Traverse City Area Public Schools

Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) is a public school district based in Traverse City, Michigan, United States. This district includes 10 elementary schools (one opening soon), 2 middle schools, 2 high schools, 1 alternative high school, and 1 Montessori school. The district is headquartered in the Boardman Building, a former elementary school. In 2017, Traverse City Central and West High Schools were named among the most challenging in the country.[1] The district serves as the second-largest employer in the city of Traverse City.[2] As of 2017, TCAPS was the 18th largest school district in Michigan by enrollment.[3]

Traverse City Area Public Schools
Address
412 Webster Street

Traverse City
,
Michigan

U.S.
Information
School typePublic, School district
MottoGreat Community, Great Schools
Established1871
School boardSue Kelly, President
Jeffrey Leonhardt, Vice President
Matt Anderson, Treasurer
Pamela Forton, Secretary
Jane Klegman, Trustee
Benjamin McGuire, Trustee
Erica Moon Mohr, Trustee
SuperintendentDr. Jon VanWagoner
GradesK-12
Area285 sq mi
Websitewww.tcaps.net

The district serves 10,000 students over an area of 285 square miles (738 km2).[4] This makes it the largest district in northwestern Michigan. The district encompasses about ​1⁄2 of Grand Traverse County, about ​1⁄6 of Leelanau County, and a few square miles of Benzie County.

History

This district was founded in 1871 when Boardman, Central, Elmwood Avenue, Oak Park, and Union Street Independent Schools united. Today, all of these schools are closed, but Boardman, Central and Union Street school buildings are used for other purposes. Since 1871, many other schools around the area have been annexed and built.

In 1997, because of overcrowding at Traverse City Senior High School (TCSHS), which had since become the largest high school in Michigan, a second high school was built, and opened in early 1998. The new high school became Traverse City West Senior High School, and the former TCSHS became Traverse City Central High School[5]. This succeeded the split of Traverse City Junior High School into Traverse City West Junior High and East Junior High in 1992.[6]

In the mid-2000s, due to dwindling attendance, five elementary schools closed their doors: Bertha Vos, Glenn Loomis, Norris, Oak Park, and Sabin Elementary schools. Also, up until the 2009-10 school year, elementary schools in the district had grades K-6, junior high schools had 7-9, and senior highs had 10-12. However, at the beginning of this school year, the 6th grade class was moved to the junior highs (renamed middle schools), and the freshman class was moved to the senior high schools.

In 2011, Long Lake Elementary School closed for a rebuild next door, because the school building was old.

In March 2016, TCAPS decided to close Bertha Vos International School and Interlochen Community. Officials almost closed Old Mission Elementary School, but an unknown donor has pledged to pay about $100,000 dollars to keep it open. In May 2016, the nearby Kingsley Area Schools decided to look into purchasing the Interlochen.[7] For both 2015 and 2016 the TCAPS Japanese exchange program, in which TCAPS students exchange with Japanese ones for one week, has been completely paid for by an anonymous donor.

In May 2017, Eastern Elementary closed for a rebuild, similar to the rebuild of Long Lake Elementary six years prior. The project lasted the entire 2017/18 school year, and was completed in summer of 2018. The students were moved to the nearby vacant Bertha Vos, which closed the previous year. This project costed around $10 million.[8] Also in 2017, a Traverse City food company called Tamarack bought the vacant Long Lake Elementary School building, which was used as an elementary school before 2011. The company is in the process of remodeling the school into a warehouse.[9]

In 2018, TCAPS has three vacant properties around the Traverse City Area. It is unknown if these properties are to become schools, but TCAPS has expressed feelings of building a new district headquarters, replacing the old Boardman Building in Traverse City. Also in 2018, Old Mission School became an independent district, further lowering the number of elementary schools in the district.

