Zach Spicer | The Tribune
Keeping the tradition going of eating breakfast together on the first and last days of school, Kowan Gross, Kamzi Gross, Camryn Sterling, Lillie Wessel, Kendrick Sterling, Kendall Sterling and Natalie Arnold gather for a photo outside Townhouse Cafe in Seymour on May 26.
Zach Spicer | The Tribune
Breakfast often is called the most important meal of the day.
With that in mind, when twins Kendrick and Camryn Sterling were in kindergarten in the 2008-09 school year, their dad, Jayson Sterling, wanted to take them out to eat breakfast on the first and last day of school and said they could ask some friends to come.
Kendrick’s best friend at the time was Kamzi Gross.
“I asked Kamzi, and then every year, I was like, ‘Well, we’re still friends and it’s tradition, so I’m going to ask her again and again and again,’” Kendrick said.
Camryn’s best friend was Lillie Wessel, who was friends with Kendrick, too.
“Camryn wanted to ask Lillie, so that’s how that started,” Kendrick said.
When Kamzi’s younger brother, Kowan Gross, was old enough for school, he began joining
them. Then last year, Lillie’s younger brother, Lincoln Wessel, joined them, too.
Now, Lillie, Kendrick and Camryn are seniors at Seymour High School, Kamzi is a senior at Trinity Lutheran High School and Kendall Sterling and Kowan are sophomores at SHS and TLHS, respectively.
The tradition has continued, as they gathered May 26 for breakfast at Townhouse Cafe as the 2021-22 school year comes to a close.
Even though at one point, they went to three different schools, and now, the Sterlings go to SHS and the Gross siblings go to Trinity Lutheran High School, they have made sure to get together on the first and last days of school.
“It was just fun hanging out with everyone, even when we went to different schools, reconnecting and eating good breakfast,” Kendall said, smiling.
On Thursday, Natalie Arnold, a sophomore at SHS, joined the group, too.
“We don’t talk that much at school surprisingly, so just reconnecting and talking about the year and stuff, it’s the most fun part,” Arnold said.
Since it has always been a tradition, Lillie said they have come to expect to eat breakfast together at the beginning and end of the school year.
“I’ve always been super close with all of them. I’m always with the Sterlings outside of this,” she said. “It’s just good to get to be with everyone since it has always been such a huge tradition.”
Kendrick likes getting together, too.
“I don’t see Kamzi and Kowan a lot during the school year, so this is just a given that we’re going to see them on the first and last day of school because we have every year,” she said. “I think it has always been fun and something that we can rely on.”
Kamzi said it’s a good tradition to have.
“We’ve been doing this since we were little. I like seeing how much we’ve changed throughout that time,” she said.
Camryn said she likes being able to hang out and talk.
“I enjoy just carrying on the tradition,” she said.
In the beginning, the group met for breakfast at Larrison’s Diner in downtown Seymour.
“We would always get Big Reds,” Kendrick said, smiling, of their drink choice.
They then changed to Townhouse Cafe and kept going there every year except one time when it was closed and they had to go to Hardee’s.
Jayson said going around to pick them all up for breakfast and then take them to school was easy early on when they went to Immanuel Lutheran School, but it became interesting when some went to Seymour Middle School and then later when the Grosses went to Trinity.
“We kind of had to divide and conquer to get people everywhere,” Jayson said.
This year, though, was the first time he didn’t have to go pick any of them up since they all drive now.
“They are just a great group,” Jayson said. “Not only that, we’re good friends with all of the families and parents. Whenever we see one another at ballgames or just out and about, (the breakfast tradition) is something we all talk about or something to look forward to. I know it’ll be something I’ll always remember. I believe it will be something they’ll remember, as well.”
After eating breakfast, another tradition started once they switched to Townhouse Cafe. The group gathered for a picture outside, and it just happened to be taken in front of the dumpster. Jayson sent it to the parents, who then posted it on social media.
“The dumpster picture was not planned,” Jayson said. “It was just so random, and then one of the parents coined it ‘The dumpster picture.’ … Then the following year, we take the same picture again and they were like, ‘Oh, the same dumpster is in the background,’ so every year, we go out to the dumpster to take a picture.”
In the fall, Kendrick, Camryn, Lillie and Kamzi will all be going off to college. Since that starts later than high school, they will still be home and be able to meet the others for breakfast. Then in the spring, college is done before high school, so the breakfast tradition will work out then, too.
“We’ll definitely make it work,” Kendrick said.