West Ottawa High School

West Ottawa High School is located in Ottawa County, Michigan. It is one of the four high schools in the Holland, Michigan area (along with Holland High School, Holland Christian High School and Black River Public School.)

History
A new section of the high school was constructed and completed in 2005 due to the large student body at the school (about 2,500 students). The current campus now consists of two buildings approximately 500 yards apart. In February 2022, Kristine Jernigan became the first female principal of West Ottawa.

Academics
West Ottawa offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses and an International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in dual-enrollment programs with area colleges. Participating colleges include Davenport University, Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College, Hope College, and Kendall College of Art and Design.

Arts
In 2007, West Ottawa was awarded the Grammy Foundation Signature School. West Ottawa was selected as a nationwide finalist in 2010.

Band and Orchestra
The West Ottawa Band and Orchestra program is divided into three bands (Symphony, Wind Symphony, and Concert) and three orchestras (Concert Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra).

The West Ottawa Marching Panthers participate in the Michigan School Band & Orchestra Association (MSBOA) District 10 Marching Festival, the area Christmas Parade, Tulip Time Parades, and Memorial Day Parade.

The high school is home to the West Ottawa Percussion Ensemble, which was named best in the state in 2007 and 2008, and was given the opportunity to perform at the Michigan Youth Arts Festival at Western Michigan University.

Choir
Choirs include the Vocalaires, Men Of West Ottawa, West Ottawa Select Women's Ensemble, Bella Voce and Bel Canto.

Theatre
Each year, West Ottawa Theatre presents 3 productions: a large-scale fall musical, a large-scale winter or spring play, and a middle school musical. West Ottawa is Troupe 5081 in the International Thespian Society.

Athletics
The West Ottawa varsity baseball team won the 2003 MHSAA state championship.

The girls swimming team was the MHSAA Division 1 state champion in 2012.

Demographics
The demographic breakdown of the 2,166 students enrolled in 2020-21 was:


 * Male - 53.0%
 * Female - 47.0%
 * Native American - 0.3%
 * Asian - 7.8%
 * Black - 3.0%
 * Hispanic - 37.2%
 * Pacific Islander - 0.1%
 * White - 46.9%
 * Multiracial - 4.8%

In addition, 797 students (36.8%) were eligible for reduced-price or free lunch.

Notable people

 * Tony Annese - head football coach at Ferris State University.
 * Margo F. Jonker - former softball coach, now head coach at Central Michigan University.
 * Desmond Morgan - Linebacker at U of M.
 * Rob Renes - co-captain at U of M, semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award.
 * Matt Vanderbeek - former NFL player.