There’s a lot that I am thankful for this year, and although I could go on and on about all the people in my life that I am thankful for—I have decided to pay thanks to these special people in my life.

Thank you to all my teachers.

Mr. Ivory – Thank you for letting your class be the most splendid start to my day. One of my favorite memories in your class was when we sang in the cafeteria because the smell in the choir room was so horrendous.

Mrs. Lipke – Thank you for bringing AP Statistics to life. A lot of what we learn is so compatible with life and even though sometimes it feels like we’re in an English class, it’s still really enjoyable, and I’m so glad you got put in charge of teaching this course. One of my favorite lessons was when we randomly picked words from a song by Rihanna. Thank you Elouise for always being willing to answer my mindless questions in AP stats, I’m glad I’m not the only one who struggled. I always enjoy picking on Parker with you during class and my favorite memory is when I was asked if the world is flat, and now I’m actually wondering if it is—just kidding—I know the answer to that.

Abby, thank you for always being willing to study AP stats with me at Starbucks. Even though we may not have The Central Trend together, I’m glad that senior year was unequivocal in its decision to let us have the second period together as a way to replace sixth-hour last year.

Ms. Belsito – Thank you for putting the magnificence in Magma. Advanced Geology is really appealing to me, normally I struggle in science, but this year it’s enjoyable. Not only is it  convenient learning about silicate minerals and igneous rocks but also the process of analyzing and interacting with them is really mesmerizing. My favorite lesson we did was when we got to learn about topography and used Play-Doh to model it. Mekha – I’m so glad we have Advanced Geology this year, after having AP world and APES together a junior year, I didn’t know if we were going to have any classes senior year but I’m glad that we were able to at least have science together.

Christine – I’m so grateful that we also have advanced geology together and that your an exchange student this year, It’s been really nice getting to know you.

Ms. Hallock  – Thank you for quite literally being the definition of a “Generation Z teacher.” You know how to impart with students in a way no other teacher has been able to, by using personal experiences to connect with the lessons you teach in class. This is why I love Health so much. My favorite memory, was when you used the song to teach a lesson you played  “When I See Your Face” by Bruno Mars to stop a kid from making fun of another kid about his hair. Ruthie – Thanks for being such an amiable person. You will always be my little shy sophomore. Also, you remind me of me when I was a sophomore. I love being your partner in crime during Health and I’m so glad we have a third hour together.

Ms. Dykstra – Thank you for making your class feel like Broadway. There is no other teacher in this school who lets me share my love for The Flash quite like you do Ms. Dykstra. Your silly attendance questions and writing assignments remind me to be a kid every once in a while and I have your class to thank for that. Molly and Carlee I am so glad that I have 5th hour each and every day with both of you!

Mrs. Coulson – Thank you for always being there when I need you most. Your kind words and guidance in my academics never go unnoticed and I’m so grateful that you were assigned to be my counselor this year.

Mr. George – Thank you for being you! Your class has given me so much more than enhanced writing skills. It’s given me a family, friendships that could potentially last forever, a chance to learn about the school from a journalistic perspective and a countless amount of other amazing opportunities. Writing is what makes me different, and I owe that all to the empire you’ve built with The Central Trend. 

Mr. Riley – I don’t think any amount of words on a piece of paper will ever compare to the gratitude I have for you as a person. However, what I can say is that you are such an important page in my story. Thank you for everything, I truly don’t think I could have gotten through high school without teachers like you. FHC is extremely lucky to have you as a teacher, however, I think I got the most lucky because I had the honor of being your student these past four years. I not only look up to you as a teacher but also as a significant role model in my life because you lead a life in a way I have always dreamed of, with exuberance and a smile on your face. 

P.S. – I think my new name should be “Ardita” and not Arpita–just kidding–I love my name, it makes me feel unique. 

Mom – Thanks for being the best mom a daughter could ask for, whenever I am feeling a little lost in life, you always remind me to lean in more to the things that bring me the most joy in life. Pointing your kid in the direction of positivity is the best thing any parent can do for their child.

Dad – It’s very easy to entertain you and I love that passion for Finance that we share, I guess it runs in the family. I’ve heard your upbringing and back story enough times to say that I want to take what you’ve built for our family and make it bigger. Thank you for always inspiring me.

