HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — A suburban high school near New York City is set to experience a unique event at this weekend’s graduation ceremony. At Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School, among nearly 500 graduates, an astonishing number of 30 twins will be participating in the festivities.
These students, part of a closely-knit group, have often known each other since kindergarten. Many of their parents became acquainted through a local twins club, and to this day, some families even plan vacations together. The twins have formed a group text chain, providing support and comfort as they become local celebrities in the days leading up to their graduation.
“Honestly, when we’re together, the room is electric,” said Sydney Monka during a rehearsal for the graduation event held earlier this week. “We’re all very comfortable with one another, sharing experiences that allow us to bounce off each other’s energy. It’s amazing.”
While the name tags will give them away on stage during the commencement ceremony at Hofstra University in Hempstead, the twins are all fraternal, distinguishing them from identical twins. This means they come from separate eggs and sperm, and are not necessarily of the same gender.
Bari Cohen, who is set to attend Indiana University come fall, remarked on the strength of the bond shared with her brother Braydon, who will be attending the University of Pittsburgh. “Especially for boy-girl twins, people might think it’s just a sibling relationship, but it’s more than that because we experience everything simultaneously.”
The phenomenon of this high number of twins at the school, located within an affluent and predominantly white area some 35 miles east of Manhattan, evokes playful curiosity. “I guess there’s just something in the water,” joked Emily Brake, who will be attending the University of Georgia. Her sister Amanda will be heading to Ohio State University.
Some twins believe the abundance of multiples might not just be coincidental. Arianna Cammareri shared that her parents turned to in vitro fertilization after struggling to conceive, a procedure previously linked with higher instances of twins or triplets. Genetic factors might also contribute, as she mentioned having cousins who are twins, a condition that might increase the likelihood of twins.
Plainview-Old Bethpage isn’t new to seeing groups of twins in its graduating classes. Previous years have seen back-to-back graduations with impressive numbers of multiples. Next year’s incoming freshman class already has nine twin sets, according to the school. Other schools across the country have seen similar trends, including Clovis North High School in California with 14 pairs, and Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland with 10 pairs.
Post-graduation, these twins will scatter across various colleges. Aiden and Chloe Manzo are an exception, both heading to the University of Florida, where they’ll live in the same dorm but pursue different business majors. “We’re going to see each other a lot,” Chloe commented, noting that their mom believed attending the same school would simplify logistics such as moving in and enjoying campus activities.
While some twins like Emma and Kayla Leibowitz, who head to Binghamton and Syracuse University respectively, will be separated and already plan frequent visits, others see the transition as a positive change. Sydney and Kayla Jasser, both passionate about fashion design, have opted to explore their paths independently by attending different colleges.
“We could have chosen the same college but wanted independence since we’ve been together for so long,” Kayla explained. “It’s important to explore and have our unique experiences.”