McDonald’s world tour: One chain, five nations
Sravya Reddy Guda, Staff Writer
• April 17, 2024
![Posing in front of The Magic Kingdom with her family, junior Karry Nickel enjoys her 20th time at Disney World. As Disney passholders, the Nickels have embraced the tradition of going to Disney every Fourth of July. “There are no words [to describe] going to bed and knowing that the next morning, you're getting on a 5 a.m. flight to Orlando to go to Disney. It’s one of the most exciting feelings ever, and I'll never forget the memories,” Nickel said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8c92fea5-e084-4f05-acb7-d5a0e28f8340-1200x799.jpg)
![“I love working with students. I love seeing ‘aha moments’ [from my students] and when things click. I enjoy offering study opportunities or travel opportunities specifically. I'm really eager to take students on trips, especially Spanish-speaking communities to see them interact in a real-world scenario with native people. The hardest part of teaching is its crazy political. There are a lot of agendas that get pushed in school and it frustrates me because it shouldn't be about agendas, administration, and politics. It should be about students and their learning and providing the best environment so sometimes it is like a dual-sided coin.” - Jessica Verweyst, Spanish](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/jessicaverweyst-900x600.jpg)
![Airplanes tend to delay or cancel flights due to freezing temperatures, snow, ice or thunderstorms. A severe snowstorm caused flight shortages on Dec. 21-26, impacting travelers like English ASC teacher Kristen Witt. “It was out of [everyone’s] control how the weather would turn out. They were doing the best they could [do], and the agent at the gate did a great job of keeping everybody informed about what was going on and kept us calm,” Witt said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Blue-Airplane-Illustration-Going-Away-Party-Facebook-Cover-4-900x507.jpg)
![The narrow lens contrasts with a diverse reality; whitewashing means altering or concealing something to make it more appealing to white people. The word “whitewashed” as it is used today has caused identity crises for thousands, if not millions, of students. “I have been called whitewashed before, and it feels very sad. [It’s] just hard because it makes me not know who I am. You don’t get a lot of backlash for [saying it], so I think it’s a throwaway term for people who aren’t affected by it. When you are the person [who] is being called whitewashed, over time, it builds up,” sophomore Raaga Golla said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/IMG_5740-1-300x200.jpg)
![Two of Pathfinder’s most recent editorial accolades shine on display in journalism teacher Lindsey Katz’s room. Pathfinder was recognized as a SNO Distinguished Site on April 24. “Praise isn’t everything, but it feels so nice to see the hard work of our staff recognized. So much more than just writing words on a page occurs [in journalism], and I am so glad people see that. I love being surrounded by such talented writers, but also such great people,” editor-in-chief and junior Payton Dean said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DSC_4941-300x200.jpg)
![There are more than 20 open cardio machines at Crunch Fitness. I enjoyed the spacious environment at Crunch, a sentiment that was shared by sophomore Sanjana Daggubati. “[Going to] Crunch Fitness was the right decision because [it] feels more professional. Crunch’s workers are laid back, but not to the point where they don't care,” Daggubati said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_5242-1-300x225.jpg)
![Setting up the activity for his first meeting, Financial Literacy Club founder and sophomore Yash Bandiananthaiah writes on the whiteboard. For the first meeting, Bandiananthaiah created an interactive experience for members to immerse themselves in. “To me, the most important thing during a meeting is to make sure we are all engaged and participating, and [I do this by] always making sure we have a hands-on activity,” Bandiananthaiah said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC5306-1200x798.jpg)
![Hand raised into the air, senior Lauren Anstrom watches as her graduation cap flies along with the caps of all her peers. Anstrom hopes to leave behind the legacy as someone who was kind, hardworking, and always supportive of others. “Tossing my graduation cap honestly felt surreal. In that moment, everything hit me at once with all the excitement, relief and a little sadness too. It felt really emotional [because] this was the end of such a big chapter of my life, but also exciting knowing that everyone was about to start a completely new journey,” Anstrom said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_3031-Enhanced-NR-2-1200x800.jpg)
![French teacher Blair Hopkins enters City Coffee & Creperie in Clayton, Mo. for breakfast with her Honors French 4 students and AP French 5 students. Both classes went on a field trip to a fair trade chocolate factory in St. Louis to begin their unit on Côte D’Ivoire, a major producer of cocoa beans. “My ideal school would just be the Magic School Bus — you would always learn about things by going someplace and learning hands-on, being able to see it yourself and asking people questions. I think [learning is] always so much more memorable if you can experience it firsthand,” Hopkins said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC2795-1200x798.jpg)