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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 awarded seniors pose for a picture in the hallway outside Derek Grier’s office on their way to be recognized on the House floor. Each student was awarded one of the virtues of Missouri that surround the house ceiling. “I was awarded ‘law,’ and I think that’s because I’m a very morally driven person. I base most of my life around ethics, and use that to lead others,” senior Bella Hatzigeorgiou said.

Senior students receive Glory of Missouri awards for embodying values of the state

Dani Fischer and Maria Newton April 15, 2019

Every year, 14 high school seniors are chosen as representatives of the 14 values of Missouri. The students then travel to Jefferson City to receive their awards from their district representative...

Inside the English Concepts Center, teaching assistant Rose Rouner works on her laptop. Rouner spends most of her mornings answering emails for parents of students in the Eighth Grade Acceleration program. "A lot of it is getting information to the parents or just answering questions,” Rouner said. “Some of it has to do with communication between teachers and parents, like about registration for the following year or having an information meeting coming up."

Eighth grade acceleration: helpful or stressful?

Fatema Rehmani, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief April 12, 2019

While their peers are just waking up in the morning, a select group of accelerated eighth graders are already sitting in their first period in a high school classroom. For the last seven years, through...

In a Boomalang session, junior Quinn Berry practices her Spanish skills. Berry, a Spanish three student, opted to participate in Boomalang. "Boomalang forces me to only speak Spanish with a Native speaker so it helps me in my speaking and listening tests which helps me overall in Spanish,” Berry said. “It gives me a chance to interact with other cultures while building my comprehension skills."

Saying Bonjour, Hola and Guten Tag: Modern and Classical Language Department offers crosscultural language opportunities

Kathryn McAuliffe, Managing Editor-in-Chief April 10, 2019

Sitting in front of her computer screen French five student and senior Sophie Pellegrino has just finished a 30-minute conversation, in French, with a native speaker from Paris, France. “It’s really...

Pathfinder editors junior Lydia Roseman, seniors Maria Newton and Dani Fischer and juniors Sabrina Bohn and Emma Caplinger, along with Journalism Adviser Debra Klevens take a photo with Edmund J. Sullivan, the Executive Director of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, after receiving a Gold Crown award. In 2018, the Pathfinder won a CSPA Silver Crown Award. “It was an incredible experience to be in a room with so many of the schools that we look up to and draw inspiration from,” senior and Managing Editor-in-Chief Dani Fischer said.

A crowning achievement

Nadia Messmer, Convergent Media Writer April 5, 2019

In a grand auditorium at Columbia University, five students sat waiting in the audience. A lone man on stage announced, “Pathfinder, Parkway West High School. Ballwin, Missouri: Gold Crown.” The students...

Adding the final touches to their documentary, juniors Sabrina Bohn and Emma Caplinger discuss how their interviews turned out. The junior were given six weeks to complete the project. “I’m really glad we did this project because I’m really interested in documentaries and film in general so this was a really cool opportunity and it introduces you to something that you wouldn’t think to be introduced to in English class and I think that it gives you different skill set that you [aren’t normally] given in school so I think it’s pretty cool,” Bohn said.

AP Language and Composition students take a unique approach to prepare for the exam

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor April 5, 2019

With camera and questions in hand, juniors in AP Language and Composition grabbed footage for the documentaries they created to understand their visual rhetoric unit. The idea was created when English...

Attending a meeting after school, sophomore Kunal Addagarla makes adjustments to their robot. Twisted Metal was not able to qualify for the 2019 Missouri State VEX Championship, but they will be newcomers at the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship displaying teams from across the U.S. and China. “I would say teamwork is very important because we have different roles to fulfill," Addagarla said. "I'm one of the programmers for my team and I want to make sure that my code works [so I have to] test the robot occasionally. [Then] the rest of my team is building or researching various ways we can build a better robot."

Robotics team prepares for international tournament

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor April 3, 2019

After not qualifying for the annual VEX Robotics Competition, senior and president Paden Davis and his team, Twisted Metal, are taking their talents to the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship April 4...

Answering a question asked by a student, Board of Education candidate Pam Hill sits beside Tom Wilsdon representing Sudhir Rathod at the student-sponsored School Board Candidate Forum March 11 at Parkway Central. Candidates Farida Ahsan and Dr. Sam Sciortino also attended the candidate forum, and all candidates answered questions surrounding topics such as mental health, curriculum, student drug use and more. “I think those forums are a great way to learn more about the candidates, and I just loved the student-sponsored one,” Hill said. “There are things you need to read and issues you need to study up on as a school board candidate, and because I have an interest in education, reading things about education is something that I’m going to want to do and going to be willing to put in the time to do.”

Parkway Board of Education candidates plan for future of the district

Sabrina Bohn, Managing Editor-in-Chief April 1, 2019

Yard signs boasting candidates’ names line the streets of Parkway’s district as the community prepares for the election Tuesday, April 2. With two seats open on the Board of Education, newcomers Pam...

Preparing for her first districts round, sophomore Kathryn McAuliffe debates how we should handle the global drug crisis, between the criminal justice system and public health system. McAuliffe competed in MSHAA state districts in Lincoln-Douglas debate, which surrounds philosophical values in the context of topics provided. “I aimed to stay involved and educate others on politics through speeches and competitions,” McAuliffe said. “I was reading my case out loud to make sure it sounded smooth and I was well-articulated.”

Kathryn McAuliffe chosen for Sophomore Pilgrimage

Olivia Arzano, Convergent Media Writer March 31, 2019

More than 300 sophomores in the state of Missouri will be traveling together April 9 to attend the 85th annual Sophomore Pilgrimage in Jefferson City. The purpose of the Pilgrimage is to give recognition...

Senior Noah Wright delivers a speech at the St. Louis Youth Climate Strike US in front of a crowd of 100. Wright was a lead organizer for the event after being inspired by what he learned in AP Environmental Science and Honors Environmental Sustainability. “For decades, our politicians have failed us by doing so little when we need so much. It is my hope they see crowds like this across the country and realize that the time for denial is over,” Wright said. “To our politicians we have one message: take action against climate change or we will vote you out.”

St. Louis youth gather downtown to demand action regarding climate change

Maria Newton and Sabrina Bohn March 15, 2019

The Youth Climate Strike US held a national walkout today, March 15, attended by students across the United States as part of a global movement; it is estimated that about one million students worldwide...

The Parkway Step Team performs during the homecoming pep rally Sept. 28. The team plans to travel to Virginia Beach, VA to perform this weekend for a national competition. “Performing in front of the school is way different than a real competition because there are not as many people watching you at school and its less pressure because it's not a competition, it's just a chance to have fun. But at a real competition, there is a lot more pressure to win, and there are more than 2,000 people watching you, usually,” sophomore RoNeeka Boyd said.

The Parkway Step Team plans to attend a national competition in Virginia

Irene Yannakakis, STAFF WRITER March 15, 2019

The nationally acclaimed step team is back at it once again. With plans to travel to Virginia next week for the Spring Showdown Step Competition, the team continues to practice to make the trip worth their...