The Bison – November 25, 1992

The city of Buffalo is trying to pass an ordinance that will prohibit teens from loitering in public areas. The parking lot by Holmquist’s County Market is a popular hangout for a local group of teens, and many people are finding this a problem.

“It started two years ago with the loitering and gathering of teens and young adults in the parking lot. Customers are now being intimidated by their swearing,” said police chief Dan Scott. The congestion, littering, smoking, and drinking has become an increasing problem between the group of students, whose average age is 14 to 20, and the Buffalo residents.

“It has now gotten to the point where businesses are asking for stricter policies, because they are losing patrons,” said Scott. The police initially wanted the teens to take care of themselves and have youth leadership take over, rather than the city. Since this strategy did not work, other measures will be taken.

“There was a request for council action on the proposed ordinance to prohibit loitering,” said Scott. There was an initial meeting on November 2, 1992, where the council voted 4-1 in favor of the ordinance.

“I was the only one who voted against it. I felt it was an infringement on their constitutional rights [to assemble],” said council member Marcia Paulsen.

There were student representatives at the meeting who were arguing in favor of the students. “The council is not looking into the future. They should take more time and spend more money [on the teens],” said senior Kevin Stifle.

The opinions are varied between the council, Buffalo residents and the students. “[The ordinance] gives the police the ability to arrest for loitering and a potential fine. Loitering is a petty misdemeanor,” said council member Fred Naaktgeboren.

There are other options, such as teen centers that may be built in Buffalo to help enforce the ordinance, if it passes.

“We need to look at more opportunities for young people in town such as a pool hall, skate board ramps or a teen center,” said Paulsen.

Some of the employees from Holmquist’s County Market feel that they cannot leave their cars in the east side of the parking lot, because there have been cases of vandalism.

“I understand the arguments [for not having the ordinance], about Constitutional rights, but I think it’s the tool we need to intimidate [the kids],” said Naaktgeboren.

Many of the students agree that the ordinance is not a reasonable measure to take against the group that meet in the parking lot. They feel it is taking away their right to freedom of assembly.

“I think it’s stupid that teens cannot do what they want. If people have a problem about where teens hang out, they should give them a place to go,” said sophomore Kelley Grosinger.

Grosinger’s opinion is echoed by many, thinking that it is all right to “hang out,” within reason. “I don’t understand why they [the teens] can’t be there anymore, as long as they are not doing anything wrong. If so, they can do it somewhere else,” said sophomore Carrie Alberq.

The meeting for the final vote on the ordinance will be December 7. Students are encouraged to attend.

NHS, (National Honor Society) is a group of students at BHS who devote time to helping others in the community through service projects and activities.

“Belonging to NHS makes you realize that you need to help others less fortunate and need to get involved, because everyone makes a difference,” said junior Sarah Opsal.

NHS is an organization that is open to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 9.5 or higher on a 12 point scale. Various other factors determine who ultimately qualifies to become a part of NHS.

“You need to be active in our school and be a positive leader,” said senior Katie Paripovich.

The association meets once a month during mods to plan for and talk about the activities they are involved in. In November, NHS sponsored the Thanksgiving food drive at BHS.

“The food drive helps people in our community who are in need,” said junior Christa Lipinski.

NHS is a service-oriented group of students who help members of the community through individual and group service projects.

“The main purpose of NHS is to be a service organization. Students learn to use and develop their leadership skills to help serve others in our community, country, and world,” said NHS adviser Karen Rebischke.

Members had many reasons for wanting to join NHS.

“It gives an opportunity to excel in my academics while giving my time to others,” said junior Greg Moselle.

Throughout the year, NHS sponsors various fund-raisers. This year, the money that NHS raises will go to the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

“Through NHS, students can learn the importance of helping others, and ways to go about doing it,” said Rebischke.

Students have a voice, and The Bison is here for them to express it. The question is: Do students really have minds? For our first issue, The Bison had a page dedicated solely to current entertainment. For the second issue, space was not available to include it. Well, we got some feedback about that. Not just a little, but many students didn't read anything in the issue, because we didn't include an entertainment section.

