As junior Micah McClarty enters her third year on staff as Editor-in-Chief, she is thrilled to start teaching Writing for Publications with her fellow editors and write alongside all the staff members this year. On a given day in the school year, you can find Micah driving her red Mini Cooper from play or musical rehearsals, softball practices, or student council meetings. She also has a multitude of hobbies, which include listening to CDs in Sparky (the famed Mini Coop), rewatching Community, and thrifting. Micah is so excited for this year of TCT, and although she can’t even imagine saying goodbye to all her senior friends, she is grateful to have an entire year left with them.
Current obsessions: The Crucible, Canva, and Google Keep
This week’s CD: The Beatles’ 1962-1966 compilation album (disc one)
Her special talent: The ability to recite nearly any scene from the first three seasons of Community
Walking into my first hour class in my sophomore year, nothing could prepare me for the beast that was AP United States History (APUSH).
The first problem that day was not knowing where the actual classroom...
Senior Ian Tyrrell's life, for quite some time, was characterized by overcompensating.
In fact, his eighth-grade year was a near parallel to Overcompensating, Prime Video's hit television show of 2025. To...
In November of 2023, when Letterboxd film-girl summer became video essay fall, I stumbled upon a YouTube essay titled “The Power of Ugly: The Blonde Bombshell and Why Sydney Sweeney Needs an Ugly Role.”
Essentially,...
It is hardly an understatement to say that a chorus of complaints resounded through my AP World History classroom when my teacher introduced the great phone jail. I’ll admit that one or two of these...
At age 16, senior Seren-Aurora Kegley’s creative streak came to fruition in a unique way: fanfiction.
Indeed, through the online repository platform Archive of Our Own (AO3), Seren brought her headcanons...
Norovirus, a highly infectious contagion that causes vomiting and diarrhea, has been terrorizing restaurants, cruises, and schools since 1968. With about 2,500 US outbreaks reported every year, it is known...
Opinions expressed in columns 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.
As...
Upon thrifting a mysterious Video Home System (VHS) tape for the sole purpose of it looking “weird and old,” a '90s exercise network was the last thing junior Harris Ward expected to be watching on...
I love matcha.
Nearly everything about it is immensely endearing: the sage-to-grass-green hue (depending on the concentration, of course) reflects my favorite color. I love how the frothy bubbles...
At the end of every softball practice and game, the Rangers sit in a circle and discuss. We anticipate the familiar closing chant of “Rangers!” and the camaraderie of our ending break, but mostly we...
Senior Rowan Szpieg, upon first picking up her nylon-string guitar as a child, found out that she was not, in fact, a very good singer—nor was she improving.
Unfortunately, Rowan made the worst...
This is it: the home stretch. With the last day of school (for non-seniors) less than a month away from today, the dream of summer is finally within students’ sights.
Unfortunately, for many students,...
I love beautiful people.
Just like every other human who has traipsed along this earth, I am hard-wired to search for aesthetic appeal. I look for it every day, in every class, in every moment. I find...
Dear Caden,
It’s officially been a week since spring break ended, and Mom and Dad have now made it very clear—it’s time for you to make a decision.
Though your college decision may seem simple,...
This review was written assuming the reader has read The Hunger Games. Watch out for spoilers.
One of the things I admire most about Suzanne Collins is her refraining from milking The Hunger Games...
When I received my official license last September, I thought I wouldn't be able to drive well into being 16 years old. At the time, the only available car was used by my older brother, who had no inclination...
“Peter, if you come for me—just once a year—I’ll do your spring cleaning. Will you come?”
The big moment is finished. Peter Pan, which the thespians of FHC have been working on since December,...
When English 9 teacher Jessi Dykstra was assigned to pilot the new English curriculum at the beginning of this school year, she wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but she certainly didn't expect College...
Upon opening the AP Seminar PT2 Stimulus packet just about a month ago, I was all but overwhelmed by the indigestible lexicon and terminology that created this 82-page document. I decided to tackle this...
Nothing brings me more excitement than making a new document.
It happened just a second ago, when creating this very column. I let my mouse glide over the colorful “plus” at the top of the Google...
Every year, around this time, a whisper of spring peeks out from its slumber, gracing the Midwest with a temperature of 50 degrees. It’s true—I wore a t-shirt yesterday.
But, alas, as February...
I am not the first and certainly not the last to say that I think I was born in the wrong generation.
Now, I say this not in a pretentious music enthusiast way, nor in a vintage fashion fanatic way—what...
On the morning of Winterfest, I became deathly ill.
My younger brother and dad had been suffering from unknown maladies for weeks. It was only a matter of time before they passed it on to me.
I sat...
It is safe to say that my favorite meme across many platforms is “The Ultimate 2011 Millenial Anthem.”
I have always been intrigued by the Indie, Tumblr-centric, and messy bun-filled era that was...
Senior Noah Oppenhuizen, on top of being one of the most impressive percussionists to watch during the drumline’s performances, helped start arguably the most important drumline tradition to date: Minion...
I am cursed. My curse is that every time I get really into a band or artist, to the point of putting their name in the bio of my staff profile—they release a highly disappointing album. Unfortunately,...
Past the 13,000 stories posted on this very website, through the password-protected barrier of the writing realm, and into the expansive “Stories” dashboard, one can find a category of stories hidden...
