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
Senior Thalea Afentoullis backs her car into the senior parking lot. Though Afentoullis has two years of driving experience under her belt, she often feels concerned about her safety in the school zone. “From my experience, whenever I try to get down to the pit, [the junior parking lot], after school, I have to be very conscious. [Students] whip [their cars] out of their spots. The school could do a much better job by separating the timings at which students can leave because most [car crashes] happen after school when everyone’s rushing to get out of the line,” Afentoullis said.

Driving towards safety

Ruthvi Tadakamalla, Editor-In-Chief • April 26, 2024

Hundreds of cars and students bustle out of the school as the day ends. Cars are bumper to bumper as each driver rushes to leave. Suddenly, there’s a thud and a bang, and junior Ava McLeod’s rear bumper...

On Dec. 21, the day before students went on winter break, the Parkway School District put in place new signs displaying classroom room numbers. The signs were installed as a safety measure for first responders to locate emergencies around the school. “It makes it a lot easier and universal for people to understand the location of students and staff,” Sophomore Principal Jamaal Heavens said.

A path to safety

Samari Sanders, Staff Writer • January 5, 2024

On Dec. 21, the Parkway School District set up new classroom number signs that would be more visible to first responders. In previous years, room numbers were placed flat on the walls near each classroom,...

A Code Yellow occured during the first week of school on August 23. The school was put on lockdown and precautions were taken, such as getting the bomb squad to search the building. “You can't play anything cheap. You have to investigate everything. That's why we took the steps,” Building Officer Matt Paubel said.

The Code Yellow crisis

Keira Lang and Zoya Hasan • September 19, 2023

On Wednesday, Aug. 23, a Code Yellow was triggered by a bomb threat from an anonymous caller. During this time, no one was able to enter or leave campus — everyone in the school was confined to their...

On March 27, five Parkway high schools received phone calls about active shooters in the buildings. After bringing panic to families and friends, these calls were discovered false, another swatting incident in the “trend” sweeping the nation. However, these threats have posed serious questions about keeping our schools safe in the modern age.

Swatting Speculation: how can we protect our schools from threats?

Pathfinder Editorial Board • April 28, 2023

They say it will never happen to us. Our fears are silenced; worries reassured. But they have scared us from turning our backs in an open room. A loud pop echoes through the halls but is never addressed....

Walking into school, senior Graci Badami talks with her friends. Badami drives to and from school and faces the long lines and faults of school traffic. “[It makes me] kind of angry, because if people don’t let you out, you’re there for at least another 20 minutes. You either get out or you don’t, it’s a big issue,” Badami said.

Troubles with traffic and problematic parking

Emily Early, Editor-in-Chief • December 9, 2021

It’s 2:00 p.m. and the line to get into the school is backed up to the light. Drivers sit in formation, waiting for students to rush out of the doors at the 2:30 p.m. bell. A split in the road filters...