Maine West High School
Encyclopedia
Maine West High School, or MWHS, is a public four-year high school
located in Des Plaines, Illinois
, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207
, which also includes Maine East High School
and Maine South High School
.
While the school was designed to be home to 3,000 students, there was concern about the environment being too large. Thus, the school's design was made with a central core, and three classroom wings, each of which would be its own separate school.
While opened in time for the start of the 1959–60 school year, the school was formally dedicated on November 8, 1959.
In 1974, Maine West won a contest to have KISS
play at their school. On November 2, 1974, Kiss played in Maine West's auditorium.
On October 31, 1980, five days before the 1980 presidential election
, Ronald Reagan
appeared at Maine West with actors Cesar Romero
and Robert Conrad
, giving a 30 minute address to the students and other invited guests.
The rotunda, is circled by a corridor on the first and second floor. A staircase connecting the two floors of the rotunda is found in the lobby of the main entrance. In the middle of the first floor is the student cafeteria. On the outside of the first floor rotunda are offices (including the main office) and the faculty cafeteria. The center of the upper floor of the rotunda contains the auditorium.
The main wings of the school, all accessible from the rotunda, are lettered "A", "B", "C", and "E". Each of these wings is has two floors containing classrooms, storerooms, and department offices, and ends in a gymnasium. E-wing was the first addition made to the school, and ends in the large spectator gym which is used for many interscholastic contests and school assemblies.
Between C-wing and E-wing is a driveway for bus arrival and departure, called the bus concourse. Across the driveway is the entrance to D-wing the only wing not directly connected to the rotunda.
On the ground floor, between B-wing and C-wing is L-wing, most of which is used for the Tech Center and the Little Theater. This is the shortest of the wings extending from the rotunda. The Teacher Resource Center and the principal's conference room are located in this wing as well. Located directly above L wing on the second floor is the school library, the Learning Resource Center (LRC), which is connected to the Tech Center via staircase.
The most recent addition was H-wing, which is a small passage connecting the first floors of B-wing and C-wing. It has an "L" shape as it wraps around the far end of L-wing. The wing includes additional laboratories, classrooms, storage, and a multipurpose meeting room.
There are four computer labs for student use: the LRC, the Think Tank (located in A-wing), Tutor U (a tutoring center located in the back of the LRC), and the Tech Center.
The basement level of the school, currently a fitness center (nicknamed "The Pit"), was designed to be used as a fallout shelter
capable of protecting 1,000 people in the event of a nuclear incident. Additionally, under each of the small gyms, there are crawl spaces which were filled with boxes of crackers, boxes of lemon drops, and also bottles of water that was meant to hold the students if a nuclear attack were to happen. Today, these spaces are used for storage.
score of 21.7, and graduated 92.9% of its senior class. Maine West has not made Adequate Yearly Progress
on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprise the assessment tools used to fulfill the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act
. While the overall school did achieve their AYP, two student subgroups did not meet minimal requirements in reading.
In 2002, Maine West was the only school in District 207 and one of only 50 nationwide to receive U.S. News and World Report's Award as an "Outstanding High School." The school was recognized in the local media and with a plaque. This award recognizes schools where performance of students exiting compared to entering high schools exceeds expectations. In 2008, District 207 applied for and received nearly $1,000,000 from the Department of Education through the Teaching American History grant for U.S. History. All three schools and seven partner districts participate in the program coordinated at Maine West and the Chicago Metro History Education Center.
The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses: English Language, English Literature, Biology
, Chemistry
, Physics (C)
, Calculus (BC)
, AP United States History
Statistics
, Computer Science (AB)
, Spanish Language
, Spanish Literature
, European History
, Micro/Macro Economics
, Music Theory
, and Studio Art
.
The school offers the opportunity to study five foreign languages: French
, German
, Italian
, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish
. As of 2010, Maine West does not offer Chinese on campus, but a student has the option to take the class at Maine South in the morning if they would so choose to do so.
. They also compete in state championship series tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA).
The school sponsors interscholastic competition for men and women in basketball
, cross country
, golf
, soccer, swimming & diving
, tennis
, track & field, and volleyball
. Men also may compete in baseball
, football
, and wrestling
. Women may compete in badminton
, gymnastics
, and softball
.
The following teams won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:
Of special note are the 65 consecutive wins by the girls basketball team which encompassed the entire 1987–88 season, and lasted until February 13, 1989. As of 2010, this remains the record (including State Series playoff games) for girls teams in Illinois, and second among boys and girls basketball teams in the state.
