QuaranTeen birthday celebrations

With COVID-19 keeping people apart, Urbana High School students turning one year older during quarantine must find unique ways to celebrate their birthdays.

Many students couldn’t partake in family traditions, and they weren’t able to see friends in person, but overall, many still managed to stay positive by creating new ways to celebrate.

Sophomore Willem Alleyne and his family “usually go and watch the [Chicago] river turn green the weekend before March 17th and have an Irish themed dinner with [his] aunt” for his St. Patrick’s Day birthday celebration.

This year, Alleyne was not able to celebrate his birthday the way he usually did, but his birthday spent with his family still managed to be special.

This year, his parents baked him a cake, which was unfortunately not St Patrick’s day themed, and his brother was home from college. Overall, this birthday will be a memorable one!

Johnny Wright, a junior, missed celebrating with his friends this year.

Usually, he would choose a place to go out to eat for his birthday dinner, but since that wasn’t an option this year, he had a special meal that his mom made that included a really good recipe for meatballs.

If social distancing was not the norm right now, Wright “would have definitely been out with friends most of the day and I would have invited them to dinner with [me].”

While we are unable to be with loved ones physically during this time, some people have been celebrating with friends in different ways.

Sophomore Macy Wirtz was able to put a creative spin on her birthday celebration by finding fun ways to ensure her birthday was still a celebration!

“Some family friends sang happy birthday outside of my house and that was really sweet,” explains sophomore Macy Wirtz.

Wirtz’s family was also to recreate her favorite special meal.

“My favorite burger from Black Dog is the North Carolina burger, which has pulled pork on a burger and we made it at home.”

Tillie Pines, a senior, stayed connected with friends through FaceTime and celebrated with her family.

She noted that this year would be especially memorable because her birthday “occurred on the same day as the Democratic Primaries, so [she] was able to vote for the first time.”

COVID-19 has impacted celebrations that we have taken for granted, like getting your license on your birthday, or seeing friends and family that you don’t live with. Luckily, UHS students are trying to stay positive and to put a fun spin on the celebrations in any way they can!