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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 current map of Russia is superimposed over a map of the USSR, its past incarnation

Say his name

Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor May 28, 2024

  A fallen hero As of April 27, U.S. intelligence has determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably didn’t order the Feb. 16 death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny —...

Sophomore Zoya Hasan holds up the Pathfinder’s Gold Crown award while senior Sakenah Lajkem sulks in the corner. Lajkem was affected by the zero-sum mindset, for she believed she couldn’t be as successful as the other writers on the Pathfinder. “The zero-sum mindset creates jealousy. It makes people think they can’t succeed unless someone else fails,” Lakjem said.

A step towards the future: Abandoning the zero-sum attitude

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor May 23, 2024

With the pressure of success on every student’s back, it’s sometimes hard to imagine that inner peace can exist. Looming college decisions and selective scholarships are just the beginning; the state...

Since the Supreme Court’s repeal of the federal law protecting a women’s fundamental right to abortion, many states have begun to restrict access to or even ban abortion. On June 24th, 2022, Missouri was one of many states to move to ban abortion. “Missouri is giving fetuses more rights than humans who’ve been on this world for many years. If someone [wants] to have an abortion because of whatever [reason], it should be their choice. You don't know why they're in that position and you don't know why they need an abortion,” senior Mars Allendorph said.

Revoked: The life-or-death nature of abortion rights

Lauren Holcomb, Staff Writer May 14, 2024

Disclaimer: This article mentions abortion, sexual assault, incest and abuse On Feb. 7, Missouri senators voted against an amendment that would allow the abortions in cases of rape and incest. This...

Company marketing for gifts and cards during Mother’s Day and Father’s Day depicts the differences associated with the holidays. In order to capitalize on profit, large companies often include stereotype-reinforcing marketing behind parental celebration products: Mother’s Day sales typically prioritize jewelry and clothing, complete with heartfelt messages about childcare, while Father’s Day gifts tend to illustrate the father in a less serious, paternal light. “In terms of emails around those holidays, I typically get more Mother's Day [marketing] from florists or from whatever places I've shopped at online. I tend to see more in terms of advertising and marketing,” English teacher Casey Holland said.

One month apart, 60 years behind

Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief May 13, 2024

On the second Sunday in May of every year, families gather to celebrate the strong women who brought children into the world and tended to the development of the next generation. This year on May 12, Mother’s...

Frequent school shootings across the United States and subsequent lack of action have led to a chronic state of fear for many students. Recent mass shootings in schools created a new risk for students. “I’m constantly anxious about school shootings. The idea that it could happen and the prevalence of [school shootings in America] is scary. Whenever alarms go off in the school, I fear that [a shooting] might happen,” senior Carlee Priem said.

Columbine: The smoking gun of our government’s incompetence

Lauren Holcomb, Staff Writer May 2, 2024

The first school shooting in America of 2024 took place in Iowa on January 4, totaling one death and seven injuries. I was in journalism class when I got the notification from The New York Times. And that...

Senior Thalea Afentoullis backs her car into the senior parking lot. Though Afentoullis has two years of driving experience under her belt, she often feels concerned about her safety in the school zone. “From my experience, whenever I try to get down to the pit, [the junior parking lot], after school, I have to be very conscious. [Students] whip [their cars] out of their spots. The school could do a much better job by separating the timings at which students can leave because most [car crashes] happen after school when everyone’s rushing to get out of the line,” Afentoullis said.

Driving towards safety

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor April 26, 2024

Hundreds of cars and students bustle out of the school as the day ends. Cars are bumper to bumper as each driver rushes to leave. Suddenly, there’s a thud and a bang, and junior Ava McLeod’s rear bumper...

The celebration of Women’s History Month, originating in 1987, marks an annual acknowledgement of women’s contributions to various fields of work. However, many female revolutionaries remain underrepresented in our history books, oftentimes overshadowed by male counterparts who could reach a greater audience because of their status. “Back then, women didn't have the voice that we do now, [but] their actions gave us the voice we have today to be able to speak up. Now, we share information to show how far we came from,” Black Student Union member and sophomore Jariyah McCalister said.

Hidden figures of history: Stories of sensational women left behind in the shadows of time

Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief March 31, 2024

Behind every great man is a great woman.  The saying is one we’ve heard countless times before. Rephrased and redefined repeatedly, the moral of the quote remains the same: a man who serves his accomplishments...

A student stands behind a peer and holds a cell phone displaying Tiktok's logo over the peer's eyes.

Twenty-first century weapon: TikTok behind the screen

Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor February 8, 2024

In April, the Marquette Messenger published a fabulous piece arguing against a potential ban of the social media site TikTok. The article argued that economic benefits and freedom of expression should...

Celebrities are inescapable in our day-to-day lives, constantly reminding us of whatever is newest in their lives. And for us on the receiving end, we find ourselves devoting time and effort to vie for just the tiniest sliver of their attention. “[Taylor Swift] is my favorite celebrity, and to me she means someone who is kind, smart and caring,” junior Swati Kumar said. “I feel connected to her and her music; I listen to her everyday and I find [her] very relatable.”

A paradox of parasociality

Samir Shaik, Multimedia Editor-in-Chief January 26, 2024

Artfully posed on magazine covers lining the checkout aisles at grocery stores, splashed on the top headlines of every major news site and posting daily to their swarms of devoted fans on social media...

Senior Sakenah Lajkem solves a math competition problem involving geometry. In her AP Calculus BC class, Lajkem noticed there were more female student tutors than male student tutors. “Growing up I did not really notice a disparity between male and female students, at least in school academics. In fact, teachers often joke about female students being smarter or more responsible than their male peers. But, this narrative seems to switch when looking at competitive math and pursuing STEM extracurriculars,” Lajkem said.

Competitive math: Where the ‘M’ in STEM implies male

Audrey Ghosh, Opinions Editor January 23, 2024

Thirty thousand students in the United States participate annually in the American Mathematics Competition, an exam that allows students to potentially represent the U.S. in the International Math Olympiad....