Maine South High School (officially known as Maine Township High School South) is a public four-year
high school located in
Park Ridge, Illinois, a northwest suburb of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, in the United States. It is part of
Maine Township High School District 207
Maine Township High School District 207 is a school district based in Illinois.
Composed of all of Park Ridge and most of Des Plaines, as well as portions of Glenview, Harwood Heights, Morton Grove, Niles, Norridge, and Norwood Park Town ...
, which also includes
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 northwest suburb of Chicago, in the Unit ...
and
Maine West High School
Maine West High School, also known as Maine West or MWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Des Plaines, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207, w ...
.
Maine South is well known for its academic, athletic, and fine arts success. Since at least 1992 it has also received mention in national media as the alma mater of
Hillary Clinton, a member of the school's first graduating class.
History
Bids on the construction of Maine South opened on March 18, 1963. 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
Norridge is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,251 at the 2020 census. The village and its neighbor to the east, Harwood Heights, together form an enclave within the city of Chicago (i.e. they are surrounde ...
, and unincorporated
Chicago.
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.
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. 1969 also saw the first expansion of the school with the addition of the student cafeteria, and some physical education and classroom areas.
In 1973, the
North Central Association
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...
, an academic accreditation agency, rated Maine South as "one of the top 10 high schools in the nation."
In 1986 and 1987, officials from Maine South were instrumental in pushing the
Illinois High School Association to recognize girls
soccer.
The 1988–1989 school year saw Maine South recognized by the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Departme ...
as a
Blue Ribbon School
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
.
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.
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.
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 Theatre
The Rosemont Theatre is a concert hall in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The venue, which has seats for 4,400 people, opened in 1995 and hosts many different musical artists and shows. It is located near O'Hare International Airport, Fas ...
.
Over the summer of 2009, the athletic stadium had lights and an artificial turf surface installed.
In July 2011, the
Guinness World Records certified that the Maine South class of 2014 had set a world record for the most multiple birth sets in the same academic year (16 sets of twins and 3 sets of triplets).
Academics
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. Maine South is ranked 9th by the
Chicago Tribune among public non-magnet high schools in Illinois, ranked according to average PSAE scores.
The Foreign Language Department offers five-year programs in
French,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional It ...
, and
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, and a four-year program in
Mandarin.
Student life
Academic competition
The Maine South Constitution Team has won the Center for Civic Education's "We The People" competition in Illinois for the past sixteen years straight. In 1999 the team won the national competition in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, N ...
In 2007, the school's
Scholastic Bowl team won the state championship tournament sponsored by the
Ancient, Free, & Accepted Masons of Illinois.
The
chess team won IHSA State Championships in 2001–02, 2002–03, & 2006–07.
Athletics
Maine South sponsors teams for both boys and girls in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
,
cross country,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping w ...
,
gymnastics,
lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...
,
soccer,
swimming &
diving,
tennis,
track & field,
volleyball, and
water polo. Boys are also able to compete in
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
,
football, and
wrestling, while girls are able to compete in
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
,
cheerleading
Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...
, and
softball.
Maine South competes in the
Central Suburban League
The Central Suburban League is an IHSA-recognized high school extracurricular conference comprising 12 public schools located in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Comprising 12 relatively large high schools, it is among the larger high school ...
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 have won
IHSA sponsored State Championship Tournaments:
*Basketball (boys): 1978–79
*Football: 1995–96, 2000–01, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17
*Swimming & Diving (girls): 1975–76
*Volleyball (boys): 2005–06
*Dance Team (Hawkettes): 2013
In addition, the girls soccer team won three consecutive unofficial State Championship Tournaments in 1983–84, 1984–85, and 1985–86, prior to the IHSA sanctioning soccer for girls. Over that time, the team went 60-0-4. From 1985 to 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.
The Maine South Hawkettes dance team won UDA National Championships in High Kick in 2011, 2017, and 2019.
