Girl group 

Story by Ariana Nguyen

Trust, bond and empathy are extremely important to many forms of relationships, especially to this group of friends.

“Communication and/or empathy,” sophomore Kela Schnelle said. “Communication because without it, there’s a lot of problems and it causes drama. And empathy, because without understanding people on their level, it can hurt your relationship.” 

They do a lot of communicating to make sure nothing goes wrong or they don’t hurt anyone’s feelings, which means they rarely get into arguments. However, when they do get in arguments, they always find a way to look past it.

Schnelle is usually the one to step up and snuff out arguments if there is one.

“We make sure we communicate our problems and be considerate,” Schnelle said.

Putting the argument aside to do something fun to forgive and move on is also another way they handle arguments.

A quick “how are you doing?” text and other forms of check-ins are occasional in their conversations.

The girls are also proud of the support and trust they have for each other. They feel that trust in their relationship helps prevent jealousy and other toxic behaviors from rising. 

“One thing I love about the relationship I have with my friends is the support I get from my friends and how they are always making sure I’m okay,” sophomore Ella Arnold said. 

They didn’t become friends immediately upon getting to know each other.

“I was intimidated at first, but (Ella) just turned out to be so sweet and fun loving,” Schnelle said.

They like to go out and spend time together in person while continuing to use safety precautions and wear masks.

“We like driving around, listening to music and talking, going to get coffee,” sophomore Aimee Penka said.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend

Story by EllieAna Hale

For seniors Alexa Heseltine and Trent Voth, who are dating, their relationship started with friendship.

“Trent and I had been friends for a while and hung out one day sort of out of the blue and just decided we liked hanging out,” Heseltine said. “So we kept making time for each other and eventually realize we both had feelings and that led to us starting a relationship.”

They both pride themselves on their communication.

“I think friendships can be sort of causal in that if you share everything it isn’t a big deal, but with romantic communication sharing and listening to each other builds that trust, deepens the connection and helps the relationship stay healthy,” Heseltine said. 

Being friends before a relationship is a key factor.

“I feel that in a platonic relationship, people don’t really talk about really deep-rooted issues. But in relationships, people tend to work out their differences and change for the other person because they want to extend and continue to grow with a person,” Voth said. 

Trust is additionally a key factor in any relationship.

“I think communication is key, making sure that we are both on the same page about things and bottling absolutely nothing up but talking it out instead,” Heseltine said. 

Best friends 

Story by Maren Prince

Having one really good friend is important, especially in times of need. Best friends are able to be themselves around each other and not have to deal with the pressure of being in a larger friend group. 

Jackson Davis and Andrew Enslinger are a prime example of two best friends. Both seniors, they have been friends since sixth grade. 

The friends run a podcast together, called “Something Truly Terrible.” The episodes revolve around the theme of casual conversation. They will have guests on their podcast occasionally and just “have a good time.” 

“There’s a lot of transparency with the show in order to make it feel like listening in or being around a friendly conversation,” Enslinger said. 

As shown in the podcast, they excel at communication.

They stress the importance of honesty and conversation in their friendship and aren’t afraid to address issues when called for. 

“The most important aspect (in our relationship) is being able to trust one another and communicate. That’s something we’ve always worked on, talking when we need to. I think that allows for trust and properly understanding your friend,” Davis said. 

The pair consider their relationship to be healthy and are able to speak each other’s minds. This allows them to sort out any disagreements without getting into major conflicts. 

“I trust Jackson with my life, basically. There is typically relatively little that we aren’t comfortable talking to one another about. He’s always been there for me, and I try to do the same for him,” Enslinger said. 

The friends talk to each other nearly every day, according to Enslinger, but they go out of their way to make sure everything is okay when one of them seems a little off.

“We try hard to make sure the other person is staying mentally positive,” Davis said. 

Regarding the future, the friends have no plans of forgetting each other, even if they may be affected by distance. 

“He’s my podcast buddy, my best friend and one of the few people I trust. Couldn’t live without him,” Davis said. 

Dynamic Duo 

Story by Mya Studyvin

Senior Callie Knudson and junior Janeah Berry started off as a pair of football managers and have been inseparable ever since.

“We didn’t really click right away,” Knudson said. “It was more like she just broke out of her shell and we became friends. Then we’d literally hang out, like, every single day at football practice and we just got more comfortable with each other.”

Their on-field friendship quickly developed into a bond that continued after the season ended.

“It’s really funny because I usually get comfortable with my friends after a really long time, but with Callie, like, we just got so comfortable and we’d laugh about anything and everything so it felt like we were best friends for a really long time,” Berry said. “But it’s actually only been a few months.” 

They attribute their closeness to their outgoing personalities, but agree that they’re much more outgoing when they’re with each other. 

Knudson said Berry’s honesty keeps her in check, while Knudson’s outgoing personality results in it always feeling like a party.

“We’re just crazy and weird,” Berry said. “Once we’re not together, we’re pretty chill, but when we’re together we’re constantly laughing and trying to do stuff to make our lives interesting. 

“One time I was at a stop light and I got out and started dancing to a song and the people in the car behind us were just staring at me. So I don’t know, I guess we just make each other more energetic… she’s a lot more outgoing than I am, so when we’re together she makes me outgoing, too.”

Knudson added: “She has the same personality as me. So it’s just like I have this person I can relate to all the time… it’s a really relieving feeling knowing that someone else understands what you’re going through.

“We’re literally crazy, but it’s a lot of fun.”

Big Group of Friends 

Story by Evan Signer

Having a big group of friends can sometimes be better than just having one or two close friends. 

There’s a senior group of friends who have known each other since elementary school. This friend group likes to spend most of their time going to Hayden Reece’s house, playing video games and just hanging out with each other.

Who is there varies because they have jobs or other plans, yet they do plan get-togethers where everyone takes off work for a specific day and goes to Reece’s house. 

“I think the key to keeping a big friend group around like this around is no one having any problems with each other. We have around 20 or so people in the friend group and no one has any problems with anyone,” senior Luke Perrin said.

The guys are close and they share relatively everything with each other. 

“There usually isn’t a plan when we all go to hang out, we just do whatever we feel like doing,” Perrin said.

Everyone in the group is always willing to help each other out no matter what it is.

“We all come In different shapes and sizes but I’d still do anything for them.” Mason evertson, derby high alumni. 

“ I think it’s pretty cool having a group this big, it comes in handy because there’s always people willing to help and people you can rely on” senior Nick Martin.