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The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

The Student Voice of Forest Hills Central

The Central Trend

Natalie Mix

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief

Natalie Mix is a senior taking on her fourth and final year as a member of The Central Trend. Room 139/140 and the staff of The Central Trend have been her home since freshman year, and it's only fitting that she's finally fulfilling her dream of becoming Editor in Chief. Natalie's time on The Central Trend has helped her find her voice and share that voice with others. She is constantly astounded by the ability her words have to make others feel heard, but she strives for it to be the case. Ultimately, her favorite aspect of her time on staff has been the people—the people who read her words and those who stand by her side as she shares them.

Favorite story to write: short stories

Favorite pieces of punctuation: the em-dash and the Oxford comma

Favorite cup to drink from: her female writers mug

A few of her favorite things: losing track of time with her best friends, impromptu late night escapades, her cat, dying her hair, and falling in love with books

 

All content by Natalie Mix
This was at the senior goodbye party last year.

[Photo] TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2022: Sofia Hargis-Acevedo

November 24, 2022

This was at the senior goodbye party last year.

A picture that my neighbor took, which is the epitome of what my perfect fall entails.

[Photo] The gratitude monologues – sweater weather

October 5, 2022

A picture that my neighbor took, which is the epitome of what my perfect fall entails.

A million different versions of me, all preserved on The Central Trend

The Central Trend is not your diary—but it was mine

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief May 10, 2022

There was a fourteen-year-old girl who walked into Room 139/140 four years ago. I could write a lot of words about her, but I honestly couldn’t promise any of them would be true—so much time has passed.  But...

too much

too much

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief May 10, 2022

sometimes, it’s hard to remember much childhood a blur of overlapping pastels untitled and unreliable—mine, but hard to read   but i do remember anxiety anxiety like grass stains...

This was in March when we all went to the park after unsuccessfully trying to get Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds.

[Photo] The ongoing, everlasting concept of time: part 2

May 13, 2022

This was in March when we all went to the park after unsuccessfully trying to get Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds.

a million moths

a million moths

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief April 28, 2022

i can't shake them a million moths a tornado in varying hues of distress a million moths wings beating bruising patterns into my heart my ribs my throat the black hole between my kidneys a...

This was taken the day that this poem was based on. It was the first time in a while that I had felt so good, and I didnt want the feeling to slip away.

[Photo] Breathe in, don’t breathe out

May 2, 2022

This was taken the day that this poem was based on. It was the first time in a while that I had felt so good, and I didn't want the feeling to slip away.

A snapshot from the walk we took at the park, on an early spring night when it was warm enough for me to pull out my summer wardrobe.

[Photo] The moment before goodbye

April 24, 2022

A snapshot from the walk we took at the park, on an early spring night when it was warm enough for me to pull out my summer wardrobe.

HBOMaxs Our Flag Means Death stars Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby

Our Flag Means Death’s success proves that the television industry has been waiting for something like this

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief April 20, 2022

Gay pirates and Taika Waititi—that was all I needed to hear before I was completely on board the Our Flag Means Death ship, legs firmly planted on the deck.  But the initial allure could hardly compare...

Dancing to the music in Terra Bagels, during a bittersweet spring break, bittersweet like this ending

This moment – the end

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief April 20, 2022

Hi. My name is Natalie.  A year and a handful of days ago, I became one of three Editors in Chief of The Central Trend. A few months later, I wrote my first editors' column. I was unsure of my topic,...

Womens History Month Q&As 2022

Women’s History Month Q&As 2022

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 31, 2022

In celebration of Women's History Month, The Central Trend is doing Q&As with women from across the school to discuss their unique experiences as women in today's society. Check them out!

Jelier and her husband in Moscow

Women’s History Month Q&As: Jaye Jelier

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 31, 2022

Name: Jaye Jelier Position: Librarian/Media Center Staff 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to...

Meribell Varghese plans to go into international relations or international business after high school

Meribell Varghese is a proprietor of positivity in her day-to-day human connections

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 30, 2022

When senior Meribell Varghese applied to Culvers, it was just a joke. She didn’t expect to be offered the job on the spot, and she didn’t expect for it to end up becoming her “thing.”  But...

Womens History Month Q&As: Robbin DeMeester

Women’s History Month Q&As: Robbin DeMeester

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 29, 2022

Name: Robbin DeMeester Position: English and Theatre teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope...

Womens History Month Q&As: Patricia Richardson

Women’s History Month Q&As: Patricia Richardson

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 29, 2022

Name: Patricia Richardson Position: Science teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to follow...

