Powering through a tunnel of kickboards, senior Abbi VanValkenburgh celebrates the girls swim and dive team senior night. The tradition highlights each senior’s journey through their high school career. “The sophomores and freshmen line up and they smack us in the back. After we run through the tunnel, we wait for our coach to announce our advice to the team along with our thank yous,” VanValkenburgh said. “My advice for the team was not to take the team for granted. We need to make sure we appreciate every moment because our team is so unique and special.”
Photo of the Week – January 19
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![Locked in on the roll, freshman Angel Olvera Galan watches the die land on the table during a Dungeons and Dragons Club meeting on Feb. 21 in the library. Olvera Galan joined the club halfway through first semester and has participated in the club since. “If we all can get along together to do such a thing as playing a game together, then it proves the community at West is so friendly to each other,” Olvera Galan said. “Dungeons and Dragons helps me feel connected because I can find other people who have similar interests to mine and we can all connect [about the game].”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/0092edited-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - February 21 -
![Hearing the bridge creak, Latin teacher Tom Herpel winces as he carefully stacks another book on top of a popsicle stick bridge during Latin 3 on Feb. 7. Within groups, students were randomly assigned different hierarchical roles of Ancient Roman construction workers and attempted to build bridges for their Roman Engineering unit. “I created this activity to showcase how certain [Romans] on a construction site would not talk to each other because they were higher or lower in society, and that creates problems when trying to create a final product. So then, after [the students’] bridges were done, we tested how strong they were. We slowly put more and more books onto the bridge to see when the bridge would break. And believe it or not, that bridge got to the point where someone actually sat on it,” Herpel said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/IMG_5942-2-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - February 14 -
![High fives and smiles all around, senior Sadie Burgess and her partner junior Charlotte Putnam
compete in the Red Cross Club’s pickleball tournament fundraiser at Chicken n Pickle on Feb. 1. The fundraiser benefited those recently affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. “It felt good [supporting the cause], especially since [pickleball] was easy to pick up and fun. I would have spent that $20 probably at Target anyway, so it was good that I was giving it back to something better,” Burgess said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pickleballpotwedited-1200x779.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - February 7 -
![Reaching for the wall, sophomore Bella Lamb glides through the water in the 100-meter backstroke on Jan. 28 against Lutheran South High School. Lamb’s main event has been the 500-meter freestyle and she worked the most on pacing during practice. “I really wanted to go to state for my 500[-meter freestyle] and the state cut is six minutes. At the Kirkwood Invite, I went 5:47, so I currently have a state cut in the 500. And so [now] I'm working towards getting a lower time,” Lamb said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/swimeditedpotw-1200x799.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - January 31 -
![Attempting to skate the puck between two Oakville defenders, senior Caden Lindley gets closed in. On Jan. 16, Lindley was honored before the game for senior night at Queeny Recreational Complex. “It was weird to be spotlighted as a senior since I’ve always looked up to other classes and didn’t realize how close my time as a senior was. [But,] it was definitely nice to play in honor of our class,” Lindley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_2498-1200x966.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - January 24 -
![Reading the answer on the back of the card, freshman Madi Bell quizzes her classmates. Social studies teacher Lara Boles prepared a board game activity to help her US and World History 2 students study for their final. “I liked this activity because the answers on the cards were also the answers on the test, so it helped prepare for what you would see on the final. I [also] enjoyed having some competition against my classmates to see who knew the terms the best and who could make it around the board first,” Bell said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/potwbell-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - January 17 -
![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
About the Contributors
Dana Zafarani, Photo of the Week Editor
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 12
Years on staff: 3
What is your favorite piece of literature? My favorite piece of literature is poetry. I love how poetry opens the door for me to be as creative as I want with words.
Who is your hero? My family and the group of supporters that surround me.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? It would most likely be a traditional persian food. I just can't get enough of it!
Diana Chocheva, Yearbook Contributor
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 10
Years on staff: 2
Who is your favorite musician? Tyler Childers.
What gets you up in the morning? My alarm.
What's an unpopular opinion that you have? Pineapple belongs on pizza.