Maine East High School

Maine East High School
Address
2601 W. Dempster St. Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 United States
Coordinates	42°02′17″N 87°51′29″W / 42.038°N 87.858°W / 42.038; -87.858Coordinates: 42°02′17″N 87°51′29″W / 42.038°N 87.858°W / 42.038; -87.858
Information
School type	public, secondary
Founded	1902
Opened	1929
Status	open
School district	Maine Twp. H.S. 207
NCES District ID	1724090[1]
Superintendent	Dr. Ken Wallace[2]
NCES School ID	172409005030[1]
Principal	Michael Pressler[3]
Teaching staff	153.68 (FTE)[1]
Grades	9-12[1]
Gender	coed
Enrollment	2,211 (2015-16)
Student to teacher ratio	12.74:1[1]
Campus size	0.08 sq miles
Area	48.21 acres
Campus type	suburban[1]
Color(s)	Royal Blue      White[4]
Slogan	Respectful, Responsible, Ready
Song	Alma Mater
Athletics conference	Central Suburban League[4]
Average ACT scores (2010-11)	20.8[5]
Publication	Edge
Newspaper	Pioneer
Yearbook	Lens
TV/radio station	WMTH
Website	http://east.maine207.org/
The main entrance to Maine East has not changed since it was built in 1929.

Maine East High School, or Maine East, and officially Maine Township High School East, is a public four-year high school located at the corner of Dempster Street and Potter Road in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207, which also includes Maine South High School and Maine West High School.

Maine East is best known today for the diversity of its student body. Students attending Maine East hail from several dozen nations on each continent besides Antarctica.

The building itself, constructed in the 1920s, is noted for its distinct Art Deco style.

History

Maine East was known as Maine Township High School when it was built in 1929 as a replacement for the original Maine Township High School, which itself had been built in 1902. Until 1959, when Maine West High School was built, it was the sole school in the district. The school was built with an indoor rifle shooting range and swimming pool. Over the years, the shooting range was closed and the swimming pool closed with a larger modern pool opened in a new section of the building.

In the early 1920s, Maine Township became the first high school in Illinois to teach courses in automotive repair and telegraphy.^[6]

During the Great Depression most of the staff taught without financial compensation, as the district could not afford to meet salaries. As thanks, local merchants provided necessities to the staff free of charge.

In 1936, Maine East's band director, Alexander Harley, along with his wife Frances, founded Maine Music Masters as a way of honoring musicians in the school band. The idea spread, and in 1952, the chapters at individual high schools were incorporated as Modern Music Masters. In 1983, it was renamed Tri-M Music Honor Society. Today, it is the largest international honor society in music education.^[7]

In December, 1959, student-operated radio station WMTH-FM went on the air. The first broadcast was of a basketball game in the school fieldhouse. The sportscaster students were Harrison Ford and Marshal Seese. Harrison went on to become a major movie star and Marshall went on to be a weather-caster at The Weather Channel.

For a short amount of time, in 1958–1959, there were so many students enrolled in the school (approximately 7,000) that the school day was split into two parts so that half of the population attended in the morning and half in the afternoon. The largest graduating class was the Class of 1970 with just under 1100 students, just prior to the opening of Maine North High School. Prior to that, graduating classes of about 1,000 students were in 1959, just prior to Maine West High School opening, and the Class of 1964, just prior Maine South High School opening. When Maine North High School closed in 1981, a majority of the students from that school were sent to Maine East, with the remainder being sent to Maine West High School and Glenbrook South High School.

Building and grounds

The Powell Library at UCLA. This building's architecture inspired the design of Maine East HS.

The architecture of the original building was inspired by the architecture of the Powell Library Building at UCLA. The original building was "L" shaped, with a long wing running east–west, parallel to Dempster Street. A shorter wing runs north–south, parallel to Potter Road, with both wings meeting at "the tower" where the main entrance is located. Each of the wings is three stories tall.

The tower is six stories tall, though the higher floors are not in use today because of fire hazard (there is only one narrow staircase granting access to these floors). The fourth floor contains the new heating and air-conditioning systems. The "tower" originally housed the art and music rooms, but since 1960 houses the broadcasting transmitter for WMTH 90.5 FM, the student-operated radio station. Following World War II and up into the late 1960s aviation classes were given with the use of a Link Trainer installed in the tower. The sixth floor also has a balcony on the outside from which there is a distant view, on some days, of the Chicago skyline.

The school has two swimming pools. The newer one is used for physical education classes, and by the interscholastic water polo and swimming & diving teams. The original natatorium, located in the basement, has been shut down due to the need for financially unfeasible repairs, but is kept for its irreplaceable decorative mosaics, which could be damaged with further exposure to water and chemicals.

