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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

Nell Jaskowiak

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Grade:  12

Years on Staff:  4

If you were a fictional character, who would you be?  Kim Possible

Does the toilet paper go over or under on the roll?  Over.

How many alarms do you set in the morning to get up on time?  One.

Favorite Quote:  “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

All content by Nell Jaskowiak
Sophomore Emma Carter and freshman Paige Wehrmeister pose together after the Mehlville Women’s Invitational Dec. 21. The tournament was the first girls tournament that either one had been to; Carter took third place in the 167 pound weight class, and Wehrmeister took fifth in the 121 pound weight class.

#WrestleLikeAGirl: breaking boundaries and winning medals

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 1, 2019
Preparing to engage an opponent, Carter looks for an opportunity to shoot. Carter was named varsity wrestler of the week and boasts a 6-2 record. “When you get out on that mat and you’re really in that fight or flight moment, you know you have to win,” Carter said.

Sophomore Emma Carter pins down success

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 1, 2019
Hand raised after her first pin of a male opponent, Wehrmeister grins at her triumph. “I feel like I am in control of them [when I’m on top], and if I wanted to I could control everything that was happening in that moment,” Wehrmeister said. “They can’t get up if I don’t let go.”

Freshman Paige Wehrmeister finds her strength in wrestling

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 1, 2019
6:13 p.m.
Practicing outside during a seven-hour winter guard camp on Jan. 5, senior Alison Clay pauses in between spins. Clay walked away from the day with four bruises, three new tosses and over half of the show learned. "You have to challenge yourself to try new things, and then be brave enough to catch them," Clay said.

[Photo] 6:13 p.m.

February 4, 2019
Competing in a 2017 wrestling match, junior Reed Nenonen performs a cradle on his opponent. Nenonen went on to have a 16-10 record and advanced to conference semifinals. “All I can hope [for this season] is that I can push myself and make the team what it can be,” Nenonen said.

Wrestling team revives their history through a champions board

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
November 13, 2018
Practicing during school, senior Gwyn Allendorph works on music for an outside ensemble. One of her most impactful moments in music was listening to melodies in the strings during a performance of the Peer Gynt Suite at Powell Hall. “One of my favorite pieces of all time to play is Donzón no. 2 by Arturo Márquez, that was the first piece we ever started rehearsing in the YPCO in my first year,” Allendorph said.

Senior oboist Gwyn Allendorph works to make her passion a career

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 16, 2018
Students laugh in the bleachers at last year's homecoming pep rally.

Homecoming spirit days

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 22, 2018
Freshman Caleb Upchurch plays the french horn in concert band. “I think band has been fun so far, and the level of music is about average,” Upchurch said. Currently in the process of selecting what to play in their October concert, the students are playing a wide variety of pieces from Robert Sheldon to Caesar Giovannini.

Musicians flourish with auditioned bands

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 7, 2018

Virtual learning: a balancing act

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
August 20, 2018

“Pray For The Wicked” review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
June 28, 2018

“The Mountain” review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
June 14, 2018
The senior lot sits packed with cars.

The scoop on parking

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
April 23, 2018

Where the ACT takes West

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
April 11, 2018
Junior Maryam Oyebamiji laughs during her reading. Oyebamiji had been an audience member of the read-in for the last two years, but spontaneously chose to read this year. “Mr. Welch kept egging me to go, he kept staring at me, and I was like, ‘You know, why not,’ and I already had a book in my hands so I went up,” Oyebamiji said.

African-American Read-In celebrates excellence

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
March 11, 2018
Twelve tiles currently line Herpel’s ceiling, and six more are in progress. Herpel provides resources for students to carry out the detailed research in depicting the deity of their choosing. “I’ve always liked the myth surrounding Proserpina. Also, knowing that it would take an obscene amount of time for me, a serial procrastinator, to complete, I figured that Proserpina wasn’t one that a lot of other people would ask to do,” junior Natan Shpringman said.

Students blend art and Latin

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 6, 2018
Wrestling at a meet in DeSoto junior year, McCallister grapples with his opponent. “[When I’m on the mat] I’ve got a game plan and I’m just ready to go. My head’s filled with what I’m going to do,” McCallister said.

Six minutes on the mat: senior Josh McCallister looks towards state

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
December 15, 2017
Harlan is filmed for a documentary made about his life, running and adventures with the indigenous Tarahumara. The documentary is titled El Chivo (The Goat).

Will Harlan roots his life in conservation

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 16, 2017
Senior Caroline Shaw paints a banner for the senior team for the powder puff game. She views the game as a fun memory and community-building experience. “I was super excited [to play] and I honestly signed up the first day that forms got handed out,” Shaw said.

