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
Nov. 17, the Parkway School Board finalized their decision to rezone Pierremont Elementary over to South Middle after claims of overcrowding at West Middle.

Moving on: Parkway School Board finalizes proposal to rezone the Pierremont Elementary School area

Michael Lolley, Staff Writer • December 21, 2021

At the school board meeting Nov. 17, the Parkway School Board voted unanimously to shift Pierremont Elementary from feeding into West Middle to feeding into South Middle. Proposed last spring, the district...

The Blue Brains team members juniors Katherine Hanses, Joseph Britt, Isaac Porter and Anushka Dharmasanam and seniors David Meisinger and Rick Biswas pose in front of their robot and awards at the Speedway signature event in Indianapolis. The awards include their trophies from smaller competitions and World 2021, as well as a small trophy gifted to the team for their performance by robotics sponsor Chris Donaldson. “The trophy was for just being a good team, because this was our first big signature event outside of the virtual ones we did last year,” Hanses said. “[At this competition], we had six matches on the first day, and we won five. We got knocked out in the quarterfinals.”

Blue Brain breakthrough: robotics team prepares to compete internationally

Tanvi Kulkarni, Features Editor • December 16, 2021

Tucked away in the school’s most remote classroom, students spend hours after hours tinkering with mechanical parts, writing sophisticated codes and reworking robots to execute extremely precise...

Walking into school, senior Graci Badami talks with her friends. Badami drives to and from school and faces the long lines and faults of school traffic. “[It makes me] kind of angry, because if people don’t let you out, you’re there for at least another 20 minutes. You either get out or you don’t, it’s a big issue,” Badami said.

Troubles with traffic and problematic parking

Emily Early, Editor-in-Chief • December 9, 2021

It’s 2:00 p.m. and the line to get into the school is backed up to the light. Drivers sit in formation, waiting for students to rush out of the doors at the 2:30 p.m. bell. A split in the road filters...

Senior Paige Matthys-Pearce tallies donations during the 2020 Parkway Holiday Cup. Longhorn Council hopes we defend our title as champions again this year.

BREAKING: Parkway Holiday Cup moves Chazen vs. Wayland canned drive one week earlier

Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • December 6, 2021

Students are gearing up for two weeks of food donations through two holiday food drives; here’s your guide to both. First up is the Chazen vs. Wayland canned drive Dec. 6-10, which is then followed...

Students participating in the protest chose not to obey the district mask mandate by not wearing their masks to school Dec. 6 in order to demonstrate their opposition to the mandate.

Anticipating the Dec. 6 anti-mask protests

Mira Nalbandian and Leah Schroeder • December 6, 2021
The ongoing pandemic has exacerbated a lot of divisions in our country over masks, vaccines, medical mandates and many other issues. These divisions are present within our school. Simply walking through a busy hallway during passing period can indicate varying opinions regarding mask usage. In response to mandates which require students to wear masks in schools, a protest has been organized that has encouraged students to attend school without their masks Dec. 6, sparking even more controversy in our community.
Senior Marissa Liu checks out her lunch in the school cafeteria. Liu has purchased school lunches since elementary school, when she qualified for reduced lunch at Henry Elementary School. “I appreciate the idea that lunch is free, especially for public school kids,” Liu said. “For me now though, it’s a matter of how much time and energy I have in the morning that determines whether or not I buy lunch,” Liu said.

The dish on free lunch

Tiffany Ung, Staff Writer • December 6, 2021

Earlier this year, students walked through the lunch line and punched in their PIN number, only to find that their meals were free of charge. But why? Where did the money come from? This is thanks to...

Students involved in the MOSAICS program have been facing burnout resulting from holding themselves to high standards.

When bright kids burn out

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • December 2, 2021

Of the estimated 50.6 million students enrolled in K-12 public schools, about 3.2 million stand out from the pack. These kids are given a special name simply for scoring high on intelligence tests —...

A photo illustration showing a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Round two: COVID-19 booster vaccines

Mira Nalbandian, Managing Editor-in-Chief • November 17, 2021

As the world goes through phase after phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, through stay-at-home orders, vaccine distribution and mask mandates, we prepare to enter a new stage. The Centers for Disease Control...

Senior Ashleigh Morelli holds a box filled with socks the German club collected through their Socktoberfest event. “If I was in that situation, I would want someone to help me. I don’t think it is fair that people turn their shoulders and shun them for not being able to provide for themselves,” Morelli said.

German club holds Socktoberfest to help homeless

Achyuta Ambal, Staff Writer • November 11, 2021

After watching a Kid President video several years ago, German teacher Christie Staszcuk learned about socks being needed by the homeless. Staszcuk challenged the German club at West to a healthy competition...

At the district level, there are currently open positions for two nurses, four teachers, eight bus drivers, 10 teaching assistants and 22 custodians. Principal Jeremy Mitchell would like to encourage individuals to explore job opportunities in Parkway. “I think in my heart of hearts that we’re a pretty good place that people would want to work for. It’s just figuring out what that looks like post-COVID,” Mitchell said. “Before you say no, or don’t consider it, try to talk to folks that have been here, whether it be students and staff, and try to get their opinion. By having conversations, your opinions of working in the educational system may change.”

The low-down on low staff

Leah Schroeder, Managing Editor-in-Chief • November 8, 2021

With 10.4 million job openings in the United States, 221,266 openings in Missouri and 46 openings in the district, the labor shortage is a pressing issue and one that undoubtedly is affecting our district....

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