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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

Sophomore Trent Young and junior Jamaya Love rise to the stage and welcome the audience after superintendent Keith Marty introduces them. Principals John McCabe and Kate Piffel selected them to be emcees for the 2025 Spirit of Excellence ceremony. “It is an honor and a privilege to stand before you this evening. Each one of the recipients tonight has exceeded all academic expectations and should be celebrated,” Love said.

Living the dream

Sage Kelly, Staff Writer March 6, 2025

On the floor of the stadium, a bubbling current floods into rows upon rows of chairs. Teachers and administrators lead their students to their designated seats to await the start of the ceremony. Each...

Standing in a circle, students share their love by holding out heart shapes for the festive season. From handwritten notes to helping hands, the West High community shows their affection in unique ways this Valentine’s season — celebrating friendship, kindness and connection beyond just romance. Sophomore Trent Young expresses his take on the meaning behind showing affection. “Love isn’t just buying roses and taking someone to dinner, it’s being able to have an emotional connection with someone no matter who they are,” Young said.

Love that comes in every form

Esta Kamau and Ayah Zayed February 18, 2025

When you first hear the words “love” or “Valentine’s Day,” you probably think about relationships, about the affection you give to the person you care about. Maybe you feel sad because you don’t...

“[High School] is definitely better than middle school. [I’ve been on] the step team [since middle school]. It’s been around for many years. What [we] do as a team is a form of cultural African American dance that originated in the 1800s to communicate without words. It has been used by sororities and fraternities for 50 plus years. In elementary, they came to perform at my school. So [then] I was interested in it and it made me want to join when I got to sixth grade. My mom has supported me every step of the way since I was in sixth grade. And she intends on doing it until I decide I don’t want to be on the team anymore. I look up to my mother because she has always put 10 toes down [ & devoted herself ] to me, and she just supports me in every way. She always has my back. [Step has] impacted my life, I've made new friends, of course. I've actually learned more by being on the step team. Education wise, it has [even] helped me get my grades up.” - Trent Young, 9

Trent Young

Niharika Vaidya, Staff Writer November 8, 2023