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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

Katianna Mansfield

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer

Katianna Mansfield is 5ft tall, making her the smallest and most feisty server at IHOP. She feeds on stress and is terrified of commitment.

Katianna's personality is that of an elderly war wife with no filter. Being that her favorite things are crossword puzzles, scrap booking, birds, and squirrels, it's almost uncanny how much but she's like your grandma. But, man, has that little old lady been through some things, and she has no problem describing them to you in too much detail.

She writes columns and features, one every week, and there's a chance one of them will make you cry. She tries to do that, don't blame it on your mental strength, she is constantly ripping out her soul and stuffing it into her columns, always hoping it makes you cry.

All content by Katianna Mansfield
Hi again, I don't know who I am

Hi again, I don’t know who I am

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 8, 2018

Over the course of the last few months, I’ve been struggling deeply with who I am. This is exceptionally hard for me to explain because I thought I knew who I was. I thought when I looked in the...

Humans of FHC: Monica Noonan

Humans of FHC: Monica Noonan

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer March 14, 2018

"When Sam was little, maybe ages 3-5, he would spin anything that he could spin. If it was a block, he would turn it on the pointy side to spin it, and he would sit and do that forever. We had wood floors,...

The responsibility of responsibility

The responsibility of responsibility

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer March 2, 2018

As a teenager on the very cusp of adulthood, I have quite successfully attempted to completely (not legally) emancipate myself, so that once I am actually an adult I will be able to handle myself. With...

True happiness comes from true pain

True happiness comes from true pain

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 23, 2018

My life has flown by in a series of different types of pain. The pain of loneliness, the pain of misunderstanding, the pain of ingenuity, anxiety, depression, not belonging, being too much, not being enough,...

I am okay now

I am okay now

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 16, 2018

I sit in front of my therapist, a person whose input I hold most valuable and most understanding, and I tell her about the things I've been living. The last three weeks since I've seen her, they've been...

Humans of FHC: Kristin O'Brien

Humans of FHC: Kristin O’Brien

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 14, 2018

"My husband's birthday is the day before Valentine's Day, so we always end up celebrating both at the same time. He's not a big birthday person, but we usually go out to dinner to celebrate. One of the...

A hard day for my self-image

A hard day for my self-image

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 2, 2018

I stare in the mirror, and I notice the changes in my body. My hips have widened-- despite the fact that I have the widest hips of anyone I know. There are another few layers of fat on my stomach, and...

Lauren Rowell uses poetry as a way to explore and express herself

Lauren Rowell uses poetry as a way to explore and express herself

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 1, 2018

With the emergence of FHC's new poetry club, into the light comes students who have an intrinsic passion for poetry that goes past academic units and assignments and has become a part of them. One such...

The belief in the supernatural, ghosts, spirits, etc. lies within the walls of FHC

The belief in the supernatural, ghosts, spirits, etc. lies within the walls of FHC

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 25, 2018

Depending on the beliefs, superstitions, and experiences of people, it is not uncommon for others to believe in the supernatural. However, there is a large stigma around the belief because of how it's...

It's okay to admit you were wrong

It’s okay to admit you were wrong

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 24, 2018

Cleaning off a table late one night, I overheard my favorite Sunday-night regular and his two-year-old son talking about the difference between good boys and bad boys. The little cutie had asked what I...

Humans of FHC: Abby Stritzinger

Humans of FHC: Abby Stritzinger

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 19, 2018

"It was band camp, and we're all taking the group picture that we do every year. We were all getting in line, and at first, it was just the normal picture, nothing goofy or anything. Then they say goofy...

My backwards mind

My backwards mind

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 17, 2018

My mind shoots from one thought to the next in a quick succession, none of the thoughts connecting in a way that puts together a genuine thought. I do not have a methodical way of thinking. I hold every...

My liminal space identity crisis

My liminal space identity crisis

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 10, 2018

A liminal space is a place in the world where reality is slightly altered. The feeling you have when you're in a hotel, an airport, a playground at night, a school building when no one is there, waiting...

Freshman Max Prominski leaves an impact on FHC

Freshman Max Prominski leaves an impact on FHC

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 22, 2017

Exploring the halls of the building, climbing and descending stairways, and entering classrooms, one will occasionally see small blue stars taped here and there with encouraging messages etched on them...

