![Rising with his trombone in hand, sophomore Andrew Phung gets recognized at the end-of-year spring band concert. Phung achieved a rating of two on a scale of one to five–with one being the highest–based on his performance at the District Solo and Ensemble Festival on March 1. “It’s humbling to show up for everybody around you and be part of something bigger. [The achievement] shows [my] commitment and growth as we get better throughout the years. I felt accomplished,” Phung said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DSC_0081-1200x800.jpg)
Rising with his trombone in hand, sophomore Andrew Phung gets recognized at the end-of-year spring band concert. Phung achieved a rating of two on a scale of one to five–with one being the highest–based on his performance at the District Solo and Ensemble Festival on March 1. “It’s humbling to show up for everybody around you and be part of something bigger. [The achievement] shows [my] commitment and growth as we get better throughout the years. I felt accomplished,” Phung said.
Photo of the Week – May 2
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![Post-game, senior Winston Gao attempts to run away from junior Agi Kukudala. On April 24, the varsity boys tennis team won their final game of the season against Oakville with a score 9-0. “[Kukudala] is a great teammate on varsity this year. [This team] is the best shot we have to go to state this year, so we're excited for that,” Gao said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC3287-1200x798.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - April 25 -
![Clearing a hurdle, junior Haddley Righter competes in the 300-meter hurdles at the Northwest Invitational. Righter joined track her sophomore year and has since grown a passion for the sport. “The most challenging thing with the 300 hurdles is the mental ability to balance endurance, speed and get[ing] over the hurdles themselves. Practicing this event multiple times a week [and] focusing on different parts of this race helps me overcome the challenges this event brings,” Righter said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/DSC_1195-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - April 18 -
![Mid-pitch, senior Henry Wild takes the mound against Lindbergh on April 8. Although the team has gotten a 2-6 start, Wild hopes for success this season. “I believe we play one of the hardest schedules, so I hope we can turn it around. We’re a really young team, so for a lot of guys, it's their first time playing varsity. We're all getting used to stepping up in our spots, [but] I'm super excited for this team this year. I love all [of] my teammates,” Wild said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/henrywildpotwedited-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - April 11 -
![During Jazz Poetry Night on April 1, sophomore Yusra Khan performs her Program Oral Interpretation (POI) piece from Speech and Debate. For her POI piece, Khan spliced together different authors, poems and news articles into one cohesive story depicting Islamophobia in America. “This was my first time performing in front of a diverse crowd of Muslims and non-Muslims with my peers [and] teachers watching. I was surprised [with] the positive reaction I got afterwards; so many people [said] it resonated well. My biggest takeaway is to always represent and stand up for what you value and not care about the judgment of other people,” Khan said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/yusrapotwedited-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - April 4 -
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - March 14 -
![Putting in the work, junior Jannes Pöttker focuses on strengthening his back with TRX bands during Strength and Conditioning class. The class has helped many students like Pöttker enhance their athletic performance outside of school. “Right now I'm doing track and field, [and] I wanted to do sports during the school day and not just after. [Strength and Conditioning] is always [a] nice time with all the guys and I mean, you really get stronger,” Pöttker said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/8650edited-1-1200x800.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - March 7 -
![Building the base, junior Zaid Aujaimy creates a zen garden in Ceramics on Feb. 25. Aujaimy learned about making plants and rocks out of clay and incorporated those into his garden. “The most significant lesson I learned in Ceramics was to be patient [and] gentle and [to] think about unique ways to approach things and use my resources. I enjoy [Ceramics] class because I can express my creativity. It's not like other classes where there's a specific way to do something. I can [go] about it however I want and make good art my own way,” Aujaimy said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/DSC1285-1200x799.jpg)
Photo of the WeekPhoto of the Week - February 28 -
![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
About the Contributors
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.
Sage Kelly, Staff Writer
Pronouns: he/him
Grade: 10
Years on staff: 2
Who is your favorite musician? George Harrison of the Beatles.
What gets you up in the morning? Coach Witt cookies.
What’s an unpopular opinion that you have? Imo’s is overrated.