Akansha – Our relationship has always been kind of in a funk. We have a three-year age gap and a four-year grade gap. Both of us are seniors except the only difference is that you are a senior in college and I’m a senior in high school. But that’s not what’s been the most difficult to comprehend, your white coat ceremony next year is, which I am just counting down the days for. Thanks for always hanging out with me, I always love our little chitchats. Till our next communion.

Thank you to my 6th hour

Ellerie – I am so glad that you decided to join back for another year on The Central Trend, I still remember when I first met you when you joined Writing For Publication. You are such a nice person and have a really good style.

Addy – Thank you for being such a kind and understanding editor in chief, you are probably one of the best bosses that I’ve ever had. I always love the claw clips that you wear and you always have the cutest nail designs.

Addie – Thank you for being such an amazing writer, you have a really strong voice when it comes to writing reviews, and I’m so grateful that you have been chosen to be one of our three copy editors this year. You, along with Ella and Evvy are the perfect trio to take on such an important job, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m so glad that you decided to join The Central Trend for another year.

Sofia – It blows my mind that after this year, you will have been editor-in-chief for two years. You are so hardworking and always put so much energy and enthusiasm into our meetings. Thank you for your cheerful energy.

Eva. H – We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, from having APUSH and Chemistry sophomore year to having a semester of precalculus junior year, I have gotten to see you grow as a person throughout the years. Thank you for being such an amazing editor-in-chief even though you are not always in the sixth hour.

Eva L. – I still remember when we went to see Hamilton together as a group for Choir in 7th grade and when we went to homecoming together sophomore year. Both of those days in time were probably the best of my life.

Alysse – Thank you for always being willing to edit my stories last minute. Not only are you good at catching grammatical errors but you are just an amazing writer all around. If I had to describe your writing in one word, it would be authentic, because of how relatable it is. A memory that comes to mind when I think of you was the one time I ran into you at Forest Hills Foods.

Ella – Thank you for being such an amazing copy editor, you are such a talented writer and are always so put together. The first memory I have of you was when you were in Writing For Publication but you were very shy. You were gone the day of learning about how to write profiles and Mr. George had assigned you to interview me.

Evelyn – Although I am sad Millie left, I am glad that there is at least one Alt left on The Central Trend. You an amazing copy editor and such a funny person and I hope that you choose to continue with The Central Trend because you are such a good writer.

Saniya – I still remember when I shared a room with you at the University of Michigan Model UN Conference and when I accidentally paid your bill at Buffalo Wild Wings. Those were some really fun times and I hope we can create more of those memories in the Model UN conferences to come. You are an amazing writer, but an even better Executive Board member for Model UN, and there’s no other person I’d want to lead the club than you.

Tilley – Thank you for being such a kind person. You always know how to make conversation with people and always put others before yourself. I envy your innate ability to incorporate good word choice into your writing and I hope that you stay on The Central Trend for the rest of the year.

Mikayla – Thanks for always being willing to put up with my goofiness, you always know how to set me straight and notice the little things.  I think we have had three or four courses throughout the course of high school; The Central Trend, English 11, Chemistry, and now Senior Creative Writing, and Choir. I love that you are such an opinionated writer and I always love the unique ways in which you choose to color your hair. P.S. Long live the flying gnomes.

Thank you to my best friends.

Jiya P.  – Don’t ever underestimate yourself. I am grateful for a lot of things in life, but the one thing I’m probably most grateful for is you. You like a younger version of my sister. And I think that one day you will realize that soon enough. You the CEO of taking the most AP Classes and I miss struggling in Precalculus with you, those were some interesting times.

Lauren – I love catching up with you every couple of months, It’s always nice seeing how college life is treating you and I love keeping up to date with you on Instagram. You the smartest person I know and I thank you for always making time for me, you make me feel so important. Come visit soon!

Katelynn – I hope the SCAD life is treating you well. You seem to be thriving in your college era. I miss studying at coffee shops with you but I love that at least we go to Brody Be’s Cafe every summer, I think we should make that a yearly thing, it’s starting to feel like a tradition. Thanks for being quote my “therapist friend”, everyone needs a person like you in their life.

Thank you to practically my second family.

Shyla – Senior minus two years is what you are to me, a sophomore. My little sophomore sister, that’s who you are, you’ve always been like a little sister to me. Whether we’re going on late-night walks around the neighborhood or playing Roblox, dinner parties are so lively with you, and P.S. I’m really excited that you are joining Model UN this year, you won’t regret it. Thanks for being my sophomore sister.

