The Bison – April 19, 1996

The bill passed in both the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate, but it was written in two different forms. A conference committee was formed to merge the bills, which resulted in the moment of silence clause.

The amendment in Senate File 1884 read as follows:
In all public schools the teacher in charge of the room may announce that a moment of silence may be observed and during this moment silence may be maintained.

House File 2156 stated the moment of silence provision as follows: Each day in all public schools the teacher in charge of the room in which the first class of the day is held may announce that a moment of silence may be observed and during this moment silence may be maintained and no activity engaged in.

To compromise the bills, the clause was shortened to: A moment of silence may be observed.

The amendment is part of a larger education bill to supplement last year's major education bill. This supplement would provide $3.8 million more to public schools.

The issue has been debated in the Minnesota Legislature for a few years and finally passed both houses this year. It was a bipartisan effort.

The moment of silence could be used however the student wishes, but the intent was for silence and a ceasing of activity. Some advocates encouraged the measure in the hopes it will bring the opportunity for prayer back to public schools.

"They may allow a moment of silence in the classroom. It doesn't say they have to," said Republican Rep. Bruce Anderson. Teachers now have the authority to call for a moment of silence as they wish.

"In my personal feeling, a moment of silence can be observed now," said District 877 Superintendent Tom Nelson. "I don't think it will change things at all."

Prayer has long been contested in public schools. The issue has reached the U.S. Supreme Court several times. The rulings have covered everything from the posting of the Ten Commandments in all public school rooms to the recitation of a non-denominational prayer every morning. Moment of silence laws that contain mentions of prayer have been previously ruled unconstitutional. But the Supreme Court has also said that moment of silence laws could be constitutional if prayer was not specified as an activity. Secular purposes have also come under scrutiny.

The provision is not mandatory. Individual teachers can decide whether they want to designate a moment of silence. It is still unknown at this time how the moment of silence will be enforced and if it will affect student life in District 877.

A survey of 62 BHS students was conducted to find student opinion of the possibility of a moment of silence.

"Would you use a moment of silence (during class) to pray?"
YES
NO

"Would you be offended if others prayed silently during a moment of silence?"
---
A survey of 62 BHS students was conducted to find student opinion of the possibility of a moment of silence.

"Would you use a moment of silence (during class) to pray?"
YES
NO

"Would you be offended if others prayed silently during a moment of silence?"

Prom this year is taking place on May 4. Grand March will begin the evening in the BHS gym at 4:30 p.m. The dance will be held from 8:30 p.m. to midnight at the St. Cloud Civic Center.

"I'm looking forward to prom, because I think it's going to be fun. It is very expensive, but definitely worth it," said junior, Windy Wisniewski.

Tickets will be on sale the week of April 23-26. The cost is $15 for juniors. Seniors go free, but students, regardless of grade, cannot get tickets until their junior class dues are paid.

"Remember, if you bring a guest that doesn't go to BHS, the cost is also $15 and you must get a pass from a principal the week the tickets are being sold," said junior class cabinet adviser Tracy Hulley.

When the dance is over, friends don't usually go straight home. Instead, they gather with hopes of extending the evening into the morning hours.

"I think it's a super way to wind down from a very eventful day. What better way to be together with friends and reflect upon the Grand March, dinner, and the dance, and just veg out and relax?" said Hulley. "I know there's planning by students and parents to make post-prom parties safe and fun."

Prom takes a lot of preparation and planning. The junior class cabinet members have been planning prom since September as an eventful evening for all, even chaperons, to enjoy.

"I thoroughly enjoy chaperoning; the students have a tendency to act like such adults. It's a pleasure to spend an evening with them," said English teacher Tracey Hagstrom-Dahl. "However, from a parental standpoint, I have major concerns about the amount of money being spent and some of the unnecessary pressures put on students."

Some teachers and students agree that prom season means a hectic time that causes disruptions to everyday life and classroom activity.

"I can't believe how hyper everyone gets about one night. It is an important and memorable event, but it is not worth all the money, time, stress, and emotions that go into it," said senior Stacy Vander Kooi. "I look forward to the day when it is over and people return to normal."

For most, the money spent is long forgotten, but the memories will always remain.

"I realize to some people prom is not really that important of an event, and respect that, but to many it is a much anticipated evening and that's why the junior class cabinet has put so much time and energy into planning -- to make sure it is just that -- a memorable evening for all those who attend. May 4 will be here before we know it, and I, for one, can't wait," said Hulley.

page 4

page 9

page 11

"Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" is perhaps Shakespeare's best-known line. Each year freshmen at BHS are required to read Romeo and Juliet. Very few seem to know that McDougal, Littell and Company, publishers of the freshman English textbook, has censored the play.

"We should study it the way it was written. We'd get a lot more out of it if we read it in the original text," said freshman Karlee Felger.

Buffalo and surrounding communities have not objected to students reading Romeo and Juliet, but much of the material in textbooks is censored because of guidelines in other districts or self-censorship by textbook companies. Self-censorship is not publicized because material is censored before the community is given the opportunity to review it. Many view this as more dangerous than public objection.

"To just set up a barrier and not approach any controversial material is in a round-about way teaching a fear of ideas," said English teacher Jack Harlan.

Teachers continue to choose material for literary value, despite language or sexual content that may spark controversy.

"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about getting sued," said English teacher Denise Wahlin-Fiskum. "I do make sure that if I do choose something new, I'm very careful about documenting my reasons why." Occasionally a student or parent will object to certain course material. The most common method of dealing with this is to give the student an alternate assignment.

"Making [literature] available is different than forcing it on [students]. I never force a book," said English teacher Joel Squadroni.

If someone feels that the questionable material should not be taught to anyone or made available in the library, there is a specific removal process they must follow. Filling out an official form will begin a formal reviewal process by a committee. The decision eventually reached by public vote will prevail for four years.

