Plano East Senior High School
Encyclopedia
Plano East Senior High School (commonly East, Plano East, or PESH) is a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...

 in Plano
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...

, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 (USA)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 serving high school juniors and seniors. It is part of the Plano Independent School District
Plano Independent School District
Plano Independent School District is a public school district in southeastern Collin County, Texas, with its headquarters in Plano. Plano ISD serves about of land, with of it within the City of Plano...

.

The school colors are black and gold, and the school mascot is the panther. Plano East has been awarded the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Best High School in Texas designation by Redbook
Redbook
Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...

 magazine, Texas Education Agency
Texas Education Agency
The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...

 Blue Ribbon School, and State and National Academic Decathlon Championships.

Plano East's graduating classes are among the largest for high schools in the United States. Plano East's Class of 2005, with 1220 graduates, was the largest high school graduating class in the U.S. that year.

Plano East is the only senior high school in Plano ISD to offer an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
IB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...

. As such, students who would normally attend either Plano or Plano West are allowed to transfer to Plano East to participate in the IB Programme.

History

To meet the demand of the growing population in Plano, Plano East Senior High School opened in 1981 as the second senior high school in the city. The school opened with 3 academic buildings connected by second floor walkways, a fine arts building, and a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...

nasium. The athletics complex was added as a result of Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...

 laws which require equal space for male and female athletics.
In 1987, a new student activity center was constructed for indoor athletic practice. Eventually, fourth and fifth buildings were also added. The construction project for building five (the science wing) concluded the fall of 2010, preceding the 2010-2011 academic school year.

The school has had a fierce rivalry with the oldest high school in Plano, Plano Senior High School
Plano Senior High School
Plano Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, USA, serving students in grades 11–12. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...

 as well as a growing rivalry with Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School
Plano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...

. Their rivalry with Allen High School
Allen High School (Allen, Texas)
-Athletics:-Football:The Allen Eagle football program has had five playoff berths and two bi-district championships in six seasons. In 2006 the varsity football team finished its season as the District 9-5A Champions by beating Plano East in the last game of the regular season, 22-17. Its only loss...

 to the north is very intense as both schools generally have had strong football programs.

Football

District Champs: 1985 12-5A, 1988 12-5A, 1994 11-5A, 1998 9-5A, 1999 9-5A, 2000 9-5A

In 1994, Plano East was on the losing end of a wild and memorable regional semi final game against John Tyler High School
John Tyler High School
John Tyler High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Tyler, Texas. It is part of the Tyler Independent School District and serves 9th through 12th grade...

.

Bowling

The Plano East bowling team began in 2001, winning the state title in 2006 and 2010. In the 2005-06 season, Plano East qualified fourth (behind Allen, Plano Senior and McKinney) during district play to qualify for regionals. At the Region II playoffs, East finished second to Allen and qualified for the state playoffs in Houston, Texas. In Houston, Plano East swept Sachse (2-0), Killeen (2-0), Ellison (2-0) and, finally, defeated the defending champions Garland Lakeview 2-1. This was Plano East's first team state title since its creation in 1979. Members of the team include: Kevin Bresson, Brandon Brown, Ryan Darley, Jonathan Kim, Thomas Dollin, Hunter Hooper, Peter Josephs, Andrew Smith and Kody Woods. Coaches include: Hieu Du and David Smith. Bowling is not an officially recognized sport by the Texas University Interscholastic League. In 2009 the girls team won 2nd in state. In 2010 the Plano East boys varsity bowling team won the state championship for the second time, defeating defending champion San Antonio Madison in San Antonio. Members of the team include Kevin Blake, Tommy Davis, James Dean, Brad Rodda, Tyler Samsell, Adam Smith, and Brandon and Corey Wesley. They have also won the title of the most winning games of all high schools. In 2011, the girls team won the state championship, defeating Katy High School in the final round. The team consisted of Kelsey Potts, Torrey Brown, Kelly McEvoy, Allison Blakley, Sabrynna Gibson, Jac Burchell, Sarah Pillars, and Katie Leslie.

