For several months your school has been functioning as two buildings on separate campuses under one heading‑Maine Township High school. On November 8 this union will come to an end. Your building, here on the west campus, will be officially dedicated as Maine Township High School West. From Sunday on, the two schools will be completely separate in administration and activities.

The two schools will not even belong to the same conference in sports. Maine West will be in an entirely new conference with other schools which have made divisions in their enrollment or are planning to split during the coming year.

This issue of the WESTERNER is being printed as a special dedication issue to inform all students of the important event taking place this Sunday.

The Maine West dedication affects the entire student body in one way or another. Student council members and officers of many of West's clubs will be present to act as ushers, guides, and parking attendants for the many important persons scheduled to visit the school. The rest of the student body has an obligation to keep the building, as well as its reputation, shiny and flawless.

Remember, our school is no ordinary building. There are only one or two others like it in the United States. This distinction is something of which to be proud. It is something to keep in mind while you are at Maine West and after you have left.

One important thing needs to be stressed at this time. Although we are no longer a part of the old school, there are some extremely good qualities which should be transferred to this new building. One is Maine's academic rating. Every student should do his part in making West a "brain‑center" to equal and surpass Maine.

A second point in our favor is Maine's heritage. You retain the name Maine in your school's title. Therefore, in West's first year you have her traditions and ratings to back you. But present students must now be building for the future. Starting next year, the school will be standing solely on its own merits. Will it be able to hold its own when it is being judged? Or, will the standards be lowered which have been held so long and so proudly in Maine’s name.

It is up to you, during this school year, to hold up Maine's traditions and, at the same time, set new goals to attain.

You are starting with a clean slate. Your building, your excellent teaching staff, the wide range of courses offered to you; all these are benefits of a large school which Maine West has been given.

The majority of you have spent between one and three years gaining knowledge of Maine and its ways. All of this background puts you in the position to use the good qualities you have encountered and reject those you do not like.

Those of you with important positions in the school, such as class officers, can do much to spread interest and spirit throughout your class. Members of each class should cooperate to put Maine West in perfect shape to run at peak efficiency and to establish a reputation as a leading school.            A.B.