![Dr. Tiffany Besse presents at Principal Lab Day at Halls Ferry Intermediate School in February of 2020. Besse has worked in Francis Howell, Rockwood and Pattonville before joining Parkway. “One of the things that has always been a focus in my previous districts has been how do we keep pushing for those who are ready to move forward and then how do we grab the kiddos who might need a little bit more and how do we pull them along to get them where they deserve to [be]. So that is definitely some of the work that I would like to bring here and some of the equity work here [that] is already going on,” Besse said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/unnamed.jpg)
![Sophomores Ben Gingrich, Nora Fredrick, Ryan Smith and Maddox Miller, sit in the library during Casey Holland's English 2 class. The student's decorated cards for children in the hospital with supplies from the library's Creative Commons craft corner. “I love to see [students] work on it. I love to see their creative side [because] I don't get to see that as much. I love to see their little hidden talents and what they create,” librarian Lauren Reusch said. “Everyone [is] just relaxing and enjoying themselves, able to sit back with their friends. I think that [relaxing is] a really important piece of the school day too.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image1-copy-e1647020976676-900x612.jpg)
![Performing as Nibs in “Lost Girl,” junior Avery Hermann inspects a drawing of Neverland made by the show’s main character, Wendy Darling. Hermann not only acted in “Lost Girl”, but he also served as assistant director of the show. “I found ‘Lost Girl’ to be a beautiful and touching story, and I’m really glad I got to be a part of it. My favorite part of the show [was] my work as assistant director. I spent a lot of time working with every [cast member] on character, deliveries and emotional development. It was so amazing to see these brilliant actors come to life on stage in such a colorful way,” Hermann said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_1258-Enhanced-NR-1-1200x798.jpg)
![Gazing up from the stage, junior Joseph McCurdy who played Peter Pan in the school play, Lost Girl, sits next to senior Juliana Rogers, who plays Wendy Darling, during a theater rehearsal. McCurdy’s passion for theater began when he observed a West High production in middle school. “I've been in the high school theater program since I was a freshman. I've always loved theater, but [what prompted me to join] was [when] I went to see [a performance here] when I was in middle school, and it was super cool,” McCurdy said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_6535-1200x798.jpeg)
Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, Parkway West’s theater department traveled through the life of Wendy Darling, in their newest production. “Lost Girl,”...
From down the hall, bursts of laughter and applause spill out of a classroom unlike a typical history class. Inside, instead of sitting through...