Hockey

Plano East Hockey won the AT&T Silver Division championship in 2006-2007 defeating Plano West 3-1 in the championship. Hockey is also not an officially recognized sport by the Texas University Interscholastic League.

Wrestling

1998-1999 Muhammed Lawal won the 171 weight class state championship.
1999-2000 Lucas McElyea won the 140 weight class state championship.
2004-2005 Andre Taylor won the 112 weight class state championship.http://uil100.org/archives/athletics/wrestling-boys.php

Orienteering

Plano East is home to PISD's only orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...

 team. Hosted by the ROTC program, the orienteering team won the North Texas Orienteering Association championship for the competitive year of 2005-2006 as well as the 2006-2007 school year. Members of the team also represented the city of Plano at the National competition both years, in North Carolina and in Maryland where they ranked 4th in the nation on the varsity, and junior varsity level.
The Plano East Panther Battalion JROTC Orienteering Team earned a spot at the 2010 United States Interscholastic Orienteering Championships in Batavia, Ohio. The Freshman and Junior Varsity Teams took first place in their respective divisions while the Varsity Team placed 4th overall.

Academics

Plano East Senior High School operates on an 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. schedule, which includes seven periods and a break for off-campus lunch during which all students may leave campus to eat lunch. Traditionally, students attend from 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., but the school offers a program where students may elect to attend a "Zero Hour" class before 1st period at 8:00 a.m. This allows students the option of taking an additional class or leaving early at 3:19 p.m.

Plano East offers International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, Honors, Regular Level, Special Education and Remedial classes. The school offers 6 foreign languages including American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...

, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...

, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....

, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

. There are JROTC programs, English as a Second Language classes, and vocational and career track programs.

Plano East ranked 461st in Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools"

JROTC Program

Plano East Senior High has a JROTC program that currently holds the Honor Unit with Distinction (HUD). It has held the HUD for more than 17 years. It is currently headed by LTC Bernard Aikens (Ret.) and had MSG Darrell Crews (Ret.) teaching the 9th grade and CSM Michael Franklin (Ret.) teaching the 10th graders. The various extracurricular teams consist of Rifle Team, Orienteering, Drill, Color Guard, Academic Team, and PT (Physical Training) team.

The Fine Arts and Performing Arts

Band

The Plano East Band
Plano East Band
The Plano East Band consists of four concert bands , The Marching Panthers marching band, and a jazz ensemble....

 consists of four concert bands (The Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Concert Band, and Varsity Band), The Plano East Marching Band, and a jazz ensemble.

The Bands are directed by Evelio Villarreal, Director of Bands, Jana Harvey, Associate Director of Bands, and John Brennan, Associate Director of Bands. Under the guidance of the directors, the band is one of the most decorated bands in Texas. In 2000, the band was named the winner of the Dale C. Harris Exemplary Band Program Award by the American School Band Directors Association. This distinction is annually awarded to the top band program in the United States. In addition, the band has 28 consecutive years of Superior Ratings and Sweepstakes Awards in the University Interscholastic League
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....

 (UIL) for marching, concert and sightreading competitions. In 2006, the Wind Ensemble was named honor band runner up at the State TMEA Honor Band competition.
The Plano East Senior High Marching band has been a finalist in the Duncanville Marching Ivitational six times since 1999, and was named Grand Champions in 2001.

Orchestra

The Plano East Orchestra is also among the top programs in the state. The orchestra under direction of Betsy Thomas was as recently as the 2010-2011 school year, named as the High School String Orchestra Honor Orchestra for the state. The orchestra has received the award of Honor Orchestra from the Texas Music Educators Association 6 times in the last 12 years, more than any other school in Texas. TMEA restrictions allow the school to participate in the honor orchestra contest only every other year after if they win. The PESH orchestra also won a national competition in 2003 and 2005. Starting in the 2008-2009 school year, the orchestra was no longer allowed by the school district to compete in both the state and a national competition.

