By Lizzie Koumans
Staff Reporter
A volleyball star and journalism enthusiast, freshman Molly Kaplow is ready to make her debut as a reporter for The Yorktown Sentry. Kaplow’s bubbly personality and lively spirit will be a great addition to this year’s Sentry staff and her energy is sure to brighten anyone’s day.
After a hectic summer filled with trips to the beach, sleepaway camps and hundreds of hours spent with friends, Kaplow is excited to start her first year of high school.
“[I am looking forward to] getting to know new people in a new school, growing up a little bit and feeling older,” Kaplow said.
Entering a new school can be hard for anyone, especially when it comes to choosing classes. Fortunately, Kaplow had some help from her cousin and Sentry staff member, senior Anna Trainum, who encouraged her to pursue journalism in high school. This added to Kaplow’s prior interest in reporting that comes from her family background in the industry.
“My cousin is Anna, and she basically said, ‘if you don’t fill out an application [for The Yorktown Sentry], then I will, in your name.’ She just convinced me that it was going to be super fun, so I decided to apply. [Also], my grandpa was a reporter for about fifty years, my uncle is a reporter and my dad is a reporter. [They] just got me really into it,” Kaplow said.
Kaplow was inspired by her family’s passion for journalism, especially from her grandfather.
“[My biggest inspiration is] my grandfather … who was a reporter, because he did so many amazing things as a reporter and just as a person. He was so kind and I just aspire to be like that and he just helped everybody and was so nice,” Kaplow said.
Outside of her life in school and as a reporter, Kaplow is constantly busy playing volleyball, and has big dreams when it comes to the sport.
“I’m on the [school] volleyball team, which is my biggest commitment right now …. [If I could be anyone for a day, I would be a] University of Southern California (USC) Volleyball player…. [I want to] see what it’s like to be in that type of volleyball environment instead of a high school environment …. And I really want to go to USC because they have a good volleyball team,” Kaplow said.
When she is not playing her favorite sport, Kaplow can be found spending her free time binge-watching Netflix, including some classic favorite shows, Friends and Grey’s Anatomy, or spending time with her friends.
With her obvious passion for journalism and her cheerful attitude, Kaplow is a perfect addition to this year’s reporting staff. We are all looking forward to seeing what potential her first year on staff will hold.
By Molly Kaplow
Staff Reporter
If you see a cat named Michelle walking around, it probably belongs to sophomore Lizzie Koumans. Although typically cats go by names like ‘Fluffy’ or ‘Whiskers’, it is no surprise that Koumans’ cat has a more sophisticated and elegant name. You could use the same adjectives to describe her.
When meeting Koumans for the first time, it feels like you have been friends with her for a long time. She is able to make anyone feel comfortable and welcome.
Currently, Koumans’ efforts are going towards creating a new club called Generation Ratify which focuses on women’s rights, a passion of hers. She takes inspiration from her grandmother, as well as the United States Women’s National Soccer Team and their contributions towards equal rights.
Along with Generation Ratify, Koumans spends lots of her after school hours on either a soccer field or a track.
“I play travel soccer with Arlington … I’ve been playing on the travel team since I was in the fifth grade, I believe, but I’ve been playing soccer since I was three. Three doesn’t really count because it was kiddy soccer,” Koumans said.
“I also run varsity cross country and track. I only started last year but somehow I’m on varsity,” Koumans said.
Although Koumans balances a busy schedule, she always makes time for her family.
“In our family we have family dinners every single night. It’s a really important part of our family. We always have really deep conversations and it’s really fun,” Koumans said.
Koumans has big goals for the future. She has been very ambitious in her career choices over the years. As a child, Koumans wanted to be an astrophysicist; she always wanted to stand out in her class. Her job aspirations have changed drastically since then.
“I’d want to be either an architect or maybe a journalist. I never really considered journalism until being in newspaper last year and I’ve really fallen in love with it,” Koumans said.
Newspaper has been one of Koumans’ favorite classes in high school so far. She feels very comfortable in the environment of the class. She definitely contributes her energy and kind to spirit to the family that makes up The Sentry.
“I was looking down the course request form, I saw newspaper, and I thought, ‘I like writing, I’m going to give that a try’. I really liked it last year, so that’s why I’m continuing this year,” Koumans said.
Since her initial start with The Sentry, Koumans has displayed her strengths as a writer and a person. Her positivity and hard working nature has made her an integral member of The Sentry. We are looking forward to see what her second year has in store.