Maine South football has been one of the most successful programs in Illinois in recent history. Maine South went to the 8A State Championship game 6 out of 8 years between 2003 and 2011. During that stretch, Maine South was runner up from 2003 to 2005 and won three consecutive state championships from 2009 to 2011. The team has qualified for the IHSA playoffs each year since 1992, and has only two losing seasons since 1980. Only six teams in the State of Illinois have longer active streaks qualifying for the playoffs (through 2012–13). Maine South has not lost a conference football game since 2000 participating in the
Central Suburban League
The Central Suburban League is an IHSA-recognized high school extracurricular conference comprising 12 public schools located in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Comprising 12 relatively large high schools, it is among the larger high school ...
. Maine South is well known for their football program throughout the nation. They were ranked first in state from 2009 to 2012 during which produced 3 of 4 Illinois Player of the Year in Charlie Goro (2009, QB), Matt Perez (2010, RB), and Matt Alviti (2012, QB). Maine South is also known as QB High. The previous 6 starting QBs have received scholarships to
Division I (NCAA) programs, with 5 of 6 accepting the
Division I (NCAA) scholarships.
*Sean Price: Central Michigan (MAC)
*Tyler Knight: Northern Illinois (MAC)
*Jimmy Coy: Saint Xavier University (
NAIA Player of the Year)
*Charlie Goro: Vanderbilt (SEC)
*Tyler Benz: Eastern Michigan (MAC)
*Matt Alviti: Northwestern (Big 10)
Clubs
Maine South supports 79 student organizations running the gamut from academic competition and performing arts to public service and special interest clubs.
Among the organizations, from the standpoint of national or international notability, are branches or chapters of the
National Forensic Association
The National Forensic Association (NFA) is an American intercollegiate organization designed to promote excellence in individual events and debate. The NFA sponsors the NFA Nationals as well many other regional tournaments throughout the year. Th ...
,
Quill and Scroll, SADD,
Tri-M
Tri-M Music Honor Society, formerly known as Modern Music Masters, is an American high school and middle school music honor society. A program of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), it is designed to recognize students for their ...
,
DECA,
Mu Alpha Theta
Mu Alpha Theta () is the United States mathematics honor society for high school and two-year college students. In June 2015, it served over 108,000 student members in over 2,200 chapters in the United States and in 20 foreign countries. Its ma ...
,
National Honor Society, and
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
.
WMTH
WMTH-FM, located in Park Ridge, Illinois, was among the first FM high school radio stations in the United States when it was licensed in 1959. Established by the Student Council at Maine Township High School, now Maine East High School, the stati ...
(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
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 northwest suburb of Chicago, in the Unit ...
. The club also films the Maine South Hawks home football games.
Fine arts
The school sponsors several musical groups, including:
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...
,
concert band
A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...
, two symphony bands,
chamber orchestra
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...
, three symphony orchestras, a
jazz band, and many choirs. In addition, there are four theatrical performances per year including a
musical each spring, a play in the fall and winter, and a variety show in the fall.
The marching band has performed at several major events, including the 1981
Cherry Blossom Festival parade in Washington D.C, the 1984
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
. It later performed at the 1996, 1999, and 2001
Orange Bowl Parades. The band also performed at the 1993 Presidential Inauguration Parade, as a representative of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's alma mater.
In 2001, the Grammy Foundation named Maine South a Signature School.
In 2009 and 2011, violinist
Mark Wood taught a series of workshops to the members of the school orchestra in preparation for a concert he performed with them.
Notable alumni
Politics and law
*
Hillary Rodham Clinton (1965), former
First Lady of the United States (1993–2001),
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* ...
(2001–2009),
United States Secretary of State (2009–2013), two-time presidential candidate, and nominee of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
* Botswana Democratic Party
* Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*De ...
for President of the United States in the
2016 election. Clinton only attended Maine South during her senior year, which coincided with Maine South's first year of existence. For her first three years of high school, she attended
Maine East.
