# 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, small fourth floor, and basement lunch room around 1973, they remain closed due to the presence of asbestos and because they got replaced with the addition. They are 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 1934 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 (basketball), and skiing.

### State championships

* 1937: Boys' golf
* 1940: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1943: Boys' track and field
* 1944: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1945: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1946: Boys' golf, boys' swimming and diving, boys' cross country
* 1947: Boys' tennis, boys' swimming and diving
* 1948: Boys' basketball
* 1949: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1950: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1951: Boys' swimming and diving
* 1954: Boys' golf
* 1955: Boys' tennis
* 1956: Boys' tennis, boys' swimming and diving
* 1972: Boys' track and field, Class A
* 1974: Girls' volleyball, Class A
* 1975: Girls' volleyball, Class A
* 1980: Girls' volleyball, Class A
* 1981: Girls' basketball, Class A
* 1985: Girls' volleyball, Class A
* 1989: Boys' basketball, Class A; boys' volleyball, Class A
* 1990: Boys' soccer
* 1992: Girls' volleyball, Division 1
* 1993: Girls' soccer
* 1994: Girls' volleyball, Division 1
* 1996: Girls' soccer
* 1996: Boys' Volleyball
* 1997: Girls' soccer, Division 1
* 1997: Baseball
* 1998: Boys' soccer, Division 1
* 2006: Boys' volleyball
* 2008: Boys' basketball, Division 1
* 2016: Boys' table tennis, Division 1
* 2021: Boys' basketball, Division 1
* 2025: Girls' basketball, Division 2

## Awards

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

## Notable alumni

* Antler (born 1946), poet and educator; poet laureate of Milwaukee, 2002–03
* Hailey Danz (born 1991), American paratriathlete; gold medalist at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
* Jovan Dewitt (born 1975), American football player and coach; NCAA Division 2 All-American player, NCAA Division 1 FBS Coach
* Nancy Dickerson (1927–1997), pioneering radio and television journalist and reporter
* Devin Harris (born 1983), professional basketball player (NBA)
* Lucille Shapson Hurley (1922–1988), nutritionist
* Tim Knoll, freestyle BMX rider
* Mike Krol (born 1984), musician
* Sd Laika (in memoriam, 2023), musician
* Marcus Mbow (born 2003), college football player
* John Morgridge (born 1933), businessman; CEO and chairman of Cisco Systems
* Jeremy Scahill (born 1974), political writer and documentary filmmaker
* Richard Schickel (1933–2017), film critic, author, and documentary filmmaker
* Jerry Smith (born 1987), professional basketball player
* Tony Smith (born 1968), professional basketball player (NBA)
* Pete Stark (1931–2020), politician; member of the United States House of Representatives, 1973-2013, D-California
* Thomas A. Steitz (1940–2018), biochemist; Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate
* Phillips Talbot (1915–2010), diplomat; United States Ambassador to Greece 1965-1969
* Sugar Todd (born 1990), professional speed skater; member 2014 U.S. Olympic team
* Michael Torke (born 1961), musician and composer
* Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (born 1986), Russian-born film critic and essayist
* WebsterX (born 1992), musician