On Jan. 18, 22 students from West along with 14 chaperones and 66 students from the other Parkway schools left from Parkway Central to begin their trip to Washington, D.C.
“The Inauguration itself was definitely the best part. What an incredible opportunity to see America’s democracy represented at its finest. It’s amazing to know that our administration can regularly change hands with no violence and the people accept it and furthermore embrace it regardless of political party affiliation. The beauty of the ceremony made me proud to be an American,” history teacher and leader of the trip Annie Wayland said.
Along with attending the Presidential Inauguration and parade, students and chaperones also saw “Sheer Madness” at the Kennedy Center, visited the Smithsonian, went sight seeing, visited museums and saw the Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Vietnam, Korean War, MLK, Iwo Jima and JFK memorials.
“I wish we could have spent more time at the Smithsonian. We only got to stay for a short amount of time and I wouldn’t have minded visiting other parts of it. Also, I wish we could have seen the White House better but, understandably, that wasn’t possible,” junior Mitch Regel said.
The students and chaperones arrived at the Inauguration around 9 a.m. and left at around 4:30 p.m.
“It wasn’t as tiring as I expected it to be. Just being there and being a mile or so away from our president and some of the most important and influential people in our country was just so surreal,” junior Yasmin Younis said. “It was also amazing that people of all different backgrounds, views and ages all came together to ‘make history.’”
The students and chaperones returned to Parkway Central on Jan. 22 at 9 p.m.
“Overall, I felt that the trip was worth the time and money. It was an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone and I wish I could go back to see some of the things I missed,” Regel said.
![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.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![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.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0021-1-2-1200x801.jpg)
![Striking a pose following their group dance, the 2024 Mr. Longhorn contestants welcome their audience to the show. Throughout the night, the nine competitors participated in an occupational section, skits for the talent portion and a fashion attire show before finalists were interviewed. “It's a fun time getting to hang out with my friends and doing [our] acts. I think I'm most excited for my performance with [seniors Bart Connors, Gavin Hamlin and Colin Hughes]. I like that I get to dance a little bit. I don't think I'm very good, but I'm gonna try my best to put on a show,” contestant and senior Henry Wild said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC_9759-1200x798.jpg)
![Kicking off dress rehearsal, Mr. Longhorn contestant and senior Carson Hughes goes over the group routine alongside other competitors. With just two days of practice, all participants learned the entirety of their introductory dance, chose an occupation to embody and crafted skits for the show. “The best part of this [whole thing] was learning the dance and just practicing with the guys. We [have to] try not to laugh the whole time, but we're having a lot of fun,” Hughes said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_5112-1-e1732164157549-1200x812.jpg)
![Blending together a concoction for a science experiment, science teacher Joel Anderson scares his students by bringing excitement and thrill into his classroom for his annual Halloween show. It took about six weeks for Anderson to set up his classroom for the show. “It’s pure terror. I came up with this idea a couple decades ago to do something fun for Halloween. So I pretend to be this mad scientist [that creates] a Frankenstein-like creature [with the class], learning a little bit of science along the way and [then ending] with a laser show. It’s just for fun; entertainment value,” Anderson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0021.JPG_-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing with girls cross country team mascot Pump the pumpkin, senior Sydney Etchason laughs with her teammates. Before the team’s senior night, Etchason undertook an odyssey to recover the pumpkin, which had been stolen by boys cross country. “We went through practice, and then a little birdie told me that it was in [senior] Emmett [Vernon's] car. I [offered Vernon] $50 to give us our pumpkin back, and we got Pump back,” Etchason said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0002-1-1200x800.jpg)