A conversation with society

A conversation with society

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 20, 2017

Every judgment or question I receive pertaining to my life and how I live it leads to more and more questions and answers that delve into my belief system. I could spend hours, weeks, and months having...

The eight commandments in becoming my best me

The eight commandments in becoming my best me

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 13, 2017

I have many rules I need to live by in this world, important things to remember and keep in mind as I attempt to survive each and every day. Until now, I had not voiced those rules in the form of a list....

Trying to teach myself that I am beautiful

Trying to teach myself that I am beautiful

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 6, 2017

Now that I have apologized to my body for all the harm I've caused and worked around the clock to heal it, I have an important task to accomplish to allow myself to be happy physically, mentally, and emotionally...

Senior Allison Alvarez enlists in the Navy

Senior Allison Alvarez enlists in the Navy

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 1, 2017

A single moment can change someone's entire world and everything they once knew. For senior Allison Alvarez, the instant she circled "interested" on the arbitrary Navy recruiter's survey as they stood...

Fixing myself in a world that wants me to stay broken

Fixing myself in a world that wants me to stay broken

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 29, 2017

My therapist tells me that in my new unhealthy mindset that my only goal right now should be to get better, to deliver my brain to happiness by any means necessary. Sleep as much as I can, eat as much...

The feeling of home

The feeling of home

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 22, 2017

There are so few places I feel comfortable in this world. Every place that I have made my own, each little nook that I have strived to find and successfully create is locked in my mind forever. It doesn't...

Ken George's English 10 classes present individual, education-altering ideas to school administrators

Ken George’s English 10 classes present individual, education-altering ideas to school administrators

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 17, 2017

The voice of a student gives way to change in the eyes of those who are capable of making it happen. As students in Ken George's English classes prepare for their end-of-the-year TED Talks, their public...

TCT's The Countless Thanks: Day 13 - Katianna Mansfield

TCT’s The Countless Thanks: Day 13 – Katianna Mansfield

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 17, 2017

My IHOP Family Walid - Walid, dear, I appreciate your entire soul. We don't know each other very well because of how busy you are with all three of the stores and the new one being built, but it is...

I just want to be happy

I just want to be happy

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 15, 2017

My heart clenches as tears run down my cheeks; it has been months since I have cried. Tissue after tissue is soaked, the words and expressions of every human in the vicinity playing back in my head as...

Dear Mason, or, the love letter I never thought I would write

Dear Mason, or, the love letter I never thought I would write

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 8, 2017

Dear Mason, There is a list of things that I am not in this world. I am not a chef: I burn water. I am not an athlete: the last sport I even attempted to play was track in middle school (I quit...

Noises Off Q&A: Josh Nasser

Noises Off Q&A: Josh Nasser

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 8, 2017

Name: Josh Nasser Grade: Senior Role: Lloyd Dallas 1.) What are you most excited about? "Just for everyone to see what we've been doing; it's such a blast. It's a really fun show; it's going...

Humans of FHC: Lauren Bont

Humans of FHC: Lauren Bont

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 3, 2017

"I don't really know where to start. I lived in Allendale for my whole life, and then I found out I was moving over here. One day, in seventh grade, my mom told me I had to shadow someone. I woke up one...

Forcing myself to think you love me

Forcing myself to think you love me

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 1, 2017

Being who I am, distancing myself from others and not keeping people close in my life, I find it very difficult to believe that I have any influence on anyone whatsoever. I don't believe in my ability...

Senior Dilara Erhan delves into different languages

Senior Dilara Erhan delves into different languages

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 27, 2017

In Chinatown in New York City with her family, senior Dilara Erhan peruses the shops on the boulevard. Looking around up and down at the shop signs, she can read them in their natural state, no English...

Don't tell me you're disappointed in me

Don’t tell me you’re disappointed in me

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 24, 2017

I am going to a community college. I am getting my own apartment right out of high school. I am working my way through and towards my future. Don't tell me you're disappointed in me. I have given...

