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
Ridwan Oyebamiji

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor

Grade: 12

Years on Staff: 3

What’s your coffee order? Decaf Cappuccino

What song describes you best? I didn’t feel like answering this.

What is the one thing you cannot live without? Not feeling it today.

All content by Ridwan Oyebamiji
Senior Lauren Beard finishes her last lap at a swim meet. Beard plans to continue swimming at the collegiate level. “It’s such an escape from life’s craziness,” Beard said. “It allows me to take a step back and get out all of the anger and frustration I have built up. The community is so supportive and it’s like a second family.”

Spring Edition: Seniors commit to their school for collegiate sports

Zoe DeYoung, Ridwan Oyebamiji, and Lydia Roseman
May 28, 2020
With iftar time arriving, junior Fatema Rehmani and her family gather to break their fast with dates and water, a tradition rooted in the religious teachings of Prophet Muhammad.

Religious observances during quarantine

Tasneem Nasufovic, Ulaa Kuziez, and Ridwan Oyebamiji
May 21, 2020
Standing at the top of the hill, alumnus James Forsen smiles for the camera. Forsen has not been treating COVID-19 patients, but it is likely that more health professionals will be needed on the front lines. “I think everybody is stepping up to their roles. I cannot say I have been on the front lines, so this week, I may be and probably will be,” Forsen said. “So far, I haven’t spent time in the emergency room, and I have not spent time in the ICUs. That’ll probably change this week [because] I think everybody realizes there is a risk to it.”

Alumnus Dr. James Forsen prepares to battle COVID-19

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
May 6, 2020
Senior Mohammed Kuziez leads the assembly right before dismissal. Kuziez co-teaches with senior Ridwan Oyebamiji at Al-Iman Saturday School. “They recite what we assigned them in class, and we give them a grade on that,” Kuziez said. “Based on their grades throughout the semester, we give them a final grade for the semester based on different categories. There’s behavior, classwork, homework and pronunciation.”

[Photo] Seniors Ridwan Oyebamiji and Mohammed Kuziez teach Qur’an

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor
May 13, 2020
Cutting out strips of fabric for a Day of Service project, junior Brooke Gangel makes dog toys to donate to the Humane Society. Crafting for a Cause Club meets every month to choose a project that will benefit their community. “I 100% support Crafting for a Cause,” Gangel said. “It's a fun way to get together with friends at West High but also give back to the community at the same time.”

Crafting for a Cause Club turns hobbies into service for the community

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
April 21, 2020
Illustration created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus outbreak and the challenges that lie ahead

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
March 25, 2020

Understanding the aftermath of Super Tuesday

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
March 5, 2020
The girls swim and dive team parades around school after returning home with the school’s thirteenth state title. “There is not just one person who won state for us like scoring all the points,” senior Claire Lynn said. “Each person had to do well in every single event to get enough points in order to win state, so we each just had to support each other and cheer for each event because we each are equally important. We went out there and did our best.”

Girls swim and dive team wins thirteenth state title

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
March 2, 2020
As the spectators on the side look on, junior Faith Woodall attempts to get the upper hand on her female opponent. Woodall is a first-year wrestler, joining after the girls wrestling team began to gain traction. “I really like it because they support each other in their endeavors and the team is just really close,” Woodall said.

Girls wrestling creates their own team

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 21, 2020
As senior James Griffin pins his opponent, his teammates cheer him on. Griffin has a record of 34-2 this season and has committed to Lindenwood University. “This season, I feel like I’m more on top of my game. I feel like everything is starting to come together and click,” Griffin said. “I’m definitely seeing it in my wrestling, and another thing is that it’s starting to slow down for me. Last year, everything used to be really fast, and it felt like I didn’t have time to think. Now, everything has slowed down for me. I’m understanding patterns a lot better and peoples’ movements, so the biggest thing is that it’s slowed down for me.”

Reflecting after four years: senior James Griffin aims for state title

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 18, 2020
As she looks over a student's shoulder, alumna Alexis Franklin hosts a Meet and Greet event at Tower Grove Park to introduce prospective parents to the Sudbury education model. Franklin opened up the school last August and began enrolling students. “We have a really supportive group of parents who jump at every opportunity to help me out,” Franklin said. “They’re really trying to talk to their friends and try to get new kids involved. [They’re] really supportive and positive.”

