The Bison – February 7, 1992

With over 1,000 students coming and going along with extra curricular activities, Community Education, students are bound to encounter some locker theft.

“I think it is really kind of poor that people have to stoop to that level to get what they want. I also feel sorry for people who have things stolen like expensive leather jackets,” said freshman Erik Lundeen.

For some the reasons of theft are very unclear.

“I think [locker thefts are] really kind of dumb. You wonder what people are trying to prove by taking other peoples’ things. People should stick to their own things,” said senior Anne Folkerds.

The things that seem to be most attractive to people are clothes, jackets, nice shoes, electronics, and money, which is the most difficult to recover.

“We never seem to have a problem with peoples’ books being stolen,” said principal Nick Miller.

It is advised not to leave large amounts of money in lockers, which should always be locked. Other suggestions are to mark clothes with some kind of identification, not to tell locker combinations to anyone, and not to bring tempting items to school.

“Treat it like a car and use common sense,” said Miller. “You wouldn’t leave a leather jacket lying across the seat of your car and it’s the same with lockers.”

Miller said that the way theft is dealt with depends on the circumstances. If the charges are something more serious, it usually results in suspension and referral to the law enforcement.

The school is also taking other precautions by trying to control the number of people in the halls between classes, and keeping the lockers in good condition. They are aware of the problems, and are dealing with them, and if the problems can’t be fixed, they will put in all new lockers.

Miller feels that the theft is a problem among the students that could best be dealt with by students.

“It has to become a value, like not telling on one another. The entire student body has to get together and agree on the fact that they will take care of each other and not steal each others’ things. They will get down on one another and that would really help stop the problem,” said Miller.

Recently, a court action was brought against the state of Minnesota by several rural school districts, including District 877. This court action was an attempt to bring to the attention of the courts that rural schools were not getting the same amount of funding as urban schools.

“We had grown to believe that it was for schools like Edina to have better facilities and opportunities than schools in greater Minnesota. It’s about time we stopped accepting that situation,” said Neil Fletcher.

The courts ruled in favor of the rural schools.

“If you have two different towns, one where each house is worth $20,000 and one town where each house is worth $100,000 and then take 1% of each household for education, obviously the second town would get more money,” said Principal Nick Miller. “This is exactly what is happening with the school districts.”

Since the urban schools have more major corporations and people, they are receiving almost twice the amount of money that Buffalo is.

Currently, the state of Minnesota gives equal amounts of money to school districts. It is the local amount that fluctuates.

Local revenues are raised by school districts after levies have been approved by the voters. In rural areas where the population is lower, this money can only be raised in smaller amounts. In a large city where the population is very dense the same levy can raise much larger amounts of money.

At the present time BHS is going without many programs that many other schools have, like zero hour classes for college bound students. BHS doesn’t have as many aides to monitor the halls, the lunchroom, and in the library.

With the extra money, there are many programs being considered. Some examples are: debate, zero hour classes, more clerical planning time for teachers, and expanding the drama department.

“Feel the judgement was a fair one. Buffalo has long suffered slings and arrows of equity injustice,” said EAGLE advisor Gayle Zimmerman.

This whole subject is currently before the legislature, where the details have yet to be worked out. Most likely, the state will have to find additional money to supplement poorer schools as opposed to taking away from urban ones.

Students are aware of the situation felt that this is long overdue. How the legislature will solve the problem remains to be seen.

Next season, the BHS football program will begin under new leadership.

On Monday, January 6, a motion was offered at the District 877 school board meeting by Superintendent Darrell Miller not to renew BHS math teacher Kevin Schmeling’s contract as head football coach.

The motion was passed with six in favor of it, and one member abstained from voting.

One of the reasons that the administration made the decision was on the grounds of several criticisms and allegations on the part of former, and some present, BHS football players and parents. They claimed that Schmeling was unfair and lacked sensitivity.

One factor in considering the change in the program was the win/loss record over recent years. Although this may not be the most valid factor, it could possibly have an effect on the players’ self esteem, and thus the success of the program.

Supporters of Schmeling, however, feel that the decision has much to do with the win/loss record over the years he was head coach.

“When they want to fire you for not winning enough

SCHMELING
Continued on Page 6

A little five-year-old kindergartner waits at the end of his driveway for his bus to come to take him to school for another exciting day. As the bus stops, the stop sign comes out. A car is coming from the opposite direction.

Who, right now, is responsible for the child’s life?

The child? Not really. Do you know any five-year-old who always looks both ways before they cross the street?

Is the bus driver responsible? Sort of, but still, once the stop sign is out and the bus has stopped, what can they do?

Yes, the child’s life is in the hands of the driver of the car. The person who is old enough to be responsible to stop for a stop sign.

Yet, as easy as it is to stop at a stop sign people forget to every day. We all probably know someone who has inadvertently missed stopping for a stop sign. If they can miss something that’s there every day, it must be easier to miss something that’s not always there.

What’s the punishment for missing the stop sign? A ticket. That doesn’t seem like much considering they could be endangering the life of a child. (If they would kill a child it would be counted as manslaughter and the penalty would be much worse.)

