![Reaching new heights, Watts sprints the 300 meter hurdles at the 2023 Northwest Invitational track meet. With her best time at 48.27 seconds, Watts qualified for the 2022 MSHSAA Track and Field State Championships and placed 11th as a junior. “My greatest accomplishment is competing at [the state championships]. I remember breaking two personal records at Conference and medaling in all of my events and feeling on top of the world. I knew at that moment that I had a chance to go to state. My favorite track memory is running the 300 hurdles at sectionals and getting fourth, barely making it to state. I remember finishing the race and running toward my hurdles coach [Kat] Briggs and yelling ‘Did I make it? Did I make it?’ She gave me the biggest smile and hug and said I made it to state,” Watts said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cece-1.jpeg)
![Juniors Tristen Banks, Kimora Jones, Nylah Thompson and Chris Williams smile with the trophy after winning the national Stage Breakers competition on April 15. Five teams competed for the championship. “Things that we [had] were [competitiveness], eagerness and determination, because the other teams who were here did good. To be able to beat other step teams, you need to [be the best in] precision, rhythm, and know how to put first things first,” Banks said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/stepteamwinapril15dallas.jpeg)
![Knees bent, freshman James Callahan lifts the ball for a fast pass during the 2021 Young Men’s National Championship in Virginia Beach. Despite his high skill level, it is difficult for Callahan to find opportunities to play with other boys. “I can’t play in any tournaments in St. Louis. To get practice with other boys, I’d have to fly out to California or Pennsylvania. You have to spend $400 to pay for the practice, and you pay for a plane ticket. We don’t even know if they’re giving us rooms, [or if] we also have to get the hotel and transportation,” Callahan said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/unnamed-22.jpg)
![Before beginning their college football journey, alumni Ja’Marion Wayne and Tre Bell smile after one of their final rides together. The athletes kept in contact and encouraged and inspired each other along their new paths. “I miss everything about high school football. I wish I had another year to play with [alumni] Ja’marion Wayne, Seth Young, Tyree Simms and [senior] Phillip Jordan and [junior] Trent Livingston. I miss all of my guys and playing in front of a student section where you know every kid. It isn’t something you get in college,” Bell said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/uno-e1668799318454.jpeg)
![Holding her nose, senior Kennedy Whitaker peeks out of a porta-potty. Porta-potties were created to save time as temporary toilets — perfect for cross country meets. “They are very [beneficial] for my running because they allow me to feel good and not have to go to the bathroom when I run,” Whitaker said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/IMG_3943-900x633.jpeg)
![Supporting his team, senior and cornerback Cameron Jehling (40, second from the left) keeps his eye on a kickoff play. Jehling felt more confident about his plays compared to his performance the previous year. “Most people think that to be a good football player, you have to go to the gym, but there’s a famous quote I use for both football and baseball that shows [otherwise]. My coach first told me, ‘a sport is 90% mental, 10% physical.’ I tried this year to be better about the mental aspect of the game instead of the physical,” Jehling said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/DSC_0183-900x600.jpg)
![Performing as Nibs in “Lost Girl,” junior Avery Hermann inspects a drawing of Neverland made by the show’s main character, Wendy Darling. Hermann not only acted in “Lost Girl”, but he also served as assistant director of the show. “I found ‘Lost Girl’ to be a beautiful and touching story, and I’m really glad I got to be a part of it. My favorite part of the show [was] my work as assistant director. I spent a lot of time working with every [cast member] on character, deliveries and emotional development. It was so amazing to see these brilliant actors come to life on stage in such a colorful way,” Hermann said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_1258-Enhanced-NR-1-1200x798.jpg)
![Gazing up from the stage, junior Joseph McCurdy who played Peter Pan in the school play, Lost Girl, sits next to senior Juliana Rogers, who plays Wendy Darling, during a theater rehearsal. McCurdy’s passion for theater began when he observed a West High production in middle school. “I've been in the high school theater program since I was a freshman. I've always loved theater, but [what prompted me to join] was [when] I went to see [a performance here] when I was in middle school, and it was super cool,” McCurdy said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_6535-1200x798.jpeg)
Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, Parkway West’s theater department traveled through the life of Wendy Darling, in their newest production. “Lost Girl,”...
From down the hall, bursts of laughter and applause spill out of a classroom unlike a typical history class. Inside, instead of sitting through...