Kiera is a sophomore and is returning for her second year writing for The Central Trend. In the fall, she's a golfer and in the winter, she's a skier. She spends her summers helping coach a PGA Jr. League team that she was once on and plans the rest of her summer around that. While she doesn't have enough stamina to binge-watch TV shows, she often finds herself rewatching 10 Things I Hate About You or slowly making it through the first season of Gilmore Girls. Kiera has been growing and learning from the second she walked into room 139 and is so excited to continue her writing journey with the staff of The Central Trend.
I don’t know what kinds of thrift stores these girls with hauls on my TikTok For You Page go to, but whatever they are have way better stuff than anywhere I go—I rarely have any luck.
Occasionally,...
A bracelet was tied six months prior; the same one was broken one week after.
A black cord snapped after its miserable weeks hanging on by a thread. A tap, tap, tap of a gold charm reverberated through...
I am not a fan of the recent warm weather.
Every day, I find myself searching for an outfit to wear that can keep me warm in my freezing classrooms but also cool enough so that I don’t overheat...
What was your reaction to getting on prom court?
"I was excited that I was nominated by my friends to be on court. It was a cool feeling."
What are your short-term future plans?
"Next year I will...
Opinions expressed in editorials on The Central Trend are the view of the individual writer and are not the opinion of the entire staff of The Central Trend or the Forest Hills Central staff or administration.
In...
Growing up, senior Liza McCarthy’s little brother never had to be worried about being asked to fake an ailment. Her stuffed animals, however, were not so lucky.
“Instead of setting up doctor's offices...
I often find myself arriving at home with an unquenchable thirst, but absolutely nothing sounds good enough to drink.
One day last week, this feeling struck me yet again. Luckily, my mom happened...
It’s all for her. It always has been.
Screaming “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” in Emmy’s kitchen with the windows wide open for the high school parking...
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, kids' shoes are superior.
Not only are they cheaper, but they often come in much more exciting, creative, and self-expressive colors and patterns. I’d...
Lately, life’s been eerily similar to the speed that my mom and I had to drive with our hazards on when the gears wouldn’t shift in our car. While I would’ve expected 55 miles per hour, it seemed...
Before COVID-19, I had been making the over 1000-mile road trip to Colorado every winter and spring break since second grade.
Over that time, it’s gotten easier to relinquish the pain of everyone...
When traveling to Florida for the Varsity Dance Team’s National Competition, senior Emily Smith was struck with a pounding headache.
On a normal day, away from a dance competition, Emily would start...
I cleaned out my strawberry-patterned Kate Spade purse this week. I found a small picture that brought back memories as fast as a flash flood.
I was taken back to a night in a wood-paneled kitchen...
Last summer, I read the book House of Salt and Sorrows, and I had no clue what to think.
I never knew who the “bad guy” was until the end of the novel, which made me love it; The Weekend Away on...
Going into her freshman year and first time golfing ever, senior Alyssa Cheslek wouldn’t have expected to become a team captain a few years later.
Since the varsity golf team is limited in size...
Practically every day, I sit down at my sea-foam green vanity and put my small, sterling silver hoop earrings in my first ear piercings. The only variety in the tedium that is my jewelry is changing my...
I love when songs for small artists on TikTok show up on my For You Page.
Oftentimes, if I exceptionally enjoy the song, I’ll follow the artist in preparation for when they release it or to remember...
*This review contains spoilers for Fable and mild spoilers for Namesake.
The Pirate Fairy made me fall in love with a new branch of fantasy: a life crashing along treacherous waves.
Sure, it...
She used to dream of carriages drawn by miniature horses on the grounds of her most frequently visited ski hill.
She imagined that her family had bought the whole place, and she was free to roam. She...
When freshman Thomas Paplawsky decided to go on an ice fishing trip, he wasn't expecting to find himself sprawled on his stomach across a layer of thin ice.
“It was on an ice fishing camping trip,”...
I am a firm believer that songs should not have busy backgrounds.
Lyrics to a song are what detailing is to a dress. While it isn’t necessary, it adds more depth and takes the listener into the mind...
When did I become two different people?
My camera roll is full of photos of myself taken from horrendous angles that I chose to send to my friends. They’re quite possibly the worst photos I’ve ever...
Senior Ivan Wheland walked into school one day and was told he was wearing “grandma shoes.”
“I bought a pair of New Balances from Goodwill, and I wore them to school, thinking they were fire,”...
My TikTok For You Page used to be an overabundance of songs by already popular artists. A platform embracing creativity quickly turned to only embracing the originality of people that are already known...
Cryptocurrency is a word I hear in my day-to-day business and I had no idea what it was. The way it is talked about seems to have a negative connotation, so I was determined to find out more and see why...
In all truthfulness, I’m not sure where to start with this book. While I understand every aspect, I cannot fathom what I read.
