Blue Valley West High School

Blue Valley West High School

Aerial view of Blue Valley West High School
Address
16200 Antioch Road [1]
Overland Park, Kansas, 66085
United States
Coordinates 38°50′07″N 94°41′33″W / 38.835155°N 94.692624°WCoordinates: 38°50′07″N 94°41′33″W / 38.835155°N 94.692624°W
Information
School type Public, High School
Established 2001
School board Board Website
School district USD 229 [2]
Superintendent Tom Trigg [2]
CEEB Code 172821 [3]
Principal Brett Potts
Grades 9 to 12
Gender coed
Enrollment 1351
Color(s)

Red, Black, and Silver

              
Athletics conference Eastern Kansas League
Rival Blue Valley North High School
Website School Website

Blue Valley West High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, and one of five currently operated high schools in the Blue Valley Unified School District. The school opened in August 2001, and has a current enrollment of approximately 1280 students. The principal is Brett Potts. Its two feeder schools are Lakewood Middle School and Pleasant Ridge Middle School. The school mascot is the Jaguar and the school colors are red, black, and white. In the 2013 Newsweek rankings of the top 2000 public schools in the United States, Blue Valley West was ranked 1st in the state of Kansas and 439th in the nation.[4]

Blue Valley West High School opened in August 2001 in order to help educate the increasing population of Overland Park. It was the fourth high school in the Blue Valley Unified School District to open, preceded by Blue Valley Northwest High School in 1993. Blue Valley West is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 6A division and are known as the "Jaguars". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs. Notable alumni of the school include Matt Besler, MLS player for Sporting Kansas City. [5]

History

Blue Valley West High School opened in August 2001 in order to help educate the increasing population of Overland Park. It was the fourth high school in the Blue Valley Unified School District to open, preceded by Blue Valley Northwest High School in 1993, and followed by Blue Valley Southwest High School in 2010.

Academics

The school offers 17 Advanced Placement classes, foreign language in Spanish, German, Latin and French, and performing and visual arts classes, among others. The Journalism department produces The Spotlight(newspaper) and The Illumination(yearbook). Its broadcasting class produces Jagged Edge TV. The class of 2013 achieved an average score of 1828 on the SAT and 25 on the ACT.[4]

Extracurricular activities

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 competition.[6][7][8]

Athletics

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 a 4-year record of 24-18 since their 3-6 start in the 2001-2002 inaugural season. The Jaguars qualified for the 2006 postseason as well.[6]

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.[6]

After struggling with a few rough years the team has gotten back to winning. In the 2012-2013 varsity season the team made the 5A state playoffs, winning its district, going 3-0 in district play. The team lost in the sectional round of the playoffs to Bishop Miege High School in multiple overtimes 38-37 after a controversial call near the goal line during a 2-point extra point attempt. The team ended the season with a record of 8-3.

The 2013-2014 varsity team was able to find success as well. The Jaguars made it to the state playoffs once again but lost in the sub-state round to rival Blue Valley High School 38-33. The team finished the season at 8-4.

Boys' basketball

The boys basketball team won their first state title during the 2006-2007 school year.[6]

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.

Golf

The Jaguars have won three team state titles. In 2002, the team won its first 5A State Championship. This was followed by 6A State Championships in 2006 and 2013. [9]

Baseball

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.[8] The program has sent numerous players to colleges throughout the country.

Girls' Bowling

The girls' bowling team was established during the 2011-2012 winter sports season to add more sports available to girls in the school. Although Lacrosse, gymnastics, and horseback-riding were considered, bowling made the cut because of the generality and low cost to fund the sport. It is currently coached by Denise Young

State championships

State Championships[10]
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Football 1 2007
Volleyball 1 2005
Soccer, Boys 2 2004, 2010
Winter Basketball, Boys 1 2007
Spring Golf, Boys 3 2002, 2006, 2013
Baseball 2 2007, 2013
Soccer, Girls 4 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010
Total 13

Performing arts

The school has a theater group, that presents three shows a year as part of the school curriculum. For singing it has four options: Concert Choir, Choraliers, Chorale and Chamber. The last three require an audition.

Band

Blue Valley West has a Marching Band, a Concert Band, a Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and a freshman band.

The Symphonic Wind Ensemble is the name of the most experienced concert ensemble at Blue Valley West. The class meets 1st Block on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:45 to 9:19 a.m. This course could include students in 9th through 12th grades. Comprising only a select 40–45 students annually, this "one to a part" ensemble performs the very highest level of wind band literature.[11]

The Concert Band is the name of the second concert ensemble at Blue Valley West High School. The class meets 1st block November - Winter Break, and then 2nd Block on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:45 to 9:19 a.m. during the second semester. This course could include students in 9th through 12th grades. Fall Freshmen Band students continue in this class second semester. The expectation for this ensemble is to display the very highest levels in musicianship, tone mastery, and technique development.[12]

Freshman Band is an "indoor" option for incoming 9th graders working in place of marching band the first year of high school. Students meet 2nd block on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:45 to 9:19 a.m. Freshmen Band students continue in Concert Band second semester.[12]

Awards

Marching Band

The Blue Valley West Marching Band is named "The Red and Silver Brigade". It has performed at various marching band competitions and festivals, including the 2011 New Year's Day Parade in London, England.[13] The concert ensembles performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2006, and in San Diego, California in 2014.[14]

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ GNIS for Blue Valley West High School; [[USGS; November 16, 2006.]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 USD 229
  3. ↑ High School CEEB Code Search
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "America's Best High Schools". Newsweek. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  5. ↑ "Matt Besler Player Profile". Sporting KC. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "KSHSAA Football". Archived from the original (ENGLISH) on 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  7. ↑ "KSHSAA Basketball". Archived from the original (ENGLISH) on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "KSHSAA Baseball". Archived from the original (ENGLISH) on 2008-04-24. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  9. ↑ "Golf State Champions". Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  10. ↑ "State Records & State Champions" (ENGLISH). Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  11. ↑ . Blue Valley West. p. 1 http://www.bvwestband.com/concert_band.html. Retrieved 14 March 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://www.bvwestband.com/concert_band.html. Retrieved 14 March 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4skTzi_JruY. Retrieved 15 March 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ http://www.bvwestband.com/concert_band.html. Retrieved 15 March 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ http://www.maa.org/sites/default/files/pdf/AMC/usamo/14_USAMO_Top12&HonorableMention.pdf

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