The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder
At the Springfield Expo Center, freshmen Shirah Ramaji and Samir Shaik pose with State medals. Ramaji and Shaik were partners in the Intro to Social Media Strategies category and were the only members of their club to make it to State. “It was a cool experience, and I got to share it with my good friend. I had a good time when I was there,” Shaik said.

Accidental Ac Lab encounter leads FBLA accolades

Brooke Hoenecke, CJ1 Writer • May 11, 2022

Hoping to get help from business teacher Laura Strickland during AcLab, freshman Shirah Ramaji unknowingly walked into a Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) club meeting. FBLA is a program that helps...

Junior Gabi Badami smiles, expressing with pride in her bisexuality. Badami says she has struggled with her identity since elementary school, so she channels her struggles into artwork and goals for her future. “I’m proud of who I am, confident in who I want to be and excited for what I know I can do,” Badami said.

Coloring the rainbow

Makinsey Drake, Staff Writer • May 10, 2022

Since beginning her self-exploration journey in middle school, junior Gabi Badami has used art as an outlet to express the struggles of being an LGBTQ teen. Badami aims for her work is to emphasize pride...

Freshman Triya Gudipati poses for a photo at an Indian wedding. With Indians making up the largest foreign-born population in the United States, Gudipati finds it important to bond with others in her community. “The Indian community within St. Louis helps me form bonds with other people who have similar situations that I do,” Gudipati said.

Children of immigrant parents share their experiences

Leah Schroeder, Managing Editor-in-Chief • May 6, 2022

As the 2:30 p.m. bell tolls, students rush out of classrooms and parking lots, eager to return home. Each student comes from the same school but arrives home to extremely different lives, from values to...

Senior Sahana Gujja and her mom proudly hold up a diploma at her mother’s graduation. Gujja’s mom graduated from the University of Illinois Springfield under a student visa, where she completed her second master’s degree. “I remember feeling excited and happy for her when they called her name, and she walked up towards the stage,” Gujja said. “I saw her study hard for the past two years before that while taking care of me simultaneously, and I was just really proud that she was a good mother. She is a great mother, and she accomplished everything she hoped for at the same time.”

Silent Struggles of Immigrant Children

Tanvi Kulkarni, Features Editor • May 3, 2022

Anyone who has taken an American history course has heard of the melting pot analogy. Immigration has always been central to American history, and even today, America welcomes people from around the globe....

Latin teacher Tom Herpel prepares to cut a piece of wood with his table saw. He has enjoyed woodworking for several years now because of the creativity it requires. “With woodworking, I like that you can think of anything and make it a reality, especially if you have the right tools,” Herpel said.

From classics to carpentry

Tiffany Ung, Staff Writer • April 22, 2022

Getting a driver’s license is one of the most exciting moments for a teen. The possibilities are endless with the keys to freedom and the family car. However, one of the most important indicators of...

Alumnus Abdullah Kuzeiz poses at the courtyard of the Danforth University Center of Washington University, St. Louis. The Marshall Scholarship enabled Kuzeiz to pursue cancer research at Oxford. “I stumbled onto cancer research while I was in high school, and I realized there's just so many people in this, and they're attacking it from every conceivable angle,” Kuzeiz said. “It feels good to work on finding new and better treatments for cancer that can potentially save lives.”

Journey to Oxford: Alumnus Abdullah Kuziez receives the Marshall Scholarship

Raj Jaladi, Newsletter Editor/Data Analyst • April 21, 2022

Alumnus Abdullah Kuziez, class of 2018, was one of the 41 students to be named a 2022 Marshall Scholar. Awarded by the British Government, the Marshall Scholarship offers exceptional American students...

Math teacher Michelle Meers teaches her class about a superstition in her 7th period class. Meers reminds her class of the monthly luck booster a day before the new month. “It just helps them remember what day it is and that a new month is coming up. [It also] perks them up and helps them listen,” Meers said.

Rabbit rabbit

Evan Vaisvil, Staff Writer • April 20, 2022

On the first day of every month, students in math teacher Michelle Meers’s class find themselves a part of a unique tradition. Since the 1900s, the Rabbit Rabbit superstition is said to have brought...

Sophomore Inaya Chishti shows her cow, Rosie, at last year’s Washington Town & Country Fair, where she won first place. After having a great season with Rosie, Chishti has looked forward to showing Rosie and her baby, a cow-calf pair, because she has never shown the same animal twice in a row. “It’s just a lot of work that you pour into this one animal, and then you don't get to show them again because it's a lot on the animal. And so we normally just let them go into the field, but Rosie was a really good show animal. She showed herself, [and] I didn't need to be there. I could let go of the halter and just scratch her, and she would just stand there,” Chishti said. “I'm excited [to show her] because I love her, and she's actually named after me. My middle name is Rose.”

Here for the Herefords

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • April 18, 2022

As the sun blares and the air grows thick and sticky, the attention of the overwhelming crowd focuses on sophomore Inaya Chishti. Despite the sweat running along the side of her face and the oppressive...

A graphic containing pictures of members of the West Community with the influential women in their lives.

The influential women of our lives

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief • April 7, 2022

March was Women’s History Month, recognizing the innovative, trailblazing and inspiring women. What started as a local holiday in Santa Rosa, Calif. transformed into a global, month-long celebration,...

With an upcoming school board election on April 5, we interviewed the candidates still in the race to get to know them and their vision for Parkway a bit better.

School board candidate Q&A

Katie Wallace and Ellie West • April 1, 2022

Disclaimer: These are the exact words of the candidates, any changes made were minor edits for clarity. Additionally, all candidates were contacted for an interview at the same time and received follow-up...

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