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
Arms outstretched, senior drum major Dom Perez stands high above the ground while conducting the marching band during rehearsal. To improve his performance and gain confidence as a leader, Perez attended a specialized camp over the summer with drum majors around the country. “[Being the drum major,] has been the biggest step out of my comfort zone in my entire life. I'm constantly learning from the things I do and trying to be a better person, better leader [and] better musician every day. It's the very end of the season, and I've put so many hours into learning how to be a good leader and conductor, and all that has helped me have the best season I can. I feel like I've given it my absolute best all the way through,” Perez said.

Photo of the Week – October 18

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • October 18, 2024

Touching various chemicals to the flame of a Bunsen burner, junior Julia Kiffer discovers how electrons impact the color of fire. In this chemistry lab, Kiffer explored eight different chemicals as her lab partner junior Kate Hardy made observations on each flame’s color and duration. "[The lab] was a lot of fun. I like doing experiments [and seeing how] things happen. We were exciting electrons and depending on the chemical, the color of the fire was different. There was a teal green chemical that was super cool,” Kiffer said

Photo of the Week – October 11

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • October 11, 2024

Raising her club above her head after following through in her swing, senior Karry Nickel’s gaze follows her ball’s trajectory. On Oct. 1, the varsity girls’ golf team had their second-to-last tournament as well as their senior night, in which they celebrated Nickel with hand-drawn shirts, flowers, balloons and a cookie cake. “This is my first year on the golf team. I played golf when I was younger, so I decided to come back for my last year because I knew [it] was fun. [This tournament] was one of our last matches all playing together, and it was kind of sad. [But,] we got second place and I played pretty well. I parred the last two holes, so that was a highlight,” Nickel said.

Photo of the Week – October 4

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • October 4, 2024

Ready for the snap, senior Nicole Chocheva sets up to protect her quarterback as a part of the offensive line. Coming off of a win the previous year, the pressure was on to secure a back-to-back victory for the class of 2025. “I was scared because I didn't want to lose, but it was such a great experience. When we won, I was really excited, I was feeling hyped for myself and for the whole senior class — not only did we win Powderpuff, but we got those bragging rights. Fair and square,” Chocheva said.

Photo of the Week – September 27

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • September 30, 2024

Swinging his arms to maintain momentum, freshman Maxwell Rahm races at his first-ever meet, the 2024 Stan Nelson Invitational. At the meet, Rahm persevered and placed 10th overall. “My legs were really tired that race, and I didn't like my performance, but I am glad I medaled. We have a meet tomorrow and my main goal is to keep going, even [when] it's hard,” Rahm said.

Photo of the Week – September 20

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • September 20, 2024

Immersing himself in an astronomy experiment, junior Brady Moriarity discovers the various types of light present in his classroom. Just preceding the lab, he was introduced to the concept of light frequencies and the tools used to make them visible to the human eye. “I didn't know anything about light, so it was cool to see the different colors and bars of light. I like learning about space and astronomy; it's interesting how it's all pretty much endless,” Moriarity said.

Photo of the Week – September 13

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • September 13, 2024

Collecting drops of various chemicals, sophomore Avery Hermann prepares to catalyze a reaction in Honors Biology 1. To observe how heat can impact the germination of a seed, Hermann did background research on seven different liquids before experimenting with three of his options. “I liked seeing the chemical processes in person as opposed to videos or readings. It definitely amplified my learning experience [and] it was cool to [be able] to choose from the chemicals and hypothesize which [ones] worked best,” Hermann said.

Photo of the Week – September 6

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • September 6, 2024

Cheering front and center, senior Jacksen McNeal steps up to lead the student section during the first home football game of the season. As one of the seniors running the Parkway West superfan Instagram account, McNeal helped pick the tropical theme and promote the game online. “It was super fun having the microphone [and] leading the student section — I’ve been here for four years watching all the other seniors do it [and] now I’m a senior. Even though we didn't win, we were all hyped and supported the team,” McNeal said.

Photo of the Week – August 30

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • September 3, 2024

Raising his arms, sophomore Ryan Mues cheers loudly for West’s opening pep rally. During the grade level song competition, Mues stayed energetic despite not knowing the sophomores’ song. “I don’t listen to a lot of pop music, but I was really excited when we won. I was next to some of my friends, and we were just getting as loud as possible and trying to get hype. The school events are always a lot of fun, and I’m trying to get more involved [this year],” Mues said.

Photo of the Week – August 23

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief • August 23, 2024

Clapping to the beat, junior Maddy Tarter smiles while volunteering with Special Olympics in the gymnasium on Feb. 21. Special Olympics is an annual event in which high schoolers spend a day with athletes as they participate in activities such as basketball, face painting and hockey. “While we were walking around Victory Village, we went towards the DJ and made a dance circle. Eventually, all the students wanted to dance with each other,” Tarter said. “I definitely liked having the freedom to walk around and see everyone having fun, and also being able to interact with the athletes and buddies.”

Photo of the Week – February 23

Dana Zafarani, Photo of the Week Editor • February 23, 2024

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