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
Blending together a concoction for a science experiment, science teacher Joel Anderson scares his students by bringing excitement and thrill into his classroom for his annual Halloween show. It took about six weeks for Anderson to set up his classroom for the show. “It’s pure terror. I came up with this idea a couple decades ago to do something fun for Halloween. So I pretend to be this mad scientist [that creates] a Frankenstein-like creature [with the class], learning a little bit of science along the way and [then ending] with a laser show. It’s just for fun; entertainment value,” Anderson said.

Haunting highlights

Yein Ahn and Esta Kamau • November 1, 2024

Touching various chemicals to the flame of a Bunsen burner, junior Julia Kiffer discovers how electrons impact the color of fire. In this chemistry lab, Kiffer explored eight different chemicals as her lab partner junior Kate Hardy made observations on each flame’s color and duration. "[The lab] was a lot of fun. I like doing experiments [and seeing how] things happen. We were exciting electrons and depending on the chemical, the color of the fire was different. There was a teal green chemical that was super cool,” Kiffer said

Photo of the Week – October 11

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • October 11, 2024

Kickstarting a flame, sophomore Allison Rueschoff begins her lab experiment by inserting an element into a liquid in her Honors Chemistry class. Student scientists explained how elements can release photons within this experiment. “I liked getting out of worksheets and labs. This is one of the best experiments we do in this class,” Rueschoff said.

Photo of the Week – Sept. 15

Dana Zafarani, Photo of the Week Editor • September 15, 2023

Science teacher Amy Van Matre-Woodward stands in her classroom and smiles at the camera.

From molecules to maritozzi

Allison Rueschhoff, CJ1 Writer • May 26, 2023

With the fresh aroma of sesame seed bagels wafting through the kitchen air, science teacher Amy Van Matre-Woodward wakes up early Saturday morning to bake for her family. Outside of her teaching career,...

Carefully arranging chemicals with a pipet, senior Grant Meert works to identify unknown solutions in an AP Chemistry lab. After completing the AP Chemistry exam, Meert’s class participated in a lab competition to celebrate the end of the course. “It was very fun. It allowed me to relax and have a good time after a full year of busting my butt in that class. It was both relaxing and intense because [the] score we submitted determined the amount of extra credit points we were given,” Meert said.

Photo of the Week — May 12

Emily Early and Serena Liu • May 12, 2023

Learning the chemistry behind how popcorn pops, juniors Talie Seers and Nykira Johnson use a beaker clamp to shake a beaker full of popcorn kernels and cover the beaker with a sheet of mesh. The lab helped Seers better understand the kinetic molecular theory concept. “My favorite part [of the class] is how Mrs. Robert leads the class. We get to do labs pretty often which helps me understand the material more and it all ties into what we were learning,” Seers said. “The hardest part was being impatient and waiting for the popcorn to pop and see if we actually did [the lab] right.”

Photo of the Week – March 3

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • March 3, 2023

Adding a base to their acidic liquid to complete a titration, juniors Mazz Siddiqui and Sofia Wu successfully neutralized the liquid. They did the math to find the molarity of the mixture. “The labs were the most interesting [part of chemistry] because I stood up and did something innovative,” Wu said. “The math [was sometimes challenging because it] needed to be correct in a chain reaction; you needed the first question to be right to do the next one right.”

Photo of the Week – Feb. 10

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • February 10, 2023

Senior Alan Song (fourth from the left in the back row) poses for a picture with his peers at the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp. His stay included lectures, labs and problem-solving events guided by head mentor Joseph Houck, a chemistry professor at Penn State University. "We did a bit too many labs, but despite the challenge and the immense back pain I got from working all day, it was a great experience. I got to meet these incredibly hardworking and talented students and it left me feeling inspired," Song said.

Keeping his ion the prize

Audrey Ghosh, Opinions Editor • October 3, 2022

Entranced in an internet rabbit hole, 10-year-old Alan Song perused the pages of Wikipedia, exploring atomic orbitals, a chemistry topic he had recently discovered. Little did he know that seven years...

Lighting a potato chip on fire, junior Ulaa Kuziez completes a lab at home for Chemistry eLearning. Through combustion, students were able to measure temperature changes of different foods to determine their energy. “Completing the experiment at home was different than at school, but it was fun to create my own set up for the experiment,” Kuziez said.

Photo of the week – April 20

Michael Lolley, Staff Writer • April 24, 2020

While making s'mores during her Balancing Chemical Equations lab, junior Kyra DeBauch roasts a marshmallow. Chemistry students learned how to balance chemical equations through a visual experiment of making s'mores. “Being able to [make s'mores] piece by piece really helped me understand the curriculum,” DeBauch said. “I really think all of the kids in the class liked it because we were able to see what we were learning.”

Photo of the week- Dec. 10

Jacob Stanton, Staff Writer • December 13, 2019

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