Aanya – According to you our Model UN team is “dookie” but that doesn’t stop me from experiencing the joy I have in competing with you. And I also still can’t believe you are taking AP Calculus as a sophomore, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of your name. Also, thanks for having the same initials as me, A.D.

Diya C. – So a little birdy told me that you are going to become a Michigan Wolverine in the Fall. Because if that is, that would also mean we would most likely be going to colleges in the same state. I’ve been wanting to meet you I just didn’t think our paths would cross so soon, I want to catch up soon. Thank you for always being my personal hype woman.

P.S. I will never forget the time you accidentally slapped a man across the face doing the salsa on our cruise to the Caribbean, may the good times live on forever.

Diya K.  – I’m so happy that you decided to pursue a major in psychology. Even though we live so far apart, you still somehow make time to respond to my texts, like my stories on Instagram, and most importantly read my stories whenever I ask, which I will be eternally grateful for.

P.S. I still have your blue bike helmet.

Anushka – Thank you for having the best style out of everyone in the friend group. I live vicariously through your Instagram posts and I can’t wait to see what this era of your life has in store for you, I hope that you continue to live like an influencer, as a fan myself, I can positively say that you are eating.

Ishi – You like the “Goofy” in Mickey Mouse’s friend group. You are one of those people who are funny without trying to be and also the most rebellious Indian kid I’ve ever met, which by the way, I envy about you. You don’t let anyone step on you and you are basically like a second sister to me. I would say out of everyone in the camping group, I’m the closest with your family.

Lisha – Thank you for being the most logical one in the frined group. I’ve known you for as long as I can remember but in my mind, you don’t register as Shyla’s older sister, to me you are Akansha 2.0. You and Akansha are one of the same, you go to the same school and are majoring in similar things and I think it’s so coincidental how that ended up becoming. Ironically, my relationship with Shyla has only gotten closer because of the distance that both of us share with you and Akansha.

Gaurang – Thank you for being the brother I never had. I feel like we haven’t seen each other in a while and I hope that I can visit you soon. Hope life is treating you well at UMich, I still try to keep in touch with your sister.

Pallavi – You are like everyone’s big sister. You are an Indian parent’s dream with the perfect job, spouse, and also the cutest dog ever. Any room you walk into follows your energetic aura which is something I always appreciate. I never have to worry about the fun at dinner parties because you never forget to bring it with you. Thanks for not becoming a stranger after med school, I hope fellowship life is treating you well.

To my extended family in India – Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, summer of 2024 here I come. This long-awaited India trip has been planned for a long time coming. It’s been eight years and counting since the last time I have been to visit, and this trip is way overdue.

Honorable Mentions:

Tony – Thanks for always being willing to chat with me!  From volunteering together at the library to tutoring me in the Science Olympiad to running into you at competitions, and finally answering my never-ending questions about Model UN, you have been an amazing role model to me! Your are not only a great friend of my sister’s, but also an amazing friend of mine that I look up to as well.

Jacob – Thanks for being the “mineral kid.” You are the most mischievous junior I know, but also the funniest, thank you for making Advanced Geology so amusing. At times I’ll admit that you don’t make sense, but I guess that only adds to your personality, until then, potato head.

Juni – We both share one common interest, and that is public speaking. You always have the cutest headbands and your sweaters are always a slay, but most importantly, you nerd out about looking at rocks and minerals the same way I do, and it’s pretty cool. Thanks for being such a cool person.

Cosette – I’m still in shock that Juni is your sister but I can’t say I’m surprised, I guess being cool runs in the family. I miss volunteering with you over the summer in the library. You’re the only person I’ve ever met who always nerds out talking about superheroes in the DC universe, especially The Flash. My favorite memory of us was when we got to dress up as superheroes for a summer wonder bash at the library. P.S. I’ll keep you updated on if I ever will get to meet the Flash in real life.

Rowan – I’ll never forget the first time I met you, I was sitting in the lecture hall listening to one of the most inspirational TED talks/poems about OCD and what the power of just a couple of words could really do to a room of people. You are quite talented Rowan, and I thank you for that. I also thank you for always being my bench buddy after school, it’s always nice catching up with you every now and then.

And if you’ve made it this far, for the people I didn’t mention, I’m thankful for you, if your reading this and I don’t know who you are, I’m thankful for the fact that you took the time to read this.