Blue Valley West High School
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| Blue Valley West High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| 16200 Antioch Overland Park, Kansas |
|
| Information | |
| Enrollment |
1,537 |
| Type | High School |
| Established | 2001 |
| Information | 913-239-3499 |
| Mascot | Jaguar |
| Homepage | http://www.bv229.k12.ks.us/BVW/ |
Blue Valley West High School is a high school located in Overland Park, Kansas. It is part of the Blue Valley Unified School District.
Contents |
[edit] Mission Statement
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.
[edit] Red and Silver Brigade
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, MO and Indianapolis, IN as well as BOA Grand National Championships in Indianapolis, IN. 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.[citation needed] 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, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Atlanta, GA; Tulsa, OK; St.Louis, MO; and Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the fall of 2008, the Blue Valley West Band will welcome Mr. Mark Nichols to the podium as the new Director of Bands. The band also receives assistance from Carolyn Knapp, Matt Arnet, Paul Bessetti, Lennon Bone, Alex Vallar, John Wickersham and Calvin Dugan. Blue Valley West band alumni can be found in music schools and conservatories across the nation. 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. This year's Jazz Ensemble released an album featuring well known jazz artists Conrad Herwig and Kim Park.
For the 2008 season, the Brigade will be led by Drum Majors Troy Armstrong, Ethan Levine, Matt Primovic, and Matt Morefield.
[edit] Theater
The Blue Valley West theater department took their rep show "The Voice of The Prarie" to the Kansas State Thespian Conference and the International Thespian Festival in June 2007.
The Blue Valley West repertory theater's one-act "Cut" was taken to the Kansas State Thespian Conference and will be taken to the International Thespian Festival in June 2008.
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
- Midsummers 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 Anna Frank
2006-2007
- Our Town
- Once Upon a Mattress
- Comedy of Errors
2007-2008
- Student Directed One-Acts
- Quilters
- Sound of Music
- The Lark
2008-2009
- The Crucible
- Guys and Dolls
- The Man Who Came to Dinner
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
- The Nerd
- Theater Olympics
2008-2009
Advanced Rep:
- Secret life of girls
- Lone Star
- The Complete Works of Shakespeare abridged.
- Theater Olympics
Rep:
- Lost in Yonkers
- Revenge of the Space Pandas
- Theater Olympics
Next year West will have 2 rep classes; 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 isn't selective, but still requires an audition.
West will also be dropping Theater Olympics which has been performed since 2004.
[edit] Vocal Music
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.
[edit] Athletics
Blue Valley West has become a dominant force in Kansas High School 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 baseball, boys basketball, and state football titles. This three-peat was the first of its kind in the history of KSHSAA play.
[edit] Baseball
West Baseball has been a powerhouse since the school opened in 2001. Led by legendary coach Bill McDonald, the school won the Eastern Kansas League title every year from 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.
After disappointing post seasons had become a trend the 2007 bunch broke through for the Kansas 6A State Championship. The 2007 edition was the first team to NOT win the EKL title, but they were the first to bring the coveted state championship back to Overland Park.
The program has sent numerous players to colleges all over the country.
[edit] Boys' Basketball
The boys basketball team is led by veteran coach Donnie Campbell. He has been the coach 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 they lost in the first round of state competition.
During their state championship run, West beat Lawrence Free State in the semifinals and avenged an earlier loss to Leavenworth in the finals for the 6A championship. The nail in the coffin was a fast break alley oop from senior Jake Wolfe to the junior Robert Lewandowski. The highlight which ended with an exuberant Lewandowski running back on defense was a top play on the local sports show.
Bishop Miege and Saint Thomas Aquinas are the basketball team's two primary rivals with all three teams having great postseason success in recent years. Rival Bishop Miege is known for a great home court advantage but West has won at Bishop Miege three times from 2005-2007 sparking a new rivalry between the schools.
Recent Results: 2005: 5A 4th Place 2006: 5A 5th Place 2007: 6A State Champions 2008: 6A 5th Place
Several former West players compete for college teams across the country. Most play in the academically challenging 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 currently plays for the University of Kansas, and Robert Lewandowski is signed on to play next year at Texas Tech. James Franklin also played D-I basketball at Kansas State University.
[edit] Jaguar Football
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 piled up a 4-year record of 24-18 since their 3-6 start in the 2000-2001 season. They have reached the state playoffs in 3 out of 5 years in the school's history. They qualified for the 2006 postseason as well.
In all 3 years they have made the playoffs, they have been defeated in the second round, except for the 2004 season, when they lost a hard-fought contest in the state semifinal game.
The team's main rivals are Blue Valley and Saint Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas and West have met multiple times in the post season, with Aquinas winning all but the most recent game in 2007. 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.
BVW 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.
[edit] Lacrosse
The Jaguar lacrosse team is among the best in the state. They are coached by former collegians Eric Olsen (Missouri State), Jason Michael Ford and Matt Ruemker (both Kansas State). The Jags fielded four Kansas all-state first team players in the 2007 season.
