# Tumwater High School

Tumwater High School (THS) is a secondary school in Tumwater, Washington, United States, serving grades 9–12 in Thurston County. It is one of two comprehensive high schools in the Tumwater School District. Tumwater High School generally draws students from the portions of the Tumwater School District east of Interstate 5 and the Littlerock area west of I-5. Tumwater High School caters to its student population by having an extended parking lot, called "overflow", which allows for some ease whilst parking. During bus arrival, there are usual delays to the ability to park.

## Athletics

Tumwater High School offers athletic teams in cross country, golf, football, soccer, dance, swim and dive, tennis, volleyball, basketball, bowling, wrestling, baseball, fastpitch, and track and field. Tumwater also offers a club rifle team, which currently holds two national championships. The dance team also holds a national championship.
Tumwater High School is a 2A-division member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.
The town has supported athletics at Tumwater High School and the recently formed Black Hills High School. The school's teams are known as the T-Birds.
Tumwater is best known for its football program. Most of the success can be credited to long time head football coach Sid Otton, who coached from 1973–2016. In the 2005 season, Otton broke the all-time Washington state wins record of 273 wins. During Otton's tenure, Tumwater won five state titles, was nationally ranked four times, and made the state playoffs more than 23 times. The final state title won under Coach Otton came on Dec. 4, 2010 against Archbishop Murphy High School in the 2A State Football Championship, by a score of 34–14. Otton compiled a career record of 394–131 in 49 seasons and retired following the 2016 season after 43 years at Tumwater. He retired as the all-time winningest high school football coach in Washington State history. He was elected to the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1996 For the 2017 season, former Otton player Bill Beattie ('78) took over as head coach and has continued the "Tumwater Winning Football" tradition. The T-birds won their sixth state football title with a 48–34 win over Steilacoom on Dec., 2019. William Garrow took over as head coach ahead of the 2023 season, leading the T-Birds back to the 2A state championship game in his first year, where they lost to Anacortes.
Tumwater's baseball team, coached by MLB veteran Lyle Overbay, won back-to-back state titles in 2022 and 2023, while its fastpitch team won the state title in 2022.
The Tumwater volleyball program has also had a lot of success over the years, including winning the state championship in 2008, 2014, and 2016. Many of the former Tumwater Volleyball players have gone on to play at the collegiate level. They are attending colleges such as Gonzaga University, Northwest University, Eastern Oregon University, Western Oregon University, and many other schools.
The U.S. Department of Education announced a Title IX investigation into Tumwater School District for allowing a transgender athlete in the opposing team against the Girls' basketball team in February 2025.
State championships :
| Season | Sport | Number of championships | Year |
| Fall | Football | 6 | 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2010, 2019 |
| Fall | Volleyball, girls | 3 | 2008, 2014 and 2016 |
| Winter | | 0 | |
| Spring | Fastpitch softball, girls | 3 | 1993, 2006, 2022 |
| Spring | Track and Field, girls | 1 | 2023 |
| Spring | Baseball, boys | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Total | Total | 13 | |
State championships, 2nd place:
* Girls' basketball - 2007, 2010
* Girls' cross country - 1984
* Fastpitch softball - 1992
* Boys' golf - 1997, 1998
* Boys' tennis - 1986
* Boys' track and field - 1992
* Girls' volleyball - 2007, 2011, 2015
* Baseball - 2013

## Tumwater Acting Company

The Theatre program at THS has an outstanding history, including many national and state titles for their multitude of talented students. Past TAC Directors include Amy Ullen, Kristina Cummins, Joann Boswell, Robin Tuckett, and Heidi Fredericks. The current TAC Director is Harrison Fry.
Past Shows Include:
2002–2003: Nothing but the Truth, Once Upon a Mattress
2003–2004: The Taming of the Shrew, Grease
2004–2005: Picnic, Murder on Center Stage, You Can't Take it With You
2005–2006: Blithe Spirit, My Fair Lady
2006–2007: Romeo and Juliet, Murder's In The Heir
2007–2008: The Miracle Worker, Ask Any Girl, Little Shop of Horrors
2008–2009: The 11 Variations of Friar John, The Crucible, Anything Goes
2009–2010: Trouble at the Talent Show, Anatomy of Gray, Much Ado About Nothing, Once On This Island
2010–2011: Little Women, The Ugly Duckling, The Brother's Grimm, The Music Man
2011–2012: Our Town, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Pirates of Penzance
2012–2013: Harvey, A winter showcase of 6 one-act plays, Aida
2013–2014: How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Julius Caesar
2014–2015: The Voice of the Prairie, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Tempest
2015–2016: Macbeth, Arsenic and Old Lace, Oliver!
2016–2017: Twelfth Night, Little Shop of Horrors, The Mousetrap
2017–2018: Frankenstein, Guys And Dolls, The Wind in the Willows
2018–2019: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Check Please, Once Upon a Mattress

## Sources

* 1 2 3 "Tumwater High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
* ↑ Rogers, Tim. "Tumwater Dance Team Captures National Championship". Retrieved November 3, 2024.
* ↑ "WIAA Sports Leagues". Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
* ↑ "Banner night in Tumwater as Sid Otton sets state's wins record". September 10, 2005.
* ↑ "Washington State Football Coaches Association".
* ↑ Manley, Jon (December 8, 2019). "Tumwater caps off perfect season with 48-34 win over Steilacoom in Class 2A state championship game". The News Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
* ↑ "Bill Beattie to take over as Tumwater head football coach". January 25, 2017.
* ↑ "Tumwater High School Volleyball". www.tumwatervolleyball.com.
* ↑ https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/03/03/feds-to-investigate-wa-district-that-let-trans-athlete-play-basketball-game/

## Notable alumni

* Brooke Feldmeier, 800m runner, Olympian
* Cade Otton, NFL Tight End
* Matt Johnson, NFL Safety
* Brad Otton Former NFL QB
* Barrett Martin Grammy Winner, Percussionist, Writer