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

The 2024 National Merit Finalists: Starting from top left, Michael Emerson, Audrija Ghosh, David Hawiger, Rajeshwar Jaladi, Serena Liu, Aristuto Paul, Norah Rutkowski, Santosh Sahoo.

Eight seniors named 2024 National Merit Finalists

Raj Jaladi, Newsletter Editor/Data Analyst 6 days ago

Eight seniors advanced as finalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program, which was announced last week. The National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) is a nationwide academic competition and...

Moviegoers smile for a picture after watching the Bollywood movie “3 Idiots.” The event ran from 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 and was open to students across the Parkway School District. “I decided to come to the movie night because I wanted to introduce my non-Indian friends to the rich culture and entertainment of Bollywood. One of my favorite parts [of the night] was the combination of [the] amazing food and the pure comedic entertainment. [It] was unmatched,” sophomore Aryan Allu said.

Clubs collaborate to host first-ever Bollywood Movie Night

Samir Shaik, Multimedia/Sports Editor March 11, 2024

On Saturday, March 9, members from four clubs from Parkway West and Parkway South hosted a joint Bollywood Movie Night in the West Theater for the first time. The four clubs — Parkway West Indian Club,...

Senior Kylie Secrest volunteers at the blood drive signup table.The table provided students aged 16 and up with information about the drive and assisted them in the signup process. “We decorated the stand in the lunchroom with heart related or red decorations from either Dollar Tree or Five Below,” Secrest said. “This year was my first year doing [the blood drive] and it was fun. I got to be able to meet new people and help out the community.”

What made the Blood Drive

Sakenah Lajkem, Staff Writer March 6, 2024

On Feb. 28,  Key Club and National Honors Society teamed up for the Parkway West blood drive. The two clubs spent months setting up and planning for the event, from making posters, to contacting Impact...

Performing a dance, athletes wave their pompoms in the air as special education teacher Wendy Zieleskiewicz stands behind them. Zielesckiewicz, who has been teaching for 25 years, didn’t know what she wanted to pursue until she remembered her love for children. She now sees her students benefiting from Special Olympics. “Its really fun to see [athletes] grow. [Special Olympics is] incredible — Its high energy, its a lot of fun. Its cool to see the kids all working together and having a good time. They make connections with other students, [and] its amazing to see how much fun they have. I hope that they can make and maintain relationships with people that are not in this classroom. I always encourage [my students] to participate [in Special Olympics] because it is a lot of fun and even if they dont make a best friend, you still have an opportunity to grow,” Zieleskiewicz said.

Unleashing smiles

Lia Emry, Staff Writer February 26, 2024

Rising to the occasion, West hosted its 21st Special Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, Special Olympics was created in response to discriminatory actions and behaviors...

From Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, Parkway West High is displaying a wide array of art pieces made by students ranging from elementary to high school. All classes were represented on the displays in both the art wing and the main foyer of the school. “[Art] benefits me because in the middle of a busy day. I can just relax and have some fun doing art and it makes me happy. I think its important that you show art in the art show so that people can get inspired by it and be inspired to create their own pieces; it’s really impactful,” sophomore Dhiya Prasanna said.

Brushstrokes of brilliance: Parkway West Regional Art Show returns

Keira Lang and Zoya Hasan February 1, 2024

From Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, Parkway West High holds one of the two biggest art shows in the Parkway West region, the other being at Queeny Park. The art show brings talented artists, friends, and families...

On Dec. 21, the day before students went on winter break, the Parkway School District put in place new signs displaying classroom room numbers. The signs were installed as a safety measure for first responders to locate emergencies around the school. “It makes it a lot easier and universal for people to understand the location of students and staff,” Sophomore Principal Jamaal Heavens said.

A path to safety

Samari Sanders, Staff Writer January 5, 2024

On Dec. 21, the Parkway School District set up new classroom number signs that would be more visible to first responders. In previous years, room numbers were placed flat on the walls near each classroom,...

Smiling widely, Principal John McCabe congratulates English teacher and English Department head Shannan Cremeens on winning the 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year title. Sophomore Cooper Oswald was a witness to the celebration. “We were all pretty excited. We were all clapping and standing up. We even [got to] take a picture with her,” Oswald said.

English teacher Shannan Cremeens wins 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year

Emily Early, Editor-in-Chief December 14, 2023

On Friday, English teacher and English Department head Shannan Cremeens’ sixth-hour class was interrupted by bright balloons and a fruit basket. Principal John McCabe walked in, announcing that Cremeens...

Sophomore Kanya Livingston and junior Ash Herring sit on chairs on stage. Herring extends an arm, pretending to drive a car.

Getting wild at West: Running With Scissors presents its first show of the year

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief December 8, 2023

Making their audience laugh, cheer and laugh some more, Running With Scissors presented their Wild West improv show on Friday. The theatre sold 108 tickets to the event. “Everyone on the team worked...

Triumphantly celebrating, senior Cameron Hickert is hefted into the air by fellow Mr. Longhorn contestants. Out of 15 contestants, Hickert took the first-place prize. “At the end of the day, I’m just glad I’m having fun with my friends,” Hickert said.

The finale: senior Cameron Hickert wins Mr. Longhorn 2023

Serena Liu and Elizabeth Franklin November 24, 2023

On Friday, Nov. 17, Mr. Longhorn tested 15 senior contestants across the categories of occupation, talent and formal wear, and senior Cameron Hickert came out on top.  In an effort to curry favor with...

Senior Emily McCarthy sits next to junior Zoe Gleason. She looks down at a paper with a list of names on it.

To the cinéma!

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief November 17, 2023

The lights dim. The screen turns on. A crowd of students sits at the edge of their red seats, waiting in anticipation. On Nov. 10, French students of all levels watched a screening of “April in France”...

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