The Bison – October 13, 1989

Sports Editor

The Minnesota legislature passed a new law that would fine $100 and/or sentence up to three years to anyone who sells tobacco products to minors.

The law was designed to prevent young people from smoking. Some students feel the law is unfair, and point to the built-in double standard that it is legal to smoke at 16, but not legal to buy tobacco until 18 under the new law. However, it is a petty misdemeanor for a minor to use tobacco, or related products.

"[Minnesota law makers] should make up their minds," said one smoker.

The sole defense available to a person charged with the crime of selling of tobacco to a minor, is to show that he/she has reasonably, and in good faith, relied on proof of age.

One student who sells tobacco at work, feels that the law will be difficult to enforce.

"I would sell to my (underage) friends, because they wouldn't tell on me," said one student employee.

Other smokers have friends buy cigarettes for them. Some businesses take the new law very seriously. For example, at the Holiday station in Buffalo, employees must wear badges that state: "I check ID for purchases of alcohol and tobacco."

"It's a bad habit, but it makes the stress go away," said one student smoker. Students at BHS smoke for various reasons, stress the most common.

Associate Editor

Is BHS involved in devil worship?

Not long ago, Principal Nick Miller received a call from a woman who insisted that the horoscopes be removed, claiming them to be devil worship.

She was not alone, for a few others (less than five) have called, or written, expressing their concern.

The effect was a disclaimer that appeared above the horoscopes at the beginning of the year.

To most BHS students, reading their daily horoscopes is just fun and something to do after lunch.

"I like to read them, but I don't go by what they say. We read them everyday at lunch, but it doesn't rule our lives," said senior Amy Nieman.

But to some, horoscopes are dangerous. They feel that they border on devil worship or star searching.

"It becomes a god to some," said counselor Mary Lynn Leff.

Self-fulfilling prophecy can also be a problem. "If someone thinks they are going to have a bad day, they will," said Leff.

The school, administration, and library do not necessarily promote or denounce horoscopes.

"Because I have books on racing doesn't mean I promote going out and racing down the highway," said librarian Marsha Paulson.

"If I had reacted to a few phone calls, I don't think that it would be reasonable," said Miller. So the sign above the horoscopes will stay, but so will the horoscopes.

Associate Editor

The fundraising through candy and other food, has been a tradition at BHS, but all this time a school rule has forbidden these sales.

Although the rule was enforced in the past, it was spotty. But last year's abuse of it caused stricter enforcement.

The rule states that non-nutritional foods may not be sold during school hours and no student may approach a staff member to sell fundraising materials. According to federal regulations, no food may be sold in competition with the lunch program, one hour before, or after, serving.

Many sports and activities are funded partially by candy sales. "We are all lacking in imagination when all we can think of is selling consumables," said Styrowl.

Those organizations that are in need of raising funds will have to consider alternatives such as hats, sweat-shirts, etc., that promote school spirit. Or perhaps nutritional snacks could be sold.

"The administration is deciding what we should or should not eat. Who gave them the right to decide what is good or bad for us and if we should have the choice to buy it?" said junior Kerry Koch. "We are asked to learn about making good choices. Give us the chance to do so. If not, we'll never learn how to make the choices on our own."

Many students replace healthy lunch with chocolate. But chocolate is high in fat, cholesterol, and calories. Activities director Nancy Bergert currently has a dietician from the Buffalo hospital studying the effects of chocolate on students.

"I think it's okay [to sell candy bars]. I mean I get hungry for candy sometimes," said junior Cristen Holtorf.

Staff Writer

$100,000 in aid could be lost, if teacher contracts aren't settled by January 15, 1990.

A new state law has been passed to get public teacher contract negotiations to move along faster. Because, on the average, Minnesota takes six to twelve months to decide on a contract, while employing teachers without a contract, or having them work under the previous agreement, for the same length of time.

"Teacher contracts in Minnesota are kind of a joke," said Kip Wold, Chairperson of Negotiations.

