I've got your back \\ Embracing her long-time friend and cross-town rival, senior Macey Griffin supports Wylie High senior Autumn Switzer. Switzer and her family were honored at the Sept. 27 Gold out varsity volleyball game to raise awareness for childhood cancer.

Back for more \\ Beginning the game portion of their second competition in a row, juniors Esteban Figueroa and Joseph Morgan drive the robot for team 12430. The team won three awards and advanced to regionals Jan. 11.

Cheer on \\ Competing in the UIL cheer competition, senior Emma Vincent performs for the last time as a Wylie East Cheerleader. The team took on 61 teams in their division and finished with 14th place Jan. 17. “After we walked off the mat, I will always remember the pride and joy that we all felt toward our coaches and the team,” Vincent said.

Spill its blood // Asking to go beast hunting, junior Saverio Cimino practices during a dress rehearsal of theatre’s production of Lord of the Flies. Based off of the novel by William Goulding, the play was completely sustainable. All the costumes, props and set pieces are reused and recycled. Catch their show tonight at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.

Sophomore Sydney Haas participates in the Princeton Powerlifting Championships Jan. 11. The following placed for the team: Ella Moseri 1st Nyliah White 2nd Sydney Haas 2nd Stephanie Cruz 3rd Frances Frank Nwafor 2nd Destiny Valdez 5th And Madyson Mills 4th Coached by John Mitchell, the team placed third overall.

Extracts \\ Separating the cells to discover the DNA strand, senior John Castillo smashes his strawberry to the grains in Mrs. Miller’s forensics class Jan.14.

Reach out \\ Visiting the junior high schools in Wylie, students from the dance program perform a contemporary dance piece. The dancers went to McMillan and Burnett junior highs Dec. 17-18 to dance for the junior high students to promote the dance program.

Golden Hour \\ Leading victory lines, Sapphire Captain Berry Stevens whistles to signal the next ripple for the team at the varsity football game against Woodrow Wilson. The team travelled two hours to perform a team pom to the song “Pretty Fly”

Mini me \\ Participating in victory lines alongside Junior Lieutenant Samantha Burkart, 6-year-old Alex Collins enjoys the opportunity of being a mini Sapphire for a football game. Collins won mini sapphire for a day from a boots and bar-b-que auction. “It was the best night of my life. I loved being with my cousin Sam,” Collins said after the Raiders lost to the Mt. Pleasant Tigers 41-24 Aug. 30.

Chopping block \\ Making a wall against the opponent’s hit, freshman Hannah Perry and senior Leah Stamps cover their varsity court Sept. 24 at the Gold Out game. Varsity won three out of five sets against Royse City, adding to the almost undefeated season. The next game is Friday, Sept. 27 in the Wylie East gyms.

Girl on fire \\ Holding the methane flames, chemistry teacher Mrs. Lissa Groter demonstrates to her first period chemistry class proper safety techniques Nov. 20.

Honorable mention \\ Receiving his certificate, junior Esteban Figueroa is inducted into National Honor Society. The organization inducted 95 new members in the auditorium Oct. 30.

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.

No bad news \\ Running across the stage, senior Avery ‘Cecil’ Pulley executes movement choreographed by Mrs. Stephanie Jackson for the song “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News” as she portrays the First Winkie in a morning practice for this year’s musical, The Wiz. The cast practices every morning starting at 6:30 for performances the weekend of Oct. 11. “I think I have a little bit of all my characters in me,” Pulley said. “The height of a Munchkin, the funky style of an Oz Citizen, the constant panicked state of a Winkie and the screech of the Kalidah Queen, especially.”

Raise ‘em up \\ Cheering on the stands, senior Luke Bumpus, wraps up his speech pumping up the crowd at the Pink Out pep rally Oct.7.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.