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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

Karisah Watkins-Martin, staff writer

Karisah is entering her 2nd year of the staff. In her spare time, she enjoys browsing Amazon for the newest season Michael Kors collection and spending the money she doesn’t have. She also has a undeniable passion for makeup and enjoys waking up at 3 in the morning to try a new makeup look. Next year, she will be attending Michigan State, where she will share a pink, sparkly dorm room with her twin sister. She will be majoring in marketing, hoping to become a marketing manager of a high-end beauty or fashion brand. She also hopes to continue showcasing her passion for writing by joining the school newspaper.

All content by Karisah Watkins-Martin
Save the Heartbreak: High School Dating isn’t worth it

Save the Heartbreak: High School Dating isn’t worth it

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer April 19, 2016

First comes ‘love’...then comes the twitter fight, hashtags and all...then comes the the facebook official breakup. True love and high school are two words that simply contradict each other. For...

Gilmore Girls: More than just the answer to your Netflix withdrawals

Gilmore Girls: More than just the answer to your Netflix withdrawals

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer March 22, 2016

It’s inevitable. If you’re a Netflix watcher, surely you’ll understand. There's always that gap; you know, when you finish binge-watching a series and then suddenly that show that took up an hour...

Putting things into Perspective

Putting things into Perspective

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer March 15, 2016

As my senior year comes to an end, an air of nostalgia and deep sadness has seemed to suddenly pass over me. Like a tidal wave... rushing over me all too fast and suddenly sucking all of the oxygen out...

Beloved: The book that makes you question your morals

Beloved: The book that makes you question your morals

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer March 8, 2016

At 7 pm, I made my way to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book for AP Lit. When I handed the little red-bound book to the curly haired clerk, she looked at the title before looking up to examine my face....

Speaking through their Art: Michael Trapp and Jackie Wrase qualify for Regionals in the MAEA

Speaking through their Art: Michael Trapp and Jackie Wrase qualify for Regionals in the MAEA

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer March 1, 2016

Walking down the winding corridor, your eyes feast on the five figures dancing on the walls. A rich array of pinks and blues fill the inner outline of the characters, metamorphosing the once dull grey...

The Danger in Censoring our History

The Danger in Censoring our History

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer February 23, 2016

One foggy night under a cloud of darkness and mysteria, 5 booksellers disappeared. And while the preceding sentence may seem like the opening to a Nancy Drew Novel, this sadly proves to be the reality...

"The Help" tells an ugly story in a beautiful way

“The Help” tells an ugly story in a beautiful way

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer February 9, 2016

The Help: a safe film about a controversial topic. It tells the tale of our haunting past, one full of hatred and revulsion. It is able to tell an ugly story in a beautifully moving way. The story...

Babies, not Barbies

Babies, not Barbies

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer February 2, 2016

Play-doh resembles a young child. Both dynamic and vibrant with their loud oranges and vivid reds; yet, so fragile in the sense that when you stretch it too far, it tends to break, as the once whole string...

GLI Club: All You Need Is Love

GLI Club: All You Need Is Love

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer January 22, 2016

All you need is love. The Global Leaders Initiative Club works to teach people to be accepting, to simply love one another and appreciate the beautiful uniqueness that resides in each one of us. To bring...

99.9% Of Our Genes Are Exactly The Same...

99.9% Of Our Genes Are Exactly The Same…

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer January 19, 2016

Human beings have existed for 250 thousand years. During that time, 90 billion individuals have lived and died. You’re one of 7 billion people now on the planet, and 99.9 percent of your genes are the...

Who are we to judge one's creativity?

Who are we to judge one’s creativity?

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer December 18, 2015

Grand Rapids resembles that of a painting canvas - one streaked with vibrant blues and yellows. Walking through the city, your eyes observe the 100 foot tile mural of a woman, her skin a glowing orange...

Hartsoe's DIVE into Education: A Summary of Her 28 Years at FHC

Hartsoe’s DIVE into Education: A Summary of Her 28 Years at FHC

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer December 15, 2015

Pat Hartsoe was a water baby. She spent the entirety of her childhood in the water; everything around her remained still and all that could be heard was the the muffled chatter that reverberated throughout...

The Meditation Club: Nurturing the Soul at 7 AM every Tuesday and Thursday

The Meditation Club: Nurturing the Soul at 7 AM every Tuesday and Thursday

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer December 11, 2015

“It’s worth it,” Joey Hartert stated. According to Hartert, sacrificing an extra thirty minutes of sleep and trading the warmth of his duvet for the army-green wrestling mats every Tuesday and...

