GREENFIELD — Identical twin sisters have taken the top two spots in the Class of 2021 at Greenfield-Central High School.
Kennedy Trapp, who is valedictorian, has been at the top of her class through all four years of high school.
Her sister, Kambell, said it was Kennedy who pushed her to strive to finish in the No. 2 spot.
“I couldn’t encourage her to be number one,” Kennedy said with a laugh.
Standing side by side, with long, dark hair, the brown-eyed twins are nearly impossible to tell apart, and can often be found together.
They’ve had all but two of the same classes this past semester, and they served as co-captains of the Greenfield-Central girls’ soccer team.
They also have part-time jobs together at The Mug in Greenfield.
In August the twins will head to Purdue University, where they both plan to study biomedical engineering.
And yes, they’ll be roommates, but both teens say they’re intent on forging separate paths in college.
“We both want to join a sorority, but we want to join separate ones. We want to have some separation,” Kennedy said.
“We want to start to get some independence,” chimed in Kambell.
The girls, who turned 18 last month, are the youngest of four kids. Academic achievement seems to run in the family.
Their brother Conner, 24, is in law school, while their sister Madelyn, 20, is headed to medical school next year.
Their dad, Chad, is a chemical engineer, while their mom, Lori, teaches kindergarten at J.B. Stephens Elementary School in Greenfield.
Both girls say their parents were always supportive, but never pressured them to finish at the top of their class.
“I’d say we put more pressure on ourselves to succeed than they ever did,” said Kambell, as her sister nodded in agreement.
“I’m a huge perfectionist, and will stay up late perfecting an assignment,” said Kennedy. “Our teachers say both of us always go above and beyond.”
Their high school guidance counselor, Kim Kile, can attest to that.
“Although it looks like Kennedy and Kambell were competing against each other because they are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, in my opinion, they were really competing against themselves,” Kile said.
“Since they first realized they were in the Top 10 their freshman year, they have challenged themselves to be the best and to always take the most difficult classes. They have been laser-focused from the moment they entered high school, and have worked their plan to be as prepared as possible for the next step,” she said.
When the Class of 2021’s first ranked grade point averages came out their freshman year, Kennedy was at the top of the class while Kambell ranked 14th.
That’s when Kennedy, who is older by 15 minutes, started encouraging her sister to strive to be salutatorian when they graduate.
Kambell said her sister has been pushing her to succeed throughout their lives, even when they could barely walk.
“I know when we were (toddlers) and I thought I couldn’t climb any higher, she’d say, ‘Come on, you can do it,’” Kambell recalled with a smile.
Flash forward some 16 years later, and both girls are preparing to give speeches at their high school commencement on Saturday, June 5.
The girls are looking forward to having a fun summer before heading off to Purdue in the fall.
Their high school counselor said the future is looking bright for the Trapp twins, who hope to attend medical school in four years.
Kennedy has her sights on becoming an emergency room doctor, while Kambell hopes to become a pediatric oncologist.
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Greenfield-Central High School’s commencement will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 5 in the school gymnasium.
Eastern Hancock High School’s graduation ceremony will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in the school gymnasium.
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