PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Painesville Riverside High School's class of 2023 came together one final time, to receive their diplomas and bask in the glow of their achievements. The students will be remembered for all they accomplished, as well as one distinction stands out among the rest.
"There are 350 kids in the class; it wasn't necessarily obvious to me at first," said Alyssa Winer Keim, school counselor for the class who worked with them for the last 4 years.
One in 10 in the class have something in common.
"I had no idea," senior Gabby Carlson admitted. "When I heard the numbers, I was like 'Wow! That's crazy!' It's a lot of people."
A fact not fully realized until their senior year, but so remarkable that it prompted a breakfast gathering of an exclusive club.
"Yeah, it's definitely weird," Maya Jeras said. "It's not normal."
"I don't think any school has as many twins, but it's cool," Maya's sister Olivia added.
"It's definitely something in the water," Stephanie Carlson — mother triplets Gabby, Rachel, and Hannah — declared.
Yes, 17 sets of multiples in one class. Sixteen are twins.
"I thought we were the only set of twins, to be honest," D'hani Taylor told us as he sat next to his twin, Takhi.
"I feel like it's just kind of normal to all of us, because there's so many of us," Rachel Carlson said.
We asked the Jeras twins if this was the first time the class of 2023 multiples had gotten together.
"Yeah, definitely. It's pretty much for us," Maya said. "And for the bagels," Olivia chimed in.
The sisters acknowledge a "twin-tuition": Neither saw each other before school, but showed up wearing the same color clothing.
"I can't believe we wore the same thing," Olivia whispered to Maya. They admit it happens more often than not.
But in the same vein, each twin or triplet is unapologetically unique. Take the Taylor twins, D'hani and Takhi.
"I'm a social butterfly I should say, and then he's at home to himself," D'hani said. He did, indeed, do most of the talking.
Multiples aren't uncommon, especially in a class this big. But 35 students out of 350 is startling, and a sight to behold when they are brought together.
"I can see them on paper and I can say, 'Twin, twin, twin, twin.'" Keim said. "But then seeing them all here, I mean, it was really quite astounding."
There are the Lehner twins, Meghan and Matt. Both are competitive in the classroom.
"Grades, everything," Meghan said. "Like, anything that's possible."
They're also heading to rival schools: Meghan will attend Tennessee, and Matt Ole Miss.
"It's the SEC schools, so that's definitely more competition," Meghan said. "Very competitive. Got to stay competitive with year other," Matt added.
There are the Leopold twins, too — Aiden and Andrew. They are identical, though different hairstyles help set them apart. Both are ready to forge separate paths next year.
"If I show up somewhere, it's always like 'Where's Aiden?'" Andrew somewhat lamented. "Every single time I go somewhere without him, it's 'Where's Aiden?'"
The Taylor twins would rather stay close to one another.
"I feel like if I left him by himself, it's like I'm losing a part of myself as well," D'hani told us.
For all the individual personalities in the group, they all agree on one thing:
Being in a class with so many multiples is a good thing.
"It's a nice little unique thing that makes our class a bit more special," Aiden Leopold shared. "I like that about it. It's kind of a nice little family feeling."
Now, this Riverside family of multiples is set to scatter and chart their own path in the world, though the connection forged in the womb will always be there.
"We'll only be an hour away," Maya and Olivia Jeras said. "We can see each other a lot."
One more thing: Three out of the four class valedictorians are multiples, and the class president is also a multiple.
As far as records, the most multiples in one class went to a school in Illinois. New Trier High School in Winnetka had 44 pairs, as verified back in May of 2017. All were part of the Class of 2020 and are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.