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The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

The Student News Site of McLean High School

The Highlander

2019-2020 Staff

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana is a junior in her third year of journalism at McLean high school, but has been learning about it for five years as she began her journalism career through classes in middle school. Other than being a journalist, she...

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana is a sophomore at McLean high school, and this is her second year in journalism. In addition to journalism, Khushi enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends and family, and more.

Lia Vincenzo

Lia Vincenzo

Lia Vincenzo is a senior in her third year of journalism. She enjoys reading and doting on her two guinea pigs.

Polina Zubarev

Polina Zubarev

Polina Zubarev is a senior at McLean and in her third year of Journalism. She enjoys playing ice hockey, traveling, recording the podcast, and reading.

Jayne Ogilvie-Russell

Jayne Ogilvie-Russell

Jayne Ogilvie-Russell is a senior at McLean High School, and the head cartoonist for The Highlander magazine. Jayne has been working at their design skills in order to help contribute to the magazine in both art and page design....

Swetha Manimaran

Swetha Manimaran

Swetha Manimaran is a senior in her second year of journalism. She loves drinking large amounts of coffee, watching New Girl, taking pictures , and thrifting.

Ariana Elahi

Ariana Elahi

Ariana Elahi is a junior at McLean high school and is currently taking Journalism 3. She enjoys being involved with different clubs and after-school activities as well as spending time with her friends and family.

Taylor Olson

Taylor Olson

Taylor Olson is a Designer and junior in her fourth year of journalism. She loves art, skating, watching movies, and her friends. Her favorite color is gray.

Arnav Gupta

Arnav Gupta

  Arnav Gupta is a senior in Journalism 4. He likes playing basketball and enjoys hanging out with friends. He also likes playing video games and listening to music.

Shruthi Manimaran

Shruthi Manimaran

Shruthi Manimaran is a senior in her second year of journalism. She is a triplet and enjoys reading, 70s music, and binge watching Parks and Rec on Netflix.

Cc Palumbo

Cc Palumbo

Cc Palumbo is a junior and in her third year of journalism. In her free time, she loves to hang out with her friends and go shopping.

Jackson Clayton

Jackson Clayton

Jackson Clayton is a senior at McLean High School who is currently in his third year of journalism. He is a reporter and cartoonist for The Highlander. He loves programming and video game design.

Zuha Al-Ethari

Zuha Al-Ethari

Zuha is in her first year of Journalism and she enjoys listening to music and doing Color Guard.

Jibrin Usman Nabilah

Nabilah Usman is a junior at McLean High School currently enrolled in Journalism 1. Nabilah enjoys listening to music and reading people's blogs. 

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana

Khushi Rana is a freshman at McLean High School and enjoys participating in field hockey. 

Pratistha Dhungana

Pratistha Dhungana is a sophomore at McLean High School and is currently taking Journalism 1. She enjoys painting and listening to music during her free time.

Layla Zaidi

Layla Zaidi

Layla Zaidi is a senior in her third year of journalism. In her free time she loves to bake, read, listen to music, travel, and run.

Stella Keum

Stella Keum

Stella Keum is a Senior at McLean high school and this is her second year in journalism. She loves reading mystery novels and debating with her friends.

Akash Balenalli

Akash Balenalli

Akash Balenalli is a senior in Journalism 3. He enjoys photography, playing the cello, computer programming, drawing, reading and learning about the world. Akash is also a substitute section editor, designer and social media manager...

Monica Molnar

Monica Molnar is a sophomore at McLean High School in her first year of journalism. She is #21 on the field hockey team and is looking forward to playing lacrosse in the spring. 

Taylor Staats

Taylor Staats

Taylor Staats is a sophmore and it is her second year in Journalism. She enjoys playing softball, traveling, listening to music and playing with her two dogs and chinchilla.

Nyla Marcott

Nyla Marcott

Nyla Marcott is a senior at McLean High School. This is her fourth year in Journalism. She enjoys traveling throughout the United States and abroad, vegetable gardening, and cooking foods from around the world. ...

