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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

This is the first year that the Parkway West Science Olympiad team competed at regionals. Team member and junior Anish Jindal competed in several events including Chem Labs, Experimental Design and Geological Mapping, earning top five placements in several events. “Compared with some of the other academic competitions at West [that can be] difficult to figure out how to get better, [Science Olympiad] is a lot more inclusive, having a broad group of people with different specialties,” Jindal said.
The formula for victory
Yein Ahn, News Editor • March 5, 2025

From cracking forensic cases to engineering planes, the Parkway West Science Olympiad team put their science knowledge to the test on March 1...

Raising his arm for a high five, freshman Abram Brazier plays with Early Childhood Center students during his first visit of the semester. Brazier joined his assigned class during their designated outdoor time. “[Child Development] gives me experience with how to talk [to] kids. We read them a book so knowing how to talk to them [was helpful]. Most of the [preschoolers] just came right up to us [and] played around,” Brazier said.
From one classroom to another: A look inside Child Development’s curriculum
Payton Dean, Staff Writer • January 13, 2025

Laughter and screams echo as students thunder across the playground in a game of tag. Despite the large age gap between high schoolers and preschoolers,...

Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. "[The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jeff] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.
Competition for a cause: Social studies department marks success in Holiday Food Drive efforts
Risa Cidoni, Editor-in-Chief • December 19, 2024

When holiday spirit meets fierce competition, West High’s social studies department turns giving into a game. This year’s season of giving...

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Sophomore Trent Young and junior Jamaya Love rise to the stage and welcome the audience after superintendent Keith Marty introduces them. Principals John McCabe and Kate Piffel selected them to be emcees for the 2025 Spirit of Excellence ceremony. “It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you this evening. Each one of the recipients tonight has exceeded all academic expectations and should be celebrated,” Love said.
Living the dream
Sage Kelly, Staff Writer • March 6, 2025

On the floor of the stadium, a bubbling current floods into rows upon rows of chairs. Teachers and administrators lead their students to their...

Scrolling on eBay, sophomore Ryder Williams searches the app for different shoe styles. Williams credits the impact his completion of business and finance courses have had to gain his financial success, as well as his Personal Finance teacher, Andy Croley.  “Croley helped me a lot in getting to know more about profit and where to put the money. [He] also [taught me] how to store my money, ways to invest it [and] that I should always have emergency funds,” Williams said.
Managing finance and footwear
Payton Dean, Staff Writer • February 28, 2025

Math homework? Check. Vocabulary quiz? Done. Make $200? On it. Pulling out his laptop, sophomore Ryder Williams opens eBay and scrolls through...

Junior Neiyo Hagens sings into his microphone in his home studio. In his most recent album, “authentic words from the heart,” Hagens experimented with multiple different genres. “I’ve made both rap songs and melodic R&B songs in ‘authentic words from the heart,’” Hagens said.
Inside “authentic words from the heart”
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • February 25, 2025

“These are my authentic words straight from the heart,” sings junior Neiyo Hagens on the title  track of his latest project “authentic...

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As the digital age grows, so does the use of music streaming platforms which make music easier to access. But even with how popular many streaming platforms are, the payment of emerging artists who share their music has stayed below a liveable wage.
A digital age: Music streaming platforms are killing artists
Opal Kadam, Staff Writer • February 6, 2025

Apple Music. Deezer. Spotify. Tidal. YouTube Music. These are some of the most popular music streaming platforms in the 21st century, and rightfully...

Some of the most deadly instances of gun violence have occurred in schools, communities and other ‘safe spaces’ for students. These uncontrolled settings give way to the need for gun regulation, including background and mental health checks. “Gun control comes about with more laws, but there are a lot of guns out there that people could obtain illegally. What is a solution that would get the illegal guns off the street? We have yet to find [one],” social studies teacher Nancy Sachtlaben said.
Lives on the line: Gun violence’s impact on America
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • January 24, 2025

On Nov. 23, as Christian Brothers College junior Colin Brown and his father drove home from a hockey game on Interstate 55, a stray bullet hit...

The activewear brand Lululemon’s logo stands proudly in the store, inviting customers to explore the clothing line’s latest collections. On October 15, sophomore Jordan Jackson went to the store to buy a gift for her friend. “I had walked in and walked right out. Tell me why I was looking at their Belt Bags and it was almost $40,” Jackson said.
The Lululemon effect
Ayah Zayed, Staff Writer • January 22, 2025

These days, it seems like everyone wears some form of activewear in their daily wardrobe. But one fashion giant stands out beyond the rest: the...

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Red, white and blue, the American flag holds the values of our democracy. The fight that we once endured has returned, as student journalists and senior correspondents across the country are losing their voices due to government control. “[Are] the White House and [the] government limiting free speech [and] freedom of the press? Yes [they are],” chief communications officer of the Parkway School District and former journalist Elisa Tomich said.
The fight for the first: Protecting journalists across the country

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Jefferson’s...

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Sitting courtside and observing the game, basketball coach Rich Rogers tries to help his team win in any way he can. Rogers has coached all levels of basketball at Parkway West for over 57 years and still has maintained a constant level of dedication and focus throughout his career. “If you're going to play basketball, you have to be willing to work as hard as possible and be ready for things to go wrong,” Rogers said.
A legacy of leadership and excellence in sports
Owen Ulmer, Staff Writer • February 18, 2025

57 years ago, Parkway West opened, but there has been one constant figure in it other than the building: basketball coach Rich Rogers. Coaching...

Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.
Ultimate spirit
Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • December 11, 2024

Every year, on the first Saturday of December, ultimate frisbee players, or flying disc enthusiasts, around the globe come together to celebrate...

Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.
Kicking off
Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Sports/Newsletter Editor • October 31, 2024

Friday night lights sparkling bright, senior Josie Grunzinger lined up with the field goal. Her foot swung into the ball, sending it spiraling...

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A&E
Standing in front of a Buick Grand National Experimental, rapper Kendrick Lamar appears on the cover of his album “GNX.” The album references and builds upon Lamar’s spring 2024 rap battle against fellow rapper Drake and set the stage for Lamar’s performance at Super Bowl LIX.
The count of Compton
Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor • February 13, 2025

Reincarnated The story of titular protagonist Edmond Dantes in Alexander Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo” may sound familiar. In Dumas’...

Sixpence None The Richer guitarist Matt Slocum met vocalist Leigh Nash in New Braunfels, Texas. Their new EP, “Rosemary Hill,” is named after the street Slocum grew up on and takes inspiration from his and Nash’s childhoods.
Return to roots
Will Gonsior, Opinions/A&E Editor • October 23, 2024

When guitarist and lyricist Matt Slocum, singer Leigh Nash, drummer Dale Baker and bassist Justin Cary named their Christian alt-rock band after...

Behind the lens
Behind the lens
Esta Kamau, Features/Humans of West Editor • October 11, 2024

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2025 Senior send-off map
2025 Senior send-off map
Cindy Phung and Risa Cidoni January 21, 2025

As 2025 begins, the last stages of the formative four-year journey through high school quickly approaches for the students in the Class of 2025....