Journaling over a clear pool in Oregon during spring break last year, only days after editor decisions came out. I think I like the person I am now better.

It was only yesterday

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 29, 2022

It feels like we started this all just yesterday. It feels like mere weeks ago that I saw my name in an email, the beginning of the fulfillment of dreams I’d held like something opalescent and bright...

Womens History Month Q&As: Kristy Butler

Women’s History Month Q&As: Kristy Butler

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 22, 2022

Name: Kristy Butler Position: Science teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to follow in their...

Rem, paying for their blueberry bagel and orange mango juice

Terra Bagels had all the golden honey warmth of home—and maybe the best latte I’ve ever had

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 22, 2022

After the generally failed experiment that was Bagel Kitchen, I held barely fluttering hopes that another bagel shop could redeem such establishments. But when my partner, Rem, suggested that we swing...

A picture of me and my friends trying not to fall while taking pictures of the sky.

[Photo]

A picture of me and my friends trying not to fall while taking pictures of the sky.

Grace Stynes with some of her students at the FHC Art Show

Women’s History Month Q&As: Grace Stynes

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 18, 2022

Name: Grace Stynes Position: Art teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to follow in their footsteps? "Every...

Womens History Month Q&As: Kimberly Anderson

Women’s History Month Q&As: Kimberly Anderson

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 17, 2022

Name: Kimberly Anderson Position: ASL teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights that we as women have today? How do you hope to follow...

Womens History Month Q&As: Lisa Penninga

Women’s History Month Q&As: Lisa Penninga

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 17, 2022

Name: Lisa Penninga Position: English teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to follow in their...

Womens History Month Q&As: Kelli Potts

Women’s History Month Q&As: Kelli Potts

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 17, 2022

Name: Kelli Potts Position: English teacher 1. In what ways are you grateful for the women who came before you and fought for the rights we as women have today? How do you hope to follow in their...

A photo from a day when I remember being so genuinely present for the first time in a while

This moment – life without answers

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 16, 2022

It’s like I’ve been trying to play life like a game—for eighteen years, but especially lately.  I have a laundry list of things I’m trying to be better at, I collect shifts in perspective like...

A photo from our vacation lake house this summer that looks a little bit like how peace feels to me

“Thank you,” she thinks, as she has nothing to say

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 15, 2022

She started too many sentences today that she forgot to finish. And now, her head is filled with the beginnings of too many stories, too many thoughts, but it feels surprisingly empty.  In fact, for...

AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS by MICHELLE was released on March 4, 2022.

AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS is an invitation to dance through rosy spring melodies

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 8, 2022

Passionately from the passenger seat, I argued my definition of “spring music,” queuing songs that epitomized my point to play over the aux. A Shamrock Shake rested in the cupholder beside me, my friends...

The person who managed to calm my racing thoughts today—hidden behind these plants that belonged to someone else entirely

You’ve always said too much

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief March 1, 2022

Don’t get the date wrong; put it next to your name, in the title for your column, due in five hours.  Why are you so tired? Why have the days been draining you when the sun is out more often, when...

On a hike, avoiding the slippery path, carrying the tote bag Jessie painted for me and the trail snacks we bought at the gas station. I was happy.

This moment – paint me a rainbow

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 25, 2022

I’ve been writing a lot of poetry lately. There’s something about this time of year that’s meant for poetry, meant for my Gatsby-inspired playlist, meant for dreaming.  But I think I spend too...

Kat and I on the trail with our trail snacks

[Photo] Leaning into the change and learning to breathe once more

February 23, 2022

Kat and I on the trail with our trail snacks

The 2022 Winterfest court nominees

[Photo] 2022 Winterfest Court Q&As

February 25, 2022

The 2022 Winterfest court nominees

Senior Sammie Wing standing in front of a picnic table, holding a stick

Sammie Wing lives her life for the stories it will tell

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 22, 2022

Senior Sammie Wing was, if only jokingly so, convinced that her presence on the bowling team could improve their 0-13 losing record. When she was given the opportunity to actually test that hypothesis,...

What was left of our bagels and coffee shortly before we left

Bagel Kitchen might be a stop along the journey, but never the destination

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 22, 2022

While I’ve never been one for breakfast or predictable routines, recently, my morning cup of coffee and blueberry bagel have been the exception to that rule.  I have the appetite of a small bird...

A photo from The Central Trends Valentines Day bake sale

February 14 – eighteen, no pressue

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 17, 2022

it feels like there's a lot of pressure to make this one, this last poem, something special   the same way i felt like there was pressure all day to make today something special, these...

