West High has the smallest black student population of all the Parkway District high schools at 11% of students — 5% lower than the district average, as recorded in Parkway’s Tableau Database. While...
Raj Jaladi, Newsletter Editor/Data Analyst
• April 14, 2023
Since its founding in 1968 as a student independent production, the Pathfinder has kept the West community up-to-date on current events and topics. In an attempt to learn about the readers of the Pathfinder,...
In August 2022, as part of a new law that banned "sexually explicit" content in schools, nearly 300 books were pulled off the shelves in Missouri. Across the nation, schools and districts everywhere went...
A fire alarm blares through the school hallways at 7:27 a.m. Students rush to grab their bags, belongings and friends. Hurried steps guide them through building doors. Assistant Principal Kate Piffel directs...
As health departments in Saint Louis City and County release COVID-19 data about cases and deaths relating to race and ethnicity, it has become clear that the burden of cases is falling heavily on communities...
Black History Month is celebrated every February as an homage to the contributions of African Americans who have shaped American history. This celebration was started in 1915 by historian Carter G. Woodson...
![Alongside club sponsors Andrea Horn and Tim Burkard, assistant principal Kate Piffel prompts a discussion at the first Black Student Union (BSU) meeting. She accepted suggestions for BSU from members like BSU Leader and junior Tanatswa Zirengani, who moved from Zimbabwe in 2021. “Moving here and transitioning into a new school [and] lifestyle, [BSU] became [a place] where I could be myself and talk about issues that I felt comfortable talking about back home. BSU [also] gave me the opportunity to venture into the post-high-school experience, telling me [some] things to expect,” Zirengani said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/DSC_0120-1-1200x800.jpg)
![The battle of ingratiating Black history into the mainstream has been arduous, especially with the media’s capitalization on villainizing Black history. Underneath this vilification lies a history that is abundant in culture and has impacted America more than it is typically credited with. “Representation is [a] really big [deal], and people want to do things that they can see themselves being represented in. I think that a lot of African Americans — and a lot of students in general — don’t know how rich the history of Black [people] is in America,” senior and Black Student Union president Lauren McLeod said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/vilificationofblackhistoryfeatured.png)
![Juniors Ben Livak and Emily McClurg sit on the track after the fire alarm went off. Because class had not yet started, students gathered on the football field in groups with friends. “I had to make sure I grabbed all my stuff because I didn’t know what was gonna happen. Class hadn’t even started [when] we started heading outside,” Livak said. “[The process of being led back] was actually really smooth. I saw a little confusion with people trying to go different directions, but [teachers] got it under control.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image1-900x675.jpg)
