Blue Valley West High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Overland Park, Kansas, 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 rankings of the top high schools in America, Blue Valley West was ranked 1st in the state of Kansas 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 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. 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 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. 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 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