Lorelei on a Facetime call on her break at work Sunday morning

February 13 – the rhythm of little things

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 17, 2022

there’s a tub of speckled pink cookie dough cooling in my fridge, paper bags full of baked goods from Meijer waiting on my kitchen counter, a blue dinosaur stuffed animal, a Dollar Tree greeting...

Sofia and Allie in D&W while we bought soup

February 12 – the Gatsby effect

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 17, 2022

if i could capture today in a bottle forever preserve this cottony soft feeling, stitched together, nothing missing, no holes poked through me   but here i am staring at the problem...

In the elevator on the way up to City Highs winter dance

February 11 – keep me here

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 17, 2022

i started a poem started spilling my anxieties onto the page but i’m so so sick sick of overthinking  of never being content so we’re not doing that tonight   tonight was...

The photo I took after coming home from Hamilton

February 10 – don’t forget

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 16, 2022

today was r/u/s/h/e/d, don’t forget: to get a signature on that line, remove a comma, change that word, hit publish, time enough to grab a can of iced tea with the bottle of vitamin D...

The Yellow Wallpaper art project from AP Lit with my continuous line faces

February 9 – wash, rinse, repeat

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 16, 2022

there’s only so much you can do to drown out certain noises   headphones in, but i can still hear the  thwack thwack thwack of the ping pong ball against the wall   turn...

Lorelei sitting on the couch in question under that knit blanket

February 8 – today on that couch

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 15, 2022

Today on that couch I felt warm the kind of warm that has me carrying a blanket between classes, finds me with at least three blankets on my bed at all times, never being far from my knit cardigan...

Seven days of poems—before eighteen

Seven days of poems—before eighteen

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 15, 2022

  Exactly one week before my eighteenth birthday, I decided to write a poem every night for seven days, something to help tether me to the moment—as it often feels I am relentlessly and fruitlessly...

At Nonnas Trattoria for one of my best friends birthdays a week ago

Today, she’s eighteen

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 15, 2022

As a kid, when time was a concept too elusive for my little fingers to grasp, I always knew I could start talking about my birthday when the grocery store aisles overflowed with cheesy reminders of love—hearts...

The kitchen sink, full of plants, in my best friends house, on a night when I went home feeling sparkly and golden

[Photo]

The kitchen sink, full of plants, in my best friends' house, on a night when I went home feeling sparkly and golden

Roxy, by Jarrod and Neal Shusterman, tells a salient story of drug addiction through the personification of various drugs.

Roxy is a bejeweled bookend between utterly immersive fictional worlds

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 8, 2022

TW: This review and book contain mentions of drug addiction and specific substances. There’s an inexplicable peace that wraps me up in a hug between aisles overflowing with books, a vast jungle of...

Mrs. Andersons Level 1 ASL class, in attendance and hard at work

[Photo] Your presence at school is important, especially on Count Day

February 8, 2022

Mrs. Anderson's Level 1 ASL class, in attendance and hard at work

Kat and I on a picnic last weekend at Natalies house

[Photo]

Kat and I on a picnic last weekend at Natalie's house

Junior Paulina Diesen reading in her grandmas library when she was younger

Through fantasy universes, students have shaped worldviews that brim with empathy and adventure

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 3, 2022

While the stunning scenery of Rocky Mountain National Park blurred by outside her car windows, sophomore Paige Harsevoort had her attention pinned to something else entirely.  A first-grader at the...

The galaxy my friend drew onto my arm for her art portfolio, a reminder of the nearly perfect evening we had

This moment – finally February

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 2, 2022

In metallic ink from the Pilot G2 pens that are smeared across most of my worksheets from today, a single bullet point is scrawled in stunted cursive across my copy of “The Yellow Wallpaper” from AP...

A photo from when Im pretty sure I was genuinely happy, but it can be so hard to tell

She’s made of something not meant for this world

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief February 1, 2022

She once wrote that she was one with everything she touched.  It was a time when she felt like the world was hers and she was the world’s. She filled her time with sunsets, 2008 Cadillac escapades,...

The album cover for AURORAs third studio album, The Gods We Can Touch

AURORA’s The Gods We Can Touch is a divine gallery of art worthy of becoming lost within

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief January 25, 2022

Sunlight streaks through the glass panels of the vaulted ceilings high above me, melting into pearly puddles across the marble floors. Ivory pillars ornament the space, and gossamer curtains gently flutter...

Freshman Drew Wright plans to play for FHCs varsity hockey team all four years of high school.

Drew Wright collects valuable experience through the passions that energize his life

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief January 20, 2022

Freshman Drew Wright’s driving experience has been limited to the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center parking lot in a stick shift Audi, one that has seen its fair share of excitement in the many years it’s...

