They finish each others’ sentences. They both love music, spent four years in band programs, and both want to get into the medical field. And this Friday, June 29, twin brothers Jordan and Zackary Schneider will dually host Alberni District Secondary School’s graduation ceremonies as Grade 12 MCs.
“We always do everything together. To do this together would be really cool, so we ran for it,” Jordan said.
There were eight candidates for MC this year, and the Schneiders were chosen.
“We’re in the band program, we’re pretty athletic although we’re not on any sports teams, and we’re academically smart,” Zackary said.
Both have been students at ADSS since Grade 9—the year after they started, the school began accepting Grade 8 students—so they have four years’ worth of memories from which to draw for their speech.
The brothers fall into an easy rhythm while talking with a journalist, and they said it will be the same way as they guide graduation ceremonies throughout the night.
They had already written their speech a week before the ceremony, but kept the theme to themselves.
“There’s some jokes in it,” Zackary said. “We don’t want to keep it completely dry all the time; we want to be engaging.”
“We’re trying to do it quite evenly,” Jordan said, adding that they will switch speakers as the program allows. There is a format for them to follow while introducing speakers, but their closing remarks were open.
The Schneiders are also both in the jazz band performing a couple of numbers during the ceremony, and have a plan to juggle music and speaking commitments.
The pair have their favourite memories of high school: for Jordan, it was the band trip to Cuba two years ago. He plays trumpet, while Zackary plays the electric bass.
For Zackary, “it’s the band program in general. And our friends we’ve obviously made too.”
While Zackary’s first instrument was a clarinet, Jordan said both Schneiders “just clicked when we started in Grade 6. It’s when you pick an instrument.”
Both of them have played in the jazz band as well as other musical combinations. Both of them agree that although they won’t be taking any post-secondary music classes, they hope to continue on with playing.
Outside of school, the pair are proud of the volunteer projects they have been involved in, from Parks and Recreation to the candy striper program at West Coast General Hospital. They also volunteer through their church, the Christian Reform Church.
Both feel receiving high school credit for volunteer work is valuable.
“It’s a good thing,” says Zackary.
“It gets people out in the community, encourages people to volunteer more.”
The Schneiders will head to university in the fall in Victoria, where they will room together.
Both are interested in the medical field: Zackary will study chemistry and medical sciences as he ponders whether to go to med school to be a doctor. Jordan will take general sciences and kinesiology.
“I’d like to be a physiotherapist, either in (Port Alberni) or for a sports team,” he said.
They have an older sister, also an ADSS grad, who is in her third year of nursing, so it would be a medical trifecta for the Schneiders.
The two brothers are hoping to stay on Vancouver Island once their learning is done and they find their career paths.
“We don’t want to move too far away,” Zackary said.
Graduation ceremonies start on Friday, June 29 with seating at the AV Multiplex, 3737 Roger St., at 6 p.m. Graduates will parade in their caps and gowns from ADSS up Roger Street and across to the Multiplex before entering the building for a 7 p.m. ceremony start.
