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

Madi Michajliczenko

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief

Pronouns: she/her

Grade: 12

Years on staff: 4

What was your favorite childhood TV show? The Backyardigans, specifically the pirate episode

What is your favorite book? Recently, I really liked "We Were Liars"

What motivates you? I really want to be a good role model for my younger sister and show myself that I made it. My sister and I were both so worried about our futures and whether or not we could do well in school, that we put lots of pressure on ourselves. I want to prove to her that a little hard work can take you farther than you think and show myself that everything I have done and continue to do it worth it.

All content by Madi Michajliczenko
During the upcoming spring spirit week, Longhorn Council challenges students to “Stop the bop.” To fundraise for the CHADS Coalition, they will play a song every day during passing periods and for five minutes before the school day begins; to stop the song, students must reach a fundraising goal. “I’m really excited for ‘Stop the bop,’” sophomore Cindy Phung said. “It’s a crazy, new idea and sounds fun. I can’t wait, but I’m worried that I’ll maybe be annoyed when it happens.”

“Stop the Bop” rocks West

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
March 3, 2023
Posing before the Trevi Fountain in Rome, Latin teachers Matt Pikaard, Jason Tiearney, Tom Herpel and librarian Lauren Reusch interlock arms. The four acted as chaperones during a trip to Italy over spring break of the 2021-22 school year: an opportunity offered to Latin students every other year. “Enrollment numbers are now reliant on high school students. I have to change what I [do to promote Latin] because middle schoolers have no access to anyone who knows about Latin after this year. How do I explain how Latin looks to middle schoolers? How does the advertisement for Latin at the high school show itself? Having to problem solve with that has been a challenge,” Herpel said.

An educator’s perspective

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
March 3, 2023
Latin teacher Tom Herpel instructs junior Maddi Jennings during her Greek Independent Study. In addition to learning Greek, Jennings took Honors Latin 4 and Latin 3 over the summer to accelerate her language study. “Latin is chill and laid back, but you still learn a lot: more than just Latin. You learn about cultures, grammar and history. So far, my favorite book study we have done was the Aeneid’ with the Trojan horse,” Jennings said.

Student shock and support

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
March 2, 2023
Following a district announcement that Latin A and B will be removed from course registration at the middle school, teachers and students with ties to the language have been disappointed. However, some Latin students are taking strides to promote enrollment to rising freshmen. “Even if [the administration] is making these decisions based on numbers, there is a human element that should be considered. How does this affect other teachers? How does this affect families? How does it affect your financial bottom line? As Parkway moves towards a student choice schedule, we need to allow all possible options: including Latin,” Latin teacher Tom Herpel said.

The loss of a language

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
March 2, 2023
Parkway Administration removed Latin A from course registration at all Parkway middle schools in early December. This decision followed declining enrollment numbers over the last three years. “I’ve been taking Latin for six years, and it has made a huge impact on my life. Roman culture permeates so much more than you get from saying, ‘oh that’s a dead language.’ You can see the Roman influence in anything from language to literature to architecture,” AP Latin student and senior Owen Arneson said.

The reasoning behind the decision

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
February 28, 2023
Senior Grant Meert prepares to throw a white pine Christmas tree through a netting machine. Of the many species of trees, Meert Tree Farm grows — including Scotch pine, Norway spruce, Virginia pine, Fraser fir and Michigan Scotch pine — Meert’s favorite is white pine. “Picking your tree gives people a good experience. It’s something that everyone needs to do at least once,” Meert said. “It gives customers a family memory and bonding time. I like having that time [with my family], and [we] make it a whole day.”

‘Tis the season

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor in Chief
December 14, 2022
DSC_0592

[Photo] Braxton Eddy

Tyler Smith, CJ1 Writer
November 2, 2022
Supporting his team, senior and cornerback Cameron Jehling (40, second from the left) keeps his eye on a kickoff play. Jehling felt more confident about his plays compared to his performance the previous year. “Most people think that to be a good football player, you have to go to the gym, but there’s a famous quote I use for both football and baseball that shows [otherwise]. My coach first told me, ‘a sport is 90% mental, 10% physical.’ I tried this year to be better about the mental aspect of the game instead of the physical,” Jehling said.

Season wrap-up

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor in Chief
October 21, 2022
Clutching the ball on a quarterback run, junior Joseph Federer hustles on the field, attempting to score a touchdown. As a child, Federer grew up watching football. “An NFL player who inspires me is [quarterback] Kyler Murray. He is a very accurate quarterback and can also make tremendous plays with his feet,” Federer said.

[Photo] Drive to play

Lia Emry, Staff Writer
September 27, 2022
Homecoming on tour

Homecoming on tour

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
September 16, 2022
Explaining how to request high school transcripts for the college application, college counselor Chris Lorenz leads a senior class meeting for English teacher Diana Lurkins’ AP Literature class. West High transitioned the counseling department to create a single college counselor, following in the footsteps of the other four Parkway high schools. “I love working with high school [students], coming of age, moving from being a child to an adult. I’m helping individuals through that transition, which encompasses an understanding of themselves and  their passions are as they leave high school and go off to do bigger and better things,” Lorenz said.

