By Kim Reischling
Merriment (and more than a few giggles) was the order of the day on Sept. 24, 2024, at Socastee Library as fraternal twins Palina and Katrina Ferrell graduated from the Palmetto Literacy Council’s tutoring program.
On hand to celebrate the twins’ accomplishment were Jennifer Wingerter, Katrina’s tutor; Barb Shipley, Palina’s tutor; Kristina Ferrell, mother of the delightful duo; Tracye Watson and Kim Reischling; co-volunteer liaisons at the library. Last, but certainly not least, was Dr. Dodi Hodges, executive director of the Palmetto Literacy Council, who came bearing something of great importance to the girls: Pink and chocolate-sprinkled donuts and several wrapped gifts.
Before partaking in the beckoning pastries, Katrina and Palina opened their presents. Each girl received a copy of the book, “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” by Dr. Seuss, and beautifully framed graduation certificates.
After offering thanks for their gifts, Palina and Katrina’s eyes fixated on the sweet treats, politely waiting for Dodi to open the box of donuts. “Dig in girls,” Dodi said. And they did. Katrina grabbed her favorite flavor: Strawberry, while Palina contentedly consoled herself with a deliciously decadent donut: Chocolate (her favorite).
While eating, Palina and Katrina graciously agreed to answer a few questions for this article:
Question: What grade are you in?
Palina and Katrina in perfect unison – “Third grade” Have you ever read about some twins’ ability to finish each other’s sentences? Well, this was somewhat similar. It was almost like a stereo without a speaker. Not a word – or even a letter that was out of place. The adults in attendance tried to get the twins to do this again, asking them a slew of questions while holding their smartphones. For a minute it looked like a gaggle of paparazzi waiting for a glimpse of a movie star.
Question: What’s your favorite thing to do?
Katrina – I like to make people smile.
Palina – “I like drawing, especially pirate ships, and bouquets. And then I made a cardboard suitcase…” The interviewer pondered this statement for a few minutes wondering what the end result of the suitcase looked like, and could you actually pack something in this suitcase?
But as the girls grabbed another donut, the interviewer forgot about the suitcase in the quest to keep up with these two bundles of energy who were perhaps fueled by the sugar-laden donuts.
Question: What do you want to be when you grow up? A trite question perhaps, but this interviewer suspected Palina and Katrina had something special in mind.
Palina – “I want to be a veterinarian. I’d even take care of giant spiders and lizards as long as I was wearing gloves.
Katrina – “I want to be Taylor Swift’s masseuse.”
What? Now here was something new and well beyond the scope of this interviewer. But if you think hard enough, it all makes sense. Somehow.
But wait. Donut time again. Only one of the twins had a third donut. I’m afraid to admit I failed to keep track of who was eating what flavor of donuts. I was too busy wondering how such petite girls could make room for three donuts. But it didn’t really matter. This was, after all, graduation day for Palina and Katrina. Allowances had to be made.
Palina and Katrina are growing up in a multilingual household. Mom, Kristina, is from Russia and came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student while also working as a lifeguard. And that is how she learned to speak English. The girls have made two trips to Russia though they are probably too young to remember. They do, however, remember their babushka (grandmother) who makes an annual trip to Myrtle Beach to visit the little family.
Kristina said the hardest transition for her in a new country was knowing that some people made fun of her accent.
As if understanding this memory made their mother melancholy, Palina announced that she and her twin would sing the adults a song. The girls sang beautifully but softly, perhaps feeling shy singing in front of the group. (Although there had been no show of shyness before that.) It was a lovely song, sung by either Taylor Swift or Carly Rae Jepson. I’m afraid this interviewer once again became a bit confused because she really can’t tell the difference between the two musical stars.
With the singing over and the donuts almost gone, with Palina’s and Katrina’s energy at what must have been an epic level, it was time to say goodbye. For Barb and Jennifer, Palina’s and Katrina’s tutors – and perhaps for Katrina — the farewell was bittersweet. You can’t tutor a child for months without loving them, especially when they are smart, precocious and very sweet.
Dodi also expressed how proud she is of Palina and Katrina.
“They have been with this program for almost two years. One of the girls just tested into her school’s gifted program, and the other missed getting in by two points.”
That is exactly what PLC strives for: Instilling a love of reading that also sparks an appreciation for learning.
It seems fitting to end with a quote from “Oh, the Places, You’ll Go,” in the hopes Palina and Katrina will carry with them what they have learned at PLC:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”
