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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

The idea of attending university following high school is so ingrained in our high schools, many do not receive a thorough explanation of alternate options.

Postsecondary pressures

Pathfinder Editorial Board October 26, 2022

College.  With early action application deadlines quickly approaching, it’s safe to say that college is a pressing thought on many senior students’ minds. Years of preparation — career quizzes,...

Recent changes to Title XI of the Missouri Revised Statutes bring back questions about corporal punishment in schools. As a toddler, now-sophomore Sadie Burgess attended Eufaula, a school district with an opt-in corporal punishment system allowing parents to determine if teachers could physically discipline their children. “I don't agree with [corporal punishment]. It's a very harsh way to punish kids; some kids have behavioral issues that not everyone understands. Solving those issues with violence isn't the answer,” Burgess said.

Corporal punishment: What defines necessary?

Pathfinder Editorial Board September 30, 2022

Years ago, corporal punishment was standard practice in classrooms worldwide. After a period of resentment against corporal punishment, a public school district in Missouri recently reinstated it, allowing...

A graphic of the 2021-22 senior staff for the Pathfinder.

Class of 2022 seniors reflect on high school experiences

Pathfinder Editorial Board May 13, 2022

It’s safe to say our high school experience was like no other. We lived through a pandemic, political chaos and national racial movements. Amid these times, we were lucky enough to have a semblance of...

Journalists should not be targeted in conflicts; an attack on the freedom of the press is an attack on freedom and natural rights.

An attack on civilian journalists is an attack on free press

Pathfinder Editorial Board April 29, 2022

Chances are, journalists are not the first people that spring to mind when thinking of professions that put their lives on the line. However, with each passing year, being a journalist is becoming more...

The influence of religion on public education discussions has grown: we have to protect the secularism of public education while remaining respectful to all groups.

Drawing the line between religion and state

Pathfinder Editorial Board March 31, 2022

As reporters of our school and community, we believe we must share and respect all student voices. Over the last year, we have covered controversial and underrepresented topics, including gender-neutral...

It is crucial to consider the long-term effects of returning to “normal” on our society.

Should a return to normal really be our goal?

Pathfinder Editorial Board February 25, 2022

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, we have all anxiously awaited a return to any semblance of normalcy. “Getting back to normal” is a phrase that has been exhausted in conversation, a goal that...

As we transition to the later months of winter, the unhoused population in St. Louis still needs our support.

The holidays are over. Homelessness isn’t.

Pathfinder Editorial Board January 31, 2022

The holidays might be drawing to a close, but our commitment to our city should not be. While the rest of us hunker down into our mid-winter routines, safe and warm at home, St. Louis’s homeless population...

Junior Zachary Schade sits in front of his family christmas tree while studying for finals. Schade thought that having finals after winter break caused unnecessary stress which makes it harder to enjoy the holidays. “I think finals after break forces students to study instead of enjoying what should be time with their family [away] from school,” Schade said. “It places an unpleasant cloud over the holiday experience and doesn’t allow a break before the start of a new semester.”

Final-ly Winter Break

Parkway Editorial Board December 31, 2021

The doors of the school swing open and students pour out, sprinting to their respective cars and overjoyed about the beginning of break. After escaping the chaos of the parking lot, you finally pull into...

Student schedules constantly change to accommodate the many inconsistencies of Ac Lab.

The Student Body and Its Discontents: Overly structured Academic Lab results in student frustrations

Pathfinder Editorial Board November 30, 2021

Some students sit in their Academic Lab classes staring at their phones, while others hop from class to class, trying to check off things from their to-do lists. Parkway’s Academic Lab, often shortened...

Seeing blue lock after blue lock can be frustrating, and it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. How and why are sites being blocked, how does that affect students and what is the district’s role?

Blocked: Students respond to new Parkway policy

Pathfinder Editorial Board October 30, 2021

Watching a video on combustion analysis? Blocked. Trying to send a message to your team’s GroupMe? Blocked. Trying to use services like Flickr and Imgur to make your French presentation? Blocked. And...