By Josh Allman
Staff Reporter
What the heck is folk-rock? Even senior Owen McArdle, an avid listener of the genre, has a difficult time explaining its style.
“Independent, but not super indie. Kind of with an older vibe, it’s hard to describe,” McArdle said.
Regardless, he is a fan. And, of course, McArdle listens to folk-rock bands like Fruit Bats on vinyl records.
During the pandemic, McArdle spent much of his time training. The hard work paid off. He achieved school records in the 3200-meter race for both indoor and outdoor track during their past seasons. Unlike his triumphs in track, McArdle was unsuccessful in relearning the piano after six years without practice.
As McArdle enters his second year as a reporter for The Sentry, and first in person, he has a changed mindset for this school year. He is actively trying to take advantage of being in the building.
“Value the small moments and don’t take anything for granted. I think it just made me enjoy life a lot more,” McArdle said.
McArdle is eager to start working in person after his first year as a reporter was online. He began writing for The Sentry in hopes of combining the freedom to write about his interests with his love for writing. In The Sentry, he is able to expand his knowledge on topics he is interested in, rather than write according to the restricting curriculum of a standard English class.
Through the writing of different types of articles, extensive research and interviews, McArdle has gained a new perspective on how journalism can affect one’s perception of a topic.
“Discovering that you can be wrong and your opinions can change, and really bringing in all these different viewpoints on your articles through your interviews … helps you form your own opinion,” McArdle said.
McArdle sees his journalistic career continuing in college, but most likely ending there. He wants to engage in some outlet related to journalism post-high school, whether that be through a university magazine or newspaper. Becoming some type of author in the future still may be in the cards for McArdle, as his love for writing trumps that of other subjects.
“I just really like to write; it has come easy to me….Writing has always been something I’ve been able to do,” McArdle said.
McArdle’s passion for writing and his eagerness to delve deep into a topic to form an idea is how he makes an impact. He knows opinion is malleable and is willing to make the effort to shape it. While doing so, he is also listening to folk-rock on vinyl and breaking athletic records. McArdle is a man of many talents who will, without a doubt, excel during his last year of high school.
By Owen McArdle
Staff Reporter
Junior Josh Allman is no typical teenager. Instead of toiling at a fast-food restaurant or stealing soap dispensers, Allman spends his time working at a local plant shop and is an avid lover of tacos.
The hours logged at Merrifield’s, a garden center near Mosaic, provides Allman with a deep knowledge about plants, which he stated as his most unusual talent.
“I would say I’m pretty good at identifying plants, mostly indoor house plants,” Allman said.
After a long day spent in the greenhouse, the junior can be found cooking his favorite meal of the day: dinner.
“Definitely dinner because you can probably get the most creative with different sides so I would probably cook some sort of taco with a bunch of different toppings,” Allman said.
Allman’s diverse taste in food may stem from his travel experiences, as he has been to an array of places including Costa Rica, the Bahamas and India, where he stumbled upon an involuntary safari.
“I went to India in 2014 because my mom’s family is from there. We were driving to my cousin’s house in New Delhi and this group of people that were dressed in these Cheetah costumes came up to our windows and started banging on the windows of the car,” Allman said.
If given the opportunity to do anything for a year, Allman would explore the world, but perhaps the strange incident with the cheetah-men is why he did not list India as a destination.
“I would definitely travel a lot … probably go to a lot of places in Italy and a lot of places in Southeast Asia. My mom spent a lot of time in Singapore.… I would go there,” Allman said.
When he isn’t working with plants or thinking of his travels, Allman spends time reading and listening to music, especially Taylor Swift. He enjoys her newest album Evermore but also relishes the nostalgic classics.
Although Allman’s passion as a Swifty is clear to any listener, the junior remains undecided as to whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich.
“Because it has two pieces of bread — well — maybe I would say it’s like a three-quarters open-faced sandwich because it’s open but it’s closed so I would say it’s a sandwich,” Allman said.
Allman’s opinion on hotdogs is opposite to his fixed views of the world. His freshman year English class with teacher Chrissy Wiedemann fostered a love for writing, ultimately affecting his decision to apply for The Sentry. Now a junior and seasoned veteran of high school English, Allman looks forward to sharing his interests and exploring ways to affect change in our community by publishing articles for The Sentry.
“The rebirth of Black Lives Matter got me into social activism and making information more accessible. I think that combines the writing and the accessibility into journalism so I thought that was cool,” Allman said.
By using his writing skills to show how people in small communities can help attack major world issues, Allman hopes to act as a voice in Arlington. His distinctive personality, love for writing and creative spark are sure to make the first-year reporter an asset to The Yorktown Sentry.
