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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

Performing a dance, athletes wave their pompoms in the air as special education teacher Wendy Zieleskiewicz stands behind them. Zielesckiewicz, who has been teaching for 25 years, didn’t know what she wanted to pursue until she remembered her love for children. She now sees her students benefiting from Special Olympics. “It's really fun to see [athletes] grow. [Special Olympics is] incredible — It's high energy, it's a lot of fun. It's cool to see the kids all working together and having a good time. They make connections with other students, [and] it's amazing to see how much fun they have. I hope that they can make and maintain relationships with people that are not in this classroom. I always encourage [my students] to participate [in Special Olympics] because it is a lot of fun and even if they don't make a best friend, you still have an opportunity to grow,” Zieleskiewicz said.

Unleashing smiles

Lia Emry, Staff Writer February 26, 2024

Rising to the occasion, West hosted its 21st Special Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 21. Founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, Special Olympics was created in response to discriminatory actions and behaviors...

In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month as a national timeframe to honor the legacies and accomplishments of African Americans throughout United States history. However, Black history has influenced the world since far before Ford’s announcement, bringing modern society to the place it is today. “[Black excellence] is about the people that meant a lot to the world, [who] succeeded in life and really dedicated themselves to doing this for us. [Door decorating] shows how much we appreciate them and shows the world how we couldn’t do any of this without these people in our lives,” Black Student Union member and sophomore Nemo Moye said.

Opening the door to Black history

Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief February 15, 2024

As the month of February begins, an important aspect of American culture is celebrated by millions across the nation. Black History Month marks an annual commemoration of African American achievement,...

St. Louis’ history of racial discrimination and segregation has widely contributed to current inequities. Most of the issues that plague St. Louis-area schools are intricately interwoven into each other and the system. “History has helped us to get to where we are and there are certain things that have happened and beliefs that people have that continue to perpetuate things that are occurring. When I say systemic, it's not just about the one problem. All of our problems, in my opinion, are rooted in things that are occurring throughout our organization, our policies and our procedures,” Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Cartelia Lucas said.

The price of unequal education

Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief February 9, 2024

Almost 70 years ago, on May 17, 1954, the landmark case of Brown v. The Board of Education was decided by the United States Supreme Court, deeming Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal” notion...

Peering through his glasses, Blue Brains Team Lead and senior Sawyer Ladd carefully examines his team’s robot in between contests. As team lead, Ladd seeks to encourage collaboration among his teammates. “We try [to] become more than just a group of people achieving successful robotics. On my team, I've tried to make us more of a friend group than a robotics team. So that's improved our team chemistry — we just generally enjoy being around each other and that allows us to work together a little [better],” Ladd said.

Robotics teams compete at Ladue Tournament

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief February 8, 2024

For the first time this year, all four robotics teams competed under one roof at the Ladue VEX Robotics Competition Tournament. On Sunday, BreakPoint, MetalMinds, OverDriv6 and Blue Brains put their robots...

Smiling widely, senior Dana Zafarani embraces English teacher and contest organizer Andria Benmuvhar after being announced as West’s 2024 Poetry Out Loud champion. Zafarani will represent West at the regional competition in February. “I’ve done Poetry Out Loud for the last two years. I’m a senior now, so I want to make it count,” Zafarani said.

Lines and rhymes

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief January 17, 2024

On Wednesday, 12 students performed in the 2024 Poetry Out Loud School Competition in the library. They delivered a wide range of poems, both contemporary and historical, memorized from Poetry Out...

On Dec. 21, the day before students went on winter break, the Parkway School District put in place new signs displaying classroom room numbers. The signs were installed as a safety measure for first responders to locate emergencies around the school. “It makes it a lot easier and universal for people to understand the location of students and staff,” Sophomore Principal Jamaal Heavens said.

A path to safety

Samari Sanders, Staff Writer January 5, 2024

On Dec. 21, the Parkway School District set up new classroom number signs that would be more visible to first responders. In previous years, room numbers were placed flat on the walls near each classroom,...

Juniors Laith Alhamid and Brooke Hoenecke smile at the camera, sitting behind a red table in the cafeteria as they sell candy canes. A sign beside them advertises the Candy Cane Exchange.

‘Tis the season

Serena Liu and Ruthvi Tadakamalla December 13, 2023
This week, Future Business Leaders of America is hosting their annual Candy Cane Exchange. For $1, students can purchase candy canes to be delivered to a recipient of their choice. Each candy cane can come with a complimentary note.