It may be hard to remember if someone is a twin, and chances are, you probably know more than you think. This is because the majority of twins here at Darien High School are fraternal (meaning that they don’t look exactly alike). However, if you think that all freshmen look the same, it might be because DHS’ Class of 2015 is full of twins! They were nominated to be in the Guinness World Record book for having the most sets of twins (plus a set of quadruplets) at one school with a whopping total of 16 sets.
That’s right. Sixteen pairs of twins occupy the DHS freshman class and they were nominated to occupy the pages of the 2011 Guinness World Record book. When asked about the whole World Record process, freshman Christina Boccadoro said, “For me it was a kind of a cool experience. There were people in our grade that I didn’t even know were twins!” Her sister Laura, however, has a different opinion. “It wasn’t anything special. The school didn’t make a very big deal about it but I guess all in all, the idea of being in the book is pretty cool,” Laura said.
Last year, DHS succeeded in setting a world record of its own by having 362 students stand on one leg for two minutes on the turf field, thus replacing the prior record of 339. However this world record was something that required participation from the student body and faculty. Setting a world record for the most amount of twins in one grade does not require as much work. Paige Drippe put it well,
“It was cool to know that we were setting a World Record without having to put any effort into it,” Drippe said.
Most of the twins here at DHS agree with Paige, in that just being nominated for a World Record is a cool experience by itself.
Twins are very unique, and coming across so many in one age group is extremely rare. “Being a twin is fun. I always have someone I can rely on and I feel like I always have a close friend with me,” says freshman Nicky Wildish about his twin sister Caroline. Christina Boccadoro feels the same way: “At times being a twin is fun because you have someone that you can relate with a lot. However, almost all twins are fraternal like my sister and me, even though everyone thinks we’re identical. We aren’t the same in any way.”
Paige Drippe doesn’t know where she would be without her twin brother Cooper. “I LOVE being a twin! I have a boy twin, and he is one of my best friends. We basically tell each other everything. A lot of twins don't get along well, but we pretty much always do! Never have I wished I wasn't a twin. We are pretty similar personality wise- both of us are laid back and outgoing. We have the same friends too which makes it super fun! We are ‘those twins’ who finish each other’s sentences. We don't share clothes but I do ask him for fashion advice! One of the weird things too is that a lot of the twins (though not all) are all really good friends,” she says.
“All the time people ask, ‘What’s it like being a twin?’" and honestly I can’t answer because I don’t know what it’s like not being a twin,” says Nicky Wildish.
Most twins would agree.
Although the majority of the twins here at DHS are fraternal, a lot of them get asked if they’re identical. “Sometimes people call me Tyson,” says freshman Avery Maley. “They think they’ve offended me when they say the wrong name but really I don’t care as long as they eventually call me Avery.” Claire Naughton and her twin sister Daly have the same problem. “Daly and I are fraternal and it always makes me laugh when we stand next to each other and people say, ‘So are you identical?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah we are. I’ve just been dying my hair since birth’,” she jokes.
Unfortunately, DHS was beaten by Maine Township High School in South Park Range, Illinois. Their record is 17, and consists of 14 sets of twins as well as three sets of triplets. Having 16 sets of multiples in one grade however is nothing to frown about. In fact it’s very uncommon to even find that many sets of twins in one school let alone one grade, and it’s very impressive. So be on the lookout when walking through the hallways here at DHS. You may know more multiples than you think!
Check out Darien's other world record last year: http://darienps.org/neirad/1106sophclassrecord.php
Check out Neirad's coverage of the senior twins:http://darienps.org/neirad/1109twins.php