The school also has a firing range in the basement that was in use when the school opened, as training with firearms was considered essential for young men in the wake of World War I.The firing range was also used for World War II because many people wanted to join the military. Though today used for storage, it is believed to be one of the few non-military academies to still have a usable firing range still on the premises.

On the football / track field there is a memorial for Maine East World War II alumni behind the stadium.

Starting in 1988, the school's ecology club began a cleanup and restoration of a small section of the property which was native savanna.^[8] In addition to general cleanup. students began annual buck thorn cutting days.^[8] In addition to some endangered species, trees as old as 200 years old were identified.^[8]

Diversity

Maine East is known statewide for its diversity. A large percentage of students are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. Maine East students collectively speak over 54 languages. In all, over 40 nations are represented, mostly from Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and Africa. The school's diversity also extends to religious belief. While Roman Catholic may make up the largest representation, the school has a considerable number of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Evangelical Christians, Protestants, Orthodox and Atheists. Despite the proximity of so many groups that are characterized as having animosity toward each other, Maine East has had virtually no incidents of hate crimes among its students.

This can best be shown in the number of ethnic clubs at the school which promote the cultures of various peoples, as well as giving students of similar background a chance to socialize. Among the clubs currently sponsored are clubs celebrating African-American culture, Assyrian, Chinese, Filipino, Hellenic (Greek), Korean, Mexican, Mongolian, Polish, Serbian, and Vietnamese. There is a South Asian Club which combines both Indian and Pakistani cultures, among others. There is also an all–encompassing International Club which celebrates all cultures and backgrounds.^[9]

One of the biggest annual events at the school is the Cultural Diversity Celebration. Held on a Saturday in late winter, the clubs representing these and other aspects of culture present food, art, music, and other performances which represent the diversity of the school's students.

In 2008, 56 in Harmony was published by Laura Matzen, one of the school's art teachers. Part of the artist's master's degree, the book depicts the faces of students on a dark background, with projections of the flag of that student's nation of origin on their face. While attempts were made to depict all 57 nations of origin for the students in 2007, permission could not be secured to photograph one flag.^[10]

Academics

The rear entrance of the original building. The brick pedestal at lower right is topped by a sundial, dedicated to the school's science department.

The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses: English Language, English Literature, Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics (C), Calculus (AB & BC), Statistics, Computer Science (AB), Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, U.S. History, European History, Government and Politics, Economics, Music Theory, and Studio Art.^[11]

Maine East has also been ranked in the top 1500 of America's public schools (based on the Challenge Index), as reported by Newsweek. In 2009, the school ranked #1192, in 2006, the school ranked #1181.^[12]

Activities

Maine East High School is active in United States policy debate and hosts a tournament with regional significance to Great Lakes-region high school debaters, as those advancing far enough receive a bid to attend the national Tournament of Champions.

The following teams succeeded in placing in the top four of the IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournament of their respective competitive activity:^[13]

• Debate: State Champions (1971–72, 79–80, 80–81)
• Scholastic Bowl: 4th (1994–95)
• Speech Sweepstakes: 3rd (1971–72)

Maine East High School is also home to the Park Ridge Rotary Interact Club, founded in 2013. The Interact Club boasts a large amount of student involvement and has led major fundraising and community service initiatives. The Interact Club has conducted service projects on the local and international level. The Interact Club's initiatives have received coverage by numerous media outlets. The Interact Club holds the motto "Service Above Self" and allows students to develop leadership skills through service.^[14]

Athletics

Maine East has competed in the Central Suburban League since 1972. Prior to 1972 the school competed in the West Suburban Conference. The school also competes in state championship tournament series sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. There are men's teams in baseball, football, and wrestling, while women may also compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.^[15]

The following teams succeeded in placing in the top four of the IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournament of their respective sport. These also include IHSA recognized finishes by Maine Township High School prior to 1960:^[16]

• Baseball: State Champions (1957–58, 58–59); 2nd (1948–49)
• Cross Country (boys): State Champions (1970–71, 79–80); 2nd place (1947–48); 3rd place (1950–51, 69–70, 71–72); 4th place (1955–56)
• Golf (boys): 2nd place (1949–50)
• Gymnastics (boys): State Champions (1978–79); 2nd place (1967–68, 79–80); 3rd place (1966–67)
• Gymnastics (girls): State Champions (1976–77); 2nd place (1979–80); 3rd place (1977–78); 4th place (1978–79 & 80–81)
• Soccer (boys): 2nd place (1975–76)
• Swimming & Diving (boys): State Champions (1931–32, 33–34, 34–35, 35–36, 36–37); 3rd place (1937–38, 51–52, 52–53, 53–54, 54–55, 58–59); 4th place (1932–33, 42–43)
• Track & Field (boys): State Champions (1940–41, 45–46); 2nd place (1930–31, 36–37, 43–44)
• Wrestling: 2nd place (1969–70); 4th place (1972–73)

