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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

Conversing the hallway, sophomore Skyler Smith, Officer Scoggins and sophomore Natalie Adler joke around between classes. Scoggins has built many friendships here. “Developing relationships is what being a school resource officer is all about.”

Officer Scoggins says ‘over and out’

Erin Slutzky, STAFF WRITER May 23, 2018

After 12 years of providing the community with humor and humility, Officer Scott Scoggins plans to retire May 24 but will continue to utilize his law enforcement skills outside of school. “I’m going...

Juniors Michael Dolan and Nolan Cosgrove pitch their idea to the sharks. For Dolan and Cosgrove, the key to success was just to stay relaxed. “We were just having fun, I was just trying to be calm and give the sharks a good pitch,” Cosgrove said.

Marketing students pitch real ideas

Noah Gwin, STAFF WRITER May 22, 2018

Marketing students created businesses and pitched to industry leaders, administrators and teachers, much like the television show “Shark Tank,” as a final project May 6. Marketing I students were...

Junior Harper Stewart hands junior Caroline Dunn a raffle prize, a Menchie's gift card. “[The] Puerto Rico [concert] took a lot of long hours, tears and hard work, and having someone else recognize that fact and congratulate us for it outside of the West community was incredibly humbling,” Stewart said. “It reminded me of how all that work was funneled into a project that did so much good, whether that be the money we raised or the awareness we brought to the West community specifically about Puerto Rico and their struggles”

Environmental Engineering students receive Promising Practice award

Anna Pavlisin, STAFF WRITER May 22, 2018

As soon as Assistant Principal Kate Piffel heard about the Environmental Engineering students' project for Puerto Rico, she knew they were a great contender for the Promising Practice award from character.org....

Sophomore Hasan Rizvi poses before ziplining. “It was a lot of fun hanging out with my friends outside of the country and seeing my teachers outside the classroom,” Rizvi said.

Science department explores wildlife in Costa Rica

Gabby Leon, STAFF WRITER May 21, 2018

Through the science department, 24 students and four teachers traveled to Costa Rica for six days to study the various ecosystems. “We moved around a lot, but we had three main areas that we did some...

Working on a math problem during study hall, senior April Pak prepares for the AP Calculus Exam. AP exams take place from May 7 through May 18, while finals go from May 22 to May 25. “I study a little bit everyday leading up to the finals or the AP exam,” Pak said. “A good [way to study] is to buy an AP review book and maybe go through a set number of pages or a chapter every night. It’s really helpful.”

Senior tips for finals studying

B Antonenko, STAFF WRITER May 18, 2018

As finals approach and students and teachers prepare for the worst, the Pathfinder has got you covered on how to properly prepare for finals with tips and tricks from experienced seniors. Taking advantage...

Seniors Erin Puhan and Ann Truka attempt to staple an essay in their AP English Literature and Composition (AP Lit) class. AP Lit is the senior honors option English course. “I think English is very collaborative,” AP Lit teacher Andria Benmuvhar said. “You read together, you talk together, and, apparently, you staple essays together.”

Students facilitate the creation of a National English Honors Society chapter

Maria Newton, FEATURES EDITOR May 17, 2018

For the first time ever, a National English Honors Society (NEHS) chapter is being created. Sophomore Gabe Davis is heading the task of establishing the chapter. The process began in February when...

American Sign Language Students Express Deaf Culture Through Art

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor May 14, 2018

American Sign Language (ASL) teacher Tiffani Symons uses art to teach her students deaf culture in her ASL class. “Deaf art or de’via [a deaf person who paints about the deaf experience, deaf culture,...

Parkway hosts town hall meetings to address heroin crisis

Tyler Kinzy, Managing Editor-in-Chief May 11, 2018

Student drug abuse has been a well-documented issue across high school campuses nationwide as Parkway employs various tactics to discourage drug consumption. The district’s latest attempt to curtail...

With a trophy in hand, speech and debate coach Cara Borgsmiller congratulates senior Cheryl Ma. She alongside fellow senior Ryan O'Connor qualified for the 2018 National Speech & Debate Tournament in public forum debate after going undefeated at the Eastern Missouri district tournament. “It was really exciting. It was different than it is for most people because Ryan and I were undefeated the whole tournament, so they decided [we qualified] automatically even before the actual awards were announced since we were the only undefeated team,” Ma said. “We found out before the actual awards ceremony, so it relieved a lot of pressure because usually people are very anxious during awards.”

Four students prepare for upcoming National Speech & Debate Tournament

Tyler Kinzy, Managing Editor-in-Chief May 10, 2018

After posting a combined 13-1 record at the Eastern Missouri district tournament, junior Gokul Venkatachalam and senior Haran Kumar qualified for the 2018 National Speech & Debate Tournament in policy...

Explaining history while describing his own culture, Dennis Nasufovic speaks to social studies teacher Jim Hermann’s class. Nasufovic immigrated to St. Louis with his family in the 1990s where there is a current large Bosnian population. “If you have a neighbor who is very loud watching the soccer game with a broken TV set outside, you know its a Bosnian whose team lost,” Nasufovic said.

Denis Nasufovic brings textbook pages to life

Susie Seidel, Convergence Media Editor May 9, 2018

Bosnian immigrant and Parkway West parent Denis Nasufovic discussed his experiences and knowledge of the Bosnian War in AP World History and AP European History teacher Jim Hermann’s class Apr. 20.  “The...