The reason that people from age sixteen and up are allowed to get a license is that they are considered old enough to be responsible for those who aren’t.

This is a surprise test given to you by The Bison. It consists of one question. We ask that you answer it as honestly as you can.

Can you locate the United States of America on a world map?

Statistics tell us that one-fourth of teenagers who are attending high school in the US cannot. These aren’t high school dropouts, either. That question asked in let’s say, Japan would probably produce a more positive result. That doesn’t say a lot for our educational system.

The problem with our education system is that almost anyone can graduate. All you have to do is take the required classes and get enough credits. In other words, you could show up to school occasionally throughout the year, get enough points to barely pass, and still graduate. That’s why some of our graduates are a little confused as to where in the world they live.

As you read these statistics in disbelief, The Bison has something we’d like you to think about. The future of our country lies the hands of ALL the teenagers living in the United States right now. Obviously, something in our educational system has got to be changed and now, before it’s too late.

An idea that has been suggested is a mandatory test that all seniors must take, and pass, in order to graduate. This way students know that they can’t get by learning as little as possible. They have to apply what they have learned in order to graduate.

Now for those that failed the test at the beginning, please go find an atlas and look up the answer (and thank the person who read this to you.) And from now on, pay more attention in class.

TO THE EDITOR:

I am writing to you in concern of rights that students have at optional pepfests.

The week of December th-14th there was an optional pepfest for the winter sports and a game involving several students. We rose to the cheerleaders entering the gym and the school song.

Next came the dreadful moment when the band played the National Dictorial song that gives you no personal rights according to the principals and many teachers. My friend and I rose to the song and stood there and we were using our personal rights as Americans not to take off our hats.

On the some day we were called down to the office and were told to talk to Mr. Styrwoll. We came up to him not knowing what we had done and were confused with the situation. We asked him what we had done, he said that we had not taken off our hats at the pepfest. I found the situation to be of little concern so went to my locker to put my books away. But he found that offensive.

So, my friend and I were called into Mr. Strvoll’s office. There, he became very angry and demanded that we take off our hats. So we did and then he told us that by not taking off our hats we were violating others rights to respect the flag. This statement made no sense to me, for if they really respected the flag they wouldn’t be looking at our hats but looking at THE FLAG.

This may seem important to some but to me more than a few I think that our personal rights have been violated. Why don’t you call the police next time you see someone burning the flag? That is our right if we want to do it. Call the police next time you hear someone swear. If you don’t like it that is your right.

So, I feel that they were just trying to make an example out of us. Just because we have long hair and dress different than you doesn’t mean we are social rejects, does it?

This school seems full of racial and physical prejudices, we ask you to please address these objects that should be of greater concern to people. There have been kids in this school that brag about what they did to "niggers" last night or over the weekend. I have heard stories about throwing bottles at black people’s legs and watching them bleed.

I have also heard racial jokes come from our teachers of the school. This is not the behavior of professionals, is it? This is what I feel needs to be addressed first, not my hat of all things.

Senior Jason Loberg

Unfortunately, the last few elections in Minnesota are not exactly ones to brag about. Whether it be the 1988 Presidential Election between George Bush and Michael Dukakis, or the 1990 Gubernatorial Election between Rudy Perpich, Jon Grunseth, and then at the end, Arne Carlson, neither have been elections that were based on primary issues. Rather, they dealt with who slept with who, or what they smoked 25 years ago.

While I agree that a candidate’s past is something that is important when deciding who is going to run our country, we tend to take this idea a bit too far. One of the organizations contributing to this, is the news media. When a candidate is being interviewed by the media, the first question asked is... “Is there anything that you want to get off your chest -- no pun intended -- before we start badgering you on your past?”

Whether the media realizes it or not, the general public is sick of these sort of campaigns. What we want, and should naturally have, is an election where the candidates spend the majority of their time dealing with the issues concerning the American public, such as: Education, Health Care, Unemployment, etc.

As we enter this election year, many issues will be debated by each of the candidates... hopefully, one will be the country’s economy.

Every presidential candidate swears that they will do everything in their power to make sure that our country is strong economically. They won’t tell us in detail what they plan on doing, instead they just say they are going to do something.

As long as I can remember, elections have been based on candidates verbally promising that they will do something for our country. That is all we ask from them. Instead of just hearing what the candidates are planning on doing, we should demand to see what they are going to do and how it’s going to work.

Currently, we are fighting a trade negotiations war with Japan. We’re upset with the fact that they are selling a great deal of products over here but won’t buy more of ours. At the same time, however, we aren’t willing to produce the goods so that they’re usable over there.

Let’s take automobiles for example.

Japan is having a field day selling all their little foreign “puddle-jumpers” over here, but they won’t buy ours. Why? Because American car manufacturers aren’t willing to make a few simple adjustments... because it will cost a few more dollars.

In Japan, they drive on the left side of the road. This means that the steering wheel needs to be on the right side, but we aren’t willing to move it for them. And we wonder why we aren’t selling more products over there?

