Maine South High School

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Maine South High School
Address
1111 S. Dee Rd. Park Ridge, Illinois, 60068 United States
Coordinates	42°00′05″N 87°51′11″W / 42.001389°N 87.853056°W / 42.001389; -87.853056
Information
School type	public secondary
Opened	1964
School district	Maine Twp. H.S. 207
Superintendent	Dr. Joel Morris[1]
Principal	Mr. David Claypool[2]
Teaching staff	218[3]
Grades	9–12
Gender	coed
Enrollment	2,556[4]
Average class size	20.2[4]
Campus	suburban
School Colour(s)	red      black      white[5]
Athletics conference	Central Suburban League
Mascot	Harley[6]
Nickname	Hawks[5]
Average ACT scores	24.4[4]
Publication	Equinox[7]
Newspaper	Southwords[8]
Yearbook	Eyrie[9]
TV/radio	WMTH[10]
Website	http://south.maine207.org/

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 South is well-known for its academic, athletic, and fine arts success. Since at least 1992 it has also received regular mention in national media as the alma mater of Hillary Rodham Clinton, a member of the school's first graduating class.

Contents 1 History 2 Academics 3 Student life 3.1 Academic competition 3.2 Athletics 3.3 Clubs 3.4 Fine arts 4 Notable alumni 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Bids on the construction of Maine South opened on March 18, 1963.^[11] Maine South was built in 1964 on the grounds of a former landfill to meet the growing educational needs of the area, mainly the city of Park Ridge, but also some of Niles, Harwood Heights, Norridge, Rosemont and unincorporated Norwood Park Township.

The first principal, Clyde Watson, was appointed in December, 1963, in order to give him time to begin forming the first parents and music booster clubs.^[12]

Until 1969, students were under a dress code that included a requirement for men to be clean shaven, and that hair had to be cut above the collar.^[13] 1969 also saw the first expansion of the school with the addition of the student cafeteria, and some physical education and classroom areas.^[14]

In 1973, the North Central Association, an academic accreditation agency, rated Maine South as "one of the top 10 high schools in the nation."^[15]

In 1986 and 1987, officials from Maine South were instrumental in pushing the Illinois High School Association to recognize girls soccer.^[16]

The 1988-89 school year saw Maine South recognized by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School.^[17]

In 1996, after several decades of existing in the shadow of nearby O'Hare International Airport, the school received federal funds which allowed for the installation of soundproof windows, air conditioning, and sound dampening ceilings. The project began in 1997 and took three years to complete.^[18]

1998 saw the completion of the last major addition to the building: a sixteen classroom, four laboratory extension on the east end of the academic wing.^[19]

In 2008, graduation ceremonies, which since the first graduating class had been held on campus (except for the 2004 graduating ceremonies, which were held at Harper Community College due to the construction of the new bleachers), were moved to the nearby Rosemont Theater.

[edit] Academics

In 2008, Maine South had an average composite ACT score of 24.4, and graduated 96.9% of its senior class.^[4] Maine South has not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act, because its one sub-group did meet AYP in mathematics.^[4]

Maine South's academic programs range from remedial/academy class, to accelerated honors/AP classes. Based on performances in 2008, Maine South is ranked 11th among public non-magnet high schools in the state of Illinois, ranked according to a standardization of Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) scores.^[20][21] Maine South is ranked 9th by the Chicago Tribune among public non-magnet high schools in Illinois, ranked according to average PSAE scores.^[22]

The school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses in English Language, English Literature, U.S. History, U.S. Government and Politics, Micro/Macro Economics, European History, Comparative Government, Calculus (AB & BC), Computer Science (A), Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics (C), Spanish Language, Music Theory, Studio Drawing.

In addition, there is a course in multivariable calculus which is offered to students pursuing mathematics beyond the AP program.