Players get pumped for powder puff

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 12, 2017

Life Changes album review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 12, 2017
Jaskowiak poses for a picture in the Suez Canal while on a tour of duty in 2006. He was stationed on the U.S.N.S. Bighorn and traveled around Africa on this deployment.

Alumnus Derek Jaskowiak rises through the ranks

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 10, 2017
Wilken uses glasses from the solar eclipse to observe the sun. He spent the entire day of the eclipse teaching science classes what he’s learned about the sun and letting students look through a solar filtered telescope at the sun.

Paris Wilken looks to the stars

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 29, 2017
The school mascot poses in bubbles from a carnival bubble truck.

Fiftieth anniversary celebration brings smiles to students and alumni

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 29, 2017
Students wait for an opportunity to turn out of the junior lot after school.

Left turns create chaos

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 15, 2017
Czajkowski poses for televised interview about his book, The Bone Labyrinth. Czajkowski has written over 30 novels.

James Czajkowski makes a career of writing

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 5, 2017
Principal Jeremy Mitchell awards senior Nehemiah Colyer the 2017 Founders Award recipient. The Founder’s Award is given to a student who exemplifies what West students stand for: good character, academics, school spirit and is the highest school honor.

Praise for the honors ceremony

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
May 16, 2017
Quiz: what type of cracker are you?

Quiz: what type of cracker are you?

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
May 5, 2017
German teacher Michael Kloster teaches his first hour German I class a lesson on verb conjugation.

Make our voices heard: every teacher needs to give course evaluations

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
May 2, 2017

It only takes one to topple history

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
March 3, 2017
Betsy DeVos is sworn in as Secretary of Education on Feb. 7 2017.

A personal letter to Betsy DeVos

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 13, 2017
Students talk during a class discussion.

Common Ground kills class time

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
January 24, 2017
betsy-staff-picture

[Photo] Betsy Wait

November 29, 2017

Donald Trump cannot be friends with everybody

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
December 6, 2016
real-staff-picture

[Photo] BRIDGET NOONAN

September 15, 2016
Freshmen Beatrice Antonenko and Katie Solodar perform "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes, covering the instrumentals with their ukeleles. "We were thinking about what songs we've heard on the radio, and we just played around with it. The first line we figured out was 'We can prove your innocence,' and then we thought that the song could actually work well as a parody. The ukelele part was already written, we both decided to do it together," Antonenko said.

Honors English I students compete in mock “American Idol”

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 28, 2016

Second presidential debate garners mixed feelings

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 28, 2016
Math contests begin today

Math contests begin today

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 19, 2016
St. Louis University to host National College Fair on Oct. 16

St. Louis University to host National College Fair on Oct. 16

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 14, 2016
The drum line does a visual feature during the third movement of their show at a competition in Washington, MO. on Saturday Oct. 1.

Pancake breakfast tickets go on sale

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
October 4, 2016
West ranked top 5 in 2016 Missouri End of Course exams

West ranked top 5 in 2016 Missouri End of Course exams

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 30, 2016

Legal limits before liftoff

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 23, 2016
The marching band clears the field after they form a tunnel for the varsity football team at the game on Aug. 26. They performed the first movement of their competition show, "Journey Through the Night," at halftime later that night.

Marching band parades around school

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 16, 2016
captiontest

KSDK poll decides football game coverage

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 15, 2016
Homecoming floor decorations

Homecoming floor decorations

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
September 13, 2016

The Green Party’s rose-colored glasses

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
August 31, 2016

The power of superdelegates

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
August 19, 2016

Survey reveals the effects of finals on students

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
May 16, 2016
Symphonic Orchestra plays in an atrium inside of the Gaylord Opryland hotel on Friday, April 8.

Orchestra competes in Nashville WorldStrides Heritage Festival

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
April 15, 2016

The Black album review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
April 18, 2016
Brown lectures astronomy students on helioseismology.

Guest speaker Timothy Brown visits astronomy classes

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
March 20, 2016
Junior Chris Williams and sophomore Sophia Malpocker hang out with their Special Olympics buddy.

Nicole Wang takes over as Special Olympics coordinator

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
March 1, 2016

sucks to be pluto concert recap

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
February 19, 2016

Seniors and freshmen summarize politicians’ viewpoints

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
December 15, 2015
Freshman Nolan Gregorio in front of the Le Petit Prince mural in the MCL department.

STP: the tragedy in Paris and ISIS

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
December 8, 2015
Nexus 5X review

Nexus 5X review

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
December 2, 2015