![English teacher Leslie Lindsey smiles for a photo behind her desk. Growing up, Lindsey participated in many things outdoors, learning life skills that she still uses today. “I loved fishing and was never grossed out by it. I could get my hands dirty and spend time outside; even when it was cold, I didn't care. Fishing takes a lot of patience, and that is [now] a virtue of mine because I have great patience that translates into my classroom,” Lindsey said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_6632-1-e1712758336310-1200x983.jpeg)
![Business and personal finance teacher Evan Stern stands in front of his classroom. After facing hardships growing up, Stern learned how to deal with them with the help of role models like his dad. “We dealt with some trauma when I was in middle school, and my dad had to be responsible for all three of us while he was working full-time. I know he had to sacrifice a lot. I'm sure it was really hard for him, but looking back on it, he did a really good job . I didn't appreciate everything that he did at the time because I was so young. Now, I'm engaged and probably going to have kids of my own in the next couple of years so I [am starting] to look at things differently,” Stern said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-7-1200x900.jpg)
![Art teacher Katy Mangrich sits in her classroom, smiling for a picture. During her time in high school, Mangrich learned several lessons that she now passes on to her son. “The biggest life lesson that I learned is honesty. I wouldn't say I was the best teenager, but I learned very quickly in high school to always be forthcoming and honest with my parents because it always ended up serving me better in the long run. [My parents] might have been upset with me [and the mistake I made], but I wasn't going down the rabbit hole of a lie because that was just going to get me into more trouble,” Mangrich said. “I passed [that lesson] along to my nephew. Honesty is always your best approach; just don’t lie. I say that to my son all the time. There's no advantage to lying, [and] that's a huge takeaway [from] how my parents raised me.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Screenshot-2024-01-26-10.10.12-AM.png)
![Social studies teacher Aaron Bashirian smiles in front of his classroom. Bashirian didn’t know he wanted to be a teacher from early on, but he found the choice to be a good one. “I started [teaching] because there was an opportunity for me to experiment with it. Fortunately, [teaching] was a good choice. In 2012, I became a teacher at Parkway at the Alternative Discipline Center, which is where they send suspended kids to keep being educated if they choose. I spent six years there and then I got drafted to West, [where] I've been for about six years,” Bashirian said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Untitled-35-1200x800.jpg)
![Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Katie Hashley stands beside a plate of cookies in front of her kitchen. Hashley wanted to be a teacher from an early age, but worked 10 years in the restaurant industry before she pursued the career. “I started imagining being a teacher when I was in third grade. At that time, I wanted to teach elementary school, but as I got older and matured and thought more about my career, I realized that wasn't the group that I would work best with. I went back and forth in college on what I wanted to do, and in the end, I [knew] high school was it for me. I also worked in restaurants for 10 years so [teaching] Culinary Arts was a natural transition [from] that,” Hashley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-25-1200x800.jpg)
![English teacher Andria Benmuvhar stands in front of the bookshelves in her English classroom. After experiencing great sacrifices by her parents for her well-being, Benmuvhar gained an appreciation for her childhood. “Neither of my parents had a college degree. They were not making that much money, but they still found a way to send me to a private high school. At the time, [it] was nowhere near how much it costs today, but it was still a sacrifice. My dad would [also] take us out and we would do all of these [fun] things. It wasn't until later when I realized how much debt my father was in. When he got his pension, he literally kissed all of his credit card bills. He kissed the envelopes to send off all the debt,” Benmuvhar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-19-1200x800.jpg)
![Math teacher Kristen Judd smiles in front of her classroom. From a young age, Judd was motivated to become a teacher. “My parents were very against [me being a teacher]. I was a straight-A student and they thought that teaching was a waste of talent, so I actually started pre-med at Saint Louis University. Then, I found my own voice at the end of my freshman year. I said, ‘No. I know what I want to do. I really want to be a teacher,’ [and] I switched majors and switched schools,” Judd said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Untitled-8-1200x800.jpg)
![Mid-air, junior Donovan Qualls leaps for the soccer ball during the varsity game against Ladue on Oct. 21. As the goalie, Qualls focused on keeping the ball away from the box and the back of the net. “[Being a goalie] is pretty tough. You have to be the commander of the team in your box, step up for your team, be loud, and have a lot of communication. Once you do it for a while, it gets fun. I really enjoy being the backbone of my team,” Qualls said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC7136-Enhanced-NR-1200x798.jpg)
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