Here are two indisputable facts: I love movies, and I have way too much free time thanks to quarantine. So, I have been gifted with ample time to rewatch old favorites or enjoy movies I’ve never seen...

With the Pixar legacy already having left its profound and deep impact on society and pop culture, there is a great expectation on each new film the studio puts out. The Disney side company’s latest...

It isn’t very hard to come to the conclusion that our physical appearance is usually the very first thing people notice about us. When meeting someone new you take notice of their clothing, their smile,...

One thing I love about women is how unique they all are. From backgrounds differing in culture and region to the various pasts we have and the various futures we will one day possess, each and every one...

An extended bit of snow day boredom led to my friends and I arriving at the movie theatre to purchase tickets to one of the few movies showing that I both hadn’t seen yet and had an interest in: Harley...

Here’s an obvious observation about Central; sports are idolized. And not for nothing. We’ve consistently had a state champion in one sport or another every year for what seems like the past one thousand...

The assemblies at FHC range all the way from watching teenagers race each other on tricycles, to court members performing tik tok dances, to stellar performances from our now top ten dance team, to quasi...

Chubby, cherub cheeks framed my boastful smile as my grabby fingers clung to the picture book. My jittery leg kept up its tap tap tap in rhythm with my anxious heartbeats. It felt like the small and compact...

When Tom Hooper announced that his next project was adapting the stage musical Cats to the big screen, I was instantly intrigued. His 2014 version of Les Miserables was an excellent example of what a broadway...

It has long been a known idea that hard work and strong character is rewarded with success. Sarah Chesner is proof that this ideology is not just a made-up fantasy to inspire motivation.  After six...

Over time, I’ve developed a deeper love for movies with each passing year; the more movies that I watch, the more refined my taste becomes, and I am able to more easily distinguish the good movies from...

Of all media in the world, Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, seemed to be a story that was not lacking. In addition to the original novel, there have been four movies, three mini-series,...

I sometimes feel like I am a being of flame--not on fire, but made up of it. Heat and passion and energy pulse through me as I go through life with a smile that could melt metal. My laughter is encompassed...

Name: Kaylee McGuire Grade: 12 1. What is your act?  "Hula Hoop Dance." 2. How did you prepare? "A lot of practice." 3. What made you audition with your act?  "I love it." 4....

There’s something eerily powerful about starting a movie with “based on a true story,” knowing that what you are about to watch is rooted in reality, with real-life serving as almost more than inspiration.  1917...

When junior Abby McAlindon was only in fifth grade, her life so far had consisted of two main driving forces: school and gymnastics.  But with the introduction of a new sport, and the realization that...

A few pertinent facts: I’m eighteen years old, I’m an American, I’m a female, and in one hundred and thirty-two days I am going to graduate from high school and receive my diploma. The culmination...

Moving schools is a difficult challenge for anyone to have to endure. Moving as an upperclassman, when most constants in high school are already established, makes the feat even more formidable. Moving...

When Harry Styles’ self-titled solo debut came out in 2017, comparisons were easily drawn to the permissive, ‘70s feeling of music legends before him. Artists like Bowie, McArtney, and Fleetwood Mac...

I think that all movies can be boiled down, reduced to their very core, and ultimately sorted into two clear-cut categories: movies about events and movies about people. Of course, all movies have a plot...

I am not good at painting nails; I never have been.  Maybe it started by the horrible fine motor skills that I have had since I was a child or maybe it was so difficult because of my lack of confidence...

There are moments that are less like reality and more like floating. Those fleeting flakes of existence lie somewhere off the realm of normalcy. They are real-life that has been soaked in a movie and delineated...

Susan Toppen  My wonderful Sus, my homecoming queen. You’re a lightning bug. You’re a bright beacon of bliss at this school. You shine your light unabashedly, warming others to you. You’ve left...

