Birthdays don't go unnoticed

By Charlotte Ryan

Eryn Rogers, a cherub from Alpharetta, Ga., screamed when she turned on the lights in her room at midnight.

Her roommate, Taylor Freret, a cherub from Los Altos, Calif., had decorated the room with purple balloons and bright blue napkins which read “Happy Birthday.”

Even though parents aren’t here to make breakfast and give gifts, birthdays don’t go unnoticed at the National High School Institute.

“I was really nervous about having my birthday away from home, but it was actually a smashing success,” said Katherine Driessen, a cherub from Columbia, Md.           

To celebrate, Driessen went to Chili’s with more than 20 friends who also bought her cards and a carrot cake. Even though she didn’t get her traditional crab cake birthday feast, a bacon burger was a good alternative, she said.

“It was like celebrating my birthday with a different kind of family,” Driessen said.

Jasmine White, a cherub from New Orleans, serenaded Driessen with a 10-minute rendition of “Happy Birthday.” White sings for every cherub on their birthday.

“I know it is a special day in their lives and I like putting a smile on their face to make it feel a little bit more like home,” White said.

Nikki Friedman, a cherub from Piedmont, Calif., who had her birthday early in the program on July 14, said she was worried she wouldn’t have a group of friends to celebrate with.

She was happy when her friends made her wear a pin and carry a balloon around campus, she said. For dinner they went to Koi, a Pan-Asian restaurant, and afterward they ate ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s.

Turning 18 is typically a time to celebrate your adulthood, said Tate Tuckman, a cherub from Manhattan Beach, Calif. But her birthday was celebrated differently than she expected.

Her parents flew to Chicago from California and they took her shopping. Tuckman also had dinner with her cherub friends at Noodles and Company.

“It was different, but not outrageous,” Tuckman said. “I will remember it forever because I was surrounded by new friends and family at the same time.”

Community associates Kristin Ellertson, 19, and Lauren Roach, 21, planned cherub birthday parties throughout the program with cakes, cookies, candy and soda. There was music and a few people willing to dance for those too tired to strut their stuff.

Marissa Mumford, a cherub of Westfield N.J., said her favorite part of the birthday parties was the cake and music.

“I wanted to change my birthday date to have it here,” Mumford said.

Esther Zuckerman celebrates her birthday at Sabal.

Liza Pincus, Elisabeth Dion and Katherine Driessen dine at Chili's for Driessen's birthday.

Cherubs celebrate Driessen's birthday.