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
Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.

Help our student-athletes

Samari Sanders, Staff Writer • April 25, 2024

Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of an exasperating alarm clock. Time passes as you lay in bed, staring at the wall, dreading the long day ahead. Finally, you get up, make your bed, get dressed and head off...

At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.

Our team, our sports

Yein Ahn, Editor-In-Chief • April 10, 2024

The Super Bowl. March Madness. The 2024 Olympics. This time of the year is exciting for many Americans as various sports events take place across the country and the world. During this time, die-hard sports...

Running through a tunnel of players, juniors Ja’Hyghness Ward and Sophia Licavoli celebrate their team’s district win. Each player utilized their skills on the court — shooting, passing and dribbling — to create the best outcome. “Winning felt like a big accomplishment, especially because I also won volleyball districts earlier this year. We came together as a team, so it was fun to see my teammates succeed. We celebrated the win with dinner at Texas Roadhouse afterward,” Licavoli said.

Ballin’ Out

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • March 25, 2024

Dribbling through defenders at Parkway Central High School, varsity girls basketball captain and junior Josie Grunzinger gears up for a shot. She aims, she shoots and she scores, securing the district...

Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.

Fresh court

Payton Dean, Opinions Editor • February 26, 2024

Shoes squeaking on the floor, freshman Patrick May comes to a halt as he tosses the ball past a defender. The ball finds the hands of an open teammate, who then races to the basket, putting the Longhorns...

Rising out of the water, girls swim and dive co-captain and senior Norah Rutkowski grasps a momentary breath of air as she swims the butterfly stroke. Last week, Rutkowski competed alongside seven of her teammates at the state swim meet, held at St. Peters RecPlex. “This year at state, I got [No. 1 in] the 100-yard [butterfly] and fourth [in] [the 200-yard [individual medley]. [Winning] was a relief because it was something I had been wanting to do again. Freshman year was weird because it was COVID-19, and my time was relatively slow for someone to win state in that event, so I wanted to prove I could do it again,” Rutkowski said.

Waves of wonder

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • February 23, 2024

Over Feb. 15-16, girls swim and dive co-captain and senior Norah Rutkowski placed first in the state for the 100-yard butterfly — an admirable feat in and of itself. However, the accomplishment was not...

Freshman Chase Waddell wears jersey 15 on the hockey team. Waddell and his older brother, senior Quinn Waddell, both wore their jerseys to school on game day along with the rest of the team. “Everyone in my family plays hockey, and we can connect through hockey by watching it, going to Blues games and watching each other play,” Chase Waddell said.

Home of hockey

Alyssa Gessner, Staff Writer • February 14, 2024

The Waddell household is the home of hockey. Two brothers, senior Quinn Waddell and freshman Chase Waddell, both take to the ice, inspired by their older brothers. They have been playing since they were...

A stadium full of Chiefs fans with the words "Run it back."

They ran it back

Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor • February 13, 2024

A game for the ages America saw a thriller on Feb. 11 as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII, a game that featured two Super Bowl-record field goals, as...

On Sun, Feb. 11, the 2023 Super Bowl champions — the Kansas City Chiefs — will take on the San Francisco 49ers for the 2024 Super Bowl. During the playoffs, there are seven teams from each conference who battle for the chance to make it to the Super Bowl at the end of the season. “A good team comes from bonding, unity and overall synergy. The better [the] team’s synergy, the better you're gonna be as a team,” junior Archie Arnold said.

Is the NFL rigged?

Samari Sanders, Staff Writer • February 11, 2024

The NFL is a professional sports league that consists of 32 teams — divided equally between the American and National Football Conference — where 16 teams from each conference are split into East,...

Shouting from the front row, senior Mason Riley cheers on West football. Riley has been attending football games, among others, at West for four years. “My favorite thing about sports at West is when everyone comes together to be one family and team, and the community atmosphere that the school brings together,” Riley said.

Athletes to watch in the 2024-2025 season

Owen Ulmer and Matthew Thomas • February 6, 2024

There is no doubt that there are many talented athletes here at West, but four unique students will certainly stand out in the 2024-25 school year. The everyday grind of practice, getting home later and...

Laughing, boys wrestling head coach Zeke Allison and assistant coach Jeff Scholte celebrate their athletes on senior night. The two have coached together since the 2015-16 season. “I couldn’t get to those 100 wins if it wasn’t for the people that I coached with. My dad coached with me for a while. Right now, I got [assistant coaches] Murry Reich and Jeff Scholte, who’ve been with me most of the way. I definitely couldn’t have done it without those guys being in my corner,” Allison said.

Milestones on the mat

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief • February 5, 2024

A sharp whistle blows. From the mat in the center of the gym, a referee raises an exhausted wrestler’s hand, declaring them the match winner. The crowd erupts into cheers.  Meanwhile, on the sidelines,...

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