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The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

Elle Manning

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations

Elle is a junior entering her second year on the TCT staff. She loves to be busy doing everything from reading to sewing to playing Just Dance. At school she’s involved in cheerleading, tennis, and the book club, among various other activities. She’s recently begun to love movies and podcasts, as she has always enjoyed books and long TV series (notably: Lost, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, and Gossip Girl). If it isn’t clear by the fact that she’s tracked every outfit she’s worn throughout high school, fashion has fascinated her for as long as she can recall. Her favorite (and only) way to shop is thrifting, and in her spare time runs a Depop shop.

 

Dream Schools: Williams College and Georgetown University

Best place to buy birthday cake: Costco

Summer song that is still stuck in her head: “Drivin’ on 9” by The Breeders

Motto: “Nothing is embarrassing unless you make it embarrassing.”

All content by Elle Manning
A movie poster for Civil War foreshadowing the darkness, danger, and mystery of the film.

With extravagant cinematography and a direct storyline, A24’s Civil War presents viewers with the dystopian fate of the United States

Elle Manning, Staff Writer October 7, 2024

Reflecting the tumultuous state of the United States in the early 2020s, Alex Garland’s Civil War depicts the country’s demise.  Set in the near-future, the U.S. has split into factions, with the...

XCX and Sivan under the lights, mid-performance, on their 2024 Sweat Tour.

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour: my all-encompassing guide to the appropriately named rave

Elle Manning, Staff Writer October 3, 2024

Kicking off her joint tour with pop star Troye Sivan, Charli XCX showed us that, yes, she is all about throwing parties. Releasing her first full album in 2013, Charli XCX is no stranger to the music...

The graduating class of 2024 performing their senior lip sync with the theme of "the wild west."

As FHC continues its annual tradition of homecoming lip syncs, student participation is crucial

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations September 26, 2024

As an upperclassman, many find freshman year to have been regrettable.  From not taking enough of the “right” classes to not spending enough of that now coveted free time with friends or even just...

Haga and Assistant Principal John DeStefano at the Senior Cookout this fall.

Whether grilling with students or establishing the systems for their classroom successes, love for leadership has brought Principal Jonathan Haga to CHS

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations September 19, 2024

Born and raised in Chicago, Principal Jonathan Haga “lost the war” to his wife upon moving from the bustling city to suburban Michigan, where she is originally from. Haga—a proud Chicago Bears fan...

The movie poster for Descendants: Rise of Red, featuring Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker.

Although as an installment in the Descendants franchise, Descendants: The Rise of Red falls short, on its own, its flaws could be overlooked

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations September 9, 2024

“I'm ba-ack!” cried Maleficent in the original Descendants’s iconic scene as she crashed Auradon’s coronation ceremony.  Now, in 2024, Descendants: The Rise of Red seems to proclaim a similar...

Jenny Humphrey, played by Taylor Momsen, in her teen years, as she is becoming a popular Upper East Side girl.

Was Jenny Humphrey really the stylistic mastermind Gossip Girl made her out to be?

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations September 5, 2024

Contains mild spoilers from the first to fourth seasons of Gossip Girl.  As a devoted Gossip Girl viewer and fellow fashion enthusiast, it makes perfect sense that I would love Jenny Humphrey.  Unfortunately,...

Embarrassment, Anxiety, Envy, and Ennui, the new additions to the Inside Out 2 cast of characters.

Pixar’s Inside Out 2 gives audiences an interior look at what it’s like to grow up—starting with the emotions behind it all

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations September 2, 2024

Recently, Pixar’s popularity has been waning.  Elemental, Lightyear, Turning Red, and Luca—all Pixar films released in the past three years—have underperformed at the box office. Whether due...

The movie poster for Turtles All the Way Down, featuring Isabela Merced and Cree Cicchino.

Turtles All the Way Down was all it needed to be: an ample adaptation of John Green’s novel

Elle Manning, Managing Editor of Operations August 26, 2024

John Green has the ability, more than virtually any other young adult author, to capture the teenage experience accurately.  Although some of his novels are arguably much lower quality than others...

Some images of Charlotte from the 2003 film, Lost in Translation.

Lost in translation like Charlotte

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 31, 2024

I wonder if what I write makes sense.  The words might read scattered; arbitrary whims that fill the page so that they sound like something coherent.  This is true in general and true for me, but...

Steve Labenz and his date at their prom dance in 1982.

As Steve Labenz closes out his 26th year at FHC, the (life) lessons he has taught will stick with his current and former students

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 31, 2024

Being one of FHC’s most beloved teachers, it may be surprising to learn that, as a teenager, Steve Labenz hated school.  While he had a few exceptional instructors, the majority were simply awful....

