I am not a giver, at least not in the way that matters.  Birthday presents are purchased on the way to the party, pages of an old magazine I found in the back of my car as the tissue paper, the back...

Abby, with her mom, who she considers to be one of her strongest role models.

Reflecting on her four years in the building—the remaining days even shorter after the schedule adjustment—senior Katie Tellier remarked just how quickly everything has seemed to end, just how quickly...

I turn eighteen this weekend, and I honestly never envisioned myself at this age. Not in a bleak way, not at all, but I simply just thought I’d be sixteen forever—barely passing chemistry, overthinking...

You always admired my slow breaths in the morning, the way my heart was the first to wake, the way my lungs were never quite ready to face the sun.   I was green in the mornings, for moss filled...

It’s the mundane things, such as opening yet another Arnold Palmer or queuing Phoebe Bridgers’ entire discography, that make up my days. It’s all ordinary. Simple. There’s far too much certainty...

I am dreadfully hunched over, and my new-to-me flannel hangs limp,  the sleeves a closed curtain to the hand-drawn stars atop my hands.   My Arnold Palmer balances beside the 800-page book...

At just five years old, after months of imploring, freshman Alexa Fauson finally convinced her parents to buy a violin. But she wasn’t even allowed to hold the bow until a year later, which, to a...

Lately, I’ve been propping my pillows at the foot of my bed, opposite of the “actual” head, because I don’t like it over there. Mostly because the antique headboard is broken—it has been for...

Her frail fingers, flushed from the shame  of being a sculptor,  trace the water droplets on the shower floor as  she does her emaciated body.    She’s sculpted, shaped and contorted  and...

Inauguration Day was a momentous occasion in the capitol—an event with significant precedent that was produced under a warped lens this year, remaining on par with the absurdity and unexpectedness that...

With just the Voice Memos app and a combined passion for sports reporting, then sophomores Matthew Mahoney and Jacob Ervin sat themselves wherever there was space, particularly the cafeteria, and just...

A gut-wrenching depiction of love and loss, of grief and gratitude, of life and death, Pieces of a Woman is an intense yet slow-moving Netflix film that, for two hours, explores a grieving woman’s harrowing...

It seems that at least every other week our editor’s columns focus on how different this year is, how any semblance of our senior year is crumbling, how our sanctuary of Room 139 just isn’t the same—whether...

A photo taken by Abby Wright that displays the beauty of nature and the contrast between man and nature.

Poisoned by empty promises and the tears of the willow who hasn’t stopped weeping, the water is uninhabitable, yet the sailboat is untouched.    I worry the loneliness guts her,  makes...

The “Congratulations” next to my name in my letter of acceptance to Syracuse University—my dream school. My art made into something permanent. Every early morning and mid-afternoon on Rosy...

It has been a big week for music. Between my all-time favorite artist Taylor Swift dropping a surprise sister album to Folklore, and recently reviewed all-time favorite comfort band, The Neighbourhood,...

Despite a sun lamp illuminating my hunched figure stooped over my laptop at all hours of the afternoon, despite the bite of the air and the wind personally painting my cheeks and nose shades of red that...

I’m not quite sure where to start this one—perhaps the beginning would be best. But, I very frequently write on profile rubrics “don’t be afraid to start in the middle of the story,” and this—this...

The Unbeliever never fully latched onto  the Being that everyone else seems  to follow, believe in, love.    There’s always been distance,  a road less traveled,  between...

Sophomore Lauren Wolffis continued playing the piano all these years not because she enjoyed going to lessons but rather because she hated them.  Feeling confined by the strictness of the sheet music...

I never had a go-to blanket or stuffed animal as a child—there wasn’t anything of that nature that my younger self clung to. It was plastic princess heels, Junie B. Jones books, and whatever song was...

Nearing the final semester of my high school career, I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to Taylor Swift, looking through old photos, and traveling down roads that have led me to my motley of...

From all of us at here at The Central Trend, we wanted to inform our readers—you—that we reached record-breaking heights this past month. We surpassed 30,000 site views, which averages to over 1,000...

My women - for being the village that raised me into who I am today To the seven women who have touched my heart so personally, I owe everything to you guys. Most of you are not even blood-related,...

Nearing 100 million followers on Tik Tok, 16-year-old Charli D’Amelio is currently further away from the never-before-seen number than where she was a few days ago.  In other words, the teenager...

With a unified group mindset of striving to drastically reduce plastic pollution, Promise, freshman Gianna Sinicrope’s wooden utensil company, promises exactly that.  “We were just kind of looking...

With no one to call for help,  she simply sat,  swallowed by the  infinite snow globe.    Not trapped but stuck,  because there is a difference,  she was alone in the foothills,  in...

Picture this: you lug your heavy backpack on your shoulders, every pocket stuffed full with notebooks, folders, and textbooks. You don’t have enough room for your water bottle, so you just carry it....

I’ve bitten off more than I can chew this week, to be honest, and it seems as if everyone around me has had to pick up the pieces that my arms are too small to carry.  My plate is always overflowing...