The Foreign Language Department offers five year programs in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, and a two year program in Mandarin.^[23]

[edit] Student life

[edit] Academic competition

The Maine South Constitution Team has won the Center for Civic Education's "We The People" competition in Illinois for the past fourteen years straight. In 1999 the team won the national competition in Washington D.C..^[24]

The Rube Goldberg machine team has won the state competition twice (2006 and 1999). In 2007, the two Maine South teams finished first and third in the Chicago area regional, and then finished second and third at the state competition, marking the first time two teams from the school have placed that high in the competition.^[25]

In 2007, the school's Scholastic Bowl team won the state championship tournament sponsored by the Ancient, Free, & Accepted Masons of Illinois.^[26]

The following teams succeeded in placing in the top four of the IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournament of their respective competitive activity:^[27]

• Chess: State Champions (2001-02, 02-03, & 06-07); 2nd (2003-04); 3rd (2000-01)
• Debate: 3rd (1974-75)
• Drama: 3rd (1969-70)

[edit] Athletics

Maine South sponsors teams for both boys and girls in basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo. Boys are also able to compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while girls are able to compete in badminton, cheerleading, and softball.^[28]

Maine South competes in the Central Suburban League South Division. In state competition, Maine South competes in the largest potential school classes in each sport sponsored by the Illinois High School Association.

The following teams succeeded in placing in the top four of the IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournament of their respective sport:^[29]

• Badminton (girls): 2nd (1977–78)
• Baseball: 2nd (1965–66)
• Basketball (boys): State Champions (1978–79)
• Basketball (girls): 4th (2005–06)
• Football: State Champions (1995–96, 2000–01, 08–09); 2nd (2003–04, 04–05, & 05–06); semifinals (2001–02)
• Golf (boys): 3rd (1966–67)
• Soccer (boys): 2nd (1987–88); 3rd (2006–07)
• Soccer (girls): 2nd (1987–88)
• Softball (girls): 2nd (1987–88); 4th (1984–85)
• Swimming & Diving (girls): State Champions (1975–76); 2nd (1976–77 & 84–85); 3rd (1981–82 & 83–84)
• Tennis (girls): 2nd (2001–02)
• Track & Field (girls): 2nd (1972–73 & 73–74)
• Volleyball (boys): State Champions (2005–06); 2nd (2008–09)
• Volleyball (girls): 3rd (1979–80 & 2003–04)

In addition, the girls soccer team won three consecutive unofficial State Championship Tournaments in 1983–84, 84–85, and 85–86, prior to the IHSA sanctioning soccer for girls. Over that time, the team went 60-0-4. From 1985–1987, the team scored in 62 consecutive matches, which is an Illinois state record among girls teams, and would be second if boys teams were also included.^[30][31]

Maine South football has been one of the most successful programs in Illinois in recent history. In addition to their three state titles, they played in the Class 8A (largest school) State Championship game for three consecutive seasons from 2003–2005. The team has qualified for the IHSA playoffs each year since 1992, and has only had two losing seasons since 1980. Only eight teams in the State of Illinois have longer active streaks qualifying for the playoffs (through 2008–09).^[32]

[edit] Clubs

Maine South supports 79 student organizations running the gamut from academic competition and performing arts to public service and special interest clubs.^[33]

Among the organizations, from the standpoint of national or international notability, are branches or chapters of the National Forensic Association, Quill and Scroll, SADD, Tri-M, DECA, Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, and Amnesty International.

WMTH (WMTH-TV/FM) is a club that is connected with broadcasting classes at Maine South and at the other schools in the district. The radio station broadcasts on 90.5 FM and can be heard within the Park Ridge, Illinois area, as well as through a webcast through the district webpages. The transmitting tower for the station is located at Maine East High School. The club also films the Maine South Hawks home football games, in addition to creating submissions for the Chicagoland High School Video Festival.^[34]

[edit] Fine arts

The school sponsors several musical groups, including: marching band, concert band, symphony b band, symphony a band, chamber orchestra, symphony b orchestra, symphony a orchestra, jazz band, and three choirs. In addition, there are many theatrical performances, including a musical each spring.