Me in February of this year, midway through my sophomore year.

Still 16, not really clumsy, and not shy either (just reserved)

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 29, 2024

300,000 items. 47% of toys and children's books. 1.2 trillion dollars.  Sophomore year has gone well.  It has gone stressfully, exasperatingly, quickly. I just wore the same dress I wore when...

The greenery that appeared out of nowhere and now covers Michigan.

Saturday thoughts from my deck

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 23, 2024

Sunscreen feels like melting wax slathered across my skin and smells like the 4th of July.  I avoid touching any pristine piece of furniture despite my inclination to plop down on the dark gray couch....

The album cover to WILLOW's latest album, empathogen, featuring her with a wide-open smile.

WILLOW’s seventh album, empathogen, showcases her creative nature and transcendental lyricism

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 21, 2024

WILLOW’s music has never particularly stuck out to me.   When it was omnipresent in 2021, I casually respected “Meet Me At Our Spot!” by THE ANXIETY—a duo composed of WILLOW and Tyler Cole....

An image of my friend and I at a playground (third place).

How the third place deficit bolsters teenager’s chronically online habits

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 17, 2024

Gen Z, as a whole, is chronically online.  While this might not be true of every single individual in the population, in the United States specifically, it’s undoubtedly a general trend.  In...

One of Eva's senior pictures with her horse, Thirsty, that she rides.

Senior Eva Harshman has found her home in the words and wisdom of Room 139

Elle Manning, Staff Writer May 3, 2024

Eva Harshman, Editor-In-Chief of The Central Trend, began her writing journey with partially made-up personal narratives.  An avid storyteller by the ripe age of a first grader, she used the elementary...

The playlist cover from one of my happier-leaning playlists.

“Happy” music recommendations for when Spotify’s fall flat

Elle Manning, Staff Writer April 25, 2024

I’ve come to find that, as much as I may enjoy listening to sad music, it's usually not for me.  However, in attempts to find more non-sad music to listen to, I struggled because I naturally enjoy...

Girl in red's 2024 album cover for "IM DOING IT AGAIN BABY!", depicting her running in front of a sign advertising the release.

Girl in red abandons the “alternative” in alternative pop with her latest album, I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!

Elle Manning, Staff Writer April 25, 2024

It’s natural that, as she has changed from being an unknown Norwegian artist to a well-established singer with two complete albums under her belt, girl in red’s musical sound has shifted. However,...

The 84,729 minutes I listened to (sad) music in 2023.

Stop listening to sad music

Elle Manning, Staff Writer April 23, 2024

For over a year, I defined my music taste as sad.  I kicked off the beginning of 2023 with Mitski and concluded it by shuffling Cigarette After Sex’s discography in the fall. In the middle, “Chinese...

Senior Mary Kate Dean is eagerly entering her freshman year at Cornerstone University.

To optimize her university years, senior Mary Kate Dean is diligently preparing for next fall’s stirring shift

Elle Manning, Staff Writer April 18, 2024

Excited to abandon the humdrum commotion of high school, senior Mary Kate Dean is enthusiastically preparing to enter the next phase of her life as a college freshman.  “I’m really excited for...

The cover image for "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."

Publicizing the untold stories of Nickelodeon, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” fuels a craze for the network’s captivating corruption

Elle Manning, Staff Writer April 9, 2024

Logically, it would make sense that kids' TV shows would foster safe working environments designed to protect the child actors on set.  In spite of this obvious conclusion, Nickelodeon has the exact...

A sunset that felt like the hospitable ambiance I am attempting to bring to my metaphorical forest.

The words that compose my vocabulary: hospitable

Elle Manning, Staff Writer March 25, 2024

Unfamiliarity is woven within her racket strings and hair-sprayed braids.  Suddenly, she is no longer timid, not the youngest, and not seeking social instruction. She entered each season with lofty...

Lauren Lutz (pictured low middle) has gained many new friends and experiences through cheer.

[Photo] By playing tennis and joining the cheer team, Lauren Lutz has discovered the art of spontaneity

Maylee Ohlman, Staff Writer March 25, 2024

Lauren Lutz (pictured low middle) has gained many new friends and experiences through cheer.

New to FHC this school year, Mr. Start teaches Biology and Forensic Science.

Science teacher Christopher Start encourages students to be open to the assorted avenues of life

Elle Manning, Staff Writer March 18, 2024

While not having a clear favorite between the two classes he teaches at FHC, Christopher Start can reflect fondly on his minimal time at the school thus far.  New to FHC this year, Start has worked...