When life gets hard, sophomore Mitchell Haberman hits the green

When life gets hard, sophomore Mitchell Haberman hits the green

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 10, 2017

As a dual athlete in the middle of his high school career, for sophomore Mitchell Haberman, the world can get a little stressful. Practice, game times, homework, essays, projects-- they can build up and...

The feeling of being truly alone

The feeling of being truly alone

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 10, 2017

My heart beats deep and erratically; it moves around in my chest like someone reaching through my tight skin and clutching it like a stick shift. With every movement, my body revs and shakes like an engine....

Las Vegas shooting: a student perspective

Las Vegas shooting: a student perspective

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 3, 2017

Driving my sister to the bus stop in the morning, as I do every single day, she talks to me about what the day has in store for her. She has band, chemistry, Spanish, geometry, and ceramics, and we talk...

Improv Central: a group of hilariously supportive and close family within FHC

Improv Central: a group of hilariously supportive and close family within FHC

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 29, 2017

Nine best friends stand in a line as they introduce themselves to their director and an empty auditorium that, in a mere day, will be packed to the aisles with audience members looking to join in on the...

Untitled Work

Untitled Work

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 26, 2017

I work best by myself. I know my priorities, but I don't know me as a person. I know that getting hurt is necessary for my growth, but I avoid it at all costs. My best friend is my sister; there's a comfort...

Humans of FHC: Jase Apol

Humans of FHC: Jase Apol

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 22, 2017

"Cats are definitely not the only ones with nine lives. I've had a lot of close calls, most of them when I was young. When I was probably just three years old, I was crawling around in our yard. We had...

Bo Burnham: who I listen to, watch, and read when my life is falling apart

Bo Burnham: who I listen to, watch, and read when my life is falling apart

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 19, 2017

Cynical, analytical, boundary-pushing, and self-deprecating comedian/musician Bo Burnham is everything I am when my world is crumbling at my feet. In my opinion, everything in the world should be looked...

Brooke Buchanan and Molly Growney create safety video for Kent county elementary schools and win Crime Prevention award

Brooke Buchanan and Molly Growney create safety video for Kent county elementary schools and win Crime Prevention award

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 15, 2017

The building is burning down. Flames encircle every entrance and exit, the people inhabiting the area are trapped inside for fear of severe bodily damage or even death. What do they do in this situation? Seniors...

I'm so sorry, Dad

I’m so sorry, Dad

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 12, 2017

Dear Dad, We've been through a lot together in this life I've lived. It's only been a few years for you as you've lived a Wild West lifetime without me, but I've had you for all of mine. For a long...

Summer Wetherbee explores artistry for her future

Summer Wetherbee explores artistry for her future

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 8, 2017

As she sits in focus at a desk, bottles upon bottles of paint scatter junior Summer Wetherbee's workspace in varying shades, soon to appear in mixtures and swoops on the canvas beneath her brush. Different...

Students put together hurricane relief donation plan for Friday's tailgate

Students put together hurricane relief donation plan for Friday’s tailgate

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 7, 2017

With the events that have occurred in the last week or so regarding Hurricane Harvey and the upcoming hurricanes, Irma and Jose, senior student council decided it was time to raise funds for those being...

I want to live a simple life

I want to live a simple life

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 5, 2017

My life is something that I need to love, to experience for myself and find what makes me happy. It is for no one else that I am alive, and my future is mine to make. Despite this, my idea of a happy life...

Humans of FHC: Iryna Smyrnova

Humans of FHC: Iryna Smyrnova

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 1, 2017

"We were going to visit America to see what it was like and see our friends over the summer, it was cool and sounded exciting. We stayed in my mom's friend's house, my mom was seeing this guy, Richard,...

Getting Hurt is underrated

Getting Hurt is underrated

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer August 29, 2017

There are multiple points in a person's life when they have to make a genuine decision that will affect the worldview they find themselves in, and the decision they need to make has multiple options, each...

It is not selfish to do what's best for you

It is not selfish to do what’s best for you

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 31, 2017

What was best for me today was sleeping in until 10:30 a.m. when I was supposed to be in school, eating half a case of Oreos, talking to our dog for hours, getting her an ice cream, watching a horror movie,...

Junior Hannah Kos and her 200 pairs of socks

Junior Hannah Kos and her 200 pairs of socks

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 24, 2017

Along the human journey of life, people accumulate things. Things that mean something to them, things that are useful, things that people need, and sometimes things just to have things. Junior Hannah Kos,...

