Skip to Main Content
  • October 2311/3: Senior Dinner Dance
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

Gabi Dykema

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer

Gabi will be entering her second year on staff this upcoming year. Last year, she was The Central Trend’s Director of Public Relations. In the future, she plans on majoring in either journalism or English, and four out of six of her classes next year will be to improve my writing skills. She has played on the girl’s varsity golf team for two years, which has helped her become mentally tough. It’s unlikely there’s something she's not involved in, participating in Boost, Diversity Club, and National Honors Society. Just like PR for The Central Trend, she has also raised awareness as well as money at the annual charity basketball game since freshman year, from the Purple Game to the transition to the Red Game. She was chosen to be an FHC ambassador for welcoming visitors to the school and showing them around. She's more than excited to get in more writing experience with her Central Trend family and can't wait for you to read her classmate's amazing material.

  • Favorite thing about being on staff:

I love the feeling of acceptance that is always present. We never seem to have issues with each other and every day I walk into this room knowing we’re going to have fun. The staff is so hardworking and unique that we all bring interesting aspects to the table and all of my classmates are extraordinary writers and people.

  • Favorite type of story to write:

 I love writing columns and am so excited to finally be a columnist as a senior on staff. Back-to-back opinion articles are also fun to write, which basically are structured, friendly arguments with another staff writer.

  • Extracurricular activities/sports:

Golf, NHS, Boost, Global Leaders Initiative.

  • Hobbies/Interests:

Creative writing, baking, telling jokes, and running.

  • Favorite book and why:

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, we read it in AP Lang and I’ve loved it ever since. The message it sends and the story are so moving that I wanted to read it again right after (and it’s a very long 600 page book).

  • If it is Friday night, you will most likely find Gabi:

Hanging out with my two best friends, Amber Cargill and Novi Dosanjh. You never know what kind of crazy things we’ll do when we’re together!

All content by Gabi Dykema
An Elevator Ride to Remember

An Elevator Ride to Remember

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 19, 2016

I remember my first time sneaking onto the elevator. I remember the rush I felt as I furiously pressed the button for floor two, praying that a teacher wouldn’t emerge from the swarm of kids in the hallway...

Dave Mills to be Inducted into FHC Athletic Hall of Fame

Dave Mills to be Inducted into FHC Athletic Hall of Fame

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 10, 2016

  As preparation begins for the second annual FHC Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 13th, inductee Dave Mills, current gym teacher and wrestling assistant, has been sporting an especially...

To My Fellow Seniors

To My Fellow Seniors

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer April 15, 2016

When people ask if you feel any different on your birthday, you could respond in multiple ways. You could tell them that you do, that the new year (which in reality, is just another day) feels different,...

Please, I beg of you, do NOT go see Allegiant.

Please, I beg of you, do NOT go see Allegiant.

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer March 25, 2016

Allegiant hit theaters this past Friday, March 18th, and it seems that all the last installment of the Divergent trilogy brought to viewers was disappointment and wasted time. For many fans of the...

Thank You Dad, For Everything You've Taught Me

Thank You Dad, For Everything You’ve Taught Me

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer March 17, 2016

Hi, Dad. I always find it strange when you’re out of town somehow, no matter how often it happens, and I’ve begun to realize why exactly that is. When I come home every day from a day at school,...

Boys Basketball Defeats Northern

Boys Basketball Defeats Northern

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer March 9, 2016

“I believe that we just won! I believe that we just won!!”   The loud chanting and clapping became overwhelming from the excited Forest Hills Central students and echoed in the gym as they...

Everything You Need to Know About the Presidential Candidates

Everything You Need to Know About the Presidential Candidates

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer March 4, 2016

Republican Party Name: Donald Trump Slogan: “Make America Great Again” Experience: None as a politician until his campaign, but he’s an experienced businessman who has made billions. Need-to-Know...

6 Ways to Stay Happy

6 Ways to Stay Happy

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer February 26, 2016

I’ve been thinking a lot about happiness. How we attain it, why it comes to us, and what we all can do to help others get a little bit more of it. I know that it’s not the kind of thing someone can...