The IHSA also recognizes that Maine West is the caretaker of all records posted by the now closed Maine North High School
, though that school did not finish high enough in any sport or activity to warrant mention.
While not sponsored by the IHSA, Maine West is one of less than ten schools in Illinois to compete in varsity fencing
. Maine West competes in the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference which also includes teams from Wisconsin and Indiana. The Maine West girls team won the Conference Championship each year from 1981 through 1986. The boys won the Conference Title in 1989.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines, Illinois
Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It has adopted the official nickname of "City of Destiny." As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 58,720. It is a suburb of Chicago, and is next to O'Hare International Airport...
, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207
Maine Township High School District 207
Maine Township High School District 207 is a school district based in Illinois.Composed of Des Plaines and Park Ridge as well as portions of Glenview, Harwood Heights, Morton Grove, Niles, Norridge, and Norwood Park Township, the district lies 30 minutes from downtown Chicago...
, which also includes Maine East High School
Maine East High School
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-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
and Maine South High School
Maine South High School
Maine South High School, or MSHS, is a public four-year high school located in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207, which also includes Maine East High School and Maine West High School.Maine...
.
History
In 1957, with the population of the district predicted to rise, the school district leadership purchased 73 acres (295,420.8 m²) of land which had been the location of two truck farms.While the school was designed to be home to 3,000 students, there was concern about the environment being too large. Thus, the school's design was made with a central core, and three classroom wings, each of which would be its own separate school.
While opened in time for the start of the 1959–60 school year, the school was formally dedicated on November 8, 1959.
In 1974, Maine West won a contest to have KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
play at their school. On November 2, 1974, Kiss played in Maine West's auditorium.
On October 31, 1980, five days before the 1980 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
appeared at Maine West with actors Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
and Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
, giving a 30 minute address to the students and other invited guests.
Campus grounds
The floor plan could be compared to a cross, with a rotunda at the center, and several wings extending outward from the rotunda like branches of a cross.The rotunda, is circled by a corridor on the first and second floor. A staircase connecting the two floors of the rotunda is found in the lobby of the main entrance. In the middle of the first floor is the student cafeteria. On the outside of the first floor rotunda are offices (including the main office) and the faculty cafeteria. The center of the upper floor of the rotunda contains the auditorium.
Between C-wing and E-wing is a driveway for bus arrival and departure, called the bus concourse. Across the driveway is the entrance to D-wing the only wing not directly connected to the rotunda.
On the ground floor, between B-wing and C-wing is L-wing, most of which is used for the Tech Center and the Little Theater. This is the shortest of the wings extending from the rotunda. The Teacher Resource Center and the principal's conference room are located in this wing as well. Located directly above L wing on the second floor is the school library, the Learning Resource Center (LRC), which is connected to the Tech Center via staircase.
The most recent addition was H-wing, which is a small passage connecting the first floors of B-wing and C-wing. It has an "L" shape as it wraps around the far end of L-wing. The wing includes additional laboratories, classrooms, storage, and a multipurpose meeting room.
There are four computer labs for student use: the LRC, the Think Tank (located in A-wing), Tutor U (a tutoring center located in the back of the LRC), and the Tech Center.
The basement level of the school, currently a fitness center (nicknamed "The Pit"), was designed to be used as a fallout shelter
Fallout shelter
A fallout shelter is an enclosed space specially designed to protect occupants from radioactive debris or fallout resulting from a nuclear explosion. Many such shelters were constructed as civil defense measures during the Cold War....
capable of protecting 1,000 people in the event of a nuclear incident. Additionally, under each of the small gyms, there are crawl spaces which were filled with boxes of crackers, boxes of lemon drops, and also bottles of water that was meant to hold the students if a nuclear attack were to happen. Today, these spaces are used for storage.
Academics
In 2008, Maine West had an average composite ACTACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
score of 21.7, and graduated 92.9% of its senior class. Maine West has not made Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress
Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, is a measurement defined by the United States federal No Child Left Behind Act that allows the U.S. Department of Education to determine how every public school and school district in the country is performing academically according to results on standardized...
on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, which with the ACT comprise the assessment tools used to fulfill the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. While the overall school did achieve their AYP, two student subgroups did not meet minimal requirements in reading.