We are getting exactly what we deserve... nothing. Why should we expect something from them, if we won’t do anything for them? Japanese car manufacturers are selling more cars to us, because they are more than willing to make those sort of accommodations.

Unless we start changing our attitudes about dealing fairly with others, and ourselves, the whole country is going to be in trouble.

It is the duty of a columnist to reflect on the world around us. I, on the other hand, have been living in my own little world, and only recently did I venture out to write this column.

This time I am writing about music. More specifically, rock music. I have been trying for awhile to figure out why people pick on it so often, and I still haven’t gotten an answer.

I think that if radio stations don’t play certain songs or bands because they don’t want to, that’s OK. It sucks that they don’t play them, but it could be worse. How worse could it get?

Well, it could be worse if the songs/bands in question were censored. You know, “this can’t be played on the radio, this can if it’s edited first, and this record needs a warning label for the parents.” These censors happen to be a relatively small group of people, claiming to be the majority of American society, who “don’t like it.”

Apparently words we hear every day are not suitable for our tender ears. But hey, I’m sure it’s possible that you could be in high school, living in the United States, and have not yet heard those “bad” words. Yeah, right.

To the censors, ripping the soul out of today’s generation and stomping all over it seems like fun.

I find it hard to understand this concept of censorship. I think that if those people can censor our lives, we should be able to delete a main part of their lives.

I think we should censor 20/20, because I find Barbara Walters very obnoxious, don’t you? She offends me. And what about Japanese cars? I think there is a satanic message somewhere in those commercials.

I think we should censor the one dollar bill. George Washington believed in slavery and I don’t appreciate that.

Gee, I don’t even think I can finish this column. The way that these letters are printed on the keyboard offends me. I bet if you look closely, there is a pattern hidden away in these scrambled up letters, telling me to join the rat race, be generic, and totally shallow. Would this explain why so many people are like that? Because they have been hypnotized by the computer revolution? Could be...

But I’m at the point where I gotta go back to my own little world. The way it’s been going lately with all this censorship, and banning, maybe I’m safer there. Maybe we all are safer in our worlds.

It’s been surreal!

Good Morning, my fellow laborers in the public education system!

Lately it has occurred to me that people don’t take deadlines and due dates seriously. What is it, a plague attacking the school that will kill us all off if we get something in on time? I guess I only have a slight case, I turn most of my stuff in on time.

Sometimes I wonder why anyone bothers with deadlines. There’s always a bunch of people who just can’t manage to turn in anything when it’s due. And with some teachers, they don’t get that much worse grades than those that get things in on time.

Think of the incompletes that appear on report cards. The original intent of this was to give a student time to make up work if they were absent many days or absent on the day of a final test.

Now, some students don’t worry about failing because of missing assignments, because they know the teacher will just give them an incomplete. I even heard of a teacher who gave all of their failing students incompletes so they could redo their work to pass. You know, that just gives me a great incentive to work hard and turn my assignments in on time. Yeah, right.

Deadlines were set up so all the work could be completely finished by one certain point. Today people spend so much time thinking up excuses about why they can’t possibly get something done that they never get it done. Half the time the excuses don’t work or even worse, they backfire. Why? Because they would have been able to get it done if they hadn’t spent so much time thinking up an excuse.

Take newspaper and yearbook deadlines for an example.

Let’s say none of the writers finish their stories on time. Or maybe the editors forgot to give out the assignments on time so the writers can’t get their stories in on time. The editors have to wait for the stories to come in, which delays the start of editing, which delays the start of laying out the page, which delays -- well, I think you get the idea. The people who delay a paper could be anyone who misses a deadline.

This type of deadline is obvious, but every day you face deadlines. Getting your homework in on time is a type of deadline. Getting to class before the bell is a deadline.

Getting your boyfriend/girlfriend a present on time is a deadline. They’re not happy if they get it the day after Valentine’s Day or their birthday. If you forget about it until the night before, you stay up all night to make sure they have a present on that special day. So, why don’t you make sure you get every thing done on time?

Right now, you might not be too concerned about deadlines. It’s easier to just sit back passively and do things at your leisure. But as you sit, ignoring the deadline, there is someone who is frantically hurrying to fill in where you didn’t do your work. A teacher trying to figure out your grade seconds before it’s due. An editor trying to find something to put in the empty space your story was to fill. A group member trying to decide what else can be added to the project to fill the vacant spot where your part was suppose to go. The list goes on.

Someday, you might be in the position of the person who is in the frantic hurry to get whatever done, then you’ll understand the real importance of deadlines. Until then, just make sure you get your work in on time. And don’t trust someone who has been, or is, on the receiving end of deadlines to get something done. They like being passive as much as you do! I should know!

Until we’ve recovered from the Valentine’s Day chocolate -- Good-bye.

A little five-year-old kindergartner waits at the end of his driveway for his bus to come to take him to school for another exciting day. As the bus stops, the stop sign comes out. A car is coming from the opposite direction.

Who, right now, is responsible for the child’s life?

