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
Between lights, smoke and a captive audience of students, science teacher Joel Anderson conducts his annual Halloween show in class on Oct. 31. Anderson has performed the Halloween show every year for 27 years, since he started teaching in 1999. “[My favorite part about the show] is getting students excited about it and seeing their level of anticipation. After the students see it, they realize that [I] put a lot of time and effort into it,” Anderson said. “They also end up learning because I sneak some chemistry into the [show] as well. So, it’s a whole bunch wrapped up in a 15 or 20-minute package. It’s really scary.”

Photo of the Week – October 31

Maura Lottes, Social Media Manager • November 1, 2025

Supported by juniors Aiden Faber and Patrick May, junior Bryce Sanders lifts 315 pounds on a hex bar during strength and conditioning training for the upcoming basketball season. Sanders trained throughout the offseason alongside Faber and May to build their team bond before the winter season. “I lift four times a week to get ready for basketball season. I [need to] get my legs ready to jump high all the time. Plus, I’m an upperclassman now, so I’m [excited for] the season this year,” Sanders said.

Photo of the Week – Sept. 26

Noor Hacking, Staff Writer • September 26, 2025

Breaking through the pre-game Homecoming banner alongside his team, senior Mason Freund, wearing number 15, runs ahead across the field. Freund stepped into the role as one of the quarterbacks for the game against McCluer North on Sept. 12. “I needed to be the leader, and I wanted to be the leader in this situation. It all has to work together to win. You can’t just have one good player to win. You’ve got to have all 11 pieces work together,” Freund said.

Photo of the Week – Sept. 19

Maura Lottes, Social Media Manager • September 19, 2025

Covering second base, junior Ethan Brookshire attempts to tag out the runner on May 7 against Rockwood Summit. Following a successful doubleheader on April 18, Brookshire said he felt a spark throughout the team that kept them motivated. “It’s a very competitive schedule and team. We all work well together and push [each other] to become the best versions of ourselves we can be. It’s [a] really fast [game], so cooperation is important.” Brookshire said.

Photo of the Week – May 9

Maura Lottes, Social Media Manager • May 9, 2025

During Jazz Poetry Night on April 1, sophomore Yusra Khan performs her Program Oral Interpretation (POI) piece from Speech and Debate. For her POI piece, Khan spliced together different authors, poems and news articles into one cohesive story depicting Islamophobia in America. “This was my first time performing in front of a diverse crowd of Muslims and non-Muslims with my peers [and] teachers watching. I was surprised [with] the positive reaction I got afterwards; so many people [said] it resonated well. My biggest takeaway is to always represent and stand up for what you value and not care about the judgment of other people,” Khan said.

Photo of the Week – April 4

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • April 4, 2025

Blasting space aliens, senior Addison Merz battles against senior Anu Pidikiti at Dave & Buster’s. On March 12, while the rest of the school took either the pre-ACT or the ACT, the senior class spent the day eating a pancake breakfast, placing their handprints on the handwall and playing arcade games at Dave & Buster's. “I thought it was really fun and deserving. I mean I put in so much hard work these last four years, so I deserve a break, a reward for my hard work,” Merz said.

Photo of the Week – March 14

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • March 14, 2025

Putting in the work, junior Jannes Pöttker focuses on strengthening his back with TRX bands during Strength and Conditioning class. The class has helped many students like Pöttker enhance their athletic performance outside of school. “Right now I'm doing track and field, [and] I wanted to do sports during the school day and not just after. [Strength and Conditioning] is always [a] nice time with all the guys and I mean, you really get stronger,” Pöttker said.

Photo of the Week – March 7

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • March 7, 2025

Building the base, junior Zaid Aujaimy creates a zen garden in Ceramics on Feb. 25. Aujaimy learned about making plants and rocks out of clay and incorporated those into his garden. “The most significant lesson I learned in Ceramics was to be patient [and] gentle and [to] think about unique ways to approach things and use my resources. I enjoy [Ceramics] class because I can express my creativity. It's not like other classes where there's a specific way to do something. I can [go] about it however I want and make good art my own way,” Aujaimy said.

Photo of the Week – February 28

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • February 28, 2025

Locked in on the roll, freshman Angel Olvera Galan watches the die land on the table during a Dungeons and Dragons Club meeting on Feb. 21 in the library. Olvera Galan joined the club halfway through first semester and has participated in the club since. “If we all can get along together to do such a thing as playing a game together, then it proves the community at West is so friendly to each other,” Olvera Galan said. “Dungeons and Dragons helps me feel connected because I can find other people who have similar interests to mine and we can all connect [about the game].”

Photo of the Week – February 21

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • February 21, 2025

Hearing the bridge creak, Latin teacher Tom Herpel winces as he carefully stacks another book on top of a popsicle stick bridge during Latin 3 on Feb. 7. Within groups, students were randomly assigned different hierarchical roles of Ancient Roman construction workers and attempted to build bridges for their Roman Engineering unit. “I created this activity to showcase how certain [Romans] on a construction site would not talk to each other because they were higher or lower in society, and that creates problems when trying to create a final product. So then, after [the students’] bridges were done, we tested how strong they were. We slowly put more and more books onto the bridge to see when the bridge would break. And believe it or not, that bridge got to the point where someone actually sat on it,” Herpel said.

Photo of the Week – February 14

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • February 14, 2025

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