If that is all you care about, why are you here at school? You might as well stay home and watch all your precious TV shows. The Bison is not written to entertain you, but to inform you. The staff puts in a lot of hard work to get the highest quality journalism we can achieve. We also work to find all the news that is pertinent to the student body.

If there is a student at BHS left (other than The Bison staff) who did read the paper even without the entertainment section, consider this an item that doesn't apply to you. Instead of wasting your time reading this, tie up the loose ends from the election.

The rest of you need to think beyond yourself. Think about some of the third world countries around the world where people are starving to death. Aren't other people's lives more important than what a couple editors thought about a bunch of movies? If you don't think so, you're going to need a whole lot more help than anyone we know could give you.

You could even DO something for someone besides yourself. Shovel snow for someone who can't. Volunteer for something. You will be surprised how much needs doing, if only someone would do it.

How many students have been killed or injured in an alcohol related accident? We all mourn over the students and wish there was some way we could stop it, but when we still had Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), not many of us joined it.

Now you can sit back in your chair, and let the world go by. Go ahead. Watch as the few intelligent beings become dictators while you apathetically watch, because you might have gotten a paper cut if you read the paper. When people think only of themselves, they fall behind.

So, students of BHS, The Bison calls upon you to help fix the problems. If you don't, who will?

The point we find most annoying is that we've written editorials on your lack of concern about the world around you countless times before. But since we got responses on this issue, you have proven to that you're not apathetic. The entertainment section seems to be the most important part of the newspaper to you.

There is not another newspaper in the world that carries stories on the BHS activities that we do.

If you don't like the topics we cover, join the staff, write a letter to the editor, or give us suggestions. Our office is in room A-2, feel free to drop a note off on your way to class.

In high school, we are told 'Winning is not important. What matters is how hard you try.' We are told that, but there are days when we wonder if that is what we are really taught.

When do we have pep-fests? When a team goes to state or wins an award. Really, we honor the winners. What about all the other teams that try their hardest? Why can't we honor them at their own pep-fest, rather than at a pepfest that is for another winning sport?

One day, we heard in the announcements a lecture on how we aren't supposed to feel intimidated when we face tough competition. We were told that we lost games because we had a poor first half, due to being intimidated. Intimidation is a natural reaction.

If the faculty wants us to learn lessons, maybe they should give some recognition to the groups that may not win all the time, but always give their best try.

To the Editor:

Being at the senior high for almost three years now, I have experienced a lot, seen a lot, and heard a lot. I don't feel that the students at this high school are hearing what they should from the counselors and principals.

Last year I went to go see a counselor about the way the teachers grade. I said, “I don't think that different teachers should grade differently. They should have all the same percentage earnings of other teachers.” The counselor then said, “Well, frankly your opinion doesn't matter around hear!” I left the counselors room that day feeling angered and hurt, with my self esteem lower than the lowest. I thought that a counselor was here to help you rather than hurt you.

A few weeks ago this one girl that I know, told me that the principals always call her down to the office to pick on her about things that don't even matter. Finally, she said that she didn't have to take this, so she said that she could go to a different school. They said, “Fine, we will be glad to see you go!”

I don't feel that the principals or the counselor should say that to a person, because that really knocks their self esteem to rock bottom. How about that one saying that goes: “If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all!”

Furthermore the Student Handbook quotes: “We will do all that we can to help each student in his/her pursuit of academic excellence and personal happiness while they are members of the Buffalo Senior High family.” I don't agree with that at all. My personal happiness does not matter around here.

One last thing, I think that our personal opinions should matter around here! This school should be raising kids self esteem, rather than knocking them!

Editor-in-Chief

Here on The Bison we live in our separate world and speak our own language, so I'll explain a few things to you.

As a columnist, it is my job to complain about all the things that are wrong in the world, in hopes that they'll change for the better. As the reader it is your job to seriously consider what I write and then act upon what you read. Whether you decide I'm a mindless maniac or an intelligent being, that's up to you. Got it?

Now that we know our places, let's begin...

I don't know how the rest of you feel, but I think there is something wrong with the school, mainly the temperature and the students.

