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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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

Getting started \\ Warming up the Dance I students, alumna Brooke Hogan returns to fulfill her student teaching requirements as a dance education major. Ms. Hogan was a member of the Sapphires which influenced her decision to continue dancing for her college’s team and the reason she chose Wylie East. photo by Piper Deneault

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Learning the wires \\ Talking to a student about the Robotics and Engineering club, senior Luis Lopez volunteers to share his passion during rush week Sept. 16. “If I could build anything I want, I would build a trolly from the 900 hall to the 400 hall, so I wouldn’t be late to class anymore,” Lopez said.

Laffy TAFE \\ Explaining what the club TAFE does at TAFE’s Kick-Off Google Meet, club sponsor Mrs. Jill Hill goes over their social media Sept. 15. TAFE, Texas Association of Future Educators, is a club that provides an opportunity for students who are interested in teaching as a future career to meet other students with similar interests and to participate in helping the community.

Free run \\ Junior running back Tyler Jackson breaks away from the defense for a big gain in the offense versus defense inner squad Sept. 12 to prepare for their first scrimmage of the season against Plano West. The first two games of the season were away. The next two games are cancelled due to positive the coronavirus cases in the varsity football program.

Looking ahead \\ Senior Samuel Townsend watches the sunrise at the Senior Sunrise Sunday, Sept. 4 This gathering was a first-time tradition in which seniors come together in the parking lot to reflect on the year ahead. They also wrote letters to themselves that will be given back to them at graduation. The school year will culminate with the Class of 2021 coming back together for the Senior Sunset at the end of the school year.

Take a look \\ The third period yearbook staff celebrates making it into Jostens Look Book, a compilation of the best of the best yearbook across the nation. The staff also received a Bronze Star from UIL. This was the first time for the staff to ever get a Star award.

The final swing \\ Discussing their approach to bunting, varsity baseball players Nathan Lam and Coby Clark work on improving their skills in light of the upcoming season. “I hope we get to have a season, because I want to play with my senior teammates one last time,” Lam said.

A morning start \\ Warming up for the morning marching band rehearsal, sophomore Daniel Aanerud prepares for the Pride of the East marching show, “Hamilton” Sept. 4. “Even though this year is really whack, I’m still going to push myself and my section to be the best,” Aanerud said.

Speedsters \\ Aspiring photographers compare exposures while learning about shutter speed in Mrs. Thedford’s fifth period photojournalism class Sept. 3.

Super senior \\ Senior Sammy Harris fields the ball and gathers himself to throw for the out at first Aug. 26. Harris and the baseball teams scrimmage each other every Wednesday to prepare for district play.

Guiding Hand \\ Demonstrating flag procedures, junior Joseph Richardson teaches new JROTC cadets the correct way to fold the Texas flag during first year orientation Aug. 24.

Mid-flip \\ Finishing his back tuck, sophomore Tristan Lee celebrates a successful play during his first week back at after-school practice by tumbling to the 10th yard line in 7v7 Aug. 13.

Mask Protocol \\ No bandanas will be allowed as face coverings. Pictures, emblems, or writings are allowed as long as they do not depict violence or are lewd, vulgar, or obscene in nature. Face coverings must not advertise or depict tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, drugs, or any other prohibited substance. Any mask that in the administration’s judgment may reasonably be expected to cause disruption or interference with normal school operations is prohibited. Face coverings should be worn as intended and should not cover eyes.