Nick Warnement is back for his third round. As a junior, veteran Sentry staff writer and proud varsity athlete, Warnement has an easy going personality and a passion for athletics that in his words, compare him to a Nike sneaker.

“Nike’s slogan is just do it. I just kind of do things as they come, … I just kind of go with the flow,” Warnement said.

Going with the flow has brought Warnement around the world. At 16, Warnement is an avid traveler, having ventured all over Europe. Despite his extensive travels, there are still places Warnement wants to go.

“I’ve never been to South America … specifically I think I’d really want to go to Chile and Argentina. I like the outdoors, the mountains. I’ve never been to that continent. It would probably be a pretty cool experience to go hiking and stuff around there,” Warnement said.

Warnement is an explorer. He is bright and his curiosity is easily sparked. When Warnement has a question, he makes sure he finds the answer.

“I really like watching channels like the history channel … and reading about that sort of thing. If I see something, some random event, I’ll go, ‘oh, what’s that?’ and I’ll go and research it,” Warnement said.

Warnement’s curiosity gives him an adventurous and bold side. He is not afraid to try new things, especially if they are a little outside of his comfort zone.

“I think the high wire would be pretty cool. I’ve never really done anything like that, but I’m not afraid of heights, so I might as well try it,” Warnement said.

Warnement would probably fit right in with the high wire walkers and acrobats at the circus. Acrobats have to be strong and confident, and Warnement certainly satisfies both. As a varsity football player, Warnement takes athletics seriously, especially when it comes down to what he puts in his protein shakes.

“I like the vanilla flavor. There can’t be any little powder bits left in it, you know, that’s disgusting. It’s so gross. When I make my protein, I put in milk with the vanilla,” Warnement said.

Warnement explains that adding the milk and vanilla is like cheating. He imagines that he is eating ice cream, when he is really downing the vital nutrients he needs for a top performance on the field. Even though football is extremely important to Warnement, he emphasizes that he does not want to pursue it professionally.

“I don’t think that I’m going to pursue playing football in college. It’s not really something I want to do because I know my limitations. I’d rather just go to college and go into the workforce rather than go to a small school and play a sport. I’d rather go to a school that I want to go to,” Warnement said.

Many people with a broad range of interests have a hard time deciding what career path to take, and Warnement is no different. While he does not know what he wants to do when he grows up, he is certain of what he does not want to do.

“I could not be a teacher. I wouldn’t have the patience for that,” Warnement said.

Even if he lacks patience, Warnement knows he has other values that make up for it. He is passionate about his faith. Warnement is Greek Orthodox and takes after his mother in this respect. Warnement also believes strongly in his family. His family is large and his dedication to them is unquestionable. In fact, if he could do anything for anyone, he would become the best person he could possibly be, all for his dad.

“[My] dad puts a lot of effort and time and money into me …. [All] my efforts coming together into … the best person I can be, that would probably be a gift for him,” Warnement said.

 There is no question that wherever he ends up going and whatever he ends up doing, Warnement is going to leave an impact. If he could be memorialized, he wants to be carved into a statue.

“[It] would be cool to have a statue of me. I don’t know what I would do to deserve a statue, but just having a statue in a circle or town square or something, that would be pretty cool. It would have to be pretty big, and … I’d have to be on a horse,” Warnement said.

Warnement’s confidence, humor and athleticism do not fail to come across to those that he meets. Junior year better get ready for Warnement, because there is no doubt that he wants to be remembered, and he will be.

Each new school year brings new challenges that can overwhelm many students and cause them to slack off. For junior Fiona Flaherty, there is never a day off. As a new addition to The Sentry, Flaherty brings a hardworking attitude and a different commitment to the staff that will be infectious to those around her.

“I’m like a bee because I work all the time and I’m pretty busy,” Flaherty said.

As an avid writer, Flaherty thought joining the class would be a great step forward in her writing career.

“I have always had a strong interest in journalism and I figured it would really be a good way to get exposure,” Flaherty said.

Although writing is one of her passions, English is not her favorite subject in school.

“I like history a lot because I think it is very important to learn about the past,” Flaherty said.

While others might think of summer vacation as lying on a beach somewhere, Flaherty thinks of it as a time to explore.

“I went on a bike trip with my dad this summer in Tuscany which was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. I think we totalled 200 kilometers,” Flaherty said.

In addition to riding around the Tuscan countryside this summer, Flaherty decided to take advantage of the opportunity to attend some summer camps

“I also bounced around to different camps including film camp in New York City,” Flaherty said.

Movies are an area of passion for Flaherty who described herself as a cinofile.

“You’ll find me at the movies almost every weekend,” Flaherty said.

As a three sport varsity athlete, Flaherty is busy after school during each sports season. In addition to her school athletic commitments, she also participates in separate teams for other sports.

“I do cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, fencing, horseback riding, harp and bass for our school orchestra,” Flaherty said.

In ten years, Flaherty hopes her hardworking attitude can guide her to success in life doing something she loves.

“I would like to see myself in a job where I get to travel and talk to people because those are things that I am really passionate about,” Flaherty said.

Before her goals can be reached, Flaherty must attend college, just like many other aspiring young people. When asked where she might want to go, Flaherty expressed her love  of the idea of heading out west to study in California, but realizes that attending a Virginia state school would be more financially responsible

“I’m thinking William and Mary, I like it a lot. And Virginia would make sense for me because I would come out of college with less debt,” Flaherty said.

Finally, Flaherty gave her input on who her role model is.

“Either Eleanor Roosevelt or Sunny Williams. They really represent people who really worked hard to get where they were in spite of all that was put against them.”

All in all, Flaherty’s attitude will inspire others on staff to follow suit.