The child? Not really. Do you know any five-year-old who always looks both ways before they cross the street?

Is the bus driver responsible? Sort of, but still, once the stop sign is out and the bus has stopped, what can they do?

Yes, the child’s life is in the hands of the driver of the car. The person who is old enough to be responsible to stop for a stop sign.

Yet, as easy as it is to stop at a stop sign people forget to every day. We all probably know someone who has inadvertently missed stopping for a stop sign. If they can miss something that’s there every day, it must be easier to miss something that’s not always there.

What’s the punishment for missing the stop sign? A ticket. That doesn’t seem like much considering they could be endangering the life of a child. (If they would kill a child it would be counted as manslaughter and the penalty would be much worse.)

The reason that people from age sixteen and up are allowed to get a license is that they are considered old enough to be responsible for those who aren’t.

This is a surprise test given to you by The Bison. It consists of one question. We ask that you answer it as honestly as you can.

Can you locate the United States of America on a world map?

Statistics tell us that one-fourth of teenagers who are attending high school in the US cannot. These aren’t high school dropouts, either. That question asked in let’s say, Japan would probably produce a more positive result. That doesn’t say a lot for our educational system.

The problem with our education system is that almost anyone can graduate. All you have to do is take the required classes and get enough credits. In other words, you could show up to school occasionally throughout the year, get enough points to barely pass, and still graduate. That’s why some of our graduates are a little confused as to where in the world they live.

As you read these statistics in disbelief, The Bison has something we’d like you to think about. The future of our country lies the hands of ALL the teenagers living in the United States right now. Obviously, something in our educational system has got to be changed and now, before it’s too late.

An idea that has been suggested is a mandatory test that all seniors must take, and pass, in order to graduate. This way students know that they can’t get by learning as little as possible. They have to apply what they have learned in order to graduate.

Now for those that failed the test at the beginning, please go find an atlas and look up the answer (and thank the person who read this to you.) And from now on, pay more attention in class.

TO THE EDITOR:

I am writing to you in concern of rights that students have at optional pepfests.

The week of December th -14th there was an optional pepfest for the winter sports and a game involving several students. We rose to the cheerleaders entering the gym and the school song.

Next came the dreadful moment when the band played the National Dictorial song that gives you no personal rights according to the principals and many teachers. My friend and I rose to the song and stood there and we were using our personal rights as Americans not to take off our hats.

On the som e day we were called down to the office and were told to talk to Mr. Styrowll. We came up to him not knowing what we had done and were confused with the situation. We asked him what we had done, he said that we had not taken off our hats at the pepfest. I found the situation to be of little concern so went to my locker to put my books away. But he found that offensive.

So, my friend and I were called into Mr. Strvoll’s office. There, he became very angry and demanded that we take off our hats. So we did and then he told us that by not taking off our hats we were violating others rights to respect the flag. This statement made no sense to me, for if they really respected the flag they wouldn’t be looking at our hats but looking at THE FLAG.

This may not seem important to some but to more than a few I think that our personal rights have been violated. Why don’t you call the police next time you see someone burning the flag? That is our right if we want to do it. Call the police next time you hear someone swear. If you don’t like it that is your right. So, I feel that they were just trying to make an example out of us. Just because we have long hair and dress different than you doesn’t mean we are social rejects, does it?

This school seems full of racial and physical prejudices, we ask you to please address these objects that should be of greater concern to people. There have been kids in this school that brag about what they did to “niggers” last night or over the weekend. I have heard stories about throwing bottles at black people’s legs and watching them bleed.

I have also heard racial jokes come from our teachers of the school. This is not the behavior of professionals, is it? This is what I feel needs to be addressed first, not my hat of all things.