Choir

The Choir Program consists of two main choirs, Mixed Choir and Women's Chorus and also has two audition-only groups called Sound Invention and Treblemakers. The choirs are under the direction of Daniel Knight and have received many honors over the past few years such as achieving sweepstakes at local UIL competitions and being recognized and performing in prestigious locations on tour in New York. The choirs put on both a fall and a spring show during the academic year, and Sound Invention and Treblemakers also put on their own themed fall and spring shows.

Theater

Plano East offers various theater-related classes. Not only does it provide acting/performance classes, but it also features Technical Theater as well as an elite Theater Major Studies (TMS) program.

Theater students are under the direction of Gavin Mundy. Mundy previously taught at Vines High School and Carpenter Middle School, both Plano ISD schools. Theater veteran Lisa Hale was the former director of the Theater program at Plano East from 1984-2011, and directed over 60 plays.

Students in the theater program are able to take advantage of experts that are brought in for workshops. The theater department also takes advantage of the professionals at neighboring Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...

, UT Dallas and Collin College.

The theater department produces four major productions each school year. A Theater Major Studies show (one where only students involved in the TMS program are allowed to audition), an open audition show, senior-directed one act plays, and the open audition one act.

Plano East theater competes in the state UIL one act play competition each spring. In 2006, Plano East received the state championship for their production of The Marriage of Bette and Boo.
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9672/peshtheatrebc5.jpg

Recognition

  • U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1992-1993 and 1997-98
  • Texas State and U.S. National Academic Decathlon Champions
  • Redbook
    Redbook
    Redbook is an American women's magazine published by the Hearst Corporation. It is one of the "Seven Sisters", a group of women's service magazines.-History:...

    magazine Award for the "Best High School in Texas", 1994, 1996
  • Texas Education Agency
    Texas Education Agency
    The Texas Education Agency is a branch of the state government of Texas in the United States responsible for public education. The agency is headquartered in the William B...

     Blue Ribbon School, 1997

Notable alumni

  • Lance Armstrong
    Lance Armstrong
    Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...

    , Tour de France
    Tour de France
    The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

     champion
  • Jake Arrieta
    Jake Arrieta
    Jacob Joseph Arrieta is a right-handed starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.-Early life:...

    , starting pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
    Baltimore Orioles
    The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...

  • Wes Bankston
    Wes Bankston
    Wesley Wade Bankston is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently playing for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. At Plano East High School, he played baseball and football as an outfielder and starting quarterback, respectively...

    , first baseman for the Oakland A's
  • Justin Blalock
    Justin Blalock
    Justin Christopher Blalock is an American football NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons. He played college ball as the right tackle for the Texas Longhorns under coach Mack Brown. He stands at 6'3.25" and weighs 320 lbs.-High school career:Blalock attended Plano East Senior High School, playing...

    , offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

     and the 2005 national champion Texas Longhorns
  • Shafayet Faraizi, actor, rapper. First Plano East Alumni to perform on Shakespeare's Globe
    Shakespeare's Globe
    Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...

     and was featured on Christina Aguilera's 1999 remix of Genie in a Bottle
    Genie in a Bottle
    "Genie in a Bottle" is the second single by American pop recording artist, Christina Aguilera, taken from her self-titled debut album. It was co-written by David Frank, Steve Kipner, and Pamela Sheyne, and produced by Frank and Kipner respectively...

     as "TJ Dilenquent."
  • TC Fleming, columnist for Quick (newspaper)
    Quick (newspaper)
    Quick is a defunct Dallas-Fort Worth area free weekly newspaper published from 2003 to 2011. As the name implies, it was delivered in a quick-to-read format: a tabloid ranging in page count from 20 to 40...

