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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

Carrying the ball forward, left defender and junior Ella Mercer dribbles away from Parkway Central seniors Kaylee Canoy and Brooke Taeckens. Mercer has played soccer since she was five years old and is a three-year member of the varsity team. “Soccer has always been a huge part of my life. I love using it as a way to de-stress and get exercise. No matter what I have going on outside of soccer, as soon as I’m on the field it disappears and I forget about it for an hour and a half,” Mercer said. “Soccer is both a mental and physical sport, you always have to be thinking about the next play, and where you need to be and where the next ball needs to go. I love getting to incorporate both the mental and physical aspect on the field.”

Photo of the Week – April 5

Kathryn McAuliffe, Managing Editor-in-Chief April 9, 2021

After a year of closed curtains, the Theater Department looks to get creative with performing.

The show must go on

Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief April 7, 2021

“A really long time ago, I realized that this is how it’s going to be—if it was for the safety of my peers and my family, then that’s how it was going to have to be, and I accepted that. But it...

On a trip to the mall, freshman Natalie Lashly views the track list to Taylor Swift’s sixth studio album “Reputation.” In its first week, the album sold over 1 million physical copies, the only one to do so in 2017. “When the re-recordings are out and I walk into a store and see the CDs or Vinyls of them, it’ll be rewarding to know people are buying music that’s permanently hers,” Lashly said.

Taylor Swift is re-recording her music and students and staff are “…Ready For It”

Anna Claywell, Staff Writer April 6, 2021

“Baby let the games begin, let the games begin,” pop star Taylor Swift’s backup singers sing as Swift’s silhouette is displayed from the big screens at the Dome at America's center over the crowd...

In the library with her Honors English II class, sophomore Alexandra Toombs constructs a board game, Othello Clue. A Shakespearean twist on the original game, the objective is to try to guess who, where and with what item someone is trying to woo your (Othello's) wife, Desdemona. "I thought the assignment was very fun, because I got to create stuff and look at the play in a different way," Toombs said. "One hardship I encountered was I could not find game pieces, so I made my own out of Legos."

Photo of the Week– March 29

Fatema Rehmani, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief April 6, 2021

Senior Reese Berry performs a breaststroke at the Kirkwood Quad. At the meet, she placed first in the 100-meter breaststroke. “I was very excited to swim in this specific meet because we were going against hard competition, but going this hard at these meets will end up to my injury.”

Varsity swimmer senior Reese Berry fights off injury bug ahead of college career

Eli Fassler, Staff Writer April 6, 2021

Facing a major setback due to a shoulder injury, senior Reese Berry can do little to prepare for her college swim season at Loyola University New Orleans. Nevertheless, to stay in shape she participates...

This graphic illustrates the disparities between wealthy white communities and low-income Black communities generated by racist mid-20th century housing policies. (Created via Canva)

Behind the numbers: history and bias in high-tech criminal justice

Paige Matthys-Pearce, Staff Writer April 5, 2021

As technology plays a growing role in our lives, so too does data. On the internet, virtually every click, scroll and like is tracked, often used to maximize your engagement. But as it turns out, other...

An inarguable side-effect of the quarter system: no one is sleeping when each of your four Advanced Placement (AP) or honors classes have at least two hours of homework.

Debating the quarter system

Pathfinder Editorial Board March 31, 2021

You don’t need us to tell you that the world is jank, and it feels like everything has changed over the past year. Here in the Parkway School District, “everything has changed” truly has felt...

Bending wires around a stone, sophomore Addie Gleason creates jewelry from silver wire and stones or sea glass. Gleason draws inspiration from nature to create her designs. “When I want to create a piece, I'll first look through all of the sea glass and stones I have and pick one that I like or that inspires me,” Gleason said. “Sometimes I don't really think about a design and just see what happens, other times I'll have a specific idea that I want to create. I'll just keep the idea in mind as I create the piece.”

Old treasures become a new business for sophomore Addie Gleason

Sarah Spillman, Staff Writer March 30, 2021

Sophomore Addie Gleason quickly turned her camera off of the FaceTime screen and pulled up her messages. She had been showing her friends the new necklace she made, a fossil intertwined in a design of...

Take this test to find out which history teacher you are most like. Photo by Thomas Bruns.

Which Social Studies teacher are you most like?

Thomas Bruns, Opinions/A&E editor March 18, 2021

Take this Buzzfeed-inspired personality quiz to find out which social studies teacher you are most like. Questions range from history related to general personality questions. (function(d,s,id){var...

Acting as the presiding judge, senior Irene Yannankakis opens the hearing by banging her gavel and saying "Here ye here ye! All stand for Judge Irene!" Yannakakis, and the rest of her Crime and Law class, solved a case about a student whose parents sued the school for negligence when their son blew up his hand with a volcano, during a science project. "My favorite part was that I got to wear the judges gown and bang the gavel on the table super loud," Yannankakis said.

Photo of the Week – March 15

Bri Davis, Staff Writer March 18, 2021