Maine South High School

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Maine South High School
Established 1964
Type Public secondary
Principal David Claypool
Faculty 209
Students 2,597
Grades 9–12
Location 1111 South Dee Road
Park Ridge, Illinois, USA
Campus Suburban
Colors Red, Black, White
Mascot Hawks
Yearbook 'Eyrie'
Newspaper 'Southwords'
Website 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.

Contents

[edit] History

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 1988-89 school year saw Maine South recognized by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School.[1]

[edit] Academics

In 2006, Maine South had an average composite ACT score of 24.1, and graduated 93.4% of its senior class. Maine South has made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievements Examination, a state test part of the No Child Left Behind Act. The average class size is 20.4.[2]

Maine South's academic programs range from remedial/academy class, to accelerated honors/AP classes. Maine South is ranked 14th among public high schools in the Chicago area, ranked according to percentage of students passing the Prairie State Achievement Examination.[1] Maine South is ranked 17th by the Chicago Sun Times among public high schools in the Chicago area, ranked according to PSAE scores.[2]

[edit] Athletics

Maine South competes in the Central Suburban League South Division.

The following teams succeeded in placing in the top four of the IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournament of their respective sport:[3]

  • 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); 2nd (2003-04, 04-05, & 05-06); semifinals (2001-02)
  • Golf (boys): 3rd (1966-67)
  • Soccer (boys): 2nd (2987-88); 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 & 84-85)
  • Tennis (girls): 2nd (2001-02)
  • Track & Field (girls): 2nd (1972-73 & 73-74)
  • Volleyball (boys): State Champions (2005-06)
  • 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.[4][5]

Maine South football has been one of the most successful programs in Illinois in recent history. In addition to their two 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 2007-08).[6]

The Girl's Tennis team has captured five IHSA Sectional Titles since 2000. Between 2001 and 2004 they finished in the top 10 at the IHSA State Championships three times, capturing second place in 2001. Individually, the school's top doubles team finished second in 2001, and the top singles player won the State Championship in 2004.

The Maine South Soccer team captured 3rd place in the IHSA State Tournament in 2006. The team is academically accomplished as well, earning the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Award four consecutive years (2002-2005). The award is given to teams who average a GPA of greater than 2.15 on a 4.0 scale. Maine South was the only team in Illinois so recognized.[7]

[edit] The Arts

The Maine South marching and concert bands, are two of the most respected music programs in the area. The school also features an award winning orchestra.

The marching band performed at the 1999 Orange Bowl Parade.[8] The band also performed at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration Parade, as a representative of First Lady Hillary Rodham-Clinton's alma mater.

Music at Maine South carries a rich tradition, with well over 30 members of the Maine South band turning professional in the last 20 years.[citation needed] In 2001, the Grammy Foundation named Maine South a Signature School.[9]

[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..[10]

From the 2003-04 through 06-07 seasons, the Scholastic Bowl team posted four consecutive seasons with 40+ wins and a winning record, including a program-best 85-22 for the 2006-07 campaign. In addition to winning the Illinois Mason-sponsored State Championship, the team finished third among all Class AA schools in the final State Coaches Poll of the 06-07 season, after reaching as high as second in the mid-season poll.[11]

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.[12]

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

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

In 2007, a Maine South senior's project, a documentary on Richard J. Daley, advanced through the Chicago Metro History Fair[14] competition, past Illinois History Day, to compete in National History Day[15] at the University of Maryland in College Park.

[edit] Clubs

Maine South offers a wide ranging selections of extracurricular clubs for its students.

Many notable clubs include:

Adventure Club: The Maine South Adventure Club is an organization dedicated to Adventure activities. The club participates in rock climbing, kayaking, camping, orienteering, hiking, and team building. In past years, the clubs has boasted over almost 60 members, though regular attendance is less. The clubs takes two annual camping trips, one in fall and another in spring. The club also visits many of the climbing gyms in Northeastern Illinois. Included are Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville, IL, Indoor Summits in Naperville, Illinois, and Upper Limits in Bloomington, IL.[16] Adventure Club also regularly participates in Rocks, Ropes and Boats.[17] It is an adventure competition that brings together many adventure enthusiasts from the Chicagoland High Schools. The club shares the Maine South's climbing wall with the Outdoor/Adventure Education classes.[18]

Ecology Club: The Maine South Ecology Club prides itself on bringing ecological awareness to Maine South. The club has regular meetings and events from forest clean ups to movie nights. In 2007, an Ecology Club fund raiser helped dye several Science Department teachers green.

Hawk Pride: Hawk Pride is a school sponsored organization. Through the use of student peer leaders, Hawk Pride holds monthly lessons on a variety of topics which influence the typical high schooler. These lessons can range from time management to Facebook. The "pride" in Hawk Pride stands for: Purpose, Respect, Involvement, Dignity, and Empathy.[19]

WMTH-TV/FM: WMTH is a club that is connected with broadcasting classes at Maine South. The radio station broadcasts on 90.5FM and can be heard within the Park Ridge, Illinois area. The transmitting tower for the station is located at Maine East High School. WMTH-FM can now be heard on the internet at any one of the Maine Township High School's webpages. WMTH-TV documents many of the drama productions at Maine South.[20] The clubs also films the Maine South Hawks home football games. Clips from these productions as well as notable projects from Broadcasting II (Advanced Television Production) are submitted to the Chicagoland High School Video Festival. In recent years, Maine South productions have been the recipient of many awards, prizes, and scholarships.[21] The club's members also regularly attend Media.COM at Oakton Community College.[22]

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf Department of Education List of Blue Ribbon Schools]
  2. ^ Illinois School Report Card
  3. ^ Maine South Athletic Records at IHSA.org
  4. ^ IHSA All-Time Girls Soccer Records
  5. ^ IHSA All-Time Boys Soccer Records
  6. ^ IHSA football menu; Summary of Qualifiers (Team Info Links)
  7. ^ NCSAA awards pages (Boys Team Academic Award)
  8. ^ newsletter with brief article noting the Orange Bowl performance
  9. ^ Grammy in the Schools
  10. ^ "We the People" homepage
  11. ^ IHSSBCA poll
  12. ^ Rube Goldberg website at Argonne National Laboratory
  13. ^ Maine South Activity Records at IHSA.org
  14. ^ Welcome to the Chicago Metro History Education Center Website!
  15. ^ Home of History Education: National History Day
  16. ^ Adv Club - Other Webpages
  17. ^ Adv Club - Events - Feb 26
  18. ^ Maine South Adventure Club Webpage
  19. ^ Hawk Pride Webpage
  20. ^ Broadcasting - WMTH-TV/FM
  21. ^ Broadcasting - Chicagoland High School Video Awards
  22. ^ Broadcasting - Staff
  23. ^ Professor Amidei's page at the University of Michigan
  24. ^ Baseball Reference.com's entry on Dave Bergman being drafted from Maine South
  25. ^ Purdue University article on Dave Butz' induction to the Intercollegiate Athletics Hall-of-Fame
  26. ^ Hillary Clinton's entry in the Congresspedia
  27. ^ Article from Maine South's Southwards about Mark Greenwald's trip to the Olympics
  28. ^ link to pdf download of CHM Board
  29. ^ Article from Illinois Parks and Recreation, highlighting David Santee's start in Park Ridge
  30. ^ Article from Maine South's Southwards highlighting Nancy Swider as a skating coach
  31. ^ Taylor Bell's article naming Jim Walewander to the all-time Chicago area Major League team

[edit] External links

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