- Blue Valley West High School is a high school located in Overland Park, Kansas. It is part of the Blue Valley Unified School District. The school opened in August 2001, and currently has a capacity for 1600 students. The principal is Tony Lake, the associate principal is Scott Roberts, and the assistant principals are Linda Kapfer and Cindy Roach.
- Mission Statement
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Blue Valley West High School will prepare students for a changing world by providing the highest quality of educational opportunities in a caring and innovative environment.
- History
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Blue Valley West High School opened in August 2001 in order to help educate the increasing population of Overland Park.
- Academics
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Foreign language classes are offered including Spanish, German,Latin and French. Photography is offered as well.
- Extracurricular Activities
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The extracurricular activities offered at Blue Valley West High School are many and varied due to the school's large size. The Jaguars compete in the Eastern Kansas League and are classified as a 6A-5A school according to the KSHSAA. Throughout its history, Blue Valley West has won several state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in Division I, Division II, and Division III athletics. In the 2006-2007 school year the school won 2 state championships, was runner up for another, and had 4 other teams qualify for the state tournament. In the 2007 calendar year, BV West won the state title in football, boys' basketball, and baseball. This three-peat was the first of its kind in the history of KSHSAA play.
- Athletics
- Golf
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Blue Valley West has established itself as being one of the top golf programs in the state. Overall, the Jaguars have won two state titles and three individual titles. In 2008 and 2009, Curtis Yonke captured the individual state titles. Blue Valley West had another great season in 2007, finishing runner-up in the state tournament with the help of K-State golfer Kyle Smell and Korbin Kuehne, falling to Olathe South by a single stroke. Led by Mike Greene, the Jaguars captured the individual and team state titles in 2006 held at Salina Municipal Golf Course. In 2004, former KU golfer Zach Pederson won the individual state title held at Topeka Country Club. The Jaguars won their first state title in 2002 at Sunflower Hills Golf Course in Bonner Springs. Amazingly, this was accomplished during the school's first academic year of existence.
- Baseball
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The baseball team has been coached by Bill McDonald since the school's opening in 2001. The school has won the Eastern Kansas League (EKL) title every year from the school's opening in 2001 to 2006, and did not lose a single game in conference until 2006. They carry a 92-22 overall record, 4 Regional Titles, and a 2nd place finish at state in 2006. In 2007, the team did not win the EKL title, but were the first to bring the coveted state championship back to Overland Park. The program has sent numerous players to colleges throughout the country.
- Boys' Basketball
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The boys basketball team has been coached by Donnie Campbell since the school's opening in 2001. The program has made four straight trips to the state tournament and won their first state title during the 2006-2007 school year. The team is known for their teamwork, and outstanding defensive play. In 'O7 the Jaguars finished in a three-way tie for the EKL title and beat Shawnee Mission East for the sub-state championship. In 2008, the Jaguars lost in the first round of state competition. During their state championship run, the Jaguars beat Lawrence Free State High School in the semifinals and avenged an earlier loss to Leavenworth in the finals for the 6A championship.
- Bishop Miege and Saint Thomas Aquinas are the basketball team's two primary rivals with all three teams having experienced postseason success in recent years. Rival Bishop Miege is known for having a prominent home court advantage, although West won for three consecutive years at Bishop Miege from 2005-2007, sparking a new rivalry between the schools.
- Several former West players compete for college teams across the country. Most play in Division III. BV West and Coach Campbell place a high priority on academics as well as athletics, and the success of many student athletes at the D-III level verifies their efforts. Matt Kleinmann, the first BVW alumni to win an NCAA basketball national championship, played Division I basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. James Franklin also played D-I basketball for Kansas State and Robert Lewandowski signed to play at Texas Tech in 2009.
- Football
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The Blue Valley West Jaguar football team has become a contender in Kansas 5A Football. After reaching the state playoffs in only their second year, head coach Scott Wright and his teams have a 4-year record of 24-18 since their 3-6 start in the 2000-2001 inaugural season. The Jaguars qualified for the 2006 postseason as well.
- The team's main rivals are Blue Valley High School and Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. Aquinas and West have met multiple times in the postseason, with Aquinas winning all except the game in 2007. Blue Valley West and Blue Valley have met in the final game of the season for the district championship nearly every year since West opened in 2001. Blue Valley West won the 2007 Eastern Kansas League title and went on to win the Kansas 5A State Championship on November 24, 2007, with an undefeated 13-0 season.
- State Championships
- Performing Arts
- Red and Silver Brigade
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The Red and Silver Brigade is the award-winning marching ensemble at Blue Valley West High School. Its numerous awards include 3 time grand champions of the "Echoes Off the River" marching festival in Alton, Illinois, many local awards, and multiple Division 1 ratings and class awards at BOA super-regional championships. The Brigade swept their class and made finals at the 2006 BOA Super Regional in St.Louis. They were named Grand Champions of the 2007 Blue Springs Marching Invitational in Blue Springs, Missouri. In 2007 the brigade attended BOA festivals in St. Louis and Indianapolis as well as BOA Grand National Championships in Indianapolis. The Brigade has established itself as one of the premier high school marching bands in the region.
