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
Standing in front of a crowd, senior Molly Glisson performs one of her five solos in the Jazz Choir concert April 25. Glisson performed in the Jazz Choir all four years and enjoyed hanging out with her team members outside of school. “Jazz is such a special genre to sing, and I enjoy[ed] doing it a lot. Being able to sing such a fun style with such fun people [was] my favorite part of being in this group,” Glisson said. “[Being a senior brought] a sentimental feeling [to the show] just because I have been singing so long, and it’s coming to an end so fast. I’m sad but also thankful for the opportunities I have gained from being in this group and the people I have met.”

Photo of the Week – April 28

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • April 28, 2023

Freshman Evelyn Fitzpatrick and sophomores Risa Cidoni and Hanna Wentzel work together in Honors Biology 2 to dissect owl pellets. Due to the nature of this hands-on experiment, Cidoni found herself weary at first but was still interested in learning how to dissect the pellets. “You had to literally touch the pellet and do stuff with it, and it was not as bad as you would think it would be. I think the lab was supposed to teach that you don’t have to be scared of dissecting something,” Cidoni said. “This lab was fun. It seemed scary, but it wasn’t as bad [as I imagined]. It was more hands-on than other labs, and that made it more enjoyable.”

Photo of the Week – April 21

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • April 21, 2023

In Fashion Merchandising on Tuesday, students worked on designing unique dresses for Barbie. After taking the Fashion and Apparel class, junior Alia Hammad found herself deeply interested in learning more about fashion and wanted to continue expanding her knowledge and practice. “It is a huge hobby for me,” Hammad said. “I designed this dress in pink because it was for a Barbie, and Barbie’s are always pink for me. [I wanted to make] a fancy design, so I added a bit of sparkle and made it off the shoulder.”

Photo of the Week – April 14

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • April 14, 2023

Wednesday and Thursday seniors gathered in the cafeteria to create the hand wall for 2023. Senior Joseph Britt removes his hand from the wall, leaving his mark amongst the other handprints of peers. “There’s that knowledge that we are passing down with our legacy. The hand wall is a visual representation of [our legacy] to show that we were here,” Britt said. “I remember voting [for the design] a while back and I liked the Monopoly board a lot. Seeing some of the other hand walls that are up there I like ours [the most].”

Photo of the Week – April 6

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • April 6, 2023

Using chalk to draw the atmospheric processes and effects of air pollution, senior Kaitlyn Barnes reflects on the lesson in AP Environmental Science on acid deposition cycles. The purpose of the activity was to help students visualize and better understand the cycle. “I like the environment, and I like learning about the environment. I want to minor in Environmental Science. It is just fun to learn. [The class] was not like Chemistry where I’ll probably never use [the content of the class] again, but this is useful to know,” Barnes said.

Photo of the Week – Feb. 16

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • February 16, 2023

Adding a base to their acidic liquid to complete a titration, juniors Mazz Siddiqui and Sofia Wu successfully neutralized the liquid. They did the math to find the molarity of the mixture. “The labs were the most interesting [part of chemistry] because I stood up and did something innovative,” Wu said. “The math [was sometimes challenging because it] needed to be correct in a chain reaction; you needed the first question to be right to do the next one right.”

Photo of the Week – Feb. 10

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • February 10, 2023

Fine-tuning his masterpiece, junior Jeff Bakers uses mineral spirits to help develop more detail in painting. Baker's favorite work from this semester was painting still-life objects including a chair, skates and fruit. “My teacher inspired me to do better because at first I wasn’t going to try in this class, but she influenced me to try harder [in my artwork],” Baker said. “This class was a lot harder, a lot more [work] than I expected.”

Photo of the Week – Dec. 9

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • December 9, 2022

During the 54th annual graduation commencement ceremony at St. Charles Family Arena, principal Jeremy Mitchell applauds cum laude students' academic achievement. Mitchell has been the principal at West High for the past 12 years and plans to retire after the 21-22 school year ends. “Kids are good. I get irritated by news reports and friends [who say,] ‘Oh, I couldn’t do it, how do you put up with those high schoolers?’ Are you kidding me? I mean, you guys are great. Anytime I doubt that something happens, and boom. So I think that's the lesson that has been verified and reinforced year after year,” Mitchell said. “It's fun because I have my own children, and when I'm with those kids, it's kind of the same thing. I just think the teenage years are really interesting. That's why I work here. I’ve been going to school since 1978, and it's just so fun to see the growth in students. So I think my life lesson is learned from that enjoyment.”

Photo of the Week – May 27

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • May 27, 2022

Dancing in the cafeteria, sophomore Dominic Lewarne freestyles during second lunch on Tuesday, May 10. Seniors lined the walls as Lewarne performed to “Skechers” by DripReport and Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” “I liked to dance because it was my favorite thing to do,” Lewarne said. “[Although] it was nerve-wrecking because there [was] a lot of people there, it was pretty fun [since] people were hyping me up.”

Photo of the Week — May 13

Kristen Skordos, Staff Writer • May 13, 2022

Working on a terrarium, sophomore Joe Cunningham studies ecology in Honors Biology 2 class. The students constructed the terrariums the class period before but spent the hour cleaning them before they sealed it. “I loved how [Mr. Cutelli] created engaging activities so we could learn the content without getting bored. Worksheets have a place in the classroom, but lessons that involve only worksheets tend to lead to less participation from the class,” Cunningham said.

Photo of the Week — May 6

Achyuta Ambal, Staff Writer • May 6, 2022

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