The Up-Beat – Ep. 2 – Lumber, leprechauns and the lottery

Abigail Ziemer, Brayden Blackwell, Anysia Russell and Lucas Drengwitz • Feb 20, 2024

Welcome to “The Up-Beat,” where each week a group of Inkspot reporters take a break from breaking news to share what’s been making them smile this week.
Abigail Ziemer, Brayden Blackwell, Anysia Russell and Lucas Drengwitz share what is making them happy this week.

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About the Contributors

Abigail Ziemer, Staff Writer

Abigail Ziemer is a senior at Normal Community High School and participates in track and field. This is her first year as an Inskpot staff writer. On the weekends I enjoy spending time with my dog, Baxter, being outside and seeing my friends. What inspires me is the people and community in BloNo. I like creating art, drinking coffee and listening to Taylor Swift.

Brayden Blackwell, Senior Staff Reporter

Brayden is a senior at Normal Community; this is Brayden's third year on the Inkspot where he is a senior staff reporter. I am inspired by people lifting each other up because "iron sharpens iron." My all-time dream is to become a social studies teacher. A book that moved me was "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan.

Anysia Russell, Staff Writer

Anysia Russell is a sophomore at Normal Community High School. This is her first year working with the Inkspot. She is a staff writer. In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry, reading, and listening to music. A slogan that I live by is “No grit, no grind, no glory.” My favorite films are the “Twilight” movie series.

Lucas Drengwitz, Staff Writer

Lucas Drengwitz is a senior and is on both the football and baseball teams. He is a first-year staff writer for the Inkspot. My hidden talent is that I am actually pretty good at golf. Someday I'd really like to meet Justin Fields. On the weekends I like to hang out with friends and watch sports. My favorite film is “Shawshank Redemption.”