The album cover of Polachek's album, "Desire, I Want To Turn Into You: Everasking Edition."

Caroline Polachek offers a romantic, utopian avant-pop album with “Desire, I Want To Turn Into You: Everasking Edition”

Elle Manning, Staff Writer March 11, 2024

The pop music industry has been overtaken by vapid, monotonous humming. Aspiring stars’ voices are warped to sound illusory, warbling uninspiring words that appear computer-generated.  In the...

Me at age six with the beloved doll who substituted my future dollhouse family.

The words that compose my vocabulary: dollhouse

Elle Manning, Staff Writer March 8, 2024

There was once a mischievous girl who was my closest confidant.  She fabricated enough narratives to account for the both of us, sometimes for my benefit, but other times to deceive me.  She spun...

The cover of Spears's autobiography, "The Woman in Me."

Britney Spears’s “The Woman in Me” offers up a collection of fragmentary thoughts that, despite their lack of emotional depth, hook the reader

Elle Manning, Staff Writer March 4, 2024

Britney Spears’s autobiography, The Woman in Me, was an amateurly compiled collection of thoughts. Though I wasn’t initially planning on reading Spears’s self-written story, after stumbling across...

An image from Taylor Swift's music video for "The Man," depicting Taylor Swift as a man, being praised in the workplace.

Is Taylor Swift an activist? Debates around the singer evoke passionate opinions in FHC students

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 26, 2024

Have you ever hated someone so much that you wish you could travel back to the Renaissance, have them locked into a pillory, and throw tomatoes at them? For junior Sully Lower, this fantasy may sound...

The three different Sanrio x Crocs styles released in the 2024 50th anniversary collection.

The Sanrio x Crocs collection fell flat—and not because of the clogs’ hazardous heels

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 21, 2024

Perhaps one of the most merchandised franchises in the world, Sanrio, has marketed virtually every item imaginable. Their popular characters—including Hello Kitty, My Melody, and Kuromi—have found...

A picture I took after cheering at the first football game of the season last fall.

The words that compose my vocabulary: chaos

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 21, 2024

Each autumn, I begin to run out of time.  At fifteen, the fall progressively overtook the sweltering summer—unfit for the rigid school schedule—and, in the transition, my memories melted and chaos...

Adrienne spending time outdoors in the bright sunshine

Through travels and times with family, Adrienne Latunski has discovered her love for the outdoors

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 13, 2024

Being a lover of the outdoors, junior Adrienne Latunski tries to maximize her time spent outside as much as possible.  “Mainly, [being active and outside] makes me feel happy and better about myself...

Blizzard snow coating a street I was walking down this winter.

The words that compose my vocabulary: contrast

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 8, 2024

First being introduced to the song, the sound waves crashed against the walls of the car, louder than I would’ve played music on my own.  My memory has clouded since, but my photo library tells me...

A screenshot of my favorite Pinterest board (it's full of random photos I love)

I love Pinterest… but it needs improvement

Elle Manning, Staff Writer February 6, 2024

I am obsessed with Pinterest.  As my bio states, “This is where I live.”  Each week, looking at my screen time, my most used app is virtually always Pinterest.  As such a big Pinterest...

A mixture of stylish, chic clothing items that are similar to outfit components of numerous FHC students

FHC’s most fashionable can be seen walking the halls with unique, individualistic styles

Elle Manning, Staff Writer January 29, 2024

Even though opting for comfort over dressing up is a commonality around FHC, within the school, numerous students love to express themselves with varying styles and clothing choices.  For junior Alex...

Me, at age seven.

The words that compose my vocabulary: simplicity

Elle Manning, Staff Writer January 26, 2024

Thirty pairs of scattered shoes, only a few matched up with their corresponding pair, litter the spacious entryway.  I add my obnoxiously neon slides to the group, but make sure mine are positioned...

A picture of the recreation of the iconic Mean Girls dance in the 2024 film

Hollywood needs to stop producing subpar musical movies

Elle Manning, Staff Writer January 22, 2024

I used to love musicals.  Now, I enjoy watching them. In person. In movie format, however, not so much.  When new musical film adaptations are released in theaters, I will generally go to watch...

Addison Sanford posing with Bob, her half-Arabian Gelding Companion

Addison Sanford has made her way into horse showing alongside her experienced companion—the half-Arabian gelding, Bob

Elle Manning, Staff Writer January 17, 2024

Junior Addison Sanford has always known that horses held the top spot as her favorite animal.  Beginning at age five, Addison has been immersed in the world of horse riding, and, at 14 years old, she...

