Categories:
Spreading paw-sitivity
Meet West’s newest faculty member
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MultimediaAthletes of West - Alexander Berryhill -
MultimediaWhat Happens Next -
MultimediaAthletes of West - Nolan Orr -
Multimedia2026 Senior send-off map -
MultimediaLeaders of West - Kamori Berry -
![Stepping up to the tee box, junior Connor Boles lines up his shot before teeing off on the first hole at the Ballwin Golf Course. The team took on the Northwest High School boys’ varsity golf team on Mar. 24. “Golf [is] a sport where I get to feel free; it takes everything off my mind for a couple of hours,” Boles said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC8040-e1776864425510-1200x792.jpg)
MultimediaAthletes of West - Connor Boles -
MultimediaThe Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon -
![Senior Natalia Gumpel crowdsurfs above her teammates during the pep rally as the girls’ soccer team is recognized. Gumpel is a two-year member of the girls’ varsity soccer team as an outside back. “[Pep rallies are important] because [they] bring a sense of unity to the school, and I think that’s important so you don’t feel so overwhelmed. High school is a part [of life] where there [are] a lot of things changing, so to feel that sense of community is good. A lot of [my teammates] are close friends, and we’ve grown closer through soccer,” Gumpel said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC3584-2-1200x799.jpg)
MultimediaSpring fever -
MultimediaIgniting the future -
MultimediaTeam takedowns -
![Days out from annual Advanced Placement (AP) exams, a pencil lies snapped in half, surrounded by a variety of study materials, symbolic of the frustrations accompanying end-of-year exams. AP exams are scheduled to run May 4 - 15, 2026. “I am taking three AP exams this year, [and] I only took one last year. [Last year,] I made sure I got a good rest before my exams; [this week,] I’ve been taking notes on each chapter [from my textbooks],” sophomore Shree Sikkal Kumar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC9826-1200x798.jpg)
ShowcaseThe testing system that is taking over -
![Senior Michael Collop stands in the sun at Vlasis Park in Ballwin, Mo. Collop has earned each of the 142 merit badges currently offered by Scouting America, joining the estimated 650 other Scouts who have done the same. Out of roughly 130 million youth who have participated in Scouting, only 0.00077% have achieved this distinction. “The whole point of merit badges is to learn something from them and get a glimpse into every single career or every aspect of [Scouting]. I think I took something from each one of those merit badges that's [going to] be with me for the rest of my life,” Collop said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC7392-1200x798.jpg)
ShowcaseAmong the few -
![West High’s girls’ and boys’ track and field school records are plastered next to the gymnasium entrance. In 2023, the girls’ varsity 4x200-meter relay team set a school record — the most recent track and field school record. “[My] freshman year, we almost made it to state. We made it to sectionals but came up short by 0.79 seconds from advancing,” Love said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC_1232-1-1200x800.jpg)
ShowcasePassing the baton -
![Justice. Domestic Tranquility. General welfare. Blessings of liberty. These key phrases have been redacted from this copy of the U.S. Constitution, reflecting the values lacking in the United States' Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE’s behavior suggests that the values instilled in our nation have been stripped. “When you're implementing [immigration enforcement] on a mass scale at the speed it's happening [now], you're bound to see unjust, horrible things. The only way to solve that is to make the crackdowns less severe,” junior Alisha Yin said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/feature-image-jan-2026-1200x710.png)
ShowcaseWhen policy becomes personal -
ShowcaseScoring for a cause -
ShowcaseKeeping it physical -
ShowcaseRethinking college admissions -
![Amid major global conflicts, anonymous social media critics hone in on celebrities, especially female celebrities, every move. Taylor Swift's latest album release and accompanying press tour displayed the uncontrollable growth of cancel culture and the comfort anonymity on social media has created. “[Cancel culture] can be very effective when [it’s used to] speak out against a [person] or a corporation where [you] use your voice or your dollar as a way to send a message about what we accept as a society. [However,] we've really blurred this line where we expect [everyone] to cater to have a belief about every issue. Not one person is going to believe every single thing that you believe as strongly as you believe it," English teacher Michelle Kerpash said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_7626-1-1200x800.jpg)
ShowcaseThe price of stardom -
ShowcaseRoad to glory -
![Sophomore Shree Sikkal Kumar serves the ball across the court in a match against Lindbergh. Sikkal Kumar has been a varsity member of the varsity girls’ tennis team for two years, helping her earn the number two rank in Class 2 District 2.“When matches are close, it’s easy to get nervous, but I [ground] myself by[staying] confident and ready to play,” Sikkal Kumar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC2801-1200x798.jpg)
ShowcaseA recap of the 2025 girls tennis season through photos -
VideosA night in color: Inside the West Regional Art show -
VideosFrom paper to runway -
VideosSpooky, scary and sweet -
VideosBeyond the field -
VideosPhoning in -
VideosWhat success looks like -
VideosAdventure awaits! A guide to outdoor pursuits & exploration -
VideosSeniors Tell All: College -
VideosServing up support -
VideosBehind the lens
About the Contributor
Samir Shaik, Multimedia Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: he/him
Grade: 12
Years on staff: 4
Who is your favorite musician? Ariana Grande.
What gets you up in the morning? The thought of new day and the opportunities that it could bring.
What’s an unpopular opinion that you have? Owalas are the best kind of water bottles.