Jenison's new and only bar, The Win, is a bombshell to be added to anyone's bucket list

Jenison’s new and only bar, The Win, is a bombshell to be added to anyone’s bucket list

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 17, 2017

Driving down the practically one-road city, Jenison, there are few restaurants in tow. An old family friend having opened his own bar, a friend and I decided to abandon our usual spots to try something...

Rooms Preview Q&A

Rooms Preview Q&A

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 10, 2017

Film: Rooms Producer: Carly Anderson 1. What theme would you consider your film? "A horror mystery." 2. Can you give a brief overview of the plot of your film? "It starts off with a shooting,...

I'm sorry I don't come home anymore

I’m sorry I don’t come home anymore

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer May 3, 2017

Dear Roobug, The sun sets over the hole we dug together in the backyard and the place on the side of the street where I park my car. I am not home. I'm working late at the HOP, spending some...

Gifted provides a sweet, heartbreaking story

Gifted provides a sweet, heartbreaking story

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer April 19, 2017

A young girl, far surpassing anyone her age, kicks and screams like a child is known to do. While it breaks her uncle's heart, he is also proud of her at the same time. She has been told she is great and...

Tattoos: my body is my canvas

Tattoos: my body is my canvas

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer April 12, 2017

There's a distinct moment, right before you get a tattoo, in which every second slows down to the vibrating needle and you. The world falls away. Everything touching you, looking at you, staring out from...

FHPS to start new school year before Labor Day

FHPS to start new school year before Labor Day

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer March 29, 2017

Just recently, the FHPS district has decided on starting the 2017-18 school year a week prior to the usual starting date, beginning school on August 28th. In previous years, the Michigan Department...

Ken George introduces outdoor classroom to FHC's campus

Ken George introduces outdoor classroom to FHC’s campus

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer March 15, 2017

Kenneth George, notorious for ample change and creative ideas within his classroom, has brought the ideas outside the classroom. Specifically, an outdoor classroom. George, spending summers researching...

Jake Lohrke  - Musical Q&A

Jake Lohrke – Musical Q&A

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer March 15, 2017

Jake Lohrke Role: Seymour What are you most excited about? "Well, when I first started, I was most excited about meeting the cast. But now, it's about presenting what we've created. I'm really...

Fright Night: The Conjuring 2 brings an unexpected, perfect sequel

Fright Night: The Conjuring 2 brings an unexpected, perfect sequel

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer February 1, 2017

A demonic, deafening voice roars down the hallway as a young boy runs towards his family in the living room, terrified of something that used to bring him a childish joy. A poetic, horrifying rhyme begins: "There...

Fright Night: Lights Out is a movie you don't have to watch with the lights on

Fright Night: Lights Out is a movie you don’t have to watch with the lights on

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 25, 2017

Being a horror movie fanatic, I am constantly looking for new films to watch and appreciate. Unless you're looking for the same scary, home-video-type show, there aren't many horror movies, and there are...

365 days of change to enlighten a person who has always been scared of it

365 days of change to enlighten a person who has always been scared of it

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 18, 2017

I have always reveled in consistency, always leaned towards the side of the predictable and unchanging in life. With anxiety, this is almost a natural instinct. Everything that is new or different gives...

Your best is not always the same

Your best is not always the same

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 11, 2017

Riding in the car with my mother, we have a tendency to deeply analyze and discuss our personal issues. Right after we wake up, on the way home from school, on the way to work, after work, after counseling,...

FHC Media Center provides a happy, welcoming duo

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer January 6, 2017

Both loving mothers of children in the district who were looking for something just a little more in life, Monica Noonan and Dora Fowler separately applied for positions as media materials clerks at FHC. Noonan...

To Actually Buy Presents is the Greatest Gift of Them All

To Actually Buy Presents is the Greatest Gift of Them All

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 14, 2016

Having achieved my goal of three years: to find a job and work as hard as I possibly could, December came through with a promise of finally being able to afford holiday presents for the people I love. Years...

