Caroline is in her senior year and second year on staff, and is one of three Editors in Chief. In her junior year, Caroline was the Financial Advisor and also specialized in layout, winning the MIPA award for the number one layout in any magazine that year in the state of Michigan. She currently is captain of the varsity swim team and captain of the varsity rowing team. She is also Student Council VP of her school and a member of National Honors Society. In addition, she has participated in the RAYS swim club, her school’s Model UN program, her local Kids Food Basket board, and volunteers each Sunday in a nursery for two-year-olds at her church where she also attends their youth group. Caroline’s loves of writing and people come together in her role on The Central Trend staff. Next year, Caroline will be attending the University of Alabama and majoring in nursing. She will also be writing for the online forum "The Odyssey," and you can continue to read her work at theodysseyonline.com
Favorite thing about being on staff: the people
Favorite type of story to write: columns and editorials
Extracurriculars/Sports: swimming, rowing, National Honors Society, Student Council
Hobbies/Interests: being with friends and family, music, being with kids, watching and playing sports, traveling and exploring new places
Favorite book and why:The Book Thief by Markus Zusak because it’s unique narration and lovable characters going through an interesting historical period make the story impossible to read only once.
If it is Friday night, you will most likely find Caroline…: hanging out with her friends at home or at a sporting event
For the biology students of FHC, springtime was not only the beginning to the end of the school year, but the beginning of a new scientific endeavor. Over the past few weeks, students enrolled in biology...
Coming to the end of my high school career, there's a lot in the rear view mirror. Looking back, I can see tall hills that standing on top of felt like the top of the world. Those days, like the days I...
"I really want to see that new Melissa McCarthy movie."
"Michael, it gets 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. It's going to be terrible."
"Yeah, but I'm kind of in the mood for something stupid."
"Fair enough."
This...
As the end of the year approaches, room 139 has been buzzing with activity centered around one very special project: the Senior Edition. Working on it, the pressure is always on, since the margin for error...
Sitting on my couch on Sunday night, my foot was in a frenzy, shaking nervously as my eyes were glued to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show. Turning to talk to my friend, my head involuntarily snapped...
As the line of chilly hockeygoers outside the Eagle Ice Center grew, the fans waiting for the 4:45 show time and a chance to be one of 800 let inside were hoping for an exciting game to validate their...
There is really no feeling like walking into a classroom and seeing “Movie” scheduled for the next three days. Relief washes over you as you contemplate the amount of homework you will be able to sneakily...
For many winter athletes, seasons are coming to an end and the stakes are going up. Their time is now, during the postseason. Championships are on the line, and many are preparing to take a stab at receiving...
As a little kid, I never really stopped to ponder voices. Actually, I never really stopped to ponder voices until quite recently. They always just came out of my friends’ and families’ mouths without...
As far as required readings go, Wuthering Heights was low on my list of ones to look forward to. Sure, I love romances, which the book is, but I couldn’t process the idea that I might actually enjoy...
On the upper floor of FHC, there lies a seldomly used classroom, filled with desks and computers galore. For those rare outsiders who choose to enter it, they hear the hum of computers working, the clacking...
It sounds silly now, but before entering high school, I tried to make myself a bucket list. A sort of checklist of things I needed to complete before I donned a green cap and gown in the May of 2016. Its...
The time: 8:30PM ET. The date: 1/11/16. The event: The biggest college football game of the season.
To begin with, the advertising for this particular event was through the roof, and purple and orange...
Imagine settling down on a couch in front of a fire as the snow falls gently outside of a nearby window. Add some peppermint hot chocolate and stockings and all of sudden the scene becomes very festive....
Life can be a lot of things for a lot of people. It can be happy or sad, subtle or bold, adventurous or low key. But for each person, it is defined by something different. My life is defined by miles....
To be honest, we weren’t even supposed to go there that night. We wanted Buffalo Wild Wings, but the wait was so long that we decided to improvise. Two of my friends were totally against the idea, but...
Three little words. The foundation of a holiday, nearly every relationship to ever exist, and of course, all Hallmark movies. They may seem simple, but they hold so much weight. Many people can bear their...
