The student news site of Parkway South High School. All opinion pieces represent the views of the writer alone, not the school or district.

Treaty
The student news site of Parkway South High School. All opinion pieces represent the views of the writer alone, not the school or district.

Treaty
The student news site of Parkway South High School. All opinion pieces represent the views of the writer alone, not the school or district.

Treaty
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Trending Stories
1
Junior Skyla Quarles (left), seniors Alex Franklin and Logan Huff, and sophomore Luke Self (right) perform at a choir concert

Ending on a high note • 68 Views

2
Growing Stronger

Growing Stronger • 53 Views

3
Former Parkway student Dunyah Almuttan took a picture inside the beautiful Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Students give their opinions on the ceasefire in Gaza • 42 Views

4
Santa: Fact or Fiction?

Santa: Fact or Fiction? • 39 Views

5
Botany Club sponsor Brad Zerman takes a picture with a plant.

Sprouting Success • 36 Views

6
Parkway South girls swim and dive team

Built on determination • 27 Views

News/Features
English teacher Shannon Lesko smiles with her family after being announced as Teacher of the Year for the 25-26 school year.
Junior Skyla Quarles (left), seniors Alex Franklin and Logan Huff, and sophomore Luke Self (right) perform at a choir concert
Sophomore Brody Barnoski watches a video of someone using American Sign Language. Barnoski takes his virtual ASL class during 7th block.
Botany Club sponsor Brad Zerman takes a picture with a plant.
Recent Stories
Sports
Chiefs fan Brendan Bast represents his choice team at school
All quiet in the AFC west
Will Garthe, Yearbook writer • December 12, 2025
The girls basketball team takes a team picture after winning the Parkway Tip-off tournament.
Patriot Power
Elisabeth Uschold, Yearbook Writer • December 12, 2025
Members of the new Patriot clay target team take a picture during a practice. Photo courtesy of Chris Orban.
Hitting the target
Kaylee Thompson and Ella Foresman • December 8, 2025
Photo of the Week
Opinions
Senior Corinne Colvin works on completing a study guide for her AP U.S. History class.
Last trip to the Upside Down
Senior Tajae Barr works on Schoology. Schoology with down Oct. 21st due to the AWS shortage.
Chris Hansens 'To Catch a Predator'
Instagram Feed
Entertainment
Seniors Ryan George and Nora Riley enjoy their Swig drinks in the car
STL takes a ‘Swig’
Addie Bogad and Lauren Moon • December 19, 2025
Rapper NF on stage for his HOPE tour at Chaefitz Arena in 2023.
NF turns pain into power in his latest album
Jewel Mobley, Yearbook Writer • December 18, 2025
Holiday flicks
Holiday flicks
Claire Courtney, Yearbook Writer • December 12, 2025
Multiple buildings are lit up at the Anheuser Busch Brewery Lights.
Christmas in the Lou
McKenzie Bauhof, Yearbook Writer • December 12, 2025
Photo Galleries
Humans of South
“My dad got me into golf. I was a competitive gymnast and I had to get surgery on my ankle for a tumor. My dad started taking me out on the golf course and I took it up competitively after that. [Golf is] easier on my ankle after I couldn’t do gymnastics anymore. My favorite part about golf is meeting all the girls from other schools and making new friends during tournaments. It's hard to balance both school and golf; I feel pressure to perform well in both, so I do my best to keep up with them both.”
National English Honors Society (NEHS) is about spreading love for literature! Most people join because they either love reading and writing or want to spread the word. I am a part of the NEHS because I love reading, writing, and spreading the love as I am an English teacher!
“Growing up I liked watching Stephen Curry. He inspired me to me play. I look up to James Harden and try to base my game off of him. Both of them are left-handed and both have a great shot. My favorite game I played in was in school, in our second-to-last game of our summer league. Some things I do before tip off is listen to music, stretch, talk to teammates, and get hype. For this year being my first year playing high school basketball, some things I can do for my team and contribute to is score at will, play great defense to get stops, always communicate with my teammates and put them in good positions. I really want to win districts this year and go to state. Something I look forward to is building great chemistry with this team and making this team a brotherhood. I think i'll have a solid season for my first year but next year we're definitely turning up."
“My most memorable moment from South is mainly making new friends because I know way more people now. My perspective on this school has changed because everything I thought would be scary in high school, was actually not scary at all. It’s like the nervousness went away from my freshman year up to now because of my experience. One thing I look forward for this semester is exploring more opportunities of clubs or groups to join, so I can figure out more of what interests me and what doesn’t.”
"I became a special education teacher due to my love of helping others. South High is my home away from home. I enjoy the staff I collaborate with but my love for teaching comes from the students I support every day. One of my favorite memories at South High was building circuits in Physical Systems. It was awesome to see students' eyes light up when their light bulbs illuminated."