Notable alumni

Politics and government service

• Melissa Bean (1980) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011, representing Illinois' 8th congressional district.^[17]

Melissa Bean, Congresswoman

Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State

• Hillary Clinton was First Lady of the United States (1993–2001), a United States Senator from New York (2001–09), a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States (2007–08, 2015–16) and then U.S. Secretary of State. Clinton attended Maine East from 1961–1964, but was redistricted into and then graduated from Maine South High School after the newer school opened.^[18]
• Gordon Fornell (1954) was a Lt. General in the United States Air Force, and served as senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger.^[19]
• Floyd Fulle (1938) was a newspaperman and a Republican Cook County Board commissioner who was convicted of extortion, perjury and income tax fraud while in office.^[20]
• Carolyn Glassman (1978) serves as a senior diplomat with the United States Department of State
• James B. Loken (1958) has served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit since 1990, and has been its Chief Judge since 2003.^[21]
• David Stahl (class of 1952) was Deputy Mayor of Chicago under Richard J. Daley.^[22]
• Philip Tone (1940) was a U.S. District Court judge who from 1974–80 served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He helped investigate Billy Carter's involvement with the government of Libya.^[23]

Writing and journalism

• Robert Appelbaum (1970) is a professor of English literature at Uppsala University, Sweden, and the author of many articles and books on literary history and contemporary culture.
• Marc Hempel (1975) is a cartoonist and author.^[24]
• Charles Hillinger was a journalist with the Los Angeles Times for 46 years.^[25][26]
• Daniel S. Libman (1985) writer, author of Married But Looking,^[27] a collection of stories which won the Pushcart Prize for fiction^[28] and The Paris Review Discovery Prize.
• Richard Maxwell (1986) is a playwright who won a Special Citation Obie Award in 1999 for his play House.
• Marshall Seese (1960) is a meteorologist with The Weather Channel.^[29]
• Roz Varon (1975) is a Chicago television news reporter for ABC-7.^[30]
• Scott Cohn (1978) is a senior correspondent at CNBC.

The arts

Harrison Ford, actor

• Bob Abrahamian (1995) was a soul music deejay, historian, archivist, and record collector.
• Karen Black (1957) was an Oscar–nominated and two–time Golden Globe-winning actress (5 Easy Pieces, Easy Rider).
• Hugh Brannum (1927) was an actor best known for his portrayal of Mr. Green Jeans on the children's show Captain Kangaroo.^[31]
• Harrison Ford (1960) is an Oscar and Golden Globe–nominated actor best known for playing roles such as Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Jack Ryan.^[32]
• Jami Gertz (1983) is an Emmy–nominated actress (The Lost Boys, Twister).^[33]
• Steve Goodman (1965) was a two–time Grammy Award–winning folk singer-songwriter best known for writing "City of New Orleans" and Go, Cubs, Go.^[34]
• Jon Hager & James Hager (1959) were known as The Hager Twins when they performed on the television variety show Hee Haw.^[35]
• Derrick Kosinski (2001) was a contestant on MTV's Real World/Road Rules "The Island" challenges. He also appeared as a contestant on MTV's Road Rules: X-Treme (Season 13) and other various MTV Real World/Road Rules challenges respectively.^[36]
• Rich Koz (1970) is a Chicago radio and television personality best known for playing the Son of Svengoolie.^[37]
• Scott Mutter (1961) is an internationally recognized photographer.^[38]
• Carrie Snodgress (1963) is an Oscar–nominated and Golden Globe–winning actress (Diary of a Mad Housewife).^[39]

Business

James E. Challenger, CEO

• Stanton Cook (1943) was publisher of the Chicago Tribune and Chairman of the Chicago Cubs.^[40]
• David Hiller (1971) was publisher, President, and CEO of the Chicago Tribune and subsequently the Los Angeles Times
• James E. Challenger (1943) was the founder, President, and CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Athletics

• Dave Bergman is a former MLB player (New York Yankees, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers) who is a 1971 graduate of Maine South.
• Steve Smith (1962) was a football player (1966, 68–74) who played in Super Bowl IV for the Minnesota Vikings.^[41]
• Ivan Chukarov (2013) was drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Draft.^[42]

References

External links

• Official website.
• Maine East High School Alumni website
• WMTH Alumni website