PANAMA CITY BEACH — Olivia Lebadoui once decided to play a trick on her fifth grade teacher by coming to class dressed as her brother Ben.
Most siblings couldn’t pull that off, but in Olivia’s case it worked. Teacher Alison Rose Evans at first thought Olivia was Ben.
But then, Olivia had an advantage most siblings don’t. She and Ben are twins in the same class.
In fact, they are one of 14 sets of twins at Patronis Elementary, a school with 848 students. Officials at Bay District Schools said they can’t remember when so many twins were in the same school. When enrollment figures were looked at by those in the school, teachers and administrators were floored by all the twins, one teacher said.
Although Ben and Olivia are fraternal twins — as opposed to identical — they look similar.
The day Olivia pulled her trick, she tried to convince Ben to dress like her, but he declined. Ben said he hates dresses.
"It can be annoying,” Olivia said. “You have to share a birthday party."
According to Evans, Olivia is the bossy one.
The Lebdaoui twins have mostly been in the same classes during their time in school, Evans said. Olivia said during the time she and Ben were in separate classes, she felt a bit lonely.
Isabella and Mikayla: Isabella and Mikayla Fagan are the second set of twins in Evans' class. Isabella, who wore a hoodie and blue headband with her hair in a ponytail, was described by Mikayla as a tomboy. Mikayla wore a sparkly shirt with her hair down, a "really girly girl" in her own words.
"I want to get my nails done and she doesn't," Mikayla said.
They argue a little, but being twins could be fun, Mikayla said. Having a twin meant someone was always there for you if you're sad, Isabella said. If the two argue, Mikayla said, they ended up talking again.
They also are fraternal twins but bore a strong resemblance. Mikayla said it could be hard being in the same class sometimes. She previously wanted to be in a classroom separate from Isabella. Still, she yearned for her sister when she actually experienced that separation.
"I really wanted my sister," Mikayla said.
Nicole Fagan, their mother, agreed her twins are opposites in terms of personality. She said she hopes her children will go off to college together.
“They have best friends at all times,” Nicole Fagan, their mother, said. Fagan teaches at Patronis.
Alex and Chase: Alex and Chase Rudhall are another set of fraternal twins at Patronis.
"Kind of boring, kind of good," Alex said in describing what it’s like to have a twin.
Alex said the two, who are 5, like to play together, with Chase adding they were always together and were a family.
This was the first year kindergarten teacher Cynthia Vines, who teaches the Rudhalls, taught boy twins.
Vines said the difference between girls and boys was that girl twins stuck together, while boy twins weren't interested in much of the same things. Alex and Chase loved each other but played with separate friends at lunch.
“Everything is so different,” Vines said of Alex and Chase's personalities.
According to Vines, Alex is the twin more interested in technology. He is also into the military and spy planes. Chase, on the other hand, likes animals and rhinoceroses. While the twins horsed around in the hallway outside their classroom, Chase said they have other friends and never sit beside each other at lunch.
Similarities with Alex and Chase were noted by Vines though, who said the two thought the same things were funny
While Alex and Chase were full of life in the hallway, Vines gazed at the twins, her face full of wonder and appreciation.
“I love having twins,” she said.
Twin Trend: According to the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence of multiple births occured in about 2 percent of births from 1915 through the 1970s. The rate of twins, however, began rising in the early 1980s, the CDC said. In 2009, one in every 30 infants born was a twin, according to the CDC.
7 sets in K:
1. Alyssa McMillan
Ashley McMillan
2. Alex Rudhall
Chase Rudhall
3. Haley Thompson
Kaley Thompson
4. Elizabeth Polzin
Emily Polzin
5. Jordan Ovies
Zoey Ovies
6. Jemma Smith
Jordan Smith
7. Elizabeth Sternlicht
Jacqueline Sternlicht
First Grade:
8. Beau Williams
Gage Williams
Second Grade:
9. Eli Brown
Elizabeth Brown
Third Grade:
10. Kendall McCullum
Kennedy McCullum
Fourth Grade:
11. Kenna Morgan
Kaci Morgan
Fifth grade:
12. Madison Johnson
Alex Johnson
13. Isabella Fagan
Mikayla Fagan
14. Ben Lebdaoui
Olivia Lebdaoui