A set of twins from Troy will graduate high school sharing the honor of valedictorian.
Kelley and Courtlyn Ranly are graduating from the Texas Connections Academy in Houston first in their class of over 400 students. Both girls hold the same GPA of 4.4792.
While many high schoolers spend their four years in and out of classrooms, the Ranly twins spent their class time on beaches in California, cruises in Alaska, or quite frequently, at stock shows.
According to data from Evergreen education group, the number of students taking courses online jumped from 1.5 million to 2.7 million in just four years.
According to the twin’s father, Steven Ranly, online high school afforded the girls to pursue opportunities that the traditional school schedule might not have.
"They had the opportunity to do 4-H and school and do it in a manner that was conducive to the level of excellence we expected. The versatility involved with the home school program is just incredible for our family,” Ranly said.
With flexible classes the girls were able participate in rodeo and livestock competitions. Throughout their high school career they've won over 100 awards. In this year’s season they took home first place in 35 shows.
“Our show sheep and goats are kind of pampered more so than a cat or a dog so we get up pretty early in the morning, about six o'clock and feed them and do their water then we do our school work for the day,” Courtlyn said.
The girls often faced full days taking care of the animals before tending to their studies. Even with the responsibilities of 4-H and school the girls find time to volunteer at the local veterinarians. They also have pet goats they have been taking care of for nine years. With all of their experience with animals, their future plans should be no surprise.
“We are going to Texas A&M in the fall. We are going to major in animal science and after that we want to go to vet school and beyond that we want to open a practice together, hopefully around our hometown,” Kelley said.
Copyright KXXV 2016. All Rights Reserved.