"My foreign exchange year has been great so far. I have met lots of new people and made a lot of new friends through playing soccer. Everyone on the team was very welcoming. I really like to do American things that I would see in movies in Spain. I like eating the American food I used to see on the Internet. School in Spain is much more strict than school here. We go to school at 8:15 a.m. and stay there till 5 p.m. The teacher are also way more strict about students following the rules and you get assigned a lot more homework."
“I started running in high school when I realized I wasn't coordinated and couldn't do anything related to a ball. I really enjoyed running because I liked how it helped me mentally and I liked that the harder you worked at it, you generally saw improvement and could kind of control your efforts. I had some combination of good and also not so great coaches growing up. I wanted to make sure I could be a foundational coach especially for young women as they saw running fit into their lives. Personally I've got lots of memorable races. I love running marathons and they've all been special or heartbreaking for numerous reasons. As a coach the most memorable moment was when we qualified for State as a team. It was unreal to do that for the first time in 24 years."
"Advice I have for underclassmen is to be yourself. Don't rush into anything, take your time and don't procrastinate. After high school my future looks like being an occupational therapist, and going to undergrad and grad school. What got me through high school was being with my friends and talking to them and not stressing about unnecessary things."
"Cheer is something that I have always loved! I am a sophomore on varsity and I love the whole concept of it and how I have a chance to cheer on my own peers from school. Because of cheer, I have made so many new friends who are super close to me, and who I am thankful for meeting. Cheer has and always will have a special place in my heart."
"As a past player here, I put a lot of heart and soul into football all four years. I was also a part of the baseball program for about three years and those two sports were a big part of my life. I wanted to give back to the kids who love the sport as much as I did. I worked in country music for about 5 years, and I really enjoyed everything I was doing, but I wasn't really fulfilled. I came to visit my siblings and I did a little guest lecture for a class and did some coaching while I was in town and something felt right. It felt like I was supposed to do teaching and coaching."
"I am a Constructivist. I don't like to tell people exactly what to do. I just teach them to have high expectations of themselves. Some kids follow really good instructions but can't teach themselves. [Students] should experience real failure on their own. Some challenges teacher can face is finding balance between the art and science of teaching while also having to be an employee. As a teacher I wear a lot of hats. I feel like the community should also push the students and give the teachers support."
“I wish I had told myself last year not to stress and make the most out of every moment, even the hard ones. Getting all A’s and staying on task regarding distractions was an accomplishment of mine, but I had to put important things first and fun things after to achieve it. I now know that it is easier if you keep a calendar or planner to stay ahead and on top of work.”
"Balancing baseball and school has taught me that effort must be equal in both to succeed. On the field, one of my biggest challenges has been handling failure when the pressure is high. Being on the mound and not playing my best used to get in my head, but I've learned that mistakes are inevitable and don't define me. In school, taking five AP classes has pushed me more than I expected, with long nights of homework and studying. On top of that, thinking about the future and college brings its own stress. Even with all the challenges, I've learned that resilience, focus and the ability to keep moving forward are what matter most."
"I enjoy problem solving, which makes math my favorite subject. I had a happy childhood and share a close bond with my older sister, who I love spending time with. I was born in Brazil and moved here in Kindergarten. Looking ahead, I hope to improve my Personal Record in cross country over the next four years, while also staying true to myself and leaving South an even better place than when I first arrived."
“Before I became a strength coach I was a college student and went to grad school. I have always been in the gym and I first started working at a gym in Iowa. What got me started with strength training was that I was always an ambitious and very motivated athlete. Also, I was always surrounded by people who were always in the weight room like coaches, friends, and mentors. One thing that led me to become a strength coach was about how cool it was to see the amount of confidence a person can gain from lifting weights and what comes with this is putting yourself in a very uncomfortable and vulnerable spot. A quote that I always tell my students is, 'without challenge there is no change.' I mean, at one point you are going to realize that health is going to become really important to you."
"I really like to be involved in things, even though I don't have much time to do anything. I try to involve myself in school as much as possible. When I get older I want to join the Air Force, but I have to do a lot of training [in order to do this] and you have to be able to do a lot of conditioning to get in. Managing my time is one of my biggest struggles, but there [are] a lot of things I want to do [so I make time] to do them. My biggest advice for someone who is having trouble managing their time is to pick the things you really love and stick with those things."