In 2002, Maine West was the only school in District 207 and one of only 50 nationwide to receive U.S. News and World Report's Award as an "Outstanding High School." The school was recognized in the local media and with a plaque. This award recognizes schools where performance of students exiting compared to entering high schools exceeds expectations. In 2008, District 207 applied for and received nearly $1,000,000 from the Department of Education through the Teaching American History grant for U.S. History. All three schools and seven partner districts participate in the program coordinated at Maine West and the Chicago Metro History Education Center.
The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses: English Language, English Literature, Biology
AP Biology
In the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
, Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, Physics (C)
AP Physics
AP Physics defines three categories of high school physics courses: A, B, and C. Category A refers to general introductory physics courses that are not mathematically rigorous...
, Calculus (BC)
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, AP United States History
AP United States History
Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
Statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, Computer Science (AB)
AP Computer Science
Advanced Placement Computer Science is the name of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a college-level computer science course...
, Spanish Language
AP Spanish Language
Advanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
, Spanish Literature
AP Spanish Literature
Advanced Placement Spanish Literature is a high school course and examination offered by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
, European History
AP European History
Advanced Placement European History is a course and examination offered by the College Board through the Advanced Placement Program...
, Micro/Macro Economics
AP Economics
Advanced Placement Economics consists of two, separate examinations that are offered as part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program.*AP Macroeconomics*AP Microeconomics...
, Music Theory
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
, and Studio Art
AP Studio Art
AP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
.
The school offers the opportunity to study five foreign 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....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Mandarin Chinese, 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...
. As of 2010, Maine West does not offer Chinese on campus, but a student has the option to take the class at Maine South in the morning if they would so choose to do so.
Athletics
Maine West competes in the Central Suburban LeagueCentral Suburban League
The Central Suburban League is an IHSA-recognized high school extracurricular conference comprising 12 public schools located in the northern suburbs of Chicago...
. They also compete in state championship series tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA).
The school sponsors interscholastic competition for men and women in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer, swimming & diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track & field, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Men also may compete in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
. Women may compete in badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
, and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
.
The following teams won their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament or meet:
- Badminton (girls): 1982–83
- Baseball: 1962–63
- Basketball (girls): 1987–88
Of special note are the 65 consecutive wins by the girls basketball team which encompassed the entire 1987–88 season, and lasted until February 13, 1989. As of 2010, this remains the record (including State Series playoff games) for girls teams in Illinois, and second among boys and girls basketball teams in the state.
The IHSA also recognizes that Maine West is the caretaker of all records posted by the now closed Maine North High School
Maine North High School
Maine North High School was a school in unincorporated Maine Township, part of Maine Township High School District 207 which includes Maine East, Maine West, and Maine South High Schools. It closed in 1981....
, though that school did not finish high enough in any sport or activity to warrant mention.
While not sponsored by the IHSA, Maine West is one of less than ten schools in Illinois to compete in varsity fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
. Maine West competes in the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference which also includes teams from Wisconsin and Indiana. The Maine West girls team won the Conference Championship each year from 1981 through 1986. The boys won the Conference Title in 1989.
Notable alumni
- Adrian FulleAdrian FulleAdrian Fulle is the Managing Member of Poya Pictures, a full service production company for film, television and new media clients. Adrian began his career as a writer/director of independent feature films and is best known for the comedy Love 101...
(class of 1990) is a film director and writer of films such as Love 101Love 101Love 101 is a feature film comedy starring Michael Muhney, Jeff Anderson and Mary Kay Cook. It was written and directed by Adrian Fulle and shot entirely on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois...
. - James KahnJames KahnJames Kahn is an American medical specialist and writer, best known for his novelization of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Born in Chicago on December 30, 1947, Kahn received a degree in medical studies from the University of Chicago. His post-graduate training, specializing in Emergency...
(class of 1965) is a physician, author and screen writer whose works include an episode of Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, 4 episodes of Star Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: VoyagerStar Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, and 21 episodes of Melrose Place. His books include the novelizations for Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomIndiana Jones and the Temple of DoomIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a 1984 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second film in the Indiana Jones franchise and prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark . After arriving in India, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone...
, and the recent collaboration with George LucasGeorge LucasGeorge Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
to write the 25th Anniversary edition of the original Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
trilogy. - Jim LindemanJim LindemanJames William Lindeman is a former Major League Baseball player. He played mostly in the outfield and at first base, appearing in parts of nine seasons in the majors from until .- Professional career :...
is a former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. Who Played in the world series with st. louis