Naperville Central High School's award-winning newspaper.

Central Times
Naperville Central High School's award-winning newspaper.

Central Times
Naperville Central High School's award-winning newspaper.

Central Times
News
Mr. Michael Borge, Economics Teacher and club sponsor, junior Taran Nathan, junior Krish Patel, junior Harsh Pate, senior Rohan Jain and State Treasurer Mike Frerichs pose for a photo. This team of four Naperville Central students from the NCHS Finance Club placed first at the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge on April 14. Photo Credit: Rohan Jain
Central’s Finance Team claims state title in Personal Finance Challenge for second year in a row
Ella Mitch, Staff Writer • May 4, 2026
Drumline looks out to the crowd while preforming at the annual drumshow on April 10 and 11. The theme for this year, Once Upon a Drumshow, featured arrangements of Disney and Pixar soundtracks.
Central’s 29th annual Drumshow brings Disney magic to life
Tianyao He, Staff Writer • April 26, 2026
Krista Gensler poses for a photo. Gensler was named head coach for the girls swim and dive program effective April 13. (Photo credit: Krista Gensler)
Krista Gensler appointed head coach of girls swim
Connor Yao, Staff Writer • April 26, 2026
Senior Ellen Small gives a speech during the surprise ceremony held on Thursday, April 16 in the library. State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders presented the award, identifying Brady as the top choice among 13 regional finalists.
Naperville Central educator named 2026 Illinois Teacher of the Year
Marina Micic, Operations Managing Editor • April 19, 2026
Trending Stories
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"So Close to What" was released on Feb. 21, executively produced by Ryan Tedder. This album is Tate McRae's third studio album. (Photo credit: RCA Records)

Review: Yet another overrated billboard hit: Tate Mcrae’s “So Close to What”

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Social media apps such as Tiktok and Instagram have always been platforms of communication, and with communication various trends in fashion, music and art emerge. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The top 10 Tiktok trends of 2025

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Sept. 15 marked a new update launched by Spotify that upgraded the listening experience of Free Spotify. Free Spotify listeners are now able to individually select and play songs from any playlist or album, moving away from the shuffle-only restriction. (Photo credit: Spotify Newsroom)

Opinion: Is Spotify Premium worth the money anymore?

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Features
First semester Advanced Placement classes leave students less confident for May exams
First semester Advanced Placement classes leave students less confident for May exams
Chloe Liu, Staff Writer • May 29, 2026
The 2026 Illinois Music Education Conference (IMEC) All-State Jazz Night was held on Jan. 30 at the Peoria Civic Center Theater. Naperville Central Junior Charlie Debski performed at this event featuring various jazz songs on his guitar.
National recognition is awarded to Central guitarist
Lizzie Ha, Correspondent • May 11, 2026
The RunnerRadar homepage allows to search for various teams, athletes and meets in order to efficiently find statistics. Naperville Central senior Tavis Hill designed the page over two years to help runners.
Student-athlete turns data into gold with new track analytics platform
Bennett Scherer, Correspondent • May 10, 2026
Arts & Entertainment
Season 4 of "Invincible" released episodes beginning of March 18. The season is 8 episodes long. (Photo Credit: Amazon MGM Studios)
Review: Season four of ‘Invincible’ episode by episode recap
Noah Byrne, Staff Writer • May 19, 2026
Sports
Senior Lucas Hayes' hit narrowly misses Minooka's blocks.
Volleyball edges out close victory over Minooka ahead of regional series
Charvi Alavala, Opinions Editor • May 19, 2026
Sophomore Maria Danbom stands strong in goal, recording key stops in the Redhawks’ shutout victory against Waubonsie.
Girls’ water polo crushes Waubonsie in 13-0 win
Emma Lauzen, Arts & Entertainment Editor • April 27, 2026
Sophomore attacker Lucy Brady protects the ball while driving past a Naperville North defender during Wednesday’s crosstown matchup.
Girls lacrosse falls to Naperville North in first DVC match
Charvi Alavala, Opinions Editor • April 21, 2026
Editorial
On Thursday Jan. 22, Naperville District 203 announced an e-learning day for Friday, Jan. 23 primarily due to the National Weather Service's extreme cold warning. During the 2021-2022 school year, District 203 joined schools across the nation in replacing snow days with emergency e-learning days.
Logged in, checked out: Rethinking the practicality of e-learning
Central Times Editorial Board • February 5, 2026
Opinions
While nostalgia typically conjures warm feelings and positive memories, it can also set a dramatized standard of what particular moments must look like. In trying to achieve a "perfect" memory, teenagers may instead feel self-conscious and socially behind.
Opinion: Why nostalgia traps teenagers
Noah Byrne, Staff Writer • May 16, 2026
As several elementary schools and junior highs across District 203 as well as Naperville North High School provides therapy dogs to support student well being, Central has not adopted this system. Therapy dogs have been proven to lower cortisol and make students more comfortable.
Opinion: Central needs to “fetch” a school therapy dog
Noah Byrne, Staff Writer • May 1, 2026
Naperville Central second floor hallways and Flight Deck landing page have recently become occupied with generative artificial intelligence, in artistic forms such as posters and illustrations. AI generated art is often described as soulless and geometric, often compared to creative and refined human artwork.
Opinion: Our halls need student art, not algorithms
Marina Micic, Operations Managing Editor • May 1, 2026
Photography
Pumping his fist in the air, Carl Sissac, a paraprofessional at Washington Junior High School, rallies in support of NESPA on Nov. 18 in front of District 203's Public School Administration Center. "I came here to let these guys, these suits, know that they have serious people here that are willing to bend over backwards and they should be compensated for it," Sissac said. More than 100 supporters of NESPA Attended the rally.
‘We’re not invisible’: NESPA supporters rally for increased wages
Jay Deegan and Sarah Segvich • November 19, 2024
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