Since 2008, Traverse City West has offered grades 9 through 12. Additionally, students are given the option to dual enroll and attend classes at Northwestern Michigan College.[5] In addition to the dual enrollment program, a wide variety of honors and AP classes are offered.
A large metallic globe near one of the school's main entrances. This globe was removed in 2020.
History
Prior to 1997, Traverse City only had one public high school, Traverse City Senior High School, built in 1959 at the base of the Old Mission Peninsula. Until this point, Traverse City Senior High was Michigan's largest high school, with over 3,000 students enrolled annually. A proposal for a new school was brought to the TCAPS board in June 1996, with a number of other proposed names listed, including:[6]
Traverse City Western High School
Traverse City West View High School
Traverse City West Hills High School
Traverse City Forest View High School
Other proposed school team names were listed in this proposal, too, including:[6]
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 7, 1996, and the new school was finally opened to students on January 26, 1998.[6][7] Since that time, West Senior High's enrollment has generally encompassed students living west of Division Street. In 2009, a new gymnasium and athletic hub was added to the school.[8]
In 2016 and 2022, the Traverse City West student section, nicknamed the "Bleacher Creatures", won the Battle of the Fans, an MHSAA contest that determines the best student section in the state of Michigan.[10][11]
In 2022, after 25 years of competing in the Big North Conference, Traverse City West and rival Traverse City Central moved their football programs into the North Division of the Saginaw Valley League.[12]
In October 2023, construction began on a new "Innovation & Manufacturing Center" at the school, focusing on STEM education. The new wing is expected to open by the end of 2024.[13][14]
Principals
In its history, Traverse City West has had two head principals:
Traverse City West offers 132 classes to its students, including 17 AP courses.[17][18] In addition, students are also given the option to dual-enroll with Northwestern Michigan College.[19] Students can also attend the Career-Tech Center of TBAISD, which offers special technological education for juniors and seniors at West, as those of other districts under TBAISD.[20]
West's student body is divided into three "neighborhoods": Athens, Olympia, and Sparta. These neighborhoods offer smaller learning communities and the chance to form better bonds with their peers and educators.[17]
Demographics
The demographic breakdown of Traverse City West's 1,509 students enrolled in 2022–23 was:[21]
Female – 50.8%
Male – 49.2%
American Indian/Alaska Native – 1.3%
Asian – 1.5%
Black – 1.6%
Hispanic – 3.8%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 0.1%
White – 88.5%
Multiracial – 3.4%
Additionally, 519 students (34.4%) were eligible for reduced-price or free lunch.
Athletics
Traverse City West's sports teams are known as the Titans. Since 2022, the school has been part of the North Division of the Saginaw Valley League for football, and the Big North Conference for other school-sanctioned sports.[22] West is considered a Division-1 and Class A school by MHSAA, meaning it is in the highest enrollment class for the state. West offers the following sports:[23]
Fall sports
Boys' Soccer
Boys' Tennis
Cheerleading
Cross Country
Football
Girls' Golf
Rowing
Swimming
Volleyball
Winter sports
Basketball
Wrestling
Cross Country Skiing
Bowling
Figure Skating
Hockey
Skiing (Alpine)
Spring sports
Baseball
Boys' Golf
Equestrian Club
Girls' Soccer
Girls' Tennis
Lacrosse
Rowing
Sailing
Softball
Track and Field
The Titan Drumline performing in 2019
Traverse City West has won six Division 1 Alpine Ski State Championships; three boys (2021, 2022, 2023) and three girls (2015, 2023, 2024).[24][25][26]
Sports rivalries
Traverse City Central High School
Since Traverse City Senior High School split in 1997, there has been a natural rivalry between West and Central.[27] Every year since, the two schools have met at least once a year for each sport, with football, basketball, and ice hockey being the most intense matchups. Since 2012, this annual football game between the schools has been known as the Traverse City Patriot Game, and honors fallen members of the United States Armed Forces from Northwest Michigan.[28] The winning team is awarded the Nowak-Olson Trophy. In 2020, the game was known as the Celebrate Service Game, and honored frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic.[29] TC West has won 15 of the 29 football matchups with TC Central.[30][31]
Grand Haven High School
Traverse City West also has a football rivalry with the Buccaneers of Grand Haven High School in Ottawa County. This began in 2016, and has been played as West's second game of the season in every year since.[30] This rivalry began because the two cities are both designated Coast Guard Cities by the United States Coast Guard.[32] The winning team is awarded the Coast Guard Cup.[33][34]
In 2017, the "spirit rock," a large stone often painted by students to celebrate various victories, suddenly went missing. After an investigation, it was discovered that principal Joe Esper directed vice principal Charles Kolbusz to bury the rock.[44] Kolbusz brought a backhoe to the school after-hours, and buried the rock in a hole he dug on school grounds. Superintendent Paul Soma reported that, upon initial questioning, both conspirators denied any knowledge of the events. Following the investigation, Esper was put on unpaid leave for five days.[44] In 2018, the administration put a new spirit rock in the old one's place.[45]
References
^ abc"West Senior High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
