Hi. My name is Courtney, and this is me taking a risk.  Let me back up a bit. I actually started writing this a long time ago— the night of senior retreat to be specific. At the bonfire, everyone...

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: Katie Woods Grade: 12 Character: Gypsy, part of Ensemble 1. Do you have a “ritual” for before rehearsals or shows? "Yes, I do. I always take around ten to minutes to stretch and...

She isn’t your average teenager, and that makes it hard for her to navigate her adolescent years. But more than that, she is stuck in a love triangle! She has a thing for the football star, but her goofy,...

“Just be yourself!” Trash. This advice is an actual trashbag full of putrid and rancid self-justification that needs to be thrown in society’s garbage disposal. As we become a more environmentally-friendly...

Junior Sarah Logan wants to see and do everything. Having lived in Nebraska, Belgium, Germany, and Texas, Sarah got a taste for travel that has placed “everywhere” firmly on her bucket list. These...

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” An adult’s go-to question when they run out of ways to get a child talking and engaging.  My mom likes to tell the story of my response.  Depending...

There are two things you need to understand about me: I am not a patient person, and when I like something, I really, really like something. I really, really like Isak Danielson.   He is my splendid...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was super surprised. I was excited, but also kind of nervous because we had to figure out that lip-sync." 2, What does it mean to you to be nominated? "I...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "Kind of surprised. I mean, I was happy to know that some people voted for me, but I was kinda surprised." 2. What does it mean to you to be nominated? "It...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was happy cause I'm excited to do the dance with all my friends, and I've been saying that, throughout the four years, I've always wanted to do [the dance]...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was excited, but also I wasn't too thrilled about having to do the lip sync. Usually, I'm not very silly in front of people. So, it'll just put me out of...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was definitely surprised. I had kind of been waiting for it because a lot of my friends said that they were going to get me on Court, but I didn't think...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was very excited. I was very surprised but excited. I think it's going to be fun!" 2. What does it mean to you to be nominated? "It's exciting, and...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "Oh geez, I was not expecting it at all; I was just sitting there. I was really hoping that [Victor] would make it, and I'm listening for Vic's name, and all...

Smooth and easygoing. Despite the bounciness of the beats and heaviness of the lyrics, the songs on Alec Wigdahl’s enigmatically titled EP Strawberry are the embodiment of these two words.  With...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was very excited. I felt very honored, but I didn't know it was happening that day, and I was not at school. I was at Forest Hills Foods, and I got a lot of...

1. What was your reaction to finding out? "I was definitely surprised. I had heard some of my friends say they were voting for me, but I also heard so many other girls being mentioned, so I didn't actually...

Boys: Jannis Jacobs Cole Kaminski Victor Jammal Duncan Clark Jimmy Scholler Girls: Laura Salas Elise Rapeyko Ivana Webb Ella Guikema Meredith VanSkiver

The stark white street light illuminated the dingy outdoor basketball court. Seventeen pairs of matching tennis shoes shuffled around, but they weren’t playing basketball. Rather, the matching tennis...

Sometimes, I think country music gets a bad reputation.  I tend to think people judge it too brutally, especially those who can’t relate to the lyrics of the songs. I may not be a country girl, but...

A girl in a royal blue sweatshirt whose lettering I couldn’t see with wild blonde hair— natural, I think— hunches over her notebook, determined. Her mouth is pressed into a firm line of confusion,...

Quasimodo: Ben Lowen Esmeralda: Grace Hudkins Dom Claude Frollo: Linus Kaechele Jehan Frollo: TBD Florika: Susan Toppen Father Dupin: Pranav Nalam Gargoyles: Laura Salas, Ali Azeem, Ella...

Name: Natalie Mix Grade: 10 Position: Marketing Manager Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I remember the moment I decided to take Writing for Publication,...

Name: Dana Kistler Grade: 12 Position: Staff writer Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "My initial interest in TCT [came from] just knowing about interesting...

Name: Meredith VanSkiver Grade: 12 Position: Public Relations Manager Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I had always been intrigued by the idea of writing for...

