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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

In an article for The Atlantic on Dec. 6, 2022, just one week after ChatGPT’s release date, Canadian author Stephen Marche proclaimed that “the college essay is dead” and that “no one is prepared for how AI will transform academia.” Since then, the news has seen an enormous influx of different people—everyone from professors and computer scientists to average citizens—giving their input on what artificial intelligence means for academia and for the world.

Is this “the death of academia?”

Samir Shaik, Multimedia Editor-in-Chief February 7, 2023

As the keyboard clicks and the screen flickers to life, a sense of anticipation fills the air. The hum of the computer and the soft whir of the fans provide a background soundtrack to the task at hand....

A review on some of retro technology’s favorite items, including record players, cameras and VHS tapes highlights the return of vintage technology.

A Guide to Retro Technology

Lily West, Staff Writer May 30, 2022

Shuffling through records to find the greatest hits, using a vintage camera to capture memories, rewinding a classic movie on VHS: what’s the appeal? Why are popular items from over 30 years ago coming...

Behind the screen, senior Drew Boone scans through his emails for the day. Boone promptly deleted a scam email congratulating him on winning the lottery and requesting details of his bank account in order to have the $5 million prize money transferred over. “Although I liked the money, I know I can’t win a lottery that I never entered,” Boone said.

Ransomware Cyberattacks on schools are on the rise: What can we do?

Raj Jaladi, Newsletter Editor/Data Analyst October 31, 2021

Cyberattacks are no longer an activity of high-profile companies and national security but have become a daily reality for schools. According to an FBI's Alert, 57% of all reported ransomware attacks in...

Seeing blue lock after blue lock can be frustrating, and it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. How and why are sites being blocked, how does that affect students and what is the district’s role?

Blocked: Students respond to new Parkway policy

Pathfinder Editorial Board October 30, 2021

Watching a video on combustion analysis? Blocked. Trying to send a message to your team’s GroupMe? Blocked. Trying to use services like Flickr and Imgur to make your French presentation? Blocked. And...

This graphic illustrates the disparities between wealthy white communities and low-income Black communities generated by racist mid-20th century housing policies. (Created via Canva)

Behind the numbers: history and bias in high-tech criminal justice

Paige Matthys-Pearce, Staff Writer April 5, 2021

As technology plays a growing role in our lives, so too does data. On the internet, virtually every click, scroll and like is tracked, often used to maximize your engagement. But as it turns out, other...

Technology use can become addictive based on the way certain neurons are fired.

Cracked screens: breaking addiction in a virtual world

Brinda Ambal and Paige Matthys-Pearce January 19, 2021

Your inbox tab runs a tally of all your unread emails. Zoom merrily chimes every time a participant is let in from the waiting room. YouTube takes advantage of an extensive algorithm to keep you falling...

The senior hallway has been unoccupied by students since March.

An inside look at teaching during a pandemic

Zoe DeYoung, Staff Writer October 21, 2020

Before we left school March 13 of last school year, we were told to empty our lockers and bring all of our textbooks home.  Some felt this was an overreaction by administration, but many minds were...

After winning their competition, seniors Jason Yang and Ben Goff stand outside the venue, holding their trophy. The competition lasted for three days from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15. “This was an amazing experience, and I am glad we were able to compete,” Goff said. “I just like being able to come up with unique ideas and being able to design a robot and put them to test and see which ideas worked and which ones didn’t.”

Robotics and Soccer: how two students qualified for the world championship

Jacob Stanton, Staff Writer November 18, 2019

Hearts pounding, seniors Jason Yang and Ben Goff step up to compete during the National Robotics Competition in California. However, this was not just any robotics competition–it was a sports competition....

Alumna Celeste Rudd sits with Lisa Gardner and Sheryl Wharff at the 2018 Women of the Channel Leadership Summit East in New York City. This event is where female leaders advance their careers and strategic goals. “My interest in software stemmed from the desire to make a meaningful impact on society as well as my love of softwares constant need for adaptation to market needs and potential to make an incredible living. I am never bored and I know that what I do is impacting people in a meaningful way daily,” Rudd said.

Alumna Celeste Rudd making an impact through the software business

Sarah Lashly, COPY COACH May 20, 2019

From selling enterprise-grade scalable software to providing consulting, alumna Celeste Rudd has been promoted to Americas Alliance Manager for Micro Focus since joining in March 2016 as an Account Manager...

Attending a meeting after school, sophomore Kunal Addagarla makes adjustments to their robot. Twisted Metal was not able to qualify for the 2019 Missouri State VEX Championship, but they will be newcomers at the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship displaying teams from across the U.S. and China. “I would say teamwork is very important because we have different roles to fulfill," Addagarla said. "I'm one of the programmers for my team and I want to make sure that my code works [so I have to] test the robot occasionally. [Then] the rest of my team is building or researching various ways we can build a better robot."

Robotics team prepares for international tournament

Ridwan Oyebamiji, Features Section Editor April 3, 2019

After not qualifying for the annual VEX Robotics Competition, senior and president Paden Davis and his team, Twisted Metal, are taking their talents to the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship April 4...