Free fall \\ With pole vault season starting up, freshman Aiden Branin practices his landing after school March 4. This is his first year doing pole vault.

April flowers \\ Students in Ms. Taylor McAlister’s first period floral design class spent the week making Easter arrangements using real flowers, plastic eggs and construction paper.

Drop it like it’s hot \\ Falling to the ground, the varsity girls softball team reacts to junior Andrea Boling’s home run. The team played a home game against The Colony and lost by one run, 8-7 April 9.

Eyes on the goal \\ Varsity soccer player Emily Jeffreys practices her shooting technique with the rest of her team during after-school practice March 15. The drill consisted of training to make clean passes and how to get the ball past the goalkeeper in a quick manner.

Rolling in the deep \\ Performing their show, freshman Alyson Sebastian dances and rolls on the performance mat with her flag Feb. 27. The JV Royals competed in their first competition of the season in Alvarado and won sixth place in the Regional A.

14-0 \\ Swishing a free throw, freshman Kerbie Cash helps assist her team to a win against McKinney North. The girls varsity basketball team beat the Bulldogs 68-60 and went undefeated in the regular season. “I play hard every game because I’m not only playing for me, but for my team,” Cash said.

Teamwork makes the dream work \\ Cutting and gluing together pieces of paper and cardboard, sophomores Isla Kewley and Marley Lessig work on their Industrial Robotics assignment in Mr. Gibson’s first period engineering class. The students were given free range to design and build a model for an invention of their choice while utilizing the skills they’ve learned in class. Working in pairs enabled students to collaborate on ideas and speed up the process of crafting.

Last chance \\ Senior outfielder Jaylie Sibley is the last hope in a back and forth game against district 15-5A power house Lovejoy Leopards. The Leopards stayed ahead and won 2-1 March 10. Varsity’s next district game is Tuesday March 16 at The Colony.

Got your back \\ Junior Colby Feece practices his moves at an after-school practice Feb. 2.

Hype crew \\ Cheering for the girls varsity basketball team, juniors Alyxandria Fulton and Makensi Thomas get the crowd pumped as they watch the team compete in the regional semifinals against Red Oak High School Feb. 26. The team defeated the Hawks 65-60 in overtime. “I loved the energy and atmosphere in the gym,” Thomas said. “We had a big crowd to help cheer on the team.”

Rain check \\ Senior Jolene Lavaki placed fourth in the 200 Meter Dash for Varsity Girls at the Wylie ISD Invitational at Wylie High School Feb. 27. “I was excited to finally get back on the track after almost a year,” Lavaki said. “I didn’t care about the rain, the people watching, or how my body was feeling. I just wanted to start my senior season having fun doing what I love.”

Loud and proud \\ Cheering on her team, Sophomore Victoria Rinewalt celebrates a three-pointer against McKinney North. The game was a close win for the girls varsity basketball team and secured their title of district champs. “I love cheering on my team! The bonds we’ve all made this year are unbreakable and we all love to support each other,“ Rinewalt said.

Hang in there \\ During morning practice, sophomore Raegan Smeltzer pulls up her deadlift suit by hainging on weight racks Feb. 23. The girls are preparing for their upcoming powerlifting meet.

Sprinting springs \\ Taking the ball down the sideline, senior Garrett Geppert plays in the Wylie ISD Showcase Jan. 16 against the Sulphur Springs Wildcats. Varsity soccer fought hard, but ended in defeat 4-0.

Scream team \\ Jumping up off the bench, the girls varsity basketball team cheers for their teammate Aleena Dawkins as she scores, to tie up their game against Red Oak high school Feb. 22. The team won their playoff game in overtime 65-60 Feb. 26.

Back to school \\ 2016 graduate Tyler Harris substitutes for Health Sciences Teacher Mrs. Angela Tower Jan. 7. Harris graduated from Texas Tech University last fall and majored in music.

History in the making \\ Dressed up for Black History Month, Mrs. Lisa Olford teaches her fourth period Health Science class about exercising Feb 1. Black History Month lasts the month of February.

Record Raiders \\ Junior Elbert Haney plays a part in the theatre’s performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the first ever “Shakespeare in the Park.” Due to the pandemic, the play was performed outdoors to allow for social distancing.

Fight or flight \\ Taking a breather from the intense game, senior Jayme Bailey eyes her next play during the Mesquite Horn game Jan. 4. Varsity won 4-0. Bailey scored two of the four goals. “Getting to be a leader on a team full of a lot of young talent makes being a senior on the team so much more enjoyable,” Bailey said.

Get your head in the game \\ Stealing the ball from the Bulldogs, senior Sarah Satterwhite passes it to her teammate. Girls varsity soccer won against Royse City 4-0 Jan. 8.

Three in a row \\ Newspaper staff member Shelby Perry won second place in the Lone Star Writing Contest. Competing in the large school category, she won $100 with her story about the NHS induction ceremony. To be eligible for the contest, students’ stories must be published in a local publication. Perry’s story was published in The Wylie News. This is the third year in a row that a Wylie East student has been a winner in the Lone Star Writing Contest hosted by UIL.