A Lesson in Vengeance enthralled me when a TikTok review of it stumbled...
I was never one to be alone.
But now, it seems that’s all that I ever am.
My Summer was the child that played on the swings every day, always alone. She was isolated but never seemed to look...
Eva Harshman and Addy Cousins—for being the stop and drop to my roll
Thank you for being here. Thank you for filling my days with joy when our sixth hour in room 139 finally commences. You two have...
While the student parking lot is often seen as a scene of accidents and dense traffic, security guard Jack Verhil sees something standing out more distinctly lately: vandalism.
For Verhil, the frequency...
*This review contains spoilers for Marvel's Eternals*
As a child, my brother practically forced me to watch Marvel movies with him.
From the world of X-Men to Captain America, he wanted me to watch...
It’s almost been six months.
Six months since your death. Six months since I saw you last. In that time, life has gone from me seeing you howl in the front hallway when I get home, to reminiscing...
Contrary to his prior expectations, freshman Charlie Molitor has become friends with several upperclassmen through simply taking photos.
Charlie has been partaking in photography since last year, but...
Conan Gray repeatedly amazes me with the relatability of his songs.
It's the forlorn longing for love found in “People Watching” or the relationship where one person expects the other to get back...
“I have this thing where I feel like there are, not ghosts, but shadows in my house. Whenever I'm home alone and stuff, I always think that somebody is walking past me or walking past a door and walking...
Growing up, I always assumed that I would be trick-or-treating on Halloween night. It was routine.
Lately, I have noticed a growing controversy over whether trick-or-treating should be done on the day...
Sophomore Alexa Fauson found herself browsing the aisles of Home Depot for a ceiling tile similar to the ones in school.
Alexa had taken a ceiling tile home from Honors English 10 teacher Ken George’s...
As a kid, Disney Channel Halloween movies and TV episode specials terrified me.
It didn’t matter how predictable the special was, I was still scared to go to bed afterward. There were a few exceptions...
She’s been on this earth for fifteen years.
Her brain feels smushed by three too many hammers to the head in the form of migraines. For one-third of her life, the spot right between her eyes has been...
Junior Ella Weichelt once found herself on the ground in the pouring rain at a horseshow.
She was riding her old pony on a showjumping course. The pouring rain made it incredibly slippery. When approaching...
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love Melissa McCarthy. She brings comedic relief to movies like nobody else. I look forward to watching any movie that I see her involved in just so I...
The official arrival of autumn may be marked on a calendar, but it can typically be seen in the world around me. I would love to say that the changing of the leaves from chlorophyll breaking them down...
Senior Alex Hurt has never been on an American Sign Language field trip, despite being in level four. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASL classes were unable to partake in their normal field trips last...
This story contains mentions of suicide and mildly graphic plot points.
Recently, I have found myself growing attached to books involving spooky, magical characters and fantastical surroundings. It...
What was your reaction to hearing your name called?
"I was pretty shocked when I first heard my name called because there are a ton of other people who deserve to be up there."
Why do you think you...
What made you decide to join Improv?
"My junior year, I got a call from our previous student director, Sarah Buchanan, to come to auditions, and sure enough, I made the team!"
What is your favorite...
She’s as fragile as glass. Words chip away at her until she starts to crack. When the fissures start to show, she fills them with glue, hoping to mask the pain. Physical wounds leave scuffs that she...
I’m not sure what I expected from He’s all That, but it both completely missed some expectations and fully met others. I knew it would be cringy, but I hoped that I could just call it a full-blown...
Summer has slid through the rain drain, and now I’m left with a dry road filled with flowers in the cracks that I want to grow. Seventy-four days are gone in the blink of an eye. I feel as if only a...
She paints flowers to calm her shaky hands. Her 1990s golf cart is covered in them. Bright hues of yellow in the center of the flowers remind her of the sun; it reminds her of the joy she has yet to find.
She...
Honors English 9 and AP Seminar teacher Kelli Potts found a surprising relationship between teaching and being a mother.
Her students never influenced her into wanting kids; it was always something...
I have loved Olivia Rodrigo since her An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success days.
And when she finally got all the recognition she deserved from her song “drivers license,” I was thrilled. Releasing...
I have been following Peach Martine on TikTok for a couple of months, so I have heard her voice frequently. It never gets old. The number of times I have heard small pieces of "POSTER KID" scrolling through...
Junior Katelyn Bartels faced more than just COVID-19 issues during her competitive gymnastics season last year. Before the pandemic, she was also injured to the point of not being able to compete.
“I...
I met her on the first day of fifth grade. Almost five years ago, we stood one person away from each other, never knowing how close we’d become. We sat in a field oblivious that she was soon to be number...
Film title: The Clinic
Genre: Documentary
Interviewee: Collin Ward
Group members: Luke Matelic and Gabe Moraru
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AAGSYgy8VM
What inspired you to get into...