Is it too much for us to ask for a comfortable learning environment? I don't think I've spent a day here and decided it was warm inside. (Well, a few rooms are warm but they are few and far between. In general, the rooms are freezing.) And I've spent many weeks here in the summer.

I don't think we, as students, learn very well when all of our energy is used to keep us warm.

Don't tell me to dress for the weather. In the first place, I don't have many winter clothes - I don't know why, but I don't. Some of my classes are very warm some days, in which case I die of heat, or actually sweat -- which would turn to ice in the next class -- if I were to wear warm clothes.

Even in summer, this place is freezing. I'm not going to wear a wool sweater in summer -- unless it's raining.

I took an unofficial survey where I asked a bunch of students which classes were the coldest. This unofficial but fairly accurate survey concluded that the science rooms are the coldest. Noted rooms were: Mr. Emmel's, Mr. Schneider's, Mr. Fiedler's, and Mr. Kiefenhiem's.

The warmest rooms are the computer room, Mr. Urdahl's room, and the English rooms (Mr. Squadroni, Ms. Cary, and Ms. Hagstrom-Dahl). Now you know where to go for mods when you're cold or warm.

Of course, how warm or cold a room is depends on the temperature of the class before. If you have a really warm class one hour, the chances are you'll think the next hour is cold-and vice versa.

My other main concern is the snobs at lunch. I'm talking about the ones that are just too good to wait in line. You might think it's cool or something to not have to wait in line like all of us "nerds". Sure, but is it fair? I have a feeling you are the ones who'd complain the loudest if suddenly they'd turn the line around. Can you say hypocritical?

Before you upperclassmen start in with, "Well, the freshmen deserve it," I want to tell you something, as a junior. I've been standing back there, watching the people pile up in front of me because standing and waiting in line might hurt their feet.

Guess what, guys: Waiting in line and being patient will not kill you. You will not be struck by lightning if you and your snobby friends don't butt in line today. It might just make a few more people like and/or respect you. Isn't life great when you show courtesy?

I' m not here all for complaints. In my lunch line observations, I have noticed a few seniors and juniors who haven't butted in line, yet. That's something I can' t say I have done (I've butted in line twice this year-and I now apologize to those who were behind me. Sorry.) To those upperclassmen, you've now earned my respect for your consideration of others. Thank you for showing a good example for the younger students.

Some of my editors are saying it's tradition for upperclassmen to butt in line. Well, it used to be tradition to shove people into lockers. It used to be tradition to burn people at the stake for being a witch. Traditions are not always fair and right. The people burned at the stake couldn't help it if they were accused of being a witch, and underclassmen can't help it they were born later.

Please, next time you're about to butt into line, think about those behind you.

Well, until the Thanksgiving turkey is finally gone.

Good-bye!

Columnist

Remember last year when the halls ran smooth and fast, and they were only half as crowded as they are now?

Remember how much you complained about them?

Now wouldn't you give almost anything to have those nice peaceful, and tranquil hallways back?

I would.

This year you can hardly walk down the hall this year without eating the wall, or someone else's shoulder at least once or twice.

Sometimes if you can get in the right hallway at the right time you might be able to walk steadily down the hall. If you're not so lucky then you get to do the wedding march. Step, pause, step, pause, step.

If I wanted to go that slow I would crawl on the floor on my hands and knees.

It's almost as bad as traffic in the cities during rush hour. There was a comment made to me one time and it went something like this; "When we drive in traffic, my mom always wonders why I'm so calm all the time. I should tell her because traffic on the roads isn't anything like trying to get to class."

Now, say you do get into a slow hallway -- what happens if you're late to class? Most of the time you end up getting a tardy, the teachers say that there is no excuse, and you should make some changes to help make class on time.

One of the only changes that are possible to make is to carry all your books around with you all day.

The other option, the one the principals will dislike very much, is to go to your locker, get your books for your class, and then wait. Finally, when the halls are almost completely empty, in the last minute before the bell rings, make a dash for it and run to your class.

Mind you, I did say that probably wouldn't be the best option in the principals' minds.