*To preface, Sarah's words are italicized and Meredith's are not. I’m the oldest of three girls. I’m the youngest of three girls. I’m the trial subject—the guinea pig kid. I was the first...

With the word “ten” literally in the title of the course, one would expect Honors English Ten to be a class full of all tenth graders. Despite this, Freshman Caroline Logan finds herself sitting in...

“Books are uniquely portable magic.” -Stephen King  With a trip to the mall this past weekend to fulfill some errands on my checklist, I found myself having completed everything on my docket...

“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” -Marry Shelley in Frankenstein With a weekend bracketed by one of my last high school football games and the senior dinner...

“What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” -William Shakespeare Amongst a candid conversation with my family, I learned that the next choice for my name,...

Now I’m not usually one for sports metaphors, but let me give this a try. Sometimes there is a team that is so stacked, their roster filled with the best players the sport has to offer, and they still...

When senior Jenny Baer’s name got announced in front of the entire school last Friday, she didn’t even process it at first. It wasn’t until Mr. Labenz asked if she was even at school that day that...

Halloween is for pumpkins and ghost stories and candy and costumes. The thirty first of October, and the entire month preceding it, are reserved for the silliest and the scary and the spookiest society...

Monday Pajama day + "The Shirt"   Tuesday  Tie dye Tuesday   Wednesday Workout Wednesday   Thursday Throwback Thursday/Retro day   Friday  Green...

The first true line of dialogue in Joker is “is it just me or is it getting crazier out there?” Spoken from the lips of a man at a therapy session who will later become the clown in the titular...

All the way in Grandville, then sophomore Dani Ahmetovic found himself pondering the environment at a swim meet. “I don't know why I just really started thinking about global warming,” Dani said,...

I think that the best movies are the ones that make a point—the ones that have something to say. All successful movies have a message, though said message may vary in level of profoundness.  That’s...

The Downton Abbey movie was akin to enjoying a warm cup of tea with a friend you haven’t seen in many years, knowing you won’t see them again for a very long time. It was warming, though heavily...

1. When did you first learn about the new phone policy? "In the summer around August." 2. What was your initial reaction? "I was pretty mad [about] it." 3. What did you think the implementation of...

1. When did you first learn about the new phone policy? "I learned about it from my mom [at] the beginning of August." 2. What was your initial reaction? "I was really surprised, and I wasn't sure...

At the early and alarming time of 6:45, junior Lydia Burr’s perfunctory day begins an hour before the vast majority of her peers. While most students would think that waking up that early would be tantamount...

In order to practice the movie-obsessed mindset that I preach about every day and in other works on this site, I try to stay as up-to-date on Hollywood’s latest endeavors. So, when it was first announced...

With a monstrous tome of over 1100 pages as source material, a part one installment that was the most commercially successful horror movie of all time, and loyal fans of both, it suffices to say It Chapter...

For Senior Maizey Sczpanek, the hard-fought reward at the end of the school week each fall is but one word: football. “Every single Friday, I get so excited,” Maizey said. “Even just waking up,...

Surprising no one who knows me, I can proudly say that I love rom coms.  Let me amend that; I love good rom coms. A romantic comedy that’s sharp, fresh, and well thought out can become an instant...

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood might be the most heartwarming movie about the Manson murders ever created.  While that sounds a bit like the punchline of a black-humored joke, prolific director Quentin...

As the bright lights shone down with heat and clarity on roughly thirty high schoolers full of nerves and ready to make people laugh, sophomore Mason Yarnell took in the familiar feeling of being onstage....

Name: Sean Stone Grade: Freshman Running for: Treasurer 1. Why are you running? "I've always liked treasurer and what they have to do." 2. How do you believe you can help your grade? "I can...

Name: Meredith VanSkiver Grade: Junior Running for: Student Council Board President 1. Why are you running? "Student Council has been a constant throughout the entirety of my high school career....

Name: Maurielle Hayes Grade: Freshman Running for: Trustee 1. Why are you running? “One of the main reasons I am running is because I want to be involved more within our school. I believe...

