![Rising out of the water, girls swim and dive co-captain and senior Norah Rutkowski grasps a momentary breath of air as she swims the butterfly stroke. Last week, Rutkowski competed alongside seven of her teammates at the state swim meet, held at St. Peters RecPlex. “This year at state, I got [No. 1 in] the 100-yard [butterfly] and fourth [in] [the 200-yard [individual medley]. [Winning] was a relief because it was something I had been wanting to do again. Freshman year was weird because it was COVID-19, and my time was relatively slow for someone to win state in that event, so I wanted to prove I could do it again,” Rutkowski said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image1-2-1200x789.jpg)
![Posing in a picture with her family, senior Megan VanValkenburghsigns her National Letter of Intent to be a part of the swim and dive team at Butler University next fall. VanValkenburg committed and signed in December, but signing day at school occurred on February eighth. “All of the support from everyone on signing day made [committing] feel very real now. I feel like every little step I have taken in this process has led to that moment,” Vanvalkenburg said. “I have always loved the campus and location of the school, but [the girls on the women's swim and dive team at Butler] made me feel a part of their team on my visit, that’s when I knew I wanted to spend my next four years there.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG-6432-900x745.jpg)
![With 14 years of experience, junior Dorothy Wunderlich pitches the softball to her opponent. During the season, Wunderlich’s bone hit against her hip labrum and re-tore the muscle. “I played the entire season and had surgery the Tuesday after [the last game]. Loving the sport keeps me going [through the injuries]; I would love to play softball in college,” Wunderlinch said. “I love my teammates, and they are really supportive about me being injured.”](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/quinn-berry-900x600.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...