Kindergarten teachers in a Pennsylvania school district are seeing double this year as 17 sets of twins entered their school, all members of the graduating class of 2036. Morgan Weiser, the mother of Ridge Park Elementary twins Logan and Mia, told Fox News Digital, “There’s usually a couple of sets here and there, which is not abnormal. But to have 17 sets in the incoming kindergarten grade for our district is kind of wild.”
It’s a first for the Colonial School District, which serves Plymouth Township, Conshohocken, and Whitemarsh Township, northwest of Philadelphia. The district’s community relations coordinator, Jessica Lester, told Fox News Digital, “This is a very unique situation. In recent history, no one can recall this many sets of twins entering kindergarten at the same time.” The phenomenon unfolded over the summer as the district’s registrar started picking up on a trend.
Lester said, “She would periodically stop by my office to let me know the numbers of twins registered for kindergarten because she knew it was so unusual. Each time she stopped in with a new number, I figured I wouldn’t hear from her again, and then she would give me another update.” She added that district officials were “certainly surprised” as the numbers continued to grow.
Lester added, “We are fortunate that the twins’ families also found some humor and excitement in this unusual occurrence.” Ridge Park Elementary School leads the pack with seven pairs, while Whitemarsh Elementary School welcomed six sets, and Plymouth Elementary greeted four sets. Twin-dergarten, as it’s been dubbed, started for the unique group of students in September, followed by a week of kindergarten orientation activities. Everyone couldn’t help but notice the abundance of twins.
Though everyone has settled into their class routines, it’s still a wonder to all involved. For Mia and Logan Weiser, it was a new experience to be surrounded by so many other sets of twins. The twins’ mom, Morgan Weiser, said, “They came from a private preschool setting, and it’s a small grade, so they were pretty much the only set of twins in our bubble. But we’ve known twins that are younger and older than them, and they actually have cousins, my husband’s sister, who has boy-girl twins who are turning 10.”
The mom added, “I’m also a twin,” which gave her insight into the experience of her children. She said, “I don’t really know if they are aware of that connection they have outside of each other. But I imagine that going to public kindergarten for the first time and just knowing that down the hall your twin sibling is there and that there’s the potential to see them in the hallway or on the playground, it’s special.
The first day of school can be stressful for any kid, but having your birth buddy nearby can provide a sense of comfort. Lester collected comments from some of the twin-dergarteners. “We always have each other,” said Chloe and Audrey Ugas, who attend Ridge Park Elementary School. Brothers Tyler and Michael Notarianni, who attend Plymouth, agreed, saying they like having a “built-in best friend.”
Corinne and Julia Longwell, who are students at Whitemarsh Elementary, said that being a twin means “always having someone to be there for you.” Charlotte Dorman, who also attends Ridge Park, noted, “I get to hug my brother any time I want.”