Skip to Main Content
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

Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. "[The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jeff] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.
Competition for a cause: Social studies department marks success in Holiday Food Drive efforts
Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief • December 19, 2024

When holiday spirit meets fierce competition, West High’s social studies department turns giving into a game. This year’s season of giving...

Principal John McCabe announces that Jeffrey Chazen has won Teacher of the Year. Chazen was discussing freedom of speech with his AP Government class when the door opened and administrators rushed in. “[I was] extremely happy and humbled, but mostly shock[ed]. I've been here longer than any other teacher, so I know most of the people on the list of Teachers of the Year, and they are amazing teachers themselves,” Chazen said. “It's just nice to be on the list with them, including [social studies teacher Kristen] Collins, who is the only other social studies teacher who has won Teacher of the Year. It was nice to bring something back to the social studies department.”
Social studies teacher Jeffrey Chazen wins 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year
Triya Gudipati, Sage Kelly, Gabbie Kerber, Isaiah Meese, and Cindy Phung December 13, 2024

With administrators funneling into the classroom, confusion and surprise swept over the face of Jeffrey Chazen and those of his AP Government...

Going up to a customer, junior and FBLA member Grace Garetson sells Waterway coupons. Garetson has been a part of FBLA for one year and enjoyed participating in FBLA’s fundraiser and competition. “The competition reminded me of when I was a Girl Scout and I sold Girl Scout cookies, except this was a lot more important because I had to sell coupons to earn money for our competitions,” Garetson said.
Believing in Business: FBLA hosts Waterway fundraiser competition
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • December 2, 2024

From Oct.1 to Nov. 12, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) hosted a Waterway Carwash fundraiser by selling coupons. Members of FBLA...

View All
Surrounded by teammates, junior Katie Byergo is coached by Susan Anderson during a team huddle between sets. Anderson told the team that their energy was lacking, and the team needed to start getting excited about every point. "Cheering on my teammates is something I love to do. Celebrating their success over mine- it's my team over myself," Byergo said.
Beyond the net
Maura Lottes, CJ1 Writer • November 14, 2024

Jumping to the height of 10 feet and 3 inches, junior Katie Byergo hits the ball into the court, hoping to add to her near 800 career kills in...

Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said. (Courtesy of Christina Block)
The long run
Sage Kelly, Staff Writer • November 6, 2024

On Oct. 10, as the bustling crowd in the football stadium applauded, junior TJ Polack took his place on stage during halftime to deliver his...

Junior Sravya Guda dances at Clayton High School to showcase her debut performance: the arangetram. The performance was the culmination of years of effort and preparation from Guda “This was my first time performing with a live orchestra. Usually, in St. Louis, a lot of students don't perform with a live orchestra for everyday events. If you're in India, it's a norm that you perform with a live orchestra, but it's harder to find here,” Guda said.
Blending worlds together
Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor • October 10, 2024

  “Ascending the stage” is a term that invokes the image of someone realizing their potential before an enraptured audience. This...

View All
Some of the most deadly instances of gun violence have occurred in schools, communities and other ‘safe spaces’ for students. These uncontrolled settings give way to the need for gun regulation, including background and mental health checks. “Gun control comes about with more laws, but there are a lot of guns out there that people could obtain illegally. What is a solution that would get the illegal guns off the street? We have yet to find [one],” social studies teacher Nancy Sachtlaben said.
Lives on the line: Gun violence’s impact on America
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • January 24, 2025

On Nov. 23, as Christian Brothers College junior Colin Brown and his father drove home from a hockey game on Interstate 55, a stray bullet hit...

The activewear brand Lululemon’s logo stands proudly in the store, inviting customers to explore the clothing line’s latest collections. On October 15, sophomore Jordan Jackson went to the store to buy a gift for her friend. “I had walked in and walked right out. Tell me why I was looking at their Belt Bags and it was almost $40,” Jackson said.
The Lululemon effect
Ayah Zayed, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025

These days, it seems like everyone wears some form of activewear in their daily wardrobe. But one fashion giant stands out beyond the rest: the...

Students line up to put their phones in the hanging phone organizer before art class starts to ensure no distractions. This routine is often used in classes to encourage discipline. “Most of my classes make me put my phone up right before class starts, and some of my teachers even take attendance by looking at whose phone is in which box. I think it is kind of useless, but my teachers think otherwise,” sophomore Natalie Cochran said.
More harm than help
Niharika Vaidya, Staff Writer • January 21, 2025

In the modern day, phones are useful for many things –– communication, navigation, educational aids, and unfortunately, distraction. Debate...

View All
Within the U.S., the busiest shopping period of the year is Cyber Week, the time from Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, shoppers spent $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, which is a 7.3% year-over-year increase from 2023. “When I was younger, I would always be out with my mom getting Christmas gifts or just shopping in general. Now, as she has gotten older, I've noticed [that almost] every day, I'll open the front door and there's three packages that my mom has ordered. Part of that is she just doesn't always have the time to go to a store for 30 minutes to an hour, but the other part is when she gets bored, she has easy access to [shopping],” junior Grace Garetson said.
Season of giving, season of getting

Temperatures drop, snow begins to fall and colorful lights go up around residential neighborhoods: the holidays are here. This ‘season of giving,’...

Continue Reading
Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.
Kicking off
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • October 31, 2024

Friday night lights sparkling bright, senior Josie Grunzinger lined up with the field goal. Her foot swung into the ball, sending it spiraling...

Posing at Murray State University, junior Kathryn Hardy confirms her Division I commitment to play soccer in college. Hardy played soccer for the majority of her life, but over the summer, her dreams of playing college soccer were fulfilled. “Going into junior year, I went to a couple of identification camps. I went to the Murray State ID camp, and that’s where the coach saw me playing,” Hardy said.
Golden boots, golden dreams
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • October 2, 2024

Weaving the ball through the field, junior Kathryn Hardy makes her way to the goal. With a touch to the right, she sends a shot through to the...

Dressed in West High’s signature red and Carolina blue jerseys, the eighth grade (left) and varsity (right) football teams take the field for their respective home openers. Varsity played on Aug. 30, and the eighth graders on Sept. 7. “Each year brings new excitement and a new challenge. Bringing everyone together to work to achieve one common goal is something that is exciting each and every year,” physical education teacher and varsity football head coach Jeff Duncan said. (Payton Dean and Nikhita Cherukuri)
Kickoff to high school season
Payton Dean, Staff Writer • September 26, 2024

Feet stomping. Hands clapping. Arms rolling. “Everybody rumble!” The fan favorite cheer, dubbed the ‘Longhorn Rumble,’ echoes through...

View All
A&E
Behind the lens
Behind the lens
Esta Kamau, Features/Humans of West Editor • October 11, 2024

View All
2025 Senior send-off map
2025 Senior send-off map
Cindy Phung and Risa Cidoni January 21, 2025

As 2025 begins, the last stages of the formative four-year journey through high school quickly approaches for the students in the Class of 2025....