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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

Setting up the activity for his first meeting, Financial Literacy Club founder and sophomore Yash Bandiananthaiah writes on the whiteboard. For the first meeting, Bandiananthaiah created an interactive experience for members to immerse themselves in. “To me, the most important thing during a meeting is to make sure we are all engaged and participating, and [I do this by] always making sure we have a hands-on activity,” Bandiananthaiah said.

The fun in finance

Raaga Golla, Humans Of West Editor May 22, 2026

Assets. Investments. Net worth. These are the “buzz” words that often come up when hearing about finances. However, when tested on their financial skills, only around 50% of American adults are confident...

French teacher Blair Hopkins enters City Coffee & Creperie in Clayton, Mo. for breakfast with her Honors French 4 students and AP French 5 students. Both classes went on a field trip to a fair trade chocolate factory in St. Louis to begin their unit on Côte D’Ivoire, a major producer of cocoa beans. “My ideal school would just be the Magic School Bus — you would always learn about things by going someplace and learning hands-on, being able to see it yourself and asking people questions. I think [learning is] always so much more memorable if you can experience it firsthand,” Hopkins said.

French en route

Sage Kelly, Features/News Editor May 21, 2026

Throughout the month of April, students enrolled in French 1, French 3, Honors French 4 and AP French 5 all went on separate field trips to enhance their learning and develop their cultural awareness....

Junior Ava D’Alessandro laughs with friends as she waits for the next number to be called during a Bingo Club meeting. The meeting took place on Feb. 6. “It’s a really relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is nice, and it’s just fun to hang out with friends during the day,” D’Alessaandro said.

Bingo cards to business plans

Zainab Al-Jaff, Staff Writer April 27, 2026

School clubs can serve as a break from academic pressure and a chance for students to come together around common interests. Here at West, there are over 50 clubs to choose from, ranging from clubs with...

Smiling at her teammates, freshman Angela Diosdado works on her state robot. As a freshman and mechanic for the robotics team, the Blue Brains, Diosdado’s dedication has already been contributing to the team’s success. “[State] was really fun and we did pretty good, [but now] we really have to focus on Worlds. I know that our teamwork and [the fact that we have each other’s backs] will make [our goals] happen,” Diosdado said.

Beyond her gears

Raaga Golla, Humans Of West Editor April 22, 2026

Eyes attentive and excitement bubbling, freshman Angela Diosdado attends a robotics meeting, continuing her streak of perfect attendance. Although only a freshman, Diosdado is a member of one of West High’s...

Senior Michael Collop stands in the sun at Vlasis Park in Ballwin, Mo. Collop has earned each of the 142 merit badges currently offered by Scouting America, joining the estimated 650 other Scouts who have done the same. Out of roughly 130 million youth who have participated in Scouting, only 0.00077% have achieved this distinction. “The whole point of merit badges is to learn something from them and get a glimpse into every single career or every aspect of [Scouting]. I think I took something from each one of those merit badges that's [going to] be with me for the rest of my life,” Collop said.

Among the few

Max Chung, Multimedia Editor April 17, 2026

Out of more than 130 million youth who have participated in the programs offered by Scouting America (Scouts BSA), only about 650 Scouts have achieved every merit badge offered. With 142 merit badges available,...

Math teacher Megan Kruse stands outside her classroom door, smiling brightly. Growing up, Kruse always knew what she wanted to teach, even in elementary school. "On those days in elementary school when it was like, ‘What do you want to be?’ it was always a teacher,” Kruse said.

Flashback Friday: Math teacher Megan Kruse

Jude Taher, Staff Writer March 13, 2026

What school did you go to? I went to Little House Preschool, and then I went to Crossroads Elementary. We were the Corgis because our principal literally had a corgi farm. My kindergarten picture is...