With Covid protocols in the rearview mirror, students and staff planned all activities to go according to traditions long established, with a few new traditions in the mix. From Mr. Libberton walking the halls with his notorious coffee cup ready for any contribution to his Pie-in-the-Eye charity of choice to all of the Marvel-inspired banners and display cases, East was ready for all of the fun festivities. Masks and social distancing … optional.

PAINTING UP THE TOWN…

By MARGARET GORHAM

The students of Saint Charles East High School gathered on Saturday, September 10, in downtown St. Charles to paint windows for their individual sports teams and clubs. This has been a longstanding tradition for the students to gather, celebrate their interests, and express their creativity. The art created not only celebrates the clubs and activities of students but also promotes small businesses. Gwen Erwin, a junior, joined the Art Club in bringing to life their design of Thanos holding a paintbrush. She said, “I think that window painting is a really fun activity because as a group you get to work together with other people who are like-minded to create a concept and bring it to life. For Art Club in particular, I think it was really cool that we had a set design, but we as a group were able to personalize it with individual styles and techniques along with still being able to branch out, both physically to other windows and with different art styles.” Art Club was stationed at the Rocket Fizz candy shop and created a variety of characters that matched the homecoming heroic theme.

The students who participated combined their various styles to fill the multiple windows that wrap around the store and match the vibrant decor. They were supervised by Mr. Chapman, a 2D Media art teacher at East, who has been involved with window-painting and homecoming since 1993. He said, “Window painting is a great way to bring life and energy into the town and build a better sense of community. It’s also good for local businesses by drawing attention to their shops. I like to see the students working together to problem solve and help each other to achieve their goals.”

VB GAMES GET POWERED UP

By MADISON MOEHRLIN & LAUREN VOIGT

On Friday, September 16, many local spectators and students gathered to watch the annual Homecoming Parade. The parade kicked off strong, with Saint Charles Police leading the way. Followed by staff and a total of 47 clubs, sports, floats and banners, this year’s parade was a big one! The parade started around 1 p.m, lasting roughly 35 minutes. A big crowd gathered for the event, marking the start of the fall season, as well as an “official” start to the new school year.

The East Homecoming Volleyball Games initiated with the juniors competing against freshmen, with the juniors winning. The games continued with Seniors winning against Sophomores, until the last two games-one between the Upper Classmen and one between Lower Classmen. The games were intense, with almost all of the shots between the middle blockers and right-side hitters. The players were flying face to face and at those points, the students just started to hope it fell on the opponent’s side. In the end, with smashes and roars of hurrays, the event ended with the seniors in the lead.

THE SMALL GAMES GET LOUD

By Cassidy Flanagan & Lilian Robles

Even entering the gym on the night of the event, you could feel the spirit provided by all of the excitement in the air for what was to come. Everyone cheered on the band and cheerleaders as they greeted the students entering the gym. Many managed to wear their class color. To kick off the fun, the cheerleaders sprung into action, performing a routine to the school’s fight song. After the performance, the first event—Bucket Head—was to follow, and seniors managed to win with 64 balls. With screams and cheers, the seniors made sure to make it clear they were here to win! The We Ski race arrived after, which led to an unexpected win in the competition by the freshman team! The seniors managed to pull through and win overall in the We Ski race. After, the East Dance Team performed, keeping the excitement in the air. The senior dance team even included an appearance of Spiderman. Then it was time for the tug-of-war games. The first two teams to face off were the freshmen vs sophomores, which resulted in the sophomores taking the win. Next up to battle were juniors vs seniors, where the seniors pulled through and won the round. Next was the Potato Sack Race. The juniors beat the freshmen. Next up, the seniors dominated the game against the sophomores by winning yet another round. The freshman went on to compete against the sophomores, but it ended in a loss for the freshman team.

For the final race, the juniors competed against the seniors. In this intense round, the crowd went crazy as the two competing classes chanted and cheered for their team. Although they sure didn’t lack spirit, the juniors seemed to lack speed, as they lost the race against the seniors. The last game to take place was pedal racing. To start off the new game, the freshman confronted the juniors, winning their second game that night. Next up to battle was seniors vs sophomores, where the seniors won again. Overall, the seniors got 1st place, the freshmen got 2nd, the sophomores got 3rd, and the juniors took 4th place. The seniors were the overall top winners of the Small Games having won all five of the events! What a way to kick off their last year of high school. The Homecoming Small Games event was concluded with a performance by the Marching Band drumline, and the announcement of the Pie in the Eye winner to follow. The members of the drumline really put their all into this show with drumming face-offs, drum circles, cymbals, and some costumes!

After the performance by the percussionists, it was time to announce the winner of the Pie in the Eye contest. Kyle Libberton was the teacher who raised the most money, with $718.15, and the school raised $2,311.10 that went to help ¨Be The Match” charity. To end off the night everyone got to hear our marching band play “ When the Saints go Marching In” as students were exiting.