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The Student News Site of Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

The Headlight

The Student News Site of Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

The Headlight

The Student News Site of Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School

The Headlight

2024-2025 Staff

Maryam Luqman (she/her)
Co-Editor-in-Chief

Maryam Luqman (she/her)

Maryam Luqman is a senior at Ida B. Wells High School. She began writing for The Headlight in her sophomore year and is currently in her third year taking on the role of co-Editor-in-Chief. She has also been a co-host for the pod...

Anna Stiffler (she/they)
Co-Editor-in-Chief

Anna Stiffler (she/they)

Anna Stiffler is a senior at Ida B. Wells High School and is excited to spend their third year working with The Headlight as co-Editor-in-Chief. Anna looks forward to continuing the department's expansion and her journalistic portfolio...

Harper Wicker-Lenseigne (he/him)
Managing Editor

Harper Wicker-Lenseigne (he/him)

Harper Wicker-Lenseigne (he/him) is the managing editor and sports section editor of The Headlight. He has been a part of The Headlight for three years. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking, re-watching Seinfeld, and chanting i...

Malia Malempati (she/her)
Section Editor

Malia Malempati (she/her)

Malia Malempati is a junior at Ida B. Wells and this is her second year writing for The Headlight. Malia is the Arts and Entertainment section editor and has been a staff writer and copy editor in the past. In her free time, Mal...

Lauren Devlin (she/her)
Section Editor

Lauren Devlin (she/her)

Lauren Devlin is a junior at Ida B. Wells High School. She is honored and excited to be The Headlight's “Patton Pages” editor after previously working as a staff writer. Outside of journalism, you will find Lauren playing socc...

Eloise Blaine (she/her)
Section Editor

Eloise Blaine (she/her)

Eloise Blaine is a junior at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School. She took Intro to Communications as a freshman and wrote for The Headlight as a staff writer and copy editor during her sophomore year. She is excited to continue wr...

Tobias Ginsberg (he/him)
Staff Writer

Tobias Ginsberg (he/him)

Tobias Ginsberg is a sophomore who has had experience reporting in the past with the intro class at Ida B. Wells and it's his first year reporting for The Headlight. He enjoys science and math at school while still spending time...

Naima Jaitla (she/her)
Staff Writer

Naima Jaitla (she/her)

Naima Jaitla is a junior at Ida B. Wells and this is her first year as a staff writer for The Headlight. As everyone’s favorite sassy aunt friend, she is very passionate about trashy reality TV, fashion, and friendly gossip. At the ver...

Giuseppe Lipari (he/him)
Staff Writer

Giuseppe Lipari (he/him)

Giuseppe Lipari is a junior at Ida B. Wells. He is hoping to write some good and interesting articles this year. Outside of school, he likes listening to music, watching comedies, and acting in theatrical productions....

Neea Mende (she/her)
Staff Writer

Neea Mende (she/her)

Neea Mende is a junior at Ida B. Wells High School. After completing Intro to Communications in the spring, this will be her first year writing on The Headlight. Outside of her time in school and sports, she enjoys reading, spending time with family,...

Jonas Olson (he/him)
Staff Writer

Jonas Olson (he/him)

Jonas Olson is starting his first year as a staff writer for The Headlight. Outside of school, he enjoys kayaking, walks, and programming. In school, Jonas enjoys subjects like math, science, and English....

Maggie Pearson (she/her)
Staff Writer

Maggie Pearson (she/her)

Maggie Pearson is a junior at Ida B. Wells High School and this is her first year on The Headlight as a staff writer. She's excited to be able to explore her love of writing through a journalistic lens and be a part of The Hea...

Shayla Reuther (she/her)
Staff Writer

Shayla Reuther (she/her)

Shayla Reuther is a junior at Ida. B Wells. This is her first year writing for The Headlight. Since COVID-19, Shayla’s dreams to write have begun to take off through writing experiences at school. She is excited to finally w...

Ava Thompson (she/her)
Staff Writer

Ava Thompson (she/her)

Ava Thompson is a junior at Ida B. Wells High School. Last year, she was in the Intro to Communications class, and this year will be her first year in The Headlight. Outside of school, she is a part of a competitive dance tea...

Anastasia Von Antz (she/her)
Staff Writer

Anastasia Von Antz (she/her)

Anastasia Von Antz is a junior at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School. This is her first year as a staff writer on The Headlight. Outside of school, she’s very passionate about Girl Scouts, music, and politics and she’s hoping to be p...

Malija Stone (any/all)
Staff Writer

Malija Stone (any/all)

Malija Stone is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells. They had a blast in Intro to Communications and look forward to their first year on The Headlight. In their free time, they enjoy learning languages, studying butterflies, and cooking up ...

Witnee Fagan (she/her)
Staff Writer

Witnee Fagan (she/her)

Witnee Fagan is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells High School. She took Intro to Communications her freshman year and fell in love with journalism. During second semester last year, she joined The Headlight. She’s written many articles...

