On Feb. 26, Parkway celebrated the 30th anniversary of the annual Spirit of Excellence ceremony. South High seniors Nasrah Alli and Logan Scott emceed the event, and the opening drum call included African dancers to celebrate the anniversary. The 2026 theme was “Honoring Our Minds, Igniting Our Future.”
32 West High students received the award, and seniors Mason Barney, Cole Kayira and Rachel Sykes were presented with the Academic Distinction Award for receiving the Spirit of Excellence Award every year since third grade. Moreover, the ceremony honored 2017 West graduate Nehemiah Colyer, among other Parkway alumni.
![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)
![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)
MARY T CLINE • Apr 5, 2026 at 8:25 pm
Excellence in showing the Spirit of Excellence.