Flower power \\ Receiving an honor, Wylie High senior Autumn Switzer gets recognized at the gold out volleyball game Sept. 24. Switzer was recently diagnosed with a rare form of soft tissue cancer in both of her lungs, but it doesn't stop her from spreading happiness. “She is so positive and we all love her and support her through everything," sophomore Brittany Johnson said.

Hole in one // Beaming from ear to ear, the girls varsity golf team placed third at the Leopard Invitational golf tournament at Watters Creek. The team competed Sept. 23 and returned home, each with a medal. “I am so proud of these golfers,” head golf coach Melinda Black said.

Tuned up \\ Practicing his guitar for digital audio tech, junior Saverio Cimino creates a tune in the 400 hall. Digital audio tech, taught by Mr. Turner, allows students to pursue their musical passions.

Lego to PALS \\ Junior Brianna Beamer plays legos with her Friday PAL at Cox Elementary Sept. 27. PALS is a class where students go off campus to an assigned elementary or intermediate school to mentor younger kids. “This has been a great opportunity for me to be a friend to kids who may be struggling. I’ve loved getting to know them so far and can’t wait to get to build an even stronger bond throughout the year," Beamer said.

NHS Knot \\ Trying to detangle from her family members, senior Shaylee Richardson participates in the family competition during the NHS meeting Oct. 3. NHS meets the first Thursday of every month and has a family competition at every meeting. During the school year, NHS families can earn points through games and service hours. At the end of the year, the family with the most points wins the NHS trophy.

Focused vibes // As she watches the drum majors, sophomore Kaitlin Wiltcher plays her vibraphone during the band’s performance at the Wylie Band Night Oct. 7. The band’s show is titled MASSive and features music from Mozart’s Requiem, John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Masquerade and original music from Christopher Bill. “It was cool to see all the junior highs play and get excited over watching their high schools perform,” Wiltcher said.

Head in the Game // Sophomore Isaiah Shields moves the ball down the field gaining JV yards against the West Mesquite Wranglers. They lost 12-7 Sept. 26.

Walking tall // Senior Enoch Olajimi takes big steps on two-foot-tall stilts during the halftime performance Oct. 11. The Pride of the East will perform their show ‘Massive’ at competition in the new McKinney ISD stadium Oct. 19.

Come together \\ Representing the element of community, sophomore Ily Crawford performs the song “Balleilakka” along with the acapella choir at the fall choir concert entitled Elements. The concert featured songs representing the various elements of family, celebration, parting and more and took place in the auditorium starting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22.

Standing ovation \\ The Pride of the East band returns from State after receiving seventh at finals Nov 6. They were welcomed back with open arms and cheers galore as they walked into school with their trophy held by Head Drum Major Jordan Moore.

Gold rush \\ Helping fellow yearbook staff member Katie Borchetta, junior Audrey Wentz glues glitter to her face for Gold Out spirit day. Gold shirts were sold to support pediatric cancer awareness Sept. 6.

Dream Machine \\ Preparing for rush week, President of the Robotics Club, Senior Collin Kaiser sets up the robotics table Friday Sept. 6. All clubs were invited to showcase their organization during lunch for a week to recruit new members. The fourth robotics team received the rookie grant awarded by the DEKA foundation.

March it off \\ Playing the school fight song, sophomore bass clarinet player Josh Gonzales marches into the Wylie Walmart as the conclusion of the band’s annual March-a-thon, which began in Bozeman Farm at 9 a.m. and concluded around 11:30 Sept. 7.

Bejeweled // Helping her Junior Jewel bedazzle her shirt, freshman Sierra Gilbert works at the Sapphire Junior Jewel clinic Sept. 22. The clinic had over 60 attendees who participated in a t-shirt bling party, had a snack and learned a routine to Get Back Up Again from the movie Trolls.

Teaching youths \\ Volunteering at Cox elementary, senior Adrianna Rivas helps an elementary student with a math problem for family night sponsored by mathnasium. Rivas is volunteering alongside HOSA members to help with math games and serve dinner Sept. 27.

Mountain madness // Working on his English IV AP project, senior David Villahermosa hot glues construction pieces to create a mountain Oct. 3. Every year, the English IV AP students decorate the English hallway with a visual representation of the book, “The Road.”

Power of Rome \\ Senior Krista Scott performs the last movement of this year’s band show Conquered at the Classic On the Lake competition in Little Elm Oct. 6. The Pride placed third in their division and earned first in two music captions and second in two marching captions.

Clothed in Honor \\ Beaming from ear to ear, junior Johnathan Savarese receives his medal after being accepted into National Honor Society. Savarese is the second member of his family to be awarded with this honor. “I’m excited to be a part of NHS and proud as the second member of my family to be accepted,“ Savarese said.

Hoping for Heaven \\ Performing a tear-jerking solo, senior Macy Herrera belts out City Called Heaven at the fall choir concert Oct. 23. The concert, entitled The Road Less Travelled, followed the theme “Lyrics that Live, Stories that Sing,” and featured 11 songs, each telling a unique story, from a mother seal singing softly to her pups to a deaf boy describing the world as he sees it.

