Megan LoMastro isn’t one to sit around and wait for things to happen.
Instead, she makes them happen.
And because of her, Little Flower High School students get good news every other week.
“When I looked on the school website, it showed that they had a school newspaper, but when I got here, it was discontinued,” said LoMastro, a sophomore from Mayfair. “Now it’s a whole club. I really like writing and they always encourage you to take initiative, and the president liked the idea.
“It’s me and Meagan Leary, she’s also a sophomore from Blessed Trinity. We are both co-editor-in-chief. I usually do the proofreading, and she organizes everything and puts it all together. It comes out bi-weekly, and we usually have about seven stories in each issue.”
LoMastro isn’t just an editor, she’s also a reporter, and she’s done some fine work this year.
She enjoys giving Little Flower students a chance to share their news and tell their stories.
“Students will talk about what they’re going to do in the future, and we even do little things like what’s your favorite subject,” LoMastro said. “And when our sports teams do well, I’ll do interviews with players. And now I’m working on a story with the Black Student Union, doing a story about Martin Luther King. That will be out (soon).”
She hasn’t told her story in the paper yet, but she has a great one to tell.
A softball player by trade, she played volleyball during her freshman year, but didn’t enjoy it too much. She wanted to represent the school, and she wanted to play a fall sport, so she started thinking about what to do. Then she talked to tennis coach Valerie McPeak, and she decided to give the sport a shot.
She was a quick learner, and by the end of the season, she and her teammate Gertrude Jack took third-team All-Catholic.
“She was really supportive with getting me started,” LoMastro said of her doubles teammate. “I honestly didn’t know much about how to play the game. Playing in games, I needed a lot of help and she was great.
“It was the first time I picked up a racket. I worked hard at it, but I really liked it. And I had a lot of people helping me.”
Still, LoMastro learned quickly and by the end of the season, she was a solid player. She hopes to be even better next year.
“By the end of the year, I felt really welcomed by the team and comfortable with what I learned,” said LoMastro, who is open to playing singles or doubles next year. “I have a lot more to learn. (McPeak) is great and she keeps in touch, so we’ll get together and hit the ball around if we get a chance.”
Now that the fall season is over, LoMastro will take a quick break from sports before she picks up with softball.
Last year, she was slated to be the starting pitcher for the Sentinels junior varsity team, but the season was nixed due to COVID. With winter sports going on, it appears there will be a spring season, and LoMastro is eager to get back in the game.
“I wish we had last year, I was excited to play,” said LoMastro, who also plays in the infield. “I’ve known (Little Flower softball coach Mark Fusetti) for a long time, he’s a very good coach. The varsity pitcher last year was a senior, so I’m not sure who will be pitching this year.
“I really like how softball is not a fast-paced thing, you have time to think about it and you can focus and do everything right.”
LoMastro stays busy with sports and the paper, but she also finds time to excel in the classroom. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia honored all athletes who received honors in the classroom and LoMastro was among them, getting second honors for the first marking period.
Despite the learning conditions, she’s staying focused on her studies.
“It’s hard not being in school all the time, and it’s hard carrying all your books back and forth, it gets heavy,” LoMastro said. “But I’m glad we’re in school sometimes. Hybrid is better than nothing. I think I learn better in the classroom. I like being in school, so I’m glad we are able to do that.”
It also gives her a chance to stay near her sources.
Being a journalist is time consuming, and stressful, around deadline, but LoMastro is having a great time with the club she had a hand in starting.
“It gets to be very time consuming,” LoMastro said. “Especially near the release date of the newspaper, everything is happening at the same time. Every couple of days before that, it can be hard, but I’m pretty good with time management.
“I love music, I constantly have music playing even when I’m just doing homework. It keeps me focused. I like Nirvana, they’re probably my favorite. It’s just never boring. Some artists will have things that slow down, but they keep it upbeat.”
LoMastro will continue writing for the newspaper, but her journalism career will likely end in a few years when she graduates.
She has bigger plans for a career.
“I’m thinking it’s just for high school, I want to be a nurse,” LoMastro said. “I like helping people, and I like children, so I want to be a pediatric nurse. I think I can help by being there when they’re scared.
“I have two little brothers, fourth and sixth grade, and I like spending time with my cousins, one is only 3. So I’m pretty good with kids, or I like to think so.”
Just as she hopes to be good at tennis next year.
“I’m staying with it, I really liked it,” LoMastro said. “I think it would be cool to be No. 1 on the ladder, but that’s something I look forward to in senior year. But doubles is fun, too, I like the teamwork aspect. I’ll be happy just playing.”