District 87's procedure Handling Controversial Issues states: District 87 has a responsibility to include ... content dealing with critical issues, some of which will be controversial.

It is believed by many that controversial topics do not hinder a student's education. As a result, it appears that teachers will continue to choose material at their own discretion, dealing with problems if they should happen to arise.

"An amount of literature in any society is going to offend someone," said English teacher Dave Robinson. "That's the nature of art."

The pegasus is a mythological creature with the body of a horse and the wings of an eagle. This god-like animal was believed to have sprung from the dying body of the dreaded Medusa, and because of this, possess magical powers and became the symbol for imagination, beauty, truth, and inspiration for poets and writers. Buffalo's yearly literary magazine Pegasus was named after the fascinating winged horse of ancient Athens because of what it symbolizes and for its magical powers.

<Pegasus gives intellectual individuals a chance to show a form of creative expression that is hidden deep within the soul,> said senior Heather Mauer.

Pegasus is published to give students a chance to write poems and other works and to express themselves in almost every visual way imaginable.

<Reading some of the other kids' poems makes me think that there might actually be teenage vampires running around our school,> said Heidi Bakke.

Last year 450 copies of Pegasus were distributed to the student body, and this year they plan to print even more.

A team of about 10 members has been working on the new edition of Pegasus since the beginning of the year. The editor-in-chief of the Pegasus is senior Katie Jordan. Pegasus adviser is Dave Robinson.

<Mr. Robinson is very challenging, he makes you think and greatly enhances your writing skills,> said senior Stephanie Klassen.

Right now the Pegasus staff is collecting creative poems, short stories, essays, and black and white art works from students. Anyone can submit anything -- this is a chance for students who want to express their feelings, beliefs and opinions to have their work published and see their name in print. After being submitted, the Pegasus staff will look over the poems, stories and drawings and select the original works of literary and visual art and finally assemble them into one collection of creativity. This year's Pegasus is scheduled to come out in the middle of May. Questions on how to get stories, poems, and works of black-and-white art published in the magazine can be answered by Robinson or Jordan.

The battle of wits is an actual competition. It's called Knowledge Bowl, and the Bison team has done well. The KB team just had a sub-region tournament in Monticello, placing fourth. The top five teams went to regions.

"We were able to come together and work as a team," said senior Bob Fix. "We shared knowledge."

This was the team's second year at regions. The regions were held on April 11. The Bison placed eighth, and will not be advancing to the state tournaments.

"I'd love to go to state, [but] if we got in the top half of these teams, that would be an accomplishment," said coach Peggy Pasche.

It takes more than just knowledge of names, dates and other facts to win.

"Dedicated team members who come to practice all the time and who just have good attitudes about doing their best [are responsible for our success], plus a tradition from last year," said Pasche.

After their success last year, the Knowledge Bowl team has tried to keep their good record for another season.

"At first, I didn't think we'd have as good of a chance as other teams, but once we were there, it all came together," said Fix.

Since most of this year's team one consists of seniors, next year's team will be almost completely new.

"I suspect that the team can achieve regions, and if they work well together, state," said Fix.

The BHS Concert Band and Choir will be leaving on April 25 for Toronto, Canada. They will travel all night, arriving in Toronto Friday morning. Both groups will perform on Saturday and return on April 30.

Sophomore Kiara Esterbrooks and junior Heidi Bakke were declared section champions in storytelling and creative expression, respectively, on Saturday, April 13. Both will compete in the state meet tomorrow.

NHS sponsored a penny war April 15-19. Each class competed against other classes and faculty to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Meetings concerning the book club's next reading assignment, A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, will be held during mods on April 24 and 25. The BHS book club was constructed by EAGLE adviser Jennifer Johnson and began with introductory meetings in early February.

"The book club was organized because there are some EAGLE and non-EAGLE students who are interested in some kind of literary club," said Johnson. "Some of the interests were either reading or writing, generated by students who like reading on a regular basis."

Students joined not only to expand their contact with books, but for social reasons, a common preference among friends.

"I joined the book club because I knew some people who were going and I thought that it would be something interesting to try," said sophomore Jeremy Hance.

The choices of literature were narrowed to make book selection easier. "We focus on general fiction, science fiction, but classic fiction and newer fiction," said Johnson. "It doesn't include horror, espionage, or science fiction because some people wouldn't like that."

General fiction eliminates the extreme topics common in more specific fictions, such as romance and horror. This allows the book to be enjoyed by a larger number of diverse readers. "Fiction is easier to talk about; it's a general category, and we have to cater to students' needs," said Hance.

The club began reading a contemporary fiction book, published in the early 90's. "Our first book was by Mark Salzman called The Soloist," said Johnson. "We chose this mainly because it's a shorter book in length, so it's easier to start with and I heard good things about it."

The students were given a month to read The Soloist, the amount of time given to finish all reading assignments. "The Soloist was a lot different from what I usually read," said Hance. "I liked the characters and it had a good plot."

The book was then reviewed and criticized between members of the club. The in-depth examination helped bring light to many issues.

"It's kind of neat to read something and discuss it with other people," said Hance.

The 8:20 bell rings, Mr. Miller reads the announcements, attendance is taken, and the teacher announces a moment of silence. This may be the new order of business for first-hour next year at BHS.

The education bill that has passed through the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate is very vague, leaving many unanswered questions for schools. It has not been determined whether individual teachers or administrators will decide if BHS will observe a moment of silence and it has not been decided how it will be used.

"Who's going to dictate what we use the moment of silence for -- such as meditation, homework, organizing your daily calendar or reading daily announcements," said principal Mary Loberg.

