Twins Isaac and Jacob Dickman shape own paths at Spokane Valley High School

All the best things come in sets of two. Days in the weekend, pairs of shoes, BOGO deals.

At Spokane Valley High School the favorite set of two comes in the form of twins Isaac and Jacob Dickman.

Though identical on the outside, Isaac and Jacob have forged very different paths and each has left his own distinctive impact at SVHS.

Jacob’s biggest contribution to the school is his leadership role with the annual yearbook. He’s not only the head editor, but a team player in the sense that he does everything and anything that needs to be done.

“He kind of does everything for the yearbook,” said yearbook adviser Emilee Noel. “He’s the photographer and the editor. Every aspect of the yearbook basically comes from him. He double-checks the names are spelled correctly, and he makes sure he knows every kid in every photo. “Honestly I don’t know what we’re going to do next year without him because he does so much of it.”

In the three years that Jacob has been in this position, he thinks the yearbooks have gotten better each year. He says all the hard work is worth it at the end of the year when students finally see the book.

“My favorite part about it is seeing something that you created for six months almost, come to realization, and see people enjoying it at the end of the year, and seeing them talk about it,” Jacob said.

Isaac also has a leadership role on campus, as the ASB treasurer. In this position, he works with staff and students to manage their funds and plan events, such as the annual end of the year trip.

“At the end of last year a lot of people were telling me I should run for ASB,” he said. “And the treasurer spot was open and I really like math so it felt perfect.”

Currently taking precalculus and calculus two, along with his treasurer duties, Isaac has not only deepened his love for math, but learned how to balance.

Spokane Valley High School is a project based learning environment. Each semester, students get to choose a class from a small selection. These classes can be research based or project based. They all have a focus on public speaking and presenting.

Jacob and Isaac say they have gained a lot from this environment, and have enjoyed their different experiences in these classes.

“I took yearbook as a projects class which was really beneficial,” Jacob said. “Last quarter I was able to take a Night at the Museum project class. Basically you pick an ancient civilization or tribe and you present it to middle schools so that we can sort of raise awareness about our school and keep an influx of students coming in. I did the Germanic tribes, and I think it came together really well.”

Isaac’s favorite project class was a chemistry lab class. He enjoyed mixing things together and seeing how they reacted.

Project classes can also be service focused.

“Another one I liked was a Generation Alive fundraiser,” Isaac said. “So we got to pack around 10,000 meals one day. We set that up with Generation Alive to raise money for that. We got the food then packed it and sent it off to Second Harvest.”

School is not the only place the Dickmans like to serve. They both volunteer at their church as ushers.

After graduation, Isaac and Jacob will be heading to Eastern Washington University. Jacob plans to study economics, with hopes of someday becoming a stock broker. Isaac wants to blend his loves of math, science and helping others. He will pursue either nursing or engineering, as he feels both could fulfill that desire.

They plan to spend the summer in the outdoors — kayaking, hiking, water skiing and tubing.

Although they have gone to school together their whole lives, and plan to continue at Eastern Washington University, the Dickman twins have never minded it.

“We’re friends,” Jacob said with a smile. “We really like being together.”