Senior Jason Loberg

Things in everyday life that students don't think are odd, may happen to be the most puzzling and ponderable mysteries, because no one has an explanation for them. Being left-handed, or having one blue eye and one brown eye are examples of such oddities. These things many people overlook, but they could be great mysteries of life. When left-handed people write, their hand rubs against what they have already written smudging it completely. Left handedness even affects cutting with a scissors or playing sports. “In elementary school there was only one pair of left handed scissors, so you had to wait your turn,” said senior Lisa Pramann. Even shifting a car comes with difficulty to some left handed people. “For left-handers it's harder to shift a manual transmission,” said Pramann. Almost everything is made especially for right-handed people, although recently they're coming out with more things for left-handed people, like left-handed mugs. Another natural oddity is leap year. Leap year has 366 days, since one more day is added to a regular year. The extra day is added at the end of February, the 29th. Leap year occurs every year that can equally be divided by four, except for the years that mark the even hundreds, like 400, 800, 1200, and 1600. Leap years were added to the calendar to make the calendar year closer to the solar year, which marks the time it takes for the sun to pass the vernal equinox twice. Another example is color-blindness. When people look at colors they think everyone else has the same interpretation of them, taking for granted everyone sees it the same. For people who are color-blind, they sometimes see a different shade of color than everyone else sees. “When I was growing up, it was just normal for me. I didn't know that I saw colors different from anybody else,” said English teacher Jack Harlan. Color-blindness is also called Daltonism. It is the inability to tell colors apart, like blues and purples, pinks and reds, beiges and browns. There are two kinds of color-blindness, Dichromatic vision, when people only see yellows and blues; and Achromatic vision, when they see things in only black, white, and gray, like a black and white photograph. “Certain colors look like a different shade to me, I have no concept of green. Green is, as I see it, another shade of brown,” said Harlan. More men than women are color-blind. About eight out of 100 men are color-blind, compared to one out of 200 women. So far there is no cure for color-blindness, and it's genetic. Sometimes it can skip generations. If someone's father is color-blind, he can pass that gene to his daughter who will carry it and possibly give it to her offspring. Color-blindness usually comes from the mother's genes, but it is usually passed down to the males. “My mother's father was color-blind,” said Harlan. “I have no concept of what colors go together and what clashes. It doesn't embarrass me that I'm color-blind, I just ask people to help me out.” Northern Lights are another mystery, to the common man and the scientific world. Northern Lights, in scientific terms called an Aurora, are specifically named according to the location. Aurora Borealis - are located in the north, and Aurora Australis are located in the south. An Aurora is a natural display of lights in the sky that can be seen with the naked eye only at night. They appear chiefly as arcs, clouds, and streaks. Some may move, brighten, or flicker suddenly. It can be caused by anything, from electrical discharges to glacier reflections from the other side of the Earth.

Kids and crime, two words that many people wouldn't think about putting together. Since criminals come in all different races, ages, and sizes, there is no one specific group or type. More males and juveniles of color are in custody for crimes. Since 1987, the number of males arrested increased 7%, but the number females dropped 8%. Meanwhile, the number of whites imprisoned dropped 5%, while the number of blacks increased 13%, and the number of Hispanics increased 14% between 1987 and 1989. The crimes committed most often are stealing, vandalism, and assaults. Frequently, drugs and/or alcohol is involved. “Some students might use [crime] to get noticed, so that the administration, and their parents, have to deal with them,” said Social Studies teacher Laurie Raymond. Conflicts between friends, peer pressure, carelessness, and family problems are some reasons given for kids turning to crime. “Many kids commit crimes because of peer pressure to get into a certain group of friends,” said freshman Deanne Nordberg. In school, it is difficult to track thieves because the victims usually don't notice the stolen items until the next day. “In our school, a lot of the stealing is done in the lower grades, while the bigger objects are stolen by older kids. The same with alcohol, the older kids have better access to it,” said Assistant Principal Mark Minkler. Kids that commit crimes are often disillusioned, thinking that they can get away with it. “Kids think they're immortal, they think nothing can possibly happen to them,” said Science teacher Al Heine. Sometimes kids are not given credit for understanding the seriousness of their crime, although most have a conscious realization of right and wrong. However, many do not comprehend the consequences. “If you can get them in a non-threatening situation, most kids can process that,” said Minkler. “Ninety-eight and one half percent of kids are good people, with only a few people that are really not that good. Mistakes are part of growing up and learning, they're good kids learning to grow up.”

With the crime rate among minors rising to an all time high, what is being done to prevent individuals from getting involved in crime? If a person is in an environment where they feel comfortable and adjusted, they are less likely to cause problems. Atmosphere is one of the most important ingredients in preventing crime. The administration at BHS hopes to reduce the number of crimes committed at school. “One of our goals is to provide an atmosphere where students can feel good about being here,” said Principal Nick Miller. Some of the ways BHS is trying to reach this goal is by displaying students' art on the walls, having pop and juice machines, and allowing caps and shorts. “People behave, when they are happy or successful,” said Assistant Principal Mark Minkler. Respect is another key part of keeping students from committing offenses. “The same respect you owe me, I owe you,” said BHS Counselor Gloria Rose. For this respect to be formed, students and teachers have to try and see things from the other point of view. If seeing things differently has failed and a student does become involved in a crime, there are many ways that this individual may be handled. “It does not matter who, what race, or what sex; everybody pays the consequences,” said Miller. When an individual is involved in a crime that gets reported to the police, the first thing that happens is that the authorities try to find out what caused this person to commit the crime. If a minor is caught committing a crime they may be held in custody for 36 hours, after which the case must be heard by a judge. Then if the judge decides it is necessary, the individual may be held indefinitely, but the case must be reviewed every eight days. “We consider all crimes serious because kids start out as shoplifting and move up to larger crimes,” said Cynthia Ernhaert of Wright County Court Services. Sometimes a contract will be made between Ernhaart and a first time offender. This contract states how the person will make-up for the crime. If the terms of this contract are complied with, the incident will not go on the minor's permanent record. “The punishment is usually based on the individual or crime,” said Ernhaert. However, if a student repeatedly gets caught breaking the law, he/she is likely to receive a harsher penalty.

