Wouldn’t it be ideal to have a sidekick to help you get through that impossible math homework or English essay? That fantasy is a reality for Brooke and Taylor Folliard.

Sophomores Brooke and Taylor are twins and both participate in multiple sports and weighted classes. As twins, they are able to help each other through the stress of school and support each other on the sidelines as well.

“She’s stronger in some classes than me and I’m stronger in other classes than her so whenever we are struggling in a class we always ask each other for help and will just sit at the table asking each other questions,” Taylor said.

The constant pressure to excel in school and outside activities sounds like enough, but as high school students, getting into a good college is added onto the already full plate. Even though as sophomores, college is fairly far away, the twins are already preparing for their futures.

“I stay motivated in school because I’m always determined to set up a good future for myself,” Brooke said. “So I know that if I do good in school and get good grades, I can be in top 10 percent and hopefully be able to go to my college of choice.”

Although sports can seem like a big time commitment and a lot of dedication, playing sports and growing close to their teammates have also helped them through the stress of school.

“We all know the struggle of having a ton of homework and still having practices and games, so we all just help each other,” Taylor said. “I think I’m probably FaceTiming a teammate of mine every night to either help them or have them help me.”

According to American Psychological Association, stress is taking over high schools all across the world. More than 50 percent of students report feeling stressed daily and that on average one-third of study time is spent feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed.

Stress upon students can also affect the parents because they feel responsible to help their children cope.

“They don’t have a lot of responsibilities at home. They don’t have chores to do. I just try not to add extra responsibilities for them to do,” the twins’ mother Janine Folliard said. “So, their focus is on school work and doing well in school.”

According to National Institutes of Health, twenty percent of high school students could be diagnosed with clinical depression, and although there are many factors playing into this, school stress seems to always be one of the top components.

The impact of students workload and responsibilities also fall into teachers hands because teachers must be able to balance the amount of homework they give out to students.

“I definitely think that teachers need to take into consideration the amount of AP/Pre-AP classes that the students take as well as all the extra curricular activities that students do,” Brooke said.

Brooke is currently in two Pre-ap classes, while playing three sports for Bowie, lacrosse and basketball alongside her sister and soccer on the side. The difference in the amount of activities the twins take on alters their opinions on whether teachers are fair about the amount of work they give out. However, taking on three sports and two pre-ap classes, Brooke has a defiant stance on her opinion.

“I think most classes give out too much work and should at least cut down on the homework a little bit,” Brooke said.

Through the pressure of everything, the twins will always have each other to fall back on and can always rely on each other to support them through the rough high school experience.

“I like having my sister with me since it gives me someone to relate to and also she can help me with my school work,” Brooke said. “It’s nice because we get to do almost all of our stuff together and it helps to have someone else who knows my schedule.”