*For the purpose of this interview, the interviewee preferred to remain anonymous. What is your profession? "I am a registered nurse with my BSN and CMSRN." What is COVID-19 and why is it a public...

What does it mean to be human? After pondering this question for several hours, filling 33 sticky notes with seemingly aimless questions, and exploring more tangents than I can count—I’ve produced...

Accidentally stubbing your pinky toe on the corner where two walls meet. A gust of wind so heavy that it blows your car door shut.  Stepping onto something wet while wearing socks.  A subtle...

I’ve been alive for 6,559 days. I’ve been a student for 4,564 of those days.  Thus, forgive me for combining the two notions. Forgive me for blurring the lines between “student” and “human”...

French is the only language spoken on five continents. It’s an official language of the United Nations.  It’s the third most common language used on the internet. It’s the second most common...

If I’m being honest, I think there are more toothbrushes sitting on my bathroom sink than there are shoes sitting in my closet.  I own few shoes, but the few shoes that wrap my feet have gone everywhere...

Sometimes it feels as if each day is a copy of the next, unable to be distinguished from one another. Especially in the middle of winter—when the clouds are opaque and prosaic, masking any light—each...

Resilience. Since she was six years old, freshman Abby Zhang has learned numerous skills from ballet—balance, grace, posture—in an attempt to perfect her artistry within the studio. However,...

I admit, I’ve seen its effects as I’ve carelessly scrolled through Instagram, passing by a quote or two that I brushed off, thinking I could not relate to the despondent descriptions. I also admit,...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been in my head.  I’m not necessarily sure why, or even when, I embodied this introvert archetype. There was never a clear decision made or distinct point...

Sitting in a conference room at the University of Michigan, junior Rebecca Dooley slipped into her role of Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton in a simulation of the U.S. House of Representatives. While embodying...

Do you think the trees feel? As the clouds permanently part and the sun’s light hugs each trunk, do you think they feel the days that are as radiant as an undying candle  and as warm as the...

On January 22, students and staff gathered into the gym, huddling together in the bleachers, awaiting the arrival of guest motivational speaker Joel Penton.  Soon after the chatter of the students...

That day began like a faint, sweet melody.  Simple, but not hollow. Quiet, but not indistinct.  It followed exam week, a week that heedlessly escalated like an unwarranted yet persistent crescendo....

Who is the guest speaker? "His name is Joel Penton, and he is a former football player in the Ohio State [University]. He won the Danny Wuerffel award, which is given out to one college football player...

Name: Gavin O'Meara Grade: 10 1. What is your act?  "I am singing and playing 'Say You Won’t Let Go' with my older brother, [Aidan]." 2. How did you prepare? "In December, about a week...

Before, fear was as present as a light drizzle on a cloudy day,  subtly dousing anything that was undefended— the pavement and the trees and the yellowed blades of grass. You told me threat...

Name: Aidan O'Meara Grade: 11 1. What is your act? "I will be singing 'Say You Won't Let Go' with my brother." 2. How did you prepare?  "We practiced the song many times until we perfected...

Name: Tommy Hendricks Grade: 12 1. What is your act?  "I am in five acts: drumline, House Band, the Senior Boys Acapella, Senior Boys Skit, and a marimba solo." 2. How did you prepare? "Well,...

I’ve never broken a bone or experienced a catastrophic injury to this day, and whether it was due to luck or my own calculating steps, I’m thankful. As the saying “go where the wind blows” says,...

Approximately one year ago, senior Olivia Throop sat amid her peers in AP Environmental Science (APES), learning about ecological processes and interrelationships in the natural world. As a part of these...

Amid the often-frozen, chilled months of winter, comes the warmth of the holidays, which welcomes bliss into the lives of the many families who celebrate during this time. The core of winter often...

As the sun faces its habitual cycle, a neverending motion of rising and falling, my skin ages, starkly stiffening with each passing year. Each glance in the mirror is almost indistinguishable.  However,...

Young, eager feet surged towards the edge of the emerald grass, But the young boy’s finite adventure came to a halt. The familiar fence towered above his wide-eyed glare, And his steps led him...