The thing that cracks me up about the whole hall and tardy business is that some of the teachers say they don't even try to venture out during student passing times, because the halls are so crowded.

I know that right now there is no solution for the hallway traffic problem, but I dream of the day the hallways could be twenty feet wide.

Columnist

Hello my dear people. I bring forth to you, today, a spur of the moment piece of art. I got inspired at this very moment and I had to share my thoughts with you. It's food for the brain-kind of like the school lunch.

Today I filled out a survey and this survey asked, "Are these really the best years of your life?"

Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't all of the years of your life consist of SOME torment and pain?

While you're young, you always have your parents hanging on you. Once you get older, high school perhaps, money becomes a problem. When you get even older, there are more problems, like paying bills and rent.

There are a lot of good things that happen in life, but the bad stuff comes, too. It's like they come in pairs.

Everybody has many good memories, but I bet there are some bad ones, too.

And wait, I have yet another subject to bring up.

Today, I was told that the actions of a person tells a lot about their parents. So a question that comes to my mind is: "If I'm irresponsible, are my parents the same way?"

Does that mean that if my parents believe in letting me swear, they're bad people?

I don't believe in that. That's absolutely ridiculous! That's just like saying that kids should be seen and not heard. What's the purpose of being seen, if you can't be heard?

I guess, I just want to finish by saying that there are good and bad things that happen to you in life and I think that you need to be able to voice your opinions on whatever you want.

Adoptions can get tricky in the legal sense, whether you’re talking about the process of actually adopting a child or trying to find the biological parents.

After the child is placed in the adopting family’s home, it is considered the waiting time. The child lives with the family but is not officially adopted, yet.

“Before the adoption is finalized, we had to have a social worker come and observe us. It took about a year, because it was an older child and we had a lot of paper work,” said Judy Jacobson, an English teacher who adopted a child from Korea a few years ago.

The waiting period for adoption can vary anywhere from six months to a year. During this time, social workers will visit the family to see how they’re getting along. They will want to know how the child is adjusting to the parents and how the parents are adjusting to the new child.

“It took a year for us to go through the process of adopting a child, but I think we were lucky. Most people wait longer than that,” said Jacobson.

After being placed in another family and gaining new parents, children are sometimes curious about who their biological parents are. The search for natural parents usually takes a long time and is sometimes unsuccessful.

The main reason people look for their biological parents is to find out a little of their family history and what their biological parents are like.

“If I was adopted I would be curious and want to find out who my birth parents were. I’d want to see whether I have any brothers and sisters and what things I have in common with them,” said sophomore Beth Broll.

While finding biological parents is important to some people, some are not concerned with finding “blood” relations.

“I don’t really care about my birth parents,” said junior Cameron Barry, “These [unclear]parents are my parents now.”

Currently, there is a law in the United States denying access to their birth records to protect the biological parents’ identity. If the United States government changes the law, adopted children will have the right to see their birth certificates when they reach legal adulthood. Birth certificates contain the names and address of their biological parents (at the time of birth). Having these certificates would make it a lot easier for adopted people to search for their biological parents.

People who are adopted and find their birth parents often have many questions they want to ask.

“I would like to know why they gave me up for adoption who my brothers, sisters and other relatives were,” said sophomore Tammi Schmidt.

The search for birth parents can take months, weeks, days, and in often can take years. Sometimes the search takes longer, because people are unwilling to divulge information about the biological parents or because no one knows who they were.

“It would be interesting to find my birth parents, but it would be such a big task. If you’re searching for your parents you should have a good idea where to start, and I have no place to start,” said senior Sara O’Connell, who was adopted from Korea.

Some ways of searching are going to the agency which you were adopted from and asking them for names and addresses of your birth parents, or getting a copy of your birth certificate.

After the birth parents are found and have met their child, they might invite their new-found child back into the family, as if they had always been there.

Some adoptive parents get emotional when the child searches for their biological parents, because they think that now that the child has found their birth parents they won’t need their adoptive parents anymore.

“Some parents might be threatened by their child knowing their biological parents,” said Jacobson.

However, some parents help their children because they realize it is important to them to know what their biological background is.