Deadpool Review

Deadpool Review

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer February 19, 2016

When I tell you Deadpool is the movie that we, or at least I, have been waiting for, I’m not kidding. Quite honestly, I didn’t expect to find myself sitting in a theatre on Valentine’s Day watching...

Sisters Sydney (left) and Kayley Reynolds.

Reynolds’ Road to Recovery

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer February 12, 2016

While many skiers soar down the slopes as FHC races against teams, one member of the FHC girls ski team cheers on her teammates at the finish line. One of the team’s most promising incoming skiers, freshman...

Hope is a Thing With Feathers

Hope is a Thing With Feathers

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer February 7, 2016

Emily Dickinson once said, “Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul,” but for me, it was a sun conure perched in a cage next to my room’s window. His name is Vin Diesel, and he’s...

Finding The Perfect Roommate: A Guide

Finding The Perfect Roommate: A Guide

Gabi Dykema, Director of Public Relations January 21, 2016

So, you’ve made it into college. The search for your future home has ended; the acceptance letters have been sifted through and college visits with your parents that seem to never end are over. Your...

What I Took With Me

What I Took With Me

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer January 14, 2016

Every day, I put each foot into a pair of shoes just like everyone else here. I walk through the halls and every day, I see the same faces staring back at me. I’ll bet you that I’m the only one that...

Spectre Review

Spectre Review

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer December 15, 2015

There isn’t a person alive that can honestly say that they don’t get at least slightly more excited upon hearing the James Bond theme song. In every generation, there is admiration for the beloved...

The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 2 Preview

The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 2 Preview

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer December 15, 2015

The highly anticipated fourth installment The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 has joined the films that have dominated the movie screens as of late, with another James Bond film, Spectre and a sequel...

Shining Light In Different Places: Spotlight Review

Shining Light In Different Places: Spotlight Review

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer December 14, 2015

In 2001, Spotlight was a team of journalists working for The Boston Globe that were tasked with small scandals up until they uncovered one of the biggest modern day scandals happening in Boston that uncovered...

Animal Advocacy Club Arrives at FHC

Animal Advocacy Club Arrives at FHC

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer December 13, 2015

A variety of students in high spirits gathered in an open classroom after being relocated twice from where they had initially planned on meeting in the Pat Hartsoe’s room, known to most as the health...

A Much Needed Sniffing of the Roses

A Much Needed Sniffing of the Roses

Gabi Dykema, Director of Public Relations December 3, 2015

They say take time to smell the roses, but I don’t think I have ever fully understood what that means until now. I’ve gone my whole life dwelling on the negatives that I think it’s hard sometimes...

Alan Moore: Ski Coach and Triathlon Competitor Extraordinaire

Alan Moore: Ski Coach and Triathlon Competitor Extraordinaire

Gabi Dykema November 24, 2015

Not many can say that say that they have the endurance to swim one mile in the open ocean, bike nineteen miles through the jungle, climb 3,800 feet, run six miles through the jungle, and finish up with...

Sophomore Madison Donley verbally commits to Northwestern for soccer

Sophomore Madison Donley verbally commits to Northwestern for soccer

Gabi Dykema November 6, 2015

While many underclassmen are beginning to feel pressure that the heavy workload of the high school brings, one sophomore has an extra incentive to work harder. That sophomore is Madison Donley, who verbally...

Junior Drew Bailey Verbally Commits to Division One Cleveland State for Lacrosse

Junior Drew Bailey Verbally Commits to Division One Cleveland State for Lacrosse

Gabi Dykema November 3, 2015

While most seniors are scrambling to do applications and meet deadlines of their desired colleges, junior Drew Bailey has made the tough decision himself; For him, however, it means more than just higher...

Sophie Bolen: Professional actress from FHC

Sophie Bolen: Professional actress from FHC

Gabi Dykema October 29, 2015

That vacant seat next to you in class may be someone who’s out sick or has an appointment, but for the classmates of Sophie Bolen, the reason for her absence is far more extraordinary: Bolen leads a...

