Kiara Lovett, a sophomore at WEGO, has to wait four years to celebrate her birthday on the “real” day. Lovett was born on February 29, or leap day, a day that is only included in the calendar approximately every four years, leaving Lovett without a birthday for years at a time.

“It’s weird because when I was younger, I never understood why I could never find my birthday on the calendar, but I like it because it’s unique not many people have that day as their birthday,” Lovett said.

Lovett is not alone at WEGO when it comes to a leap year birthday: there are seven freshmen and sophomores who all celebrate the occasion on Feb. 29.

“I actually like my birthday being February 29. I like things to be different so I love it,” sophomore Arianna Evans said.

Evans also stands out in the fact that she is a twin, and will ring in her “fourth” birthday with sister Ayanna on Thursday.

Many people erroneously believe that leap years occur every four years, but that is not always the case. The science of leap year has to do with the 365-day calendar, and the fact that a typical year includes an extra five hours, 48 minutes, and 56 seconds which “needs to be accounted for somehow [or] the seasons would begin to drift.”

So while, on average, leap year falls every four years, according to the experts at the National Air and Space Museum, “The rule is that if the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400, leap year is skipped. The year 2000 was a leap year, for example, but the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not.  The next time a leap year will be skipped is the year 2100.”

Those born in 2008 might just live to see the day. Either way, students who share the birthday agree that they would not change their unique birthdate.

“Being born on February 29 is, in my opinion, an awesome experience. It’s always a perfect icebreaker when meeting new people, and a good way to strike up a conversation. One of the best parts in my opinion is all the jokes about being ‘three years old.’ In fourth grade, one of my best friends in an older grade would always greet me by referring to me as tall two-year-old,” sophomore Miles Viscogliosi said.

The chance of being born on Feb. 29 is slightly less than one in every 1500. As such, the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies works to bring those with the special birthday together, among other goals, including petitioning dictionary publishers to formally capitalize the words “Leap Day” and “Leap Year”, neither of which is currently capitalized, according to the Associated Press.

The peculiar birthday does come with its own fun though: technically, high schoolers who have a leap year birthday are only turning four years old this year.

“It’s unique so it’s funny when I tell people I’m only three years old. This year, I will be four. On my birthday cake, when there is a leap year, my mom puts the leap age. This year, I will be four, technically, so my mom puts the little age because I’ve only had a [Feb.] 29 birthday four times,” Lovett said.

This story was originally published on Wildcat Chronicle on February 28, 2024.