Lynlee Derrick has been writing for The Central Trend since her freshman year and has been Editor in Chief for the past year. She graduated tonight, May 17th.

Name: Emma Zawacki Grade: 11 1. What prompted you to start writing? "The first time I ever wrote anything for fun and genuinely enjoyed it was [in] eighth grade. [Eighth grade English teacher]...

Finally, at last, with the start of a new grade, friends flocked  as her reality stay buried.   Overdosing on that feeling, the feeling she so desperately had chased, her truth...

Stunning stairs gave way, for she was falling into the waves.   Just one year, only a year,  and her youthful mind collapsed along with the stairs and the world.   In...

Name: Linus Kaechele Grade: 12 Position on staff: Managing Editor of Online Assignments 1. What drew you to writing? “Originally, it was the secrecy and intimacy of writing letters. Before...

Fog followed her breaths that lurched from her trembling mouth onto the creaky window close to death.   Like tracks in fresh snow after the sun greets the night’s blessed gift, the breath’s...

Dead AirPods, my close friend this senior year, sit beside me as I wonder where my brain will go—how I will express myself today in a manner that’s just different enough to be a new story but on the...

Name: Lauren Batterbee Grade: 11 Position on staff: Print Managing Editor 1. What does using your words entail? "I spend a lot of time on my writing, and a lot of half-started columns, editorials,...

Hands to my head, nails tangled in my temple and stray baby hairs that I use to hide my widow’s peak, I sigh. No, it’s more than that. It’s the shedding of it all—of everything I used to cherish. With...

Her beauty astounded nobody but herself, and she told herself that was fine.   Her devilish smirk and silver eyes were just nice. Yet she wanted to be revered—to have a shrine.   So she...

Name: Abby Wright Grade: 12 Position: Editor in Chief 1. What do words mean to you? “They mean a lot to me because writing has always been the one thing that I can do—that I am good at. I’ve...

Around me, they dance. Mockingly. In swirls of color, they cover me in this senseless dance that I wish would make sense—that I wish I was in on their secret that evades my desperate grasp. It’s...

This is my final semester at FHC—a goodbye in a wintry climate, one Michigan never holds back on with her icy blows and fickle snow. And I am not afraid of leaving. I would walk across the stage now...

Creating a home in staff this year has undoubtedly made this year more manageable. With the rough end of the year last year—and subsequently never getting a true goodbye with the 2020 seniors and...

The warm glow in the corner of my room leaves the air umber and undying as my eyes traverse the popcorn ceiling with peaks of gloom.   Uninvited, the light still stays as if believes it’s presence...

I can’t tell if I love Christmas or if I really just hate Thanksgiving. Either way, November in my mind is just pre-December, and December is utter euphoria. Yet I couldn’t really tell anyone why—I...

I am one for dramatics—I can admit my fault like that. But when I say this past month has been awful, I truly mean it. Not only is there still a nation-wide pandemic rendering my comfort spot of the...

With Spotify’s “Friend Activity” tab as a testament to my following statement, I have survived these past months on Phoebe Bridgers’ albums Stranger in the Alps, Punisher, and her Instagram stories....

Among the dull crates, splintered by the Greedy Hands and thwarted by the berating heat, laid my life with nothing to predate.   It was all I knew as I sat alongside the motley of colors I longed...

My biology group, the “Clowns,” for supporting me, even when I can’t say phosphorylation I genuinely think I would not be passing AP Biology without you guys. Amelia, Megan, Abigail, Val, Julia—you...

Name: Taylor Baumgardner Grade: 12 Role: Public Relations Coordinator on the Executive Board 1. How does Ranger Cares week support Family Promise? "Forest Hills Central is the sole contributor...

The sun beat down on the concrete that was rough from inception, rough from use, rough even against the warmth from above— a show of amity despite the root of eternal animosity—   And she...

I was asked how I was feeling by Mrs. Penninga on a Zoom call while I scraped the edges of an empty cup of instant pancakes (the syrup flavor, of course), and I truly didn’t know. I feel a lot, honestly....

Name: Laura Stiles Role: Student Council coordinator 1. What changes have you had to make in order to still have a Family Promise fundraiser and a Rangers Care week? "I guess one of the best things...

Name: Kristy Butler Role: Biology and chemistry teacher and fundraiser organizer 1. What is your role in Family Promise week? "My role in Family Promise week is to help organize the student promotion...

