by 
Twins at Mountain Vista School in Oracle. Bottom Row Left – Right: Adriana and Brooklyn Machado, Alexander and Sebastian Henneman, Paetyn and Brooklyn Griffin. Middle Row: Giselle and Yasmine Goga, Tyson and Trevor Hogan, Britney and Christopher Johnson. Top Row: Samuel and Joshua Reyes, Reagan and Mikayla Martin
If you spend much time at Mountain Vista School or attend their events, you may have thought you were seeing double at one time or another. Not to worry though, your eyesight is fine. You probably just noticed a set of twins, one of eight sets that attend school in the Oracle District. The twins range in age and grade from kindergarten to eighth grade. All the twins and their families were living in the Tri-Community when they were born. Two sets live in San Manuel and the others in Oracle.
In ancient times the birth of twins could be considered a bad omen or a good sign depending on the culture and superstitions of the people. In every culture there are mythological stories about twins. Some cultures have twins at the center of their creation myth. There are even stories about twins in the Old Testament. Many of the stories are about the dualistic nature of the universe. Good and evil play a part in the myths with the sibling rivalry of the good and bad twin. Now with modern medicine we have a better understanding of child birth and the conception and birth of twins.
Although multiple births are more common now than in the past due to women waiting longer to have children and the introduction of fertility drugs, twins are still somewhat of a rarity. Among general populations, the odds of having twins are around three in one hundred live births, which makes it quite remarkable, having eight sets of twins in a small community and attending the same school in a district with 467 students.
The twins at Mountain Vista School are:
Paeytyn and Brooklyn Griffin (Kindergarten); Adriana and Brooklyn Machado, Alexander and Sebastian Henneman, Samuel and Joshua Reyes (3rd Grade); Giselle and Yasmine Goga (6th Grade); Tyson and Trevor Hogan, Britney and Christopher Johnson (7th Grade); and Reagan and Mikayla Martin (8th Grade).
The parents of the twins, especially the mothers, need to be praised for their patience, strength and endurance. After all they went through giving birth twice in one day, twice the feedings, twice the bottles, double the diaper changes, crying in stereo, etc. Through that all I am sure they thought they were lucky to have been blessed … twice.
John Hernandez lives in Oracle. He is retired and enjoys writing and traveling. He is active in the Oracle Historical Society. He covers numerous public events, researches historical features and writes business/artist profiles.
by by