![Sophomore Lila Hartle and other Bollywood night participants mirror sophomore Triya Gudipati’s moves during the first dance class. Hartle liked seeing her friend teach a different dance style. “As someone learning [this style] for the first time, [Gudipati] made it easy and friendly to follow along,” Hartle said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DSC_0410-900x600.jpg)
Microphone booming and feet pounding, sophomore Triya Gudipati taught Bollywood hip hop moves to 21 participants.
Gudipati held a Bollywood dance event in the North gym. The event was a follow-along dance class where students learned the moves and danced alongside Gudipati to popular Bollywood music. The event raised money for hurricane Irene victims who lost their belongings and livelihoods in the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States.
“I’ve been dancing my whole life. Whenever I have anything I need to work through, dance is always my first resort,” Gudipati said. “So when I found out there were some issues [due to Hurricane Irene] going on, [I thought] we should rally together to make a difference. The best way I could think of how [was] through dance.”
Journalism teacher Debra Klevens sponsored the event and worked with Gudipati to find an organization to help. Admission to the event was $5, and donations were accepted. The $352 was donated to the Save the Children organization.
“[Save the Children] helps people, especially children and youth, who’ve lost their homes or don’t have access to resources. I thought I could make a large impact,” Gudipati said. “I hope that [the event] helped the community rally and show that we can make a difference and help out if we work together.”
Gudipati advertised through social media and word of mouth and attracted 21 people to her event. With the event being inclusive to everyone, she had a mix of students, younger children and adults who came.
“I was thrilled that even one person showed up, but 21 is even crazier. I will always be grateful to the people who show up and support,” Gudipati said.
Bollywood is a genre of music that stemmed from the movie industry in India to now be a form of Hindu Pop and has grown in popularity throughout the world. Gudipati plans on starting a Bollywood dance club at school for students to join to share her culture with others. She has gained experience in similar situations by choreographing Bollywood moves for kids over the weekends.
“It would be a fun club for students [and] a stress reliever. [We] could bring different cultures in together and make a nice tight-knit community, which is the point of the dance, to bring people together,” Gudipati said.
![Latin students pose for a group photo in front of historical ruins in Italy. From March 13 to March 23, the Latin department traversed cities in Italy to immerse students in an educational experience of a lifetime. “I enjoyed being able to learn about the different cultures. [The trip] encouraged me to see other people's lifestyle and learn more about different histories,” senior Suraiya Saroar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PXL_20240318_092633493.jpg)
![From Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, Parkway West High is displaying a wide array of art pieces made by students ranging from elementary to high school. All classes were represented on the displays in both the art wing and the main foyer of the school. “[Art] benefits me because in the middle of a busy day. I can just relax and have some fun doing art and it makes me happy. I think it's important that you show art in the art show so that people can get inspired by it and be inspired to create their own pieces; it’s really impactful,” sophomore Dhiya Prasanna said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image1-1200x800.jpg)
![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)
