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Monroe County Reporter • May 24, 2023
Graduation
MP Class of2023 includes 8 sets of twins, plus triplets
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons Class of 2023
that will graduate Friday night
has been through many experi
ences together as its members
have grown from little pre-kin
dergarteners adjusting to being
away from home and mama
for the first time to young men
and women, many of whom are
getting ready to live away from
home for the first time. This is
the class that lived through covid
restrictions and the return from
covid, the class that was thrust
into embracing online learning.
One thing about the Class of
2023 that makes one look twice
is the large number of twins
among its membership.There are
eight sets of twins and one set of
triplets in the class body. Among
the multiples, there are five sets
of twin brothers, two sets of twin
sisters, one brother & sister twins.
The triplets include two brothers
and one sister.
Most of the multiples have been
school mates for years. It seems
that a lot of them started out
at T.G. Scott Elementary. One
set excelled at track this spring,
and another set played baseball.
It seems that teachers at Mary
Persons could have complained
about seeing double over the
last four years. Administrators
had less parents per student to
contact. It seemed that most of
the multiples enjoyed having
their brother or sister in school
with them.
Now friends and family mem
bers have to buy two graduation
gifts. Can the two gifts be the
same? You have to know your
twins, as the Reporter learned
from a few interviews.
The Campbell triplets are
Carter, Claire and Jackson. The
twins of’23 are Janiyah & TaNyah
Dent, Nicholas & Joshua Turner,
Angel & Christian Heath, Jakes
& Jakyun Davis, Kentavious &
Quentavious Brown, Noah &
Zorah Bigham, Carter & Cooper
Mitchell,Jaylan & Jaeden Barkley.
Campbell triplets will keep watching
out for each other in Athens next year
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Talking with Jackson,
Carter and Claire Campbell
is a lot of fun because they
bubble over with life, but it
can be a little confusing be
cause they are so comfort
able with one another that
they all tend to talk at the
same time. They know each
other so well that they don’t
always clarify what they
mean because it’s apparent
they seldom need to do so
with one another.
The Campbells are triplets
who are about to graduate
from Mary Persons. They
are the children of Russ
Campbell and Stephanie
Campbell. They are from
Bolingbroke and have been
in Monroe County Schools
together since they began
their public school journey
at T.G. Scott Elementary.
Jackson, Carter and
Claire are going to three
different schools next
year, but they are staying
together by all going to
Athens. Claire is going to
University of Georgia with
an eye toward something
in the medical field. Carter
is going to North Georgia
College at its Athens cam
pus, with plans to explore
a degree in business, and
Jackson is going to Athens
Technical College. Jackson
has already completed one
year in welding and will
transfer credits toward
completing a certified
program.
As a freshman at UGA
Claire is required to live in
a dorm her freshman year.
Carter and Jackson have
an apartment in Athens
with two other friends.
They are sure Claire will be
a frequent visitor, and she
doesn’t try too hard to deny
that.
Claire says she is the
one who tries to keep
her brothers organized,
reminding them of when
assignments are due and
when they are supposed
to be somewhere. She
says someone needs to be
responsible. Jackson and
Carter don’t really deny
that and indicate they don’t
mind getting a little help
from her on assignments,
too.
Claire played tennis all
four years at Mary Persons
and said she really enjoyed
it. She encouraged her
brothers to join the tennis
team the last 2 1/2 years,
and they found they like
it, too. Carter and Jackson
also played football for
three years at Mary Per
sons, and Carter tried track
and golf. Claire was on the
competition cheer team
that won state.
Jackson said his favorite
sport is hunting whatever
is in season. Carter also
hunts; it is something he
and Jackson sometimes do
together and sometimes
not, but Claire doesn’t care
for it.
Asked about the negative
part of being a triplet, Jack-
son and Carter said they
have to share everything,
such as their birthday on
July 27. Claire says people
call you “the triplets”
instead of calling you by
name. And teachers tend
to compare them with one
another.