Mackenzie Chen

Mackenzie Chen

Mackenzie Chen is a senior at McLean High School and works for The Highlander as an online managing editor for The Highlander website. She is in her third year of journalism, but she is continuing to enhance her skills as a rep...

Jiaying Li

Jiaying Li

Jiaying is a sophomore student at Mclean High School. Jiaying participates in Journalism 1 and she enjoys Journalism a lot. Jiaying has many hobbies such as paiting and reading.

Daniel Fimbres

Daniel is a freshman from McLean High School. he enjoys watching table tennis and playing tetherball with the homies. Im  in the middle.  

Adam Baker

Adam is a freshman in his first year of journalism. He enjoys basketball and football.

Dalia Fishman

Dalia Fishman

Dalia Fishman is a sophomore at McLean High School. She plays softball and cello, in addition to enjoying writing.  She is currently in Journalism 2.

Charlie Jackson

Charlie Jackson is a McLean freshman. I like playing sports and hanging out with my friends.

David Jerzak

David Jerzak

He's a freshman in journalism 1. Just moved to America in August after 8 years of life in Poland, and still cannot count the improvements. He is interested in IT, rocketry and outdoors.

Cameron Tebo

Cameron Tebo

Cameron is a sophomore in Journalism 1 at McLean. Cam has numerous hobbies, such as drawing, writing, playing tennis, and above all being an absolute nerd.

Sydney Gleason

Sydney Gleason

Sydney Gleason is a sophomore at McLean. She enjoys playing soccer and basketball with her teammates. Sydney's favorite class this year is journalism and she is excited to see the years to come with this class.

Spencer Sirotzky

Spencer Sirotzky

Spencer Sirotzky is a Sophomore at McLean High School, he enjoys playing sports like basketball and baseball for fun.

Makda Bekele

Makda Bekele

Makda Bekele is a senior at Mclean High school in her fourth year of journalism. She enjoys drawing, watching Teen Titans and CN shows, and being apart of The Highlander.

Max Irish

Max Irish

Max Irish is a Junior at McLean High School. He enjoys playing baseball and golf as well as participating in Best Buddies. He enjoys traveling all around the world, as well as spending time with his friends.

Marina Qu

Marina Qu

Marina Qu is a third-year journalist and one of the Editors-in-Chief of the The Highlander. A VHSL, CSPA and JEA award-winner, she enjoys writing about local news relevant to the community and collaborating with other reporter...

Aleena Gul

Aleena Gul

Aleena Gul is a junior, taking her third year of Journalism and is the News Editor for The Highlander magazine at McLean High School. She previously served as the Online News Editor for the online magazine and a Features Editor f...

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Addie Brown

Addie Brown is one of the Managing Editors of The Highlander in her fourth year of journalism. In her free time, she plays soccer competitively and loves to hang out with her friends.

Mae Monaghan

Mae Monaghan

Mae Monaghan is a sophomore in her second year of journalism at McLean High.  She enjoys soccer, reading, music, and hanging out with friends in her free time.

Cordelia Lawton

Cordelia Lawton

Cordelia Lawton is enjoying her second year of Journalism. She is enjoying being a news editor and is loving all her classes. She loves writing and can rarely put a book down. She transferred to McLean High School in her junior ye...

Zach Anderson

Zach Anderson

Zach is a senior at McLean High School. It is his second year working for The Highlander. Zach was previously enrolled in broadcast journalism, but now copy edits for the print magazine and produces the school podcast. He enjoys h...

Jack Shields

Jack Shields

Jack is in his fourth year of Journalism. Jack enjoys playing soccer and eating.

Ava Rotondo

Ava Rotondo

Ava Rotondo is a senior at McLean High School. She is so excited to be an editor of The Highlander in her second year of journalism. She loves sailing and taking long hikes.

