Ellie West, Staff Writer
Pronouns: she/her
I am a senior, and this is my second year on staff. As a new student, The Pathfinder has helped me break away from my shyness by feeding my ceaseless curiosity and introducing me to new people. It is this curiosity that I take the most pride in, as it has created in me a strong work ethic, a passion for learning and an open mind. Outside of school, I am often at the barn riding my horses, Scotchie and Gambler, and making memories with my friends. I find joy in spontaneity, in those rare moments of pure joy spent with my closest friends.
![Senior Luke Mathiesen portrays Benvolio for the first act of Romeo and Juliet in the "The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged." Mathiesen enjoyed getting into character as Benvolio, as he was able to be very overdramatic and silly. “The play in general was extremely fun,” Mathiesen said. “The name looks like something that’s boring but, even if you don’t understand Shakespeare, [I think] it’s the most fun thing ever.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/POW-900x611.jpg)
![Freshman Skyler Gulino and freshman Molly Bailey converse and laugh at their second lunch. Now that she has been in person for three months, Bailey is feeling more a part of West than she did last year. “In eighth grade, I was [a part of] the virtual Parkway West (middle school campus) program. I hadn’t actually and physically been in person since about November of 2019, my seventh grade [year],” Bailey said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/skyler-Bailey-900x629.jpg)
![Principal Jeremy Mitchell measures the distance between desks to aid in contact tracing. After measuring the desks, Mitchell gave the information to Assistant Principal Kate Piffel, who used seating charts to determine close contacts. “Dr. Mitchell measures the desks to see how far apart they are because if they are within six feet [there is a] 98% chance that those students are going to have to quarantine if they're that close to another student,” Piffel said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DSC_0011-900x600.jpg)
