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![During the 54th annual graduation commencement ceremony at St. Charles Family Arena, principal Jeremy Mitchell applauds cum laude students academic achievement. Mitchell has been the principal at West High for the past 12 years and plans to retire after the 21-22 school year ends. “Kids are good. I get irritated by news reports and friends [who say,] ‘Oh, I couldn’t do it, how do you put up with those high schoolers?’ Are you kidding me? I mean, you guys are great. Anytime I doubt that something happens, and boom. So I think thats the lesson that has been verified and reinforced year after year,” Mitchell said. “Its fun because I have my own children, and when Im with those kids, its kind of the same thing. I just think the teenage years are really interesting. Thats why I work here. I’ve been going to school since 1978, and its just so fun to see the growth in students. So I think my life lesson is learned from that enjoyment.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/powmay27-900x600.jpg)
![Dancing in the cafeteria, sophomore Dominic Lewarne freestyles during second lunch on Tuesday, May 10. Seniors lined the walls as Lewarne performed to “Skechers” by DripReport and Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” “I liked to dance because it was my favorite thing to do,” Lewarne said. “[Although] it was nerve-wrecking because there [was] a lot of people there, it was pretty fun [since] people were hyping me up.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/image1-1-900x675.png)
![Working on a terrarium, sophomore Joe Cunningham studies ecology in Honors Biology 2 class. The students constructed the terrariums the class period before but spent the hour cleaning them before they sealed it. “I loved how [Mr. Cutelli] created engaging activities so we could learn the content without getting bored. Worksheets have a place in the classroom, but lessons that involve only worksheets tend to lead to less participation from the class,” Cunningham said.](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Screenshot-2022-05-09-12.35.02-PM.png)
![In a lacrosse game against Lafayette, junior Maddie Humme passes the ball to her teammate. Although the girls’ varsity lacrosse team lost the game April 26, the team maintained their unity and team spirit. “[This game] stuck out to me because we were really high-energy. We didn’t lose hope,” Humme said. “[My favorite part] was really getting to have a different experience each game.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/unnamed-14.jpg)
![Playing against Webster Groves, sophomore Cameron Hickert expertly releases a pitch. He pitched a total of five innings during the game before playing the outfield, and his baseball team won the game by one point. “I was putting a lot of force into the pitch so it would go to the spot I was aiming,” Hickert said. “I was excited [when we found out we won] because we lost last year by a lot, and this time, we beat them. It was a good feeling.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0219-e1650562314263-900x774.jpg)
![The prosecution team in the fifth hour Crime and Law mock trial plans for a cross-examination against a surprise witness during a two-minute recess. Senior Akshaya Mulakala, junior Jaxon Smith, senior Ryan Whorton and junior Parker Cummins gathered to come up with questions, hoping to discredit the witness and convince the jury that the defendant was guilty of second-degree murder. “I wanted to build a case by looking at [the] facts. [So,] it was cool to look at the details and build a case from that,” Whorton said. “The defendant [was] found guilty of manslaughter, but got a 10-year [sentence] which I still consider a success.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DSC_0125-900x600.jpg)
![Senior Lindsi Cook writes her name under her handprint as part of the senior hand wall. Students lined up to put their hands on the wall and were directed towards spots to place their handprints. Being able to see [the hand wall] finished [was my favorite part] because ever since I was a freshman its just been exciting to see other classes finish their wall, Cook said.](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/pow408.png)
![Competing for the ball, freshman Sienna Lorenz faces off against her opponent in a draw. Lorenz, inspired to try lacrosse because of her love for running, signed up to play in her offseason. “I wanted to try something new,” Lorenz said. “Staying in shape motivated me. Lacrosse [gave me a chance] to meet new people and become closer with my friends on the team. Being on a team automatically brings you closer [to people.] You learn how to be a friend. Being [both] friends and teammates connects you in a stronger way.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/DSC_6227-900x646.jpg)
![Seniors Zeina Daboul and Kayvon Rezaei give an impromptu performance of “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen in English teacher Andria Benmuvhar’s AP English Literature and Composition class. Benmuvhar’s sub plans instructed the class to audibly react to the dramatic final scene as two students read the parts aloud, but halfway through the scene Daboul and Rezaei decided to instead act. “I felt like the energy of the classroom really made me want to stand up and act it out face to face. The emotion in the play is based on [Nora and Torvald] interacting with each other, [so] it seemed more true to the play and a lot more fun,” Rezaei said. “[‘A Doll’s House’] is a very entertaining play so [when] we were told to audibly react to it, the whole class’s emotions were so authentic and raw. It made it more suiting for us to perform in a more authentic way toward each other.”](https://PWestPathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/FINAL-MARCH-POW-900x600.png)