By Diane George
 
On August 31, 2020, I will be retiring after 35 ½ years at East High School.  I have so many wonderful memories of my time here.  I have worked with so many amazing people, and I have learned so many things from so many people.  I want to wish everyone the best of luck in all you do. I will miss everyone as I venture to the next chapter of my life.
 
Thank you to Marlene for being an amazing leader – Carmel Frappes forever! Thank you Dr. Meier and Jenn Rees for being the absolute best bosses I have ever worked for. Thank you EPO for making the amazing changes at East that you have and putting East back on top! Thank you Tammy Toot and the rest of the Admin Assistants, Dana and Angel for being such amazing friends and such a fantastic team! Thank you Admin Team for all you do for the place I will always call my second home and know I will miss you all. Thank you Paras, TAs, custodians, and SSOs for keeping the payroll part of my job busy. Thank you to the faculty and staff for being who you are! 

Seniors - You got this.... I know that this is not how you expected your senior year to go. I sure never thought this is how my last year at East High would be but just don't let this Pandemic define who you all are.  Going through this has made the Class of 2020 the STRONGEST class in history!  Run with that.  Know that after this you can do and achieve anything!  Best of luck in all you do. To Lower school and underclassmen - Do not take your middle and high school years or your teachers and administrators for granted!  Enjoy every year and make every year the best cause you never know if this will happen again in your senior year. Be the best that you can be. 
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I love you East High and Know that I will always bleed Purple and Gold!!!!
That's a wrap!

By Tahaara Gazali
 
To all my dear seniors, 
 
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”                                 -Martin Luther King Jr.
 
We have started to leave a legacy from day one, through running, walking, and even crawling to reach our goal which is to graduate. You’ve made it, despite the hardest times in your lives including this pandemic. I am sure many of you have had doubts about a certain class or two but here you are almost walking the stage in a week.
 
Throughout these three years of high school, life has taught me a lot about high school and I am sure you did as well; but i want to share one thing with you all. It's time to take control of our own lives and it’s up to us to make decisions CRAZY right? And it can be scary but you are greater than fear. You see, life is like a ludo ball: it spins itself, sometimes to things that we would never thought would happen to us and sometimes the worst things. It's okay to fail, cry, get stressed, it's life; as we all had many failures and doubts throughout high school and we learn to overcome, eventually the key is to keep moving and never think too small of yourselves and try your best.
 
I know the world we live in today, sometimes I call it the “monster world.” I mean who agrees with me this world is like a mystery to us and we have to explore it through life experiences and that sounds scary enough because you never know what’s going to happen to one in just a matter of seconds but it’s okay. We learn to explore and learn from our mistakes and continue to leave a legacy behind. 
 
Goodbyes are hard, but as we move on with our lives, make sure to spin your ludo ball and see where life takes you! Class of 2020 you have completed this chapter, Phew! Now keep moving and let the journey begin! 
 

By Nazier McDonald
 
I started off East High School as one of the unknown people in the school.  I thought middle school was going to be easy; I barely made it out of the 7th grade. The worst year of all was 8th grade where I became a follower. I went from a good kid that my mother would talk about to “if you don’t do this work in class, you are going to get a phone call home.” I didn’t want my mom to be disappointed in me.  I can try so hard to do the right thing, but one word from one of my friends, and I was ready to do the absolutely WRONG thing. Then, after barely making it out of 8th grade with a 1.36 GPA, I looked at that GPA and I thought, man, I can do better! 
 
In 9th grade is where I became more comfortable with my hearing loss. My best friend cracked a joke about my hearing loss and it was so hilarious that my nickname became “one-ear.”  To me, I thought it was hilarious.  I do only have hearing in one ear, and even that good ear has hearing loss. It went from joking at lunch using the nickname, to being a school wide nickname. There are several people at East with the name Nazier. If people were talking about a Nazier, someone would say “which one?” and they would say “one-ear” and they would know it was me. I still felt the same as everyone else, mind you, but that nickname brought me closer to people and helped me fit in.  
 
