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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

Ally Stapleton

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief

Ally is entering her second year on staff and is an Editor in Chief this year. Ally served as the Copy Editor for the Central Trend last year and enjoyed the opportunity to write stories about interesting members of the FHC community and participate in the transition from newspaper to magazine. She is also a captain of the cross country team and participates in varsity track, National Honors Society, and the Kids’ Food Basket Youth Action Board. She volunteers regularly at a senior living center and for the local parks. Ally got involved in the journalism program because she loves to write, and she has enjoyed getting to know all the amazingly fun staff members of the Central Trend.

  • Favorite thing about being on staff: Learning peoples’ hidden talents and stories when writing articles about them
  • Favorite type of story to write: Spotlights/Profiles
  • Extracurriculars/Sports: Cross Country, Track, NHS, orchestra
  • Hobbies/Interests: outdoor activities (hiking, biking, running), photography, reading, exploring new places
  • Favorite book and why: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne – The point of view is really original and makes you think about the time period and human relationships in general in a new way.
  • If it is Friday night, you will most likely find Ally: Relaxing with friends or family, often with a movie and good food
All content by Ally Stapleton
Tackling the Thank-You's

Tackling the Thank-You’s

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 6, 2016

I’ve had a long and happy relationship with words; since the earliest days my hands could shakily trace out the alphabet, I’ve been filling up notebooks at an abnormally fast rate with journal entries,...

Slowing Down

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief March 18, 2016

It was Philippians 4:4 which made me tense up a little. Not the verse itself: Philippians 4:4 is actually a lovely Bible verse about joy which has always been one of my favorites. It was what one of...

Sprinting, Surviving, and Senior Year

Sprinting, Surviving, and Senior Year

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief February 26, 2016

Ellipticals are not fun machines. I spent a depressingly high proportion of my cross country season on an elliptical, hating almost every minute of it, and I know from experience that they are just...

The songs I used to know

The songs I used to know

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief February 5, 2016

It was a bit of a surprise when the opening xylophone notes of “Somebody That I Used to Know” cruised out of my speakers earlier this week. I was certainly caught off guard by the fact that the song...

An Ode to the Little Things

An Ode to the Little Things

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief January 19, 2016

2016 will arguably be one of the biggest years of my life. In the 366 days contained within this calendar year, I will choose a college, graduate high school, leave home to live without my parents for...

Spelling and Slacking

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief December 15, 2015

In some ways, I think my fourth grade spelling tests may have been the peak of my educational career. The spelling test system in Mrs. Brown’s class at Defer Elementary School was somewhat complex:...

What do you like?

What do you like?

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief December 4, 2015

Not too long ago, someone asked me a question that, despite its apparent simplicity, I found incredibly difficult to answer. What do you like? The question at first appeared to be an easy one. I...

Dear Cross Country

Dear Cross Country

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief November 13, 2015

Dear Cross Country, This is a thank-you letter. It’s not, I hope, a goodbye, although I suppose it is a goodbye to this era of our relationship. It is an attempt to express my gratitude for what you’ve...

A Tale of Two Regionals

A Tale of Two Regionals

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief November 2, 2015

It was cold. It was wet. It was muddy. And we qualified for states. Twice, this has been the story for the girls cross country team: once in 2013 when I was a sophomore, and once again this past Saturday,...

It's All About Winning

It’s All About Winning

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief October 23, 2015

"It’s not all about winning," everyone always says. And they’re right: life is not about winning. Success is not dependent on winning. Self-worth should not be based upon winning. I’d be the first...

Homecoming 2015

Coming Home for Homecoming

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief October 9, 2015

A little over three years ago, I thought my life was over. As I pulled out of my driveway in Grosse Pointe, Michigan for the last time ever on June 30th, 2012, I truly believed that I was leaving all joy,...

Alone in the Crowd

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief September 17, 2015

There’s always been something relaxing for me about being alone. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not antisocial. I like spending time with friends and family just as much as anyone else, and I love the...

Beyond Eleven

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief September 2, 2015

In the process of writing this column, I made a strange Google search: “short story eleven red sweater.” Thanks to the wonders of the internet and Google’s uncanny ability to make sense of my strange...

Dancing Through Life

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief June 8, 2015

If aliens were suddenly to land on the earth and begin examining the human species, I believe that some of their first remarks would be about dancing. Why are all these people moving so enthusiastically...

A Summer Challenge

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 29, 2015

When I was in elementary school, I was a cooking aficionado. Every spring, as warmer weather took away the wet and frigid days of winter, I would begin creating culinary masterpieces that would take...

The class of 2017 student council candidates mean business this year. From left: Logan Vredenburg, Rea Parocaran, Mimi Rave, Paityn Wedder, and Bennett Hendricks

Class of 2017 Student Council Roundtable

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 27, 2015

Why did you decide to run for student council? Bennett Hendricks (President): Well we’re all running uncontested. Paityn: We don’t have to give speeches this year, so that was kind of an incentive. (laughs) Mimi...

Beyond the Elements

Beyond the Elements

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 27, 2015

As chemistry teacher David VonEhr recalls the formative days of his childhood, there is one man who sticks out. A man who kept a pencil and paper at the ready in his pocket, a man who had an answer for...

Jumping for Joy

Jumping for Joy

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 27, 2015

Freshman Brendan McDonald can barely contain his excitement. He motions through the screen door and runs into Aerials and Baranis Gymnastics Center. He is followed by sophomore Jocelyn Prinz and freshman...

The Bolivian flag

Back from Bolivia

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 27, 2015

Just days before Victoria Mischley’s junior year of high school, as hundreds of her classmates were preparing for the new school year by buying new clothes, purchasing school supplies, and comparing...

Gail Sutton: Leaving a Learning Legacy

Gail Sutton: Leaving a Learning Legacy

Ally Stapleton, Editor in Chief May 21, 2015

Gail Sutton is a math teacher because she is five-foot-one-and-three-quarters instead of five-foot-two. “[Teaching] didn’t start as my passion, it truly didn’t, I was too short to do what I really...

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