See you at home
While at school, junior twins Stella and Jack Pitts work together to find the perfect balance between independence, family connection
TWINNING (SORT OF): Stella and Jack Pitts pose for a picture on the first day the mask mandate became optional. The twins chose to do different things that day just because of personal preference and comfort. “I knew he wasn’t going to wear a mask and he knew I was. However, I think for the safety aspects of the masks we will cancel each other out because we live in the same house,” said Stella.
Going into your first day of school can feel very stressful and lonely. Junior twins Stella and Jack Pitts, however, have always had a familiar face to turn to. Whether it was Stella doing choir or Jack doing soccer, the twins have stuck together and gone to the same schools throughout their lives. Even though Stella and Jack are in different friend groups, they’ve worked to find a perfect balance and harmony between their home life and school life.
Stella and Jack’s school life has taken a lot of time and patience with each other to get it the way they wanted. From the time they got to middle school, the twins felt like they were consistently being compared to each other. Spirit days at school were the worst for the twins, especially when the theme was twin day.
“Most people always wanted to have a twin for that day, however, that day was always the worst because it was so expected for me and Jack to twin,” Stella said. “It always felt like a competition between us, especially with us being immature middle schoolers.”
Most Mac sibling pairs are in different grades, but the Pitts twins are in the same grade, take similar classes and meet the same people all while trying to remain true to themselves. As the twins have grown older Stella noticed how much easier it is to go to school with her brother.
I already get called ‘Jack’s sister,’ I just know if people got me confused with him, it would be really frustrating and feel as if they weren’t taking time out to get to know me as a person.
— junior Stella Pitts
“Compared to when we were at a smaller school with the constant underlying comparison and competition from our peers, going to a school in a bigger environment expanded our own individual opportunities, making it a lot more enjoyable to be at school together,” she said.
When the twins first started high school, they wanted to be able to be individuals and independent at school because at their past schools it was hard for them to do so.
“When I was a freshman I tried to avoid her, because as soon as the new people I met found out I had a twin, that was all they would talk about, at least in the beginning,” Jack said.
Stella and Jack both came to the agreement that twins who are the same gender probably have it harder at school.
“I already get called ‘Jack’s sister,’ I just know if people got me confused with him, it would be really frustrating and feel as if they weren’t taking time out to get to know me as a person,” Stella said.
Stella and Jack take different cars to school every day; however, they have their first-period class together so if one twin isn’t there, ceramics teacher Ms. West notices.
“[I’m] always relying on one of them to tell me where the other is,” West said. “Even though it’s not their job to find out where the other is, I see myself sometimes treating them as if they are the same people.”
Stella and Jack really enjoy their ceramics class together.
“Having an art class together is really fun,” Jack said. “We can help each other and be creative, also the classroom is big enough that if we need space we can get it.”
[I’m] always relying on one of them to tell me where the other is. Even though it’s not their job to find out where the other is, I see myself sometimes treating them as if they are the same people.
— Ms. West
For the time being, Stella and Jack are thankful for the fact that they get to go to school together. Stella and Jack have a permanent friend, helper and person they feel safe with at school. Even though sometimes it’s hard, the Pitts twins wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I know that we might not go to the same college, so I’m trying to really value these last few years of high school that I have with my brother,” Stella said.
Doing small different things has always been simple for the twins. When asked the same question: how they would change their school environment if they could they both answered with “We would have more classes together and see each other more!”
The twins will continue to make their own individual choices, but they agree that no matter how different they act or dress, their “twin telepathy” powers will never go away.
