Blue Valley West High School

Blue Valley West High School

Heather Hall, Coach
Coach Heather Hall teaches biology, chemistry and research at Blue Valley West High School and is currently in her twelfth year of teaching.  She has a B.S. in microbiology from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University.  In her free time, Coach Hall enjoys leading her daughter’s girl scout troop and planning trips to Walt Disney World.

Chelse Skakal, Coach
Coach Chelse Skakal teaches honors biology and is currently in her twelfth year. She attended Rockhurst University and Emporia State University, completing a B.S. in biology and a M.S. in education administration and curriculum and instruction. Coach Skakal enjoys spending time with friends and family, and especially loves singing karaoke.

Punnet Bagga
Puneet S. Bagga is a senior at Blue Valley West High School interested in the intersection between climate change and computer science. Dubbed the "earth science guy," he often ridicules this generalization, pointing toward his participation in debate, Science Olympiad, and procrastination. To destress from the situations he places himself in, you can find him biking until he becomes lost, spiraling down the edges of youtube, and sleeping at three in the afternoon.. He constantly lives in the shadow of his elusive cousin, Mr. Punnett, to which he carefully constructs circular contretemps to triumph over the snobby square. He hopes to attend college, get a job, make money, and retire as time progresses. Secretly, however, he envisions himself captaining a schooner and sailing the seven seas in a never-ending quest to answer the question: is the Earth flat?

Aastha Sharma
Aastha Sharma is a twelfth-grader suffering from a severe case of senioritis.

Naveen Kannan
Naveen Kannan is a junior interested in real-world applications of math and physics. His favorite subjects in school though are US history, environmental science, and obviously lunch. At the same time, he participates in Science Olympiad, UNICEF, and Tennis.  In the future, he hopes to further his studies with a major in mathematics, followed by either a doctorate or a well-paying job. Outside of school, he enjoys biking in the morning, avoiding homework in the afternoon, and sleeping whenever possible. Surprisingly, he actively attempts to wake up as early as possible. Unsurprisingly, his spirit animal is a sloth.

Alexander Calvez
Alexander Calvez is a sophomore at Blue Valley West and participates in a number of activities at the school. These activities include Science Bowl, band, Mu Alpha Theta, among a number of other activities. He is interested in STEM subjects, also enjoying learning about history and geography in his spare time. Alexander is looking into a career in nuclear or electrical engineering, but he has not yet decided on a college to attend. Some of the colleges he is considering include options like the University of Tennessee, the University of Texas or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Outside of school, Alexander enjoys practicing his clarinet, as well as reading about various subjects which catch his attention.

Arnesh Sharma
Arnesh Sharma is a freshman at Blue Valley West High School. His hobbies include sports and hanging out with friends. Arnesh is involved in the school’s math and science clubs and is an officer for the local chapter of Amnesty International. In the future, Arnesh hopes to get a job, following in the footsteps of Rihanna so he can work, work, work, work, work, work. However, he is uncertain of his career goals, so he will Leave “the door open” to all options, much like his idol Bruno Mars. This is his third year qualifying for the National Science Bowl, and he had a 100% success rate of getting recognized for his oh-so hilarious biographies (until zoom broke that streak). However, he promises that he is never going to let you down with them. Arnesh fell in love with Science Bowl when he realized that National Science Bowl socks have a lower friction with the floor than ice skates do with ice.