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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

Sophomore Katharine Segrave suffers from chronic back issues like scoliosis, making it hard for her to carry heavy backpacks.

The Weight of the Classroom

Anjali Shah, Staff Writer May 23, 2017

With finals week upon us, textbooks, laptops and binders are just a few of the heavy items that spill out of backpacks as students stuff their bags to the brim. Despite the practicality of backpacks, they...

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

Every year, the entire student body congregates in the gym to celebrate the students that have achieved great things. We get out of class for a while, get to hear about students we might not know and generally...

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

One of the most influential factors in our high school experience is the teachers that we have throughout it. Teachers we don’t like can turn our love for a subject into hatred, and teachers who understand...

Last year’s Prom court pose for a picture after the King and Queen were named.

Prom in perspective

Carly Anderson, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief April 25, 2017

As Prom season arrives, juniors and seniors are planning the perfect promposals, picking out outfits and going about Prom court preparations… just like they did earlier this year for Homecoming. Homecoming...

With headphones in, student watches a YouTube video in class. A study by the University of Nebraska estimates that students spend up to 20 percent of class time on phones.

How to limit cell phone use in the classroom

Wonsang Lee, Staff Writer April 5, 2017
The only way to solve the cell phone distraction is by having teachers’ involvement, with more than a warning. To keep student use of phones under control, teachers should establish their own rules and punishments, as it gives both teachers and students a voice in creating the classroom cell phone rules.
Campaign signs for the upcoming Parkway school board election pile up along the side of Baxter road.

Meet the Parkway school board election candidates

Carly Anderson and Sabrina Bohn April 3, 2017

Three seats on Parkway’s school board of education are up for election on April 4, where two incumbents will be facing nine other candidates. The candidates include Debbie Hopper and Chris Jacob,...

Working on hands and knees, senior Sierra Garner works on a composition. "My style is sketch like with confident loose lines," Garner said.

A story only an artist can tell

Claire Smout, AWARDS COORDINATOR March 3, 2017

Papers and canvases stretched out in front of them, pencils and paints laid out on the the table, a quiet classroom full of other artists. This is the atmosphere where art students at West spend hours...

Jared Hardin and Michael Navazhylau record a promo video.

SPIRE students draw national attention

Gabriel Weber, Staff Writer February 27, 2017

Twenty-seven high school business students launched SPIRE, a digital marketing and creative services firm, which runs out of room 2312 through an international program called Virtual Enterprise International...

Freshman Gabriel Weber shreds a copy of the school's curriculum guide. "I was very stressed about next year and choosing my classes," Weber said.

Life decisions have no place with underclassmen

Maddie Hoffmann, Staff Writer February 15, 2017

For most, the biggest challenge of childhood is winning a game in gym class or trying the convince your teacher to give you extra recess. While middle school places more emphasis on academics, the future...

Students talk during a class discussion.

Common Ground kills class time

Nell Jaskowiak, OPINIONS AND ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR January 24, 2017
During the 2016-17 school year, there are 12 Common Ground days built into its schedule, taking away seven hours of class time.