Name: Ben Lowen Grade: Sophomore Running for: Secretary 1. Why are you running? "Because I want to see a change in the way that our class handles its challenges." 2. How do you believe you can...

Name: Meribell Varghese Grade: Freshman Running for: Trustee 1. Why are you running? “I am running because I love Student Council, and I generally love being involved in behind-the-scenes...

Upon my original viewing of the first teaser trailer for Guy Ritchie’s live-action remake of Aladdin, I had to fight back metaphorical vomit at the reveal of the creepy, cerulean creature that was the...

Through word of mouth and the ever-growing shadow of pop culture, all signs point to junior year being the most stressful of the four students spend at high school. Although here at FHC, a school notoriously...

As is not unusual, during the start of my sixth hour, I caught up with my fellow journalists and friends on The Central Trend about what's new in their ephemeral last few weeks of school. One of them brought...

Last year, junior Jasmine Dawson, a proud, former “new kid,” confidently led around a small group of eighth grade CMS students around the school after she had spent two years there learning and absorbing....

Disney, being the precocious, powerful, present company that it is, understands the powerful marketing tool that is nostalgia. A connecting factor that spans between cultures, distances, and generational...

Ever since the start of second semester, in my opinion at least, it has felt as though the conversation of the senior class almost leaving was a topic bordering on taboo for the juniors. The threads of...

Film: Ujean Producers: Brendan Wendlandt, Will Cammell, Jake Lenderink, Ian  Interviewee: Brendan Wendlandt 1. What’s your film about? "Our film is about a character from the film we made...

“I’m doing track and field this spring. It’s going okay. I’m doing discus, which is different for me. [Discus] is just like throwing a hard disk. It is full of boys, so I’m like the only girl....

“I went to Europe with my dad this past summer, and that was really fun. We went to London, Paris, and Amsterdam. That has probably been my favorite vacation. We were actually in Paris the day France...

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been around for nearly twenty years, and each spring when it comes around, it adds something new to the ever-growing melting pot that is pop culture. Last year,...

In my last review, I mentioned my deep affinity with romantic comedies. And spoiler alert, I wasn’t lying. I’m a massive movie lover and the genre of romantic comedies rank high on my list of favorites....

As the school year winds down and the pleasing thought of summer increases, many students begin to relax and prepare themselves to simply “ride the wave” until they’ve successfully coasted through...

Regardless of how cynical the title of this review may make me seem to be, I am, in fact, a great lover of romantic comedies. I can consistently count on their gooey, often hard to believe, sugar-coated...

There are some moments in my life where no matter how much time passes, I know I will never forget them. As years pass, many mundane memories will turn yellow with the decay of forgetfulness. Some moments...

Freshman Brooke Munson is often found after school at the soccer field, fulfilling her duties as a defensive player on the JV girls soccer team. As one of nineteen underclassmen on the team, Brooke is...

In the early days of a seemingly lack-luster December, I made the decision to try out for the spring musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had been vacillating between whether or not...

As a busy high school junior with a passionate love for reading, I often find myself in a difficult quandary.  I regularly have mountains of homework topped with practices, rehearsals, and a plethora...

"We're doing crew right now; we have non-mandatory practices. A week ago, I was running sprints before the warm up, and I partially tore my hamstring. Normally, I don't get super upset when I get hurt....

“Freshman year, during The Little Mermaid musical, I was sitting, waiting for my cue for the finale, and a bunch of the ensemble kids were just sitting on the floor. Now-graduated Evan Kuiper was fake...

I think that it comes as no shock for me to say that we as humans define and measure our lives by the massive, memorable, and mesmerizing moments. We focus on the scrapbook-worthy, framable events that...

Hundreds of dance teams flooded to Orlando, Florida two weeks ago to participate in the 2019 UDA National Dance Team Championship. FHC’s celebrated team was one of many groups anxiously waiting to perform...