Name: Matthew Mahoney Grade: 12 Role: NHS Board member 1. What is Family Promise week to you? "Family Promise week is where we provide volunteer opportunities and work to raise money for the...

Name: Mason Yarnell Grade: 12 Roles: Dirt Merchant and Devil 2 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a smaller cast compared to other years? "An advantage to having a smaller...

Name: Mina Siebert Grade: 12 Role: NHS Board member 1. What is Family Promise week? "Family Promise week is a week where opportunities are available for students to raise money, volunteer,...

Reveling in the words of The Picture of Dorian Gray—the intricate descriptions and long-winded commentaries on society and beauty included—I stumbled upon a line that practically highlighted itself. “Was...

I see the signs that say “Hate has no home here” in the occasional yard. It’s not quite common, but having one at the entrance of my neighborhood gives me a little bit of hope for a change in our...

Abounding affection from those indigo eyes ceased his first cry, constituting his first memory on the concealed path of life. Life was so shaky, so indefinite and remote to his newborn mind, so when those...

1. What was your reaction when you heard your name called? "Honestly, [I was] really surprised. I had no idea that I was going to be picked for court; it was the furthest thing from my mind. I didn't...

By now, I’ve mentioned this room and this staff and the Greta Gerwig posters on the wall enough to annoy even myself. It’s a world of its own—our world in room 139. Yet as strong as those white-brick...

the sun climbed into my windows, an easy task on a Wednesday morning— I never remember to close my blinds on Tuesday nights.   I like it when the night keeps me company, I guess.   yet...

At five years old, junior Jena Detweiler was surrounded by music. Quickly moving on from bright red, flashing, and plastic toy instruments, she found herself in the midst of the brass giants played by...

Starting with administration Measuring tape in hand, principal Steve Passinault found himself at school on a Saturday, but this time it was for something much greater than a meeting: contact tracing...

I walked into room 139 at 13, and I haven’t left the green leather chair, somewhat functional lamps, and comforting brown couch since. And it’s a silly thought that furniture can embolden me, strengthen...

It’s fitting that   despite the cerulean sky sifting through the forests, and the trees clutching their last signs of youth, denying Mother Nature in shades of viridescent vitality, and despite...

Name: Russell Baird Grade: 11th 1. How did you get into improv? Why did you decide to try out? “I got into it by doing other theater programs like the play, and I signed up because it looked...

I’ve never been one for balance; I have an all-or-nothing mindset, for better or worse. My inability to ride a bike for far too long is a great testament to this semblance of broken balance. Unknowingly...

I love the simplicity of the grass.   It has always been green, an unwavering testament to its health and the gentle love from rolling spring rains, And it has always been home in which we convene, trampled...

Junior Laurel Snyder has some of her earliest memories to thank for the influential introduction of photography. Well, to be more exact, she has her childhood nanny and those memories to thank. From...

Name: Mason Yarnell Grade: 12th 1. How did you get into improv? Why did you decide to try out? “I started doing improv last year because I thought it would be fun, and I've had a great time...

My teeth are unaligned at best, and I have braces, and I haven’t written any college essays, and I’m breaking out as if my hormones want me to acknowledge their persistent presence, and I’m sixteen. So...

My community has unintentionally been built from, to quote Bob Ross, “happy little accidents,” and The Central Trend has been no exception for me. I don’t remember much from class selection for...

My first day of school—my first day back after months and chaos and quarantine—included too many lasts. Far too many lasts for someone who can’t read the last chapter of books because it hurts to...

Three months ago I was complaining about work, and now I’m unemployed—Grand Coney is one of COVID-19’s many business-based victims forced into forever closure. Three months ago, I was dancing in...

Upon the stabbing sticks next to her sat an unregistered face that after calibrated efforts, she couldn’t erase.   At first unwanted yet now welcomed, the face grew a body without...

Perfection was merely a word in a world where words were taken with the wind and left shamefully unheard,   so she began to show, not speak.   Never the most creative or crafty or controlled, she...

Name: Sukhpreet Singh Grade: 11 Role: Marching band drum major and band student 1. How have you been practicing outside of school? How do you conduct, too? "Following the beginning of quarantine,...

When I first met her, Hannah Raven-Fish was a summer stranger whose laughs flirted with the breeze. She then became a shoulder to cry on, a fellow body to eat vegan pasta with, a hug and a smile on the...

If I close my eyes and let go of your hand, it’s loss. irrevocable, irreversible, irreparable, loss.   I no longer have your hand weaved into mine— cemented, almost, into mine— and that...

