Pitcher perfect \\ Pitching the ball, sophomore Anthony Kelly plays one of his last district games against Lovejoy at home April 4. Junior Varsity took the Dub with a score of 5-3.

Heads up \\ After the goalie punts, sophomores Hayden Wren and Brayden Tran use their heads to deflect the ball Jan. 18. JV beat Lake Dallas 3-1.

On the field \\ Fighting off the defender to keep possession of the ball, sophomore Devin Chandler helps varsity defeat Mesquite Poteet at the Wylie ISD Stadium Jan. 14. Varsity hands it to Poteet, beating them 6-0 at a home game. Their next home game is Friday, Jan. 28 at the WEHS soccer field.

Post up \\ Hanging her sticky note in AP English IV, senior Emma Haney adds hers with the others. The class read the book Crime and Punishment, then were given their own individual pages to recap Jan. 12.

Introducing… \\ Starting off the game, senior Aleena Dawkins runs on the court high fiving her fellow teammates. Varsity girls basketball won against Lovejoy 55-28 Jan. 21 on Future Raider Night in the Williams Center. “When they called out my name I was ready to take on the challenge of guarding their best player and limit her opportunities to score,” Dawkins said.

High pitched \\ Pitching the ball, sophomore Canon Pohlmeier plays in his first scrimmage at home against Sachse. Junior Varsity fell short to the Mustangs 8-5 Feb. 8.

Take him down \\ Fighting his opponent in the district tournament Feb. 2, junior Colby Feece becomes a regional qualifier along with junior Ryan Lobato, junior Robert Samano, junior Paul Ouane, senior Ty Jarvis, sophomore Isaac Flores, senior Xavier Cole and junior Landon Nguyen. The wrestling team hosted the tournament and the team placed 4th overall.

Skater life \\ Starting off her show, soloist Nora Saleh skates around the floor for this year’s varsity winterguard show “Jukebox,” a show about a 1950s diner. Each color guard member plays a specific part in the diner. Songs in the show include Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley, Earth Angel by Penguins, Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, The Twist by Chubby Checker and We go Together by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Varsity placed fourth at North Texas Colorguard Association (NTCA) North Forney. Feb. 12

Prep work \\ Preparing for the STAAR Test in April, freshman Emma Gilmore practices Delta math in her Algebra I class. “I just can’t wait for this year to be over and for it to be summer,” Gilmore said.

StuCo sWEethearts \\ Cutting out stacks of paper hearts, sophomore Ana Hoang helps after school for student council’s “sWEethearts project.” On Valentine’s day, StuCo members created paper hearts with every student in the school’s name on them to show that every person in the school matters. Students were encouraged to look for their names in exchange for a piece of candy. “We were so happy with the results of the project,” StuCo advisor Breegan Gholson said. “Though cutting and writing all of the names was stressful, the time completely paid off.”

Over easy \\ Clearing the hurdle, junior Celdon Gooch practices to get ready for district. Gooch is on the varsity track team for hurdles and long jump. “I run track to get faster for football season,” Gooch said.

Study time \\ Sophomore Nicholas Schnell works on his research project in Computer Maintenance March 28. The class was given a choice of any topic they wanted to research.

Spanish speaking \\ Freshman Brianna Haskins practices speaking Spanish, March 30. The Spanish class learned words to use for Cinco de Mayo next month. “I like Spanish because I get to learn a new language to use outside of the classroom,” Haskins said.

Blue hue \\ Carefully choosing their colors, freshman Cynthia Estrada and freshman Maggie Fowles work on tissue paper collages in Art I March 17. The assignment was to paint within an outline of a hand and stick tissue paper to the wet paint to create interesting textures and colors.

Painter’s touch \\ Sophomore Tori Thedford finishes up some touches on her team’s poster to participate in the “Best Trifold” contest for the yearbook and newspaper banquet April 26. “I feel remorse for the teams about to lose,” Thedford said.

Senior sabotage \\ Playing the opener of their 2023 marching band show, “The Hope Cycle,” senior Arle Casillas performs at the Senior Night football game Aug. 25. Little did she know that the following week, she wouldn’t perform during halftime at all. “I was disappointed that we didn’t go to the game because we seniors only have a few games left,” Casillas said.

Streaming live \\ Seniors Logan Koonce and Abby Koehler celebrate the end of the graduation ceremony. The Class of 2022 walked the stage to receive their diplomas at the Allen Event Center May 28.

Strike a pose \\ Performing at Flag Night, A-guard performs their piece “Alone With the Moon’ March 31. Flag night is when both color guards from Wylie High School and Wylie East High School show people what they’re all about.

No bones about it \\ Junior Ash Elgersma works on a new project called the body bone in Mrs. Tigert’s Art II Sculpture class April 6. “I enjoy art because I can let my feelings and emotions run,” Elgersma said.

Raider spirit \\ Performing at Meet the Raider, junior Kennedy Johnson cheers on the field Aug. 17. Meet the Raider showcased the Sapphires, Cheer, and the Football team. “My favorite thing about cheer is the bonds you create along the journey and the memories made that will last forever,” Johnson said.