Some students and staff members believe this is a way of trying to bring religion into public schools. "Even though a moment of silence doesn't say anything about prayer, the main motive for a moment of silence is religion and prayer. We shouldn't bring religion into public schools," said senior Kia Swaggert.

No matter what effect the state legislature is looking for, students and staff members alike predict many different results. Some feel that not only students will benefit from the moment of silence.

"I feel that everyone in the school could benefit from a moment of silence. Whether it be a time to collect your thoughts, a time to plan your daily itinerary, or whatever," said science teacher Matt Lubben. "I believe only positive effects would come of this as long as we don't worry about what the next person is doing during his or her silent time."

The moment of silence issue and how it affects BHS has a lot of specifics that still need to be sorted out.

The BHS music program is going to have to make some major changes to prepare for next year's new schedule. Probably the biggest problem the instructors will have to face in preparing their classes is to adjust to the new block schedule.

Since the performing groups will be together for the entire school year, band and choir will each take four terms of the student's year, which amounts to a full quarter of their time in school. "My biggest concern is to lose students who feel they can't commit that much time to band," said band director Lee Kjesbo.

The directors aren't sure how many students might leave because of problems with the block schedule. "We haven't seen the registration yet. We hope it isn't many more [than leave in an average year]," said Kjesbo.

Another concern he has is how to structure the longer period, since it would be hard to keep the bands playing for 80 minutes every day. All of the music instructors have been visiting schools that already have block schedules to see what effect it has had on their music programs, as well as to find ideas about how to adjust their own classes.

"I'm going to have a wait-and-see attitude [about block scheduling]," said Kjesbo.

Register now to be a member of the '96-'97 Bison staff, and you will be eligible for summer workshop opportunities. For details, see Mrs. Turnquist in D-3.

Top Five Reasons for joining The Bison
5. It looks good on college applications.
4. You can impress your buds after you've survived hell week.
3. You get to use the Macs. (They're so ancient, only the privileged can use them.)
2. Daily tests of your competency level.
1. It gives you a deep, daunting feeling from doing your duty in the name of the people, free press, Buffalo High School.

In a time when students and faculty rely heavily on the technology available to accomplish everything from critical essays to e-mail, a glitch in the computer system can mean catastrophe. Publications such as Tatanka, Pegasus and The Bison could not exist in the same form they do today without a functioning computer system.

Since the departure of Jim Wilcox, many changes have occurred in the format of the BHS computer system. A change in technology is generally a good thing, since it often brings improvement and increased efficiency.

However, few students have found that the new system meets their needs. Files disappear left and right, labs shut down without warning, login names do not work, files will not save properly, help is hard to find, and menus are next to impossible to get into.

The excuse for the changes is that the old system is outdated and Jim Wilcox did not follow the normal procedures. Apparently his abnormal procedures were a step or two above the norm.

It is difficult for students and staff to understand why the changes could not be put into effect next school year, since most of these adjustments were designed to meet the foreseen needs of the future.

Delaying these changes also avoids the rush of trying to set it up over such a short period of time instead of over summer vacation, when it could be thoroughly revised.

The Bison realizes that all the difficulties were not completely the fault of those in the computer lab. Some of the technical difficulties during the changes were uncontrollable coincidences.

The Bison also realizes that the lab is slowly recovering since the beginning of the second semester, welcomes Bobbi Huikko as the new computer room superviser. The Bison hopes that in the future, there will be no further changes as drastic as these with such consequences.

We love quotes. I'm not sure exactly why, but there's something about them that fascinates us. Consumer analysts have taken notice of our infatuation, which explains why we see quotes everywhere: on posters, buses, calendars, billboards, in commercials, newspapers, magazines and especially in greeting cards. We never really know what to say on those occasions when we need to send someone a word of sympathy or congratulations, and Longfellow said it better anyway. Maybe that's why we like quotes so much -- they save us time and agony. Or maybe they're just a perfect fit for our fast-paced society. Maybe it's part of the social thing we do to impress people. In this time of "who-you-know," there's power in saying, "Well, William Faulkner once said, 'I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail.'" And of course we must quote him in a way that implies we knew "Bill" personally. Maybe we like quotes because they provide a moment of sanity in our chaotic world.

If thought is one of the greatest of human creations, a quote is creation captured in words. A quotation is an entire story in one sentence.

Most quotes are a distillation of great ideas. The American transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your mind," and "So far as a man thinks, he is free." Now we won't find those lines in the everyday Hallmark card. Or how about Henry David Thoreau's, "I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life"? Or, "The cost of a thing is the amount of what life is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run"? We admire these words of wisdom, even if we don't quite understand them.

Although not all quotes are serious and intellectual; some of the best lines are often uttered without reflection. These are the "I'm-so-confused-that-my-mixed-up-thinking-almost-makes-sense quotes." The master of this school would have to be the great Yankee catcher, Yogi Berra who once said, "You've got to be careful if you don't know where you are going, because you might not get there." He later added, "You can observe a lot just by watching," and "You give a hundred percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left."

Actually many quotations are rooted in humor. The first stand-up comedian was the writer, Mark Twain. He refined the "one-liner" in his lectures. "When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years."

Perhaps the most meaningful quotes for us are products of our own time. Martin Luther King, Jr. shook our consciences when he wrote this from a Birmingham jail cell: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny." Lillian Hellman challenged our integrity with this note to the Committee on Un-American Activities. "I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions ..." A quote that should inspire the dignity of every individual is from Margaret Mead. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

In a way quotes are a speckle of beauty in the language of the ordinary; a dust particle of truth floating through a ray of sunlight. Still, the last word goes to John Keats in his Ode on a Grecian Urn: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

---
Editor's note: Joel Squadroni has been an English teacher at BHS for 20 years.

Violence in the world is a big problem today. Whether it be through TV, newspaper or real life, we are exposed to some type of violence everyday. There are many colors and shades of violence, each disturbing in their own sense. But the most tragic is violence resulting in death.

