By Josh Bodenstein
Junior Sameer Jones is excited to continue his career with The Sentry for his second year. Jones brings a unique blend of humor and thoughtfulness, promising a fresh and entertaining voice for our publication.
Jones has consistently demonstrated his creative talent through his imaginative ideas and playful nature. For instance, Jones provided a vivid and colorful description when prompted with how an anthropomorphic baguette would move.
“A baguette would flop over like this [demonstrates a baguette falling on its front] and then just keep going. It would be like it stood up, fell over, stood up, fell over,” Jones said.
His passion for writing was kindled by a recommendation from his ninth grade English teacher, Chrissy Wiedemann, and his familiarity with peers in the class.
Outside of writing, Jones keeps himself busy with various hobbies. Despite initially struggling to define what counts as a hobby, he reflected on several activities he enjoys.
“Running is important [to me]; I run a lot for the cross country and track teams. I also like to read, watch different shows, and sometimes cook if I have time,” Jones said.
When it comes to music, Jones has diverse tastes. His walk-up song reflects his positive outlook on life.
“Probably ‘Unwritten’ by Natasha Bedingfield. It’s an amazing song. Second choice, I’d go with ‘Country Roads’ by John Denver,” Jones said.
Jones is known among his friends as the ultimate food connoisseur. He has a discerning palate and unwavering opinions on various culinary delights. Jones has a particular fondness for breakfast food and often professes that if he had to choose one type of food to eat for the rest of his life, it would undoubtedly be breakfast.
“If I could just eat eggs, pancakes and french toast for the rest of my life, I would do it,” Jones said.
Delving into his unconventional food opinions, Jones didn’t hold back. Expressing his love for a divisive pizza topping that might ruffle a few feathers.
“Pineapple on pizza is very good,” Jones said.
When asked what food he would be if he could embody any dish, Jones pondered for a moment before making an unexpected choice.
“I think I would be a spaghetti because I can change, you know? I can adapt. When you boil it, it goes from being hard to being chewable and edible,” Jones said.
The Sentry is thrilled to have Sameer Jones, whose creative energy and thoughtful reflections promise to bring depth and entertainment to The Sentry. His enthusiasm for writing and unique outlook make him a great fit. The Sentry looks forward to seeing the exciting contributions he will bring to the paper this year.
By Sammer Jones
Senior “Tech Guy” Joshua Bodenstein is returning for his third year on staff. While Bodenstein is passionate about technology, he spent much of his past summer surrounded by one of technology’s worst enemies: water.
“I was working at my sailing camp with kids. That was fun. Mostly I would just be out on the Potomac sailing,” Bodenstein said.
Back in school, Bodenstein is ready to continue being the “Tech Guy.” Though he has pride in his job, the difficult nature of our website’s backend makes his role one of The Sentry’s more thankless tasks.
“I do it because it kind of has to get done,” Bodenstein said.
While many seniors are excited about being in their final year of high school, Bodenstein doesn’t feed into the hype as much.
“It doesn’t feel any different from the three other years I’ve been here other than I’m taking different classes,” Bodenstein said.
Bodenstein is a very critical thinker. When asked about what three items he would bring to a deserted island, he gave a very thorough answer.
“We’re going to assume it’s a lake, so I don’t need to bring any drinks … I basically couldn’t go anywhere without my phone, so that is the No. 1 thing. I’ll bring a tent, because I need somewhere to live, even if it will be miserable. And fire building stuff because if I’m fishing like you suggested I should cook the fish,” Bodenstein said.
When it comes to cuisine, Bodenstein is a huge fan of Thai food, and he has no hesitation about his go-to order.
“Drunken Noodles. That’s what it always is. My favorite Thai restaurant is T.H.A.I. in Shirlington. It’s a pain to get to, but it’s really really good,” Bodenstein said.
His refined palate shouldn’t come as a surprise. Bodenstein is a man of great sophistication. After all, he does think about the Roman Empire on a daily basis.
“It never leaves my mind. I think about what they could’ve done better,” Bodenstein said.
Bodenstein doesn’t shy away from controversy. When asked about some of his hot takes, he dropped a bomb that could turn an entire drama class against him.
“Hamilton wasn’t that good. I really hate Lin-Manuel Miranda’s singing voice,” Bodenstein said.
Regarding pets, Bodenstein is a huge cat fan despite the fact that he has two dogs at home.
“I think cats are way easier to deal with. [Cats] are snuggly, and they can be really stupid, which makes them funny,” Bodenstein said.
Bodenstein’s favorite movie is Die Hard, a 1988 classic and the source of never-ending debate.
“Yes, it is a Christmas movie, but it is also the best movie,” Bodenstein said.
Speaking of movies, Bodenstein said that if his life were captured in a film, he would only want one man to play him.
“I’d want Jack Black. There’s no reason, just Jack Black,” Bodenstein said.
A highlight of the movie would be Bodenstein’s unexpected victory during a sailing camp race. Bodenstein referred to this event as one of the greatest triumphs of his life.
“I am not normally a racer for sailboats. When I won against 40 other people, though, just out of the blue, that was the best experience of my life,” Bodenstein said.
Bodenstein is a fun and energetic presence and an extremely valuable member of our class. It is safe to say that The Sentry would not be the same without him.