No curriculum, no teachers, no tests: Alumna Alexis Franklin paves the path for a unique type of learning

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 10, 2020
As the Seniors versus Faculty game breaks for halftime, English teachers Diana Lurkins and Taylor Rose, Principal Jeremy Mitchell, counselor Chris Lorenz and social studies teacher Nancy Sachtleben perform a kick line for the halftime show. The faculty came out ahead with a victory of 31-20. “My favorite part was performing next to Dr. Mitchell,” Rose said. "That was an amazing time because I think he had so much fun with it. Because he was having so much fun, the rest of us just went off of his good energy. It’s so cool that the Head Principal is so involved in Senior versus Faculty and he’s playing and dancing as well.”

Photo of the Week – Feb. 7

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 7, 2020
Posing for the photo, alumnus Stuart Portman smiles for the camera. Portman has been working at the U.S. Senate for over six years. “It’s a really cool role because there’s only one of me, so I really focus my coursework and my studies on Medicaid and low-income insurance programs so that I could continue learning. It just so happened to have been to this path,” Portman said. “I've been in the Senate for about five years, and I’ve been in this role for two and a half.”

Alumnus Stuart Portman takes an unconventional path to work at the U.S. Senate

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
January 30, 2020
At the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville observation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon, junior Bri Davis receives the Poetry Award from Chancellor Dr. Randy Pembrook Jan. 22. In addition to her recognition, Davis also won $100 for her poem. "I don't know how to feel, I am just so beyond excited," Davis said.

Junior Bri Davis places first in the SIUE Poetry Contest

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
January 22, 2020
Junior Ayah Maali meditates as she tries to calm her mind. This is the first year Yoga for Fitness and Wellbeing is being offered at the school. “I learned more of how to be calm and how to relax and take your mind off stressful situations in life,” Maali said. “I [also] learned the term 'tadasana,' and it means to be relaxed and meditated. You just sit down, cross [your legs] and your mind is off; you’re not thinking about any stressful homework or anything related to that.”

Photo Gallery: Which physical education class is right for you?

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
January 8, 2020
Seniors wait to sign their letters of commit to the school of their choosing. For senior Tommy Mohan, he still cannot believe he was able to get to this level. "As a little kid, that’s who you look up to and then now that you actually are what you looked up to, it’s like unbelievable," Mohan said.

Seniors commit to their choosing on College Signing Day

Ridwan Oyebamiji and Lydia Roseman
November 13, 2019
Sophomore Waleed Abdulla reads passages of the Qur’an before prayer.

Muslim students share unique aspects of religion

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
November 12, 2019
The scoreboard was built after Parkway set up a deal to pay for it through advertising. This occured when Parkway was under the Kelly Sports Properties contract. “The district has posted a sports media position and we’re in the process of interviewing and hiring someone so that person will [be able to] take over some of the duties that Kelly has been performing,” Athletic Director Brian Kessler said.

Parkway moves on from Kelly Sports Properties

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
November 4, 2019
Posing for the photo, alumna Trish Gunby smiles for the camera. If elected, she will be representing homes of the Parkway West District that are North of Manchester Road, West of Weidman, East of Baxter and North of Fontbonne West. “After Michael Brown was killed, I started learning about racial justice and voting rights,” Gunby said. “So I’ve had this arc of LGBTQ+ inclusion, racial justice and voting rights and all that led me to where I’m at right now.”

From student council president to State Representative hopeful, Alumna Trish Gunby shares strategy for getting into office

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
October 1, 2019
Sitting at his desk, Principal Jeremy Mitchell takes a call from a parent. During the summer, administrators got together to discuss changes that needed to be made. “There is still discipline enacted because you are still breaking a school expectation,” Mitchell said. “It’s just that the type of discipline will be one that will not only be disciplinary action but disciplinary action with a purpose.”

Administrators revamp vaping policy in hope of change

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
September 10, 2019
Molding the clay, junior Ledaniel Jackson works on building the base of his ceramic cactus. After the class completed their donuts project, they began creating cactuses for the coil building unit. “I think the best part about the class is having the freedom to create [ceramics] on our own,” Jackson said. “It makes the class really fun.”