The marching band has performed at several major events, including the 1981 Cherry Blossom Festival parade in Washington D.C, the 1984 Cotton Bowl. It later performed at the 1996, 1999, and 2001 Orange Bowl Parades.^[35][36] The band also performed at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration Parade, as a representative of First Lady Hillary Rodham-Clinton's alma mater.^[37][38]

The Maine South Symphony A Band has worked with composer David Maslanka.^{[clarification needed (how?)][citation needed]} The band^{[clarification needed (which?)]} was also selected for the University of Illinois Superstate Competition in 2009.^{[clarification needed (what?)][citation needed]}

In 2001, the Grammy Foundation named Maine South a Signature School.^[39] Maine South is also a Creative Ticket school for Illinois.^{[citation needed][clarification needed (what?)]}

[edit] Notable alumni

• Dr. Dante "Dan" Amidei (class of 1974) is a physicist who was one of the principal investigators and of the large Collider Detector at Fermilab collaboration which discovered, and computed the mass of the top quark, completing the quark model within the Standard Model of particle physics. He was also a principal investigator on the ATLAS experiment, a large particle detector collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.^[40]
• Dave Bergman (class of 1971) was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers.^[41][42][43]
• Dave Butz (class of 1969) was a NFL defensive lineman who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1973–74) and the Washington Redskins (1975–1988). He was elected to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.^[44][45][43]

• Hillary Rodham Clinton (class of 1965) is a former First Lady of the United States (1993–2001), former junior U.S. Senator from New York (2001-09), and was a major candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. She is currently the United States Secretary of State.^[46][47][43]
• Danny Corkill (class of 1992) is a child actor.^[43]
• Mark Filip was a federal district court judge for the Northern District of Illinois (2004–08). He then served as Deputy Attorney General of the United States (2008–09), and as acting Attorney General in the early days of the Barack Obama administration.^[43]
• Greg Glienna (class of 1991) is a screenwriter (Meet The Parents).^[43]
• Mark Greenwald (class of 1986) was a speedskater who competed in the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics.^[48][43]

• Rick Hader (class of 1976) is better known for his character portrayal of Myron Noodleman, the "Clown Prince of Baseball".^[43]
• Tom Hoff (class of 1991) is a three–time indoor U.S. volleyball Olympian (2000, 04, 08). He served as captain of the 2008 Olympic team which won the gold medal.^[49][50][43]
• Gary T. Johnson (class of 1968) is President of the Chicago History Museum.^[51][52][43]
• Dag Juhlin is a musician; and is co-founder and member of The Slugs.^[43]
• Ray Ozzie (class of 1973) is a computer software specialist, creator of Lotus Notes, and Chief Software Architect at Microsoft.^[43]
• John Pankow (class of 1973) is a professional actor (Cousin Ira in Mad About You, To Live and Die in LA).^[53][43]

• Adam Rosales (class of 2001) is a major league baseball third baseman who plays for the Cincinnati Reds.^[54][55]
• Jim Rushford had a brief Major League Baseball career as an outfielder with the Milwaukee Brewers.^[56][43]
• David Santee (class of 1975) was an Olympic figure skater (1976, 80) who finished 8 times in the top three in the U.S, and finished 2nd in the world in 1981.^{[57][58][59][43]}
• Janet Shamlian (class of 1980) is a national NBC news correspondent.^[43]
• Nancy Swider (class of 1974) was an Olympic speedskater (1976, 80, 1984, 88) who held the world record in the 3,000 meters in 1976. She was elected to the National Speed Skating Hall of Fame.^[60][61][62]
• Jim Walewander (class of 1980) was a Major League Baseball player, playing most of his career for the Detroit Tigers.^[63][43]
• Joe Zdeb was a Major League Baseball outfielder (1978–79), playing his entire career for the Kansas City Royals.^[43]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Selected articles from Southwords highlighting the history of Maine South
• Maine South High School Alumni website
• WMTH Alumni website
• IHSA season records for Maine South athletics and activities

v • d • e Central Suburban League North Division: Deerfield • Glenbrook North • Highland Park • Maine East • Maine West • Niles North South Division: Evanston • Glenbrook South • Maine South • New Trier • Niles West • Waukegan