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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 influence of religion on public education discussions has grown: we have to protect the secularism of public education while remaining respectful to all groups.

Drawing the line between religion and state

Pathfinder Editorial Board March 31, 2022

As reporters of our school and community, we believe we must share and respect all student voices. Over the last year, we have covered controversial and underrepresented topics, including gender-neutral...

English teacher Erin Fluchel poses with the camera she uses during sessions. Fluchel experimented with other types of photography but decided that she preferred family moments most. “[Photographing a wedding] was stressful. It was a long day that I was away from my kids. I felt like I was capturing more of the stage moments and not the spontaneous stuff that I love doing. I'm glad that I tried these things, but it wasn't for me. Again, it was less about connection and more about getting perfect things,” Fluchel said.

Snapshots of life

Addie Gleason, Managing Editor-in-Chief March 31, 2022

Looking through her camera viewfinder, English teacher Erin Fluchel waits for the right moment to capture. The camera lens follows a child splashing in a creek; the parents watch from afar. Click. The...

Parkway needs to work with students to promote sustainability within schools.

Sustainability in Parkway

Sarah Boland, Staff Writer March 30, 2022

The world produces 400 million tons of plastic each year, while nine out of 10 people worldwide are breathing polluted air. As the climate changes, it grows more and more important for students and staff...

At the St. Clair girls tournament, sophomore Brooklyn Eddy 
takes on her opponent from St. Charles High School. Eddy joined wrestling 
for the first time more than halfway through the season and managed to obtain
three pins for beating her opponent. “Wrestling is different from everything you 
ever do in your life. When you’re on the mat, you have to leave everything 
there, and you have to fail to succeed,” Eddy said.

The effects of making weight on female wrestlers

Sabrina Urdaneta, Staff Writer March 28, 2022

In the last 10 years, over 22,000 high school female wrestlers joined the sport in the U.S., and 15 states will be hosting their first girl's championship in 2022 and 2023. With an increase in athletes,...

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.”

Photo of the Week – March 18

Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief March 18, 2022

Sophomores Lia Emry, Angie Ren, Kayden Senseney and Serena Liu (bottom row, left to right) discuss their favorite competing athletes, Chloe Kim, Nathan Chen and Eileen Gu (top row, left to right), in the Winter Olympics.
(“Mascot Ceremony of Freestyle skiing – Women's Halfpipe at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne on 20 January 2020.”b y Martin Rulsch. “Nathan Chen at the 2018 Internationaux de France - Awarding ceremony” by David W. Carmichael.  “Gold medallist Chloe Kim during the victory ceremony of the Women's Snowboard Slopestyle at the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.” by IOC Young Reporters. All photos used under Creative Commons Licenses.)

Asian American Olympians break through stereotypes during the Winter Olympics

Emma Herrmann, Staff Writer March 17, 2022

After being told to go back to China or receiving racist messages online, Asian American athletes excelled in the international Winter Olympics Games. Americans celebrated two highly talented Olympians...

Taking on the role of Jeffrey Dahmer, senior Andy Volz participates in Crime and Law’s speed dating with a serial killer. Students in the class received the background of a famous serial killer and took turns convincing students on why they should date them, not knowing who they are. “Speed dating with a serial killer was really fun,” Volz said. “It was hilarious to see people’s reactions to what you were saying. It also boosted my confidence talking to so many people trying to get them to date me.”

Best of West: Top five classes to take before graduating

Drew Boone, Staff Writer March 16, 2022

With many unique and diverse classes to choose from every year, narrowing down the electives to take can be difficult. While many people choose electives based on their interests, the classes showcased...

Surrounded by a cooler, a basket and a piano bench, freshman Matt Willock holds a NASCAR tire filled with his school supplies. As a part of spirit week, students were encouraged on Wednesday to bring in “anything but a backpack,” to carry their belongings around in for the day.
“I feel like the whole NASCAR tire idea was like a statement of my personality. [My dad] was the one that originally kind of gave me the idea to do it. It's been sitting in my room for a little bit and we were looking for stuff to use,” Willock said. “I feel like since this was kind of the first time [for ‘anything but a backpack day’], we were working out what's good to bring, but I feel like if we do it next year, it'll be a lot better. There'll be a lot more variety to what people bring.”

Photo of the Week – March 11

Mira Nalbandian, Managing Editor-in-Chief March 11, 2022

It is crucial to consider the long-term effects of returning to “normal” on our society.

Should a return to normal really be our goal?

Pathfinder Editorial Board February 25, 2022

Since the pandemic began in March 2020, we have all anxiously awaited a return to any semblance of normalcy. “Getting back to normal” is a phrase that has been exhausted in conversation, a goal that...

This year’s Student Press Freedom Day is Feb. 24. Unmute yourself is the Student Press Law center's theme for this event.

Journalism in a “Hazelwood state” on Student Press Freedom Day

Mira Nalbandian and Tanvi Kulkarni February 24, 2022

The Pathfinder student newspaper began in 1968—the year Parkway West opened its doors to the students of West County. Throughout our history, the paper has written about plenty of controversial topics....