Food for thought \\ Photojournalism students learn page layout using snack foods in Mrs. Thedford’s second period class April 26. Using graph paper, they designed a yearbook spread following graphic design rules.

Winning writers \\ WEHS journalism dominated the Lone Star Writing contest for the large school division. Senior Heath Hadley won first place and $125, junior Morgan Clark placed second and won $100 and freshman Maggie Volpi placed third and won $75. To be eligible for the contests, students must have a story printed in a local publication.

Jivin’ \\ Performing alongside the jazz band, senior Elbert Haney and the Out of the Blue pop choir sing the “12 Days of Christmas, Sort Of,” at the Java Jive concert Dec. 16 in the cafeteria. The Java Jive is an annual concert for both the jazz band and pop choir during the holiday season.

Christmas past \\ Honoring his recently departed father, Dr. Dame and fellow choir teacher, Mrs. Dame, hang the ornament on the stage tree during the choir program’s winter concert Dec. 14.

Play ball \\ Senior Brennen Boyd watches in suspense as his teammates compete in the annual ragball tournament to help fundraise for the baseball and softball programs. “Ragball is fun because it isn’t too serious, but we still get to play with our friends and do what we love. Plus we know we’re raising money for our team,” Boyd said.

A lot on the line \ Playing in the football game, sophomore Kason Atkins gains yards for junior varsity. After a first half lead, JV lost to Highland Park 45-36 Nov. 4.

On stage \\ Madam Andrea Averre snaps a quick selfie as she gives junior Tryniti Berry her senior ring at the annual ring ceremony Nov. 1. Students chose a teacher that has had an impact on them to present them with their senior ring at the ceremony.

Stop action \\ Popping a water balloon for Mrs. Angela Gilpin’s photography class, sophomores Melissa Baird and Issac Wagenhouser assist their classmates Oct. 22. In their shutter speed project, the students took photos of different types of motion.

Senior moment \\ Walking down the 50 yard line, senior Grace Duck celebrates her senior night Oct. 21. Grace has been a trainer for the varsity football team for three years. She walked with her parents Brandon and Carrie Duck. The varsity football team won the game against West Mesquite Wranglers 38-6. “I can’t believe we won our first district game on senior night,” Grace said.

Efflorescing \\ Finishing out her final moments of this year’s marching band show Efflorescence, senior Aileen Khuu spins with her swing flags to conclude the ending movement Marigolds during halftime of the varsity football game Oct. 8.“I feel like this year’s show really pushed us to where I never expected us to be,” Khuu said. “Although we didn’t end where we wanted, I’m happy with all the work we put into it because the end product really shows all the work we’ve done.”

Taking Action \\ Leading their second club meeting, Interact president Elshadaii Solomon discusses plans for club members to write letters to senior citizens. “Our officers and I thought that writing to the senior citizens would be a great way to put a smile on their faces and be involved with the community,” Solomon said.

Practice makes perfect // Giving the ball away, sophomore Peyton White warms up for his game against Longview. JV fell to the Longview Lobos 27-0 Sept. 30. “Being able to play with East is like having a second family, and a bunch of brothers to have your back,” White said. JV’s next game is Oct. 7 at McKinney High.

Broadway performance \\ Rehearsing in costume, senior Eva Kewley performs during a dress rehearsal in the auditorium Sept. 29. The whole cast and crew of Anastasia, had the opportunity to perform for and receive feedback on a few musical numbers from the Broadway’s original Anastasia, Ms. Christy Altomare.

TAFE surprises secretary \\ Presenting student services secretary Tina Lopez a gift for parking lot and traffic attendance appreciation, Texas Association of Future Educators president Abby Koehler and appreciation chair Abi Burch surprise Mrs. Lopez in her office.

New member \\ After teaching her part of the dance, Sapphire Sergeant Maysen Harris, leads the routine run-through at the Jr. Jewels clinic Sept. 25. The clinic was open to all kids K-6th grade to learn a dance and a chance to perform with the Sapphires at a home game Oct. 8.

Practicing perfection \\ Rehearsing new Choreography, the Pride of the East’s Snare drumline prepared to perform at their first competition of the 2021 season Sept. 18.

Show time \\ The Sapphires pose before resuming their routine during the game day pep rally Oct. 21. “My favorite part was having all my friends watching me from the bleachers in person again,” junior Ava Foster said.

Senior screams \\ Senior Lee Garcia sports his varsity football jersey for the game day pep rally Oct. 21. “My favorite thing about the pep rally was seeing everyone hyped about the game and believing in our ability to win,” Garcia said.

Colonizer \\ Playing in the junior varsity volleyball game, freshman Jordyn Wacaster serves in the second set. JV lost to The Colony 2-0 Sept. 17.

Let it burn \\ Observing how an unknown chemical reacts to fire, sophomore Maci Kindred takes note of what color the fire changes to Sept. 20. In Mr. Vito Peri’s AP Chemistry class, students dipped a wooden stick in an unknown chemical then used a bunsen burner to see how the fire reacted to it.