Stop looking at the camera!
I need to take a candid!
Stop looking at the camera!
I need to take a candid!
15 seconds left on the clock and I still couldn't identify where the setting was on the camera to adjust aperture. After class one day, my teammate Aarushi and I, decided to challenge ourselves to figure out different settings in the camera within a time limit. In the end, I thought all I did was just frustrate myself, but little did I know, that lesson was the beginning of the many photos I would take of the facial expressions and actions of Prosper High and our town.
I'm going to be honest, the camera infographic pasted on the wall in our newsroom made absolutely no sense to me for the first semester of newspaper class. However, with much needed practice along veteran journalists and on-hands experience, my photos told a story bigger than the event it was taken at. I began to appreciate how seemingly simple shows or games or interactions had such complex, deep backgrounds that couldn't be dissected at the moment. Each new look at the photo would produce a new feeling. The actor wasn't just singing to the audience — she was channeling the talents she had been honing in for years, then she was putting herself in the shoes of her character's suffering, then she was imagining a future that included so many more opportunities like this.
Looking back to her parents, senior Mahitha Bagam walks towards her coaches to get officially recognized. This is her first year in the varsity team. "Tennis at PHS has become a part of my life since my sophomore year, and despite the good or bad days, I have cherished my time here and continue to reminisce about it once I become an Eagle Tennis alumnus," Bagam said. "Tennis has taught me a lot of values and discipline I need past the tennis courts, given me beautiful friendships that I am so grateful for, and helped me become a better person on and off the court."
Waving at the floats, children from Prosper ISD elementary schools stand on the sidelines of the parade. The Rock Hill homecoming parade took place on Sept. 17. Additionally, the Walnut Grove parade took place on Sept. 10.
Leading the march back after presenting their color show on stage, Cadet 2nd Lt. Pranavi Sundaram represents the Prosper High School Honor Guard. This is Sundaram's second year in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and her first year leading the Honor Guard. "I feel a sense of pride and honor knowing that I am presenting the colors for our nation," Sundaram said. "I also wish the best for these seniors."
Standing for a picture with Principal Nicholas Jones, graduate Isaac Lee holds his diploma and wears the cords he earned throughout high school. He was the captain of Prosper's engineering robotics team, the Robotalons. This year, the Robotalons secured a victory at their first district competition in Plano.
Adjusting her cap before the graduation ceremony, graduate Kirsten Porchia wears a smile. Porchia plans to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. in the fall. "The music is really weird, so I'm a little confused," Porchia said. "But I'm super duper excited."
This photo gallery was one of the most rewarding pieces I did last school year and it was almost emotional to capture a new chapter for these graduates. My rule of thumb for this event was if I see a proud moment, I would capture it. The best part was that I had a lot of area to work with, and so I could take different angles for an action, and see what looked best.
Walking into the arena, Principal Paige Trujillo greets the student body at the beginning of the pep rally. It started at 3:55 p.m., according to the altered bell schedule, and celebrated the success of the 'Ship Serves' day. "Guys, I just want you to take a minute and really think about the fact that you today impacted somebody's Thanksgiving, you impacted somebody's food supply, you impacted animals that are sitting in shelters that don't have homes," Trujillo said. "You guys made a difference for our community, you made differences for families today, and I'm so incredibly proud of that."
Cutting into the t-shirt, sophomore Emily Ringheimer prepares to braid it into a dog toy. To minimize expenses, the Student Council donated its shirts from the previous years towards this cause. "I thought it was a really cool experience to help people in need," Ringheimer said. "I enjoyed doing this with my friends."
I enjoyed watching my Prosper High peers feel content and joyful as they contributed to the local community. I love capturing moments like these on camera because I feel that this is what Eagle Nation is all about — demonstrating how connected everyone in Prosper is.
Trash bag in hand, sophomores Aryan Sajith and Elliot Weber walk down the PHS campus looking for litter to pick up. Classes rotated between making dog toys, assembling sandwiches, picking up litter, and writing letters of gratitude throughout the event. "The 'Ship Serves' day was a simple event that made even the most reluctant Prosper students more involved in their community," Sajith said. "Now, since it was the first time I did something like this in Prosper with this many people, I was initially confused and struggled to find what I was supposed to do, but soon I was able to find a place where I can serve our community well."
As the old t-shirts are laid out, students repurpose them into dog toys. In total, they made 2,000 pet toys to donate to all the local pet stores in Prosper. "I do have to do a couple of thank-you's, because we had a lot of help," Principal Paige Trujillo said. "Thank you to our incredible staff — round of applause for our teachers y'all."
Painting the ship sign, senior Miriam Kassem finishes decorating the National Art Honor Society (NAHS) table. As apart of the event, this organization set up an arts and crafts station where students could decorate a coffee filter. Kassem is the president of NAHS.
Organizing the food donations, English II teacher Colin Brown was one of the many staff members overseeing the student volunteering in the sandwich assembling station. For this event, PHS partnered with the Prosper/Celina branch of LovePacs to provide 500 packs of nonperishable food items for families in need. Classes were only 75 minutes long rather than 90, following the altered bell schedule.
Concentrated on her letter, sophomore Sahasra Surya writes grateful words to local first responders. Students had the choice to write to first responders, hospital patients, and senior citizens in this station. "My experience during the 'Ship Serves' day was that it was really fun and a creative way to share joy to others through cards," Surya said. "It was a positive experience overall and I hope our school does this again."