Each Friday, as the week winds to a close and freshman Dani Ohlman departs from school, she finds herself in the backwoods of Grand Rapids. Here, she is surrounded by fresh air, trees, and an open sky,...

As the winter months grow nearer, the air becomes too frigid to breathe, and the snow coats all that is left exposed like my mother’s voice blankets my deserted mind.   All of the...

Hesitantly, I walked into my brother’s room and unwillingly sat down on the cheap, plastic fold-out chair next to his bed. At an age young enough to still need my mom’s hands to detangle my hair, I...

Amid the darkened auditorium, the nascent members of the National Honor Society (NHS) will walk across the illuminated stage as their names are individually called on Nov. 19. Rows of candles lined on...

AP Art- for being the best third hour The amount of talent and dedication that every one of you has amazes me, and I’m grateful to be able to witness it this entire year. However, I’m even more...

The woman took the bird with the charcoal feathers and stuck it behind the brass bars like a bold, beautiful garnish used to embellish the vacant corner.   With a handful of wood chips and...

Name: Pranav Nalam Grade: 12 Role: Thomas Putman 1. What part of being in the play makes you the most nervous? "Just being in the play in itself is a big thing. I mean, I get to be a rich,...

The drudgery of life’s concerns tugged me forward Poised and placid, I moved into your prosaic room Softly, I sat down, allowing the world to tower above me A lackadaisical sigh escaped, and...

Name: Russell Baird Grade: 1o Role: Judge Hathorne 1. What part of being in the play makes you the most nervous? "I think [I'm most nervous about] not remembering something, especially if I...

Gathered in the kitchen with her siblings, sophomore Kate Sherman took on the feat of creating a fresh, homemade batch of cupcakes for her mom as a representation of her appreciation. However, as she and...

I look up to the boundless, blue blanket above me, knowing that somewhere you’re looking at the same vault. The wind that brushes past the limpid expanse politely whispers your name, but I cry...

Pride. Tradition. Excellence. These three characteristics are core values that permeate the halls and classrooms of FHC. Pride ascends the bleachers during Friday night football games and student...

“Loving an addict is like standing among the crashing waves, trying to bend the will of the sea.” Wesley Shultz, The Lumineers’ lead vocalist, expressed the statement above, describing a personal...

With one step into English teacher Lisa Penninga’s classroom, one characteristic distinctly stands out: the plethora of knowledge stacked along her walls. Bordering two sides of her room, a myriad of...

I felt tempted to go outside and allow my body to become enveloped by the snow. The way it fell from the sky looked so elegant, so placid, and I wanted to simply become a part of its divinity. I wanted...

Everyone sat around the dining room table, surrounding Luca like planets orbiting the sun. Few voices bounced off the wall as the room filled with subtle conversation and strained laughter. I smiled, genuinely...

Underneath the beaming white lights that illuminated the student body, senior Francesco Roveri—a speck among a vivacious sea of predominantly strangers—cheerfully joined the bright, lively roar of...

“Sandra, you look like a flower—so beautiful.” Although I stood in a crowded room, I whipped my head around toward the direction of the voice, slightly startled by the sound of my name. Quicky,...

From where I laid—on the floor of my room, adjacent to my window—not even a glimpse of what raged outside my window interfered with my vision. However, what my sight lacked, my hearing compensated...

One out of four teens is bullied. 5.4 million students stay home on any given day because they’re afraid of being bullied. Every seven minutes a child is bullied. Adult intervention = 4%. Peer...

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman more beautiful than Mama. That’s all that I could think about as I stood in the heart of the local market downtown. I was surrounded by a rainbow of food stacked...

Dear Damir, There’s been a crow outside my window for days. He won’t leave. I’ve tried everything; I even threw my pencil at it, and he barely flinched! What a silly bird, isn’t it? So dark...

As the clock strikes 10 a.m. in the budding hours of the morning, senior Jack Walls can be found cloistered in a remote room in the art department, solely surrounded by a few computers, an array of images,...

“Happy birthday Ivan! Make a wish.” My mother beamed, smiling from ear to ear. Circled around the graceless, worn table, delighted faces all stared towards me, waiting for the flames of the two...

