![“[The happiest moment of my life was when] when I did my first dance solo for the first time, it was contemporary and to the French song, "Je te laisserai des mots" [by Patrick Watson]. I performed it last season, so March through May, and got 11th overall in one competition for it. [I also] got platinum and high gold at other competitions. I've been competing for six years, but dancing for 13 years. Dance is like therapy to me, I get to express myself, especially with styles like contemporary and hip hop,” - Sam Johnson, 10](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/DSC_0001-1-900x600.jpg)
![Cutting into a celebratory cookie cake, the secretary of the Indian Club and junior Swati Kumar kicks off the first meeting. Club board members introduced themselves and reviewed what future meetings would look like. “[I am] excited to see how far we could take this club. Indian culture is overlooked many times, so being a part of educating and celebrating it with others [is] so fun,” Kumar said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_0093-1-1-900x675.jpg)
![Checking the thermometer, sophomore Disa Tiemeier makes sugar glass while experimenting in the kitchen. Tiemeier relied on baking to cope with xyr Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). “I bake or nap to take breaks because pulling myself out of a [situation] is helpful. I've been baking my entire life, and I enjoy anything [culinary] altogether,” Tiemeier said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Resized_20221102_220742-900x900.jpeg)
![Sophomore Nidhi Pejathya lights candles to welcome guests on Diwali. An urli is a traditional Indian decoration filled with water, flowers and candles that are lit during the holiday. “Diwali is the festival of lights, so we greet the goddess Lakshmi with [them]. In our culture, a huge saying is ‘treat your guests like god,’ so we do the same for them as we would for the goddess,” Pejathya said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Nidhi-FEAT-900x675.jpg)
![Junior Caitlyn Allendorph carries the shield of her mentor during the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) Laurel Award Ceremony. The award is presented to those who have excelled in the arts and sciences category. “This was a huge honor to do this, [my mentor] helped me get my bearings at the SCA. It makes me so happy that I was able to be in this,” Allendorph said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image_50802177.jpg)
![Right foot in and arms wrapping around her teammates, freshman Hayden Oakley mentally prepares to race. Oakley ran in the freshman race in the Stan Nelson Invitational at the Northwest Early Childhood Center, Sept. 10. “Before [the race,] I was a little nervous because it was only the second [meet,] it was bigger, and there were a lot of people there. When we went into the huddle, that helped motivate and calm me down. [Also,] it was nice because it just made me feel more confident about the race,” Oakley said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Hayden-Oakley-900x600.jpg)
![Sophomore Inaya Chishti shows her cow, Rosie, at last year’s Washington Town & Country Fair, where she won first place. After having a great season with Rosie, Chishti has looked forward to showing Rosie and her baby, a cow-calf pair, because she has never shown the same animal twice in a row. “It’s just a lot of work that you pour into this one animal, and then you don't get to show them again because it's a lot on the animal. And so we normally just let them go into the field, but Rosie was a really good show animal. She showed herself, [and] I didn't need to be there. I could let go of the halter and just scratch her, and she would just stand there,” Chishti said. “I'm excited [to show her] because I love her, and she's actually named after me. My middle name is Rose.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/image000000-1-e1650295193713-900x638.jpg)
![Performing as Nibs in “Lost Girl,” junior Avery Hermann inspects a drawing of Neverland made by the show’s main character, Wendy Darling. Hermann not only acted in “Lost Girl”, but he also served as assistant director of the show. “I found ‘Lost Girl’ to be a beautiful and touching story, and I’m really glad I got to be a part of it. My favorite part of the show [was] my work as assistant director. I spent a lot of time working with every [cast member] on character, deliveries and emotional development. It was so amazing to see these brilliant actors come to life on stage in such a colorful way,” Hermann said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_1258-Enhanced-NR-1-1200x798.jpg)
![Gazing up from the stage, junior Joseph McCurdy who played Peter Pan in the school play, Lost Girl, sits next to senior Juliana Rogers, who plays Wendy Darling, during a theater rehearsal. McCurdy’s passion for theater began when he observed a West High production in middle school. “I've been in the high school theater program since I was a freshman. I've always loved theater, but [what prompted me to join] was [when] I went to see [a performance here] when I was in middle school, and it was super cool,” McCurdy said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_6535-1200x798.jpeg)
Nov. 7 to Nov. 9, Parkway West’s theater department traveled through the life of Wendy Darling, in their newest production. “Lost Girl,”...
From down the hall, bursts of laughter and applause spill out of a classroom unlike a typical history class. Inside, instead of sitting through...