“I would like my daughter to search for her parents. As she gets older, we’ll help her. It’s important for her sense of identity,” said Jacobson.

Sometimes, the sealed papers can get in the way of the search. The adoption agency has information like names and addresses of people involved in the person’s adoption.

If an adopted child needs help finding parents, the adoption agencies are normally able and sometimes willing to help.

There are many ways to go about adopting a child, from adopting through an agency to independant adoptions. Each has it's pros and each has it's cons.

Many different people throughout the country think about adoptions, from the pregnant teenager who can't afford to keep her baby to the couple who desperately want a child but cannot have one. Everyday, adoption agencies play a very serious role in finding an adoption plan that is in the best interest of the child.

Having an adoption by going through an adoption agency can be a rather long process. Finding the right parents for each child takes a very long time.

First, the girl who is giving the baby up for adoption talks to a social worker about the adoption. They do not make the girl make any final decisions or sign any papers until after the baby arrives. That way, she will be able to see the baby and hold it before making any decisions for the rest of her and the baby's life.

If she does decide to give the baby up for adoption, she will then sign a legal agreement ending her parental rights. The agency will select a family for the child. They will then tell the girl something about the couple they have selected, but she will not learn their names or where they live. In return, the couple will receive the same information about the girl.

The couple who wants to adopt a baby starts to go through the process. First, the couple goes to an adoption agency and fills out an application. Applications vary from agency to agency, but they usually include such information as their ages, the number and ages of children they may already have, the families religious beliefs, their employers, the amount of education the couple has had, and if the mother plans to stay home once they adopt the child.

The second step for the couple is to go through an interview. Each couple gets interviewed together to see how they react with each other, how they feel together about adopting, and if they have accepted that they aren't having their own child. Then, each person is interviewed separately, so that the social worker can get to know them better. The social worker then tries to see how each prospective new parent plans to bring up the child.

After they have gone through interviews, the hopeful parents are then asked for references. Agencies like to check these out to see how long they have been a couple and what qualifications they have as parents. They also contact the couple's employers to see if they seem responsible and are capable of doing their jobs, which helps determine what kind of parents they would make.

After this long process, prospective parents are then put on a waiting list for a child. When their time has finally come up for their child, they change the name on the birth certificate, and the original birth certificate, the adoption papers, and relinquishment signed by the birth parents are then sealed and filed away. Only the social workers at the agency have access to them, they are permanently closed to everybody else.

People who do not want to wait and go through such a long process may turn to independent adoptions.

Independent adoptions are usually set up by a doctor, or lawyer who knows of somebody that would like to adopt a child without going through such a long process.

In an independent adoption, a fee is paid to the person who arranged the adoption and the only waiting period is the time before the baby is born. Many times, in an independent adoption, the adopting couple gets to meet the girl and see what kind of family the baby is coming from.

Both independent and agency adoptions have their problems. In an independent adoption, the girl may decide that she wants the baby after all when she gives birth, but that baby has already been promised to another couple, causing arguements or even legal battles.

Adopting through an agency can also create difficulties. An adopting couple may have to wait a few years on a waiting list and decide that they will turn to an independent adoption.

Above all though, both ways of adopting, independent and through an agency have their advantages.

When adopting through an agency, they act very carefully when selecting parents for the child; they thoroughly research all applicants backgrounds before choosing parents for a child. It also protects the identity of the birth parents, which some birth parents feel is right.

Adopting through an independent agency shows a way that couples can get to know the person who's child they are adopting, the child also may stay in touch with the birth parents.

Whether it's through an agency or through an independent plan, adoption proves to be a decision for people all over the country who might give their child up.

Imagine talking to your parents and suddenly having them tell you that you are adopted. Some students at BHS have been through this and know of the emotions that run through their minds.

Most people can understand the legal processes involved with adoption but few realize what goes on in the minds of adopted children.

"I was overwhelmed as a little girl coming over to a new country and new family. I didn't speak any English, so I had a tutor and learned how to in two months," said senior Sara O'Connell, who was adopted from Korea when she was eight years old.