Natalie Wood and James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” Johnny Depp and Amy Locane in “Crybaby,” and Vanilla Ice and Kristin Minter in “Cool as Ice” are a few examples of romance between two very different people--opposites. The age-old cliché that “opposites attract” serves to explain modern couples who don't seem to fit together. This is no more apparent then at Valentine's time, when couples claim Cupid's arrow as binding all differences, and that “love conquers all,” perhaps even opposite tastes. “I think they attract from looks, maybe they like each other's company. Maybe it was meant to be,” said junior Tom Nordell. When seeking a relationship, many individuals are drawn to others because of personality. Often different personalities complement each other and some individuals even chose a match who enjoys things that they don't find in themselves. The relationship between opposites is greatly debated. “True opposites,” human, is another debatable point. “I don't believe there is such thing as 'true opposites.' I don't believe that two people can be identical, either. Individuals have their own tastes, and some are very different, but you can always find something that to common in both. Physically or mentally, people have many similarities and differences,” said sophomore Jessica Lilja. Pairs usually do share some common interests, and many times these common points are where the relationship starts, then it expands to the differences. “[Couples] can't be complete opposites, because then it's conflicts all the time. And it's just boring. You have to have some similarities and some differences,” said senior Jon Kujawa. Always and forever there have been opposites throughout history. Even in the world outside of romance opposites attract. “Orange and blue are opposites, and they look good together, (Denver Broncos). Purple and Yellow, (Vikings), and red and green, (Christmas) are opposites. They were meant to be together,” said freshman Ben Thompson. Is it fate that brings opposites together? Or is it the theory that two opposite pieces of the puzzle fit together?

“H e r hair, her i n t e l ligence and her smile,” said freshman Paul Minkler.

“[He] has to be cute, and he has to be sensitive. Also understanding about what I want,” said freshman Angie Gruber.

By Amber Veches
Staff Writer
Natalie Wood and James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” Johnny Depp and Amy Locane in “Crybaby,” and Vanilla Ice and Kristin Minter in “Cool as Ice” are a few examples of romance between two very different people--opposites.
The age-old cliché that “opposites attract” serves to explain modern couples who don’t seem to fit together.
This is no more apparent then at Valentine’s time, when couples claim Cupid’s arrow as binding all differences, and that “love conquers all,” perhaps even opposite tastes.
“I think they attract from looks, maybe they like each other’s company. Maybe it was meant to be,” said junior Tom Nordell.
When seeking a relationship, many individuals are drawn to others because of personality. Often different personalities complement each other and some individuals even chose a match who enjoys things that they don’t find themselves.
The relationship between opposites is greatly debated. “True opposites,” human, is another debatable point.
“I don’t believe there is such thing as ‘true opposites.’ I don’t believe that two people can be identical, either. Individuals have their own tastes, and some are very different, but you can always find something that to common in both. Physically or mentally, people have many similarities and differences,” said sophomore Jessica Lilja.
Pairs usually do share some common interests, and many times these common points are where the relationship starts, then it expands to the differences.
“[Couples] can’t be complete opposites, because then it’s conflicts all the time. And it’s just boring. You have to have some similarities and some differences,” said senior Jon Kujawa.
Always and forever there have been opposites throughout history.
Even in the world outside of romance opposites attract.
“Orange and blue are opposites, and they look good together, (Denver Broncos). Purple and Yellow, (Vikings), and red and green, (Christmas) are opposites. They were meant to be together,” said freshman Ben Thompson.
Is it fate that brings opposites together?
Or is it the theory that two opposite pieces of the puzzle fit together?

The Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins are not the only teams receiving attention in Minnesota for their Native American mascots and logos.

Approximately four years ago, the Minnesota State Board of Education issued a statement asking school districts with Native American nicknames to change them.

Today, 19 of the 50 districts that had Native American nicknames have voluntarily changed them, but 31 districts, over 60%, have refused to.

On Monday, January 13, the day after the Redskins won the National Football Conference title that brought them to Minneapolis, calls were made for the state to completely ban the use of Native American names, mascots, and logos in all public schools. Meanwhile, opponents of the issue say that each individual district should have the right to decide.

One of the 31 teams on the list of schools that still have an Native American mascot/logo is North Suburban Conference rival Centennial, known as the Chiefs. Yet another is a former Suburban West opponent, the Mound-Westonka Mohawks.

“Our Indian community did not want to change the name. They were very inflexible about that,” said Cliff Holman, Director of Instruction at Centennial.

Holman said that he and Centennial Superintendent John McClellan were considering changing the mascot, so the school board set up a committee of Indian residents. The committee decided to leave the name, but change a few areas.

“The committee asked that the cheerleaders not wear the headdress and that we remove the tomahawk symbol and eliminate war whoops from cheers,” said Holman.

One area school had an Native American nickname and changed it. The Monticello School District, formerly known as the “Redmen”, have changed their name to the “Magic”.

“We first had a conversation about [our nickname] in 1975, then in 1985, and again in 1987 and 1988, when the Indian movement began gaining momentum,” said Monticello Superintendent S.D. Johnson. “We did some surveying, and the school board decided that Redmen wasn’t appropriate.”

