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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

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.

Experiencing the ages

Lily West, Staff Writer October 13, 2022

As the horn sounds for the second time to alert everyone of the upcoming voyage, junior Caitlyn Allendorph boards the Fydraca, a 32-foot-long Viking ship, along with her seven other crew members. While...

A leaked initial draft of the Supreme Court of the United States' majority opinion included a call to overturn 1973 landmark case Roe v. Wade. Image used under Creative Commons Licenses.

BREAKING: Student responses to SCOTUS leak on possible Roe v. Wade overturn

Pathfinder Editorial Board May 4, 2022

CONTENT WARNING: The following article mentions abortion, sex, rape, sexual assault and incest due to the nature of the topic. Monday, May 2, at 8:32 p.m., POLITICO released an initial draft of the...

Hair flipping senior Connor Leib plays in a two-hour show with his band Good Question. The performance occurred at Earth Surf– a skatepark located in Chesterfield, Mo. “Playing in a skate park is very loud and [echoey], but it brings out a very punk underground and grimy vibe that’s cool. And it kinda brings out [an angsty feeling] so much that after our [show] I kicked over my drums and broke my high hat stand,” Leib said.

All thanks to the bug

Kristen Skordos, Staff Writer February 17, 2022

At age 13, after listening to “Lithium” by Nirvana, senior Connor Leib had his whole life figured out, becoming involved with music, all thanks to the bug.  “The bug is about the feeling that...

Celebrating her journey, freshman Alexis Briner beams brightly with her family. Briner appreciates her parents greatly for their support during her journey with anorexia. “I was still in the depths of [the eating disorder] around the holidays. So there were a lot of meals and I remember I kind of panicked at a few of those. And so I would have to take time out and sometimes we'd have to leave the parties early. And then my parents would be upset because it was very time consuming, [but] they were troopers,” Briner said.

Diet culture triggered freshman Alexis Briner’s eating disorder

Cindy Phung, Editor-in-Chief February 15, 2022

Growing up under the influence of diet culture was a base for freshman Alexis Briner’s healthy lifestyle to become harmful. In the summer of 2019, innocent thoughts to have smaller portions of food ultimately...

Junior Shaleigh Araya (front row, far left) poses with her adoptive family for a picture in 2019. Araya said she owes her success to her family and faith. “God has really helped me in life,” Araya said. “That’s the number one thing I [attribute] to my success. Next comes [the support] of my family and friends.”

The journey home: junior Shaleigh Araya’s adoption story

Katie Wallace, Staff Writer February 15, 2022

Bones ache from sleeping on the hard street, stomachs growl from lack of food and cars honk as they pass by the six and 8-year-old Sayle —now Araya — siblings. Cold days turn into even colder nights,...

Freshman Samir Shaik practices the piano during Academic Lab time.

Freshman Samir Shaik arranges future plans to become a composer

Lily West, Staff Writer February 11, 2022

Not many young students dream of becoming a professional composer for a living; among the few is the freshman Samir Shaik. Shaik started his composing journey in the sixth grade, including not only...

In a performance for the senior dance, Mascot and the Longhorn security perform a dance followed by a stunt taught to them by the cheerleaders. After the stunt fell, they were cheered on by the crowd. “The funniest moment for me was when the cheerleaders had us do stunts for the senior dance. Me and my Longhorn security tried to do a stunt during the halftime of the football game against Central,” Wesley said. (Contact us to claim photographer credit)

Mascot mystery

Grace Loethen, Staff Writer February 3, 2022

The smell of popcorn wafts through the air. Fans fill the bleachers in anticipation of the game. All eyes are on Wesley the mascot as the Longhorn security supports them for a stunt. Wesley topples over,...

After surgery, senior Zina Alshekhlee comes home to flowers and presents arranged by friends and family. She left the hospital in a wheelchair and attended school for four months. "Before the surgery, I wasn't too nervous or anything; I was like, 'okay, I'm just going to show up and get this over with just kind of where I was at that day.' I expected to be okay soon," Alshekhlee said.

Road to recovery: senior Zina Alshekhlee’s journey with scoliosis

Triya Gudipati, Editor-in-Chief January 28, 2022

After receiving a diagnosis in the eighth grade, senior Zina Alshekhlee works to recover from major surgery to help better her scoliosis. At first, it had little impact on Alshekhlee's life; however,...

Standing in front of the Marine Corps symbol, junior Audrey Griswold tours Iowa State University ROTC. Griswold always thought the Naval Academy was the place where she wanted to start. “At the Naval Academy, once you step on campus you are active military, whereas by taking an ROTC program you would be able to have your own college experience. So it's very different, but I think both are exceptional options,” Griswold said.

Hoping to continue her family legacy in the military

Ava Griswold, CJ1 Writer January 27, 2022

With a family history in the military, junior Audrey Griswold decided at the age of 13 that she wanted to continue the family legacy, serving her country.  Griswold is thinking about the Naval Academy...

Working on code with his dad, freshman Sasha Tripathi continues to fix some bugs on his project after winning the Congressional App Challenge for creating an app that detects skin cancer. “It makes me proud because I put my own hard work into it, and it just feels really good to have [it all] pay off,” Tripathi said.

Freshman Sasha Tripathi wins Congressional Award for life-saving app

Gabbie Kerber, CJ1 Writer January 26, 2022

After browsing the internet looking at a forum for computer science, freshman Sasha Tripathi stumbled upon a Congressional App Challenge. Looking for something to do during COVID-19, Tripathi decided to...