Proviso East High School is a public secondary school in Maywood, Illinois which serves the educational needs of Maywood and three other villages within Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois: Broadview, Forest Park and Melrose Park. It is the original campus of Proviso Township High Schools District 209. Prior to being split into East and Proviso West High School in 1958, East was known as Proviso Township High School. The school is located at the intersection of Madison Street and First Avenue (which is Illinois Route 171 in that part of Maywood).Proviso East's history in many ways reflects that of some suburban and urban schools in the United States. While initially serving mostly a Caucasian population, as demographic shifts occurred in the post-World War II years, a larger African-American population moved in creating tensions that were widespread in similar communities across the United States.Despite the tensions that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century, the school is known for its extensive list of notable alumni. While perhaps best known for its connection to notable NBA players (Jim Brewer and Glenn "Doc" Rivers among the more prominent) and other athletes such as Ray Nitschke, the school has seen other alumni achieve well in other areas, such as businesswomen Sheila Johnson, actor Dennis Franz, and astronaut Eugene Cernan, the last human to walk on the moon.
