The PAWESEHI staff earned their first Pacemaker award on April 18, at the National Scholastic Press Association Spring High School Journalism Convention in Denver, CO. The Pacemaker is awarded to the best of the best in all areas of student publications and is regarded as the highest honor a publication can receive nationally.
“Only four schools in St. Louis were named finalists. In my 10 years in the industry, Parkway West is only the third school I have had reach the ‘finalist’ stage. To win the award is truly unbelievable. Parkway West is the first school I have personally worked with to fully achieve this goal,” Herff Jones Yearbook Representative Dan Mueller said.
Yearbook Pacemakers are judged on writing, editing, design, content, concept, photography, art and graphics.
“The difference between other years and the 2014 yearbook wasn’t that the students got better, but that the students had been practicing and training for a longer period of time, so returners and newcomers worked together to amp up their skill level,” journalism advisor Debra Klevens said
The theme for the 2014 yearbook was Be Known and was carried throughout the book both visually and verbally.
“It was the trifecta. Nina Elsperman was a brilliant writer, Hannah Foldy was a genius photographer and Megan Reilly was an extraordinary designer. In addition to having incredible leadership, I had an additional seven seniors that had been on staff for four years,” Klevens said.
This was only the second time in the Parkway School District’s history that a Pacemaker has been earned. The last time Parkway received such recognition was in 2000 when the Parkway Central Corral earned their first Pacemaker.
“I think what makes Parkway West’s book unique is the dedication of each staffer and the adviser Debra Klevens. No stone is left unturned,” Mueller said. “No one settles for mediocrity. You overcame the obstacle of having several different class hours working on the book and still created one cohesive package.”
![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 Jess] 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)