Children are exposed to violence at a young age. Most cartoons thrive on violent scenes to get children's attention. In cartoons, the characters can be blown up or get electrocuted. They make a funny face, fall over and are recovered in time to do it all over again. Kids see this as funny. This is the intent, but while it may seem innocent enough, the truth is, in real life, the character would be dead.

I am certainly not blaming all violence in the world today on cartoons. Nor am I saying that children shouldn't watch them. I am saying that cartoons can send children a mixed message. It teaches them that they are invincible.

Children may see violence on TV, see the character bounce back to life and think that the same thing will happen to them. They may not understand that if someone gets hit on the head with a boulder, they won't be OK, they will be dead.

Too often, violence affects innocent people who have no way of knowing what is about to happen to them. It's scary to think that there are virtually no places in this world where we are safe from violence. Even places such as homes and schools are not violent free.

My grandmother grew up in Minneapolis. They always kept their doors unlocked -- in Minneapolis! Last year in Minneapolis there were a record number of homicides. How many people keep their doors unlocked now?

Even with locked doors and fancy security systems, if a person wants to break into a home, nothing will stop them. Intruders can break into homes and rape or murder unsuspecting people. This is most common in big cities, but it can happen anywhere.

Children can bring weapons into school and murder someone over something as silly as their shoes. Or worse yet, outsiders can come into schools and cause harm. There have been precautions taken in many schools, but still it is not stopping the problem of people entering your school. The man who went on a killing spree in Scotland last month is an excellent example of how violence has gotten out of hand. Fourteen kindergartners and a teacher were killed in their school that day. What could a five-year-old have done to deserve that? Aren't schools supposed to be safe?

Violence can happen anywhere. It's up to us to stop the spread of violence before violence stops us.

As I sit in the dark, dank dungeon my parental units have granted me use of as a domicile, I begin my brooding.

Much has happened in my life since last I wrote for you. At this particular time in my life cycle, I begin thinking once again of the equality of the races. Granted, Buffalo is, as of yet, quite isolated from the grandiose scheme of racism, anti-semitism and hate groups. Whether this isolation is a beneficial thing or not and what consequences it will have is difficult to say at this time.

An interesting revelation dawned on me recently regarding racism in our school. There really doesn't exist a large enough concentration of any one minority group for there really to be a racism problem on an obvious scale. Yes, we have people descending from African, Asian, Latino, and other nationalities in the school, but there really exists no rivalry among them and the greater Euro-American population. The revelation that perhaps racism isn't considered a problem because the scale of it is so small that the majority of us are ambivalent to it, caused many different side thoughts.

The two main explanations I hypothesized to explain this are first, that perhaps, the few minorities we have had actually been assimilated into our town's society to a degree where it's no longer a problem, for the most part. However, I have serious doubts about that theory.

On the other hand, perhaps it is simply a matter of there being so few minorities here that the few of them that exist have surrounded themselves by the more accepting people which creates a buffer zone large enough that the few displays of prejudice that have reached them, occurred in my absence. Or they were subtle enough that they didn't even register as prejudiced behavior.

We live in a society that recognizes the "wrongness" of being prejudiced, and even enforces the idea. At least in the public eye. But maybe that's why it's harder to detect. If someone vehemently voices their contempt for certain behaviors, others usually avoid this behavior in their presence. I, being someone who argues frequently for acceptance of diversity and open-mindedness, may be subject to this.

Perhaps people need to consider that maybe just because something is tradition doesn't mean it's right. Because a certain race, belief, behavior, or ideology is in the majority, it's not necessarily right or proper. It has been seen in man's history that usually the oppressive group eventually reduces to the oppressed.

Sides change. People mature. Nothing is new. Mistakes are made. Nothing is eternal.

We are killing for empty pride. We are hating for our arrogance. Lives have been taken because people can't, or won't, understand! We destroy ourselves, as we destroy each other.

Who are we?

Peace and happiness to you and yours...

We've all seen it -- a circle of bodies, bowed heads, and closed eyes, connected by hands held so firmly that knuckles have turned ice white. The students can be found daily, gathering and praying around flag poles before school and tables during lunch break.

There are two ways of looking at the issue of school prayer. One side, the radical religious right, is trying to make the church and the state form a union once again. They are angry at the modern world and are trying to overtake our public schools. On the other hand, some people view school prayer as unconstitutional and wrong. A predictable, explosive reaction from the American Civil Liberties Union has refused to make any reasonable and constitutional accommodation to the feelings of religious parents, even though their children have every right to pray whenever they choose to do so.

In BHS, t-shirts, hats and jackets with profanity, education or gender bashing, slang, or socially unacceptable emblems are not allowed. Trashy outfits and public displays of affection are looked down upon as well. In my opinion, these things are not allowed and considered unacceptable due to the feelings of other students in this building, not only faculty.

With the respect and fair treatment aspects involved, the praying students and their parents should be more cooperative. Some students in the area around the students who pray and experience times of spiritual enlightenment are obviously bothered. Annoyance and agitation can be read on the faces of many who are not participating in the group's chosen activity. A petition to remove the students of prayer from the lunch area during all lunches was passed around BHS and signed by over 200 students. Apparently, the petition has been disregarded, because no action has been taken.

Lunch hour should be a relaxing 20 minute escape for students from the everyday pressures of high school. They should not be spoon fed or forced to partake in the practice of someone else's religion over a burger, fries and malt. Feelings of being inferior to those involved with the ritual are shared by most students whether they are religious or not.

A scheduled time and area for the prayer would be a step in resolving the conflict between students. By doing this, the rights of all students involved would not be violated.

Parochial schools were developed with a religious foundation for accommodating this type of spiritual practice. Public schools are supposed to be open to every type of religious beliefs, and should remain that way.