Name: Emma Hansen Grade: 11 Position: Staff writer Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I decided to join TCT because I have always loved to write, and I thought it...

Name: Hailee Sincerbeaux Grade: 12 Position: Staff Writer Semesters spent on TCT: 1 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I decided to join TCT because I have always had a passion for writing...

Name: Sophia Young Grade: 11 Position: Staff Writer Semesters spent on TCT: 1 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I joined TCT because I wanted the chance to grow as a writer. Writing has...

Name: Olivia Luplow Grade: 12 Position: Public Relations Manager Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I tell everyone that I decided to join TCT because I wanted...

Name: Morgan Mittlestadt Grade: 11 Position: Social Media Manager Semesters spent on TCT: 3 1. Why did you decide to join TCT?  "I decided to join TCT for a few reasons. First, I needed...

Lasting only fourteen minutes, gnash’s new seven-song ep if is not memorable for its duration, though its shortest song is only 54 seconds long. Rather, it stands out a lighthouse of originality that...

Name: Dylan Wilson Grade: 12 Position: Staff Writer Semesters spent on TCT: 1 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I have wanted to join the TCT Staff since the end of my sophomore year after I had...

Name: Linus Kaechele Grade: 11 Position: Marketing Manager Semesters spent on TCT: 1 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I decided to join TCT after Mr. George recommended that I do so on one of...

Name: Avery Jordan Grade: 10 Position: Staff Writer Semesters spent on TCT: 1 1. Why did you decide to join TCT? "I decided to join TCT because the website caught my eye my freshman year, and I immediately...

Quiet. Quiet is a beautiful wisp of smoke floating far away, unbound and unfound. There’s always some mechanical hum buzzing, some music softly harmonizing, some conversation rolling. This mundane...

Breakfast is just not on my daily agenda.  It simply doesn’t fit in between my 6:15 wakeup and 7:00 departure for school. Even though most breakfast foods are pretty basic and quick to make, I can’t...

According to senior Elena Kelbley, a big part of fencing is adapting to your opponent. So when her dad entered his first national fencing competition and failed to do just that, she couldn’t help...

For years, holiday dissidents have boldly expressed their disgust for the consumerism and materialism that is deeply rooted in American culture and celebrations. With Christmas approaching in the distance...

Euphoric. Intense. Lovely. Gruesome.  Call Down The Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater is the embodiment of these words in the best way. While I’ve always been skeptical of spin-off series, Stiefvater restored...

Aunt Tracy- for always supporting me My first real memory of you is from all those times we got lost. I don’t remember where we were going — maybe it was one of the countless times we went to Jersey...

Unless you watch a classic Christmas movie, the cliche plot is almost a given. For that reason, I wasn’t at all surprised when Santa Girl was cheesy and predictable.  Cassandra Claus is to take over...

Name: Fadi Muallem Grade:  12 Role: Giles Corey 1. What family member is traveling the farthest to see you in the play? How far? Why are they coming? "I'd say my brothers. They're coming...

Senior Jacob Wolfgang is going to be a third-generation service member in the Marine Corps. Ever since eighth grade, he has known that this is his calling. Because of his father and grandfather, Jacob...

Name: Anna Breaugh Grade: 12 Role: Rebecca Nurse 1.  What part of being in the play makes you the most nervous? "The things that make everyone nervous: forgetting a line, missing a move,...

"Quality over quantity.” This saying is applied to almost anything requiring some degree of effort: sports, jobs, building relationships. Why not apply it to homework as well? The biggest complaint...

Our wonderful counselors at FHC are asked time and time again “is it better to have an A in a regular course or a B in an AP course?” To this, they always reply “an A in an AP class.” While...

95% of high school students cheat. A 2012 study by the Josephson Institute’s Center for Youth Ethics found that an astounding number of students have cheated in some capacity, whether it was on a...

I suppose I have a thing for foreign singers, specifically Europeans.  And Lewis Capaldi’s album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent is enough to add to his name to the extensive list. I was...