- After just seven years of existence, the band is already the highest scoring Kansas band ever at a BOA competition. Former director, Dr. Craig R. Miller built the band from its founding in 2000 through the spring of 2008. Under his baton, the ensemble has travelled to San Antonio Indianapolis, Atlanta, Tulsa St. Louis, and Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the fall of 2008, the Blue Valley West Band welcomed Mr. Mark Nichols to the podium as the new Director of bands. The band also receives assistance from Carolyn Knapp, Matt Arnet, Paul Bessetti, Alex Vallar, Calvin Dugan, Katie Bubb and Bryan Cremer. The band performs at all home football games, basketball games, and pep assemblies. The symphonic band, concert band, and jazz bands have all received accolades at festivals all over the country. Blue Valley West band alumni can be found in music schools and conservatories across the nation.
- Theater
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The Blue Valley West theater department took their rep show "The Voice of The Prairie" to the Kansas State Thespian Conference and the International Thespian Festival in June 2007.
- The Blue Valley West repertory theater took their one-act "Cut" to the Kansas State Thespian Conference and also took it to the International Thespian Festival in June 2008. In 2009, Advanced Repertory Theatre took "The Secret Life of Girls" to the Kansas State Thespian Conference.
- List of Mainstage Shows
- 2001-2002: The Crucible, The King and I, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
- 2002-2003: Heaven Can Wait, Fiddler on the Roof, Midsummer Nights Dream
- 2003-2004: Much Ado About Nothing, Oklahoma!, Jelly Bean Conspiracy
- 2004-2005: To Kill a Mocking Bird, South Pacific, A Few Good Men
- 2005-2006: Fools, Children of Eden, The Diary of Anne Frank
- 2006-2007: Our Town, Once Upon a Mattress, Comedy of Errors
- 2007-2008: One-Acts, Quilters, Sound of Music, The Lark
- 2008-2009: The Crucible,Guys and Dolls, The Man Who Came to Dinner
- 2009-2010: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sweeny Todd, The Miracle Worker
- Rep Shows
- 2005-2006: The Boys Next Door (Went to State), Steel Magnolias, Gods Favorite, Theater Olympics
- 2006-2007: The Voice of the Prairie (Went to Internationals), Ruthless, The Bad Seed, Theater Olympics
- 2007-2008: The Female Odd Couple, Dearly Departed, Cut (Went to International), The Nerd, Theater Olympics
- 2008-2009: Advanced Rep: Secret Life of Girls(Went to State), Lone Star, The Complete Works of Shakespeare abridged, One Act Play Competition; Rep: Revenge of the Space Pandas (Went to State),Defying Gravity, One Act Play Competition
- 2009-2010: Advanced Rep: Little Shop of Horrors, Dearly Beloved, One Act Play Competition; Rep: Voices from the High School, If you Give a Mouse a Cookie, One Act Play Competition
- West has 2 rep classes (New for the 2008-2009 school year); advanced rep, a class of about 12 students. It is a selective class and requires an audition. There will also be a regular rep class which also requires an audition.
- Vocal Music
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Blue Valley West has 4 choirs:
- Concert Choir - SATB freshmen; no audition necessary.
- Choraliers - SSA; selective freshmen and sophomores; must audition.
- Chorale - SATB; selective sophomores, juniors, and seniors; must audition.
- Chamber - SATB; highly selective sophomores, juniors, and seniors; must also be in Chorale; must audition.
- Contest
- The ratings are from 1 to 5, 1 being the best. Those who receive a 1 at the Regional Contest are accepted to compete at the State Contest two weeks later.
- In 2007, Choraliers and Chamber both received a 1 at Regionals and State, along with the Large Women's Choir (a combination of the women in all four choirs). The Large Women's Choir only conjugates for Contest each year.
- The Choraliers 06-07 class was accepted to perform at the Kansas Music Educators Association, a high honor.
- In 2008, Choralier and Chamber both received a 1 at Regionals and State, and the Large Women's Choir received a 2 at Regionals.
- Other Blue Valley High Schools
- Blue Valley High School
- Blue Valley North High School
- Blue Valley Northwest High School
- Blue Valley Southwest High School
- Notable Alumni
- Matt Besler (Class of 2005), MLS player for the Kansas City Wizards
- Andrew Wojtanik (Class of 2008), won the 2004 National Geographic Bee
- Farzin Vousoughian (Class of 2009), won the National STN Live Reporter competition in 2009 and currently helps covers the Chiefs for TheSportsStuff.com and eCavRadio.com. In the past, he's contributed to Metro Sports, 810 WHB, KC Sports and Fitness, and 435 South Magazine.
- External links
- Blue Valley West High School official site
- Blue Valley West High School Band official site
- Blue Valley School District official site
- Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
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