A few years ago, I discovered a sulfate-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, dye-free, and cruelty-free shampoo and conditioner from Love Beauty and Planet.  The idea instantly enthralled me. Without...

If your TikTok "For You" page is anything like mine, you have watched various people try Greta Wilson’s wavy hair routine countless times. In most of these videos that I have seen, the person trying...

I learned to ski in a carnation pink helmet. Some of my earliest memories are at Caberfae, with a ski leash on my back and a pink helmet on my head. That helmet stayed with me from my early days on...

Senior Mickey Mehney didn’t always have a home on the team that he is now a captain of. During his freshman year, he felt out of place among the majority of his skiing teammates until he found a friend...

I have been training my hair since I was a kid.  By training, I mean increasing the days between washing my hair. I can go a comfortable three days without washing it by just keeping it dry when I...

As I rifle through a green bin of dresses, I grin. I see a mass of lilac and ribbon. I put it first on myself, then dressed my American Girl doll in a matching one. I place a braided crown of gold on her...

This year, I’ve learned to love the silence, of both my brain and environment. I live in awe of its beauty. There is such peace in being able to sit and exist. Not every moment needs to be filled with...

After running off stage during a performance, freshman Josie Nugent was struck with the realization of her mistake. “One time at a dance competition,” Josie said, “I accidentally went off stage...

Though Converse are year-round shoes, their new releases are perfect for this upcoming summer. They’re full of bright colors and patterns, unlike those typically released for colder months. One of...

Nepotism babies aren’t always fan-favorites in Hollywood. Since nepotism babies have famous parents, it is sometimes assumed that they haven’t had to work as hard for roles and jobs. Sometimes people...

I hate pistachios.  They are, by far, one of the stupidest foods. Who would ever want to snack on a type of food that you have to work for? And don’t get me started on the pre-shelled ones. Despite...

I miss you. I miss you more than the trees miss the sun on a cloudy day, more than they yearn for it during the winter. I miss you more than how badly the grass needs the rain—even more than the sun...

A few years ago, I was obsessed with Chaco and Teva sandals. At this time, I was going to overnight camps over my summer break. I never knew what shoes I was supposed to bring when the packing list, year...

Are you politically active? What does that even mean? In my book, being politically active means being an interested and involved citizen. It means educating yourself about what is going on in the world....

Taylor Swift kicked off her long-awaited Eras Tour on Friday, March 17. As soon as the openers hit the stage, my TikTok page was full of people going live at the concert. In the following days, I began...

Sophomore Morgan Cerny has big hope for the next years of her ski racing career. “Oh, you know, I'm just going to the Olympics,” Morgan laughs. “I’m joking. I’m hoping next year to maybe get...

A few months ago, I saw a TikTok of Glossier’s Balm Dotcoms at T.J.Maxx. Naturally, I knew I needed to go to T.J.Maxx that day. I ended up finding the Mint Balm Dotcom. The product I found is in the...

Everything is changed. Pink was the color of life. It was Aurora’s dress and that girl from Team Umi-Zoomi’s hair. It was covering my walls and windows and bed. It was happy and bright. It was innocence...

If you get any TikToks on your For You Page about T.J. Maxx, you've likely heard the words of Avery Katherine Wood. Wood makes videos about products she finds at T.J. Maxx. She forever opens these videos...

When searching through one of his go-to thrift stores, senior Quinn Brennan found unique pieces of clothing to expand his closet, including a piece from over thirty years ago. “I have a vintage band...

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russo-Ukrainian War had been ongoing since 2014, and I had heard nothing of it. But right after the invasion, it was all anyone could talk about. My TikTok...

Dear Converse, what is this? This year’s Converse Valentine’s Day collection is a compilation of unoriginal shoes. When I initially looked at this drop, I liked it. But as I scrolled through the...

I used to have trouble sleeping.  There were monsters under my bed, in my closet, and outside my windows. My room was too dark. Nightlights filled the gaps of every open outlet. I would lie in bed...

As of Jan. 7, Kevin McCarthy is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. It took him 15 rounds of voting to get here. The last time that more than one round of voting was needed to...

There are two key events during former president Donald Trump’s time in office: his impeachment trial and the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. capitol. Recently, these two moments are merging into...

Stuck in sickness at regionals, or Region 13, it seemed that senior Masyn Cole had no hope left.  “I woke up in the morning, and I started throwing up so much, dry heaving because I didn’t drink...

I absolutely love Converse. Yet with a small collection of five pairs (plus my mom’s two pairs), I always reach for the same pair. They’re light green and light gray. The green makes enlargened flower...

There is no doubt in my mind that this year is the year of the vest. But for some, like my mom, it’s always been the year of the vest. For as long as I can remember, if I wouldn’t want to wear a...

“The mountains are calling, and I must go.” Yes, I must.  I find peace in the brisk air. It fills my throat with ice after a run. My throat burns as I inhale more and more, trying to slow my heartbeat....

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to attend the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) Conference with the staff of The Central Trend. During the conference, I attended a review writing class...

When the original Enola Holmes movie came out in 2020, I think it’s safe to assume that I wasn’t the only girl getting caught up in a Louis Partridge spiral. While I wouldn’t call it quite an obsession,...

Senior Olivia Thornley cannot stay away from the water. After being a part of the swim and dive team at FHC for three years, Olivia left the swim program to fully focus on another aquatic sport: crew. “I...

Is there any way to develop a club with no set activity for every meeting?  Apparently yes, as junior Sam Wordhouse discovered.  “I was in the [FX] control room with [seniors] Andrew Weiskopf...

I want to preface this by saying that I am a hypocrite.  I buy my dresses for school dances at Von Maur and Macy’s, and I always attempt to find one at Windsor. My dresses are often plain colors....

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. Upon...

The pieces of the puzzle are scattered. They litter the entirety of the table that they are sitting on. At one point, portions of other puzzles were thrown in the mix as well. Those pieces have now either...

These are the words I thought I’d never write. This is my 100th story for The Central Trend.  100 stories written, (nearly) 100 stressful nights spent writing. Two, going on three, years have...

The smell of chlorine lingered as cheers roared; comradery hung in the air. Two years later, the memory is still fresh in senior Sydney VanLente’s mind.  “It was probably my sophomore year,”...

Never in my life, prior to this weekend, had I watched Hocus Pocus. Despite being a very popular movie that came out almost thirty years ago, it never interested me. I had no idea what it was about or...

To you, my almost birthday twin,  Eleven days. It’s just eleven days. Eleven days of the “in-between.” The days that have haunted me for eleven years have returned for their sixteenth year....

“Hey guys,” starts senior Val Garza, “welcome to the very first episode of We’re Not Responding.” Seniors Val Garza, Celine Merhi, and Masyn Cole released the first episode of their podcast...

When I walked into AP Seminar a couple of weeks ago and found junior Millie Alt reading The Final Gambit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, I was beyond excited. I had forgotten that the third book of The Inheritence...

A hot air balloon floating through the sky, slowly drifting toward the water. The black, red, and yellow pattern filled my eyesight. I began to feel like an ant in my own yard. I was in awe of the sheer...

Senior Emma Raisch has a collection of 50 plants, all with names. One of these shares a name with a Minecraft Panda. Emma and her sister, Megan, have been buying and naming plants for years. Some are...

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. On...

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...