West Catholic High School is a college preparatory secondary school for young men and women. The administrators, faculty, and staff are dedicated to preparing men and women of faith to meet the future with moral values and standards of excellence. Our students learn to exercise Christian leadership and service through family, Church, and society. West Catholic seeks cultural and socioeconomic diversity by drawing students from the Greater Grand Rapids area to its campus centrally located on the westside of Grand Rapids.
The inspiration for a West side Catholic school originated with Bishop Francis J. Haas who saw increasing enrollment in area parish schools and overcrowded conditions at Catholic Central as necessitating a second Catholic high school. Fr. John Maskymowski, pastor of St. Adalbert’s, was appointed chairman of the search committee. After studying several options, he arranged for the purchase of the Bristol NW site. Constructions began in 1960.
Fr. Joe Murphy and his staff welcomed 968 students grades 9 – 11, on September 10, 1962, to open West Catholic High School. 258 students comprised the first graduation class in 1964. The falcon was chosen as the mascot, Eric Wendlandt, the band director at the time, wrote and arranged the original fight song and alma mater. The student population peaked in 1974 -1975 with a total of 1354 students, and even at the end of the decade, there were still more than 1000 students enrolled.
Currently, there are approximately 590 students enrolled who represent parochial, public and charter schools throughout Kent and Ottawa Counties. Various construction projects have been set into motion through collaboration with parents, community members, and Aquinas College that have improved the facilities since its 1962 opening. Renovation of the St. Maria Goretti Chapel, completion of the LEED Certified competition gym, renovated auxillary gym, football, track, softball, and baseball facilities, and construction of the Circle Theater at Aquinas College are just a few examples of the improvements made.