As someone who has always despised carrying bulky wallets or purses and was never quite comfortable with her ID photos and cash being displayed on the rubber wallets attached to the back of phones, sophomore...

Name: Desiree Touhy Grade: 11 Roles: Snow White and Rapunzel 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a smaller cast compared to other years? "Well some advantages, I’ll...

As Student Council representatives visit each classroom throughout these next two weeks collecting donations for the annual Family Promise fundraising week, freshman Hayden Bolter and his business partners...

Comparable to seemingly all of my top artists—most notably Maggie Rogers and Phoebe Bridgers—Holly Humberstone’s sound is an eclectic blend of foggy undertones and brooding lyrics and abstract beats.  Seemingly...

A picture of lakeside scenery that was taken by Abby Wright.

It seems that every few months I have the “worst week of my life.”  Every time this infamous week occurs, I think to myself, it cannot possibly get worse than this. I thought the same thing this...

I’m in my hometown for the week, a small town in Indiana with one grocery store and a few stoplights, a town that I was born and raised in. Surrounded by the love of my grandparents, my Nina and Papa,...

I miss my long hair, how it was red and purple and pink all at once.   I don’t even like those colors, really. I’ve always liked cooler tones, especially green and blue, but I guess I just...

1. What was your reaction when you heard your name called? "I was very surprised to hear Stiles say my name. I can't say I was expecting to be nominated, but it really is such an honor to know that...

With voter turnout in the 18 to 25-year-old age range rising faster than any other age group, FX advisor and Civics teacher Jeff Manders noted this trend and was curious as to whether voter turnout would...

swallow the bitter pill, taste the medicine on the way down.   bathe in the grey, but don’t cry when you drown.   one last breath, it’s not an ultimatum.   dance with death, hum...

May of sophomore year, my name, along with Ashlyn and Courtney’s, was displayed on the whiteboard as 2019-2020’s Editor-in-Chiefs. I was 16, and at that moment, it seemed like everything I had ever...

First appearing on my TikTok feed a few weeks ago, clad in intense clown makeup and illuminated by flashing lights, a user by the name of Rosalie captivated my attention in seconds—not for her makeup...

Drenched in melancholy, I stepped out of my car after the day of a too-itchy sweater, an empty card in an unaddressed envelope, and a plastic bag as a makeshift umbrella, and I just let the rain-soaked...

Abandoning years of fear, judgment, and self-doubt, sophomore Marissa Bertocchini steps into a new life every time she gets into costume. Like shedding a layer of skin, Marissa is not herself when she...

Did rising suicide rates among teenage girls, almost irreversible damage to our planet, and billions of personal matrixes stem from a few middle-aged white men creating a FaceBook “like” button? No....

Name: Kelsey Dantuma Grade: 11th 1. How did you get into improv? Why did you decide to try out?  "Funny story, I actually wasn't even thinking of trying out. I was helping Mason with the can...

Amidst the chaos of hybrid learning during a pandemic, the tough transition from teaching middle school to high school, and a new position in the unfamiliar FHC building, AP Lang teacher Dr. Anne Keller...

Following their 14-song project, an album titled Dreamland, released in February, COIN continues their signature sound—while also delving into a completely new world—in their new single “You Are...

Everything, and I mean everything, reminds me of the past.  A tattered sweatshirt—now ruined from an unfortunate load of laundry—always, always, always sends me back to a cold December day years...

Seeing an artist live with no prior knowledge of their sound is such a gift that it’s like fireworks on Christmas, and when Samia opened for Hippo Campus wearing an oversized T-shirt, biker shorts, and...

It was during the infamous first-day circle, that circle everybody in this class knows all too well, the circle I’ve written about countless times, the circle that introduced me to two of my best friends,...

Green, because it’s color of the little girl’s eyes—the little girl who sits in the 13th row of the plane, the little girl on her way to a city she doesn’t know how to pronounce in a state that...

A few weeks ago, my mom bought a really extensive paint by numbers for me. The box sat on the dining room table for a few days because, honestly, it was really intimidating. The lines and spaces were so...

Two nights ago, after I got home from work, I sat on my front step and talked to my best friend about the highs and lows of this week—week nine of quarantine. With nothing but the sound of my pruned,...

Name: Sarah Logan Grade: 11 Role: AP student 1. How many AP classes are you in, and how has your motivation/drive for each class shifted due to corona? "I am in three AP classes, [including...

In these seemingly endless, colorless days, I’ve turned to music more than usual to keep my spirits up. Constantly, consistently, and just as endlessly like these days, strings of songs will forever...

There’s something so electrifying about cloaked voices. The arrangement of muted voices speaks to my soul the most—I like music where I have to turn my volume all the way up to understand the lyrics....

Name: Gwen Henderson Grade: Junior 1. What inspired you to start sending letters to veterans and healthcare workers? "I got the idea of making cards for people in isolation and their caregivers...

Name: Jeff Tolar Position: Janitor 1. What did the first week of school closure look like for the janitorial staff? "When I started hearing on the news about the virus, I and [other] coworkers...

It was a mundane day—just a blip on the unfamiliar radar of quarantine, of social distancing, of COVID-19. I had fallen asleep a bit earlier than usual the night before, and I slept to the sound of my...