A common question asked at the myriad of FHC events, whether that be the Homecoming football game or a Science Olympiad tournament, is, “Why in the world are there so many cameras?” From Forest Exposure...
In the late summer of 2024, I discovered my unwavering passion for scrapbooking. Hours upon hours of stitching together magazine clippings of architecture, letters, and art created the perfect cover for...
White crayon on a windowsill. Ice down the toilet. Spoon under the pillow.
Pajamas inside out AND backward.
Countless rituals exist for children to choose from, even more than the previously stated...
Some of the most interesting philosophical discussions have been held at the end of my French class. Contrastingly, some of the most deplorable words have been said to me in my corner of the room, but...
Today’s philosophical discussion in the dregs of fourth hour was the subject of “type A” and “type B.” So, obviously, I asked my teacher what type he thought I was because I love knowing what...
Science teacher Bob VandenBerg’s world was turned upside down when he realized that he could not, in fact, turn upside down. At least, not without puking.
As a Purdue student studying aerospace...
I love lists. I love boxes. I love my Notes app.
Though it seems a simple application that could be easily replaced by Google Docs, Messages, or even Voice Memos, it’s probably my favorite little...
To Mama, for making every living moment special
From doing endless Christmas shopping for your five children, husband, and more, to bringing me and Kylie to concerts of artists you haven’t even...
I am starting to hate French.
Little, green, eighth-grade me glorified the AP dream. French all five years, take the AP test, and get my Seal of Biliteracy. The perfect plan–but just the naive musings...
I can confidently say that the worst thing about listening to a relatively niche band or artist is not having anyone to share it with.
Days dancing in my yard as I rake leaves with The Backseat Lovers...
As Lindsay Lohan once said, “Halloween is the one night a year where a girl can dress up—”
That’s where the quote will end today, I think.
Anyway, in the modern age of 2024, where the average...
FHC’s annual homecoming tailgate started with Brad Anderson, a dumpster, and a dream.
Believe it or not, our homecoming tailgate—the largest high school tailgate in the state of Michigan—began...
In the meta-modern age of 2024, I can confidently say that I have discovered most of my favorite bands and musical artists online.
For the longest time, I prided myself on my tendency to favor “dad”...
09/26/2009
A baby sits on a high chair, her knees bouncing and basking in the early autumn sun. Her legs tremble even more as she eagerly awaits the colorful, icing-slathered cake she sees in her mother’s...
Taylor Swift, as if one doesn’t hear that name enough, is under fire for hugging her friend. That’s right, the exalted American singer-songwriter embraced her year-long friend, Brittany Mahomes, and...
On Friday, April 20, 2024, the staff of The Central Trend (TCT) received disappointing, if not devastating, news—their beloved teacher and advisor, Ken George, was leaving FHC. But this shocking announcement...
Although I was excited to see my schedule on Aug. 1, the PowerSchool notification on my phone brought me to the realization that summer was ending. Like many other teenagers, I had not hung out with my...
The earth rotates around the sun at 1038 miles an hour, 24,912 miles a day, a total of 584 million miles—one full rotation—in a year.
In that time, the sun's light seeps into the darkest, most...
About a month ago, a friend and I went to see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on the day of the film’s release. I was giddy to see another addition to the acclaimed series after rewatching the original...
When I was a little girl, I slept with a blanket—as most do.
This blanket was special, though. It was my version of a stuffed animal, dubbed “Blankie,” cleverly enough. I slept with it every night...
Freshman Kayla Boerma is very excited to see her relatives for Christmas.
Like many other Christians, Kayla enjoys all of the traditions and celebrations that come with Christmas. She loves spending...
When I was younger, every time I stepped into a tourist shop in a highly visited area, I scanned the rotating rack of cheap souvenirs for my name. It was never there. Even if it was, it wouldn’t be decorated...
Thank you to my awesome family, who helped me become who I am and continue to help me grow into a better person.
Thank you, Mama, for keeping me in check. Whether you remind me to clean my room...
I can’t wait until Thanksgiving break.
But after Thanksgiving break, I won’t be able to wait until winter break. After winter break, I won’t be able to wait until spring break, and so on and so...
One might be a bit intimidated upon meeting senior Amelia “Millie” Alt. She is a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist, a feat accomplished by less than 1% of those who apply for the scholarship.
However,...
I have many crushes.
A hallway crush, a childhood crush. A crush for half of my classes. A studio crush and a returning crush.
Most of these people haven’t spoken a word to me, and I don’t talk...
“Hello, I’m a fat person, fat, fat, fat.”
This introduction is certainly not the statement one might expect from a 6-year-old girl’s lips. Stereotypically, preschool to elementary-aged girls...
FHC's Health Occupations Students of America club, or HOSA, certainly lives up to its name: a club of students interested in the medical field who study health topics and compete in health competitions....
Sophomore Italian exchange student Chiara de Franceschi grew up surrounded by delicious Italian cuisine paired with the warm, buttery wash of family tradition.
As a young girl, she spent her holidays...
Last spring, my brother and I listened to music while he drove me home from my youth group. Throughout the ride, he skipped through some of his favorite flavorless raps, only listening to the first minute...