In 2019, Paul Soma retired as superintendent of TCAPS, and Ann Cardon took over.[10] However, that October, Cardon resigned, due to tension between her and the school board. Former superintendent Jim Pavelka took the position of interim superintendent.[11] On May 20, 2020, Dr. John VanWagoner, former superintendent of Alpena Public Schools, was elected to become the next superintendent. VanWagoner was elected by the board 7-0 over Denise Herrmann, former superintendent of the Roseville Joint Union High School District in Roseville, California.[12][13] VanWagoner was officially hired in June 2020.[14]

Also in 2019, TCAPS announced they wanted to rebuild their Montessori school at the old Glenn Loomis Elementary, set to open in the 2021-2022 school year.[15] Proposed locations included east of Thirlby Field, its current location west of Thirlby Field, or on Franke Road near Meijer. In January 2020, TCAPS voted to build on the Franke Road location, and reopen Glenn Loomis as a standard elementary school.[16] This succeeds a number of school rebuilds and remodels around the area, including the building of remodeled front entrances at Courtade, Willow Hill, Silver Lake Elementary schools, as well as West Middle School, during summer of 2019. Blair, Silver Lake, and Westwoods Elementary schools had also been expanded in the previous years to accommodate a higher number of students.[17]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the announcement of three cases in Michigan, as well as other schools in Michigan closing, TCAPS announced they would stay open, for the best of the parents.[18] However, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the closure of all K-12 districts until April 6, 2020.[19] On April 2 of that year, the rest of the 2019–2020 school year was cancelled[20].

Schools

Elementary schools (K–5)
School Name Enrollment Opened Principal Address Mascot High school
Blair Elementary 239[21] 1992 Kirsten Morgan 1625 Sawyer Road, Traverse City, MI 49684 Bobcats Central/West
Central Grade School 620[22] 1970 Toby Tisdale 301 W Seventh Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 Superstars Central/West
Cherry Knoll Elementary 436[23] 1956 Victoria Derks 1800 Three Mile Road, Traverse City, MI 49696 Wildcats Central
Courtade Elementary 263[24] 1992 Emily Fetters 1111 Rasho Road, Traverse City, MI 49696 Cougars Central
Eastern Elementary 357[25] 1961 Biz Ruskowski 1600 Eastern Avenue, Traverse City, MI 49686 Stars Central
Glenn Loomis Elementary N/A reopening 2021 TBA 1009 Oak Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 Mercury Central/West
Long Lake Elementary 361[26] 1981 Kate Burwinkel 7600 N Long Lake Road, Traverse City, MI 49685 Panthers West
Silver Lake Elementary 367[27] 1992 Angela Camp 5858 Culver Road, Traverse City, MI 49685 Seahawks West
TCAPS Montessori 319[28] 2008 Lisa VanLoo 1009 Oak Street, Traverse City, MI 49684

(moving to Franke Road, Traverse City, MI 49684)

 Mercury Central/West
Traverse Heights Elementary 202[29] 1953 Ryan Schrock 933 Rose Street, Traverse City, MI 49686 RoadRunners Central
Westwoods Elementary 429[30] 1992 Dan Tiesworth 1500 Fisher Road, Traverse City, MI 49685 Wings West
Willow Hill Elementary 440[31] 1954 Angela Sides-McKay 1250 Hill Street, Traverse City, MI 49684 Falcons West

Former elementary schools
School Name Closed Address Mascot High school Fate
Bertha Vos Elementary 2008 3723 Shore Road, Williamsburg, MI 49690 Bobcats Central Converted to TCAPS International, closed in 2016
East Bay Elementary 2002 3962 Three Mile Road, Traverse City, MI 49686 Muskies Central Converted to Traverse City High School
Glenn Loomis Elementary 2008 1009 Oak Street, Traverse City, MI 49685 Mercury Central/West Converted to TCAPS Montessori, reopening in 2021
Interlochen Community School 2016 3113 M-137, Interlochen, MI 49643 Lakers West Abandoned
Norris Elementary 2008 10781 Cherry Bend Road, Traverse City, MI 49684 Navigators West Converted to Leelanau Studios
Oak Park Elementary 2006 301 Garfield Avenue, Traverse City, MI 49686 Pirates Central Converted to TBAISD School for Special Education
Old Mission Peninsula School 2018 2699 Island View Road, Traverse City, MI 49686 Panthers Central Converted to an independent charter school
Sabin Elementary 2006 2075 Cass Road, Traverse City, MI 49685 Supercats Central/West Converted to TCAPS Sabin Data Center

Middle schools (6–8)
School Name Enrollment Opened Principal Address Mascot High school
Traverse City East Middle School 849[32] 1992 Marshall Perkins 1776 Three Mile Road, Traverse City, MI 49696 Trojans Central
Traverse City West Middle School 1,193[33] 1961 Terry Smith 3950 Silver Lake Road, Traverse City, MI 49684 Titans West