Drumline Performance- Cheerleading Performance- Dance Team Performance- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iZ_kz_-s3k Class of 2022 Sophomore Lip Sync- Class of 2021 Junior Lip...

Starting with a forty-eight second crescendo that crashes effortlessly into the second song, Where the Shadow Ends by BANNERS crashed effortlessly into me. The album as a whole was atmospheric and uplifting....

The library is silent.  Four National Honor Society members lounge in the comfortable elevated chairs at a tall brown table that is impossible to miss as you walk into the library. In front of them,...

Did you know some people voluntarily stay up until midnight on a school night waiting for their favorite artist to drop a new album? It’s me. I’m “some people.” And I was crying approximately...

A misconception that junior Rebecca Dooley was happy to squash about debate is that it is always very formal— standing behind podiums, one-on-one.  Instead, the Political And Current Events club,...

“Where have all the good vibrations gone?’ Asked by Jamie Lawson in a song titled just that, I found the good vibrations in his indie-pop album The Years In Between.  While “Where Have All...

1. What bug are you?  "Cricket. We all went on the Chicago trip, and the girls kind of gave them to us one day, not one day—when we were there. The girls came to us, and they were like 'boys, while...

I’m a sucker for music with a deeper meaning, lyrics that are a giant metaphor.  Mark Diamond said on Instagram that “[h]ummingbirds are referred to as glittering fragments of the rainbow.” Naturally,...

Why have assemblies, including the one this Friday, been moved to third hour? "We found that, although we have this engaging, fun school spirit oriented activity that we put together called the Ranger...

To most people, the alternative genre is taboo. Images of punk rock and emo grunge bands emerge in your mind. However, Noah Kahan’s debut album Busyhead will change how you view alternative music through...

Junior Lindsay Larson adores books.  She loves the escape from reality they provide. She loves a good romance or historical fiction read. She loves the old-school style and language of classic literature....

Abby - As I clicked on the document for our editor’s column, the third different article I’ve worked on for TCT tonight alone, a thought danced across my mind. A quick little waltz of a thought,...

I always discover all my favorite artists by coincidence.  A couple of months ago, I heard a song called “Ending.” The man’s voice was enchanting; somehow, he managed to tell a story without...

There is no better way to describe Bazzi’s new album Soul Searching than to take the words straight out of his mouth, or Twitter in this case: “a journey of love, pain, and growth.” While I love...

Over the course of his life, freshman Harsaajan Dhillon has visited Punjab in India four times. “The culture is really amazing,” said Harsaajan. “There's the food [and] the architecture; it's...

Summer has a reputation for an explosion of new music. Yet, I wasn’t impressed with this year's selection of songs that played on a constant loop on the radio. While I have an extremely diverse and mixed...

Being a mere seventeen years old, I didn’t have the luxury of catching the past eight seasons of my favorite show on tv right when it aired. Frankly, it was too morbid and violent for my young brain....

Name: Ella Guikema Grade: Junior Running for: Trustee 1. Why are you running? "I am running because I have enjoyed helping with the activities in years past and wanted to take a bigger...

Name: Daniel Burns Grade: Freshman Running for: Treasurer 1. Why are you running? "I'm running mostly to get my ideas out there and to create a fresh voice for the sophomore class. I would...

Name: Zoe Lipke Grade: Sophomore Running for: President 1. Why are you running? "I decided to run for President because I was VP last year, and I loved it. Also, I really wanted to head into...

Name: Laura Salas Grade: Junior Running for: Secretary 1. Why are you running? "I was on Student Council last year, and it's really great to be able to make a difference and be involved in...

Name: Maggie Zorn Grade: Junior Running for: Vice President 1. Why are you running? "I'm running because I care about the school and our community, and I want to have a leading role in 2020's improvement." 2....

Every kid has heard and giggled at a parent’s or a grandparent’s “When I was your age…” story. My favorite is the timeless classic where one of my elders was forced to walk a mile through three...

Senior Gabby Hernandez was overcome by bittersweet nostalgia as she walked through the halls of Pine Ridge, the elementary school she grew and learned in, one last time. It sparked one memory in particular. “I...

