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
Junior Krish Baghat and seniors Camilla Mantilla, Allie Byergo and Ella Carver took home the prize for their business, Icona Apparel. Byergo placed first in the annual Spark! competition, winning $350. “Pitch competitions have benefited me by forcing me to think critically, take critiques and practice public speaking. These events also encourage our team to stay organized, as we must be able to present our business model to judges effectively,” Byergo said. Photo by Xanthe Meyer

Spark!: an early start on work experience

Makinsey Drake, Staff Writer • May 17, 2023

A spark from an Experiential Learning Task Force in 2014 lit the fire for a new learning opportunity for students. Director of Choice Programs Jennifer Stanfill joined a group of teachers, community members,...

2023 seniors interviewed about their first high school crush.

2023 seniors confess their first high school crush

Kelsea Wilson, Thalea Afentoullis, and Dana Zafarani • May 12, 2023

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...

After hearing that the King of Hearts dance got canceled, Student Body President senior Esha Francis immediately turned her car around and returned to school in search of a solution. After staying in constant communication with the rest of the LoCo Executive Board, Francis met with Principal John McCabe to reinstate the dance. “This year, McCabe and our student council have been more in touch than in previous years. I feel like there's a greater trust there. He told us that he knows that we can do it and that we're capable. We've put things together last minute for our school before, and he knew that we could do it. McCabe and I have a good professional relationship, we have a better connection, and we're on the same page about a lot of things, so I don't always have to go to the local sponsors to get things done. It's great that I have a direct connection to him - we can get things done within a day,” Francis said.

Save the last dance

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief • January 20, 2023

On Monday, Jan. 9, freshmen parents received an email from the administration notifying them that the King of Hearts (KOH) dance would be canceled. KOH, a biennial winter dance thrown by Longhorn Council...

Celebrating the 2021 Fall Pep Assembly, seniors Esha Franics and Maya Malhorta dress in spirit colors red, white and blue. The duo worked on planning the Homecoming assembly, parade and Powder Puff game. “I'm more in charge of the parade and the floats. Esha is more in charge of the pep assembly and Powder Puff,” senior Maya Malhorta said. “There’s a lot of things to do behind the scenes, especially picking [main] theme and planning all of the spirit day themes, but it is a lot of fun. I picked disco [for the class theme] because I think it would be the most fun. I am disappointed the teachers didn’t get rock; I was hoping they would.”

Longhorn Council shares their pride, passion and plans

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • September 23, 2022

The Longhorn Council is a team of high school students who plan activities like Homecoming, spirit week, prom, pep assemblies and other school events. The executive board is a smaller group of students...

Homecoming on tour

Homecoming on tour

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • September 16, 2022

It’s that time of year again — homecoming. Students are planning their outfits, picking their dresses and preparing for another great season. Longhorn Council has been working overtime to bring you...

Staying six feet apart, senior Laura Young collaborates with fellow teammates in order to run a smooth and efficient tournament. Young was part of the several students selected by Borgsmiller to go to the library and run the online tournament in-person. “While it made communication harder, it was really nice to be able to see my teammates, even from a distance,” Young said.

Speech and Debate team host Parkway’s first online debate tournament

Thomas Bruns, Opinions/A&E editor • December 10, 2020

Switching from running around rooms, to managing Zooms, the debate team made history by hosting Eastern Missouri’s biggest debate tournament, Oct. 6-7. Led by head coach and debate teacher Cara Borgsmiller,...

Wearing gloves and a mask, sophomore Nikita Bhaskar prepares sandwiches for the Hindu Temple of St. Louis. This was Bhaskar’s first time volunteering. “I felt really accomplished,” Bhaskar said. “I think it’s important to volunteer because we worry about ourselves 24 hours a day, so volunteering gives us an opportunity to step back and spend our time thinking about someone else instead.”

Students give back to the community

Hannah Choi, Staff Writer • September 25, 2020

After realizing the impact of the pandemic, some students used their time off during the summer to volunteer for organizations supporting people in need.  In order to be safe, sophomore Nikita Bhaskar...