Skip to Main Content
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

Sophomore Anijah Wilson, sophomore Printéz Harris, freshman Somer King, senior Ja’Khai Aiken-Guerrier, senior Daniellie McLaurin and junior Brian Campbell model their hair. Collage uses photographs by Kelsea Wilson, Addie Gleason, Abbi Vanvalkenburgh and Brinda Ambal.

The pride and culture of Black hair

Elizabeth Franklin, Editor-in-Chief November 4, 2021

Since the days of American slavery, Black hair has been a widely debated and criticized topic. In the early 1700s, white people degraded slaves with natural hair by calling it “wool,” comparing Black...

Freshman Skyler Gulino and freshman Molly Bailey converse and laugh at their second lunch. Now that she has been in person for three months, Bailey is feeling more a part of West than she did last year. “In eighth grade, I was [a part of] the virtual Parkway West (middle school campus) program. I hadn’t actually and physically been in person since about November of 2019, my seventh grade [year],” Bailey said.

Practicing patience: Freshman Molly Bailey’s take on staying positive

Ashlyn Gillespie and Ellie West October 28, 2021

Seventh-grade Molly Bailey sits in the backseat of her family car, focused on her laptop. Her midterm finals stare back at her as the scenery of the Western U.S. zooms past. Boxes filled with clothes,...

Sitting in a circle of usable and broken skateboards, junior Ashton Beattie showcases his collection. Beattie has been skating since fourth grade and has kept every skateboard he owned. “I sometimes will sell my boards to people and make money off of it, but right now I am also thinking about making a table and chair out of them so that they don’t go to waste,” Beattie said.

The stories his skateboards could tell

Tre Bell, Staff Writer May 7, 2021

For junior Ashton Beattie, learning to ride a skateboard wasn’t a difficult decision. After watching his father at the skatepark as a kid, Beattie knew he wanted to learn to roll, jump and flip around...

Surrounded by mountains of shoes like Nike SB Dunk Chicago, Yeezy 350 Bred, Jordan 11 Concord and Jordan 4 Raptor, sophomore Nick Malchanav uses his basement to store his inventory. Through pulling off great deals with resellers, collectors and consumers, Malchanav has been able to attain the skill of negotiating. “Whenever I negotiate with people, I just ask them the price they're looking to get the shoes for, so I can know if we're on the same page,” Malchanav said. “But if they don't give me a price that they're looking for, I just throw them a low balling offer just to see where the dice rolls. Because if they base their emotions, I can see how negotiable they're going to be on the deal.”

Making the big bucks: sophomore Nick Malchanav and his pathways to fortune

Anijah Wilson and Hannah Choi April 14, 2021

All it took was a global pandemic for sophomore Nick Malchanav to begin his journey to making thousands. With extra time on his hands, he began to search for ways to make money and was able to find great...

2021 Senior send-off map

2021 Senior send-off map

Paige Matthys-Pearce, Staff Writer March 5, 2021

Showing a picture of an editing screen, senior Vince Knight made a thumbnail for her YouTube 101 video. Knight records her videos with her phone and a ring light, or in front of a window. “As much as I like creating the video in the moment, sometimes I stumble over my words or stutter or there are long moments of silence, so I might have to say editing is my favorite part. That’s where things start to come together to create a fun video,” Knight said.

Senior Vince Knight presses play on content creation for YouTube

Annie Reiter, Staff Writer February 16, 2021

What began as performing shows for her mom with her siblings at age 11 evolved to Barbie-themed improv and morphed into a YouTube channel for senior Vince Knight. After receiving a camera at age 12, Knight...

During the early stages of starting their podcast, seniors Lauren Barron and Peyton Harris pose for their podcast cover photo, taken in Hilton Head, S.C. over the summer. Through the making of the podcast, they were able to learn how to manage their responsibilities. “Motivation is key,” Barron said. “We have been taking a hiatus since school has started which was super unmotivating. Having a healthy life and work balance is so important to find.”

An invitation to Lauren Barron and Peyton Harris’ podcast journey

Hannah Choi, Staff Writer February 9, 2021

A studio, microphones, bright lights, editors and producers. You may think all these things are necessary to produce a great podcast. But seniors Lauren Barron and Peyton Harris proved otherwise as they...

Freshmen Katie Wallace and Cora Tiemeier spend a windy day outside at O’Day Park in O'Fallon, Mo. Nov. 15. Wallace has been spending time with her friends outside and masked, finding new activities and rediscovering old ones. “When I went to have a picnic with my friend, we went on the playground too, even though we're in high school. Just think outside of the box,” Wallace said.

Safely spending time with friends: winter edition

Ellie West, Staff Writer December 1, 2020

With December approaching, dropping temperatures are posing a new challenge to students who are having socially distant get-togethers with their friends. Rain, cold fronts and temperatures falling well...

Using Procreate 5X, senior Rebecca Vierck demonstrates how attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and social anxiety can make someone feel like being watched. Vierck’s piece conveyed the alienation felt from their peers. “A lot of media representation about ADHD is built upon stereotypes. Because of the comorbidity of my ADHD and social anxiety, I tend to feel anxious to stim in front of people in fears of seeming weird,” Vierck said. “I've had to cut off friends because of their disrespect for my sensory triggers. As a child, I would have multiple breakdowns a week over the texture of dinners that I was made to eat.”

Students showcase their ‘draw dropping’ artwork

Addie Gleason, Managing Editor-in-Chief November 6, 2020

Through a combination of mediums, students from Katy Mangrich’s AP 2D Art and Design class, Ashley Drissell’s Design Arts class and Kat Briggs’ AP Drawing class made pieces that investigate cultural...

Sketching on a white canvas, junior Grace Fassler hand designs a canvas with a collage of personalized pictures for each customer. As an entrepreneur, Fassler faced challenges along the way, such as dealing with unresponsive customers. “Sometimes people message me wanting one and when I message them back, they leave me on seen. This irritated me because I didn’t know if I needed to get any supplies or save any,” Fassler said.

Getting busy-ness: Students share their entrepreneurial pursuits

Hannah Choi, Staff Writer October 28, 2020

Men in suits. A boardroom. That may be what comes to mind when you think of business. However, these three female student entrepreneurs portray their beginning from the comfort of their own bedrooms.