KATE AND MAGGIE HOWIE
Seniors, Walter Johnson High School
SUPPORTIVE, EXTREMELY CLOSE, and selfless are just a few of the words often used to describe identical twins Kate and Maggie Howie, who have never spent more than 24 hours apart.
“It’s like a double joy being around them,” says Lisa Sorensen, their guidance counselor since freshman year.
“They have so many great strengths individually, and are an even stronger force collectively.”
The Bethesda teens share several interests. They both made the varsity basketball team as freshmen and are team captains. They play lacrosse and participate in the school’s Best Buddies club, which provides social opportunities for students with disabilities. And they are in a leadership class, where students are responsible for planning school events from fundraisers to homecoming.
Leadership teacher Rainer Kulenkampff says Maggie took the lead in organizing the school year’s first pep rally. Kate planned a fundraiser that involves selling clothes donated by students.
The twins, who are 18, excel academically, achieving nearly identical GPAs: 3.82 for Maggie, 3.85 for Kate.
They both make family time a priority. The teens like to share stories at dinner with their parents and older brother and sister, and enjoy holiday gatherings with their large extended family. “They love being with people—little kids, grandparents, Best Buddies,” mom Pam Howie says.
After a recent basketball victory, the twins included Maggie’s freshman year Best Buddies pal, Gina Baldini, in a celebration in the team room. Varsity basketball coach Lindsey Zegowitz says the sisters “set a great example on and off the basketball court. The rest of the girls look up to them.”
The twins have organized team events, including a gingerbread house-building contest and dinners out, and help younger teammates work through problems. “It would be great to have a team of 13 or 14 of them,” Zegowitz says.
Each twin says she’s happy when the other excels. “They are not competitive with each other, but are always building each other up,” says Meryl Gudelsky, a longtime friend of the twins’ parents.
Photo by Michael Ventura
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