Lila Jones (she/her)
Intro Writer

Lila Jones (she/her)

Lila Jones is a freshman at Ida B. Wells. This is her first year on The Headlight and she is looking forward to starting her journalism career! In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, baking, and playing vo...

Milo Tapfer (she/her)
Intro Writer

Milo Tapfer (she/her)

Milo Lelinski Tapfer is a junior at Ida B. Wells. Milo is an intro student. She likes reading news articles outside of class so she took this class. She likes hiking, baking and hanging out with friends....

Kellan Rossi (he/him)
Intro Writer

Kellan Rossi (he/him)

Kellan Rossi is a freshman Intro to Communications student who enjoys many classes like costuming. This is his first year in the class. He enjoys going for long bike rides and playing video games with his friends. He is particu...

Vince Pascual (he/him)
Intro Writer

Vince Pascual (he/him)

Vince Pascual attends Ida. B Wells as a junior. This is his first year on The Headlight, and he hopes to create a new section in the paper to highlight the various musical talents within the school. During his free time, he lift...

Ellie Mitchell (she/her)
Intro Writer

Ellie Mitchell (she/her)

Ellie Mitchell is a freshman Ida. B Wells. This is her first year on The Headlight and is excited to be part of the team! You might find her at cheer practice or hanging out with friends. Ellie enjoys going shopping and watch...

Zoe Divens (she/her)
Intro Writer

Zoe Divens (she/her)

Zoe Divens is a sophomore student at Ida B. Wells. This year she was glad to start Intro to Communications. Her goal is to get out of her comfort zone and think outside the box regarding writing and journaling. As the year 20...

Matthew Dinh (he/him)
Intro Writer

Matthew Dinh (he/him)

Matthew Dinh is a senior at Ida B. Wells. This is his first year at The Headlight. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games, programming, graphic design, and video editing. You can typically find him watching various Viet...

Shalom Dinberg (she/her)
Intro Writer

Shalom Dinberg (she/her)

Shalom Dinberg is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells. This year she is excited to be an Intro to Communications student. Shalom enjoys playing softball, hanging out with friends and family, and traveling. She is excited to explore the ...

Shara Coltoff (she/her)
Intro Writer

Shara Coltoff (she/her)

Shara Coltoff is a freshman at Ida B. Wells. She is an intro writer this year and is excited to experience working on The Headlight. When she was ten, Shara wrote a newspaper weekly for an entire summer and distributed it to her neighbors. I...

Adelaide Carlson (she/her)
Intro Writer

Adelaide Carlson (she/her)

Adelaide Carlson is a freshman at Ida B. Wells. She is excited to start her high school career as well as her journalism career. When she’s not in school, Adelaide enjoys reading and various outdoor activities like hiking, rock cl...

Duncan Bradford (he/him)
Copy Editor/Student News

Duncan Bradford (he/him)

Duncan Bradford is a senior in his third year writing for The Headlight and is a carryover from last year's Student News, Guardian News Network. He’s a frequent contributor to his own web series, Duncan’s Daily Doubts. Outside o...

Quinlyn Black (she/her)
Staff Writer/Student News Leader

Quinlyn Black (she/her)

Quinlyn is a senior at Ida B. Wells, and this is her first year on The Headlight, after being part of the Guardian News Network last year. On GNN, she wrote scripts, edited videos, and spent a few precious moments on camera. Quinly...

JJ Reynolds (he/him)
Staff Writer/Student News Leader

JJ Reynolds (he/him)

JJ Reynolds is in his second year of The Headlight as a junior, in his free time he loves to play Softball and loves music in his ear wherever he goes. He is the type of kid to bring to your mother, she'll love him dearly. ...

Shay Gallagher (she/her)
Student News Leader

Shay Gallagher (she/her)

My name is Shaelyn. I love acting, dancing and gossiping with my fellow GNN companions! I am KM's #1 fan as well.

Beckett Lundgren (he/him)
Student News Leader

Beckett Lundgren (he/him)

Beckett is a junior at Ida B. Wells High School. He was born in Portland, Oregon and is part of the Student News and Multimedia Storytelling class. He enjoys filmmaking and continues to pursue his passion of being part of the fi...

Georgia Rash (she/her)
Student News Leader

Georgia Rash (she/her)

Georgia is a new student at IBW and this is her senior year! She is looking forward to working on camera and editing! After school lets out she enjoys grabbing a sweet treat, hanging with friends, and watching videos related to ...

River Tokunaga (he/him)
Staff Writer/Student News

River Tokunaga (he/him)

River Tokunaga is a senior in his first year of writing for The Headlight and on GNN. He likes strawberries and long walks on the beach. This year he hopes to consistently produce interesting and well-made articles for all of you to enjoy....

