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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

Hidden Corners: Uncovering the murals of West

Hidden Corners: Uncovering the murals of West

Sravya Reddy Guda, Staff Writer May 28, 2024

Parkway West High is home to countless students and nearly six decades' worth of history. While much of its history has been lost over time as students and teachers leave and move on to the next chapter...

Though the 13 year anticipation of graduation has finally culminated to its climax, the conflicted emotional baggage that comes along with it hasn’t settled down just yet. With one final summer left with the class of 2024, reminiscing in the good times, while making memories and preparing for the future, the tracks associated with the season are bound to become, in the words of singer-songwriter Dua Lipa, “Future Nostalgia.” So blast that song, scream that tune and anything else that’ll solidify the moments and memories made with the graduated seniors.

You’re gonna go far

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief May 20, 2024

This weekend, Parkway West said its final goodbye to the class of 2024. From entering high school as confused teenagers, navigating education through Zoom boxes and online learning, to exiting as mature,...

Before there was Apple Music or Spotify, there was the Sony Walkman. Now reduced to only the latter word, a Walkman was just a portable cassette player, but in the ‘90s, they were a vital accessory. The Sony Walkman was the first piece of music media to allow people to travel with their music.

30 years later: The albums of 1994

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer April 11, 2024

The music industry was forever altered in 1994 by a series of groundbreaking albums that emerged from various genres. It was a year marked by artistic innovation and genre-defining releases. From the gritty...

Putting stickers on guitars and equipment has been a popular style in the rock scene for decades. For female guitarists Nancy Wilson and Joan Jett, decorating their gear with stickers  helped promote their political and personal values.

Women who rock

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer March 12, 2024

For decades, women did not attempt to enter the rock scene because it was nearly impossible for their talent to be recognized. Nobody took women seriously or gave them credit, and they were often sexualized...

Delivering an alto saxophone solo, junior Dominic Perez performs at the Jazz Concert on Dec. 4, 2023. Perez is surrounded by his peers in West’s Jazz Band. “I try to make it a priority to not let other people change who I am,” Perez said. “I try to just be myself and not worry about what other people think of me," Perez said.

A lifelong journey

Sage Kelly, Staff Writer February 27, 2024

Eyes closed, a musician woos the crowd with his polished alto saxophone. Each note flows to the next smoother than a serene brook, guiding in the direction of improvement. The crowd can feel the notes,...

No matter the form of music —  vinyls, cassettes, CDs and playlists — anti-love songs have been apparent for decades. Whatever the genre or the context of the source material, when artists choose to be open about the realities of their relationships, it leads to vulnerability in their writing, ultimately, making timeless tracks.

Love bites

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer February 14, 2024

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, classic love songs — and way too many Taylor Swift songs — are plastered everywhere. For people in a relationship, the hallmark holiday is a sentimental...

A raised fist has been a staple piece for protests amongst the United States for decades. The forceful salute is intertwined with some of the most tumultuous events involving racism. A powerful medium that artists have used is music, which has been used to push back against the constant oppression that happens in society.

Honoring Black artists

Mikalah Owens, Staff Writer February 1, 2024

From jazz, blues, R&B and hip-hop, Black artists’ creativity and talent have heavily influenced the music industry. By bringing soul, rhythm and powerful storytelling to music, they broke racial...

 Students’ favorite songs from the Korean, Bengali, Vietnamese, Russian, Tamil and Farsi languages.

Six MORE songs for your international playlist

Sravya Reddy Guda, Staff Writer January 29, 2024

Cultural diversity traces its roots across West High, featuring students fluent in Korean to Bengali to Farsi. There is no shortage of foreign customs in the halls that surround us. With that, welcome...

To showcase the diversity of West High, six students come forward to share parts of their own culture with the school by sharing their favorite songs in Hindi, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish, Mandarin and Arabic.

Six songs for your international playlist

Sravya Reddy Guda, Staff Writer January 12, 2024

From Portuguese to Hindi to Mandarin, our community is filled with countless languages, each with its own culture just waiting to be shared. Through this series, featuring six students at a time, members...

“The best thing that you can do for yourself is dress the way you want, talk the way you want, and be as social as you possibly can. Just be as happy, positive, and expressive as possible, love each other, and be confident about that. [A way I express myself is through] art. I'm an artist in so many ways, I work with a bunch of different media. I write songs, I sing in a band, I play the bass, I just really love music. Every person is unique and can be an artist as long as they base their art around their experiences. [My art is about my] childhood, and social experiences [because] I know that can be a really big connector with people who have gone through things like that. I just really love being able to love [on] other people.” - Faith Kothe, 10

Faith Kothe

Britain O'Brien, CJ1 Writer November 30, 2023