I placed my hand over my chest to remind myself I was still alive, despite the fact that every thought racing through my head reeked of my demise, my death, and the end of anything I’ve ever loved. But,...

The subtle hum of a bird’s song did not wake me nor did the sun’s ascent, rather my eyes suddenly opened in response to a sharp crash that strained my body. The morning light leaked through the drab,...

Surrounded by a dynamic world that is always in motion, people often experience pivotal moments of change, whether it is intended or not. Everyone’s story of how the world morphed them is different,...

The pleasantly warm feeling of a new school year accompanied the atmosphere on most of my early, fall days. They were a mixture of unease and curiosity accompanied by a touch of humidity and an overbearing...

When World History teacher Brad Anderson thinks of the United States, his mind treks back to a time when his grandfathers risked their lives for a battle for their country, a time when his grandfathers...

Name: Taylor Baumgardner Grade: Sophomore Running for: Vice President 1. Why are you running? “I am running simply because I love school spirit. It means the world to me. I love doing everything...

With hands that weren’t fully grown yet, an imagination that stretched far above my head, and scuffed sneakers that were stained with the residue of my adventures, it was easy to believe in the future. My...

On May 15, the governor of Alabama reversed 46 years of history with a mere graze of her pen, signing off on a bill that bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy in the state. This bill directly challenges...

I distinctly recall walking through the doors of my elementary school one afternoon in the midst of recess and passing by a series of glass windows. In the hazy reflection of the windows, the faint image...

24 hours. In the midst of the bustling of everyday life—a delicate balance between school work and managing a personal sphere—sophomore Steven Ettinger devotes 24 hours of his week, at minimum,...

1. My mom It’s the oldest story in the book, why one loves his/her mom, but it’s something that I refuse to not acknowledge. Mom, people tell me that saying “I love you” too often will degrade...

Film: Taco Tuesday Producers: Haley Hamill, Kate Ryan, Haily Aldrich, and Meg Meekhof Interviewee: Haily Aldrich 1. What’s your film about? “Our film, Taco Tuesday, is about two boys named...

When the night falls, there’s a stillness in the air that is almost haunting. Inactivity and solitude replace all of the usual shufflings of bodies in my home. There are no doors opening, no stairs creaking....

When it comes down to how the school educates students about subjects that fall outside of the standard curriculum, senior Annie Seeber candidly concedes that she is grateful for such a phenomenal school. However,...

For as far as my memory dares to reach, fear has always propped an umbrella above my head, even when the sky was overwhelmingly a powdery, baby blue. It has forced me to remain in a corner, despite the...

"Back in sixth grade, I was playing football. I wasn’t very good, but I tried. [During the] second game of the season, there was a dog pile, and I started running to it, thinking I could help in some...

"I was adopted when I was a couple of months old from China, but I’m not sure what part [of China]. It’s not that different because I grew up here. It’s not like I was with somebody else, so I don’t...

7:10 am: I’ve been awake for twenty minutes, and my phone lights up. My various Snapchats greet me with a good morning. It’s comforting knowing that someone is thinking of you. It is only the onset...

As junior Ryan Snyder entered high school three years ago, there were moments when fear and intimidation lurked the hallways as he dwelled at the bottom of the high school hierarchy. Therefore, when...

Whenever I used to hold a pencil, a simple dance would transpire. With my fingers intertwined, fearlessly enveloping its wooden cast, the pencil became a part of my hand. I held onto it tightly, having...

The man’s day began before the sun’s. He dismounted himself from the warmth of his bed, quietly greeting the twilight instead of the dawn. Carelessly, he lit a small, hand-held candle to guide his...

*To purchase a picture, email kgeorge@fhps.net with your name, a description of the picture, and the location of it* As English teacher Ken George meandered down the hallway of another school approximately...

Dear future me, I hope you read this when you need to be reminded that it’s okay to listen to your heart. I want to briefly take you back to a moment when you ached for time to stop, when you yearned...

"This is kind of embarrassing, but one time in elementary school when I was in fifth grade I was out at recess. There was a big group of girls, and they were all talking and standing around. I was trying...

There was one specific moment when everything came together, almost as if a simple thought strung all of my disarrayed ruminations into a cohesive reflection, one that nearly devastated my spirit. Carrying...

