BY ANNE INGLES

Have you ever wondered, while sitting in A‑203 or waiting to see your favorite dean, how Maine West came to be? Why was Maine West built to begin with?

During the fifties, families began to move from the big cities, and the suburbs grew very rapidly. A survey done by the University of Chicago forecasted by 1965 there would be 9,000 students in the Maine Township area. The area was mostly made up of Des Plaines and Park Ridge. The survey recommended no less than three schools be built for the rapid growth of the school district.

Architects Childs and Smith were hired to design the school with the help of former Superintendent Harry D. Anderson. It was decided to build three schools in one, with room to add on more wings when needed in the future. Building three schools in one would cost less by buying one piece of land instead of three and help promote the friendly atmosphere found in smaller schools. In

looking for the right piece of land to buy, it was decided it must be easy to get to by major roads and be located in Des Plaines. Henry Khleor sold his onion farm to the Board of Education, which was on the corner of Wolf and Oakton. In 1957 Maine West was on its way to being built.

Maine West's three schools in one concept was to also help cut travel time by one‑third than in traditional schools and simplify travel by having corridors with rooms on each side. Each wing built was to be a separate school of 1,000 students and have its own principal. The indoor track, auditorium, cafeteria, pools, library, and industrial arts wing were to be used by everyone. The concept didn't work because of the difficulty of keeping the students in the same wing for all their classes.

Maine West opened in 1959, costing 12 million dollars to build, a new concept in school design. Mr. James Coburn, principal, will tell you, "Maine West is one of the most unique schools built to date"