Birthdays are a special day where people get together and celebrate the person who was born on that day. Many people celebrate their birthdays differently. For example, some people may eat another type of food other than cake, or they just spend time with their family or by themselves.

     One student, Mia “Mika” Owens, says that they celebrate their birthday by going out somewhere, like to the movies or the mall, with their family and close friends. Mika always eats cookies instead of cake for their birthday, but if their family did bring cake, it is usually a butter cake. For this year on their birthday, they do not want anything; they just want to go and hang out with their friends and family. Mika likes their birthday, but does not care for it too much. They were born on July 22.

     A second student, Autumn Maurer, says that on her birthday she likes to go out to dinner with her family and friends. Her favorite thing to eat on her birthday is sushi, and for this year Autumn would like to get a record player because she thinks they are cool. Autumn’s opinion on her birthday is that it is just another day of getting a year older than the year before. She was born February 2.

     A third student, Jayden Henry, says that he eats cake, opens presents, and has sleepovers with his friends. On his birthdays, he also eats candy, tacos, and spinach dip. For his birthday this year, Jayden wants Etsy gift cards and Mangas. When Jayden was celebrating his birthday, he used to celebrate it with his dad, but now he mostly celebrates his birthday with his mom. Jayden says that he deeply cares about his birthday, and that each year it goes wrong due to an unexpected family situation. He was born on October 29.

     A fourth student, Carice Hoppes, usually hangs out with her family and friends and goes to places with them of where she wants to go. For Carice’s birthday, she eats whatever she wants, as long as the food is reasonable. Carice does not know what she wants for her birthday yet. She is usually excited for her birthday, but there are usually unexpected family situations that ruin the moment. After a few minutes, everything goes back to normal and everyone’s happy again, and Carice’s birthday still continues. Carice was born on August 13.

     A fifth student, Michael “Serafina” Long, says that he likes to go out to Dave and Busters or Dorney Park with one of his friends. The food on Michael’s birthday depends on his mood for the type of food he is having. For Michael , he does not take gifts from others, but he does give gifts. Michael wishes he was born on March 17 (Saint Patrick’s Day) because he is always unlucky. The people that he celebrates his birthday with are his family members and his girlfriend Carlee “Charlie” Cortes. Michael was born on March 18.

     A sixth person, Carlee “Charlie” Cortes who goes to Fleetwood Area High School, celebrates her birthday by going out with friends and eating cake and any other thing that is sweet. Like Carice, Charlie is not sure she wants for her birthday. The people that Charlie likes to hang out with on birthday are her boyfriend Michael , her friends, and her family. She does not like her birthday because it reminds her that she is getting older. Charlie was born on August 8.

     The last person, who is part of the HAHS staff is Mrs. McCarthy, who was born on September 16, 1973. On her birthday, her family usually has cake and presents ready for her. Sometimes she goes out to a place to eat or does a favorite activity of hers; it depends on the year. Mrs. McCarthy’s favorite foods on her birthday are anything that is Italian: stuffed shells, pasta, etc. For this year on Mrs. McCarthy’s birthday, the present she would like to have is a surprise. The surprise could be someone else making a reservation at a restaurant or taking her to a place when they both have time. Mrs. McCarthy likes to hang out with her family and friends on her birthday. Mrs. McCarthy thinks that it is great to celebrate people’s birthdays in general because it is a big deal for both moms and their children, especially because of the mom’s physical sacrifice to carry them for nine months.

     Some people also celebrate their birthdays outside of their dates due to their schedule being busy because of their job or just having something more important to do. Which is why some other people celebrate their birthdays after a few days or weeks, or months, notably for instructors. For example, when Mrs. McCarthy and Miss Heckman took a trip in June as an early birthday present because teachers or other job positions cannot afford missing a day of school just for vacation.