Most people in America associate cows with farms, milk or steak, not religion. Buddhists don't. Cows are considered sacred in their religion.

One of the many beliefs of Buddhists is reincarnation. Each person's position and well-being in life is determined by his or her behavior in previous lives.

"Reincarnation is a bunch of hog wash," said senior Josh Cassady.

It is believed that people who lead good lives will return as a cow or another sacred animal. If one had an unsatisfactory life, he or she may return as a bug or something of lower status.

There are people that are unaware of the history or background of Buddhism.

"We never really learned a whole lot about Buddhism in my history class," said senior Melissa Christianson, "we only touched base."

Buddha was the title given to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. Siddhartha traveled through northeastern India for about six years to try to experience enlightenment or a state of peace and happiness, also known as Nirvana. That is why the title Buddha means "Enlightened One." Buddhism was founded about 500 B.C. in Nepal. It has been a dominant religious, cultural and social force in most of Asia. There is said to be up to 300 million followers of Buddhism.

Buddha preached that existence was a continuing cycle of death and rebirth. One is never completely free of pain and suffering. There are three main beliefs of Buddhism: one must believe in Buddha, his teachings called dharma, messages of how to overcome suffering, and the religious community Buddha founded, called Sangha.

The Buddhists have five precepts, which are guides to everyday behavior:

1. To refrain from taking life
2. To refrain from taking what is not given
3. To refrain from sexual misconduct
4. To refrain from false speech
5. To refrain from intoxicating things that cloud the mind

"Their guidelines seem to be much like our 10 commandments," said senior Colie Gorton.

Even though Buddhism was created on the other side of the world, it seems to have similarities to the most common local religion today, Christianity. Both teach tolerance.

---
"A difference is that the Lutheran source for worship is the Bible, but Catholics also use the Church Council and the Pope for sources of worship."
-Pastor Robert Hellman, St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity are the most common religions. However, most people know something about atheists or agnostic beliefs. Many people have heard of atheism.

Atheism is defined as the denial of the existence of a deity. The doctrine that there is no deity. In simple terms, an atheist is someone who believes there is no god.

Agnostic, on the other hand, is defined as "agnosticism." An agnostic is one that thinks there is either god or no god, but doesn't know. An agnostic is defined as "agnosticism." An agnostic is someone who believes there is a god or a higher power but doesn't know who or what it is.

"I guess I would consider myself, I mean, all I've ever believed is there is one," said Jacobson.

There are many different reasons or ways that people are atheists or agnostic. Atheists are brought up in very religious families. But they question things for themselves and create their own things they believe. Agnostics are people that it is impossible for there to be a god or an unknown higher power. They may not reach the point where they still believe in a higher power but are unsure of who or what it may be.

Even though some churches have the same denominational name, the rules and regulations of the churches may be different. The church may offer different programs and teach people in different ways.

"Zion Lutheran Church and a church with a different denomination, such as a Catholic church have the same idea of salvation," said Zion Lutheran Church Pastor Edward Blair. "We do, however, have differences in practices. For example, in ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America), [one] may be ordained into the ministry, but in some other Lutheran churches they cannot."

More difference is shown in churches with different denominations. They may have different holidays, different ways of confirming people, different ways of baptizing people, and almost always a different way of worshiping.

"A difference is that the Lutheran source for worshiping is the Bible, but Catholics also use the Church Council and the Pope for sources of worship," said St. Paul's Lutheran Church Pastor Robert Hellman.

Some difference in churches may depend on how many people go to the church and may also have to do with the church's budget.

"I think that a strong quality of this church is that we have a lot of leadership by the lay people (people who are not on the staff), and they are very active in certain aspects of our operation," said Blair. "Also we are a large enough congregation to offer many different types of opportunities to the people."

The rules and regulations of a church may be different and the church may do things a little differently than other churches, but most people go to church for the same reason, to worship what they believe in.

How one chooses a religion is a question many people now ponder. It is also a question that many must face today.

"At first my religion was influenced by my parents, but since then I have been searching for what I believe due to evidence and comparisons between different religions," said sophomore Laura Roberts. "And I believe I have found my religion."

It seems that, although there are many people who choose their own religions, there are also those who choose to stick with the religion of their parents.

"I was born into the Mormon religion, and I believe in it very much," said junior Ben Christ.

Choice in religion is divided about half-and-half, whether the person's parents already chose it for them, or they chose it themselves.

How to raise one's own children when dealing with matters of faith.

"When I have children, I will let them decide what religion they want to belong to," said senior Stephanie Klassen. "But I will keep them with the religion of the family in their childhood because I think it's important to go to church as a family."

There are some people who as children and teenagers (maybe even adults) do not or cannot agree with what their religion believes in. Yet there are those who, even though they may disagree with some of their religion's beliefs, still stay with their religion.

"Although I disagree with some aspects of my Catholic religion, I will still stay with it in the future, because there are many other ideas that my religion says that I believe to be true," said freshman Trina Lurek.

Deciding on one's personal beliefs is difficult to do. There are many different denominations and choices -- from atheism to Catholicism. But inevitably, nobody can decide anyone else's beliefs.

---
"I guess I would consider myself atheist; I mean, all gods I've heard of have failed me, so I don't believe there is one," -- senior Kris Jacobson

---
I never said it could be easy... I only said it would be worth it.

Now that Mother Nature is finally giving signs of spring, the boys tennis players can leave their shovels at home. That was the scene just a few days ago. The out-of-season cold weather had kept the team inside and given them a late start, but they tried to get out as early as they could, even if it meant shoveling their courts (with help from the fire department).

Last year the team finished with five wins and eight losses overall. This year, with more varsity experience, they hope to finish the year as one of the top three teams in the conference.

