Being in school with a sibling can be considered quite the experience. Some can stand their siblings and others cannot. But what happens when two outstanding kids go to the same school and happen to be related?

Thomas and Tessa Furlong are not the usual siblings. They think highly of each other, and each are individual enough to where they leave their own mark on Antioch Community High School.

Thomas

Thomas is a great student, athlete and person. He is very involved at ACHS. He is part of the Varsity Soccer team and Sequoit Sidekicks. He is also the president of National Honors Society in which many students look up to him as he takes a daring leadership role. In addition, he has been on the math team since his sophomore year.

Thomas, being the older sibling, enjoys hearing about what his little sister accomplishes every day.

“It’s pretty cool watching her and hearing her when she gets home. ‘Thomas! Thomas! Thomas! Look what I won!’ I like hearing about her on the intercom at school. It’s also pretty cool to see her doing well in cross country,” said Thomas.

He is and always will be very proud of Tessa.

Some of Thomas’s friends, seniors Tommy Castino and Jack Kovach have great things to say about him.

“The best thing about Thomas is that he is always happy. He is funny and a genius. There is one word: talented. He is good at pretty much everything he does. His attitude, humor and happy nature make Thomas, Thomas,” said Castino.

“He is nice to everybody and has a great sense of humor. He is a great friend. There are not many people who are as well-rounded as Thomas. He is involved and does all of that on an AP schedule. Thomas is able to excel in these areas due to his strong work ethic. His outgoing personality combined with his hard-working attitude makes Thomas, Thomas,” said Kovach.

Thomas seems to spread his good-hearted spirit throughout ACHS. He is very outgoing and looks out for everyone.

“I want to make people smile. Having humor is important and I try to be myself. I know everyone wants a friend and I try to be that,” said Thomas.

Thomas is a one-of-a-kind type of guy. The pure generosity and humbleness which he brings to school everyday is what makes Thomas himself.

Tessa

Tessa is a remarkable athlete. As only a sophomore, she is running on varsity cross country earning the title of All-Conference this year. She is also a member of the varsity soccer team and the basketball team. Tessa is also enrolled in Honors and AP classes as well as a part of Sequoit Sidekicks. With all of the things on her plate, it is truly a great thing that she still makes time to be outgoing and be herself.

Two of her best friends, sophomores Mara Solano and Allison Smith, had many things to say about her.

“She always is herself. She doesn’t care about what others think about her. She is funny and a nice person no matter what. Also, on top of that, she always has a good attitude and is always a good teammate,” said Smith.

“She is so hardworking. She is determined to always get stuff done and just outgoing. She always manages to have a smile on her face. Plus, her humor  adds on to how great she truly is,” said Solano.

There is no doubt that Tessa is a great person. She has determination and a desire to do well not only in high school, but in life itself.

“I stay motivated by thinking about my future and I think about what I can do now to help me later in life,” said Tessa.

Being a younger sibling, Tessa looks up to Thomas and can appreciate all of what he has accomplished.

“I’m really proud of [Thomas]. We have both achieved a lot and have helped each other get to where we want to be. He is nice to me all of the time which is great. He helps me and I help him and I am proud of everything that he has done,” said Tessa.

But when it comes down to the end of the day one thing stands out about Tessa: she is very outgoing. She talks to anyone who needs someone to be there for her. She goes out of her way to make sure everyone is happy.

“Everyday I try to talk to anybody who needs someone to talk to and if I notice that they are having a bad day, I want to be the person who brightens them up,” said Tessa.

The Fury

Thomas and Tessa Furlong are two of the most outstanding students and athletes within the walls of ACHS.  They are both kind, smart, outgoing and great athletes.

It is the level of generosity that they put into making everyone’s day that allows people to tell they are Furlongs. And lucky for ACHS, we have two.