- June 5On to the next
- May 22The fun in finance
- May 22Photo of the Week - May 22
- May 22Spring in action: A look into West's 2026 spring sports season
- May 21French en route
- May 19Sarah Johnson
- May 19Crime, class and consequence
- May 18Athletes of West - Alexander Berryhill
- May 15What Happens Next
- May 15An empty table
![Students at West High and beyond have shown their commitment to act for change, rather than remaining as passive observers. Yet, along with student activism, the student journalists covering these controversial issues have faced censorship from the government and other institutions. Pathfinder continues to strive to report on difficult topics and provide a platform of information and conversation at Parkway West. Journalism adviser Lindsey Katz teaches about the First Amendment and the rights of student journalists as one of the lessons in Convergence Journalism 1. “Out of all the things we learn in journalism, the takeaway that I want journalists to walk away with the most is having a true understanding of their rights as citizens and their rights as student journalists. By studying the First Amendment, media law and students’ rights, [journalists can] build foundational knowledge of why we do what we do,” Katz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/feb-2026-feature-1200x678.png)
![”High school so far has been fun. It's not as stressful and I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. My favorite part about high school so far has been journalism. I like journalism because it gives you the freedom to use your strengths in different ways. I also enjoy algebra. Not a lot of people like math, but I find it really fun. I have a really good teacher and I think that helps a lot with liking a class. I play golf, soccer, and volleyball. Soccer probably [means the most] because I've played it for a very long time. [It is special] because I can relate to people in my family. My brother plays soccer, my dad used to play and it's fun for the whole family to go watch it or play it together. Something that's important to me is getting good grades because I want to go to college. I want to have the best grades that I can [have] so I can set myself up for success. As of right now, I want to be some sort of photographer. Right now I'm really into concert photography [because] it looks really fun. Photography is special to me because you just get to capture moments in time and you can share things that people don’t get to see.” - Laney Thomas, 9](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-9-1200x800.jpg)
![DECA students (left) stand shoulder to shoulder, wearing their blazers. Meanwhile, band students (center) pose before “The Bean”and journalism students (right) show off an award from their conference in San Francisco. “It was a lot of fun because we were a small group, which meant we had a lot of say in decisions of where we eat and go to do stuff,” junior and DECA competitor Suraiya Saroar said. (graphic made by Claire Creely, photo by Kelly Kennedy [left], photo by Lacy Roberts [middle], and photo by Debra Klevens [right])](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2023-05-08-at-11.20.05-AM-900x498.png)
![Popping balloons as fast as she can, junior Sakenah Lajkem participates in a group bonding activity in her Convergence Journalism 1 class. Students were divided into groups where one student wore a onesie, and the balance of the group had five minutes to fill the suits with balloons. “Mrs. Klevens said there are a lot of different ways to do things,” Lajkem said. “I realized different groups have different strategies, which was surprising. [Freshman] Kennedy [Hodge] suggested that one person blow up the balloons and the other ties and the other stuffed the suit. [This activity taught me how to] problem solve and that there are many different ways to do things,” Lajkem said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/POW-2-900x600.jpg)
![Starting at her grid paper, freshman Nola Becquette tries to recreate a spread from another school’s yearbook using Cheez Its, graham cracker, Airheads, Twizzlers, Hershey kisses and Kit Kats. After watching the Pica King video, students applied the skills they learned before getting on to computers to create their own designs. “I definitely got an understanding because before then I didn’t know how to [create a spread]. But now that I have more experience, I finally feel like I can get the hang of it,” Becquette said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/pow1_27-edit.png)
![The narrow lens contrasts with a diverse reality; whitewashing means altering or concealing something to make it more appealing to white people. The word “whitewashed” as it is used today has caused identity crises for thousands, if not millions, of students. “I have been called whitewashed before, and it feels very sad. [It’s] just hard because it makes me not know who I am. You don’t get a lot of backlash for [saying it], so I think it’s a throwaway term for people who aren’t affected by it. When you are the person [who] is being called whitewashed, over time, it builds up,” sophomore Raaga Golla said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_5740-1-300x200.jpg)
![Two of Pathfinder’s most recent editorial accolades shine on display in journalism teacher Lindsey Katz’s room. Pathfinder was recognized as a SNO Distinguished Site on April 24. “Praise isn’t everything, but it feels so nice to see the hard work of our staff recognized. So much more than just writing words on a page occurs [in journalism], and I am so glad people see that. I love being surrounded by such talented writers, but also such great people,” editor-in-chief and junior Payton Dean said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DSC_4941-300x200.jpg)
![There are more than 20 open cardio machines at Crunch Fitness. I enjoyed the spacious environment at Crunch, a sentiment that was shared by sophomore Sanjana Daggubati. “[Going to] Crunch Fitness was the right decision because [it] feels more professional. Crunch’s workers are laid back, but not to the point where they don't care,” Daggubati said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_5242-1-300x225.jpg)
![Setting up the activity for his first meeting, Financial Literacy Club founder and sophomore Yash Bandiananthaiah writes on the whiteboard. For the first meeting, Bandiananthaiah created an interactive experience for members to immerse themselves in. “To me, the most important thing during a meeting is to make sure we are all engaged and participating, and [I do this by] always making sure we have a hands-on activity,” Bandiananthaiah said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC5306-1200x798.jpg)
![Hand raised into the air, senior Lauren Anstrom watches as her graduation cap flies along with the caps of all her peers. Anstrom hopes to leave behind the legacy as someone who was kind, hardworking, and always supportive of others. “Tossing my graduation cap honestly felt surreal. In that moment, everything hit me at once with all the excitement, relief and a little sadness too. It felt really emotional [because] this was the end of such a big chapter of my life, but also exciting knowing that everyone was about to start a completely new journey,” Anstrom said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_3031-Enhanced-NR-2-1200x800.jpg)
![French teacher Blair Hopkins enters City Coffee & Creperie in Clayton, Mo. for breakfast with her Honors French 4 students and AP French 5 students. Both classes went on a field trip to a fair trade chocolate factory in St. Louis to begin their unit on Côte D’Ivoire, a major producer of cocoa beans. “My ideal school would just be the Magic School Bus — you would always learn about things by going someplace and learning hands-on, being able to see it yourself and asking people questions. I think [learning is] always so much more memorable if you can experience it firsthand,” Hopkins said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC2795-1200x798.jpg)