Originating in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of Irish culture, history and heritage, widely known as a day of green costumes, parades and the iconic leprechaun. Although the holiday has...
Math homework? Check. Vocabulary quiz? Done. Make $200? On it. Pulling out his laptop, sophomore Ryder Williams opens eBay and scrolls through the seemingly endless catalog of footwear.
Like many...
“These are my authentic words straight from the heart,” sings junior Neiyo Hagens on the title track of his latest project “authentic words from the heart.” On Jan. 26, Hagens released his third...
When you first hear the words “love” or “Valentine’s Day,” you probably think about relationships, about the affection you give to the person you care about. Maybe you feel sad because you don’t...
West High has the smallest black student population of all the Parkway District high schools at 11% of students — 5% lower than the district average, as recorded in Parkway’s Tableau Database. While...
Jumping to the height of 10 feet and 3 inches, junior Katie Byergo hits the ball into the court, hoping to add to her near 800 career kills in high school volleyball.
In third grade, Byergo was seen...
On Oct. 10, as the bustling crowd in the football stadium applauded, junior TJ Polack took his place on stage during halftime to deliver his solo. The applause died down as the 2024 marching band show...
Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor
• October 10, 2024
“Ascending the stage” is a term that invokes the image of someone realizing their potential before an enraptured audience. This is the Tamil meaning of the word arangetram, the first solo...
Surrounded by adult and young troop leaders, sophomore Isaiah Meese took to the stage on Sept. 15 to receive the coveted, sparkling silver badge of honor. The event marked Meese’s achievement of the...
Samir Shaik, Multimedia Editor-in-Chief
• May 29, 2024
On May 15 at the 56th annual Honors Ceremony, junior Brooke Hoenecke walked across the stage after marking a landmark achievement for the school: becoming West’s first student to earn the Seal of Biliteracy...
![Scrolling on eBay, sophomore Ryder Williams searches the app for different shoe styles. Williams credits the impact his completion of business and finance courses have had to gain his financial success, as well as his Personal Finance teacher, Andy Croley. “Croley helped me a lot in getting to know more about profit and where to put the money. [He] also [taught me] how to store my money, ways to invest it [and] that I should always have emergency funds,” Williams said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ryder-fea-3-1200x800.jpg)
![Alongside club sponsors Andrea Horn and Tim Burkard, assistant principal Kate Piffel prompts a discussion at the first Black Student Union (BSU) meeting. She accepted suggestions for BSU from members like BSU Leader and junior Tanatswa Zirengani, who moved from Zimbabwe in 2021. “Moving here and transitioning into a new school [and] lifestyle, [BSU] became [a place] where I could be myself and talk about issues that I felt comfortable talking about back home. BSU [also] gave me the opportunity to venture into the post-high-school experience, telling me [some] things to expect,” Zirengani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0120-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said. (Courtesy of Christina Block)](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/462488499_2973926416100522_5057718068659607183_n-1200x925.jpg)
![Sophomore Isaiah Meese smiles after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. Meese has participated in the scouting program since first grade, learning new aspects of life and growing a community of a second family. “I almost didn’t do [boy scouting], but I'm glad I eventually did start doing it. I regret that I wasn't [working towards Eagle Scout during COVID]. It might not always seem like the most rewarding thing, but if you put your time into it, there's a good chance you'll get quite a lot out of it: friends, new activities and hobbies, or just more experience,” Meese said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1004-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the American Sign Language program’s mural, junior Brooke Hoenecke signs with freshman Darren Young. Hoenecke began cadet teaching for ASL this year alongside working towards earning her seal of biliteracy. “I was in ASL class when I received the email [that I qualified for the seal]. I was jumping up and down with my teacher and the rest of the class. One of the reasons why I took cadet teaching this year was so that I could prepare for the Seal of Biliteracy and be immersed in ASL,” Hoenecke said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hoenecke.jpeg)