*
Mark Filip, federal district court judge for the
Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois.
Appeals from the Northern District of Illinois ar ...
(2004–08)
*
Hugh Rodham (1968), politician
*
Tony Rodham (1972), political consultant
*
Penny Pullen (1965), former Illinois State representative and conservative activist
Arts and entertainment
*
Danny Corkill
Daniel Bryon Corkill (born March 8, 1974) is an American former child actor who saw early success in such films as ''Without a Trace'' and '' D.A.R.Y.L.''. He appeared in a number of commercials and had a small part in the TV series ''Ryan's Ho ...
(1992), child actor.
*
Greg Glienna (1981),
screenwriter
*
Dave Mallow (1966), voice actor
*
Frank Merle
Frank Merle is an American screenwriter, director and producer best known for '' The Employer'' and '' From Jennifer.'' Also a theatrical producer and director, Merle trained at The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Film career
After graduat ...
(1997), filmmaker
*
John Pankow (1973), actor
*
Sean Giambrone, actor known for TV series
The Goldbergs
Athletics
*
Dave Bergman
David Bruce Bergman (June 6, 1953 – February 2, 2015) was an American Major League Baseball first baseman, designated hitter and left fielder who played between 1975 and 1992.
Early life
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bergman was an alumnus of M ...
(1971),
Major League Baseball first baseman
*
Dave Butz
David Roy Butz (June 23, 1950 – November 4, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Redskins in a 16-year career from ...
(1969),
NFL defensive lineman
*
Tom Hoff (1991), indoor
U.S. volleyball Olympian (
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
)
*
Nancy Swider (1974), Olympic speedskater (
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – In ...
,
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
,
1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicentenn ...
)
*
Jim Walewander (1980),
Major League Baseball player
*
Joe Zdeb, Major League Baseball outfielder (1978–79)
*
Adam Rosales (2001), major league baseball third baseman
*
Jim Rushford, Major League Baseball outfielder
*
David Santee
David Neil Santee (born July 22, 1957 in Oak Park, Illinois) is an American former competitive figure skater. He finished fourth in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, and is the 1981 World silver medalist and an eight-time U.S. national ...
(1975), Olympic figure skater (
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – In ...
)
*
Brian Schlitter
Brian Patrick Schlitter (born December 21, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs and Oaklan ...
, professional baseball pitcher
*
Boris Shlapak
Boris Shlapak is a former professional American football player who played placekicker one season for the Baltimore Colts. As a free agent, he kicked two field goals for the Buffalo Bills in the 1974 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohi ...
, professional football and soccer player
*
Kyle Thomson, professional soccer player
Other
*
Susan Lindquist
Susan Lee Lindquist, ForMemRS (June 5, 1949 – October 27, 2016) was an American professor of biology at MIT specializing in molecular biology, particularly the protein folding problem within a family of molecules known as heat-shock proteins ...
, microbiologist
*
Karen McCarron, murderer
*
Ray Ozzie
Raymond "Ray" Ozzie (born November 20, 1955) is an American software industry entrepreneur who held the positions of Chief Technical Officer and Chief Software Architect at Microsoft between 2005 and 2010. Before Microsoft, he was best known for ...
(1973), software industry entrepreneur
*
Janet Shamlian
Janet Shamlian (born May 14, 1962) is a correspondent for CBS News reporting for CBS This Morning and the CBS Evening News. Previously, she was a correspondent for ''NBC News'' and reported for ''The Today Show'', ''NBC Nightly News'' and MSN ...
(1980), journalist,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
news correspondent
References
External links
Official website*
ttp://www.mainesouthalumni.org/ Maine South High School Alumni websiteWMTH Alumni website
{{authority control
Park Ridge, Illinois
Educational institutions established in 1964
Public high schools in Cook County, Illinois
1964 establishments in Illinois