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
Manning the check-in table with junior and fellow National Honors Society (NHS) member Rachel Livak, senior and President of NHS Nikita Bhaskar, prepare for more incoming blood donors. This was Bhaskar’s first time donating blood. “When I signed up, I was excited to be able to donate blood. But, the day of, I was getting more nervous as my time slot came. But, all the volunteers and my friends were supportive and keeping everyone distracted, so it was really easy [and] painless,” Bhaskar said.

A Blood Drive Not in Vein

Grace Loethen, Staff Writer • April 13, 2023

With Bad Blood by Taylor Swift playing from English teacher Erin Fluchel’s blood playlist, about 63 students and a few adults lined up to donate blood. Students were patient as they awaited their turn...

After three months of preparation for the first annual blood drive, National Honor Society (NHS) President and senior Nikita Bhaskar lays in one of the stretchers holding senior Jame Wild’s hand as she donates blood. The blood drive gathered 61 bags of blood to donate to ImpactLife. “I loved seeing the NHS volunteers shine. Katie Jauss, Jame Wild and [senior] Adam Lancia choreographed dances to perform in front of the donors to distract them, and it genuinely brightened the event. They let their personalities shine to help others, and I felt that's what NHS is all about. It was inspiring to see,” Bhaskar said. “Knowing that I could save three lives by donating a pint of my blood made it a no-brainer; donating was an easy choice."

Photo of the Week – March 31

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • March 31, 2023

NHS members wear red to support and promote blood donations. NHS sponsor and English teacher Erin Fluchel helped student members organize the event. “[Donating blood] is a really small thing that can make a big difference. It can impact people that you don't necessarily know. You don't see the immediate impact, but it can be really powerful,” Fluchel said.

NHS hosts blood drive to aid St. Louis community

Ashlyn Gillespie, Deputy Managing Editor-in-Chief • March 6, 2023

People’s rationale for donating blood varies: they think it’s the right thing to do, as a means to get out of class, their parents made the suggestion or they have seen the direct impacts. ImpactLife...

English teacher Erin Fluchel places Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” back on her bookshelf. While some staff members were concerned it might cause legal troubles because it contains a sketch of a naked woman’s chest, the district ultimately determined it was not offensive. “Some of these pieces are really powerful, important pieces of dystopian literature that deserve to stay. I think [the book] provides students with a different perspective that kids should be able to access,” Fluchel said.

New Missouri law bans schools from providing “explicit sexual content”

Audrey Ghosh, Opinions Editor • August 30, 2022

On account of a new Missouri law, school librarians and teachers have removed certain content from the bookshelves that was previously available to students. Passed Aug. 28, Senate Bill 775 modifies state...

"I think a lot of people look at a school like Parkway West and they think like, oh my gosh, these kids. They come from this affluent community and that’s not always the case. I think I even had trouble coming to West. I taught at a more impoverished school my first year teaching and I was like, I don’t know if I should leave these kids and the more time I spend at West, the more I realized that even kids who have a lot of advantages– they might not need as much help reaching like their academic potential, but you know, a lot of them just need love and confidence-building and having adults care about them. That gives me purpose." – Erin Fluchel, English teacher

Erin Fluchel

Dee Tummala, CJ1 Writer • April 22, 2022

English teacher Erin Fluchel poses with the camera she uses during sessions. Fluchel experimented with other types of photography but decided that she preferred family moments most. “[Photographing a wedding] was stressful. It was a long day that I was away from my kids. I felt like I was capturing more of the stage moments and not the spontaneous stuff that I love doing. I'm glad that I tried these things, but it wasn't for me. Again, it was less about connection and more about getting perfect things,” Fluchel said.

Snapshots of life

Addie Gleason, Managing Editor-in-Chief • March 31, 2022

Looking through her camera viewfinder, English teacher Erin Fluchel waits for the right moment to capture. The camera lens follows a child splashing in a creek; the parents watch from afar. Click. The...

The stories of student cadet teachers assisting in classrooms.

Cadet teachers reporting for duty

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • May 27, 2021

Able to complete administrative tasks like collecting materials, grading papers and passing out books, student cadet teachers gain experience teaching first-hand without the responsibility of teaching....

Annotating her copy of the short story, sophomore Zeina Daboul works on her assignment. Daboul found the parallels between the story and modern times interesting. “When you look deeper [into the story], you can see that it reflects our society, in ways that you wouldn't think a story written in 1842 would,” Daboul said.

English students compare the ‘Red Death’ to the coronavirus

Leah Schroeder, Managing Editor-in-Chief • April 13, 2020

Making connections between the past and modern times, English teacher Erin Fluchel’s students compare Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Masque of the Red Death,” to the current Coronavirus pandemic. Offered...

Competing in a Great Gatsby themed Trivia Crack game, juniors Acadia Vance and Karen Trevor-Roberts respond to a question regarding chapter five in English III teacher Erin Fluchel’s class. The game, coded by senior Ronik Bhaskar, was created as a fun way to discuss and analyze the book. “It helped me study a lot and it was a lot of fun,” Trevor-Roberts said. “It was engaging because we got to write the questions, and playing the game helped us dive deeper into the book.”

Senior Ronik Bhaskar codes Trivia Crack game for Erin Fluchel’s English III class

Paige Matthys-Pearce, Staff Writer • April 2, 2020

Whiteboards shooting up, discussion clamoring and competition raging, juniors in English III teacher Erin Fluchel’s class play a Trivia Crack-inspired game coded by senior Ronik Bhaskar to discuss chapters...

Speaking into the microphone, senior Taylor Fisher reads a poem written by the African American Literature class. Fisher emphasized her cultural pride. “We love our skin, and we love what we do. We’re very powerful,” Fisher said.

“Let them Know”: ASAP club uses read-in to inform about African American culture

Leah Schroeder and Mira Nalbandian • February 12, 2020

Eyes glued to senior Taylor Fisher as she reads a poem, students and staff gather in the library. The powerful words of poems written by African Americans echo throughout the room.  The African American...

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