Cruising for a bruising \\ Mrs. Becca Glaze and junior Devyn Castle work together to create a bruise using makeup to practice using visual effects Oct. 30 in tech theatre.

**Winner of an ILPC Individual Achievement Award: 3rd Place Sports Action Photo** Follow the leader \\ Junior quarterback Zach Haaland finds a hole for a touchdown. Raiders lost the final game of the season against Texas High 35-19 Nov. 2. A 1-9 season concludes head coach Mike Dormady’s first season.

Music and arts \\ Sophomore Benjamin Rodriguez learns to play the guiro. The beginner Spanish class spent the entire day playing Spanish instruments to learn about music in the Spanish culture Dec 5. “It was really difficult at first when we were learning the rhythms but when I got the hang of it, it was really fun,” Rodriguez said.

Holly jolly clarinet \\ Playing Let the Bells Ring freshmen Dylan Townsend and Jazmyn McKeel harmonize with the Wind Ensemble at the band Christmas concert Dec. 6.

Home for the holidays \\ Senior Kaylen Younger sings her solo to “Please Come Home for Christmas” with Out of the Blue at the dress rehearsal for the choir Christmas concert, The Winter’s Night Dec. 11.

Season of service \\ Giving a thumbs up as her resident places her marker on the correct spot, sophomore Halli Fulton works at Founders Plaza Nursing home along with the Sapphires for their service project. The drill team spent the day visiting with, singing Christmas songs and handing out gifts to the folks in the nursing home Dec. 15.

Big pipes \\ Sophomore Jamie Gammon sings “Somewhere that’s Green” in the musical Little Shop of Horrors. The public can view the musical by the Wylie East High School theatre department Friday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 19 at 2 and 7 p.m. Purchase tickets at htttp://wehstheatre.weebly.com.

Eye on the prize \\ Aiming at her target, junior Krista Adams practices her archery skills. The archery club meets every Wednesday during Power Hour. Mr. Chris Bailey sponsors the club that is open to all students.

Such a tease \\ Teasing senior Emily John's hair, senior Gracie Sanders helps the actors and actresses prepare for the second live production of Little Shop of Horrors Jan. 19. Most of the cast and crew had a call time of 10 a.m., though some were required to come earlier, as they had a more complex makeup and costume routine. "The most difficult part about getting into costume was making sure all of the different parts were together, and that all of my costumes were set for each scene," Johns said.

Mindful Measurement \\ Checking the amount of solution in his beaker, sophomore Andrew O’Grady participates in a lab for Mr. Vito Peri’s sixth period pre-AP chemistry class Jan. 25.

Senior Charles Tucker shows off his robotic skills during the I Have A Plan Night Feb. 4. Various clubs attempted to recruit incoming freshmen throughout the night.

Spillin' secrets \\ NBC 5 Reporter Allie Splllyards spent the morning visiting with Mrs. Thedford's journalism classes for Wylie Way Day Feb. 7. Spillyards started her journalism journey on Mrs. Thedford's newspaper staff in 2004. She spoke to the aspiring journalists about her college and job experience and shared her video packages. "My future is much clearer now thanks to her," junior Liz Harkins said.

Watching it fly \\ Sophomore Katelyn Sawyer sees how far her ball goes after chipping it onto the green, later putting for Bogey. Varsity girls placed fourth. Sawyer shot a 112. The Golf team is on the road again to Heritage Creek in Fairview Feb. 11.

**Winner of an ILPC Individual Achievement Award: 1st Place Sports Action Photo** Bucket list \\ Junior Jose Melendez gets past his defender as he drives to the bucket to score. Varsity lost on a last minute shot as they fell to Denison 71-69.

Lean on me \\ Senior Sapphire officers Hannah Mullins and Kylie Combest partnered up during an officer routine in the competition gym Jan. 25. Show offs featured each routine that will compete in the drill team competition at Heath High School Feb. 2.

New kid on the block // Senior Jacob Pryor commits to play as an offensive lineman at Texas Wesleyan University in the coming years. Pryor signed on National Signing Day, Feb. 6.

Euphoric Euphonium // Playing Allied Horn March, senior Justin Barrall harmonizes with the Symphonic Band at their Mid-winter Concert Feb. 12.

Wrestlemania // Hot on his feet, senior Jose Sanchez wrestles against a Richardson High School student. The wrestling team won with a score of 52-14 Jan. 30. “We're hoping to be state champions this year. We’ll see at the regional tournament,” Sanchez said.

Bump up the jam \\ Focusing on the ball, freshman Zoe Harbison keeps up with her play before scoring on Sherman High School. The game ended 5-0, with Junior varsity taking a win.

A Shot in the dark \\ Sophomore Tristyn Gaida pushes the ball up the field in hopes of her team scoring. Gaida has been on varsity for two years and plays defensive mid. Varsity won 3-0 against Denison High School Feb. 20.