| Maine East High School |
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| park ridge, illinois | |
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Maine East is located at 2601 West Dempster Street, Park Ridge, Illinois. Maine East is one of three high schools currently operated by Maine Township High School District 207. Maine South High School is also located in Park Ridge , while Maine West High School is located in Des Plaines . A fourth school, Maine North High School , was open to students for approximately ten years before being sold as demographic shifts in the area made the school too expensive to operate with the loss of students due to the economic downturn in the early 1980s. Maine East students predominantly live in Park Ridge , Niles , Des Plaines , Morton Grove , and parts of Glenview, Illinois . The students mainly come from Gemini Junior High School but also come from Saint John Brebuf and Chippewa. HISTORY The current building was built in 1929, and saw its first full year of use for the 1929-30 school year. It is not only the oldest of the three high schools in the school district, but is one of the oldest public high schools in continuous use in suburban Chicago. Even though the building has seen several expansions and rennovations, much of the original facade and artwork is still intact. A few older local residents refer to the school as "Old Maine" or simply "Maine." Maine East was formerly known just as "Maine Township High School," and was housed in a smaller building in Des Plaines from 1902 until students moved into the current building in 1929. The name changed in 1950 when a second high school, Maine West, opened on the other side of Des Plaines. For a short amount of time, there were so many students enrolled in the school (approximately 7,000) that the school day was split into two parts, with half of the population attending in the morning, and half in the afternoon. 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. The school has two pools. One is used for classes and natatorium 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 . Though today used for storage, it is believed to be one of the few non-military academies to have a firing range still on the premesis. The building also includes five floors and a basement. The basement houses classrooms, equipment, the shooting range and the closed swimming pool. The first through third floors are where the classes and offices are located. The fourth floor and above is blocked off for students under normal circumstances, but the fourth floor contains the new heating and air-conditioning systems. The fifth and sixth floors form the "tower" and are also blocked to students (although there are "tours" that allow students up there) due to the fire hazard formed by having only one exit, a narrow staircase. The "tower" used to house the art and music rooms, and now contain broadcasting equipment. The sixth floor also has a balcony on the outside from which there is a far view (You can see the building all the way in Chicago as well). 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 Scoiety. Today, it is the largest international honor society in music education. STUDENT BODY The academic enrollment of Maine East in 2005 was approximately 2200 students. Over 50 different languages are spoken by students as their primary language. This diverse population makes for interesting after school activities, such as a high school cricket club that is one of the few in existence at a Midwestern high school. To see specific numbers, view the Maine East School Report Card PDF NOTABLE ALUMNI
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