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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

Behind the lens

Esta Kamau, Features/Humans of West Editor October 11, 2024

Acting under the spotlight, junior Jack Mullen and freshman Joe McCurdy perform an emotional father-to-son scene from “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” The cast members worked hard to master the accents of the characters of the original story, which takes place in England. “We started off with American accents and robotic lines and slowly morphed into a British wonderland full of different characters, accents, and cadences,” Mullen said. “It took a while and it was hard work, but the people around me are what helped.”

From page to stage: The Curious Incident comes to life

Keira Lang and Zoya Hasan March 4, 2024

From Feb. 23-24, the theater department produced and performed the adapted play, “The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time.” Based on the mystery novel by author Mark Haddon, the play follows...

Junior Esta Kamau and senior Natalie Lashly lean towards each other on stage while they sing, holding out white fans in front of them.

Scenes and songs

Serena Liu and Keira Lang January 4, 2024

Sophomore Kanya Livingston and junior Ash Herring sit on chairs on stage. Herring extends an arm, pretending to drive a car.

Getting wild at West: Running With Scissors presents its first show of the year

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief December 8, 2023

Making their audience laugh, cheer and laugh some more, Running With Scissors presented their Wild West improv show on Friday. The theatre sold 108 tickets to the event. “Everyone on the team worked...

Teachers recount where exactly they were during the 9/11 attacks, 22 years later.

Where were you during 9/11?

Sakenah Lajkem, Staff Writer September 11, 2023

On Sept. 11, 2001, four planes were hijacked and sent to crash into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the White House. While the White House was spared from the attack, the other two targets were hit,...

Fully running through “Pippin” for the first time, sophomore Jack Mullen performs the opening number alongside his castmates to kick off tech week. Having been diagnosed with COVID-19 one week before the show, theater teacher and Director Amie Gossett relied on her students to step up to help the show run smoothly in her absence. “As a whole, this has been a very collaborative experience for all the kids. They’ve learned to take responsibility [while] pushing themselves to keep the show going. [They learned] to believe themselves in stepping outside of their comfort zone and to push for what they want,” Gossett said.

Turmoil to triumph: the Parkway West Dramatics Company puts on a fiery show in “no time at all”

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief March 9, 2023

From a COVID-19 diagnosis to a broken wrist, the weeks before “Pippin” brought confusion, chaos and worry to the show’s cast and crew. So, how did the theater department transform turmoil into triumph? “Pippin,”...

The poster for Parkway West Dramatics Company's performance of "Silent Sky." Students in the cast and crew of the production rehearsed and worked for two months leading up to the performances. "Everybody in the cast and crew is challenged in some way [during the play], and being able to see the final product of [hard work] and having the audience watch it is so cool," theatre department teacher and play director Amie Gossett said.

The shining stars of ‘Silent Sky’

Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief October 31, 2022

A sparkling sky of stars lights the theater as a trilling piano melody ascends into the aisles of a dark theater, the spirit of anticipation and wonder imbuing a hushed crowd. Five actors, a director and...

Junior Aidan Ryan pretends to have a severed arm as a part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) disaster training simulations. The simulation’s goal was to test the volunteers’ ability to handle challenging injuries while minimizing mental trauma. “It was funny for me because I got to act panicked and really in shock. It was awesome having the trainees come over and absolutely panic at my situation. I liked having that injury and seeing the whole chaos unfold,” Ryan said.

Theater students help disaster response team with CERT training

Sarah Boland, Staff Writer May 26, 2022

Leaving a smear of fake blood behind her, junior Nicole Schade is thrown against a whiteboard. Schade volunteered in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program as she acted out an injury. CERT...

After a year of closed curtains, the Theater Department looks to get creative with performing.

The show must go on

Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief April 7, 2021

“A really long time ago, I realized that this is how it’s going to be—if it was for the safety of my peers and my family, then that’s how it was going to have to be, and I accepted that. But it...