She said they share the
same friend group, and
all of her friends date her
brothers. She adds friends
as they date girls and then
they continue to hang out
with her even after they
are ex-girlfriends. Jackson
shrugged that ex-girl-
friends seem to keep hang
ing around, kind of like
ticks, because they become
friends with his sister.
It seemed to go with
out saying that the three
siblings look out after one
another. They acknowl
edged that they sometimes
intimidate their peers
because of their number.
Jackson is the oldest, then
Carter, and Claire is the
youngest by a couple of
minutes.
Asked about how their
parents handled teach
ing them to drive at the
same time, they said it
was one-on-one, but they
quickly switched to talk
ing about who is the best
driver and who has had the
most “incidents.” They said
they each have their own
vehicle, and Claire said
their driveway “looks like
a parking lot.” They share
one family dog, but Jackson
has recently adopted a dog
that he considers his alone.
The Campbells won’t
be right together as they
receive their diplomas
because Carter and Claire
will be in the front rows
with honor students while
Jackson will be with the
other graduates. “I won’t
have any student debt,” he
quickly retorted.
The Campbells said they
have been classmates with
most of the sets of twins in
their graduating class since
elementary school. “But
none are as cool as us,” they
quickly added because they
are the only triplets.
“We don’t know any dif
ference; it’s normal for us,”
they say.
But when asked if they
would like to have triplets
of their own someday, they
answer “no” almost in uni
son. “One is enough,” said
Jackson. The Campbells
don’t have any siblings; they
must have some sympathy
for the stress of parenting
three children exactly the
same age who always have
the parents outnumbered.
The best thing about being a twin is having a lifelong friend
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Among the graduates re
ceiving their Mary Persons
diplomas on Friday, May
26 will be Jamyah Dent and
TaNyah Dent. Being twins,
they will have the same
family members and family
friends cheering for them,
and they will be cheering
for each other.
They have been part of
the Mary Persons Class of
2023, with its many sets of
twins, since they started
school at T.G. Scott in kin
dergarten, but for Jamyah
and TaNyah, twins are also
common in their family,
on both their mother and
father’s side. On Dad’s
side, grandad is a twin
plus there’s another set. On
Mom’s side their aunts are
twins, there are two sets of
Jamyah & TaNyah Dent
twins among their cousins
and there’s a set of triplets.
Their sister has identical
twin daughters who are six
years old. Jamyah says her
nieces love to trick their
teachers about who is who.
There’s a lot of “double
takes” at family reunions.
TaNyah and Jamyah
will both be students at
Wesleyan College this fall.
Jamyah plans to major in
business management/
business administration.
TaNyah is interested in a
career in the dental field.
Jamyah made the choice to
attend Wesleyan first and
encouraged her sister to
consider choosing it also,
which she did after a visit.
Jamyah said the best
thing about having a twin
is having a lifelong best
friend, always having
someone to talk with who
understands you. She said
they will often stumble
upon the same words at the
same time to express their
thoughts. She will hear
TaNyah saying what she
has just been thinking.
The twins said their
mother dressed them alike
until they were in the 5th
or 6th grade and they asked
her not to any more. They
said they are alike but also
very different. They said
they argue a lot but less
now than they did when
they were younger.
Janyah said she is much
more outgoing than her
sister. She likes to talk with
people and make friends,
while TaNyah is quiet and
prefers to read. Janyah likes
to be outside, bicycling
or otherwise enjoying the
outdoors while TaNyah
would rather stay indoors.
She likes to bake and work
in the kitchen. Jamyah
likes to drive; TaNyah hates
driving.
They both liked working
for the Department of Cor
rections offices at the Tiff
College campus through
the Mary Persons work-
based learning program
this past school year. They
like having classes together
and say they keep each
other on task.
Asked if they would like
to have twins themselves
someday, Jamyah says ‘yes,’
and TaNyah says ‘no.’ The
twins are the daughters of
Katina Dent and Darrell
Andrews. They are the
babies of the family, with
four older sisters who also
attended Mary Persons and
one brother who attended
school in Warner Robins.
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