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
Posing for a picture, seniors Claire Folkins and Lauren Beach wear their handmade hoodies from their small business @sundaymorning_stl. Folkins and Beach knew their target market and saw the opportunities from starting their own business. “We want [our customers] to feel like they are living like their Pinterest board,” Folkins said. “We found a way to make the sweatshirts many teens want, affordable and customizable which is different from a professional online shop.”

Creating sweatshirts and smiles; a small business inspires students during difficult times

Maddy Bach, Yearbook Contributor • January 25, 2022

With Instagram inspiration and COVID-19 boredom, seniors Claire Folkins and Lauren Beach noticed their friends’ desire for Shein prices and put their digital cutting Cricut machine to work. Customers...

Center back Ava Relihan passes to her teammate during her showcase. Relihan traveled to California in hope of getting noticed by college recruiters. “My dad and I would say before games you never know who's watching, so I just go out there and play my best,” Relihan said.

Sophomore Ava Relihan gets a kick start on the college recruiting process

Ava Bauman, CJ1 Writer • January 24, 2022

As a freshman in high school, Ava Relihan began the journey, so many athletes navigate the recruiting process. Today, as a sophomore, she continues to make sacrifices to achieve her dreams of becoming...

Junior Elle Rotter’s collection of five ducks sits lined up on a table. Rotter felt joyful finally finding a duck for herself. “I remember all day [when the ducks were first put out] looking for them in the hallways, library and at lunch,” Rotter said. “A lot of my friends found one before me but I finally found one in the library the next day. I instantly felt so happy. I remember [also] feeling dumb for being so happy and proud, but I quickly shrugged that feeling off and have since enjoyed keeping my eye out for the ducks around the school.”

Duck, duck…on the loose?

Katie Wallace, Staff Writer • January 20, 2022

Sophomore Kat Fitzanko walks through the halls carrying a heavy backpack. All of a sudden, she spots a small, yellow object perched up high on a windowsill. A smile dawns across her face as she realizes...

The greatest struggle in my life would probably have to be losing my grandpa. I lost my grandpa this past July and there was a two-week span where, after my grandpa passed, a lot of other stuff happened too. I kind of bunkered down in my shell for a little bit there. I didn’t go out or see any of my friends much over those two weeks. When I did, all I thought about was the loss of my grandpa. Losing someone is hard. He was one of my biggest inspirations. My grandparents lived in Florida. Any chance they got to travel to Missouri, they would. I will always cherish those moments even more than I did in the moment. My grandpa loved to watch me and my sister play sports, especially [when I played] soccer. Whenever I would talk to him on the phone, he always told me to get out of my head because that was something I did a lot. [He] told me that I would be fine and to keep my head up. I looked up to him throughout my life. I never saw my grandpa without a smile on his face. [He was] always so funny and always loved to crack jokes. Knowing he won’t be there for my big milestones, like [when I] graduate high school, is something really difficult to deal with. He was one of the hardest workers. He served in the Vietnam war [and] then went back to Gloucester, Ohio where he worked in the coal mines for 15 years. Rain, shine, happy, upset, angry—he worked through it all to support my dad and aunt. My papa loved his family so much and showed it by goofing around all the time. I remember one time when I was seven and my papa and I were watching Nascar and my favorite driver had always been Kyle Bush. Papa said something like, ‘I hope Kyle spins out.’ Papa knew how angry I would get but always made it up with a hug. I aspire to be like him every day. My grandpa made himself who he was and always stayed true to himself. So I would say that [losing him] was really a struggle.” - Derrien Gatchel, 11

Humans of Parkway West 2021-22

Convergence Journalism 1 Staff • January 19, 2022

This project is carried out every year by our new journalists. Inspired by Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York and just learning to interview and photograph, our new students take to the hallways to tell...

Senior Kayvon Rezaei poses with his Volvo after handwashing it. He initially thought washing cars was a daunting task but soon found enjoyment in the activity. “I’ve never hand-washed my car before so this was a new experience,” Rezaei said, “I never thought about cleaning things such as the exhaust pipes or the wheels.”

School, sports and Swedish sedans

Joseph Denklau, Guest Writer • October 25, 2021

The car glides down the road; the engine purrs quietly. The speaker system is blasting a song. The driver, senior Kayvon Rezaei, drifts into the parking lot, never hesitating, the car's smooth movements...

Junior Scotty Peterson finishes painting three of his brake calipers, a sky blue to match with his headlights. He was waiting for suspension upgrades to be fitted into the car, which makes the car more sensitive to steering inputs. “I chose a bright blue because it seems unique,” Peterson said. “I wanted them to stand out while also being cohesive with the rest of the colors on the car.”

Junior Scott Peterson stays connected to his father through his passion for cars

Joseph Denklau, Staff Writer • June 3, 2021

The sun is setting. Vroom, brab, brap. A car. Without warning, it flies into vision, a gray bullet amongst the red sky. It slides to the left, then the right, then the left and comes to a standstill. A...

Freshman Raj Jaladi and senior Sri Jaladi pose for a photo after tennis practice. The brothers and teammates had high hopes to play in state but ended their season losing to Priory’s doubles team in the second round of districts. “It’s not like we don’t get along at home, but we communicate best at a tennis match,” Raj said.

The dynamic duo: Jaladi brothers ace the season

Elle Rotter, Deputy Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • June 2, 2021

Working side by side for their varsity tennis season, freshman Raj Jaladi and senior Sri Jaladi were the top two players on the team. They got to play as a doubles team in districts but their season ended...

Freshman and goalie Rachel Livak reaches out to save the ball from going in the net and prevents a point for Ladue. Livak made the varsity team and has led the St. Louis area in saves with 213. “The most memorable part of my season was when they were telling us what teams were going to be on, I honestly kind of knew when I was told to go talk to Lovercheck and Herpel, but it was still an amazing feeling to know that I did it,” Livak said.

From softball catcher to lacrosse goalie, freshman Rachel Livak defends her rankings

Tre Bell, Staff Writer • June 1, 2021

In her first year ever playing lacrosse, freshman Rachel Livak is leading the St. Louis area in goalie saves with 213. “I was convinced to play lacrosse by my parents, because I love to play sports...

As part of Creative Writing, students publish short stories.

Aspiring authors: Creative Writing Students publish short stories

Madi Michajliczenko, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief • May 28, 2021

Usually in English classes, students are asked to write narratives, literary analyses and even research papers; however, students in English teacher Dan Barnes’ Creative Writing I and II get to create...

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...

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