The reasons for a person being adopted vary, but many adopted students agree that if the adoptive parents are supportive, the adoption is a success.

"I'm happy things turned out the way they did because it didn't really like my 'biological dad.' He was very irresponsible. I'm very happy with my new dad right now," said sophomore Lisa Burling, who was adopted by her step-father.

Sometimes being adopted can make a person feel different from their peers, even though their peers don't make them feel different.

"I guess no one makes me feel different, but I feel so self-conscious that people will pick me out as being adopted," said O'Connell.

While many adoptive students feel different, their families and friends may not notice.

"After a year, you barely think about it, unless a problem comes up," said junior Chris Nevinski, about his adopted younger sisters.

Some students try to understand the emotional aspects of being adopted, but don't fully understand the whole concept because they haven't personally been through it.

"I wouldn't be sad or anything. I'd just be interested to find out information about my biological parents," said junior Lucky Nielsen.

Many students reflected on the special feelings that adoptive children have, because they are in a sense chosen by their parents.

"I'd feel special because someone really wanted me," said senior Darcy Klarstrom.

Not all who are adopted feel special, or even different because of their situation as a adopted child.

"I don't feel different, because I was so young when I was adopted, it's not like I'm missing anything by being adopted," said junior Cameron Barry.

Blood relations are important to many people, but some said that if you're treated like a family member, that's all that matters.

"It shouldn't matter whether or not I have the same 'blood.' If I'm treated like a part of the family, then I am (part of the family)," said junior Angie Baudler.

Some adults that have adopted children feel that adoption is the answer to the problem that plagues America, the problem of children that are living in poor homes or have parents that are too young to care for a child.

"Adoption is one of the answers to the growing problem of unwanted children. It is a good way to solve the problem, because one out of four children is born into poverty," said Joel Squadrani, an English teacher who adopted a child.

Students who have been adopted agree that adoption is a good solution to an unwanted child.

"Adoption is a great way of having a family when you can't have children. If you're pregnant and can't afford to have a baby, give it up for adoption so families that don't have children can have a family," said O'Connell.

Even though some find the adoption process difficult emotionally, they realize there are times that it's necessary to give a child up.

"I wouldn't give a child up for adoption unless it came early in my life when I didn't want it. If I was married, then I wouldn't," said Barry.

Many believe that when deciding to give up a child, the children should come first.

"I'd give a child up for adoption if it was the best for the child," said O'Connell.

While the actresses and actors are performing on the stage, there are many people that play a part in the performance, but go unseen and unnoticed. These people sit behind the sets and help carry out tasks so that the performance runs smoothly and is successful.

The people who are seen, but rarely noticed, are the pit orchestra members. The musicians put in a lot of time and effort practicing, but most people see them more as being aside from the play and don't realize how important they are to the quality of the production.

On the dark stage between scenes you may see another “behind the scenes” group, the set crew. They are responsible for the designing, building, and painting of the sets. Once the performance starts, they have to move the sets on and off the stage as quickly as possible, to keep the play moving along. The publicity crew's work is seen all over town. Their job is to create an interest in the play so people will come to watch it. They design posters, write stories, and make fliers so that people will come to see the play.

The hair, make-up, and costume crews see little action until the first dress rehearsals. They have to get the cast measured for their costumes and make sure they have enough make-up and hair spray, to last them through the performance. These crews used costumes and hairstyles reminiscent of the period in which the play took place, so that the audience would feel that they were really a part of the era.

Even with the work and so little glory, people enjoy being on the play crews. Many join for the fun that they have while on the crew, while some like the gratitude they get from the cast. They get to be a part of the performance without having to be in the spotlight in front of an audience. Some even feel that the chaos and stress are all right, when they realize the importance of their jobs to the end product.

Junior Lisa Aro became the first cross country state champion in BHS history, winning the state meet at St. Olaf on November 7. She won the meet, beating her closest competitor by 11.3 seconds.

Aro crossed the finish line in 11 minutes, 41.0 seconds, while freshman teammate Jenny Fiedler, who was also in the individual race, came in 15th with a time of 12 minutes, 20.7 seconds. Senior Becky Loberg finished the individual race in 37th position. Aro and Fiedler were both named All-State runners.

