Maine East High School Class of 2021
Graduates in the Class of 2021: 455
Graduation Speaker: Roshni Lotwala
Senior Class Executive Board: Gabriela Konopka, Daphne Kritikakis, Roshni Lotwala, Sabine Matezic and Aaron Pilac.
Extracurricular achievements:
• Seniors Isabella Piekut and Nicole Piekut have been recognized by The National Speech and Debate Association as one of the top 25 Debate teams in the country.
• Roshni Lotwala, Illinois Directors of Student Activities (IDSA) Scholarship winner
• Second Place in the IHSA Scholastic Bowl Regional Championship with seniors Benjamin Salemi, Aryan Mashruwala and Hadi Rihawi.
• Math Team ICTM Regional winners: Mansi Kadiwala, Hadi Rihawi and Bushido Ellis
• NIU Business Olympics senior winners: James Gold and Michael Abregana
• Novus Pitch Day Entrepreneurship senior winners: Scott Davis, Dev Desai, Moneer Ihmoud, Josh Kora, Deep Rana, and Temitope Sanni
Theater productions:
• "The K of D" (filmed and presented on pay per view)
• V-Show (filmed and presented virtually)
• Spring Musical "Working" - presented live outdoors for a limited, socially-distanced audience and available now on pay-per-view.
What traditional events were adapted for the pandemic and how?
Virtually everything has been adapted for the Pandemic this year:
• Homecoming delayed to spring semester "Spring Fling" week and outdoor socially distanced carnival.
• Virtual Game Nights for each class
• Virtual Link Crew (9th grader engagement)
• Altered sports seasons and competition guidelines,
• Prom and Senior Breakfast replaced by "Seniors Under the Stars" outdoor social celebration/event
• Commencement will be held outdoors on campus rather than Rosemont Theatre
What were the most significant challenges faced by the Class of 2021 and how did they overcome them?
This year has been so challenging for all of our students and staff. Specifically for seniors, they simply had such a different experience than any other group of students in terms of traditional "rights of passage" that simply couldn't take place or that were altered significantly. Many of the students have taken advantage of being in-person for classes, activities, athletics while others have continued to pursue studies and social engagement virtually. There's such evident joy in the faces of students as we're starting to have more in-person events these last few weeks of school ... they love being with each other and they love seeing their teachers, coaches, and club sponsors.
Principal's reflections on the Class of 2021:
This Maine East Class of 2021 has had an experience totally unlike any class before - through it all, they've been tough, resilient, creative, and innovative in dealing with the challenges and opportunities that have come out of necessity these past 14 months. I marvel at how well the great majority of them have taken these circumstances in stride and in the way that they have continued to look out for and support each other. I am so proud of these students - and our staff - for the outstanding work they've done under incredibly difficult circumstances.
- Principal Mike Pressler