Abby -  I always looked at the plaques lining the walls of George’s room—the ones with all the editors proudly displayed in forest green font—and wondered if maybe, just maybe, I could be up...

Name: Linus Kaechele Grade: 11 Character: Dom Claude Frollo 1. Do you have a ritual for before rehearsals or shows? "I wouldn't say that I have a complete ritual, but one thing that I have...

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...

not too long ago, we believed that the sun spun for us alone.   despite the multitudes of existence,  the magnificent fabrics of life—   despite the magnitude of it all,  we...

I unashamedly danced in my car at seven in the morning today, granola in my lap, bass way too strong for this early in the morning, to COIN’s dreamy tracks from their newest album, Dreamland.  It...

like a child drawn to the sea the waves of salty promise,  the endless, haunted horizon, like a child drawn to the sea—  i am drawn to you.    merely a shell of what you once...

Going into her final match of the MHSAA Wrestling State Championship this past Sunday, junior Rachel Schenck had two wins and two losses. Climbing her way back up to the top after two losses, with a title...

“Everyone thinks ‘weird horse girl,’ you know?” freshman Abby Satterthwaite laughed. “But, like, I'm not weird.” Abby used to subconsciously justify owning and riding horses in order to...

It’s Broadway soundtracks blaring through the speakers, pizza with garlic sauce for dinner, ice cream always in the freezer, front porch dance parties, never missing a call, random Target runs, knowing...

Pinegrove, an indie-folk group comprised of childhood friends, reminds me of New York. It reminds me of the seemingly endless roads, the vast mountainous green hills, and the bridges and the gravel roads...

Wandering into her haven during lunch a few weeks ago, senior Meagan Ardinger arrived in the art wing to a chorus of warm voices welcoming and congratulating her placement in a competition she did not...

From one minute to the next, one hour to the next, even one day to the next, my physical features do not change. My hair might curl because I showered or there might be a new pimple on my cheek, but at...

Names: Tommy Hendricks, Matt Henricksen, Ambrose Hillman, Sunny Xu, Russell Baird, Olivia Williams, Joey Spaletto, Tommy Payne, Ian Stewert, John Courcy, Ben Taylor, Joe Roslanic, and Gabby Hendricks 1....

In anticipation of their upcoming album, Oh Wonder—a London-based duo—has released four stunning singles that embody the technicolor sound that remains so constant with this duo.  No matter the...

Name: Olivia Throop Grade: 12 1. What is your act? "I am doing a contemporary dance solo to the song “Listen Before I Go." 2. How did you prepare? "I have been preparing this solo with...

Based on an article published in 2015, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” which covered a series of rapes in Washington and Colorado—one focal victim being Marie Adler—eight-episode Netflix series,...

Seated in a makeshift cubicle in the main gym, junior Koyuki Buckhold was handed a bag of pretzels and a full water bottle and was given one instruction: to eat every pretzel and drink the entire water...

I already know I’m going to get sick of this song, I thought as I queued “Burnout” by EXES for the second time in a row, adding it to one of my playlists after hearing the ethereal beat drop and...

I’ve spent the last four hours, off and on, writing and re-writing column after column after column, and every word I wrote just seemed expired. Stale. Like I’ve written it before, like I’ve said...

Steadily climbing the indie charts since the release of her debut album Heard It In A Past Life, in January, spunky singer/songwriter Maggie Rogers ran with the spark that ignited her fiery career and...

Her rainy and sunny days, her tsunami waves and skipping-stone splashes, her early mornings and late nights, her chaos and her calm.  Art is senior Lejla Tukelija’s everything—every juxtaposition,...

Abigail Cool and Amelia Pointer — for our hot chocolate talks  My golden gals. There’s just something about you two.  We all are so different, yet our contrasting personalities somehow blend...

According to the US Census, 1 in 4 students holds a part-time job position, which estimates to about 3 million students worldwide. To further put that into perspective, in each class during the day, seven...

what’s up! i’m silver. i’m a 20-year-old in chicago who loves pop music and breaking my own heart.  It seemed that was all I was meant to know about Silver Sphere, an artist I recently discovered...

Name: Laura Salas Grade: 12 Role: Betty Paris 1. What makes you the most nervous?  "Just being on stage in front of people is really scary. I can do it, like I'm not bad at it, just the...

Name: Sarah Buchanan Grade: 12 Role: Voice of  Martha Corey and Student Director 1. How long have you been involved in crew? "I have been involved in crew since my sophomore year at the Random...

Name: Mason Yarnell Grade: 11 Role: Hopkins 1. How does Mrs. Demeester get the best out of you and the cast? "She helps people with their lines when we have character work.  She will have...

My childhood is a blur, a murky mosaic of green and yellow. Mere brushstrokes of the full picture are all I remember: stacks of cash—my mom’s tips from the casino—hidden in the piano, coloring...

Caffeine can only do so much.  Downing a coffee in the morning, fuel for the uphill battle that is a school day, only lasts so long—the withdrawal headaches, the aftershock of an energy spike, the...