  • Jimmy King
    Jimmy King
    Jimmy Hal King is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-College career:He was part of the famed University of Michigan Wolverines Fab Five along with Ray Jackson, current NBA player Juwan Howard, and former NBA players Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, that reached the 1992 and...

    , University of Michigan
    University of Michigan
    The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

     basketball star and part of the "Fab Five
    Fab Five
    Fab Five may refer to:* Fab Five , the 1991 University of Michigan men's basketball freshman recruiting class* The Fab Five, a 2011 documentary on the above group.* Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal, a 2008 movie...

    "
  • Muhammed Lawal
    Muhammed Lawal
    |-| Win|align=center| 8–1| Roger Gracie| KO | Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov| |align=center| 1|align=center| 4:37|Cincinnati, Ohio, United States|||-| Loss|align=center| 7–1| Rafael Cavalcante| TKO...

    , Oklahoma State University, Mixed Martial Arts fighter, Former Strikeforce LHW Champion
  • John Leake
    John Leake (American football)
    John Leake is a former linebacker in the National Football League.-Career:Leake split the 2005 NFL season between the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers. The following season he was once again a member of the Falcons....

    , linebacker
    Linebacker
    A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

     for the Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    .
  • Adrianna Lynn
    Adrianna Lynn
    Adrianna Lynn, aka Adrenalynn, is a pornographic actress.As a child she modelled for the J. C. Penney catalogue and later on she attended and graduated from Plano East Senior High...

    , Adult actress, Pornstar
  • Lee Nguyen
    Lee Nguyen
    Lee Nguyen is an American soccer midfielder who currently is a free agent. He had previously played for V-League club Becamex Bình Dương.- Early career :...

    , 2005 Gatorade
    Gatorade
    Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...

     High School Soccer Player of the Year and current Randers FC
    Randers FC
    Randers FC is a Danish professional football team based in Randers, which plays in the top-flight Danish Superliga championship. Founded as a merger on January 1, 2003, the club builds upon the license of Randers Freja, a former three-time Danish Cup winning team...

     midfielder
  • Charlie Peprah
    Charlie Peprah
    Charles Yaw "Charlie" Peprah is an American football safety for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the 5th round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

    , defensive back
    Defensive back
    In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

     for the Green Bay Packers
    Green Bay Packers
    The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

  • Amanda Swafford
    Amanda Swafford
    Amanda Lynn Swafford is an American fashion model and television personality. She came in third place on Cycle 3 of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. Swafford is legally blind; she is afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition...

    , third place on America's Next Top Model
    America's Next Top Model
    America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....

     Cycle 3
  • Terrence Wheatley
    Terrence Wheatley
    Terrence Wheatley is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft...

    , defensive back for the New England Patriots
    New England Patriots
    The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

  • Dave Williams
    Dave Williams (musician)
    David W. "Dave" "Stage" Williams was the lead singer for the band Drowning Pool. He grew up in Princeton, Texas living with his parents Charles Edward and Jo-Ann Williams. During the 1990s he was a fixture in the Dallas music scene, often playing in well-known clubs. In 1999, he joined Drowning Pool...

    , lead singer of Drowning Pool
  • David Wiseman, Drummer of Bowling for Soup
    Bowling for Soup
    Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...

  • Matt Young, outfielder for the Atlanta Braves
    Atlanta Braves
    The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....



See also

  • Plano Senior High School
    Plano Senior High School
    Plano Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas, USA, serving students in grades 11–12. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes...

  • Plano West Senior High School
    Plano West Senior High School
    Plano West Senior High School is a public secondary school in Plano, Texas serving high school juniors and seniors. The school is part of the Plano Independent School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. Students at Plano West attended one of two high...

  • List of high schools in Texas

External links

  • http://pisd.edu/schools/secondary/pesh/index.shtml
  • http://k-12.pisd.edu/wpaw/
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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