Photo of the week – Aug. 30

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
August 30, 2019
Lined up outside of the theatre on the first Friday of Ramadan, junior Mohammed Kuziez and freshmen Waleed Abdulla and Areeb Hasan get together to pray “Jummah” (Friday prayers). Muslims are also obligated to pray five times a day, as “salah” (prayer) is one of the five pillars of Islam. “I like to think that I hold my religion very close to me; it's something that I was brought up on for the past 17 years,” Kuziez said. “It's one of the things that our religion holds the closest, and [prayer is] a basic [element] of it.”

The journey of fasting through finals

Ridwan Oyebamiji and Fatema Rehmani
May 16, 2019
After completing a discussion, members of the Global Cohort Competency group pose for a photo. Teachers and staff members were allowed to come throughout the day to listen to the students. “I’m just very appreciative to the students who gave their time to speak,” science teacher Amy Cohen said. “I know it’s not always easy to have personal and honest conversations, particularly with staff members that they might not know personally. I got so much out of being in those conversations and facilitating the discussions, so I hope that the students got value out of it.”

Global Competency Cohort strives to give minority students a platform

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
May 13, 2019
Business teacher Laura Glenn helps junior Walker Piles with an assignment in class. Throughout her time of teaching, Glenn has taught Accounting, Web Design and Intro to Computer Science and Technology. “The thing I’ll miss the most is working with students and sharing knowledge with them,” Glenn said. “[It’s] really exciting to see how just a little bit of what I might’ve introduced them to here has turned into a career for them and something that they are excited about.”

Business teacher Laura Glenn finds her ‘interest’ in retirement

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
April 18, 2019
Adding the final touches to their documentary, juniors Sabrina Bohn and Emma Caplinger discuss how their interviews turned out. The junior were given six weeks to complete the project. “I’m really glad we did this project because I’m really interested in documentaries and film in general so this was a really cool opportunity and it introduces you to something that you wouldn’t think to be introduced to in English class and I think that it gives you different skill set that you [aren’t normally] given in school so I think it’s pretty cool,” Bohn said.

AP Language and Composition students take a unique approach to prepare for the exam

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
April 5, 2019
Attending a meeting after school, sophomore Kunal Addagarla makes adjustments to their robot. Twisted Metal was not able to qualify for the 2019 Missouri State VEX Championship, but they will be newcomers at the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship displaying teams from across the U.S. and China. “I would say teamwork is very important because we have different roles to fulfill," Addagarla said. "I'm one of the programmers for my team and I want to make sure that my code works [so I have to] test the robot occasionally. [Then] the rest of my team is building or researching various ways we can build a better robot."

Robotics team prepares for international tournament

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
April 3, 2019
As students raise their hands, president Kyra Clerk leads a meeting to discuss the positives and negatives of attending a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or a Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Students were called out of class during school hours to attend the meetings. “ASAP empowers me to do better in school but I like to think that I was already doing well,” Clerk said. “I feel like it kind of gave me a push to continue being a role model for my underclassmen; I’m the president so when they look at me, I want them to be able to say, ‘My president is studious. She’s there for me and she’s also very helpful.’”

African-American students strive to embody qualities of leadership

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 27, 2019
Junior Brendan Gordon completes his Eagle Scout project at the Civil War Museum in Jefferson Barracks. Gordon also participates in other extracurricular activities such as volunteering at a retirement home and at the Manchester Church Choir. “I think it’s a good foundation they have going on there and I really like to give back to the community as best as I can," Gordon said.

Junior Brendan Gordon preserves family name through volunteering

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
January 28, 2019
Senior Matthew Boyd test other scholar members for practice. Scholar bowl members practice every Monday after school in sponsor Patrick Troy’s room. “I think it can be intimidating for [underclassmen] to come to practice and see that the juniors and seniors know a lot of information, but I think [they] should still be doing it because it’s fun and you get to learn a lot.”

Scholar Bowl qualifies for nationals

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
December 4, 2018
Rocketbook offers their free app available on App Store and Play Store to scan pages to the cloud

Top five tech items for students

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
November 30, 2018
The teams celebrates after scoring against Saint Mary’s Nov. 30. Freshman and defender Nathan Meek (2) contributes with two assists in his debut win of 10-1. “I’m pretty sure height can be an intimidating factor, but you [have to] get over it and just play the game,” Meek said. “As long as you know you have teammates that are going to back you up and can help you, you have nothing to worry about.”

