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...