Bleeding Green and White: From Ranger to Spartan Territory

Bleeding Green and White: From Ranger to Spartan Territory

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer December 4, 2015

When I tell people that I only applied to one college, their face usually pales and their eyes become as big as saucers. “Why Michigan State?” They ask me, to which I respond, “ Michigan State feels...

The Blind Side: the modern Cinderella Story

The Blind Side: the modern Cinderella Story

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer November 21, 2015

Watching The Blind Side is an experience that parallels standing along the sidelines and viewing a game of football. You can’t help but cheer when things go well, cry and curse when they don't, and be...

Nurturing the soul through Nursing: The story of Kiana Bauss

Nurturing the soul through Nursing: The story of Kiana Bauss

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer November 12, 2015

“When I was five, I carried around my safety kit and loved putting band-aids on everyone and everything,” says junior Kiana Bauss. She chuckles as she reminisces on her earlier days; the ones when...

What the Zoo has taught me...

What the Zoo has taught me…

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer November 6, 2015

One sticky July afternoon, my family took a trip to the zoo. The sweltering heat from that day lingers in the back of my mind; the muggy air had a heavy presence and seemed rather suffocating. I remember...

Out with the Old, In with the New: New Semester Grading System

Out with the Old, In with the New: New Semester Grading System

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff writer October 29, 2015

With the crisp autumn air and the familiar sound of shuffling students through the hallways comes the premise for a new grading system. "Out with the old and in the with the new" is the mantra that FHC...

The Hidden Jewel of Centerpointe Mall: The Red Olive

The Hidden Jewel of Centerpointe Mall: The Red Olive

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer October 22, 2015

We are all familiar with that one restaurant. The one we tend to overlook, and despite how many times we make a promise to try, always end up venturing into the restaurant on the other side. I would make...

Can you Buy a Love for Learning?

Can you Buy a Love for Learning?

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer October 15, 2015

In the 21st century, it is becoming more and more apparent that our world revolves around the concept of the dollar bill. Our society has become engulfed in an incessant cycle that depends solely on money....

How I Met Your Mother: So Much More Than A Silly S itcom

How I Met Your Mother: So Much More Than A Silly S itcom

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer October 8, 2015

Can a bad ending ruin a whole series? The correct answer is no. One ending that seems to leave the viewers with a bitter taste in the back of their throats is not enough to taint the image of a television...

Hannah Ploof: Student by morning, lab assistant by afternoon

Hannah Ploof: Student by morning, lab assistant by afternoon

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer October 1, 2015

Average high school student in the morning, lab assistant in the afternoon. For senior Hannah Ploof, her final year at FHC will consist of her playing a role similar to Superman. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.,...

Girls Cross Country Team places first at OK White Conference Jamboree

Girls Cross Country Team places first at OK White Conference Jamboree

Karisah Watkins-Martin September 24, 2015

The sound of muffled cries and victorious sobs filled Gainey Athletic Complex on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Forest Hills Central girls cross country team placed first out of the six teams competing...

Varsity Dance Team Loses Seniors but Gains New Talent

Karisah Watkins-Martin September 2, 2015

Out with the old and in with the new. That is the mantra that the varsity dance team has chosen to echo throughout their upcoming season. While many sports teams might look at the absence of their previous...

The new Tanger Outlets is located in Byron Center.

Tanger Outlets Mall disappoints shoppers

"It's not really an outlet. It's just another mall." These words slipped out of the mouth of a middle aged woman, one bearing a disappointed expression as she hurriedly walked past all the stores, her...

Student Council Presidents

                      Tim Spurlin                                Bennett Hendricks                       Ellie Matelic     Class...

The Twenty-first Century: Why Online Classes are the Future

The Twenty-first Century: Why Online Classes are the Future

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer June 2, 2015

The twentieth century. A place of technological feats and revolutionary triumphs. A world that revolves around the power of a keyboard and the click of a button. The inexorable parade of new advances is...

Save The Heartbreak

Save The Heartbreak

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer May 28, 2015

True love and high school are two words that contradict each other. For some reason each of these words said in the same sentence leaves a vile and bitter aftertaste at the tip of your tongue. Adults fall...

The iron-winged butterflies: A story told by the sister who lived.

The iron-winged butterflies: A story told by the sister who lived.

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer May 26, 2015

In The Time of The Butterflies is deemed an immortal novel. A book that defies the constraints of time and lives on, despite being written in the 1960’s. Julia Alvarez manifested a timeless novel,...

Pause Before Posting

Pause Before Posting

Karisah Watkins-Martin, Staff Writer May 26, 2015

  Students spend four years of their life trying to make themselves appear perfect. They routinely sprint through jam-packed daily schedules, tackling big servings of academic work plus giant heaps...

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