Twins = math whiz x 2 |
Two Shasta students win national recognition for their school
By Anne Williams
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Tuesday, Apr 20, 2010
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cm.../math-northrup-anthony-middle-robert.cspShasta Middle School eighth-�graders Robert and Anthony Northrup share a genetic identity and a towering talent for mathematics.
The identical twins, who turned 13 last month, also share a fearsome competitive drive, evidenced by how eagerly they embrace any chance to test their skills and how precisely they can recount their performances.
Surprisingly, though, they aren�t especially competitive with each other. The fact that Anthony scored 700 out of a possible 800 on the reasoning portion of last year�s SAT college placement exam and Robert 690 created no fraternal rift, they and their parents insist � even though it meant that only Anthony was invited to become a member of a study of exceptional talent through Johns Hopkins University�s Center for Talented Youth.
A year earlier, it was Robert�s turn for glory when he placed first in Oregon and 12th in the nation in the Math League Contest. Anthony took fourth in the state.
�I think they�re much more competitive with the tests themselves than with each other,� said their mother, Linda Northrup, who works in accounts payable for the Bethel School District. �One nice thing is they both test well.�
That is an understatement. The boys have been turning heads with their math prowess since they began kindergarten at Bethel�s Danebo Elementary School; last month, they alone earned Shasta a nod from Johns Hopkins as a �top school� for talent.
From the middle of first grade, it was clear that the boys needed something more than what first grade had to offer. Then-Principal Nancy Mc�Cullum, who has since retired, recommended testing the boys for talented and gifted education plans. They were deemed intellectually gifted, and also earned a separate academic TAG designation in math.
After much discussion, McCullum and the Northrups agreed to bump the boys up midyear to second grade, a rare step.
�That was a tough decision,� father Bill Northrup recalled recently in the living room of the family�s modest home off Royal Avenue. �The phrase I used over and over again is, �I don�t want to push my kids, but I want them to be free to fly.� �
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