The 91st Academy Awards were surrounded in controversy before the ceremony even began. Decisions to add new categories, air existing categories during commercial breaks, and forgo the tradition of a host...

To my knowledge, I do not think that I have ever witnessed, been aware of, or seen photo evidence of someone under the age of twenty smoking a cigarette. The reason for this is easily identifiable. Since...

Meghan Trainor is probably best known to the general public because of her large and successful pop songs. Countless radio hits like “All About That Bass,” “NO,” “Lips Are Movin,” and “Dear...

I woke up, and the world was frozen. Not glistening with frost or fluffy with snow, but frozen. The previous night’s freezing rain had left behind a coating that was as thick as a pinkie finger and...

At just nine years old, junior Meredith Carpenter had no idea that her decision to participate in a fun fall sport would impact the rest of her life. “I started sideline cheer in fourth grade after...

My friend and fellow The Central Trend writer, Olivia Luplow, has talked my ear off on multiple occasions about her love for true crime podcasts. The expression of ‘I just can’t wait to get home and...

This past Tuesday morning, film fanatics across the country eagerly waited with bated breath for the announcement of the 91st Academy Award nominations. The Oscars have long represented the peak of cinema...

For just $11.75, I traveled to 16th century England for a night. The movie Mary, Queen of Scots was an immersive experience that depicted the story of the ephemeral Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan) in exquisite...

I am a newly-crowned seventeen-year-old. It’s odd, really. It doesn’t bring about the promise of being able to drive like turning sixteen does. It doesn’t signify the start of adulthood like eighteen...

For many students, the start of winter break is tantamount to taking a deep sigh of relief and signifies the start of two weeks devoted to doing absolutely nothing. However, for freshman Maxime Larmande,...

Like many of my fellow high school peers, I have a caffeine addiction. An affinity for coffee might be a more pleasant way to phrase it, but nonetheless, it remains a present and driving factor in my busy,...

My over-imaginative brain has provided me with many inquiries that occupy thoughts and keep me awake. I’m always one to bug my friends and family with odd, hypothetical 'would you rathers' and 'what...

For many students, holiday break means relief. It’s quite literally a break from school, but also one from the stress, business, and intense rigor of school. However, for a large percentage of seniors...

I’m a self-proclaimed film aficionado. That’s not meant to be pretentious or haughty by any means; it's only to show that I have a deep love for movies, good movies at that. I like to think that...

The first day of high school is one that will be remembered for all time by any student who's gone through it. Freshman Ellie Bond was no exception as she will certainly remember her first day. “I...

I’ve always had a thing for words, almost an obsession with them-- how they look on a page, how they taste in your mouth, their cadence and pattern; the power they hold is infectious. As a child,...

Let me start by saying that I do not like poetry. Whether it be because I find most of it angsty and cliche or because I’m frustrated over the fact that I myself can’t write it, the fact remains:...

Tess Bond- for being the best role model ever I’ve always wanted to have an older sister, and you’re the closest thing I’ve got to that, Tess. Literally since the day after I was born, I’ve...

Being an oldest child is kind of like being the president; it’s a fun position in theory, but a ton of repercussions come with it. It's a glamorous, glorified, golden title that I’ve had all my life,...

The definition of an introvert is, according to Merriam-Webster, a reserved or shy person who enjoys spending time alone. They’re often introspective and quiet. Junior Amanda Bartolovic considers herself...

Senior Adrianna Donald has been gifted with one constant in her life: art. It’s something that has always just been there for her; it’s a passion that has fueled her academic life so much so that she...

Critics fawned over it, audiences fell for it, and my mother cried because of it. A Star Is Born has captivated crowds all across the globe, and I am now proud to count myself among the ranks of the ever-growing...

If a novel leaves you with a warm, content feeling upon its finish, if it makes you smile when you see it’s cover, and if you want to recommend it to all your friends, it’s a good book. If a novel...