In a small school of around 300 students, many may feel that living in the shadow of a sibling would hinder their own high school experience. However, a large number of siblings have traveled together through the halls of Communications High School.

Junior Lucy Battista of Tinton Falls was fortunate to attend CHS with her brother Vaughn Battista, a member of the Class of 2020, for one year.

“He was involved in so many things here at CHS that I had a lot of friends in the senior class as a freshman because of my brother,” Battista said. “If my friends are like ‘Oh, how do you do this at CHS?’, they’ll ask me because I have a more general knowledge and that’s all thanks to my brother.”

The senior-junior duo from Hazlet, Samantha and Jessica Skolnick, also have the advantage of sharing the same high school experience.

“We do DV Club together, so I really like making movies with her,” Samantha said.

“Going on the bus ride home, it’s like a forty-five minute drive, so to have someone that is always there to complain and talk to is really nice,” Jessica said.

Having a sibling attend CHS allows students to have someone with them throughout the school year and at home.

Sophomore Jack LaRocca of Middletown emphasizes the help that he gets from his brother Michael, a 2021 graduate.

“If I’m struggling in a class, it’s good to hear from him that it gets easier,” LaRocca said.

A large number of the younger half of these sibling pairs were first exposed to CHS through their older siblings.

“I don’t know if I would have looked into it if my brother didn’t go here,” Battista said. “Seeing his experiences and how much he grew and thrived here really made me open my eyes to the CHS experience.”