I Just Want to Go to Bed

I Just Want to Go to Bed

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer December 8, 2016

I didn’t make a lot of money tonight. I’m getting worse at serving. Yes, weeks of doing well have proved that I am just fine. It was just slow tonight and we were overstaffed. But I forgot table 21's...

Feeling the love in the CI Resource Room

Feeling the love in the CI Resource Room

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer November 5, 2016

Entering the resource room for the cognitively impaired, any student is instantly accepted as a part of the bunch. The ambiance is empowering whether it be from special education teacher Kara Kimball’s...

Your College Application Should Not Be Your Leading Factor

Your College Application Should Not Be Your Leading Factor

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 26, 2016

Entering high school, students are encouraged to overload themselves with new class opportunities, clubs to join, sports to participate in, to aspire to exceed expectations curricularly and extracurricularly,...

Mosquitoland: An Anomaly of a Novel

Mosquitoland: An Anomaly of a Novel

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 20, 2016

A thing is not a thing until you say it out loud. An honest person who knows who they are is a gift to this world, so be honest and be who you are. Live your life, breathe your air, eat your food, button...

Losing My Faith

Losing My Faith

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 12, 2016

Growing up, my first reaction was always to believe in the goodness of others with a whole heart and a free mind. I could look into the eyes of a stranger and see the best of intentions and the smallest,...

Backwater Cafe: A Place for Family

Backwater Cafe: A Place for Family

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer October 5, 2016

Having lived in Lowell for four years, it was entirely conceivable to me that I had experienced all this small city had to offer in terms of dining. There is the typical bar scene known as Sneaker’s,...

An Unlikely Group Turned Family: The Story of the Improv Team

An Unlikely Group Turned Family: The Story of the Improv Team

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 29, 2016

A lone boy stands in the center of the stage. Lights beating down on him from every angle, he stares without reserve into the awaiting audience before him. Time passes by, getting more awkward every second....

Sisterhood: The Bare Necessities

Sisterhood: The Bare Necessities

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 21, 2016

After what could qualify as the worst day of my present life, I enter the threshold into my home. Still on edge of more potential damage, I trudge up the stairs to throw my backpack on the floor and myself...

Realizing Your Limits

Realizing Your Limits

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 15, 2016

Signing up for classes to take the following year, the year you haven’t even begun to think about, is exceptionally challenging when faced with the repercussions of your decisions once it actually comes...

Suicide Squad, the Only Movie I've Seen in Theaters More Than Once

Suicide Squad, the Only Movie I’ve Seen in Theaters More Than Once

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 14, 2016

In a society plagued with constant superhero movies, metahuman good guys, the average Joe Hero, and every protagonist in the book repeated time and time again, it was time for the uniting of some baddies...

English teacher Michele Wallace moves to middle school

English teacher Michele Wallace moves to middle school

Katianna Mansfield, Staff Writer September 13, 2016

Before the school year ended, a day came along that was very painful for many kids, and most of all, English teacher Michele Wallace. Having cried in every hour, exhausted from the tears, beloved student...

Don't Judge a Fan By Their Cover

Don’t Judge a Fan By Their Cover

Katianna Mansfield, Junior Writer January 22, 2016

It’s 1:00 a.m., I’ve been awake for nineteen hours now, and I can’t seem to stop reading this online personal theory conclusion of Phantom of the Opera. Hours have passed since I last left the...

Pinterest Review

Pinterest Review

Katianna Mansfield, Junior Writer December 2, 2015

My mother once told me that I came out of the womb with a to-do list. My whole life centers around planning and analyzing, plotting each significant event in my soon to distant future. From my Christmas...

Supernatural, or the Monstrosity That Ruined My Life

Supernatural, or the Monstrosity That Ruined My Life

Katianna Mansfield, Junior Writer December 2, 2015

When I find something that I’m interested in, I contribute much of my time to learning about it. I analyze its entirety until I’m an expert. My obsessions typically don’t last longer than a few months,...

Libby Kelley: The Flow of the Movement

Libby Kelley: The Flow of the Movement

Katianna Mansfield, Junior Writer December 2, 2015

With flips, twists, and turns of the wrists, senior Elizabeth “Libby” Kelley attempts to manage the devil sticks without dropping them. Having just nailed the Tic Toc after a few tries, she continues...

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