Counseling department shifts gears

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
September 13, 2022
During the 54th annual graduation commencement ceremony at St. Charles Family Arena, principal Jeremy Mitchell applauds cum laude students academic achievement. Mitchell has been the principal at West High for the past 12 years and plans to retire after the 21-22 school year ends. “Kids are good. I get irritated by news reports and friends [who say,] ‘Oh, I couldn’t do it, how do you put up with those high schoolers?’ Are you kidding me? I mean, you guys are great. Anytime I doubt that something happens, and boom. So I think thats the lesson that has been verified and reinforced year after year,” Mitchell said. “Its fun because I have my own children, and when Im with those kids, its kind of the same thing. I just think the teenage years are really interesting. Thats why I work here. I’ve been going to school since 1978, and its just so fun to see the growth in students. So I think my life lesson is learned from that enjoyment.”

Photo of the Week – May 27

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor in Chief
May 27, 2022
Junior Madi Michajliczenko poses with yellow and blue light shining on her, representative of her family’s history in Ukraine. When her family immigrated, they decided to assimilate, causing Michajliczenko to know little about her past culture in Ukraine.

Lost to assimilation

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
April 19, 2022
New Courses on the Block

New Courses on the Block

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
March 10, 2022
Alumni Grant Aden and Emily Dickson take a photo with their former Latin teacher Tom Herpel to commemorate their engagement. The two have dated for six years and will be living together in Omaha, Neb. as of summer 2022. “What Im most excited about getting married is coming back to St. Louis at some point. I think as much as I [pretend] I dont like St. Louis, we definitely want to come back to raise our family,” Dickson said. “Im looking forward to that, and Grant wants to be a pediatrician. Hes just so good with kids. Im excited about that chapter of our lives.”

A pop quiz proposal

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
February 14, 2022
Students involved in the MOSAICS program have been facing burnout resulting from holding themselves to high standards.

When bright kids burn out

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
December 2, 2021
As Homecoming draws near, a timeline of the week gets created.

Countdown to Homecoming

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
September 17, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word? 
“I would describe [“Rebuilding Atlantis”] as adventurous because so much happens in the main character’s life over the course of the book,” senior Maddie Mertz said.

Maddie Mertz

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 28, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word?

“I would describe my poetry book as emotional or reminiscent because [writing it] was really nostalgic for me. It encapsulates my entire life as a musician so it definitely had a lot of value to me when writing it,” senior AJ Hall said.

AJ Hall

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 28, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word? 
”Vivid. I believe my book allows the reader to visually see what is happening. I love details, I love being able to paint a picture with my writing and even while reading other books, its just the best thing a piece of writing can do for a reader. It makes it more enjoyable and even makes the reader hold a connection with whatever it is they are reading,” senior Bri Davis said.

Bri Davis

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 28, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word?
 “I would describe my book as gentle. I know that a lot of people like to write about really dark topics, but after doing some of that for other projects, it kind of wore me out. This book is like the antithesis to that, and I hope that it would leave the reader feeling a little better about the world,” senior Eva Phillips said.

Eva Phillips

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 28, 2021
Senior Martha Wait poses next to her AP art board.

Martha Wait

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Junior Graci Badami completes a lab in Chemistry alongside science teacher Allison Privitt.

Graci Badami

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Senior Tengis Kelly works on coding a project while cadet teaching.

Tengis Kelley

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Senior Connor Combs teaches junior Ella Mercer how to play hula soccer.

Connor Combs

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Senior Bridget Thomas poses with art teacher Katy Mangrich.

Bridget Thomas

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Junior Kathryn Yates poses with her cross country coach and science teacher Mr. Cutelli.

Kathryn Yates

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Junior Harper Dollarhide reads in English teacher Erin Fluchel’s Honors English II.

Harper Dollarhide

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
Senior Tyler Kinzy teaches 2019-2020 Convergence Journalism I students how to write ledes.

Tyler Kinzy

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 27, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word?
 “Realistic, because there are a lot of stereotypes and stuff, but there’s a lot more behind them so you just have to know the person,” senior Jeremiah Desu said.

Jeremiah Desu

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 25, 2021
How would you describe your book in one word?
 “I would say relatable, which is not what many people would choose. I say relatable because there are so many different things you can relate to in my book, whether that be a person or an animal that you truly have such an unbreakable bond with, or feeling social awkwardness like the little boy in my book. [Even] having a struggling relationship with your parents and having money issues or having them not throw money at issues or just stuff like that. There are so many different parts and aspects of my book that I feel like a teenage person could relate to, which is kind of surprising” senior Lauren Barron said.

Lauren Barron

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
May 25, 2021
Latin Club

Latin Club

Madi Michajliczenko, Staff Writer
December 22, 2020
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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High
Madi Michajliczenko