First and foremost, I want to make sure that all Maine East students and families, especially those who have been attending school virtually, know that they may change to in-person learning during the 4th quarter by contacting their school counselor ASAP to make necessary arrangements.

There are so many questions surrounding what the end of the year will look like, but there are a few things we can tell you now. The most important thing to know is we are going to do everything in our power to create meaningful experiences for our students - especially our seniors. As we create these experiences, please know that we will continue to follow guidance and restrictions established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), as well as the state, county, and local community. Currently, we are planning for scenarios in which we will be wearing masks, maintaining social distance, and adhering to capacity/gathering guidelines for outdoor and indoor events. With that being said, we want to share some of the details of two major events we typically host for our seniors. 

Graduation will take place in-person on Saturday, May 22nd on campus at Maine East High School. The tentative start time for this event will be 1:00 p.m. (subject to change) and the “rain date” will be Sunday, May 23rd at the same time (1:00 p.m.). This will be an in-person event that will give participating seniors the opportunity to walk across a stage to receive their diplomas from school officials. We anticipate that the event will be live-streamed; additionally, we plan to provide a recorded version (likely to be released after the live graduation ceremony) as a memento for students and families who are unable to attend. Logistical details, such as the number of guests per graduate (we are anticipating a limit of 2 guests per student), are still being determined based on large group gathering guidelines in place later this spring. We encourage students and their families/ caregivers to discuss whether they will attend in person so that you can provide accurate information on a survey that will be sent in a few days - we must have accurate information in order to plan logistics such as seating and parking to ensure a safe experience for all participants.

Instead of Prom, this year we will host “Seniors Under The Stars” on Saturday, May 15 at @7 p.m. at Maine Memorial Stadium. Our goal is to maximize the number of seniors that can safely gather together at one time at this outdoor celebration. Look for more information as we get closer to May and gathering guidelines/restrictions become more clear. In the meantime, a survey will be going out to the senior class shortly.  

Note to Senior Student & Families: I will host two brief Zoom information sessions (Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m.) to answer questions you may have based on the information we have at this time. Meeting links will be sent to Senior families via email on Monday 3/15.

For Students in ALL Grade Levels, Spring Fling Week April 19 - 24: Spring Fling will be a week-long celebration of clubs, activities, and events both virtual and hosted in-person at Maine East. There will be two major events to complement the many other experiences we have planned for our students:
  • Parking Spot Painting - Do you want to leave your mark on Maine East for this year? Join Senior Class Council to decorate our parking lot! It’s free so all you need is yourself and your amazing art skills. Dates and times TBA.
  • Spring Fling Carnival - held outside on the Maine East Campus with a DJ, light show, and activities on Saturday, April 24th (Time TBA). 
Look for promotions via email and social media for details coming soon! 

To all of our students, especially our seniors, we know that this has not been the year you wanted or hoped for throughout your high school experience. While graduation and prom may still not be completely “normal,” we will do everything we can to provide an experience that allows you to be with your class in some way, so that you can celebrate together. We will do our best to make this possible for you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Mike Pressler