High schools (9–12)
School Name Enrollment Opened Principal Address Mascot
Traverse City Central High School 1,426[34] 1853 Jessie Houghton 1150 Milliken Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686 Trojans
Traverse City High School (Alternative) N/A 2002 Lance Morgan 3962 Three Mile Road, Traverse City, MI 49686 Mavericks
Traverse City West Senior High School 1,707[35] 1997 Joe Esper 5376 N Long Lake Road, Traverse City, MI 49685 Titans

Other facilities

TCAPS utilizes TBAISD facilities for other forms of education. The TBAISD Career-Tech Center is a technological education center used by West and Central High Schools[36]. Oak Park school (former Oak Park Elementary), also owned by TBAISD, is used as a special education school[37].

Athletic facilities

Thirlby Field in Traverse City, which seats 9000, serves as a neutral ground between the athletic teams on Traverse City's west and east sides. The stadium is used by both Traverse City West and Central, as well as St. Francis High School, as a home field for football, soccer, and lacrosse. Both high schools also use Howe Arena and Centre Ice Arena for ice hockey and figure skating. The Grand Traverse Bay YMCA complexes are used for swim meets. Both high schools in the district, as well as middle schools, have their own football fields, used for smaller football games, as well as track and field. These schools also have their own baseball, softball, and tennis court complexes.

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See also

References
  1. "U.S. high school rankings by state — Most challenging schools". Washington Post. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. "Major Employers: Northern Nexus". www.northernnexus.org. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  3. "Michigan's 50 largest school districts in 2017-18". mlive. March 23, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  4. "About Our District". Traverse City Area Public Schools. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  5. "When Trojans Became Titans". The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  6. "Looking Back On Education History In Traverse City". The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
  7. Kaminski, Kyle (May 18, 2016). "Officials Explore Interlochen Options". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  8. Kaminsky, Kyle (August 5, 2016). "District Moves Toward Eastern Rebuild". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  9. Thompson, Carol (May 2, 2017). "Tamarack Purchases Old Long Lake School". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  10. "TCAPS Superintendent Paul Soma Retires". 9 & 10 News. Cadillac, Michigan: WWTV-TV. June 25, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  11. "Cardon out, Pavelka in as Interim, Questions Remain at TCAPS". The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  12. bquealy@record-eagle.com, BRENDAN QUEALY. "BREAKING: TCAPS selects VanWagoner as next superintendent". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  13. "TCAPS Selects Dr. Vanwagoner as Next Superintendent". 9 & 10 News. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  14. bquealy@record-eagle.com, Brendan Quealy. "VanWagoner officially hired as TCAPS superintendent after contract approved". Traverse City Record-Eagle. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  15. Buti, Brittney (February 13, 2019). "TCAPS board approves building of new Montessori school". Traverse City: WPBN-TV. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  16. "TCAPS Board Votes 'Yes' to Move Montessori School". 9 & 10 News. Cadillac, Michigan: WWTV-TV. February 11, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  17. "Cherry Knoll Expansion to Start; Montessori, More Projects on Horizon". The Ticker: Traverse City News & Events. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  18. Schlegel, Madison; Bourland, Adam (March 11, 2020). "TCAPS Stays Open Amid Growing Coronavirus Concerns". 9 & 10 News. Cadillac, Michigan: WWTV-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  19. WOODTV.com Staff; Eggert, David (March 13, 2020). "Gov. Whitmer Closes All Michigan Schools Amid COVID-19 Scare". Grand Rapids, Michigan: WOOD-TV. Associated Press. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  20. "Whitmer orders K-12 schools close for rest of year, sets guidelines for remote learning". FOX 2 Detroit. Southfield, Michigan: WJBK-TV. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  21. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Blair Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  22. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Central Grade School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  23. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Cherry Knoll Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  24. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Courtade Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  25. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Eastern Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  26. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Long Lake Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  27. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Silver Lake Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  28. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for TCAPS Montessori School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  29. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Traverse Heights Elem School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  30. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Westwoods Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  31. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Willow Hill Elementary School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  32. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for East Middle School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  33. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for West Middle School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  34. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Central High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  35. "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for West Senior High". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  36. "Career-Tech Center - Welcome to TBAISD". www.tbaisd.org. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  37. "Programs for Students with Autism - Schools & Programs - Welcome to TBAISD". www.tbaisd.org. Retrieved November 30, 2019.

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