Make or break \\ Dribbling the basketball, freshman Keyera Roseby sprints to make a shot. Varsity girls won against Sachse 53-34 Dec. 8.

Court appeal \\ Dribbling past Hebron players, sophomore Aaliyah Halstied goes up for a layup. Varsity played against Hebron at home losing 58-42 Nov. 17.

Fun friday \\ Every Friday the yearbook staff takes a few minutes for team building and team bonding. Sophomore Ava Rhodes gently places one of her five sheets of paper on top of her group’s creation. The on-campus learners raced to see who could build the tallest tower out of paper while the remote learners took turns making a noise for them to “name that sound.”

Band in the stands \\ Performing the school song, junior Tailene Morales joins the rest of the Pride of the East after the football game Oct. 30 against Longview. The band performed for the first time at a game this year for their halftime performance of “Hamilton.” “It was such a good experience to share with the freshmen, who I know have never done this before,” Morales said. “It was also reassuring to know we could do something normal in the midst of the craziness of the pandemic.”

To die for \\ Junior Mallory Hatch dyes fellow yearbook staff member Braden Nardiello’s shirt. The yearbook staff tie dyed their club t shirts Oct. 27. Originally planned to take place outdoors, the cold weather moved the event inside. “I’m impressed at how easy and neat it was to tie dye indoors,” Hatch said.

Downhill \\ Running the football, sophomore Hudson Pai takes charge on the 10 yard gain against Sherman Oct. 22. Hudson rushed for 37 yards. He also played defense. Junior Varsity fell to the Bearcats 18-8. “I feel like as a team, we just weren’t there and we could’ve played harder for sure,” Pai said.

Medal of honor \\ Senior Micheal Vana receives his National Honor Society medal Oct. 21. NHS officers surprised recipients in their classes with the annual NHS tapping of new members. The induction will take place virtually this year in a Google Meet Oct. 27.

Bounce back \\ Clad in orange for Unity Day, Assistant Tennis Coach Elizabeth Simmons presents the second place district trophy to her team in the cafeteria Oct. 21. Varsity tennis fell short to Lovejoy in district. Tennis received a trophy as a team and medals for individuals. “It was team effort; we couldn’t do it without every single one of you,” Coach Simmons said as she gave the trophy to her players.

Spinoff \\ Tossing her batton, junior Katie Larson performs alongside the colorguard and band for the halftime show of songs from the musical Hamilton Friday, Oct. 16. Due to COVID-19 cancelling football games, the cheerleaders, band, colorguard and Sapphires showcased what would typically be at a football halftime show. “It felt really good to finally perform with my friends and show everyone our hard work,” Larson said.

Calling attention \\ Reaching for her whistle to signal the end of the routine, captain Brita Burns leads her first performance at Wylie Stadium Oct. 16 for the halftime show. “It feels different because we always have one person out at some point which makes it hard to bond as a whole team. We are thankful for every chance we get to perform this year,” Burns said.

Donkey dreams \\ Pretending to be asleep, seniors Ashley Goss and Jamie Gammon play the characters of Nick Bottom and a fairy during a dress rehearsal of A MidSummers Night’s Dream in preparation for their play Friday, Oct. 9. The theatre program will perform Shakespeare in the Park at Community Park on Fair Day, Oct. 12 at 2 and 6 p.m. They must wear masks to abide by Covid-19 the coronavirus mandates.

Head of the pack \\ Commanding the saber team C/1Lt, Toriono Garvin marches in the homecoming parade Oct 7. The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps leads the parade every year.

Window dressing \\ Painting Shoemaker & Hardt’s store window Oct. 4, freshman Miriam Stone traces the stained-glass butterfly as a way to spread the news about the upcoming homecoming parade. East’s and Wylie High’s student councils came together to paint Downtown Wylie’s shop windows advertising homecoming.

Front of the class \\ Colonel Brooks McFarland teaches his third period JROTC class synchronously, where he instructs both remote students and on-campus students simultaneously. Remote learners listen in via a Google Meet. On Wednesdays, the cadets must dress in their uniforms. Remote learners are expected to follow the same dress code as the on-campus learners.

Sharing service \\ Reading from the agenda, NHS Vice President Sam Burkart tells members about the upcoming service opportunities at the monthly meeting Oct. 1. Students are required to participate in the meeting via google meets or sit in the library with the officers. “I want to be like my older friends who were officers so I can lead like them,” Burkart said.

Spirit walk \\ Sapphire Ella Schulting cheers on the varsity football team as they head to Mt. Pleasant for the first game of the year Sept. 25. The drill team and cheerleaders celebrated as the team boarded the buses. Due to the coronavirus, the drill team is unable to attend and perform at away games.

Behind the screen \\ Remote learners participate in spirit days from home. The annual Ultimate Raider contest garners participation across Wylie Sept. 25.

Back in blue \\ After serious contemplation, the principals selected the 2020 winners of the Ultimate Raider Contest during third period Sept. 25. A girl, a boy and a teacher each earned a basket full of goodies from Student Council.

On the field \\ Varsity and junior varsity scrimmaged Plano West at Clark Stadium Sept. 17 in the first game post-Covid-19.