Last night at FHC Inspires, I learned three main things. Your mental health is very important, and there are many ways to improve it. Look around your life, discover who is important to you, and...

As part of an Honor English 10 assignment, sophomore Danny Dykstra gave a TED Talk about the Ronald McDonald Houses and his involvement with them. “When I was giving my TED Talk, nobody knew what...

Driving home from a movie, the world shrouded by night, one of my favorite throwback songs “Drops of Jupiter” by Train came on the radio. Had I not just watched The Sun is Also a Star, I would have...

Why are tears and crying always related back to the ocean? A wave of tears. An ocean of tears. Are you the ocean? Or are you crying the ocean? Oceans are slumbering, somber. The slowly turning...

Snuggled up on the old brown couch that has since been moved downstairs, my mom and I piled the blankets on as we contentedly awaited our weekly tradition. Soon, our show came on, and we were met by...

Film: Street Legal Producers: Ella Byam, Alex Bunting,  and Advith Reddy Interviewee: Advith Reddy 1. What’s your film about? "After a failed heist, two outlaws plan their biggest one yet. They...

Forever my teacher and constant companion, a book is never far from my hands, and it has been like that for years. Ever since I could read, I’ve inhaled the words off pages. Devouring those words is...

At a football game earlier this year, senior Will Cammell and his camera focused on senior Dylan Tucker as intensely as Dylan concentrated on the task at hand. Channeling all the seriousness he could with...

Apparently, I live under a rock—a rock that prevents me from discovering unique artists and their musical expressions until the ocean of mediocre music swells, crashes, and sweeps them away in a frothy...

“I am so tired. I only got five hours of sleep last night.” “No, I am tired. I got two hours, and I’m sick.” This is one of the many conversations I overheard in the hallway yesterday....

The first time I heard Dermot Kennedy sing, I was dumbstruck. Never had I heard such an infectious song. Of course, at the time, I had no idea who the singer was or what the song was titled. Nevertheless,...

Every day, sophomore Janae Van Dyk carves out thirty to fifty minutes to work towards her dreams and towards fulfilling her life. Janae teaches herself Italian. “It's on my bucket list to visit Italy...

The scents of knowledge and adventure float up from the new book I just opened. In the dim lamplight, my fingers briefly trail along the title pages and table of contents before my insatiable hunger for...

Last Thursday, I found my AP Lang class on a slight detour from the lesson plan we hardly ever deviate from to a particularly exhausting after-school activity: the musical. Bedraggled and fatigued, the...

As the nails of the chilly, almost-spring air tore at my skin, clawing at my coat, my feet pulled me outside the haven of warmth inside the school where they met the sidewalk with a squelch. The leftovers...

Full. I feel full in the most inexplicable, melancholy, contented way. I feel some anxious, continuously-craving-more part of my being finally being sated. I feel the currents of the sweet, mellifluous...

Freshman Allie Mairn spends eight to ten hours in the car during a typical school week. Nothing about this schedule is typical for someone her grade, but she does it for the sport of her past, present,...

"I do cheer. I just started this year--my sophomore year. It was a little terrifying because everyone knew what they were doing, and I didn't really. I was kind of in the back, but it was really, really...

Life begins at the first practice; it’s like your childhood. No matter what routine you learn, the first practice is always the most difficult. You are learning the dynamics of the team, the way of...

"[My mom is] always just really good at giving advice and saying to get out of your comfort zone. I think honestly high school has just taught me to get out of my box and do fun things. [My favorite saying...

I classify myself as a cynical hopeless romantic; I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with romantic comedies. The film Isn’t It Romantic was made for people like me who can’t help but be drawn...

At 4:00 pm, I sat down to write my paper. My finger tapped away lethargically on the keyboard, slowly stringing together sentences of banal quality at best. At 5:00 pm, I was distracted from my paper...

Every middle school graduate has some basic knowledge of women’s fight for equal rights. Most of the time, this knowledge includes the Seneca Falls Conventions and some important figures from the 1800's...