“It was one of the things I was aiming for,” said Fiedler. Aro brought home the title in her first year of running with the cross country team. She had previously been a member of the swimming and diving team. After losing a couple of early meets this year, Aro won at Princeton, Chaska, and the region meet in Hutchinson. Aro said that at the end of the state race, she was concerned about her lead.

“When I got to the finish line, I was really tired,” said Aro. “I looked back because I thought [the second place runner] was really close.”

The girls’ team as a whole finished in a tie with conference rival Mounds View for fifth with 192 points, but lost the tiebreaker and placed sixth. Buffalo improved from their six-point loss to Mounds View in the conference meet.

“[The sixth place finish] wasn’t what we wanted, but getting sixth in the state is not bad,” said Fiedler.

The boys’ cross country team finished their season placing ninth at the region meet in Hutch. Despite being back in the team standings, all of the runners set personal records in the meet.

“We didn’t do all that bad, because everyone ran their best times,” said senior Mike Manthey. Manthey said that overall, this season turned out well for the boys in what the team expressed as a rebuilding year.

“The season went well, because we had a lot of sophomore guys who contributed a lot,” said Manthey. “They’ll do better next year.”

In the conference meet, Aro, Fiedler, Loberg, and Erin Buselmeyer were named All-Conference for the girls. Manthey was named All-Conference for the boys, placing 15th.

Looking forward to next year, both the girls and boys are hoping to place first or second at regions and advance to the state tournament.

“Both teams, the boys’ and the girls’ teams, are aiming for state,” said Aro. “The girls are aiming to place in the top three.”

COMING DOWN THE STRETCH, junior Lisa Aro pushed towards the finish line in first place at the state cross country meet. Aro finished the race 11 second ahead of the nearest competitor.

The boys’ basketball team will soon be back on the court to start their third North Suburban Conference season.

“This year, the varsity team is aiming to finish in the top half of the conference,” said head coach Neil Fletcher. “The team has three returning starters on the varsity squad. Senior Chris Lund and juniors Troy Duer and Justin Kassulke will lead the team into battle.

Plans are being made for a Basketball Homecoming night. Buffalo basketball team alumni from 1946 through 1992 will be honored during the celebration.

The wrestling team began their practices with the motto: “Rebuilt, reloaded, and ready to shoot.”

The Bison wrestling team is led this year by Aaron Buckley and Frank Birch, who went to the state tournament last year.

“We have nine out of thirteen starters returning,” said coach Gerry Bakke. “Some of the younger guys have potential and will probably come up from behind.”

The two main goals of the team are to win the North Suburban title and place at least sixth in the state tournament. Bakke said that these goals will be hard to achieve, but are possible.

“If we improve as much as we can, we should be tough,” said Bakke.

The Bison ski team prepared to take the slope wiur all of its returning seniors and forty new members.

Dryland practice began on Monday, November,as the team looked forward to beginning downhill runs.

Due to better facilities at Powder Ridge in Kimball, most of the skiers were anxious to begin and ready to go.

Head coach Rick Toso said that the weather will either help or hurt the team.

“Think snow early and we got it made,” said Toso.

With a strong defense at hand, the Bison hockey players are ready to skate.

Seven returning letter-winners are helping to lead the team this year.

With most of the team’s strength in the defense and goal-keeper positions, team members stressed that this was going to be a tough season. Only two forwards returned to the team, forcing the squad to work harder on offensive skills.

The main goal of the team is to place third or fourth in the conference, but head coach Carl Davis thought that they might be able to do better.

“I think that we will be strong enough to [make it to] the state tournaments,” said Davis.

The girls’ gymnastics team is warming up for another season, after placing fourth in the North Suburban Conference last year. Coach Martha Driscoll said that this year, the team is looking to do better.

“This year, our goal is to place second or third,” said Driscoll. “Our only obstacle is Mounds View.”

Many changes have been made for the upcoming season. Coach Driscoll is being joined by a new assistant coaching staff, the balance beams are being recovered in suede, and a new set of uneven bars has been purchased.

