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
“In eighth grade, I took a video production class in which I learned the basics of video recording and photography. I just find it fascinating how, depending on how you look at things, or in a wide-angle position, it will look different to you. I also get inspired from seeing how great things look when you look at them from [different] perspectives. I couldn't help myself from just trying to find angles to make [where] if I were to take a picture, it would look really good. I think that's also how it started. The city can look pretty great if you take a look at it from an artistic view when taking pictures. If you find just the right angle in the city, you can make it look like it's a completely different place.” - Angel Olvera Galan, 9

Angel Olvera Galan

Charlie Brady, CJ1 Writer • October 10, 2024

”High school so far has been fun. It's not as stressful and I'm not as nervous as I thought I would be. My favorite part about high school so far has been journalism. I like journalism because it gives you the freedom to use your strengths in different ways. I also enjoy algebra. Not a lot of people like math, but I find it really fun. I have a really good teacher and I think that helps a lot with liking a class. I play golf, soccer, and volleyball. Soccer probably [means the most] because I've played it for a very long time. [It is special] because I can relate to people in my family. My brother plays soccer, my dad used to play and it's fun for the whole family to go watch it or play it together. Something that's important to me is getting good grades because I want to go to college. I want to have the best grades that I can [have] so I can set myself up for success. As of right now, I want to be some sort of photographer. Right now I'm really into concert photography [because] it looks really fun. Photography is special to me because you just get to capture moments in time and you can share things that people don’t get to see.” - Laney Thomas, 9

Laney Thomas

Ramielle Sanna, CJ1 Writer • December 1, 2023

“I'm interested in a career in photography. I plan on traveling, and I'd like to intern or shadow a photographer. There's a program I'm looking into where I would spend 12 weeks in Spain, and be able to see amazing sights and learn the language. I decided to take a gap year because I felt that going straight to college was not going to be beneficial for me and taking a year to figure out what I wanted to do. I was worried I was gonna regret it but I have been thinking about how to be more excited for it compared to nervous and worried. I think the more I plan, what I want to do, and thinking about all the cool trips I can go on, it makes me more excited compared to being nervous for a gap year.” -Anna Amato

Anna Amato

Mia Meert, CJ1 Writer • May 5, 2023

A woman points a camera at the viewer

Photography through a racial lens

Serena Liu, Editor-in-Chief • February 23, 2023
For many students, seeing people of color misrepresented through photography is disheartening. However, the effects also bleed into students’ daily lives. While occasional unflattering photos may be inevitable, some students of color have found that their skin tone has looked inaccurate or improperly exposed in their photos. These photos are put in the yearbook for everyone to see and look back on. 
“I’m proud of my art and where it’s taken me. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to do; I surprised myself, [and] I think it could take me places. [Art] means a lot to me. It’s a different way to look at the world. I remember after taking a photography class, I would look outside and be like ‘oh, that would make such a great photo.’ When you become more into art, you look at the world differently and in a more artistic way. Art is different for everyone. Everyone creates their own art and it’s such a cool way to express yourself and in such different ways. And that’s really beautiful. ” - Amy Rein, 11

Amy Rein

Emily Early, Editor-in-Chief • January 19, 2023

English teacher Erin Fluchel poses with the camera she uses during sessions. Fluchel experimented with other types of photography but decided that she preferred family moments most. “[Photographing a wedding] was stressful. It was a long day that I was away from my kids. I felt like I was capturing more of the stage moments and not the spontaneous stuff that I love doing. I'm glad that I tried these things, but it wasn't for me. Again, it was less about connection and more about getting perfect things,” Fluchel said.

Snapshots of life

Addie Gleason, Managing Editor-in-Chief • March 31, 2022

Looking through her camera viewfinder, English teacher Erin Fluchel waits for the right moment to capture. The camera lens follows a child splashing in a creek; the parents watch from afar. Click. The...

Gathered with her friends over the summer, senior Bridget Thomas poses for a disposable photo taken by senior Molly Reinecke. Reinecke started taking film pictures of her friends in 2019. “It’s always super fun because Molly brings her camera when we’re all hanging out and she just takes pictures of candid moments,” Thomas said. “Then we get reminded of all the fun times a few weeks later when Molly gets the photos back."

Disposable cameras, lifelong memories

Maddy Truka, Social Media Manager + Video Editor • April 22, 2021

Loading the camera with film, checking the shutter speed, adjusting the aperture and getting ready for the perfect shot. The only difference is you can’t see the photos right away. In 2019, film and...

Searching for the piece of art that she will respond to, Creative Writing student and senior Allainah Crawford looks at works from the AP Design and Photography class. “This project is ‘free range’ compared to some of the other ones,” English teacher Dan Barnes said. “With express the music, we have word count, [but] with this one, I just want my students to be inspired by art.”

Art responding to art: Creative Writing 2 and the art department’s curriculum collaboration

Zoe DeYoung, Staff Writer • February 4, 2020

Ekphrasis—better described as art responding to art—is a practice that English teacher Dan Barnes knows well.  When Honors English 3 was offered as a class, Barnes taught ekphrastic response, having...

Looking into the camera, junior Caroline Judd stands with some of the equipment she uses in her photoshoots. Judd prefers to shoot outside in natural lighting rather than indoors with flash photography. “Natural lighting fits well with the photography that I envision,” Judd said. “Natural lighting makes editing my photos much easier because it allows me to play with the colors.”

Junior Caroline Judd gets a head start on arts focused career

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor • February 13, 2019

What kind of art do you create? “I am very passionate about photography and videography. I started out doing classic art like drawing and painting, but I discovered my love for photography when I...

Posing with her camera and drone, junior Caroline Judd shows the equipment she needs to continue her career as a photographer. Judd used her own money to purchase her equipment and uses her own time to take and edit photos. “I’ve invested lots of money into camera equipment and editing software that you can’t get at school,” Judd said. “I understand that that isn’t a priority for the school, but it’s hard when you want to follow a career that isn’t typical or STEM focused because you have to put so much time into outside of school while also balancing your schoolwork.”

Art students face the pressures of STEM focused education

Lydia Roseman, News and Sports Editor • November 29, 2018

Science. Technology. Engineering. Mathematics. These fields have been pushed on us since we were young. Elementary schoolers take art and music classes once or twice a week, but are drilled in their times...

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