Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: she/her
Grade: 12
Years on staff: 4
What is your favorite piece of literature?“Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” is such a classic piece of literature that can still resonate with many people in the U.S. today. Cassie, the book’s protagonist was and is still refreshing to me: she’s a child, so the way that racism and discrimination impact her made it easy for me, also a child at the time, to understand some of the bigotry and prejudice that many of my ancestors faced, especially living in the South. Cassie’s a little spitfire, sure, but she’s also just a child, and at the end of the day, she embodies what America’s intrinsic racism can do to childish innocence like hers.
Who is your hero? My hero is Ida B. Wells. She was an excellent journalist and was always dedicated to finding the truth, no matter the obstacles — and as a Black woman reporting in the South, she had a lot of obstacles. Although my journalistic career isn’t as nearly as dangerous as hers was, her work has paved the way for numerous other Black writers and journalists in the field, and it reminds me to always keep digging, even when the subjects are obscure or controversial in today’s overall political climate.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? I’m not going to lie, I could probably shovel down buckets of those Welch’s fruit snacks.
![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)
![The battle of ingratiating Black history into the mainstream has been arduous, especially with the media’s capitalization on villainizing Black history. Underneath this vilification lies a history that is abundant in culture and has impacted America more than it is typically credited with. “Representation is [a] really big [deal], and people want to do things that they can see themselves being represented in. I think that a lot of African Americans — and a lot of students in general — don’t know how rich the history of Black [people] is in America,” senior and Black Student Union president Lauren McLeod said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/vilificationofblackhistoryfeatured.png)
![Anti-Black bigotry is prevalent on the internet, and online platforms are some of the most significant factors in perpetuating this anti-Black discrimination. For example, anonymity on the internet emboldens people to say racist things online that they would not typically say in person. “[People] can have fake names and say what they want because you don’t know them, and they know you don’t know them. They’ll say pretty hurtful things about African-Americans, and they’ll use a lot of vulgar language about [us]. I believe you’re more likely to hear racism online than anywhere else,” junior Nylah Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/EA8EB3A6-DC66-4CC3-81CE-F6AFF36E0F92-900x600.png)
![Sitting on fellow contestants’ shoulders, senior Christian Fleming celebrates his victory. Fleming was crowned “Mr. Longhorn” after a display of his occupation, talent and formal attire. “I really wasn’t [expecting to win]. I was just excited to come out on top. All the guys did phenomenally,” Fleming said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/unnamed-11.png)
![This photo illustration is inspired by the copious political attack ads plastered over all news and local stations in the St. Louis Metro area. These commercials exploit current event issues by using the biggest concerns to attract attention. "Marijuana is one [concern] in Missouri because they’re having a ballot issue. Illegal immigration and cutting taxes are the ones that Republicans use. The whole ‘[Republicans] being very right-wing and autocratic’ is [an issue ad] that you would see the Democrats doing. They’re all over the place depending on what the hot-button issue is," social studies department chair Jeffrey Chazen said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Cant-be-trusted-900x675.png)
![The poster for Parkway West Dramatics Company's performance of "Silent Sky." Students in the cast and crew of the production rehearsed and worked for two months leading up to the performances. "Everybody in the cast and crew is challenged in some way [during the play], and being able to see the final product of [hard work] and having the audience watch it is so cool," theatre department teacher and play director Amie Gossett said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Untitled-design-12-900x675.png)
![Board member-elect Tiffany Mapp Franklin was recently voted onto the school board as a replacement for Kristy Klein Davis. Davis was offered a job transfer in Florida and had to resign from her position. “I have been asked to run for the past two years, and I was considering it, but I also [was involved] with other activities that took a lot of time, so it wasn’t an ideal moment to run. When this vacancy occurred, it seemed like it was at the right time,” Franklin said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/unnamed-5.png)
![In a lacrosse game against Lafayette, junior Maddie Humme passes the ball to her teammate. Although the girls’ varsity lacrosse team lost the game April 26, the team maintained their unity and team spirit. “[This game] stuck out to me because we were really high-energy. We didn’t lose hope,” Humme said. “[My favorite part] was really getting to have a different experience each game.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/unnamed-14.jpg)