As for Monticello’s new nickname, Johnson said that the first nickname they chose didn’t work out, so they changed their name a second time.

“We opened the name selection up to the public. We must of had 100 different nicknames [to choose from],” said Johnson. “After a series of vote-downs run by the student council, we selected Wildcats”.

“But then the student council had a logo contest, and they decided that they didn’t want the wildcat to look too vicious, but not like a big kitty either. So they came back to the school board, saying they had made a bad choice, and asked to have the name changed again. We took the top four or five names other than Wildcats, and, after another vote-down, came up with Magic”.

On January 13, the State Board of Education’s Special Populations Committee voted to ask the state’s Indian education committee to review the issue of school nicknames. The committee will make a recommendation to the full state board, and a final decision could come as early as this spring.

[expected],” said Berger.

Some players welcome the possibility of new leadership and a new perspective.

“There will be a new outlook,” said junior Tim Willie. “[Having a new coach] might help the years to come.

Many of the players protested that the allegations of unfairness and insensitivity against Schmeling were totally untrue.

“He gave people a chance to prove themselves,” said junior Pete Casperson.

Perhaps one of the toughest decisions facing the administration is that of replacing Schmeling. The opening of the position has yet to be posted.

“You have to replace that fantastic ability with a lot of hard work,” said Rohl.

Bergert thinks that Schmeling is an excellent teacher, and hopes that the event doesn’t interfere with his personal life and career.

“Mr. Schmeling is very hard working and dedicated, but the game is very complicated and with so many players in the sport, it’s very difficult to keep all the players happy, all the parents happy, everybody happy,” said Bergert.

The gymnastics team is setting many new school records, even though many of the upperclassmen are out with injuries for the season. Many of the freshmen have entered J.V. and varsity competition due to lack of older member participation. Some freshmen members on the gymnastics team have received previous training in clubs before they came to the BHS team.

“The club I went to really helped me develop my skills before I came to Buffalo,” said freshman Cassie Loberg.

However, the gymnastics clubs take a toll on the gymnasts. In the summertime, they work out about five days a week, and during the school year, about three days a week.

In addition, the gymnasts said that many of the clubs were usually far away, so they would have to use their time on the road for homework and other things that needed to be accomplished.

With all these factors, the freshmen gymnasts have noted increased pressure on themselves as they take over the positions normally held by upperclassmen.

“When you have to go out and do an event, you don’t do as well as if you had the choice,” said Loberg. “There’s a lot of pressure to do well, but sometimes in those situations you don’t do that well.”

“Never give up. Giving your best to do well helps to make better individuals.”

That quote is true for most activities, but it is the motto for the girls' basketball team.

Currently, the Bison have only two wins and, according to assistant coach Dave Alto, the number of losses is not important. The team’s goal isn’t to win every game, but to develop better people.

“Playing basketball is only a stepping stone for what you’re going to get out of life,” said Alto.

Any sport, in general, needs a goal or two. Several team members have set goals for the season.

“Playing hard and working together as a team is our goal,” said senior Theresa Ledermann.

In order to prepare for the future, the players must reach a high now. They play not only to be the best, but they play the best the can and to the best of their abilities.

To play in a game, you have to put all of your effort into the task at hand.

“If you can wake up the next morning, look at yourself in the mirror, and be satisfied with your performance, you did your best,” said Alto.

The basketball team has seven seniors on the roster, which, to them, is a strong advantage.

“The seniors do a good job of setting a good example as their younger teammates progress,” said Alto.

Fan support adds to the excitement of every home game.

“BHS does a good job of supporting us, especially the other sport teams,” said Alto. “They come to our games because they know how important stability is.”

However, there are two remaining components that are crucial to doing your best.

“Positive attitude and team unity are the key to success,” said Ledermann.

SLALOM SKIING - The boys team lost to Robinsdale Kennedy and Robinsdale Cooper, 29-26, on Thursday, January 30, and to Wayzata but beat Hopkins, 28-27, on Friday, January 31. The girls beat Kennedy and Cooper and Hopkins, 39-16, but lost to Wayzata. Sections were held earlier this week. The state meet is scheduled for Friday, February 14.

BOYS BASKETBALL - The boys lost to Fridley, 70-45, on Thursday, January 30. Senior Ted Zrust scored 10 points, while junior Chris Lund and sophomore Justin Kassulke each scored eight. Tonight they play at Centennial and are at home on Thursday, February 13, against Elk River, both starting at 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL - The team lost to seventh ranked Fridley, 56-31, on Thursday, January 30. Junior Joy Vogt and sophomore Tasha Quast each scored seven points. Tonight begins the first round of the playoffs, starting at 7:30 p.m.

WRESTLING - The varsity team beat Fridley, 59-11, on Friday, January 31, and all the B-squad members made pins to win 78-0. The squad is at Elk River on Thursday, February 13, at 7:30 p.m. Individual regions at Hutchinson are scheduled for Friday, February 21, at 4 p.m. and Saturday, February 22, at 11:30 a.m.