The bouquet of flowers my friend bought from a farmers market this summer

Flowers in this garden, poetry on this page

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief January 18, 2022

There’s a small yellow unicorn sitting on her windowsill, half of what she assumes was once a greeting card taped to her wall, a poetry book at her feet, and strings of multicolored lights hanging around...

A photo from New Years Eve that makes me inconceivably happy

This moment – broken teacups and butterfly wings

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief January 12, 2022

At 11:47 p.m. on December 31, I documented my tear-stained face in my Snapchat camera roll, a pale orange memory of crying fifteen minutes before the new year. At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, an entire...

Promo posters for American Auto, Ghosts, Harlem, Abbott Elementary, and Pretty Smart

Five pilot episodes that just might be worth your time

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief January 11, 2022

I don’t really do anything halfway—a fact that is particularly evident in the way I watch TV. I watched all seven seasons of New Girl in three weeks. In middle school, I watched the first six seasons...

the ASL 4 class on a field trip to Fredrick Meijer Gardens a few months ago

[Photo] American Sign Language's latest project aims to make our community more inclusive

January 11, 2022

the ASL 4 class on a field trip to Fredrick Meijer Gardens a few months ago

Encanto was released in theatres on Nov 24 and is the fifth Walt Disney Animation Studios film to explore Latin American culture, according to IMDb.

Disney’s Encanto dances with bursts of color and sound that outshine the lackluster plot

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief December 7, 2021

I possess a few consistent personality quirks—ordering a Shirley Temple every time my friends and I go out to eat, buying beverages I know I’ll hate just because the packaging is pretty, or refusing...

Students studying for exams diligently, making sure to be completely prepared.

[Photo] The students and teachers at FHC are doing their best to ensure success on upcoming exams

December 7, 2021

Students studying for exams diligently, making sure to be completely prepared.

One of the many pieces of blackout poetry plastered around the school

The halls of FHC tell the stories of the students who have found their paths through them

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief December 2, 2021

English teachers Kelli Potts, Anne Keller, and Ken George can agree on one sentiment definitively: the walls of Forest Hills Central High School have always needed a little spicing up.  In an environment...

Kelsey with the parmesan cheese that we did eventually find

She’s trying to be happy, despite it all

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 30, 2021

Once upon a time, she wrote about herself like she was a story book character, like she was merely an apathetic narrator of emotions she had no control over.  It’s not like that now. She writes her...

TCTs The Countless Thanks 2021: Natalie Mix

TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2021: Natalie Mix

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 25, 2021

Katherine Hartman, Sophie Hartl, Brooke Munson, and Sophie Shields - for Survivor selfies For the first few weeks of the school year, Social Psych lacked the vivacity that most of the classes on my...

Just another November sunset because the one good thing about this month is the stunning sunsets

Dear November, my coldest regards

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 16, 2021

I wish I was better at telling my stories in something other than a series of days when tears beckoned to me like a crushing wave beckons to the sandy sea floor.  I wish I hadn’t nearly run out of...

Play Q&As: Israell King

Play Q&As: Israell King

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 11, 2021

Name: Israell King Grade: 12th 1. What is your role?  "I play No.40, Shopkeeper, and Woman on Train. I also play various roles throughout the production as an extra." 2. Why did you decide...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time — Fall Play Q&As

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time — Fall Play Q&As

Avery Jordan, Natalie Mix, and Emma Zawacki November 11, 2021

This year, FHC's theatre department, directed by John Donovan, is putting on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.  The show will be running from Thursday, Nov. 11th until Saturday, Nov....

Play Q&As: Jonathan Mossner

Play Q&As: Jonathan Mossner

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 10, 2021

Name: Jonathan Mossner Grade: 10th 1. What is your role?  "My role is Christopher." 2. Why did you decide to try out for the play?  "I've tried out for [plays] before, and I really enjoyed...

Play Q&As: Zach Guikema

Play Q&As: Zach Guikema

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 10, 2021

Name: Zach Guikema Grade: 12th 1. What is your role?  "I am 'the man with socks,' Reverend Peters, and I also play other various roles." 2. Why did you decide to try out for the play?  "I...

Play Q&As: Tara Brace

Play Q&As: Tara Brace

Natalie Mix, Editor in Chief November 10, 2021

Name: Tara Brace Grade: 11th 1. What is your role?  "I play Mrs. Gascoyne—who is a teacher for Christopher's school, a lady at the information desk at a train station, and posh woman on a...

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