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Boston Globe

These twins led their high school class. Good luck telling them apart at Brown.

Until now. Josh and John Maynard are heading to Brown in the fall, but first they'll graduate next week as the top two students in their class at Toll Gate High School in Warwick. Josh is the valedictorian and class vice president, and John is the salutatorian and class president. They've each been named all-state cross country runners, and they also played on the tennis team. And of course, they were co-captains of each team. Advertisement At home, they share a room together. They volunteer together. They're even trying to find the same summer job. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up Even their failures are the same. They were cut from the baseball team in middle school, so they became umpires. From what I could tell, the only difference between these two brothers is that Josh got a slightly better grade in AP biology their junior year – which is what helped him clinch the No. 1 spot in the graduating class. Talk about sibling rivalry. The boys said they have always competed in everything, from the classroom to playing Mario Kart, Risk, and backyard Olympics where they created various games as kids. Advertisement 'There are times when we are best friends, and there times where we are best enemies,' John quipped when we spoke on Monday night. At least I think it was John. They admitted to me that every April Fools' Day dating back to middle school, they've pranked their teachers by pretending to be the other brother. Turns out that when you're equally brilliant, no one seems to mind. Thankfully John wore a blue shirt and Josh wore red during our conversation, or else I'd never know the difference. They're both handsome, 5-foot-11 guys with curly brown hair and baby faces that I swear one day will be governor or senator (or both). And they're so proud to have attended public school. They joke that their parents wanted them to apply to attend Bishop Hendricken, the elite all-boys private school in town, but they knew what they wanted from an early age, watching their siblings play sports. 'I have a lot of public school pride,' Josh said. 'I love Toll Gate.' Josh said his favorite teacher was Michele Dagesse, who he had for English last year: 'She had such a welcoming environment,' he said. 'She made learning fun.' John adored Brendan Friel, whose AP European History class was interactive, fun, and helped students prepare for their AP exams. 'He just made history real,' John said. The boys credited all of the teachers at Toll Gate with helping them catch up and mature after the COVID-19 pandemic essentially wiped out their final two years in middle school. The learning loss, the isolation, the endless screentime. 'We at least had each other to offset it a little bit,' Josh said. Advertisement As they prepare for Brown in the fall, they're both undecided about what they want in the future. Josh seems destined for a life in politics – he's already thinking about law school or interning in Washington, D.C. – and John wants to explore everything the university has to offer. They won't be roommates for much longer, since Brown assigns dorm rooms randomly. But before college calls, they still have one final high school assignment: They'll both deliver speeches at Toll Gate's graduation ceremony on June 11. The goal is to avoid being too similar. 'I like to think I'm a little more funny,' John said. 'And Josh is a little more serious.' Dan McGowan can be reached at