Whether because of a bulletin board, her brother, or a journalism conference, senior Alex Smith discovered several of the incredible extracurriculars that defined her high school career.
In her four years at FHC, Alex was both Editor-in-Chief of The Central Trend and Student Director of the theatre department, two time-consuming leadership positions that show her immense dedication to each.
Alex joined theatre as a freshman, inspired by her older brother and her enjoyment of the several plays she’d seen, and fell in love with the program, more specifically, the people, as she has made many bonds from her involvement with theatre.
“This is super cliche and basic, but it’s really the people that make the place,” Alex said. “And I have loved every single person that I’ve worked with in theater. Having a passion for something that everybody else you’re working with also has a passion for is so great. It really helps build my love for it when I see other people who love it, and I get to spend time and talk about it with them. I’ve met so many incredible people. People that I met when I was a freshman, that I still talk to; they were seniors when I was a freshman, and I still talk to them. That’s crazy that something can build such strong bonds. A lot of my friends I met from doing theater. No matter where I end up, I’ll still have people that I met when I decided as a freshman to join this theater thing, and I’ll still be able to have a relationship with them.”
Freshman year, Alex started out by being in charge of hair and makeup for the fall play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; she remained in this role for the musical Cinderella as well, and she also helped with costumes. Alex soon realized she was right in line for future leadership roles, such as Student Director, and showed determination to get there.
As a sophomore, Alex stepped into the role of Assistant Student Director, moving set pieces during the play, Clue: On Stage, and taking on the challenge of wrangling 30 elementary school students for The Wizard of Oz. Then, for junior and senior year, Alex became the Student Director, which is not an easy job.
“Theater is a lot of work,” Alex said. “From September to November, I spent pretty much every day for hours after school, still at school, working on rehearsals. And then the same thing again from January to the end of March. It’s a lot of work, and you have to really love it to do it. We’re all working hard to create something so amazing. That’s really the best part.”
Over the years, Alex has poured herself into theatre, working hard for months to put together shows alongside the rest of the crew and the cast. Although Alex is the one leading now, she was inspired to be the leader she is now by some of the impressive students in theatre leadership roles before her.
“My freshman year, the student director, [FHC alumna] Abbey Calderwood, was the greatest person ever,” Alex said. “She was so nice; she knew exactly what she was doing, and she had everything all in order. So when I realized that I was the only other option [for Student Director], around my sophomore year, when I was like, ‘there’s nobody else to do this. It has to be me.’ I kind of took that upon myself, and I decided, ‘Then I’m going to be great.’ And I’ve spent so much time doing everything I can for the actors and for the crew, and making them feel like they have everything that they need. So, having one student director that was so amazing, I [thought] if I could be even half as good as she is, that would be great.”
And now, Alex can confidently say that she was great, and her long days spent working tirelessly to make the productions happen were not for nothing. The love for and commitment to theatre that she has seen echoed by her peers has been astounding, and a substantial part of her four years at FHC.
While the fact that she will no longer have that community surrounding her is bitter, the fact that she got to experience it for four years is endlessly sweet.
“Being able to be a part of something that everybody else who’s a part of it loves is something that is wild,” Alex said. “Everybody that’s there wants to be there and loves what they’re doing. Being a part of that, being somebody that’s in charge of that, is really crazy. Spending the last four years working on shows with some of my best friends has been the greatest experience ever, and it’s something that I’m never going to forget. Even if I never take part in a show again, I know that it’s something that I’ll always love.”
Whether or not she returns to the theatre, Alex will take that experience with her into her future endeavours. She has learned the practice of perseverance, a quality useful in any career, especially the one Alex is pursuing.
In the fall, Alex will be attending Indiana University (IU), where she will major in sports media. Ever since she attended a journalism conference in Washington D.C. the summer before her junior year, she has known what she wants to do in the future. The woman who runs the social media for the Washington Commanders spoke at the conference, and Alex knew she had found her calling: sports media, ideally running a social media account for a major sports team.
Her experience in theatre, while coming to a close, has taught Alex the skills she will need to succeed in her future career.
“Doing theater takes up a lot of time. You need a strong work ethic to really be dedicated to it, and from what I know, working in a sports field is very time-consuming during the on season,” Alex said. “You’re constantly working with the team, constantly doing whatever needs to be done, so I have learned how to manage my time, how to delegate tasks to others so that I can really focus on what I need to do and get everything accomplished that needs to be done.”
This year, Alex added more experience to her sports media resume by running the FHC Boys Varsity Basketball team’s social media. Balancing theatre, this job, and editing was not an easy task, but Alex remained impressively devoted to each.
Alex has been a part of The Central Trend for all four years, finding a home in room 139 and later 216, as she grew as a writer, leader, and person. Alex wanted to be Editor-in-Chief ever since she discovered TCT, and she can now describe this goal as another one she achieved. Her discovery of TCT was more or less accidental, with no older sibling influences or journalism conferences playing a part. She was drawn to the class when she discovered its existence, and five years later, she entered the role of Editor-in-Chief.
“When I was in seventh grade, I would walk from the middle school to the high school every day because my dad was here,” Alex said. “I would pass [previous TCT teacher] Ken George’s room every day, and on the bulletin board outside was The Central Trend, Meet the Staff, or something like that. And I was like, ‘What is this Central Trend that they speak of?’ And I [asked my] dad, and he said, ‘Oh, it’s a newspaper.’ And I was like, ‘Say less, I will be on that.” So two years later, I came to the high school, and I needed to join The Central Trend. And that is how it happened.”
The bulletin board made it clear to Alex that the editors were in charge of the class, and just like that, her mind was made.
From a middle schooler with hopes of someday writing for the school newspaper to a soon-to-be graduate who, indeed, held the title of Editor-in-Chief, Alex has always had a home within FHC’s walls. Though she has reached the end of editing, directing, and dreaming in green and white hallways, there is no doubt that Alex will find new ambitions to realize at IU.
“I grew up going to this school because my dad works here,” Alex said, “and leaving it—obviously, I know that it’s not the last time I’m going to be here, but leaving my high school career is wild. I honestly don’t really think that I’m ready for it yet, but I’m so excited to move on to the next chapter in my life and get to experience more. Getting to achieve more things that I want to achieve is going to be very exciting.”
While saying goodbye to this chapter of her life is poignant, beginning the next one is an opportunity Alex is sure to seize, as she has seized every opportunity before.
She has accomplished more than most in her time at FHC. She set out to be Student Director, and she was. She dreamed of being Editor-in-Chief, and she was.
Through leadership, in theatre and TCT, Alex has made her mark and left a legacy behind at FHC. Her dreams accomplished, Alex can look ahead to the future with the knowledge that she did it—she reached her goals, she achieved her dreams, and she did it beautifully.
“When I was 12 years old, I had a dream that I was going to be Editor-in-Chief,” Alex said. “It actually happening is something that I’m never going to forget. I’ve learned so much about diligence, about doing what I have to do, leadership, and making sure that everything is done. I’ve learned so much through TCT, and it’s been another remarkable experience, and I’m so lucky to have so many things that have been a great experience for me in my high school career.”
aubrey • May 10, 2025 at 2:45 pm
dont let her leave me!!!