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

Cindy Phung

Cindy Phung, A&E Editor

Pronouns: they/she

Grade: 11

Years on staff: 3

What is your favorite piece of literature? "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky.

Who is your hero? My dad.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Sushi.

All content by Cindy Phung
Senior Yena Ahn (back row, ninth from the left) smiles with her fellow recipients and class principal Mario Pupillo after receiving their awards and before visiting the Whispering Gallery. The process of receiving the certificate began with Plocher reading the definition of each virtue, then the student taking the stage and snapping a picture with him. “It was a wholesome moment because were all seniors, so we all know each other, weve grown up with each other for the past eight years. When each of us got called up, we knew that they deserved that award because the description matched that person,” Ahn said.

Inscribed legacy

Cindy Phung, A&E Editor
6 days ago
Plucking the cello, freshman Myra Peters performs at the orchestra concert on Feb. 27. The concert consisted of a variety of performances, from group ensembles to one united group. “This performance was different because I was first chair in concert orchestra for the first time,” Peters said. “I practiced in the orchestra room for a bit and made sure that I had my music down. I also helped a friend with his music to help him get prepared.”

[Photo] Photo of the Week – March 1

Dana Zafarani, Photo of the Week Editor
March 1, 2024
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, A&E Editor
February 23, 2024
Cutting out a square for the door handle, senior Vita Madamanchi prepares a sheet of paper to be decorated by National English Honors Society. The door decoration was inspired by the contemporary poet Jericho Brown, whose work has been honored with several awards, including the 2020 Pulitzer Prize. “Not only was it fun being able to read a new enlightening poem and be creative, but I was also able to contribute to celebrating the work of a poet, promoting diversity, inclusion and cultural appreciation. Literature from marginalized communities provides representation for people who have historically been underrepresented or misrepresented in mainstream media and literature. Seeing themselves reflected in literature can empower individuals from these communities and validate their experiences,” Madamanchi said.

[Photo] Opening the door to Black history

Risa Cidoni, Features Editor
February 15, 2024

[Video] Harmony in hues

Cindy Phung, A&E Editor
January 31, 2024
With the sun setting in the background, English ASC Kristen Witt and her husband, Aaron Witt, wear matching team shirts for the Siesta Key Crystal Classic International Sand Sculpting Festival. In 2021, they ran out of time for matching team shirts and instead wore ‘West is Best’ shirts, while in 2022, they made custom couple shirts. “This year, [Aaron] decided to have them made. On the front, it said ‘Team Witt,’ and on the back, it had ‘24,’ for how many years we have been married, and it [reads], ‘24 years of playing in the sand together,’” Kristen said.

Sand-sational castles

Cindy Phung, Staff Writer
March 2, 2023
Peeling off her gloves after examining a healthy lung compared to the lung of a smoker, junior Ione Cornelius explores  High School Heroes training. High School Heroes is an organization that teaches middle school students about drug prevention that focuses on the dangers of e-cigarettes, marijuana and CBD. “When I was in sixth grade I thought [High School Heroes] was really fun and interesting. I learned a lot from it and looked up to the high schoolers who taught me. [I knew] I wanted to do that one day,” Cornelius said.

[Photo] Photo of the Week – Feb 3

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
February 3, 2023
“[The best piece of advice I have received was] to let people do what they want. I think that would be the most impactful piece of advice Ive ever been given, [by] my partner at the time. Its something she would say a lot whenever I would get upset. Eighth grade to freshman year was that whole period where I was really judgy and had really strong opinions on things that I shouldnt have. I was too much. I think if I met myself my freshman year, I would punch me in the face, but I think a lot of people would probably say that. I grew up in a household where [if] you’re a girl, you wear this and if you’re a dude, you wear that. And so all my ideas were just copy and pasted of [my family’s] ideas. It was just a preference that was embedded in my preteen years and that I ditched when I realized it was stupid. Look at me now. Im not at all dressing stereotypically feminine. So Id say that would be an example of gender roles and clothing being something I used to really be a badger on. Now I’m like whatever. I think [this advice] really helped me build character and become my true self. Because a lot of my judging people for what they were wearing was almost a projection of myself and being upset that I couldnt wear what I wanted to wear because of the way that I was raised. [I] took it out on other people that were able to do what they wanted. Getting this advice to stay in your lane was just good [for me], I took it and now I’m living better.” – Mac Winter, 12

Mac Winter

Cindy Phung, CJ1 Writer
April 22, 2022
Sophomore Inaya Chishti shows her cow, Rosie, at last year’s Washington Town & Country Fair, where she won first place. After having a great season with Rosie, Chishti has looked forward to showing Rosie and her baby, a cow-calf pair, because she has never shown the same animal twice in a row. “It’s just a lot of work that you pour into this one animal, and then you dont get to show them again because its a lot on the animal. And so we normally just let them go into the field, but Rosie was a really good show animal. She showed herself, [and] I didnt need to be there. I could let go of the halter and just scratch her, and she would just stand there,” Chishti said. “Im excited [to show her] because I love her, and shes actually named after me. My middle name is Rose.”

Here for the Herefords

Cindy Phung, Staff Writer
April 18, 2022
Reenacting a plushie parody, sophomore Gabe Waltrip prepares for his next YouTube video.

The Super Sonic Guardian

Cindy Phung, Staff Writer
March 3, 2022
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The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High
Cindy Phung