- June 5On to the next
- May 22The fun in finance
- May 22Photo of the Week - May 22
- May 22Spring in action: A look into West's 2026 spring sports season
- May 21French en route
- May 19Sarah Johnson
- May 19Crime, class and consequence
- May 18Athletes of West - Alexander Berryhill
- May 15What Happens Next
- May 15An empty table
![Continuing their story, juniors Emma Pence, Chloe Stillman and Ruthie Vierling participate in an activity at a Spanish Club meeting Jan. 24. Club members added one sentence in Spanish before passing the paper onto the next student. "Chloe Stillman had some really creative ideas about Harry Styles concerts. She's just hilarious, and I love being around her," Vierling said. "[I think it is] important to experience other cultures and step out of your own comfort zone because you have to not understand it at first to understand it."](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DSC_0305-900x600.jpg)
![Reviewing notes, junior Kathryn McAuliffe prepares for the Greater St. Louis Speech Association Workshop Aug. 24. She finished ninth in Internal Extemporaneous Speaking at the 2019 NSDA Eastern Missouri District Tournament. “I've always prepared [for tournaments] knowing this bias is something I've had to deal with. Public speaking-wise, I always make sure I'm not loud when I speak, that I'm always controlled in what I'm saying so that I look very poised,” McAuliffe said. “That pays off so your judge isn't judging you for being too passionate, and they can't say that you're outrageous in what you're saying.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DSC_0030-1-900x600.jpg)
![Before the first round of the tournament, junior Grace O’Connor rehearses her Program Oral Interpretation (POI) performance at the Randy Pierce Winter Classic at Pattonville High School Dec. 7, 2018. Competitors create a performance using various published works of prose, poetry and drama around a central theme. “It hurts when people don't listen to your piece because you spend so much time working on it, and you do really pour your heart into it,” O’Connor said. “When people dismiss it simply because of your gender, it's so heartbreaking and for a lot of people it's not worth it [to continue competing]. It's not worth the emotional labor and the aspects of just not being heard because of what you look like or what your gender is.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DSC_0008-900x600.jpg)
![Using only string to stack cups, Spark! students and seniors Christian Hopkins, Ryan Mendonsa, Matthew Weitekamp, Rachel Fleming and Parkway Central senior Sophia Chelist complete a group bonding activity. The program allows students from all four Parkway high schools to explore various career paths of interest in lieu of taking three on-campus courses. “It's nice to leave the traditional day and go [to Spark!]. It's not a typical classroom setting, it helps you to learn about the real world,” Fleming said. “[Spark! has helped me] see if teaching is what I want to do when I'm older, if I actually enjoy it or not before I go spend money on it in college.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20190816_133951-900x675.jpg)
![11:56 a.m.
Conversing with classmates, sophomores Fatima Shabab and Josh Rushing participate in a speed dating activity during their AP World History class. Teacher Kristen Collins (not pictured) assigned each student a historical figure to research and portray. “Suleiman the Magnificent was mine. My favorite part of the assignment was being able to dress up like the figure,” Rushing said. “[Creative projects] are a lot more enjoyable, because you have more control over how you tackle it.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/DSC_0010-900x600.jpg)
![Scaling a fence while handcuffed, sophomore Arden Dickson and senior Hayden Riehl perform a scene from "The 39 Steps." Among the characters Riehl portrays is Richard Hannay, a British man attempting to hide from law enforcement after being accused of murder. “[Hannay is] this really high energy, ‘stick-in-the-mud’ type character,” Riehl said. “He is super exhausting to play because of all the running I do, but he’s just got a really fun properness to him that completely contradicts all the wildness around him.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Hayden-and-Arden-rehearsal-900x615.jpg)
![With a trophy in hand, speech and debate coach Cara Borgsmiller congratulates senior Cheryl Ma. She alongside fellow senior Ryan O'Connor qualified for the 2018 National Speech & Debate Tournament in public forum debate after going undefeated at the Eastern Missouri district tournament. “It was really exciting. It was different than it is for most people because Ryan and I were undefeated the whole tournament, so they decided [we qualified] automatically even before the actual awards were announced since we were the only undefeated team,” Ma said. “We found out before the actual awards ceremony, so it relieved a lot of pressure because usually people are very anxious during awards.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/DSC_0408-900x600.jpg)
![With a violin cradled in his arms, junior Jason Wan performs at a fall orchestra concert. Wan, who practices violin for roughly an hour a day, was selected to participate in the All-State orchestra at the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) conference. “Every year you go to Mizzou and there’s a lot of people that audition so you have to stay there for a couple hours,” Wan said. “[At the conference] you rehearse for six to eight hours a day and then you perform on the last day. Some people practice their music before they get there.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/IMG_0154-900x600.jpg)
