Blue Valley West High School is a fully accredited public high school located in

Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park ( ) is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in Johnson County, Kansas, it is one of four principal cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the most populous suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As ...

, United States, and one of five high schools by Blue Valley USD 229 school district, and has a current enrollment of approximately 1,280 students. The principal is Katherine Bonnema. The school mascot is the Jaguar and the school colors are red, black, and silver. In the 2013

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

rankings of the top high schools in America, Blue Valley West was ranked 1st in the state of

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

and 439th in the nation. 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 Blue Valley USD 229 is a public unified school district headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Located in east central and southeast Johnson County, Kansas, covering of Overland Park including parts of Leawood and Stilwell, a ...

to open, preceded by

Blue Valley Northwest High School Blue Valley Northwest High School (BVNW) is a high school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Blue Valley Northwest is one of five high schools operated by Blue Valley USD 229 school district. Blue Valley Northwest is a member of the Kansas ...

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.

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

to open, preceded by

in 1993, and followed by

Blue Valley Southwest High School Blue Valley Southwest High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, United States, and one of five currently operated high schools in the Blue Valley USD 229 school district. The school opened in August 20 ...

in 2010.

Academics

The school offers 17 Advanced Placement classes, foreign language in Spanish 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 The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

and 25 on the ACT.

Extracurricular activities

The Jaguars compete in the Eastern Kansas League and are classified as a 6A-5A school according to the

KSHSAA The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the U.S. state of Kansas at the high-school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors ...

. Throughout its history, Blue Valley West has won several state championships in various sports. Many graduates have gone on to participate in collegiate 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.

Athletics

Football

The Blue Valley West Jaguar football team has become a contender in Kansas 6A football. The team's main rivals are

Blue Valley High School Blue Valley High School is a 9-12 public high school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States that was established in 1969. It is operated by Blue Valley USD 229. Academics In 1988, and again in 2012, Blue Valley High School was selected as a B ...

and Saint Thomas Aquinas High School. Blue Valley West and Blue Valley have also developed a rivalry. 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.

Boys' basketball

The boys basketball team won their first state title during the 2006–2007 school year. Bishop Miege and Saint Thomas Aquinas are the basketball team's two primary rivals.

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.

Baseball

The baseball team 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. The baseball team won state championships in 2007, 2022, and 2023.

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.

Performing arts

The school has a theater group that presents three shows a year as part of the school curriculum. Choir programs offered include concert choir, choraliers, chorale and chamber. The last three of which require an audition.

Band

Blue Valley West has a competitive marching band, a concert band, a symphonic band, and a symphonic wind ensemble. The competitive marching band won the Kansas Bandmasters Association Marching Band Championship and also placed top 25 in the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional Championship in the 2017–18 and 2018-19 school years.

Notable alumni

* Matt Besler (Class of 2005),

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

player for Sporting Kansas City * Andrew Gachkar (Class of 2007), former NFL player for several teams *

Madison Lilley Madison Paige Lilley (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a setter. She currently plays professionally for French volleyball club Béziers and has played for the United States women's national volleyba ...

(Class of 2017), professional volleyball player and member of U.S. national team * Shannon Vreeland (Class of 2010),

gold medalist A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

in the 200 Freestyle Relay at 2012 Summer Olympics * Andrew Wojtanik (Class of 2008), winner of the 2004 National Geographic Bee

References

External links

School Website

Blue Valley USD 229 school district

District School Boundary Map
{{authority control Public high schools in Kansas Educational institutions established in 2001 Education in Overland Park, Kansas Schools in Johnson County, Kansas 2001 establishments in Kansas