WARREN Sibling rivalry helps put twins at top of their class

The twins will attend Case Western Reserve University in the fall.
By AMANDA C. DAVIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Very little sets Anthony and Joseph Roshetsky apart.
The identical twins, who turn 18 this week, will graduate from Harding High School on June 6.
Joseph will be valedictorian, with a 4.4 grade-point average. Anthony graduates third in his class, with a 4.32 GPA.
Salutatorian Joe Kosella has a 4.33 GPA.
"He beat me out by a hundredth of a percentage point," Anthony said, explaining he would have been salutatorian had he not taken an extra class under the four-point scale.
"I'm kind of bitter."
The Liberty twins attend Harding through open enrollment and are in the school's International Baccalaureate program, which allows students to take classes for college credit.
The program is based on a five-point scale.
Joseph has received one B since elementary school, and Anthony has had only two.
Neither has had a grade lower.
Harding's IB program, one of few in Ohio, allowed the Roshetskys to explore their options.
"I felt it would provide me a better academic background for college," Anthony said.
Family of achievers: The boys are sons of Wally and Elaine Roshetsky. Their sister, Lisa, was salutatorian of Harding's class of 1998 and graduates this weekend from Youngstown State University.
She will attend Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine at Rootstown in the fall.
The twins say that their parents obviously did something right but that they never pushed too hard.
"They told us we had potential," Joseph said. "They said not to let it go to waste."
Both boys will attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in the fall, where they plan to live on campus together, at least for a while.
Anthony plans to study civil engineering, and Joseph said he will likely major in biomedical engineering.
Both received some academic scholarships and plan to join the school's swim team.
Well-rounded: Harding Principal Bill Mullane said the Roshetskys have multiple talents and excel academically, athletically and socially at Harding.
Both have been involved in swimming, golf, tennis, National Honor Society, Interact, Key Club, Prep Bowl and a Relay for Life committee.
It's unfortunate that serious students are sometimes characterized as "nerds," Mullane said, noting that term does not apply to the twins.
"They have great achievements; they're well-rounded," Mullane said.
The boys credit their parents and teachers for their success.
Their mother is a curriculum instructor for Warren schools and their father serves on Harding's strategic planning team.
Why Warren? The Roshetskys say they decided on Warren because of the IB program and because Liberty doesn't have a swim team.
The Harding swim team went undefeated the last two years and won league championships.
It placed fourth at a district tournament this year, and Joseph broke Harding's 18-year record in the 500-meter freestyle.
As for academics, Warren teachers pursue continuing education, which provides students with a challenge, the boys said, and Mullane runs a school that gives students the freedom to decide their educational paths.
Linda Detwiler, a teacher and coordinator of the school's strategic planning program, said it speaks well of Warren schools that the Roshetskys attend on open enrollment.
"We offer a myriad of opportunities for students," she said, explaining students are drawn to the IB program, the offering of high-level math and science courses and language programs including Latin, Spanish, French, German and Chinese.
"I can't say enough about the education my kids received," Wally Roshetsky said.
"Once they found their abilities, we continued to support them unless they decided they didn't want to do something."
Brotherly competition: The sibling rivalry question is one the Roshetskys have come to expect.
The twins agree they're competitive and, from time to time, get jealous of each other.
"But it's not to the extent we're choking each other," Joseph said.
"We help each other with academics because we want each other to do well."
Wally Roshetsky said his boys have similar personalities and interests and even talk and think alike.
"Sometimes, these guys are the same person," he added.
So what sets them apart?
Anthony: "Joseph is more serious."
Joseph: "I'm better-looking."
davis@vindy.com