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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

Parris Mosley prepares to work his first shift cleaning the floor before lunch. He is also employed by Circle-K, where he works at the front desk. “I want my legacy to be changing a kid’s mind. I want them to know that you shouldn’t see the worst in people. If I do that, I did my job,” Mosley said.

Collegiate athlete, comrade, custodian and clerk: Parris Mosley finds fulfillment in each chapter of his life

Julian Shoykhet and Ross Harter April 17, 2019

In the background of the school day, custodian Parris Mosley does custodial work around the school. But, behind stacking chairs and wiping off tables, Parris has an unexpected story to tell. “My job...

Pausing to take a photo with her new friends, sophomore Megan Gordon smiles. Gordon shadowed students during her week in Uganda. “To see how they teach was so interesting, because the kids are so well-behaved. They teach in English, so I sat in and we learned about animals and their babies,” Gordon said. The teacher gave them an activity, then left the classroom for five minutes. Everybody was sitting in their seats doing the activity like perfect children. That never would have happened in the States.”

Mission Compassion: Sophomore Megan Gordon builds connections and knowledge through Ugandan mission trip

Kathryn McAuliffe, Managing Editor-in-Chief April 16, 2019

While most students spent their spring breaks relaxing on the beaches of Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic or skiing the slopes in Colorado, sophomore Megan Gordon volunteered in Kawete, Uganda through...

Matthys-Pearce shows off a skill she’s been working on to take to the regional competition April 13. Visualization and repetition are tools Matthys-Pearce uses to help her pin down her skills during practice, along with keeping a positive attitude. “I have a script written out that I say of all my mental cues, so I don’t get in my head and worry. I do this in practice too, so it’s the same. I really work to keep it more consistent. I started it this year and have already seen a huge improvement in my consistency,” Matthys-Pearce said. “During the routine I tell myself to just breathe and enjoy it because you don’t get to do gymnastics all your life. It’s a very limited time, so you’ve just got to enjoy it.”

Freshman Paige Matthys-Pearce brings dedication and perseverance to Regionals

Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief April 12, 2019

The gym is a blur of activity, a whirlwind of nerves, excitement and raw competition. In the midst of it all, standing proud in a pink and black sparkly leotard, is freshman Paige Matthys-Pearce: winner...

Senior Maria Newton swims during her practice competition at Marquette Relays during the start of her season. The swim meet is a long standing tradition for St. Louis area high school teams to participate in low-stake competitions. “It was always one of my favorite swim meets because I love to be reminded that the sport is about racing, and that is what we need to be focused on,” Newton said. “You just need to be faster than the person next to you.”

Senior Maria Newton advances to national level swim meet

Jacob Stanton, Staff Writer April 2, 2019

The water ripples violently. Arm after arm, she braces for the finish. The buzzer rings as the people filling the stands watch each stroke intently. Senior Maria Newton’s high school swimming career...

Writing Greek prose on the whiteboard, seniors Nell Jaskowiak and Deirdre Jost practice their letters and accents during their independent study. Taking Greek enables Jost to better prepare for a variety of possible futures, both through the content itself and the skills she retains. “Greek actually has a whole bunch of different accent marks which is not something you have in English,” Jost said. “I feel like I'd like to take [another] language, maybe Spanish or French,  in the future and having learned the Greek language with different alphabets and different accent marks might make it easier to learn that language, whatever it may be.”

Growing through Greek: seniors Nell Jaskowiak and Deirdre Jost gain valuable life skills through independent study

Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief April 2, 2019

The hallway is silent and still except for the occasional wanderer in search of the water fountain. A second glance finds seniors Nell Jaskowiak and Deirdre Jost settled on the floor by the Latin room. Jaskowiak...

Remembering substitute teacher Robert Schepp

Claire Smout, AWARDS COORDINATOR March 29, 2019

The community mourns the loss of Mr. Robert Paul “Bob” Schepp who passed away March 7. Schepp, who was born Sept. 18, 1934, worked as an electrical engineer for McDonnell Douglas. A science and learning...

Directing the girls Chamber Choir through their daily vocal warm ups, choir director Eric Anthony prepares the students for the day’s rehearsal. Anthony has been teaching in the music department since 2006. “I’m thankful that I’m ending my career in a school that I really like a lot,” Anthony said. “I was blessed to come to this place and am blessed to be finishing my career in a place that I feel safe and the kids feel safe. We don’t have to be the best athletes, we don’t have to be the best musicians, but we put out a good product and we’re happy with it. We know who we are.”

Choir director Eric Anthony sings “so long, farewell” to his time as an educator

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor March 15, 2019

After 13 years of dedicated service to the music department, choir director Eric Anthony is retiring from his career as an educator. While Anthony was hired primarily as a choir director, he found...

Officer Zeus Hernandez stands at the counter of his restaurant La Tiendita, located at the corner of Clarkson and Manchester. He and his wife own the restaurant, which sells authentic Mexican cuisine along with groceries.

The secret life of School Resource Officer Zeus Hernandez

Holly Gilbert, Staff Writer March 12, 2019

Although we often see School Resource Officer Zeus Hernandez patrolling the parking lot and monitoring student life, his passions extend beyond the hallways to his love of authentic Mexican cuisine....

Freshman Martin Franciscus practices ball handling as he plays a pick up game with his friends. Diagnosed with diabetes in fourth grade, Franciscus does not let that affect his love for the game. “The team completely understands my condition and totally accepts it and understands
it,” Franciscus said. “Most people don’t know a lot diabetes. They are like, ‘wait you have diabetes?’”

Freshman Martin Franciscus overcomes diabetes through basketball passion

Drew Boone, Staff Writer March 6, 2019

Freshman Martin Franciscus catches the ball and shoots a three-pointer, banking it in off the glass as the crowd erupts and the players on the bench get to their feet, yelling Franciscus’ name. Franciscus...

Standing next to her mother, senior Hira Khan smiles, showing her relief to finally be back in St. Louis. Because of her airport experience, Khan realized that she will have to be more independent. “I now know that I won’t always have my siblings or parents to do everything for me and that there are some things you have to learn to do on your own, no matter how difficult it is,” Khan said.

Stuck in the Abu Dhabi airport for six days, senior Hira Khan finds her way back home

Andrew Li, STAFF WRITER March 5, 2019

Peeved, anxious, alone and sick with food poisoning, senior Hira Khan awaited her flight from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi; however, the flight was overbooked, leaving Khan flightless without any explanation. “I...