![“I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to memorize the Quran — the holy book of Islam. It has 604 pages and 114 chapters. Memorizing the holy book has a strong significance in my religion and it is very rewarding. I recite it to this day to make sure I don’t forget it. I’m the co-founder and vice president of the Muslim Student Association [at our school]. It is a club formed to create a community for Muslim students here at West. I [moved] to West from an Islamic private school and homeschooling program, so I naturally yearned for that consolidated Muslim community at West when I joined in-person [school]. I got to know many Muslims at the school, but they were scattered. In Islam, forming an ummah (a muslim community) is very significant. However, when I first came to West, I saw that there was a population of Muslim [students], but they didn’t form one solid group. So, along with one of the new senior Muslim friends that I made, we took it upon ourselves to create a club forming a solid Muslim community, and it has been great. We’ve done volunteer opportunities, projects and even Islamic board games. It really has been such a fun experience that I want to keep up next year.” – Zahraa Sajid, 12](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/zahraasajid-900x600.jpg)
![Sophomore Rand Al-Hachami poses for a picture at school, donning her hijab and Zulfiqar sword necklace. Even though Islamophobia is very present, Al-Hachami says she has met a lot of positive reactions concerning her decision to start wearing hijab. “[Hijab symbolizes] positive character traits that Islam promotes, like dependability and honesty,” Al-Hachami said. “Wearing it has made me feel closer to my Muslim friends as well as to my religion in general.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/randfeaturedphoto-900x600.jpg)
“[This] season has been amazing so far. Most of the team has been playing together for over four years, so our chemistry is great, [and] I...
![After a thrilling point, senior Katie Byergo and junior Elle Lanferseick high-five each other on Oct. 8. With teamwork and camaraderie, Byergo worked together in the game against Lafayette High School. “[Byergo’s] is really positive with a good spirit,” Lanferseick said. “I set her [the ball] and she hits it [or] gets the kill.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_9349-1-e1761159125735-1200x791.jpg)
Shoes squeaking and eyes scanning the court, senior Katie Byergo smashes the volleyball into the court. Byergo earned her 1,000th kill of her...
![Sophomore Maryem Hidic signs up for an academic lab through Infinite Campus, a grading and scheduling software. Some students enjoyed selecting their responsive schedule in a method that was used school-wide last year. “I think it's more inconvenient now, because I can't change [my classes] the day of, if I have a big test coming and I forget about it, I can't change [my class],” sophomore Alisha Singh said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_0012-1200x801.jpg)
Kicking off the 2025-2026 school year, students were met with an unexpected change to the academic lab, a preset class period used for retakes,...