Sitting in class sophomore Alyssa Hightower looks across the room to see, not just any other student, but her own brother. Senior Hunter Hightower and his sister, Alyssa, currently have Pre-Calculus class together. This is not the only time that something like this occured in SHS.

At SHS, siblings are common among the student body. Because of this, many of students have the privilege of sharing a class with their sibling whether they want to or not since their schedules are not made by them but by the school’s counselors.

Sophomores Parker and Peyton Robinson had biology and English class together last school year, and they found that having classes together was helpful academically since they could help one another.

“It was very beneficial…at least after school,” Peyton said. “We had the exact same classes so we were able to help each other.”

Parker and Peyton both found that having classes together brought them closer since they did projects and homework assignments together.

Alyssa and Hunter agree with the Robinsons. Both of them say that it is beneficial having classes together. They also say that doing homework together has motivated them to work harder. It helps them understand the material much more since they can help each other to better understand what they’re being taught.

“It sucks, because she has a better grade than me and I’m taking the class for the second year,” Hunter said, referring to Honors Pre-Calculus. “It is nice doing homework together, though.”

Alyssa likes their homework sessions because she feels it helps them bond together more. She added that she would definitely struggle a lot more if they didn’t study together.

She also finds it kind of cool that she gets to see her brother in class, especially since he is a senior, and seniors don’t always get to be in the same classes with sophomores or any other grades.

Being in a different environment other than home, it may lead to siblings acting differently towards one another with their actions or the way they speak to each other, but that is not the case for the Robinsons. Although they have class together, they don’t feel that they act differently toward one another.

“I feel like everyone acts different when in different places with different comfort levels,” Parker said. “So yes we do act different, but towards each other, we don’t.”

The Hightowers agree with the Robinsons that they act the same in class and they haven’t learned anything new about each other regardless of being in a different type of environment. They’re still the same person in class and at home.

“She still sings all of the time,” Hunter said.

With siblings taking the same courses, it may cause parents to compare them because of their grades and how well they do in class, but for the Hightowers, Alyssa says that their parents don’t compare them. Instead of comparing them, she says that they support them no matter what whether they are struggling or succeeding.