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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

Sitting courtside and observing the game, basketball coach Rich Rogers tries to help his team win in any way he can. Rogers has coached all levels of basketball at Parkway West for over 57 years and still has maintained a constant level of dedication and focus throughout his career. “If you're going to play basketball, you have to be willing to work as hard as possible and be ready for things to go wrong,” Rogers said.

A legacy of leadership and excellence in sports

Owen Ulmer, Staff Writer 3 days ago

57 years ago, Parkway West opened, but there has been one constant figure in it other than the building: basketball coach Rich Rogers. Coaching for so long takes commitment and passion for the game, making...

Some of the most deadly instances of gun violence have occurred in schools, communities and other ‘safe spaces’ for students. These uncontrolled settings give way to the need for gun regulation, including background and mental health checks. “Gun control comes about with more laws, but there are a lot of guns out there that people could obtain illegally. What is a solution that would get the illegal guns off the street? We have yet to find [one],” social studies teacher Nancy Sachtlaben said.

Lives on the line: Gun violence’s impact on America

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor January 24, 2025

On Nov. 23, as Christian Brothers College junior Colin Brown and his father drove home from a hockey game on Interstate 55, a stray bullet hit and killed Brown. Brown’s tragic death sent shockwaves of...

Within the U.S., the busiest shopping period of the year is Cyber Week, the time from Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, shoppers spent $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, which is a 7.3% year-over-year increase from 2023. “When I was younger, I would always be out with my mom getting Christmas gifts or just shopping in general. Now, as she has gotten older, I've noticed [that almost] every day, I'll open the front door and there's three packages that my mom has ordered. Part of that is she just doesn't always have the time to go to a store for 30 minutes to an hour, but the other part is when she gets bored, she has easy access to [shopping],” junior Grace Garetson said.

Season of giving, season of getting

Pathfinder Editorial Board December 20, 2024

Temperatures drop, snow begins to fall and colorful lights go up around residential neighborhoods: the holidays are here. This ‘season of giving,’ as it’s been affectionately named, arrives with...

Complex global supply chains supply the goods for everyday luxuries, such as the coffee at West High’s Blue Brew. Low tariffs enabled much of the prosperity of modern history. “Higher tariffs lead to higher costs. A tariff is a tax on an imported good, and someone has to pay for that tax, and typically that [will] end up impacting consumers,” economics teacher Rachel Money said.

Spread the wealth

Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor December 5, 2024

The threat to trade A “giant sucking sound” was Henry Ross Perot’s famous description of alleged job losses due to free trade policies, and many Americans now seem to be hearing one. Most now believe...

Following his victory, Mr. Longhorn and senior Henry Wild gets lifted up by fellow senior contestants in a moment of celebration. After making it into the top three of nine competitors, Wild responded to an interview question posed by senior class principal Beth Aromando to cinch the victory. “Being up there with all the boys when they're picking me up and throwing me around was a fun time. I didn't participate to win; I just did it to have fun with them,” Wild said.

And the winner is…

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief November 22, 2024

After weeks of planning, preparation and practice, on Thursday, Nov. 21, senior Henry Wild was crowned Mr. Longhorn. Initially stepping on stage as a salsa dancer during the occupation portion of the night,...

Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said. (Courtesy of Christina Block)

The long run

Sage Kelly, Staff Writer November 6, 2024

On Oct. 10, as the bustling crowd in the football stadium applauded, junior TJ Polack took his place on stage during halftime to deliver his solo. The applause died down as the 2024 marching band show...

Blending together a concoction for a science experiment, science teacher Joel Anderson scares his students by bringing excitement and thrill into his classroom for his annual Halloween show.  It took about six weeks for Anderson to set up his classroom for the show. “It’s pure terror. I came up with this idea a couple decades ago to do something fun for Halloween. So I pretend to be this mad scientist [that creates] a Frankenstein-like creature [with the class], learning a little bit of science along the way and [then ending] with a laser show. It’s just for fun; entertainment value,” Anderson said.

Haunting highlights

Yein Ahn and Esta Kamau November 1, 2024

Senior Sally Peters stands in the history hallway, contemplating her choices in the 2024 United States and Missouri elections on Nov. 5. As a member of Diplomacy Club, Peters has discussed key candidates and issues in contemporary American politics. “[As students], we're starting to become adults. We're realizing how much the policies that are enforced and the laws that make it through the House and Senate are starting to affect us. [Opportunities such as] AP [U.S.Government] and Diplomacy Club [make elections feel] a lot more real,” Diplomacy Club vice president and senior Nidhisha Pejathaya said.

Activity across ages: Generational differences in political engagement

Pathfinder Editorial Board October 31, 2024

A range of cultural icons stretching from Tupac Shakur to Greta Thunberg have commented on how younger generations are, in their eyes, more activist, more open to change and more willing to work to make...

Behind the lens

Esta Kamau, Features/Humans of West Editor October 11, 2024