadvantages with being a twin. Some advantages are you have someone who can help you on the homework, also you have a lunch buddy most of the time to let you sit with them at lunch. A twin sister is almost like a built-in best friend that you always fight with but never stops being your friend. Now what they don't tell you about being a twin, like how if you have a twin you always have people saying how different you are from them, or constantly comparing you to them or vise versa comparing them to you. Having a twin in middle school can be helpful because then you always have someone to go to if you need anything or forgot something or just need to talk. You also have those times where you have to share responsibilities but one always ends up doing all of it but you both get credit. For example when your mom asks both of you to clean the bathrooms but only one of you does or like if one breaks something sometimes the other will take the blame to save the other twin from the wrath of the parents. Our parents have raised us better than that. Being twins going into high school also is a good thing because we have someone to go through it with.
My middle school experience was ok, I have over the past three years made new friends since I was in elementary school. At times middle school can be difficult especially when boys at times would tease me to get my attention. Boy this can be annoying. Carmela and I would sit at lunch pretty much every day through MS to talk about things. Our 8th grade classes have been ok, I did miss not having exploratory classes especially Miss Henkel’s art where I was so looking forward to making the “mugs”. L.A (Sorry Mrs. Biletzky) is probably my most difficult class but there are some things we do in LA that are fun like “black out poems” or being outside rather than inside. Overall I will miss MS but am looking forward to next year as a freshman
Carmela Key
My middle school experience has been great because I made some many new friends and have new favorite teachers. Emma and I both agree we love Mrs. Burgh and we are sad we won't have her anymore after this year. I have had a pretty good experience with middle school over all.
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| Johanna and Eleanor |
There were countless times I underestimated how much having a twin could really mean to a person, the endless support I took for granted. Only during quarantine, and this last year of Middle School have I realized how much she has stood by my side, while I idly continued. “Remoting” into school was one of the first times I took notice, how she continued to assist me with classes I struggled with, and made sure I was on time for things. We often shared our breaks together, discussing details that had happened throughout the day while our other siblings were nowhere to be found, hiding away in their rooms. Only then did I realize what exactly I had been given, somebody to talk to when things were difficult, a person to watch movies, and scream Hamilton lyrics unprompted. A constant companion, and one I had no idea was worth so much to me, until I needed her most.
Johanna Gengler
Throughout my life, I never realized how much I valued having my twin until everything closed due to the pandemic. We were all stuck in our houses, too scared to leave, and during that time, I would normally be with my sister in the basement or go outside and visit the forest preserve that was near us and draw, take pictures of the wildlife, and walk around the small lake they have there. In our other free time, we randomly sang parts of songs from the musical Hamilton.
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| Emily and Matthew |
Having a twin is...interesting, to say the least. It's nice, in school, to have someone you can talk to and trust. Someone you know personally. Also it's easier to keep track of things, in my opinion. I can ask Matt if there is homework, and that works out pretty well. Then there’s also the bus rides, relatives sit together this year and I find it nice. I only have my twin in my study hall, so I wish I had a couple more classes with him.
How's it different, you may ask? With me being a twin, I'm not sure. My best guess is that there's less...familiar territory, you could say. Then there isn’t usually company on the bus rides back, since relatives sit with relatives. I find it really awesome having a twin, though everyone’s relationships are different. Different families interact in different ways, and have some different customs as well.
In my opinion, having siblings is a 10/10 experience that you cherish for your entire lives. Having a twin is and has been a great experience.
Mathew Rainford
This school year was very different. Having a twin meant somebody on the bus with me, somebody to either rely on or have rely on me, a bit of extra work in packing lunches, and an extra friend during lunch. Being remote was different from others’ experiences because waking up and going to school at noon and overhearing somebody else’s class was a surreal experience. I felt like I was eavesdropping on them even though I was just taking a class in the room adjacent.
Apart from having a twin, this year was rough. Motivation was a lot harder to keep with having nobody to talk to after or during, but it was easier to stay on top of homework with the much smaller workload. I felt like it was a lot harder to pay attention when the teacher was just a small square on a screen, and sometimes in the beginning teachers didn’t always have the camera facing their faces or the board.
I felt like school in the past 3 years has been wildly different from elementary school, because it gives us middle schoolers a much higher level of autonomy and ability to do what they want with how they work and how they do their work. School this year was a fun and crazy experience.
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| Daniell and Dylan |
Having a twin can be annoying, but also fun. When my twin and I were younger we used to do everything together. Swing on the swing sets, get ice cream together. But now that we are older things have changed…we do different stuff now like, he plays video games all day and I play basketball. We barely get to see each other, but when we do see each other we have a blast. For example we play soccer together. I do love my twin a lot but living with him for 13 almost 14 years can be hard. It gets annoying when he bugs me, but at the end of the day he's a large part of my life and I will never escape him. Also, having a twin this difficult school year has helped me a lot. This school year has been really hard and different due to covid. We were not able to play regular sports for our 8th grade year. But when I heard we were going to have some sort of basketball season I was so excited to play with my friends. Also, when I heard about soccer I was so thrilled because I got to play my 8th grade year and with my twin. In addition, being at school full days everyday makes me happy to get up early in the morning and get ready for school to see my wonderful teachers and fellow classmates. All in all, my twin and I have a life lasting bond together and we are both ecstatic to spend our whole entire lives together.
Dylan Bulson
This school year was harder than normal. The year was tough at the start with online classes. Having to stay on task, and even turning in work. But we all had to figure it out. But there was some good that came from it, like learning how to be independent. When we went back into in person classes, things became easier. It was easier to understand things and ask questions and no more losing internet during classes. This year hasn't been smooth but we all managed to pull through, thanks to our teachers and classmates.
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| Elisabeth and Makena |
Makena and Elisabeth Snelling are our 5th set of twins. They are currently out of our building and I am sure having fun. We did have a video the two put together on our “Snow Day Challenge” that kind of gives you an idea of their relationship - Snow Video.MOV.
HBRMS would like to wish all our 8th graders and their parents a safe and happy summer and a giant Thank You for a year well done.