"I would like to see the team finish as one of the top three teams in conference," said head coach Charley Keifenheim. "I would also like them to get to the section tournament."

The team started the season on a good note. They won their first meet against Chaska by a score of six to one. The team as a whole had a good showing.

The whole team had an even better performance against Mound. They won by a score of seven to zero.

"Overall, the team played well," said Keifenheim. "Both singles and doubles played hard fought matches. Despite the weather conditions we played very well."

The team was scheduled to participate in a tournament in Hutchinson last week, but once again the weather did not cooperate with their plans.

The captains for this year's team are seniors Jeff Zimmerman and Eric Manthey. As captains they are responsible for keeping the team in a winning attitude.

"As co-captain, I help support the team by keeping a positive attitude and encouraging them," said Zimmerman.

Two foreign exchange students are playing tennis for the Bison this season. Both Dennis Schmittberger from Germany and Thomas Angell from Norway have been impressive so far this year.

"Both Dennis and Thomas are very strong competitors. I think they are a valuable addition. We would have been a good team without them, but we are a great team with them," said Keifenheim.

High goals have been set for the team so they can finish the season strong.

"Real talent on this year's team can keep pace with the best teams in the conference and may be one of the best teams that BHS has ever had."

"I think that we have the best team in the history of Bison tennis this year," said Zimmerman. "My reason for saying this is that everyone has improved a lot and it makes our line-up very close inability no matter what position is being played. This is a great advantage and a plus for student athletes at BHS. We also have a very positive competitive attitude coming into this season."

---
Thomas Angell serves it up as Dennis Schmittberger waits for the return. Angell is from Norway and Schmittberger is from Germany; they are two of the foreign exchange students we also have.

Recovering from an injury can be a long and difficult ordeal. The initial trauma is enough to frustrate any person. Dani Vogt, a senior here at BHS, had to have reconstructive knee surgery after suffering from a torn meniscus. She received the injury in a basketball game in December of 1995.

"I thought it was just a sprain, so I wanted to keep playing," said Vogt.

When she first was injured, Vogt had a difficult time dealing with it.

"It was kind of bad; I was really down a lot," said Vogt.

Though she found out what the problem was right away, it took her a while to admit it to her teammates.

"It took three weeks before I told the team," said Vogt.

Vogt keeps a good outlook on her injuries, refusing to give up on recovery. She is several months ahead of schedule, and she's determined to keep up the pace.

"I still haven't accepted it yet if you ask my trainer," said Vogt, laughing.

Her attitude seems to have a good effect on her recuperation. It's been three months since Vogt had her surgery, and she's already back playing softball.

"It feels good [to play again]," said Vogt.

After having several injuries, repercussions are bound to occur.

"With all the other injuries I've had, it's really hard to be confident," said Vogt.

This may be a surprising statement coming from a person who smiles and talks with confidence. She plans to pursue sports in the future.

"I'll be playing at NDSU next spring," said Vogt.

---
Name: Dani Vogt
Age: 18
Sports: Basketball, Softball
Other activities: Summer softball, water skiing, hanging out with friends
Post graduation plans: Work, play softball for NDSU
Place I would most like to visit: Hawaii
If I had $1,000,000 I would: #1 Go to school at Iowa
#2 Pinch myself done and regret them.
Pet peeve: People who take things for granted.
Childhood heroes: My sister
I hope I never have to: Look back on the things I've done
My friends would describe me as: Athletic, but injury prone, or as just "Dani," it explains itself.

The Special Olympics swim meet was hosted by BHS, Tuesday March 19. Thirteen BHS students participated in these events.

Six other school also participated in the meet: Princeton, St. Cloud, Milaca, Cambridge, Mora, and Chisago Lake.

Not all people that participated in this event were students in high school. To be a Special Olympian a person has to be at least eight years of age.

The events that took place were the 15 meter crosspool swim, 15 meter walk, assisted swim, 25 meter backstroke, 25 meter freestyle, 50 meter freestyle, 100 meter relay, and the unified relay.

In the 15 meter crosspool, Kevin Koening took first place, second place went to Nada Save and Juli Buttenhoff took third place. Julie Benson took fifth place in the 15 meter walk, and fourth in the assisted swim. In the 25 meter backstroke David Birkholz placed first, Mike Moore placed second, Tony Lorentz placed third, and Joel Arens placed fourth. In the 25 meter freestyle Lorentz and Birkholz were first, Save and Moore were second, Buttenhoff was third, and Koening was fifth. Arens took first in the 50 meter freestyle. The 100 meter relay and the unified relay took first.

The unified relay team consisted of two Special Olympians and two BHS students, Arens, Moore, and sophomores Brian Moon and Christina Torgenson.

Many people volunteered their time to help with the Special Olympics. Volunteers helped get the athletes ready, wrote out the award ribbons, presented the awards, announced the athlete line-ups, and timed the races.

"It was a lot of fun and something that I would do again," said senior Melanie Kieffer.

Overall, the Buffalo Special Olympics swim team did very well.

As the white fluffy snow turns to deep mud puddles, the signs of spring show themselves. This is the time when the true athletes come out to get the adrenaline pumping again after months of winter boredom. BHS has many spring activities such as softball, baseball, golf, tennis, and track and field.

Practice for track and field started a few weeks ago. March 25 was the girls' track team's first meet at the Blaine Sports Center. Due to the lingering cold weather, the events were held inside.

"Every year our goal is to win the conference," said head coach Scott Palmer. Track and field is one of those sports that, like any other, the team and all the players must stay healthy. Eating right and staying away from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and any other substances that can keep an athlete from doing their best. In track, one athlete can't carry the whole weight of a team.

"The team looked great at the Huskey Invite last week," said Palmer. "The team that will put up a good meet, for the girls' team, would be St. Francis; they are the conference champs at the time. Then for the boys' team, you have Spring Lake Park; they are also the conference champs."