When I first picked up my copy of The Project by Courtney Summers, I was overwhelmed. I immediately felt like I had picked up the third book in a series or missed one episode of a show that explained the...
Film title: Bucket List
Genre: Comedy
Interviewee: Jordan Blum
Group members: Furzaan Abidi and Daniel Dykstra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLdO_s47gjQ
Can you give a five-minute...
Film title: Who Did It?
Genre: Drama
Interviewee: Ellie Field
Group members: Julia Bouma, Tatum Otolski, and Morghan Tilton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9w71gveOoU
Can...
Film title: The Blue Hunt
What is the genre: Suspense/Horror
Interviewee: Theryn Hallock
Group members: Olivia Dewald-Davis, Claudia Folkert, and Libby Moog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5j6tlO4gzQ
Can...
Check out the Q&As below with the participants of the 2021 Film Fest. We interviewed a member of each team to learn more about their movie. Along with interviewing a member from each of the teams,...
Rather than simply celebrating with cake, balloons, and a party on his birthday, senior Mason Myers spent his birthday constructing a computer.
Mason went online to purchase all the materials necessary...
Recently, I have found myself unable to put together an outfit without a flannel. It's become extremely rare to see me without that trademark piece of clothing.
I am not sure why this is the case....
Action and superhero movies have become my go-to option for comfort. Marvel movies specifically remind me of a friend I don’t talk to much but love greatly. This draws me to superhero movies and also...
The hands on the clock never seem to move, yet the days are flying out of my grasp.
Looking over at the clock on my Amazon Echo Show, the black hole-esque background stands still along with the time....
Lately, it feels like there is a short rotating cycle of plot options for movies. I am constantly seeing ideas I have already experienced multiple times. A Week Away is not much of an exception.
A Week...
Left or right, black and white: that's as simple as decisions seem. What about the middle, what about the gray area? That's where I am. I don't know whether to stay with what I know or go into the unknown....
Stemming from TikTok user Kyle Royce claiming his sexual orientation to be “super straight,” a “movement” has formed with its own share of retaliation.
"Super straight" people define their...
Strong female characters are something society has lacked and ignored in the past. Moxie! refuses for this norm to be accepted and I could not love it more. My Snapchat ads must have known how greatly...
I never thought this movie would end.
Throughout watching Squared Love, I found myself repeatedly pausing the television, only to find out barely any time had passed.
Squared Love tells the story...
Despite excelling as a competitive cheerleader, junior Peyton Smith is unable to pursue her passion this year at FHC.
Rather than not participating at all in cheerleading this season because of the...
Many years ago, there was a happy little girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes filled with joy. She had no worry in the world.
Hide and seek was her favorite game; she was always begging to play....
As a kid, Disney Channel movies were my favorite. Now, I have found them to be comfort movies or just easy to follow movies while I do something else. The films typically have eerily similar plots and...
For sophomore Mady Grimaldi, scheduling will be a struggle for this upcoming year.
While choosing classes is no easy task most years, the ongoing pandemic has upped the difficulty level tenfold.
“I...
I have a fun fact I like to share whenever someone talks about being a plant killer: I have killed a succulent.
I am not exactly sure how I did it, but I just know I left it outside too long.
I...
I am typically the first person to say no to a horror or thriller movie. Nevertheless, when scrolling through Netflix alone, I chose the psychological thriller Sightless. I may have only chosen it because...
For senior Bela Gonzalez, softball is more than a sport; it’s a way to form connections, from local buddies to faraway friends.
Bela has been playing softball since she was five years old. Her mom...
I do not know what day it is.
I am losing track of what I am supposed to do.
Every day, I wake up and procrastinate getting out of bed. If what I do when I wake up is any insight into how I deal...
Bedtime Stories was my childhood. Adam Sandler has created an irrefutable reputation as a phenomenal comedian in my mind.
Friends is a must-watch television show that I have been searching for another...
I have a bump the size of half a golf ball on my left knee.
There’s no visible bruise but every time my knee hits something, I feel a strong push onto my flesh, similar to a bruise. I only got this...
Over the past few months, I have discovered I am living my life going from one thing to the next.
Whether it be from zoom meeting to zoom meeting or practice to homework, my daily agenda is a solid...
Dear Sadie Ann, don’t let the strawberries be the only thing I have left.
December 4th marked four years.
Four years since I lost you for good. Over eleven for when I lost you the first time.
All...
Freshman Owen Barber relieves stress differently than most people.
He engages in hockey to relax. This may seem like an odd solution to stress, but for Owen, it’s completely habitual. It’s also...
When I was younger, I wore a princess dress everywhere. It did not matter what season it was; I would wear a dress and heels anywhere that I went. Naturally, I saw an advertisement for Disney+’s Godmothered...
