Wauwatosa East High School


Wauwatosa East High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school in the city of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It is part of the Wauwatosa School District. The school was originally known as Wauwatosa Senior High School until the opening of Wauwatosa West High School in September 1960. The first graduating class of Wauwatosa East High School was in June 1962. Today, the school is often colloquially referred to as Tosa East.

History

The first high school in Wauwatosa opened at the site of the current Wauwatosa East in 1871.
Originally known as Wauwatosa High School, the school's name was changed to Wauwatosa East High School in September, 1961 after a rival high school was built on the west side of the city.
Much of the current structure was built in the second half of the 20th century. This resulted in substantial alterations to the original design of the building, including the removal of its tower and the closing of the school's third floor, which is now used by the district for storage. A restoration project in the early 2000s uncovered several Works Progress Administration murals on the walls of what was formerly the school's main entrance; the murals had been painted in the 1930s during the New Deal era and subsequently covered up.
The sports teams are named the Red Raiders. They were once represented by a logo of a cartoon Native American brave in warpaint and a mascot dressed as a Native American. In 2006 this came under protest, which led to the logo being changed to a shield with the letters 'TE' on the front and crossed spears behind and the mascot becoming changed to a pirate.

Athletics

The school has varsity level sports teams for both men and women, including volleyball, basketball, softball, baseball, soccer, football, golf, wrestling, tennis, swimming and diving, cross country, track and field, and the Poms dance squad.
Intramural sports include Ultimate Frisbee, IBA, and skiing.

State championships

The school's drama organization is the Wauwatosa East Players. The school stages two theatrical productions each year, one in fall and one in spring. All productions are staged in the Dale K. Hidde Theatre, named for the school's long-time theatrical director, which also serves as the school's auditorium and is home to the independently run Wauwatosa East Student Play Festival.
Wauwatosa East's clubs include The Cardinal Pennant Yearbook, The Cardinal News, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, French Honor Society, German Club, German Honor Society, The Wauwatosa East chapter of the Junior Classical League, Linguistics Club, Philosophy Club, National Art Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, BattleBots, Chess Club, HOSA, SMART Team, Key Club, Amnesty International, AFS, Gay-Straight Alliance,, International Thespian Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Forensics, Destination Imagination,, CAFÉ, Key Club, Health Occupations Students of America, Latin Club, Art Club, Intramural Basketball Association, Science Club, Visual Arts Classic Team, Best Buddies, and Student Council.

Awards

In 2008, Wauwatosa East was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School.

Notable alumni

Scott Nichol, Assistant to the White House Press Secretary George W. Bush Administration