There are more experienced people in the events, which will help the team more than anything. Even though the boys' team finished fourth in the conference, and the girls' finished third, both teams are trying for North Suburban Conference champs.

"This year the nucleus, or the core, of the team, is much stronger, which means that we have more experienced athletes, and that is what will get us to the conference," said Palmer.

---
Girls' track team members make use of the track during after school practice. The track and field teams are off to a great start, and have placed well in their meets.

With his heart pounding and blood pumping, senior Luke Omann is totally focused on the track at the start of the race while waiting for the gate to drop.

Maybe it's the huge adrenaline rush that keeps Omann competing in Motocross. Although Omann likes to just ride around on his own track with his friends, he is one of the top competing racers in his class.

"I ride in the 125cc class on a '96 KX 125; for those of you who don't know, KX is Kawasaki," said Omann.

Omann races mostly in Minnesota in towns and cities such as Millville and Detroit Lakes. He also travels to Arizona, Washington, and his favorite track is at Lake Whitney.

"A friend who moved in next to me owned a dirtbike and we had land so we decided to build a track. I just picked up on riding really well," said Omann.

Motocross racing is a very costly sport. There are numerous things that any athlete involved in the sport must pay for throughout the year. There is gas, equipment, bike parts and repairs. There are also entry fees that have to be paid to be a contender in each race.

"I have a track and a repair shed on my own property so that helps keep my expenses down a little," said Omann.

Like any other sport, there are many hazards and dangers involved with Motocross. A rider's body takes a lot of physical abuse.

"Last year I broke my right arm in two different places and still managed to finish second in pro-national competition," said Omann.

Omann started riding at the age of five and started competing in races at the age of 15.

Omann continues to race and would like to turn professional at some point, but when it comes to time and money though there might be a shortage of both.

---
Luke Omann, a senior at Buffalo Senior High, is shown here racing in a Motocross competition.

---
Name: Luke Omann
Age: 17
Sports: Hockey, baseball, a little football
Other Activities: Eating and having fun.
Place I would most like to visit: Egypt
If I had $1,000,000 I would: Buy a boat, a house, a sports car, a truck to pull the boat and a few motorcycles.
My friends would describe me as: Not serious, always joking around.
Pet peeve: Doing homework, asking for bathroom passes from a teacher.
In ten years I will: Hopefully be alive and racing. I may be married.
Something I don't understand: Why people drop out of school to sleep two hours longer and sit at home all day, when they should be at school.
My most irrational fear is: To be paralyzed and not be able to walk again.
I hope to never have to: Work the rest of my life and not have time to play. If I would have to work the rest of my life I think I would go nuts.

The boys' and girls' golf teams have had a sporadic start to what was supposed to be another great season, but because of the Minnesota winter weather that has lasted into spring, it has been extremely difficult to get the practice time needed to get off to a good start.

"We have a young team that doesn't have a lot of experience and because of the weather we've been inside for practices. The girls have only had one cancelled meet," said girls' coach Dick Miller.

Both the boys' and girls' teams have tried to get their practice time any way they can think of. Some may travel to places where they can practice indoors, others don't even have to look any further than their own backyard.

"I hit golf balls in my front yard. The grass gets really torn up," said junior Ryan Fay.

It's not just the time an athlete spends practicing or the ability of the athlete that determines how successful they are. The goals a person sets for themselves while in a sport can say a lot about their seriousness of being successful.

Expectations for both the girls' and boys' golf teams have been high. With the weather as an obstacle, it will be even more difficult to meet those goals, but the hard work and dedication of both the girls' and the boys' golf teams it should make it an easier task.

"I think we could make it in the top three in the conference," said boys' coach Pete Specht.

---
Junior, Michelle Anderson tees off indoors. Most of the practices for both boys' and girls' golf have been indoors this season. Cold weather and snow has kept the golfers off the course.

According to the Minnesota State High School League, "... the use of mood-altering chemicals is a significant health problem for many adolescents, resulting in negative effects on behavior, learning and the total development of each individual. Misuse and abuse ... for some adolescents affects extra-curricular participation and development."

BHS formed its guidelines based on this information. Each fall, students must review the handbook and the expectations of the school are explained.

The BHS handbook states: During the calendar year, regardless of quantity, a student shall not: (1) use a beverage containing alcohol, (2) use tobacco, or (3) use or consume, have in possession, buy, sell or give away any other controlled substance.

According to Nancy Bergert, Buffalo Senior High School's activities director, some other schools' policies are guilt-by-association. If someone is present where drugs are being used, they are automatically guilty.

"I believe some kids could be at a party and choose not to drink," said Bergert.

Substance abuse tears apart the lives of those who love the person or depend on them. "[Substance abuse] causes teams to be divided. It is the number one thing that rips apart a team," said Bergert.

Abuse is often evident in students' school activities but also pervades their everyday social lives. "I have to deal with this subject often during the school day, so it must be bad at night," said Bergert.

Even though the athletes must sign the eligibility form that states that they won't be using any mood-altering chemicals (i.e. tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, etc.), it doesn't always stop them from doing it.

"Generally, for most athletes, if they're going to [drink]. [The Minnesota High School Leagues rule] won't stop them from doing it during the season," said senior Mike Reger.

People under 21 cannot drink in the United States and must be 18-years-old to use tobacco. All other mood-altering chemicals are illegal.

"If laws won't stop students from using [mood-altering chemicals], then it's likely that school rules will only have a minimum effect," said coach Leroy Erickson.

Students often do not think of the consequences of their behavior until they get caught.

"I think it is stupid that [student athletes] go out and [drink] during a season--or any time--it's not really necessary," said senior Hunter Anderson.

