![Crouching back and preparing to lunge, freshman Matt Lancia points his faux sword toward his opponent. Lancia, as part of his English 1 class, reenacted a scene from “Romeo and Juliet” to better understand the story. “It showed me how people fought very long ago,” Lancia said. “[My favorite part of the unit] is probably all the activities we do. I’m a very energetic person and I don’t sit still.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/unnamed-1.png)
![Carefully arranging chemicals with a pipet, senior Grant Meert works to identify unknown solutions in an AP Chemistry lab. After completing the AP Chemistry exam, Meert’s class participated in a lab competition to celebrate the end of the course. “It was very fun. It allowed me to relax and have a good time after a full year of busting my butt in that class. It was both relaxing and intense because [the] score we submitted determined the amount of extra credit points we were given,” Meert said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image1-1-900x600.jpg)
![Although society is reaching an all-time high for mental health awareness, celebrities are still facing heavy scrutiny about what they depict in their art, particularly surrounding mental health. Musical artist Taylor Swift received backlash for her display of body dysmorphia in her “Anti-Hero” music video. “There’s a difference between saying being fat is bad and saying you have [an] eating disorder that you’re constantly battling,” Swift fan @expiredthrills said on Twitter.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Taylor-Swift-Body-Dysmorphia--300x200.jpg)
![DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-11.20.05-AM-300x166.png)
Since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month — occurring every May — acknowledges millions of Americans affected by mental illness. In 2021,...
![DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-11.20.05-AM-900x498.png)
![Seniors Grace Fotheringham, Kelsea Wilson, Luisa DAquino Lazarini and Ibrahim Hacking pose together after attending Parkway’s Educators’ Signing Night. Students were encouraged to invite family, friends and teachers to watch. “Signing days are cute, and I never committed to a sport, so I never really thought I would have the opportunity. I’m excited that I [got] to be a part of a signing day for education. On signing night, it was wholesome to see everyone’s future plans and invite my family and teachers. It made me realize how important teaching is and how we need more teachers,” Wilson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/image1-2-900x600.jpg)
With the fresh aroma of sesame seed bagels wafting through the kitchen air, science teacher Amy Van Matre-Woodward wakes up early Saturday morning...
They say it will never happen to us. Our fears are silenced; worries reassured. But they have scared us from turning our backs in an open room....
![Tilting their head patiently, senior Macy Ziegler gets their face painted in the library in preparation for the Spring Pep Rally. The library invited students to come in during lunch and paint each other’s faces West-themed for the event. “[The event] sounded fun. [Face painting] is a thing I havent done since I was eight, and I had a friend who wanted to go, so I figured, why not? Its free,” Ziegler said. “I hung out in the library before school a lot last year with my friends, and I enjoyed it.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/DSC_0061-1-900x600.jpg)
![The Biden administration’s approval of the Willow Project to begin production in Alaska has sparked an uproar of protest on social media within the past month. The green light for such a massive oil drilling project leaves many questioning whether environmental activism is being prioritized at the governmental level. “The Willow Project being approved puts a lot of uncertainty about [the] types of politicians we can trust,” sophomore Amelia Geistler said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Untitled-design-900x675.jpg)
![For the first time in fashion history, thrift stores have become as essential to the middle class as they are to the impoverished communities they were designed to serve. The potential effects on lower-class communities are worrying. As thrift stores increase prices to meet resellers’ upcharges, the longtime, poorer buyers will be left feeling the effects: thrift store merchandise will not be as accessible or affordable to them. “It’s just going to separate the lower class from [the resources] they [need], and it will separate [the] middle and higher classes. It will make things a lot more difficult,” junior Kristen Skordos said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/OVERCOMSUMPTION-10.png)
Arms pumping, heart pounding and sweat dripping, senior Julia Liguore dribbles toward the goal. She spins around one, two, three players before...
![Reaching new heights, Watts sprints the 300 meter hurdles at the 2023 Northwest Invitational track meet. With her best time at 48.27 seconds, Watts qualified for the 2022 MSHSAA Track and Field State Championships and placed 11th as a junior. “My greatest accomplishment is competing at [the state championships]. I remember breaking two personal records at Conference and medaling in all of my events and feeling on top of the world. I knew at that moment that I had a chance to go to state. My favorite track memory is running the 300 hurdles at sectionals and getting fourth, barely making it to state. I remember finishing the race and running toward my hurdles coach [Kat] Briggs and yelling ‘Did I make it? Did I make it?’ She gave me the biggest smile and hug and said I made it to state,” Watts said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cece-1.jpeg)
They say it will never happen to us. Our fears are silenced; worries reassured. But they have scared us from turning our backs in an open room....
![Missouri residents gather to protest the signing of an anti-trans bill proposed by the Republican Senate. The proposed bill would ban transgender girls from participating in youth sports on girls teams. “At least in the past, laws have only tried to prevent transgender [students] from participating in certain activities, which is already scary,” senior Quinn Gilles said. “Transgender minors barely have any rights, [but] when you thought it couldn’t get worse, now laws are preventing us from being ourselves.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FeaturedPhto-900x600.webp)
Donning a long, draping, vampire-esque coat, junior Neil Dhiman walks through a crowded school hallway. Dhiman’s gloomy appearance, made complete...
