Traverse City West Senior High School
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2015) |
| Traverse City West Senior High | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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5376 North Long Lake Road , 49685 | |
| Coordinates | 44°44′50″N 85°41′09″W / 44.7472°N 85.6857°W |
| Information | |
| School type | Public secondary |
| School district | Traverse City Area Public Schools |
| Principal | Joe Esper |
| Enrollment | 1690 (2014) |
| Color(s) | Forest Green Metallic Gold |
| Athletics conference | Big North |
| Nickname | Titans |
| Website | schools |
Traverse City West Senior High is a public high school in Traverse City, Michigan, located at 5376 N. Long Lake Road. The principal is Joe Esper who took over the role in December 2014, after Joseph Tibaldi retired. Tibaldi had been the principal since the school's opening in 1997. The school was originally built as a solution to the overcrowding at Traverse City Senior High School, which was Michigan's largest high school prior to the split.[citation needed] In 1997, Traverse City Senior High was split by the school district into two distinct high schools. The newly constructed Traverse City West Senior High School was opened, while the original high school facility was renamed as Traverse City Central High School. The name of Traverse City Senior High was discontinued at that time.
Since that time, West Senior High's enrollment has encompassed students living west of Division Street. Traverse City West is one of three public high schools in Traverse City, with nearly 2,000 students each year. It is several times larger than most of the schools in its surrounding area and is the single largest high school outside of the Grand Rapids and Detroit areas in the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula. West is located in the Traverse City Area Public Schools school district, which is part of the larger Traverse Bay Area intermediate school district. West offers classes for students in grades 9–12 as of the 2008–2009 school year. Additionally, students are given the option to dual enroll and attend classes at Northwestern Michigan College. In addition to the dual enrollment program, a wide variety of honors and AP classes are offered.
Music and the Arts
Traverse City West has an active music program, with multiple choirs, bands (wind ensemble, symphony band, and concert band), and orchestras. In addition to the larger groups, there are also numerous small ensembles, including two jazz bands, small vocal groups (Choral Aires, Bella Voce and Westmen), and some student-led chamber ensembles. Every three years the chorale goes on a tour throughout Europe. The first time Euro-Chorale went to Europe they won 3rd place in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.[citation needed] Two years later the chorale went again and was awarded 2nd place. In 2006, the chorale did not make the festival. They did, however, perform at the Eisteddfod as a general concert outside of the competition. In 2009, The Traverse City West Chorale traveled to Europe again, where they were invited to sing at Mass in Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and to compete in The Musica Mundi International choral competition located in Budapest, Hungary, where they won 1st place in the "Folk Music" and "Mixed Choir" categories.[citation needed]
The school puts on an annual musical which involves students from all fields. Musicals performed at West include such classics as Patience, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Pirates of Penzance, The Music Man, Ruddigore, Les Misérables, West Side Story, Aida, The Mikado, Me and My Girl, The Secret Garden, The Phantom of the Opera, Aida (musical), and Beauty and the Beast (musical).
The Theater Arts classes put on several different shows for the public each year; in addition, the Thespian club puts on a performance and competes at drama festivals.
Athletics
Traverse City West's most intense sports rival is with cross-town Traverse City Central High School, while also maintaining a competitive rivalry with Petoskey High School. West competes in baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, cross-country skiing, figure skating, dance, downhill skiing, equestrian, football, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, Juggling Club, lacrosse, chess, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, rugby, sailing, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. West's boys' soccer has won a state championship (2006),[1] and the girls' alpine skiing team has won 3 state championships (2006, 2007, 2012).[2] They have played schools such as Detroit Catholic Central High School, Birmingham Brother Rice, Rockford High School, Grandville High School, and Midland Dow High School. Their annual game with rival Traverse City Central High School brings in yearly crowds between 10,000 and 15,000 people.[citation needed] West also competes with their conference opponents Petoskey, Cadillac, Alpena, Traverse City Central High School, and Gaylord High Schools, the six largest high schools in Northern Michigan, as a member of the Big North Conference.
Endowment
The Titan Excellence Fund was established in 2010 to support student life and academics at TC West. The endowment is held by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and pays out approximately $1,200 per year in mini-grants to students and teachers.
Notable Alumni
- Jake Fisher, NFL Player for the Cincinnati Bengals
- Darren Keyton, NFL Player for the Detroit Lions [3]
- Phil Thiel, USA Rugby Union Player[4]
References
- ^ "Boys Soccer Yearly Champions 1982-2014". mhsaa.com. MHSAA. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ "Girls Skiing Yearly Champions 1975-2014". mhsaa.com. MHSAA. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ "Detroit Lions: Darren Keyton". detroitlions.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
- ^ "'Big Dave USA' rocks rugby world". record-eagle.com. Retrieved 23 March 2016.