For Lexie and Lindsay Jones, it’s easier to go through life with a partner.

The twins, daughters of Gayle and Matthew Jones, were recognized as Van-Far Class of 2026 valedictorians — both graduating with a 4.0 unweighted GPA at the commencement ceremony Sunday.

Learning that they would be valedictorian didn’t come as much of a surprise to the Jones sisters, who have had their sights set on academic excellence since childhood.

“I feel we’ve always been pushed to work hard since elementary school,” Lindsay said.

“I guess that all the hard work made it worth it,” Lexie added.

Their hard work was encouraged by their parents, whom Lexie and Lindsay agreed are the most influential people in their lives. When asked what the best advice they had ever received was, Lindsay quoted their father, who reiterated the teachings of Master Yoda in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.”

“Do. Or do not. There is no try,” she said.

Lexie and Lindsay’s similarities go far beneath the surface.

Lexie was the class representative. Her extracurricular activities include band, National Honor Society, Student Council, Future Business Leaders of America, A+, Quiz Bowl and yearbook. During her senior year, she served as FBLA vice president, NHS president and Student Council treasurer.

Lindsay was the class secretary. Her extracurricular activities also include band, NHS, Student Council, FBLA, A+, Quiz Bowl and yearbook. During her senior year, she served as FBLA president, NHS vice president, captain of the Quiz Bowl team and drum major.

Managing all these extracurriculars while earning the grades to secure their spots as valedictorians came as second nature to Lexie, who explained that being involved since freshman year taught her how to manage her time.

While they may have been involved in a lot of the same activities, Lexie said they served their own unique roles in each club. But the similarities don’t stop there.

Lexie and Lindsay have plans to attend the University of Missouri, where they plan to study business administration. Both attributed their degree choice to their involvement in FBLA and the business courses they took in high school.

Where the twins begin to differ is what they plan to do with those degrees in their future careers. Lexie said she plans to take her first year of college to really decide what she wants to do in the future, but she is leaning toward advertising and marketing.

“I’ve taken the Advertising Objective Test for two years in FBLA, and I also took some business classes that allowed me to be our social media marketer for FBLA, so that kind of helped me understand it a little bit more, and it’s something that I’m interested in,” she said.

On the other hand, Lindsay said she plans to take more of a creative route, pursuing a career in design or product packaging.

Despite so many similarities, Lexie said it was never a competition between her and Lindsay.

“I think it’s easier to go on with a partner than it is to try something new by yourself,” Lexie said.

Lexie and Lindsay were joined by co-salutatorians Evan Utterback, son of Sam and Cale Utterback, and Emma Freie, daughter of Tiffiny and Larry Hale.

To the future graduates, the Jones sisters offered a few words of advice.

“It’s going to be hard, but it will get easier with work and time,” Lexie said.

“Work hard, finish strong,” Lindsay said. “It’s not going to be fun or easy, probably.”