We want to know what you think--so drop us a line in room D-3

Correction: The hockey photo that appeared in the March issue of The Bison was taken by Charlotte McCarty, not Molly Warner.

Apology: The photo that accompanied the story written by Ryan Anderson in the March issue was not associated with the subject matter in any way. It was used to show how much work goes into team sports.

Student director, senior Rachel Anderson and junior Jason Geofrion work on sets and costumes for the play "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" which started yesterday at the Junior High auditorium.

Sophomore Kiara Easterbrocks and junior Hedi Bakke practice their rolls for You're A Good Man Charlie Brown at Buffalo Junior High.

Working on last minute painting, junior Kirsten Thompson is one of many, who worked long hours to get everything ready for opening night.

In the March issue of The Bison we neglected to include choir pictures on the spotlight page featuring music. The BHS choirs play an important role in our school, and we apologize for any bad feelings this may have caused.

When pulling up to the Bayrischer Hof it is noticed that it remarkably resembles a big shed. But that doesn't draw the observer back from stopping inside.

Inside is a very home-like setting, resembling that of a large family gathering. The noise of a roaring crowd singing classic American rock songs such as Stairway To Heaven - by Led Zeppelin and Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl drowning out all, if any, conversation. It seems like the entire restaurant gets into the music, laughing and enjoying themselves.

A typical wait to be seated if a reservation is not made is an hour. The menu can be very confusing because is it written entirely in German. Fortunately, for the non-German speaking guests, it also had subheadings written in English describing the meals. Trying to find a plain burger on the menu can be difficult.

As I sat down and read my menu, I received complimentary slices of rye bread. I decided to start off with a brozieteller ($10.95). It consisted of a variety of meats and cheeses from Germany, accompanied by two deviled eggs and onions.

It was a great meal but not worth the price. I also tried the goulash soup ($3.25). It was wonderful. It reminded me of the beef stew my mom used to make.

I decided to have a Hof platter ($34.95). It is a meal for two with a variety of the foods from the restaurant. Some of the items that the platter includes are a Zweibel (a sliced chicken breast placed on spatzle accompanied by a onion sauce), mashed potatoes, pork chops and red cabbage. It was a fabulous meal and very filling.

It was hard to find room for dessert but I finally decided on apple struedel ($3.50). It was like hot apple pie, but better. It was served with a warm vanilla sauce. It was a great way to end the meal.

The best part of the evening was getting into the familiar music. The musician, Dale Grove, made sure the whole place got involved. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a great alternative to fast food. It is also a fun place to take a date, or to have a family dinner. It is located on Highway 12 between Montrose and Waverly.

What a movie! Happy Gilmore is an excellent show. Adam Sandler is an great actor in this hilarious comedy; it will have you laughing from start to stop. If you haven't seen a good movie lately, see this one.

Get ready to tee off with Happy Gilmore, a 20-year-old hockey bum. Happy tries to start a professional hockey team, but there's just one thing holding him back--his lack of talent. He can't skate all that well and isn't a very good puck handler either. He only has one thing going for him-- he's got one heck of a slap shot.

The plot takes shape when it is found that Happy's grandmother hasn't paid her taxes in the last twenty years and now the IRS is repossessing her house. He soon discovers that his slap shot can easily drive a golf ball 400 yards. Happy then wins a trip on the PGA and tries desperately to come up with the lump sum of money needed to buy his grandmother's house from the IRS. He needs the money before the deadline that's just a few months down the road.

Happy Gilmore is rated PG-13 for adult language, and is appropriately rated.. This is a movie for people young and old. It has a running time of 93 minutes. If you are looking for a funny and all-around great movie to see, this is the one. This movie also has a special guest star, Bob Barker, the host of The Price Is Right. Even if you are not lover of golf or hockey, you will still enjoy this movie.

With the increasing popularity of country music, Ricochet is taking the world by storm.

Ricochet is a country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The members include: Greg Cook who plays bass and sings vocals, Teddy Carr who plays steel guitar, bobro, and lap steel, Jeff Bryant who plays the drums and does vocals, Jr. Bryant who sings vocals, and plays the fiddle, mandolin, and acoustic guitar, and Heath Wright who sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar and the fiddle.

The group is put out by Columbia records and is produced by Sony Music Entertainment, Ron Chancey and Ed Seay.

The current self-titled release, Ricochet, is now selling in stores and their songs are climbing their way to top of the country music ladder. Their new hit song What Do I Know has been number one on the charts for almost two weeks.

The type of music that they play and sing mostly revolves around love, whether it be falling in love or falling out of love. Each one of the songs tells a different story and each different song is a story from one of the band members about their hardships, romances or heartbreaks.

Most of the songs are about love but there is one song that really sends out a different message, From Good To Bad To Worse To Gone. This song is about someone dying and how a lady thought she knew where she was going and where she belonged but everything she did turned out wrong, so she committed suicide. It doesn't really tell specifically state that in the song, but it can be concluded from it.

In comparison to other country groups, they typically sing about the same things like falling in and out of love, heartbreaks, and being able to ease your mind. So, all in all, most country music is a lot like the old style of blues music where they sang about their hardships, blues, what dreams they wanted to come true, what women they loved and what happened to those women. Country music singers sing about basically the same thing only with different music styles and a different beat.

Plans are again underway for the Senior All-Night Graduation Party to be held Friday, June 7, after commencement (from 9:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m.) at BHS. There will be games, activities, food, music, and gifts for each graduate, with prize and cash drawings held throughout the evening. The cost is $30.00 for the entire evening.

---
SENIORS: if you haven't registered for the All-Night Graduation Party - REGISTER NOW!!! If you have misplaced your registration form, you may pick up another form in the BHS office. It is never too late to register, but it is important we get the registrations as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly. Thanks, we appreciate your promptness.