No matter what day of the week or the cycle it is, one thing is a constant: homework.

But birthday signs are also a consistent presence at on campus and are enjoyed more than homework. Although many people give these signs on the Hill a glance every so often, dreading (or maybe really hoping) if their parents decide to buy them one, these signs are actually quite popular.

“We supply too many yard cards to Cathedral to even count, on average three to five per week,” according to Mrs. Bev Newman, wife of the owner of Yard Greetings, one of the companies that puts up birthday signs. Newman said, “We purchased our company in 2000 from a friend (and) we are a small, family owned business.”

However, Yard Greetings doesn’t only supply signs to Cathedral, but also “Southport, Lawrence North, Perry Meridian, Mount Vernon, Roncalli and many more” according to Newman. Yard Greetings is also not limited to birthday signs; they also provide signs for “anniversaries, birth announcements, military, yard sales, HOA meetings, businesses and a great many of them for graduations,” Newman said.

These signs stay up for two to three days, but according to Newman, “we are always willing to extend that at the customer’s request.” Although you can request if for longer, junior Maura Flood argues that this might not be for the best. According to Flood, “It was for sure a nice surprise coming up the Hill and seeing it, but (my sign) was up for multiple days, so after a while it was a tad bit embarrassing.” 

However, Flood agrees that the experience overall was a good one. According to Flood, “It impacted my day because lots of random people who saw the sign came up and told me happy birthday.”

Junior Lauren Dubbink also had a similar experience with the signs. She said, “(The signs) made me feel good because people said happy birthday to me.”

Yard Greetings doesn’t pay the school any money to put signs up on the Hill, according to Newman. She said, “We also donate to Cathedral’s Shamrauction every year.” 

The student body is widely divided about wanting birthday signs. However, it is always a pleasant surprise to have people remember your birthday, and having a sign helps.