Hockey team shoots for program turnaround with new training

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
November 8, 2018
After punching her fist into the air for the Black Power Movement and the Palestinian Crisis, alumna Yasmin Younis receives a standing ovation from the audience after her speech came to an end. Younis was chosen to give the commencement speech out of five other finalists after presenting to a committee. “I couldn't believe that people out there thought I was as inspirational as some incredible people,” Younis said. “Just to be recognized and compared to them is such an honor.”

Alumna Yasmin Younis reclaims her identity

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
October 18, 2018
Seniors Maryam Oyebamiji, Kinza Awais and junior Mariam Mirza introduce themselves to members at the first Muslim Student Association meeting. Meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. “I felt like their needed to be a safe haven for a lot muslims because their facing a lot of backlash especially in this day and age,” Awais said. “A lot of schools have it, and I felt like West needed to have one because we have a big Muslim student population.”

Muslim students unite to form Muslim Student Association

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
October 1, 2018
Helping junior Ronik Bhaskar with an assignment, English teacher Leslie Lindsey checks Bhaskar's work on rhetorical analysis. Bhaskar finds Lindsey attentive to her students needs. "I think as a teacher, she is very structured and organized which is good," Bhaskar said. "It helps makes sure everyone knows what's going on, what's going to happen and what they need to be prepared for. After setting up the kind of system, she still works hard to makes sure every student understands."

Getting to know English teacher Leslie Lindsey

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
September 11, 2018
Junior Alex Nozka dives for the ball after a fumble. Over the past eight years, the water polo team has advanced to the state semifinals six times. “We all work really hard to get where we are,” Nozka said. “We all push each other in practice and we all find pride in our work.”

Water Polo competes at state

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
May 23, 2018

American Sign Language Students Express Deaf Culture Through Art

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
May 14, 2018
Vivid+ students take group picture at Nasdaq while visiting New York. Not only did they go to Nasdaq, but they also visited Facebook to get experience in the real world. “We learned so much by talking to mentors about moving on into college and how to diversify yourself and make yourself stand out when your getting a job or an internship,” junior Cameron Sato said.

Virtual Enterprise Earns National Recognition

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
May 8, 2018
Explaining history while describing his own culture, Dennis Nasufovic speaks to social studies teacher Jim Hermann’s class. Nasufovic immigrated to St. Louis with his family in the 1990s where there is a current large Bosnian population. “If you have a neighbor who is very loud watching the soccer game with a broken TV set outside, you know its a Bosnian whose team lost,” Nasufovic said.

[Photo] Denis Nasufovic brings textbook pages to life

Susie Seidel, Convergence Media Editor
May 9, 2018
For the March ASAP meeting, guest speaker Sylvester Chisom shares personal stories and entrepreneurial strategies in hopes of inspiring members of ASAP. “I met a room full of great leaders that day,” Chisom said. “It is my hope that they all take full advantage of everything this world has to offer. I hope they will use their success and influence to help others in their community the same way I tried to do when I met with them.”

Black History Prospers Throughout School History

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
March 11, 2018
Senior Chris Narishkin live-streams basketball game. Games can last up to four hours at a time. “As a camera man, it is my job to never miss the action during this time period,” Narishkin said.

Longhorns Sports Production takes their skills to the next level

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 26, 2018
Senior Scott Hardy makes adjustments to his robot. Prior to their confrontation at state, the team was meeting up after school everyday. “It’s a tad disappointing that we didn’t get first,” Hardy said. “But considering the degree to what that we worked with and considering we went as far in the first place, I’m actually proud of myself [and] the team, especially some people on there and really how much work we put into it.”

Robotics team competes at state

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 25, 2018
Senior Jacob Brauner attempts to pin his opponent from Parkway South. In the end, Parkway South junior Connor Hale defeated Brauner in 2:29. “Even though I lost that round, the team still cheered me on as if I had won,” Brauner said.

Wrestling team succeeds with strong coaching

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
February 5, 2018
Standing at the Barclays Center, Marketing students wait to watch the New York Islanders game.“The hockey game was really fun. “I was a lot more into that than if we watched a Nets game,” Weber said.

DECA students travel to New York to pursue marketing

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor
November 15, 2017