Each day, many students sit in the perfectly aligned rows in their metal desks, confined to a stunted, impersonal space. Each day, many students shovel information into their minds, attempting to perfectly...

TCT reporter Amanda Bartolovic sat down for an interview yesterday with David Jangda, a clinical psychologist who works for FHPS. Her interview is the third story in The Central Trend's five-day series...

In the midst of a sea of green, eager, bantam feet surged towards an innocent rose. Each foot wobbled steadily through the garden, attempting not to crush any budding leaves, and soon, the distance...

When senior Gretchen Shull was asked how the theater department has influenced her life, she was merely left speechless. With a silent moment to articulate her thoughts, attempting to find the right words...

"I started flag football around first or second grade. One time, during my first [football] season, I had the ball, and I was running down [the field]. Then, my shoe came off. I stopped in the middle of...

The year was 1992, and it was the beginning of the end. Both of my parents, living life at an age only five years older than I am now, became entangled with the impending end. It wrapped itself around...

It began in the darkness, and it was there, in this barren chasm of the unknown, where I first recall coming face to face with fear’s unforgiving glare. It seems almost as if I shared my weariness...

With the theatre lights beaming onto the stage as the red curtain thrust open, junior Ambrose Hillman sat solely alone before the anticipated audience with a mixture of fear and excitement gnawing at his...

I can barely recall what it feels like to be alive. Although my memories hang delicately on a languished thread, some still remain, reminding me of the serenity that once profused beneath my feet. The...

Barricaded from the outside world, I stood behind my balcony door the other day. Although, it could’ve been any day because I find myself in this position often, staring into my backyard for a minute...

Among the several student-painted bricks that compose the wall of the Human Anatomy and Physiology (HAP) room, one innocently painted brick sends a subtle warning: “choose your cat wisely.” Waiting...

It is quite obvious that Katharine Kilalea has a way with words. With her collection of poems One Eye’d leigh, Kilalea first established her presence in the literary world as a poet, creating lively...

I once found my feet trudging along, almost involuntarily, with no particular destination down a narrow, gravel road. Where the road led to remained unknown, but I continued on anyway. Maybe it was the...

The ring of the first-hour bell initiates the beginning of sophomore Alaina Briggs’ school day. With a hazy mind that accompanies her early mornings, she takes pleasure in not having to put her brain...

After almost a dozen different cinematographic interpretations of Vincent van Gogh’s grim life, it's surprising to see director Julian Schnabel attempt to take on yet another perspective of the artist....

My existence is regularly plagued by the inevitability of time. I don’t notice it on most occasions, but my life has been fast-forwarding slightly quicker with each surpassing year. I’m embedded...

Whether it be during the swim, wrestling, or crew season, senior Jayla Williams finds herself retaining a placid status and laying low at times. However, when the time comes, and she catches a glimpse...

Alex Honnold has committed his life to one of the most life-threatening activities imaginable: free-soloing. In other terms, Alex Honnold is devoted to climbing mountains without any ropes, and in the...

I’ve found that the further I proceed in life, the more paradoxical my relationship with school becomes. Love and malice simultaneously gnaw on the corners of my days until the feelings blend together,...

Through junior Sammy Postlewait’s dedication to soccer and his newfound admiration towards wrestling, his undeniable love for sports can be easily discerned. Although he has devotion and an appreciation...

A connecting and beautiful gift. Around the table, media materials clerk Jaye Beeler and her family sit together, and this is how she views the food placed in front of them: a connecting and beautiful...

Whether it be their 2011 EP Woodland or their first album in 2013, The Paper Kites’ indie-folk music has always remained a timeless and warm sound in my playlists. My perception of the band’s music...

Mediocrity has always existed in the collection of moments that have created my life; it’s always been there, sitting next to me. It held my hand as I learned how to walk, whispering comforting words...

When asked what the school would be like without the custodial staff, principal Steve Passinault responded with a laugh—one that lasted for at least 15 seconds. To think of the school without the custodial...

Sharon Parmar and Lejla Tukelija- for being fearlessly you One paragraph will never be enough to describe all of the crazy adventures you guys have gone on with me and all of the love I have for both...