By Maddie McNamee
Sentry Staff Reporter
It is important to always be yourself, and senior Mike Poppalardo definitely follows this rule. Self-described as unique, Poppalardo always tries to be his own person. Poppalardo was born on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, 1996 in Alexandria, Virginia.
Poppalardo was inspired to join the staff by his older sister, along with wanting to get his voice out to the school community. He quickly became interested in the news section, leading to him becoming the news editor of The Yorktown Sentry.
Like most upperclasmen, Poppalardo has come a long way since his freshman year. Within his past four years in high school, Poppalardo says he has found his main interest in engineering, focusing more on math and science. He has also improved his writing skills through his experience with journalism.
From freshman to senior year, Poppalardo has made many memories, but his favorite would have to be the state swim meet last year.
“We went into it barely making states, and my two relay teams both ended up winning eighth place, breaking two Yorktown swim records.” said Poppalardo.
In addition to swimming, Poppalardo also golfs for Yorktown, and is one of the Vice Presidents of the Hype Squad.
“It gets you involved in the whole sports world,” Poppalardo said about Hype Squad.
After graduating this year, Poppalardo hopes to go to a good college, be successful, and make his parents proud.
Being the generous guy he is, Poppalardo said if he had a million dollars, he would “donate half [of his earnings] because that is the nice thing to do, and take vacations and have a good time all around the world.”
Traveling the world would be even easier with Poppalardo’s dream super power. When asked if he could have any superpower, Poppalardo responded that he would want the ability to fly.
Seniors come and go every year, but Mike Poppalardo is a friendly, unique guy that will not be forgotten. The Sentry is lucky to have such a great news editor this year.
By Mike Poppalardo
Sentry Staff Editor
As the last few days of summer come to an end, sophomore Madison McNamee gathers her thoughts as she reflects back on a summer full of fun on the lake in Wisconsin and in the sun at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Arlington native her entire life, she spends her free time playing on Yorktown’s junior varsity field hockey team and hanging out with friends. With a positive outlook on the future, McNamee sees herself in ten years with a stable and successful job. Looking cool, calm and collected on the outside, McNamee is actually outgoing, goofy and weird. However, she describes herself as a very stressful person when it comes to things such as school work, yet she will always get her work done on time and do an exceptional job on it. This shows that she is responsible and cares for her work, an essential trait for journalism class, so she will fit right in.
Like most girls, McNamee admires actor Ryan Gosling and is a die-hard Washington Nationals fan. If she had one million dollars, she would buy Lexus club season tickets right behind home plate and root on her team at every game. When asked about the ever lasting war between Cheez-its and Goldfish McNamee replied “Cheez-its, definitely” without hesitation. In the end, McNamee is a lovely girl and a delight to talk to. She will be perfect for The Sentry staff.
Photo by Libby Boda