Name: Dan Behm Role: Forest Hills Superintendent 1. What has the past week for you looked like as a superintendent? Are there many meetings happening? Constantly watching for updates? "The...

Name: Steve Passinault Role: FHC Principal 1. What decisions have you personally been in charge of regarding the switch to online school and grading? "The three high school principals, along with...

I hate silence. It’s something I’ve always hated, something I avoid—for better or worse, or whatever that means. It feels undeniably foreign to me; I’m set on edge when the brick wave that silence...

When Kanye West said he had synesthesia, I instantly thought I did too. The reason? I wanted to be him. I, thirteen and a middle school girl, wanted to be Kanye, a successful middle-aged man. Yet despite...

Name: Ali Azeem Grade: 12 Character: Gargoyle 1. Do you have a “ritual” before rehearsals or shows? "[The cast] always goes to Forest Hills Foods before every rehearsal at the FAC. I...

I write my words often and passionately— with fervor and doubt and emotion and pain,   and yet you use yours in such devastating vain.   my hand is heavy as my lead fights the paper and...

To introduce this experimental story, separate interviews were held for Rylie and Brynn to analyze their friendship and how it has lasted to high school. The interviews were then used to write separate...

Rivers of flowers flood my sunbathing body, lapping over my sides as if molding to me. This quasi-clay of flowers encapsulates my body. My sides are undoubtedly captured as my eyes remain enraptured by...

FHC is known for the Friday nights. We have a loud and proud student section, a dominating sports reputation, and academically advanced students. And it's everywhere. Photos of students hang in the hallways,...

Southern heat berated the fall,  out ran the sweaters and warm drinks, fearing the shatter of the porcelain doll.   Leaves stay put, green and healthy, thriving on the spindly Elm...

By now, there’s no doubt that I’m a self-dubbed, self-proclaimed, self-righteous poke bowl connoisseur. Beginning with Wikiwiki and most recently Poke Toki, I’ve eaten a few too many bowls this...

I used to believe everything that was sung to me in sweet a voice.   I believed that the factories on those hills, the one we always passed when we went for the zoo, were little cloud makers,...

Junior Avery LeTourneau started off swimming in high school with a win—a conference win to be exact. As a freshman, Avery was new to the school’s varsity swim team, yet despite the inexperience, he...

As much as I encourage going vegetarian or even cutting meat out of meals, I will be the first to say that sometimes vegetarian meals lack flavor. There is only so much I can do with a block of tofu,...

Name: Kelsey Toole Grade: 12 Sport played: girls varsity soccer 1. Do you believe that there's a difference between the treatment of male and female sports at a national level? "Yes, definitely....

Name: Rodrick DeOliviera Grade: 11 Sport played: varsity boys soccer 1. Do you believe that there's a difference between male and female sports at a national level with sports like soccer? "I...

Since the inception of sports, there has always been a difference between genders in sports. With just men leading the forefront for decades—men's basketball, football, and soccer—women’s sports...

it’s funny how the eyes of a stranger can change color   seas of blue harmonies of golden hues the grey of a tattered shoe   but the look inside— the peer into their emotions—   waves...

With little knowledge of what was to come, junior Anna Freihofer nervously talked amongst other teenagers—who were all technically her “competitors”—before her business event started. Nerves frazzled...

I’ve known snow my whole life. And on December 31st, I knew the sloppy slush that scattered itself across roadways, hardly a threat to my New Years' Eve plans. But a little under 10,000 miles away,...

Name: Alex Souza Grade: 12 1. What is your act? "I'm doing my rendition of 'Hey Jude' [by the Beatles] on the piano." 2. How did you prepare? "I've had this electric piano in my house for...

I used to be the pickiest eater. I wouldn’t eat something if it wasn’t from the store my mother bought it from. I would never even try new things despite constant endorsement from my family. Honestly,...

Name: Lynlee Derrick Grade: 11 Position: Managing Editor of Assignments Semesters spent on TCT: 5 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "Going into freshman year, I didn't want to take gym. Instead,...

the sun eclipsed the moon and everything broke.   a bright light came and went soon like a bulb bursting brightly,   and you flooded my vision.   a film on reel yet none of it real— none...

When the calendar flips to December, labels already fill the dates. Boxing day, Hanukkah, Three Kings Day, Kwanzaa, Christmas. Each holiday has its own day full of celebrations and cultivated culture--ones...