They started kindergarten together, grew through childhood into those awkward teen years and stuck together through college. On May 19, three graduating Elon seniors from Tallahassee, Fla., will complete their remarkable educational experience – 17 years as classmates at the same schools. It’s a throwback to the days when families stayed put and youngsters made lifelong friends.
In 1984, Keith Arnold, Joe Chichetti and Brandon Irvin began sharing milk breaks and naps in kindergarten at Maclay School, a preschool-through-grade 12 private school in Tallahassee. Their first childhood memories of each other begin about third grade. “We’d think up tricks. We were always playing games in the sandbox and seeing how far we could jump out of the swings,” remembers Chichetti.
By junior high, their mutual interests turned to sports and music, and they did everything together. “It’s like having a family member — like having a brother,” Irvin says. “We all went to each other’s houses and our parents know each other, so it was just assumed that you would show up for dinner and didn’t even need to knock at the door.”
Spending the night at each other’s houses tested the limits of friendship at times. “Brandon and I would spend so many nights together in a row that we would get sick of each other,” Arnold says, recalling the record for consecutive nights was five.
All three boys were good students and stayed on the honor roll. When the time came to search for a college, they began reading brochures and visiting campuses with their parents. But they never really discussed the issue with each other. So the shock came when Arnold and Irvin compared notes and found they had both applied and been accepted at Elon, a college 600 miles from home. Chichetti joined them after a semester at the University of Alabama.
Their long friendship has been an advantage during their college years. Carpooling home was a breeze, and there were great spring break road trips. The highlights were the get-togethers when Florida State football games were on TV.
When three guys know each other this well, the system of checks and balances has a way of keeping everyone in line. “When any of us gets a little too big for our britches, there’s always something that comes out of the woodwork,” Chichetti says. “Someone will say ‘Hey, remember what you did in Ms. Staley’s class in first grade?'”
“If you say something dumb, you get called on it in a heartbeat,” Arnold concurs. “It keeps you humble,” Irvin adds.
But beyond the laughs lies a deep friendship and mutual admiration among the friends, something they’re quick to point out. “Joe’s probably one of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met,” says Arnold. “Brandon’s the same. Whatever they do, they do it to the best of their ability. Those are two top-notch guys right there,” Arnold says.
“We kind of accept each other for who we are, because there’s no reason to be judgmental,” says Irvin.
It’s likely that they will go their separate ways after graduation. Arnold will take a job with Branch Bank and Trust in Winston-Salem, N.C., Irvin is considering a move to Raleigh, N.C., and Chichetti has options for dental school. But they don’t look at graduation day with much sadness. “I feel as if I’ve had a great experience here,” says Chichetti. “I got to play baseball, and I can’t say enough about the biology department.”
Arnold says they have a sense of accomplishment as they look back on all the years together. “For all of us, this is the next step. We’re moving on, but we’ll stay in touch.”
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