FOOTBALL - The Bison football team finished the season with a 4-5 record. Wins for Buffalo included 28-0 over St. Francis, 27-21 over Fridley in double overtime, 28-0 over Centennial at Homecoming, and 29-26 over Totino-Grace. The team lost to Minnetonka, 37-28, in the first round of the Section AA playoffs to end the season.

GIRLS’ TENNIS - The girls’ tennis team finished the regular season with a 7-2 conference record, placing them in third. Junior Kristine Nelson went to the state tournament for the second straight year, but lost in the first round, 6-2, 6-3.

SWIMMING - The Bison swimming and diving squad finished their season November 13 and 14, sending 12 representatives to sections at St. Cloud Tech. None of them advanced, despite a good effort at sub-regions.

SOCCER - The soccer team finished with a 2-14 record. The Bison defeated Delano, 10-0, and Columbia Heights, 8-0. The team lost to Champlin Park, 2-0, in the first round of the region playoffs.

VOLLEYBALL - The volleyball team finished with a 14-11 record after a slow 4-10 start. The team defeated New Ulm in the first round of the region playoffs, 15-12 15-10 15-2, but lost to Chaska in the second round, 15-5 15-10 15-3.

Many students in high school are currently contemplating their choices for post-secondary education. They think about where they would like to attend, and when they would like to go. Some students from BHS have taken advantage of the opportunity to attend a M higher educa-tion facility before the rest of their class.

The program is called post-secondary education. Post-secondary consists of attending college instead of high school, but is not limited to universities. A student can attend technical college, private school, or any other participating facility in MN.

“If students feel stuck (in high school), they can move on to something more challenging,” said counselor Gloria Rose.

It opens up opportunities for students by letting them have their first two years of college done by the time they graduate from high school. Another plus of post-secondary is that it is paid for by the state government. This way, it eliminates the sometimes high cost of tuition. Tuition fees and textbooks are provided at no extra cost to the families.

“I was ready to move on, and excited to start my major in music. I don’t regret my decision at all,” said senior Annie Bergstrom, who is currently attending Bethel College, through the post-secondary program.

Students can enroll in as many classes as are possible in a post-secondary institution, but cannot participate in any high school classes or activities. This factor could be considered a draw-back of the program since a person would miss out on most of the social aspects of their final high school years.

“Personally, I’d rather be at high school my junior and senior year. I’d miss dances and my friends,” said freshman Steve Runyan.

Students may attend college full or part-time. Full-time consists of being enrolled in classes the whole day without study halls. The credits you earn from these classes can go on both high school and college transcripts.

“It really depends upon your maturity level. This is not for everybody,” said Rose.

The year has been a busy one thus far for the members of BHS’s Student Council.

Homecoming week was our biggest project to start the year, for which we started working on back in July. At that time, we all met to come up with the theme: “Something old, something new, Bison homecoming 1992.”

We decided that some changes needed to be made to make Homecoming a little more exciting this year. So we decided to have a Fun Night after the football game and a semi-formal dance on Saturday. The activities not only proved to be successful, but students really had a great time! Our hard work was well worth it when we had such a positive feedback about the week.

Besides Homecoming, however, there are many other things we have worked on to improve your stay at Buffalo Senior High.

Eight members are currently helping with the NCA self study program that is being done in BHS on November 11 and 19.

On October 13, many of us went to a MASC Leadership Workshop at St. Cloud Tech to better our skills as leaders in your school.

Some committees that members have been involved in, include: Freshman Orientation, which was in late August, the Leadership Council, Food Council, DCAC, Teacher Appreciation breakfast and dinner, and Voter Registration for those students who were eligible to vote.

We also feel that our school’s Special Education students are very important and we have two representatives that are on Student Council. Each reports to us every week and tell us what’s happening. These students are Joel Arnes and Angie Weller..

We are currently busy with the Sadie Hawkins dance, which is on Wednesday, November 18. We would love to see all of you there!

If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, feel free to contact any Student Council member. We’re here because of you, and we will gladly accept any input you have to give.