Smiling with their friends from the cross country team, juniors Kherington Glover and Carson Keefe cut a strip from an old t-shirt to repurpose it into a dog toy. While students made cat toys inside the library, dog toys were being made in the surrounding hallways. "I thought 'Ship Serves' day was a great way to do something for the community and get to know my classmates in a non-educational setting," Glover said. "I had real conversations and enjoyed spreading kindness through the service stations."
Talking amongst themselves, sophomore Christopher Floyd, and juniors Nihal Reddy Cheerke and Arnav Shah prepare to cheer on their fellow senior teammates. These three players are in the varsity team. The varsity team most recently played against Plano High School Sept. 2.
Smiling wide with her family, senior Prathiksha Jeya Venkatesh listens to compliments she received from her teammates. Venkatesh started playing tennis in eighth grade with motivation from her father. "(My) favorite memory is getting ice pops from the freezer after long practices in the sun with the team," she said, "and just sitting in the tennis box, laughing."
Arm around her mother, senior Ananya Reddy Manyam and her parents pose for a picture with her senior poster showcasing childhood moments. This is Manyam's second year on the varsity team. "My favorite thing about tennis is the friends I made on the team," she said. "I love all the tournaments where me and Mahitha go out and we order food and just talk."
As you can see, I love capturing students' walking into a new chapter of their lives. Their happy faces with their family really shows through on the camera, and even spreads to the viewer. I remember all the tennis players coming up to me after the event ended to thank me for taking their photos. Some of them even asked if I could send it to them (which I was more than happy to do!).
Looking back to her parents, senior Mahitha Bagam walks towards her coaches to get officially recognized. This is her first year in the varsity team. "Tennis at PHS has become a part of my life since my sophomore year, and despite the good or bad days, I have cherished my time here and continue to reminisce about it once I become an Eagle Tennis alumnus," Bagam said. "Tennis has taught me a lot of values and discipline I need past the tennis courts, given me beautiful friendships that I am so grateful for, and helped me become a better person on and off the court."
Chanting together, the senior tennis players pump themselves up before playing against Plano HS. The team is ranked No. 21 in the entire state of Texas. Their official warm up began at 4:30 p.m.
"Final rehearsal of ‘Into the Woods’ held before elementary showcase"
Published Jan. 26 2025
Conversing with a fellow music teacher, Orchestra Director Monika Bartley prepares to conduct the orchestra and band through a quick warm-up session. Bartley and Associate Director Cassie Cepeda chose a handful of students from the chamber orchestra to play as an accompaniment to the musical. "Preparing to conduct "Into the Woods" meant learning how all the pieces fit together," Bartley said. "I began by listening to professional recordings while studying the score to understand how the music supports the singers and enhances the story. Rehearsals focused on careful listening, adjusting tempos and helping both the orchestra and cast feel confident in how to respond confidently to the unique challenges of live performance."
Staring into the distance, sophomore Roger Mendes Fares sings his solo as the character Jack. His character is inspired from the fairytale "Jack and the Beanstalk." "Preparing for this show was very vocally challenging," Fares said. "I trained very hard to be able to sound better and worked alongside the directors to get where I am."
Motioning toward the audience, junior Violet Bozik sings with her co-star junior Cash Kretz. Bozik plays the Baker's Wife and Kretz plays the Baker in the show. "Preparing for the role of Baker's Wife has been a road of self discovery," Bozik said. "Whether it be testing my limits as a performer, or pushing myself to bring a level of stage presence I haven't yet, I can confidently say I've left this show with a new found confidence and appreciation for the process."
Reading from his phone, senior Boyd Mueller practices the introduction speech he will state directly to the audience for the opening show. Mueller plays the role of the Giant while also working the backstage mechanics as a theater technician. "We had a couple days to prepare, we had to sing a song, and then for the three days following that, we had cold reads where our director and the other fine arts directors who were in charge of casting the show," Mueller said. "We would go in there, they'd give us a scene to read with a partner or a small group and we would read through that scene as if we were the character."
Hand on one shoulder, senior Ernest McGhee tries to trick Red Riding Hood as the Big Bad Wolf. McGhee is also apart of the Prosper Mighty Eagle Band. "My role as the wolf was completely opposite from my personality, but I enjoyed the challenge," McGhee said. "I am very grateful to have gotten to rehearse with everyone and see their hard work and dedication these past few weeks to create a whole different world of mystery and magic for folks to enjoy, even through the bad weather."
Covering this show made me realize how theater students and the theater program in general make great subjects for emotional, action-filled photos. Their faces are always contorted in a dramatic facial expression and their hands are always gesturing to something. This really helped me improve on my photography as I got to experiment with all different sorts of lighting, angles, and action shots.
Holding her hands together, freshman Kaitlyn (Katie) Rose Nugent harmonizes with her co-stars. Along with playing Cinderella in the show, Nugent earned a spot in the 2026 All State Choir. "This show has been such an amazing experience for me," Nugent said. "And it genuinely has been such a joy to be able to share the stage with so many people that I look up to."
Performing her solo, senior Brooklyn Reeves looks at the audience as her character The Witch. Reeves' character is derived from the Rapunzel fairytale written by the Grimm Brothers. PHS Theater held a final rehearsal before the showcase to the elementary students.
Frowning at the audience, junior Zachary Thompson prepares to rescue his love interest in the show, Cinderella. Thompson plays Prince Charming and he was this year's Homecoming junior Duke. "Preparing for the role of Cinderella's prince was challenging, but once I really stepped into the overdramaticness of the role, it definitely helped me define the character more," Thompson said. "The rehearsal process has had a very rapid pace but we were able to create a beautiful show."