Traverse City West Senior High School


Traverse City West Senior High School is a public, co-educational secondary school located outside Traverse City, Michigan, in neighboring Garfield Township. Along with Traverse City [Central High School], TC West is part of the Traverse City Area Public Schools district, and one of six high schools in Traverse City. The school enrolls about 1,500 students each year, making it the largest high school in Michigan north of Kent County. The school was established in 1997, and opened in early 1998.
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. In addition to the dual enrollment program, a wide variety of honors and AP classes are offered.

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:Traverse City Western High SchoolTraverse City West View High SchoolTraverse City West Hills High SchoolTraverse City Forest View High School
Other proposed school team names were listed in this proposal, too, including:BuffaloesCougarsEaglesHighlandersSpartans
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 7, 1996, and the new school was finally opened to students on January 26, 1998. 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.
In 2020, alumnus Chasten Buttigieg, spouse of United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, wrote I Have Something to Tell You. The memoir includes anecdotes about Buttigieg's time at Traverse City West, calling it Traverse City's "hick school", citing the school's tradition of "Bring Your Tractor to School Day".
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.
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.
In October 2023, construction began on a new "Innovation & Manufacturing Center" at the school, focusing on STEM education. The new wing opened in April 2025.

Principals

In its history, Traverse City West has had three head principals:
PrincipalTenure
Joe Tibaldi1997–2014
Joe Esper2014–2025
Brian Guiney2025–present

Academics

Traverse City West offers 132 classes to its students, including 17 AP courses. In addition, students are also given the option to dual-enroll with Northwestern Michigan College. Students can also attend the Career-Tech Center of Northwest Educational Services school district, which offers special technological education for juniors and seniors at West, as those of other districts under TBAISD.
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.

Demographics

The demographic breakdown of Traverse City West's 1,471 students enrolled in 2023–24 was:
  • Male – 50.1%
  • Female – 49.9%
  • American Indian/Alaska Native – 1.2%
  • Asian – 1.6%
  • Black – 1.1%
  • Hispanic – 4.1%
  • Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 0.1%
  • White – 89.0%
  • Multiracial – 2.9%
Additionally, 439 students 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. 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:
;Fall sports
  • Boys' Soccer
  • Boys' Tennis
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross Country
  • Football
  • Girls' Golf
  • Rowing
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
;Winter sports
;Spring sports
  • Baseball
  • Boys' Golf
  • Equestrian Club
  • Girls' Soccer
  • Girls' Tennis
  • Lacrosse
  • Rowing
  • Sailing
  • Softball
  • Track and Field
Traverse City West has won six Division 1 Alpine Ski State Championships; three boys and three girls.

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. 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. 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. TC West has won 15 of the 29 football matchups with TC Central.

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. This rivalry began because the two cities are both designated Coast Guard Cities by the United States Coast Guard. The winning team is awarded the Coast Guard Cup.

Notable alumni

Spirit Rock Controversy

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. 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. In 2018, the administration put a new spirit rock in the old one's place.