As the beginning of the school year rolls around time and time again, fall sports teams prepare for another season at the grind. Each hopes for success, but the road to the top is long and grueling; and,...
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right,” -Henry Ford.
In my experience, whether you think you are or think you aren’t, you’re also right. My world history teacher posed...
Exhausted after a long day at Meijer Gardens, my friends Stephanie, Wylder and I settled in for a movie to rest our tired feet. Wylder was to be leaving for college soon; and, feeling sad about the many...
Dream it. Build it. Shred it.
As the new Gone Boarding class’ motto advertises, the hands-on course is all about using your creative juices to create anything you could ever desire to ride, and it...
“Welcome to Lifeline! How’s everybody doing?”
Over the past six years, I have been fortunate enough to hear these words a countless amount of times, and they have grown more near and dear to my...
I didn’t think I would cry.
We lined up together, all 10 of us seniors in alphabetical order. We were all wearing the lime green suits of our team and the Ranger green warm ups we have had since freshman...
“After all, blood is thicker than water.” A saying I hear often in my own home, especially on those occasions where family time is being pitted against going out with friends. For those who aren’t...
The debate has been going on for ages, at least in my house. My dad leans towards one, my brother to the other. Ice cream or custard. Thankfully, in the Grand Rapids area we have an abundance of both....
As this year’s Homecoming festivities begin to gain traction, one fact has emerged for sure: the parade route. As Michigan’s biggest Homecoming parade, the route is essential to the overall success...
I have a confession. Right now, I am dead in the middle of my final year of swimming, my tenth season as a competitive swimmer… and I hate it. I have hated it for almost as long as I have done it.
Along...
Tim Jasperse has been coaching for 33 years. Since beginning his career in 1982, Jasperse has unlocked the secret to what makes a successful girls swim, which has garnered him a spot in FHC’s new Athetic...
At the tender age of 13, I enrolled in Challenge Language Arts, a class whose title now seems rudimentary but at the time was the epitome of intellect. My 8th grade self had no idea what would come out...
23 years. Head Track and Field coach Clare Emaus has been coaching for 23 years. But now, the end of an era has arrived with the announcement of Emaus’ retirement as head coach.
“My time has come,”...
On the morning of June 2, FHC held its annual Underclassmen Awards Ceremony in the main gymnasium. After honoring students in all grades with 3.3 or higher grade point averages, individual honors were...
Looking out over the fresh new faces of the marching band, senior Drum Major Hannah Peper steps on to the podium to conduct them in a run through of their halftime show. As the tunes of Blues Brothers...
As he walked the halls of the school last winter, sophomore Jon Pearcy was one of many bleached blond members of the Boys Swim and Dive team. As they pass him in the halls again this year, looking at their...
My whole school goes crazy for it: the Red Game. Everyone knows about it, and for a very good reason. Cancer and heart disorder awareness are most certainly worthy causes for all of the attention we...
Sitting in Señora Sandberg’s classroom while learning about how to conjugate the word “ser” in the present progressive form, my mind wandered to that night’s journalism homework, and I thought...
“I was quite shocked, to be honest,” Toppen said. “I didn’t believe it for the first couple of days, and I’m still not really believing it. Being a drum major is something that I’ve always...
When deciding to watch Lucy with some friends, I expected to be watching a high action film about some young girl who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and had many incredible occurrences...
Looking around at her surroundings, senior Courtney VanderWal takes in a breath of fresh air and makes her way onto the school grounds of Goodwillie Environmental School. Walking this path is a familiarity...
Recently, I had the opportunity to dine at Fuji Yama Hibachi Grill for a friend’s birthday dinner. Located at 1501 East Beltline Ave NE, it is a great choice for anyone going out for the night and provides...
“Who cares?”
The words that every coach dreads, but inevitably hears, during their time with exasperated athletes; whether it be a hard practice, a losing record, or simply no will to go on, everyone...
For someone whose best meal is cereal, I tend to watch a lot of Food Network (it at least makes me feel like I know how to cook). Because of this, I have seen countless competitions, weekly shows, and...