One teacher that has helped me a lot is Mr. Gillett. He is my favorite teacher of all time. He is the first teacher that I ever cried in front of. It is very hard to make me cry and I cried in front of him because he was helping me speak some very true words.  I would also like to thank Mr. Newman because he taught me how to make glasses. I really think that is interesting. 
 
For anyone that plans on attending and graduating from East in the future, my advice is mind your business and do what you have to do and you will be fine. Listen to your teachers and don’t be a follower.

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By Ho Mach
 
I always saw myself as someone who constantly works and studies, focusing on my future and desire. Don’t let anyone bring you down and never stray from the path you have taken. The journey will be difficult, challenging, irritable, and even painful. There will be countless obstacles and hardships you will face but do not let it break you. Remind yourself that you have dreams, goals, and a future. When you are about to throw in the towel and walk away, think of how far you’ve come, and how many sacrifices it took you to get here today. Always push your boundaries and think limitlessly. Never let a person assure you that your dream is impossible to achieve and do not be sorry to those that doubted you. Be better than sorry. You will overcome and do whatever it takes to climb. If you fall, try again and learn from the fall. Do not be sorry, be better than sorry. 

By Tierney Callerame
 
Being a student at East High has been a life-changing experience.  I've met so many amazing people that’ve stayed with me throughout the years and made high school such a memorable experience for me. Starting senior year was the best experience of my life knowing I was so close to the finish line after I'd wanted to give up a million times. I thought I'd never be able to do it, but I’m here and I'm 18 days away from that finish line. I’m glad to be the quarantined class of 2020. Even though there were times I wanted to give up and drop out, I had teachers there pushing me to do better and of course Mrs. Blocker in my ear telling me I was destined for greatness.
 
As my high school year comes to an end, I am glad to say my time at East has been the best time of my life and I’m glad I had people pushing me to do better. If it wasn’t for all of those people I wouldn’t be where I am now and I’m beyond grateful and I’ll always  remember all the help I got from all my teachers, counselors, and administrators that helped me get to where I am now. I’ll forever be blessed with the presence of each teacher that pushed me and motivated me to do better.
 
And for after high school I will be attending MCC to Major in Psychology to become a school counselor and help kids that went through things similar as me. I want to be able to help kids like me get to the finish line and help them jump the obstacles that are put in front of them and make sure they always know that they are for sure worth it and enough.

By Anna Burton
 
So this is the end of my journey at East, but being here has opened up so many new opportunities. During this journey there have been so many moments that I will cherish, some I wish would have turned out different and moments I wish never happened. These years running the halls was a time for me not only to learn and to better myself but to find myself and realize who I am and what I want. I am grateful for all who have graced me with their presence.
 
This year I was shown that you shouldn't take people for granted and should always appreciate those that are around you and willing to help you because they not only do not have to be there but they might not always be there. So I do thank all the teachers that have helped me grow and become the woman I am today. Thank you to all my friends who stuck around and made sure there was never a dull moment. I will take all these memories and experiences with me and will keep all of your advice and the things you guys have taught me.
 
These past few months I was thrown into the adult world and it is not easy but that is life. We are from East and we can and will get over all the hurdles life has. I mean look at us now; not many can say they went to school during a pandemic on their computers and still went on. We are a lot stronger than we think. I am so proud to be an East High alumna.

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By Joshua Figueroa
 
My time at East has finally come to an end, and I never thought I would get this far but now my time has come. One of the many things that has gotten me through my obstacle was the friends I made and the relationships I had with my counselors.
 
I would like to give much love and appreciation to my guys Cisco, Mikel, Miguel, and JJ. We got some good memories that won´t ever be forgotten, especially our chill spot in the commons area. Through my senior year I realized how much I’ve grown, from being an antisocial kid, despite going through my everyday battles being in school.  These friends got me to feel better and I'll always cherish that.
 
I would also like to thank my counselor, Ms. Dubiel. She was really there for me when I was at my lowest, whenever I needed someone to talk to she always took the time out of her day just to talk to me, even if it was for 10 min. The fact that I could pretty much say how I felt meant so much to me and Ms. Dubiel you´ll always be the best. I’m going to fulfill my promise and get to college and go all the way.
 