A few photos of me being social and having fun so far in 2024

The words that compose my vocabulary: optimization

Elle Manning, Staff Writer January 12, 2024

The more years pass me by, the shorter each of them seems. As a child, a year felt like a lifetime. 365 days made up an immense period that millions of distinguishable activities and events could fill....

one of my favorite moments and photos from my 2023.

[Photo] My life playlist: “New Year’s Day”

Autumn VanSolkema, Staff Writer January 12, 2024

one of my favorite moments and photos from my 2023.

A screenshot of my wintertime playlist

This December it’s time to appreciate winter music—not Christmas music

Elle Manning, Junior Writer December 14, 2023

It seems that winter holidays are held on a pedestal when compared to any other celebrations during the year. Specifically, in the United States, Christmas is brought to the forefront of the media even...

One example of the aesthetic slideshows that slidesgo.com provides

Plain white slideshows with Arial font are horrible and need to be forever replaced

Elle Manning, Junior Writer December 8, 2023

In the past three months, I have had to do more presentations than I ever have had in my entire academic career.  It seems that in virtually every class, I have been required to present assignments...

Senior Sofia Terry posing for a beachside photograph for her senior photos.

By imagining the empty walls of FHC as a blank canvas, Sofia Terry furthers her passion for art

Elle Manning, Junior Writer December 5, 2023

Senior Sofia Terry has painted equations, planets, and windows, among other seemingly random objects, to make FHC hallways a bit brighter.  As a sophomore, Sofia began attending FHC’s art club meetings...

My friend Ella and I in seventh grade when I was obsessed with both musicals and Ariana Grande (and wore my hair in high ponytails)

I am further dissociating from my middle school self

Elle Manning, Junior Writer November 30, 2023

I, like the majority of children, had seemingly random obsessions on which I fixated as a child.  To clarify, by childhood, I mean the years between third and eighth grade, otherwise known to some...

TCT's Countless Thanks 2023: Elle Manning

TCT’s Countless Thanks 2023: Elle Manning

Elle Manning, Junior Writer November 21, 2023

To Ella Peirce, for being the Taylor Swift to my Lana Del Rey I’m so glad that I can say that we have been best friends since kindergarten. You’ve really been there for every single thing I’ve...

Protagonist Cami Conway and one of her love interests, Rex Galier

Choose Love made me want to choose to leave

Elle Manning, Junior Writer November 16, 2023

Do not watch Choose Love. Recently, in attempts to stay relevant, Netflix has been attempting to make its content more interesting for viewers through entertainment additions such as interactive films. Having...

The Hispanic foods that members made at a previous Spanish Club meeting

FHC’s Spanish Club has created a small community through shared interest in Hispanic culture

Elle Manning, Junior Writer November 14, 2023

Within FHC, a new club has joined the extensive variety of groups that already regularly meet: The Spanish Club, which gathers every other Tuesday within the school and during the off-weeks outside of...

I photo I forced my friend to take of my pink UGG boots

I miss fall even though it’s technically not yet gone

Elle Manning, Junior Writer November 9, 2023

Simply, the weather is flawless.  The season of autumn brings the superlative tiny time slot when the crisped tree leaves drop and the sun emerges just enough so that we don’t grow tired of it.  I...

The album artwork of boygenius's new EP

“The rest” by boygenius brings fans far out into space

Elle Manning, Junior Staff Writer November 2, 2023

Boygenius is the next leading trio in the music industry. The group consists of three well-known indie artists: Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. As a trio, the group released their first...

Senior Katie Cushman smiling for the camera

Katie Cushman has found her voice through the lyrical language of ASL

Elle Manning, Junior Staff Writer October 31, 2023

Senior Katie Cushman knew that Spanish would not work for her.  An abundance of students choose to go the route of a spoken word language when enrolling in classes. However, Katie knew that the latter...

Marilyn Monroe in the famous 1962 dress

Should current celebrities be allowed to wear famous and historic pieces of clothing?

Elle Manning, Junior Writer October 17, 2023

It is common knowledge that clothing trends cycle every few decades. Maybe you’ve been shopping for back-to-school clothes at the mall and noticed the display windows stocked with Y2K clothing like low-waisted...

Mitski's latest album, The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We

Mitski’s new album perfectly encapsulates the ambiance of fall

Elle Manning, Junior Writer October 11, 2023

My first impression of Mitski’s discography was that she created strange but catchy, music.  Initially, I stumbled upon her exquisite works during the early months of 2022. One of her most popular...

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