Nicky Varela

Nicky Varela

Nicky is a senior at McLean High School. He is in his fourth year of journalism. Outside of school, Nicky loves playing and watching football, as well as eating food. He knows more about sports than you. Roll 'Ders.

Ben Brooks

Ben Brooks

Ben Brooks is a student in his fourth year in journalism. Ben excels in many prominent sports including ping pong and spike ball. His favorite color is gray.

Josh Bass

Josh Bass

Josh Bass was a senior at McLean High School as well as Editor-in-Chief for The Highlander.

Paarth Soni

Paarth Soni

Paarth Soni is a Senior at McLean High school who is now in his fourth year of journalism.  Paarth has reported on over 25 articles for the online and paper magazine over his time on the Highlander staff. During his free time,...

Emily Friedman

Emily Friedman

Emily Friedman is an Opinions Editor and senior in her fourth year of journalism. She enjoys swimming, playing volleyball, and spending time with her friends and family.

Laine Phillips

Laine Phillips

Laine Phillips is a senior and has been taking journalism for four years. She also participates in cross country, track, and her favorite color gray. 

Kaan Kocabal

Kaan Kocabal

This is Kaan Kocabal’s fourth year at Mclean high school and his fourth time taking journalism. He is a soccer player and likes to enjoy spending time with his friends. 

Saisha Dani

Saisha Dani

Saisha Dani is a senior and is in her third year of Journalism at McLean High School. She has recently moved to the McLean community in 2018 and enjoys watching TV shows, reading and drinking bubble tea.

Noah Barnes

Noah Barnes

Noah Barnes is a senior in his fourth year of journalism at McLean High School, and an A&E editor for The Highlander. He plays on the Varsity soccer team, and enjoys sports of all kinds. Outside of school, he enjoys keeping upd...

Grace Gould

Grace Gould

Grace Gould is a senior in her fourth year of journalism.  In her free time she is a rower and Irish dancer who enjoys listening to music and reading.

Sebastian Jimenez

Sebastian Jimenez

 Sebastian Jimenez is a transfer student who moved to McLean in sophomore year. He serves as an opinions editor for the Highlander, and intends to go into a field related to journalism later in life. 

Skye Sunderhauf

Skye Sunderhauf

Skye Sunderhauf is a junior at McLean High School. She loves swimming and has been on a year-round swim team since she was nine years old. She has a younger sister and a golden retriever. Her favorite part about journalism is...

Katie Romhilt

Katie Romhilt

Katie Romhilt is a senior in her fourth and final year of journalism. She plays ECNL soccer and often travels around the country for games. She has an active role in the community, including coaching a 6th grade girls' basketball...

Michelle Cheng

Michelle Cheng

Michelle Cheng is a senior and third year journalist at McLean. In her free time, she loves to row, hike, and try new foods.

Jessica Opsahl-Ong

Jessica Opsahl-Ong

Jessica Opsahl-Ong is a Managing Editor and reporter for the Highlander. She can be found reading a good book while wrapped in a sweater. 

Sam Naemi

Sam Naemi

A junior at McLean High and a first timer of Journalism whose back hurts carrying the so called "veteran" Rohan Mani.

Rohan Mani

Rohan Mani

Rohan Mani is in his 2nd year of Journalism and is a junior.  He is currently the online sports editor and a reporter for The Highlander magazine. He enjoys following sports, hanging out with friends and family and overall...

Kyle Hawley

Kyle Hawley

Kyle Hawley is a senior at McLean High School. He is very passionate about American politics and will state his opinions on public policy and foreign affairs. When he is not writing an op-ed on a certain issue, Hawley will in...

Emily Jackson

Emily Jackson

Emily Jackson is a senior at McLean High School. She is a copy and features editor for The Highlander and an online opinions editor for the website. Outside the classroom, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and...

Rebeka Rafi

Rebeka Rafi

Rebeka Rafi is taking her fourth year of Journalism and is the Advertising/Business Manager and Managing Editor for The Highlander news-magazine at McLean High School. She previously served as the Advertising/Business Manager ...

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