East High has really shown me that we are family. I learned skills that I can now use on another level, and I will use them for success. Thank you to every single last teacher who I had throughout my high school experience, especially Mr. Conrow. Your Optics classes were the best classes and by far my favorite class, and I definitely will pursue my dreams of video games. Love you guys!
 
Jfiggy OUT!

By Jacai Sanders
 
My time here at East has been amazing and filled with countless memories that I will never forget. Memories with people that I will never forget. Each and every teacher, student, and coach has had a huge impact on my life whether you know it or not. When I came back to East my main goal was to defy the expectations people gave to our society and I can safely say that I accomplished that all while in a loving environment. And now it’s time to defy those expectations in our country. When you look back at my journey, it’s definitely not for the weak. I had to overcome a lot of prejudice and racism along with a lot of other things but those things only helped make me mentally stronger. A lot of kids go to schools and they try to fit in, but that was never me. I always stayed in my own lane and did my own thing and didn’t care what anyone had to say about me. That’s the biggest thing that defines me. When people think of me I want them to say that I was very different and incomparable to others. 
 
East will always hold a place in my heart. Everyone from East is a family and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon even though we’re all going off and embarking on our own journeys, we will always be one. Whenever I get the chance I will come down from West Virginia to visit and show some love. Thank You.

By Adelisa Badzic
 
My name is Adelisa Badzic and I am soon to be a graduate of East High’s class of 2020. I came into East in 2017 as a freshman with the goal of graduating early. I was pushed to be my best at all times by my family and many teachers. I want to thank Mr. Reid, Dr. Boyle, Mrs. Flaherty, and Mr. Armella, as they always believed in me throughout these years and always pushed me to be the best version of myself.
 
 
Looking back I never had many friends. I made bonds with teachers who some I considered more as friends, rather than teachers. I am both excited and nervous for what is to come my way. I am planning to further my education at St. John Fisher College as a Media and Communications major. I am a part of the Higher education opportunity program and my classes will start right after I graduate, on Monday June 29th for five weeks. I’m very excited to see what the future holds for me, and I can’t wait to come back to visit East and share my college experience with all my teachers. 

By Elisha Jenkins
 
From 7th grade to 12th grade there were a lot of bumpy roads along the way, but I managed to get through the years. When I started going to East High School it was totally different and new. There were so many people that were by my side and many that weren’t. I want to say thanks to all the ones that were with me and thank you to the ones who made me a better person even if it did take a while to see who was really by my side, wanted to see me do better and be better. 
 
Let’s start with 7th grade, I want to say “Thank You” to Ms. Bliss and the few friends I had who made this year easier. I was the “new kid” and they all made sure my year was great. Now on to 8th grade a completely new year, I want to say “Thank You” to Ms. Garcia.  She made this year so much better for me when I was ready to leave this school because it was too much for me to handle.
 
Next freshman year, I want to say “Thank You” to Mrs. Tisa, Mr. Hart, Mr. Goodman, and Mrs. Wofford. If it wasn’t for these few people I can say this year was going to be good for me and they all saw that I wasn’t my usual self. Going on to sophomore year, a “Thank You” to Ms. Dejesus; she was an amazing teacher. Ms. Dejesus helped me a lot throughout the year and I am very, very thankful for that.
 
My second to last year, my junior year, I want to say “Thank You” to  Chef Jeff, and the friends who made me come to a whole realization of how the following year was going to be. The friends I had were great friends but nothing was ever stable. If it wasn’t for Chef Jeff and realizing that I wasn’t the same Elisha, I can say this would have been the year I just completely given up. I was really close to doing it. Finally my senior year, the year that was cut short. I want to say “Thank You” to Mr. Vann, Ms. Gladney, Ms. Derizzio, Ms. Boress, Ike, Dr. Bak and so many more. Not only did they make the last couple of years so much better but they made my last year here at East better. They all knew what I went through and was still going through. They made this year easier for me and I appreciate everything. 
 
AU REVOIR EAST and THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING YEARS!!!!