HOCKEY - Tomorrow, the varsity team hosts Totino Grace starting at 7:30 p.m. with the J.V. starting at 5:30 p.m. The team is at Elk River on Thursday, February 13, at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

GYMNASTICS - The team beat Fridley, 128 to 112, on Friday, January 31. The team is at Centennial tonight, starting at 6:30 p.m. The J.V. conference meet is Monday, February 10, at Mounds View, starting at 6:30 p.m. The team hosts Elk River on Thursday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m.

Heading into the fourth year of competition, BHS’s Mock Trial team has high expectations and goals. Mock Trial is an academic competition which is sponsored by the Minnesota State Bar Association. The attorney coaches are volunteer lawyers. Six out of seven of last year’s participants are returning this year. The teams feel this experience gives them an advantage to rely on. “Everyone will have at least a year of experience, all but two [freshmen],” said senior Sally Lundeen. The more experienced of the two teams is called team one, having most of the returning members on this team. Having two teams will benefit the program by allowing inter-team scrimmages, and giving younger members a chance to get more practice before moving up to team one. “Otherwise, only about ten students in the whole school can participate,” said senior Nikki Paripovich. The addition of a second team to the Mock Trial program was brought about by an increasing amount of students interested in the program. “It gives more students a chance to take part,” said Mock Trial advisor Laurie Raymond. Mock Trial held their second annual invitational on Saturday, January 25 at BHS. Personal hopes are high that one or both teams will make it to the state tournaments. “We’ve come really close twice before, but lost our second trials,” said junior Nicole Miller. In both of the last two years the teams have gone to regions, but lost the second round by two points in one year, and 10 points the next.

The Blood Drive is a way for students to make a vital contribution to society in about half an hour. The Blood Drive will be taking place in Gym two. The fifth annual Blood Drive, sponsored by National Honor Society, is going to be held March 20th. NHS advisors Mary Lynn Leff and Karen Rebiske thought of the idea at about the same time. “NHS is a service organization,” said Rebiske. “We both came up with the idea and contacted the Red Cross. Now it’s one of the best projects that we do.” Donating blood helps ill people recover and saves lives. More than 160 upper Midwest hospitals rely on the blood services of the Red Cross that BHS donates to. Every pint donated is extremely important. “I think the Blood drive is a great experience for all the students to get involved in,” said senior Leslie Anderson. To donate blood, the law states that one must be at least 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds. Also, donors cannot have a cold sore, sore throat, flu or active allergy symptoms. Questions will be asked about the donor’s health history. Blood pressures will be checked, and a small drop of blood will be taken from the fingertip to test the body’s iron level. If health is good, blood can be donated. The process takes about 10 minutes, and about one pint is taken through a needle in the forearm. After donating, refreshments will be served. It’s normal to be nervous, but according to past donors, it only hurts about as much as getting pinched. The pint taken is less than one tenth of the total volume of blood, which is replaced within hours. In 1990, 157 pints were collected. Last year it was down, but prior to that, the number of pints donated has increased annually. “The students all are real supportive and really want to help. [I think] that’s great!” said Anderson. If any student is planning to donate, they should get a lot of rest the night before, eat a good breakfast and bring their social security number. “It’s probably our biggest project,” said Leff. “I feel there’s an excitement all day.”

The BHS student council is constantly busy, and this month is no exception. The EMASC (Eastern Minnesota Association of Student Council) convention is going to be held here at BHS on Wednesday, February 26. We have various committees working to make the day a success. The purpose of the convention is two-fold. The delegates will bring resolutions of student concerns and elect new officers for 1992-93. The active president of the EMASC is Grant Ingersoll, and Deb Theis is the Delegate-at-large. The convention will run from 7:30 that morning until about 2:30 in the afternoon. We have asked the BHS Stage Band to preform and Laurie Miller to sing the National Anthem for us. Another project we're dealing with right now is the pop machines. The survey taken last month to decide which pop to keep was extremely close. Pepsi was the winner with 449 votes and Coke had 425. Both companies submitted a proposal and on Tuesday, January 21, the Council voted to go with Coke. What does this deal do for BHS students? •THE COST PER CAN WILL DROP TO 50 CENTS. •A SNACK MACHINE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STUDENT USE. •THE COKE MACHINE WILL HAVE A LINE OF PEPSI AND MOUNTAIN DEW FOR STUDENT CONSUMPTION. Please feel free to contact a student council member if you have any questions concerning the pop machines or snack machine. Remember, we are here to make your years at BHS a better experience.

The BHS music department will be presenting “A Night out for Music” on March 7. The evening will consist of a dinner served by music students. After dinner, the evening will be highlighted by selections performed by BHS Singers and Stage Band. Profits will provide additional funding for Concert Band and Concert Choir’s spring trip to the music festival in New Orleans. The function is organized by Gini & George MacDonald and Shirly & Lowell Scheibe.

The next two District #877 school board meetings will be held on Tuesday, February 18, and Monday, March 9. Both meetings will be held in the Junior High School Library at 7:30 p.m., and are open to the public.