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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

Seniors Stephen Zhao, Andrew Li, Caleb Canatoy, Joaquin Rendon and Noah Wright work in teams to create tasty dishes for a cooking competition, judged by seniors Maria Newton and Harper Stewart. The boys, also including seniors Tony Galanti, Paul Gipkhin and Umer Mallick, raced against the clock and each other to avoid the losers’ punishment of having some hair waxed off. “Having a friendly competition drove me to try my hardest so that my friends could be impressed,” Li said.

Chopping the competition: senior boys compete in high-stakes cook-off

Maria Newton, FEATURES EDITOR May 8, 2019

The stove was hot and the kitchen began filling with smoke. Eight senior boys ran frantically about the small space in search of utensils and ingredients. Two senior girls, Maria Newton and Harper Stewart,...

Using balloons and newspaper to construct piñatas in Eileen Rodriguez-Kiser’s Spanish II class, sophomore Logan Wich and junior Ridwan Oyebamiji laugh as they glue together their project. The class has been exploring different types of birthday celebrations in Hispanic countries. “It was really cool to take a hands-on approach to learning Spanish,” Oyebamiji said. “Instead of just sitting at a desk, we were able to be immersed in the culture, which really deepens your understanding.”

Photo of the week – April 29

Emma Caplinger, Arts and Entertainment Editor May 3, 2019

Adding the final touches to the senior mural, senior Bailey Goughenour finishes painting the second design that her and senior Natalie Butler created. After the first design fell through, the artists came together to come up with the ‘Dream Big’ design. “It was just a lot of stress, and it was just really disappointing because we had been cleared. For him to come back and say it’s not anymore was just really sad and hurtful,” Goughenour said. “But after we were turned down, me and Natalie got together, and we were like, ‘what can we do to make this be good?’ We just started brainstorming, and we came up with a new design.”

Students redesign hand wall after controversy

Mary Hardy, Convergent Media Writer April 23, 2019

When seniors Natalie Butler and Bailey Goughenour found out that their design for the senior hand wall in the cafeteria had won over the hearts of 75% of the senior class, they were excited because they...

Standing in front of the Missouri capitol building, sophomore Ulaa Kuziez shows her support for Syrian refugees. Kuziez visited Jefferson City with the Council of American and Islamic Relations (CAIR). “There are definitely some negative aspects to standing out, being a Muslim immigrant in a majority white high school,” Kuziez said. “At times it can get a little uncomfortable or a little awkward, but I choose to be unapologetic about my identity and about being a Muslim, Syrian-American woman.”

Sophomore Ulaa Kuziez draws from Syrian heritage to fight for social justice

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor April 23, 2019

With a new language, culture and lifestyle awaiting her in the United States, sophomore Ulaa Kuziez and her family immigrated from Damascus, Syria to Missouri when Kuziez was nine years old. “I...

Junior Caroline Judd attempts to follow an online weightlifting video. In the summer of 2020 Parkway is introducing a new online physical education course available to all students.

Parkway introduces online physical education course

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor April 17, 2019

Students scale rock walls, dance to cultural music, toss frisbees, lift heavyweights and earn scuba certifications within the large assortment of physical education courses that Parkway offers. Adding...

Pausing to take a photo with her new friends, sophomore Megan Gordon smiles. Gordon shadowed students during her week in Uganda. “To see how they teach was so interesting, because the kids are so well-behaved. They teach in English, so I sat in and we learned about animals and their babies,” Gordon said. The teacher gave them an activity, then left the classroom for five minutes. Everybody was sitting in their seats doing the activity like perfect children. That never would have happened in the States.”

Mission Compassion: Sophomore Megan Gordon builds connections and knowledge through Ugandan mission trip

Kathryn McAuliffe, Managing Editor-in-Chief April 16, 2019

While most students spent their spring breaks relaxing on the beaches of Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic or skiing the slopes in Colorado, sophomore Megan Gordon volunteered in Kawete, Uganda through...

Landing her triple jump, freshman Laurel Rakers competes in a track meet against Parkway South, April 10. Rakers worked with both coaches and older teammates to perfect her jumps and cites senior Tess Allgeyer as one of her role models on the team. “I just started this year. I really liked long jumping, and my coach wanted me to try the triple jump. I loved it," Rakers said. "The support from [the team] and the coaches keep you going.”

Photo of the week – April 8

Emma Caplinger, Arts and Entertainment Editor April 12, 2019

Pulling down her safety restraints, senior Madison Terry prepares to ride the Boomerang roller coaster at Six Flags St. Louis, April 2. Each year, the senior class takes a field trip to Six Flags while the underclassmen take the ACT exam. “I’m done with the ACT and almost in college now, so it was really fun to be with everyone one last time,” Terry said.

Photo of the week – April 1

Emma Caplinger, Arts and Entertainment Editor April 5, 2019

Remembering substitute teacher Robert Schepp

Claire Smout, AWARDS COORDINATOR March 29, 2019

The community mourns the loss of Mr. Robert Paul “Bob” Schepp who passed away March 7. Schepp, who was born Sept. 18, 1934, worked as an electrical engineer for McDonnell Douglas. A science and learning...

During second lunch, junior Angie Jia works on homework. As the daughter of immigrants, Jia cares for issues surrounding civil liberties and social causes and chose laptop stickers that would represent her passions. “My ‘Immigrants Make America Great’ represents my parents, who I am and who I feel should be empowered in America: immigrants. I value protecting and preserving our environment over industry so I have an environmental awareness sticker too,” Jia said. “My ‘Believe Women' sticker I got around the time of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings because I strongly agreed with what Dr. Christine Blasely Ford was doing by empowering women and believing their stories.”

The story behind the stickers

Kathryn McAuliffe, Managing Editor-in-Chief March 29, 2019

Discover the story behind students' stickers!