Nine times a double blessing

Most of us don’t have a twin, which may be why twins fascinate us. Currently, our Battle Creek Area Catholic Schools have nine sets of twins.

That’s a lot of twins.

We have five sets in the high school, four sets in the grade school, two sets in the marching band, and even a set on this year’s Homecoming Court.

Nine times a double blessing deserves a little celebrating.

[l. to r.] Rehna and Ryder Weiss, Chloe and Chase Ganka, Ana and Alex Kachman, Bryn and Truman Hall.

Front row: [l. to r.] Kameron and McKenna Haley, Edward and Megan Moore; Middle row [l. to r.] Hannah and Emily Pearl, Abby and Maggie Hill; Back row [l. to r.] Tyler and Trevor Fuller

Staff asked each student what they liked about having a twin at school. The answers were interesting.

Many spoke about the good things – the companionship, the extra set of eyes and ears, the ability to switch seats without the teacher noticing. Some mentioned the hard things – being mistaken for the other, being lumped into other’s personality, rarely having a milestone alone.

Here is a selection of the answers. Remember, each child was asked independently of his/her twin:

“I like playing and eating with Ana.”

Alex Kachman, preschool

“I play with him. I eat with him.”

Ana Kachman, preschool

"I like to play with him."

Chloe Ganka, transitional kindergarten

"She always makes me play taggy taggy tag tag."

Chase Ganka, transitional kindergarten

“I like sitting in the car next to her. I like playing outside with her.”

Ryder Weiss, kindergarten

“I like that he is kind here at school"

Rhena Weiss, kindergarten

"We have different friends. We used to sit in different rows but now we sit by each other. Sometimes I feel like talking to Truman when I know I am not supposed to."

Bryn Hall, first grade

“It's kinda good that I can go with her everywhere ’cause if something is wrong with her I am always there to help her, and if something is wrong with me she is always there to help. So it's good."

Truman Hall, first grade

“When I forget my homework or books, I can use my sister's!”

Kameron Haley, 12th grade

“The best thing about going to school with your twin would definitely be always knowing that you would have someone to talk to/annoy during every class.”

McKenna Haley, 12th grade

Catholic Schools Week is nearly here!

Anytime is a good time to visit our Catholic schools, but Catholic Schools Week is special. The full schedule of events is at www.bcacs.org, but here are few dates parents won’t want to miss!

• Sunday, January 29th everyone is invited to 10 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph gym, which will officially kick off CSW. After Mass, there will be coffee, doughnuts and fellowship. The school will be open for current families and curious families.
• Monday, January 30th is Pack the Gym Night at St. Philip Catholic Central. Catch our Lady Tigers in action as they take on Burr Oak. Game time is 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 31st is McTeacher Night at the Columbia Avenue McDonalds. Come between 5-7 p.m. and have a happy meal with our big happy family, knowing 15% of all proceeds go to our schools!
• Thursday, February 2nd Bishop Paul Bradley will celebrate our All-Schools Mass at St. Philip Church. Mass starts at 9 a.m. and will include the blessing of the throats for the Feast of St. Blaise.
• Saturday, February 4th Full House Drawdown in the St. Philip Gymnasium from 6:30 p.m. to Midnight. Great food, spirits, fun and a chance to win cash prizes up to $5000. Contact Pete or Lois Werner at (269) 209-2569 to purchase your winning ticket!