![Supporting her team from the sidelines at the 47th Annual Girls State Meet on Feb. 18, sophomore Alli VanValkenburgh holds the swim and dive flag proudly in the air. The team won the 400 free relay, securing 1st place in the state. “I was super proud,” VanValkenburgh said. “My sister [Megan] had just swam the last event of her high school career and it was [beyond] fun to watch. It has [also] been super fun watching everyone improve and grow this season.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/POW-FINAL.jpg)
Supporting her team from the sidelines at the 47th Annual Girls State Meet on Feb. 18, sophomore Alli VanValkenburgh holds the swim and dive flag proudly in the air. The team won the 400 free relay, securing 1st place in the state. “I was super proud,” VanValkenburgh said. “My sister [Megan] had just swam the last event of her high school career and it was [beyond] fun to watch. It has [also] been super fun watching everyone improve and grow this season.”
Photo of the Week – Feb. 25
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![Eyes on the clay slab roller, social studies teacher Rachel Money learns how to use pottery equipment from sophomore Madeline Tipton during the “Teach a Teacher” AcLab event. Ceramics teacher Ashley Drissell hosted this event after receiving trinket dish pottery forms from a grant, which facilitated the process for teachers. “It was fun to take a break and be creative, [doing] something different with my day. It was really neat to get [teachers] into an art classroom with students [and] learning what they do in there,” Money said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ceramicsedited-1200x801.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - December 20 -
![Looking out into the audience, senior Jack Mullen solos “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra at the annual winter choir concert on Dec. 10. Mullen volunteered to sing a solo to aid the transition between choir groups on stage. “I chose that song because I really like the crooner genre when it comes to holiday music. [That song] had all the element[s] of Michael bublé, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Also, it's a simple melody, so I did vocal gymnastics when I could and made it my own,” Mullen said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/jackedited-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - December 13 -
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - December 6 -
![Striking a final pose, seniors Bart Connors, Gavin Hamlin, Colin Hughes and Henry Wild parody The Barden Bellas’ Finals performance from “Pitch Perfect” during the talent portion of Mr. Longhorn. The group practiced at Wild’s house for hours to memorize the dance and song; it was difficult for Hughes in particular as he had never seen the movie before. “I was pretty nervous, and it didn't help when [Connors] didn't have his mic. I was standing out there for like 30 seconds; I didn't know what was going on, and then I looked back and he was not there. But, once I was performing, it was really fun. I ran up into the stands and high-fived people,” Hughes said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC_8417-Enhanced-NR-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - November 22 -
![Drawing her bow, junior Gracie McLeod performs with chamber orchestra at the annual fall orchestra concert. To prepare for the concert, McLeod spent time during AcLab and practiced together with the symphonic orchestra. “[The concert] was pretty exciting. It was
the first concert of the year, and I was really excited to play ‘Just What I Needed’ because it's a well-known song. [But,] watching symphonic play was definitely my favorite part because they always play beautifully each time,” McLeod said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC0015-2-min-1200x818.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - November 15 -
![Reading sheet music in Guitar 1, junior Neiyo Hagens strums along to various chords and melodies, working to become proficient in the instrument. Though he only began learning guitar this year, Hagens’ long standing passion for making music and his friends’ support led him to give it a try. “My friend [junior] Jonah Wool plays guitar, and I loved the sound of [it], and wanted to learn how to play it. I've been making my own music for about three years now, so I would definitely like to learn how to incorporate [guitar] into my music that I make personally,” Hagens said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/DSC_7487-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the week – November 8 -
![Dropping his hotdog directly into the fire, senior Jake Boland bursts out laughing with his Adventure Pursuits classmates. As a team bonding exercise, they were tasked with building a fire using sticks collected the day prior. “We were having a good time grilling our hot dogs until mine got a little hot [and] snapped right into the fire. [I] had to go in there [with my] bare hands into the fire and save my wiener. I ate that wiener, [and] it was good. Then I tried to make a second hot dog, and that one fell directly into the fire, and I was not going in again,” Boland said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/potwfirepit2-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - November 1 -
![Leading the varsity football team, no. 4 player and junior Billy Lipscomb runs on to the field through two lines of marching band members. Varsity played against Pattonville on Oct. 18, marking the last home game of the regular season. “[The game] went well. I felt like I could have done better, but we executed the win. So that's all we needed,” Lipscomb said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0114-copy-1-1200x803.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - October 25 -
![Arms outstretched, senior drum major Dom Perez stands high above the ground while conducting the marching band during rehearsal. To improve his performance and gain confidence as a leader, Perez attended a specialized camp over the summer with drum majors around the country. “[Being the drum major,] has been the biggest step out of my comfort zone in my entire life. I'm constantly learning from the things I do and trying to be a better person, better leader [and] better musician every day. It's the very end of the season, and I've put so many hours into learning how to be a good leader and conductor, and all that has helped me have the best season I can. I feel like I've given it my absolute best all the way through,” Perez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DomPerezPOTW-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - October 18 -
![Touching various chemicals to the flame of a Bunsen burner, junior Julia Kiffer discovers how electrons impact the color of fire. In this chemistry lab, Kiffer explored eight different chemicals as her lab partner junior Kate Hardy made observations on each flame’s color and duration. "[The lab] was a lot of fun. I like doing experiments [and seeing how] things happen. We were exciting electrons and depending on the chemical, the color of the fire was different. There was a teal green chemical that was super cool,” Kiffer said](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0085-copy-1-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - October 11
About the Contributor
Katie Wallace, Staff Writer
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 11
Years on staff: 3
What was your favorite childhood TV show? Jessie, Victorious, Shake it Up - all of the classics
What is your favorite book? It's difficult to pick one, but I would say a classic is always Harry Potter
What motivates you? My family and friends are some of the biggest motivations in my life. I always strive to do better to make them proud and try to be even just a fraction of the people they are. Other than that, I would say I self-motivate a lot, because I want to leave a positive impact, however big or small, on the world.