Two good friends with a shared past and future

Two Old St. Mary School students have unique connections that few friends can claim: Both were adopted on the same day from the same orphanage in China, both were adopted by families living in Chicago and both have danced in Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” the past three years.

KJ Jacoby has been at the South Loop school for five years and Nora Ryan is part of the original class of Old St. Mary School, which opened in 2004. Both 13- year-olds graduate this spring and are looking at high schools.

The girls were both around 16 months old when they were adopted by Diane and John Jacoby, and Christine Ryan. Seven families from Illinois joined together and adopted daughters from the orphanage that day in the southern China town of Wuzhou.

While the families still stay in touch, Nora and KJ didn’t become close friends until they were around six and both attended the JCC Apachi Chicago Day Camp at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“We saw each other and we were kinda surprised,” said Nora of the meeting.

The following year they were in the same group in the JCC and became closer.

The two eighth-graders are quick to smile and laugh. KJ enjoys dance but also plays the piano, tennis and golf. Nora also enjoys dance and piano. Both took Irish dance classes together and are taking tap dance classes together.

And for the past three years the friends have danced together in “The Nutcraker.”

“Maybe like three years ago KJ ... already auditioned for the Nutcracker several times so that I was interested. So we auditioned together and we both got it.”

September through November they rehearsed on weekends and in December they performed.

Both want to continue to dance but maybe not as a profession. Nora says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. Her family has five cats. And KJ is considering doing something in the arts.

“I’m not sure exactly what I want to do when I grow up but I’m excited to continue my journey,” KJ said.

Both girls say they’ve enjoyed their time at Old St. Mary’s.

“I feel like this school is pretty different from other schools,” KJ said. “It’s pretty small but I think that’s sort of OK because we all get to know each other and are closer. It’s like we’re brother and sister. We’ve been through everything,” she said. “I’m really grateful that I’m here and that I can graduate with them.”

No matter what, the two girls have a strong and unique bond to grow on.

“We think about the same things all the time,” Nora said.

“Once we were going out to a restaurant and so KJ was like thinking like ‘Oh, we have to do something,’ so I was like, ‘Why don’t we just play cards.’”

“And I was just about to say that,” KJ said.