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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

Junior Felicity Jackson volunteers to assist Nothing Bundt Cakes by handing out mini bundts and checking tickets off. She gained hours for National Honors Society in the process. “It’s nice to go through a [list] of things and check them off. It makes it makes you feel productive even though you're only checking things really fast.” Jackson said.

Get a taste of this!

Keira Lang and Zoya Hasan October 17, 2023

On Oct. 5, Taste of West returned for the first time in two years. The event was hosted in the main gym where students could purchase a $15 ticket to taste foods from different vendors around the St. Louis...

A Code Yellow occured during the first week of school on August 23. The school was put on lockdown and precautions were taken, such as getting the bomb squad to search the building. “You can't play anything cheap. You have to investigate everything. That's why we took the steps,” Building Officer Matt Paubel said.

The Code Yellow crisis

Keira Lang and Zoya Hasan September 19, 2023

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, a Code Yellow was triggered by a bomb threat from an anonymous caller. During this time, no one was able to enter or leave campus — everyone in the school was confined to their...

Teachers recount where exactly they were during the 9/11 attacks, 22 years later.

Where were you during 9/11?

Sakenah Lajkem, Staff Writer September 11, 2023

On Sept. 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked and sent to crash into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the White House. While the White House was spared from the attack, the other two targets were hit,...

A graphic with different parent's rights bills from around America laid over each other and the words "Education Legislation" in red.

Missouri Senate Bill 4 and what it means for our schools

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief June 2, 2023

Missouri Senate Bill 4 (SB4) passed the State Senate in March and is now in discussion at the House. The bill, sponsored by Senator Andrew Koenig of the 15th district — which includes Parkway West ...

Prior to their State final round, A Team ran into Mo the mascot, smiling for a picture. With half of A Team graduating this year, senior Owen Arneson hopes that their State title will attract more people to the program. “No matter what you show up there to do, as long as you have a positive attitude and have a good time, [you’ll] be fine because you can compete as seriously or casually as you want,” Arneson said.

The road to victory: Scholar Bowl clinches their first-ever state title one buzz at a time

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief June 2, 2023

On May 6, seven West students traveled to the University of Missouri to compete in the MSHSAA Scholar Bowl State Championship. Ranging from freshmen to seniors, these members of the A-Team placed first...

Tom Herpel uses his plan time to prepare for future Latin classes in which students learn grammar, literature, and culture. Herpel wanted to avoid jumping to conclusions about the upcoming changes to reduce teacher plan time. “I will not know the type of time crunch I will be under until I've experienced it. I might be able to get work done while I'm doing this other responsibility. I hesitate to make assumptions without having experienced it myself,” Herpel said.

Teachers speak out as Parkway School District implements a 190-minute reduction to teacher plan time

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor June 2, 2023

Think of everything a teacher needs to do to prepare for class. A student might come into class and start their work immediately, but a teacher needs to spend hours planning and preparing to ensure learning...

Smiling, freshman Sophia Nguyen poses with her artwork accepted into the Botanical Garden’s art exhibit. Nguyen scrapped and redid her artwork multiple times before settling on the final piece she submitted. “My art style is impacted by my friend and the styles of video games I like. I like their styles and try replicating them sometimes,” Nguyen said.

Botanical brushstrokes

Achyuta Ambal, Staff Writer June 1, 2023

In the middle of the Botanical Garden’s newest art exhibition stands two familiar pieces. Freshmen Sofia Nguyen and Madison Wilson’s works of art were selected for the exhibition over hundreds of submissions...

Cafeteria staff members Edina Husic and Souria Benchabane smile and laugh as they wash the day's dishes.  Parkway School District partnered with Chartwells for food service needs.  “The camaraderie that we all have back there, it's like a big family. I think that's my favorite time for everybody,” West High chef Timothy Kennedy said.

Cafeteria confidential

Sophie McCarthy, Staff Writer May 30, 2023

Lunch. The time of day that many students look forward to but never seems to come quickly enough. The appeal is strong: food after a long class period, eating with your friends and those crispy french...

Jogging on a treadmill, sophomore Emily Kate Beach works out at Planet Fitness. Beach plans to continue her fitness journey before basketball season. “I felt more productive and confident after going to the gym. Even a little workout was better than no workout,” Beach said.

Judgment-free, stress-free and fee-free

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief May 26, 2023

Since 1949, Mental Health Awareness Month — occurring every May — acknowledges millions of Americans affected by mental illness. In 2021, the Center for Disease Control’s “Youth Risk Behavior Survey”...

DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])

Conventions, competitions and clinics

Claire Creely, Staff Writer May 26, 2023

Over the past few weeks, students have traveled all over the country. Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) students went to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the DECA International Career Development...