- FeaturesJunior Brooke Hoenecke earns the first ASL Seal of Biliteracy in West history
Samir Shaik, Editor-in-Chief | May 29, 2024
- A&ERapper Macklemore’s ‘Hind’s Hall’ builds the necessary bridge between the worlds of hip-hop and modern activism
Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief | May 29, 2024
- OpinionsThe United States must avenge fallen dissident Alexei Navalny, strike back against Russian President Vladimir Putin
Will Gonsior, Opinions Editor | May 28, 2024
- Sports
Zoya Hasan, Staff Writer | May 23, 2024
![Losing Fridays and getting longer weekends sounds great, but this would definitely make school days longer. There would be closer due dates for assignments and tests and afterschool activities would run later. “I would be excited about four-day weeks because I could go home and rest on the weekend after a hard week with practices and games,” sophomore Wyatt Larsen said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024-Teacher-Calendar-in-Simple-Pastel-Watercolour-Style-1200x675.png)
Notoriously, school weeks have been Monday through Friday; kids are at school on the weekdays, and on the weekends they aren’t. But in February...
![On Apr. 27 at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel in Chesterfield, Mo., seniors Lincoln Atkinson and Tristen Banks pose together after winning prom king and queen. Every year, junior and senior prom courts are celebrated for running for king and queen. “It’s a nervous feeling waiting to see who’ll be crowned, especially when Dr. McCabe walks right past you,” Banks said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0540-e1715006372607-1200x859.jpg)
![On April 28, the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale was held at the art show in Queeny Park. Selling an assortment of pots, plates, bowls and more, the sale hoped to raise money for the Parkway Food Pantry. Ashley Drissell is the Ceramics teacher and organizer of the Empty Bowls Pottery Sale. “I enjoy interacting with people and seeing children get excited about picking up and looking at pottery. It’s fun to see different people connecting with certain pieces,” Drissell said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0568-1-1200x800.jpg)
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![With a keen eye for detail, senior Natalie Lashly writes her signature onto the senior hand wall. After some encouragement from her friends, Lashly applied to make the hand wall with her Lorax-inspired design. I thought the [bright] colors would be fun. Our quote on the wall is Let us grow,’ based on the Let it grow song [from the movie]. [I was hoping that the design would] make the cafeteria feel more exciting, Lashly said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0099-1200x801.jpg)
Taking a step into the seniors’ next chapter in life, the class of 2024 winds down after four long and eventful years of high school, reminiscing...
![Walking onto the field, freshman Erastus Adewusi wears a pink jersey in remembrance of cancer awareness month. With the number seven on his jersey, Adewusi reflects on his life in Nigeria before moving to America. “I [used to wake up] at 5:30 a.m. and school would end at 5 p.m. [versus] now,” Adewusi said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-1200x800.jpg)
![As seniors complete their final assignments, tests and work of the school year, they reflect on their time in Convergence Journalism.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Cream-Simple-Minimalist-Photo-Film-Photo-Collage-1200x960.png)
![Envisioning a cathedral in his mind, senior Soren Frederick puts pencil to paper and practices a rough sketch in the drawing room. Frederick grew up surrounded by a family of artists who helped him realize his passion for drawing and painting as he matured. “My family [is] very much [an inspiration] for drawing and painting. [Art] didn’t start [in the family] with me; it started with my mom and my older sister, and my older brother is very good at drawing [too],” Frederick said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0017-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Amelia Geistler poses with her aunt, uncle and cousin. Moving through childhood, Geistler learned that having parents with a different appearance from her meant facing awkward, upsetting situations. “Something I faced [after] being adopted was that I was [treated] better when people discovered I had white parents. A childhood memory [is] when I went over to a friends house for the first time and her parents seemed to be very passive-aggressive, but when they learned I was adopted by white parents, they gave me equal treatment and ‘love’ as their white daughter,” Geistler said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-7.54.03-AM.png)
![Like many students, sophomore Medina Nanic experiences pressure to do well in school. Through continuous success and achievements, West has developed a high academic standard for students. “Because we’re seen as one [of] the better schools, we have higher standards than the [schools] who aren’t ranked as high. There’s a lot of pressure on students to do [well] and live up to those standards,” Nanic said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-2-1200x800.jpg)
West has a history of academic excellence — a fact that is well-known and often appreciated by students. Ranked fourth out of all public high...
![Sophomore Zoya Hasan holds up the Pathfinder’s Gold Crown award while senior Sakenah Lajkem sulks in the corner. Lajkem was affected by the zero-sum mindset, for she believed she couldn’t be as successful as the other writers on the Pathfinder. “The zero-sum mindset creates jealousy. It makes people think they can’t succeed unless someone else fails,” Lakjem said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-23-at-12.25.37 PM-1200x796.png)
With the pressure of success on every student’s back, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that inner peace can exist. Looming college decisions...
![Since the Supreme Court’s repeal of the federal law protecting a women’s fundamental right to abortion, many states have begun to restrict access to or even ban abortion. On June 24th, 2022, Missouri was one of many states to move to ban abortion. “Missouri is giving fetuses more rights than humans who’ve been on this world for many years. If someone [wants] to have an abortion because of whatever [reason], it should be their choice. You dont know why theyre in that position and you dont know why they need an abortion,” senior Mars Allendorph said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bang-1.png)
![Company marketing for gifts and cards during Mother’s Day and Father’s Day depicts the differences associated with the holidays. In order to capitalize on profit, large companies often include stereotype-reinforcing marketing behind parental celebration products: Mother’s Day sales typically prioritize jewelry and clothing, complete with heartfelt messages about childcare, while Father’s Day gifts tend to illustrate the father in a less serious, paternal light. “In terms of emails around those holidays, I typically get more Mothers Day [marketing] from florists or from whatever places Ive shopped at online. I tend to see more in terms of advertising and marketing,” English teacher Casey Holland said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-11.png)
![Senior Thalea Afentoullis backs her car into the senior parking lot. Though Afentoullis has two years of driving experience under her belt, she often feels concerned about her safety in the school zone. “From my experience, whenever I try to get down to the pit, [the junior parking lot], after school, I have to be very conscious. [Students] whip [their cars] out of their spots. The school could do a much better job by separating the timings at which students can leave because most [car crashes] happen after school when everyone’s rushing to get out of the line,” Afentoullis said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/68467-e1712933168328-1200x789.jpg)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “Its [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what youre doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isnt directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. Im already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![The Secret Life of an Athlete: Carson House](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/carson-house.jpeg)
![Senior Michael Emerson exchanges ideas with junior Will Gonsoir in history class. They discussed immigration as the topic of their debate. “I really enjoyed the experience. I think it opened my mind to new ideas, and that’s what matters at the end of day,” Emerson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/unnamed.jpg)
![Hidden Corners: Uncovering the murals of West](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Copy-of-Untitled-Design.jpg)
Parkway West High is home to countless students and nearly six decades' worth of history. While much of its history has been lost over time as...
![Four rom-com books from the library that are reviewed below.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Smiles-and-Swoons-2.png)
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