Bridge of Spies Review

Bridge of Spies Review

Gabi Dykema October 27, 2015

Critically renowned since it came out, Bridge of Spies immerses us in the somber feeling that the Cold War brought to both nations involved. Tom Hanks plays Jim Donovan, a lawyer who is given and takes...

Official Transcript: Forest Hills Public Schools.

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer October 6, 2015

“They” say that I’m a fairly well-rounded student, bound to be considered more highly over other applicants. I’m not quite sure who they are, but this anonymous voice has made the piece of paper...

The Martian: Movie of the Light Year

The Martian: Movie of the Light Year

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer October 6, 2015

I had heard glowing reviews of a new movie starring Matt Damon about a man who is left alone on Mars to fend for himself, but  couldn’t fathom of how a movie with a plot that seemed so restricting...

Start Spreading the News: Newsies Broadway is a Must-See

Start Spreading the News: Newsies Broadway is a Must-See

Gabi Dykema September 24, 2015

Newsies took to the stage for its first appearance Tuesday night in the Devos Performance Hall. Based on real-life events that occurred in New York around 1899 and on, the touring performance debuted in...

An Unbreakable Bond

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer September 21, 2015

We met on the first day of fifth grade, both nervous for our first days at a new school. She had came from a different system, while I had been transferred from the elementary nearby that ended at fourth...

Home Base at the Ballpark

Home Base at the Ballpark

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer September 2, 2015

Ever since I was a young girl, the Whitecaps had been a safe haven for me. I remember coming to countless games as a kid with my best friend from childhood because her dad worked there. The vibrant atmosphere,...

Having Tenacity in Life’s Complications

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer June 8, 2015

On Saturday morning, my mom delivered some news to my brother and I that left us with gaping mouths and wide eyes, staring at each other. My uncle, who had been in critical condition in the hospital, had...

Maru Sushi Review

Maru Sushi Review

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer June 3, 2015
Prepare to be immersed into Ju's hip, funky atmosphere and experience their unparalleled sushi and grill options
In "Hot Pursuit" of My Money Back

In “Hot Pursuit” of My Money Back

Gabi Dykema, Professional Dinker June 2, 2015

Despite an all-star cast, with female duo Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon, and a plot with potential, this movie’s brief 87-minute run time even seems to drag on as the movie progresses. Surprisingly...

Here’s Why I Don’t Measure My Success by Failures

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer June 1, 2015
Check in every Monday to read Gabi's weekly column, Morose Mondays!

High School Dating: It’ll Happen Either Way

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 29, 2015
High school is a period of every adolescents life in which they are not yet an adult, but are given responsibilities and opportunities that were not yet available to them in their preteen and toddler years. The first to come to one’s mind may be driving a car, getting a job, and applying to college. But there is another topic under observation that has been around since your parents were your age.

School Culture Can Take a Hike

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 29, 2015

How does the school’s culture improve when the students who want to participate will, but the students who are reluctant do not? You cannot force school culture upon our student body, because those that...

Pulling Strings and Knocking on Wood

Gabi Dykema May 28, 2015

Geneva, Igor, Ellie and Phil Collins sit next to each other silently, facing forward. Each of them is eagerly awaiting a particular someone to come join them shortly. That certain someone is Joshua Kooistra...

The Martha Stewart Stigma

The Martha Stewart Stigma

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 28, 2015
"The stigma behind having baking as a hobby is, simply put, that most people have trouble putting on the apron and getting out the whisk for fear of looking like a 40-year-old Martha Stewart. With these stigmas, these boundaries, however, we are preventing ourselves from learning valuable life lessons that only hours passed in the kitchen can teach us."
My Soft Pretzel Predicament

My Soft Pretzel Predicament

Gabi Dykema, Staff Writer May 26, 2015

  As I eagerly walked into the lunchroom one Monday afternoon, I was paused momentarily by confusion; the larger, average pretzels had been replaced by ones half the size. I continued to grab two...

Load More Stories