Taylor Howard (she/her)
Intro Writer/Student News

Taylor Howard (she/her)

Taylor is a junior in High School and in Intro to Communications as well as student news. She plays Softball for the Ida B. Wells team. During her free time, she enjoys writing, watching movies, and hanging out with her friend...

Ibrahim Abdalla (he/him)
Student News

Ibrahim Abdalla (he/him)

Ibrahim Abdalla is a freshman at Ida B. Wells. He enjoys playing basketball, filming, taking interviews of people and his favorite food is pasta. 

Delia Barrans (she/her)
Student News

Delia Barrans (she/her)

Delia Barrans is in her second year of GNN. She brings light and laughter to the classroom and an exuberant energy. Without her we would be doomed to despair and darkness. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with friends ...

Ely Del Rosario (she/her)
Student News

Ely Del Rosario (she/her)

This is Ely’s first year on GNN and she’s liking it so far with all the experience she’s getting. In her extra time she likes to read, go to concerts, and participate in school softball and swimming. ...

Kieran Kelleher (she/her)
Student News

Kieran Kelleher (she/her)

Kieran is a freshman at Ida B. Wells and this is her first year being a part of Guardian News Network. She hopes to end the semester knowing more about journalism. When not in class, you can find her spending time with friends ...

Rowan Zittenfield (he/him)
Student News

Rowan Zittenfield (he/him)

Rowan is grade 9, 1st year on GNN, hobbies include, working on cars and bikes, and football

Spencer Maudlin (he/him)
Student News

Spencer Maudlin (he/him)

Spencer is a freshman who enjoys playing music, especially guitar, and I like being behind the camera, and I am excited to be in the student news class.

Nick Rowe (he/him)
Student News

Nick Rowe (he/him)

 This is Nick’s first year on GNN. He likes to play football, hockey and lacrosse. Some of his favorite hoodies are sleeping, eating, and rock climbing.

Lucius Coon (he/him)
Student News

Lucius Coon (he/him)

This is Lucius’ first year on GNN. He enjoys playing football and wrestling.

Lyra Roska (she/her)
Student News

Lyra Roska (she/her)

Lyra is a senior at Ida B Wells and it's her first year on GNN. She is excited to learn about video writing, editing, and production. Outside of school she likes to be outside, crochet, and find new coffee shops. ...

Izzy Almquist (she/her)
Student News

Izzy Almquist (she/her)

Izzy is a freshman this year. This is her first time doing GNN. She likes tennis, reading, and going on walks.

Maya Soltesz (she/her)
Student News

Maya Soltesz (she/her)

Maya is a freshman and it’s her first time doing GNN. She plays lacrosse and likes to figure skate.

Penelope Bringuier (she/her)
Student News

Penelope Bringuier (she/her)

Penelope is a sophomore at Ida B. Wells High School. She took intro to communications her Freshman year, and now in her first year on GNN. In her free time she enjoys listening to music, cooking, and spending too much money on ...

Alayna Benjamin (she/her)
Student News

Alayna Benjamin (she/her)

Alayna is a freshman. This is her first year in GNN and she does cheer and dance.

Maida Ali (she/her)
Student News

Maida Ali (she/her)

Maida is a sophomore at Ida B Wells. She enjoys crafting and spending time with family. 

Nafissa Wahab (she/her)
Student News

Nafissa Wahab (she/her)

Nafissa is a sophomore at IBW. This is her first year of GNN. Naffisa {} likes drawing and fish.

Sebastien Evens (he/him)
Student News

Sebastien Evens (he/him)

Sebastian is a junior and this is his first year doing GNN. He is the Co-president of the AV Collective, one of the leaders of GSA, and Communications lead/one of the captains for Wells' dragon boat team, The Dragon Guardians. ...

Dove Moore (any/all)
Student News

Dove Moore (any/all)

Dove is a Junior and this is their 2nd year of being in GNN. Outside of school they enjoy going on hikes, bike rides, and really any form of art, specifically painting and ceramics. They also enjoy watching movies once in a whi...

Milly Brown (she/her)
Student News

Milly Brown (she/her)

Milly is a sophomore and joined the GNN team this year. Outside of school, she enjoys playing soccer and drawing. She also enjoys rewatching Spiderman, but only for Andrew Garfield. 

Alice Coulter (she/her)
Student News

Alice Coulter (she/her)

Alice is a freshman and this is her first year working on The Guardian News Network. She’ll be helping with video editing, camera work, and being on screen in episodes. When not in class, you can find her writing, reading, o...

Alex Quiggle (she/her)
Student News

Alex Quiggle (she/her)

Alex is a freshman and it’s her first year working on GNN. Once school has concluded, she likes acting, learning new impressions (such as Siri and Jennifer Coolidge), and occasionally playing Dress to Impress with her baddie...

Rut Urbatzka (she/her)
Student News

Rut Urbatzka (she/her)

Rut is a German exchange student. She enjoys trying out different things in the US with her host family and American friends. So far, some of her favorite things have been mountain biking and Blizzards from Dairy Queen....