Maine West TV, Film + Radio (Broadcasting) Program Shooting a Documentary to Celebrate the Honor Flight Program & Veterans #207Now @wmth_mainewest

James "Terry" Blue

In cooperation with Honor Flight Chicago, the Maine West TV, Radio & Film (Broadcasting) program welcomed three veterans, Gary Nelson (Coast Guard), James "Terry" Blue (Marines), and Thomas Strossner (Air Force) to campus to be part of a documentary film being produced by Maine West film students. 

Honor Flight Chicago's mission is to Honor, Thank, and Inspire by building awareness and appreciation of the debt of gratitude America owes its veterans for their service and sacrifice for our nation. The centerpiece of their programming is the Day of Honor in Washington, D.C., visiting the memorials built in tribute to the service of our veterans from WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. This trip is provided at no cost to the veteran and is intended as a heartfelt thank you for their service and sacrifice from a grateful nation. 

Honor Flight Chicago encourages community and student participation in all of their programs, and uses lessons derived from the Day of Honor trip in its Operation Education program, inspiring students to learn about the service and sacrifice of our veterans. Maine West film students are some of the students benefitting from this outreach program.

In making this documentary film, students are learning how to write questions that elicit interesting responses to tell a story, how to interact with subjects and request that they rephrase questions in their answer, how to set up a multicamera interview shoot, how to position themselves with a camera to shoot documentary style film, how to set up three-point lighting, not to mention all of the learning that will take place in the editing process!

Thank you to Mr. Strossner, Mr. Blue and Mr. Nelson for taking the time to share your story with students at Maine West!

A special thanks to Ms. Orr for making this incredible opportunity happen for the Maine West Film students!

For more pictures related to the making of the documentary, click HERE.

Stay tuned to this blog to see the documentary in its finished form! 

Thomas Strossner

Gary Nelson

Maine West String Recruitment Night Welcomes Future Warrior Strings to Maine West! #futurewarrior #artsed #artsedleadstosuccess @mworchestras

 

On Thursday, December 9th, the Maine West Orchestra program welcomed future WARRIOR STRINGS to Maine West to introduce them to all of the incredible musical opportunities awaiting them at Maine West!

Thank you to our Warrior Strings for performing for the students and families who will soon be a part of our Maine West Fine Arts community! Thank you to Ms. Valdez for organizing this wonderful event for our future orchestra students!

For more information about our orchestra program, please visit the Maine West Orchestra website HERE. 

More pictures from last night's event can be found HERE. 

"Best of the Best Exhibit" Showcases Exceptional Art by District 62 and Maine West Students #207Now @mainewestart @62schools

The Best of the Best Exhibit, on display from December 2nd, 2021 through January 11th, 2022 in the Des Plaines Public Library Meeting Room Hallway showcases artwork by exceptional student artists from Maine West and District 62 schools.

Come visit the exhibit and ponder the inspiring artwork by these creative students!

Check out pictures from the exhibit HERE!

Two Maine West Musicians Earn All-State Honors! #207Now #Excellence #musiceducation #IMEC2022 @ILMEA @mainewestchoir

We recently learned that two Maine West musicians, Dulf Vincent Genis and Ali Krieger, have earned All-State Honors. These two music students will be representing Maine West at the state-level event called the Illinois Music Education Conference, which will be held in the Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois January 26th-29th, 2022. 

Dulf will perform as a baritone singer with the All-State Honors Chorus, the highest level choral ensemble in the state of Illinois. Ali will be taking part in the Future Music Educators Seminar. 

Earning a placement in the IMEC All-State conference distinguishes these two students as two of the best music students in the state of Illinois, and is a testament to years of hard work and dedication as musicians. The entire Maine West community is incredibly proud of these two students!

Read the Daily Herald article about these students HERE.

Middle School Drama and Media Day Welcomes Future Warriors to Maine West! #207Now @mainewestdrama @wmth_mainewest @62schools @SciArtsAcademy

This morning, the Maine West Drama and TV, Radio + Film (Broadcasting) programs and teachers, Mr. Harmon and Ms. Orr, welcomed area Middle School students to Maine West to participate in workshops that gave them a little taste of what it is like to be involved in Drama and Broadcasting at Maine West! 

Approximately 25 students from Algonquin, Iroquois, Chippewa and the Science & Arts Academy attended the workshops. In the Drama workshop, these students learned some basic improvisation techniques, how to accept and build on each other's ideas, and how to build the confidence needed to take creative risks! In the TV, Radio + Film workshop, the students produced a live TV Show, rotating in the roles of director, anchor, camera operator, technical director and sound engineer. Maine West students helped to lead these students through the morning's activities, and were incredible leaders and mentors!

For more pictures from today's events, click HERE. 

Congratulations to the Student Artists & Musicians on a Fantastic Dimensions Concert and Art Exhibit! #207Now @mainewesthighschool @maine_west #creativityfuelsthefuture

 

Congratulations to the students and faculty involved in Dimensions: Premiere Concert and Art Exhibit! 

Many families and friends of student artists attended tonight's public reception to view the incredible student artwork on display in the LRC, and the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters treated all student artists with custom-designed art cookies!

For many of the music students, staff and their friends and family in the audience, tonight's concert was the first formal concert performed or attended in nearly two years...and the students did not disappoint! The band, choir and orchestra performed a diverse selection of repertoire beautifully. A highlight was the Percussion Techniques class performing Soup's On by Katrina Cavaliere, a piece performed using dining ware! The two compositions by Digital Audio + Music Production students Jose Martinez Vitela and Pavlina Panagiotidis were a special treat - to see and to hear! Thank you to the student musicians for sharing your music with us and enriching our hearts and souls!

Thank you to the students in the theatre tech crew for their work on the sound and light board! You really enhanced the sound and ambiance of tonight's show! 

Thank you also to the Broadcasting students for covering tonight's performance. The broadcast of tonight's 5:30 p.m. performance can be found HERE!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the Maine West Fine Arts Boosters for buying cookies and pizza for every student involved in tonight's events! Additionally, thank you to the mighty AND GROWING cadre of parent volunteers who worked with the FABulous Fine Arts Boosters to help make tonight's event happen by working the box office, assisting with the art exhibit, selling merchandise, and buying and serving pizza to 250 people! MW Fine Arts Booster Volunteers and Contributors - Your support of all of our Fine Arts students is appreciated beyond words!

More pictures from tonight's Dimensions: Premiere art exhibit and concert can be found HERE.

2021 7th & 8th Grade Art Workshops an Overwhelming Success! #207Now @mainewesthighschool @62schools @mainewestart #creativityfuelsthefuture

Maine West hosted nearly 200 District 62 7th and 8th graders over the course of four Middle School Art Workshops. District 62 students were invited to Maine West to work in a variety of artistic mediums: drawing, painting, ceramics, photo, digital art, and design. 

The artwork created by these future Warriors is truly remarkable! We are excited to welcome these talented young artists to Maine West!

THANK YOU to the Maine West Art Teachers: Richard Cammarata, Natalya Kljajic, Felicia Lahart, and Melissa Lloyd for the vision and organization that made this amazing learning opportunity and important connection happen for these young people!

More pictures from the Art Workshops can be found HERE.