A School Board committee has held seven meetings since April, and still hasn't formed a conclusion on teacher contracts.

If the contracts are not settled by January 15, the Minnesota Education Association (MEA) will deduct $33.75 per high school student, $25 per junior high student, and $12.50 per elementary student from the school's state aid, an amount totaling over $100,000. That money could go to other school districts that have settled by the due date.

Currently, negotiations are in arbitration. Spokespeople from each side are meeting to try to come to an agreement.

"Negotiations should be kept at the negotiation table and not in the community," said Wold.

In the past there have been similar cases of long negotiation periods, and teachers working on expired contracts but with the new law in effect this process must now be sped up.

Although it is possible, District #877 has never had a strike, and according to Assistant Principal Darrell Miller, it doesn't look likely.

"I would just like the contracts settled and for everyone to be happy," said Principal Nick Miller, who is not personally involved in negotiations.

Citizens will vote on a proposed tax levy to generate a total of $516,368 on November seventh. The money would be used for the school district.

With the money, the school board hopes to maintain current pupil to staff ratios, curriculum specialists, and support staff, such as librarians. They also hope to be able to expand the math, science, and foreign language programs, as well as special programs for the gifted and talented students. The money would also be used to update materials and purchase software.

“We need this money to maintain the current level [of education],” said Curriculum Director Susan Hagstrum.

Another reason the money is needed, is to prevent unlawful deficit spending by the district. The money would also help district employees in future planning.

If voted into effect, the amount more a person would pay in taxes would depend on the value of their property and personal income.

A person with a home worth of $50,000 and an income of $25,000 to $50,000 would pay about $21. While in the middle, a person with the same income but a $60,000 home would pay $25. At the very top, a person with a home valued at $100,000 would pay about $95.

Farmers would be affected differently. A farm worth $75,000 would be charged $23, while a farmer with a farm worth $150,000 would pay about $95.

In addition to the proposed tax levy, District #877 is filing a suit for unequal state funding. The state provides foundation aid which schools augment with local taxes. Lawyers representing District #877 and several other districts claim that the state should make more of an effort to keep the amount of money in each school district receives equal. This is not the case now because some districts have more property, which generates more tax dollars.

“It’s doesn’t seem right that they [other schools] have more money per person than we do,” said Nell Aldrich, student representative to the School Board.

The all-weather track construction has been put on hold while the School Board awaits a price estimate from a factory consultant.

The proposed all-weather track is a latex or Polyethylene surface that offers safer running and more traction.

“I’ve ran on the gravel track and it’s easy to twist your ankle,” said junior Matt Wickman.

Due to a flooded or wet surface, the gravel track cannot be used in the beginning of the track season. So, the long distance runners and sprinters train on the tarred city roads.

“The kids in our school don’t get the opportunity to train on a latex track, and that gives them a handicap. I realized when I started here, in 1980, that we needed a different track,” said former track coach Boyd Emmel.

Because of the lack of an all-weather track, the BHS track-team seldom hosts meets, usually going to other schools to participate.

“Mound and Hutchinson have latex tracks, Glencoe doesn’t. All nine schools in the North Suburban Conference [next year’s conference] have them,” said Activities Director Nancy Bergert.

The latex, or possibly, polyethylene surface “will be built on the old track,” said Bergert.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Emmel, referring to the proposed all-weather track.

Due to the necessity of an all-weather track to join the North Suburban Conference, BHS has planned to add one.

In previous years, BHS hasn’t seriously considered an all weather track.

“This sends a signal to coaches and players that the School Board and community doesn’t care about the track issue,” said Emmel.

Camps and clinics during the school year? Before the new rule the answer would have been “no”, but now the new rule allows an athlete to attend any sport camp or clinic that the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) has approved.

Free or inexpensive camps are allowed and all must be relatively available to all students.

Any student wishing to attend a clinic or camp must make prior arrangements with a principal to get an excused absence and make up homework.

As for summer camps, the new rule gives more leniency to both students and schools. A student may attend any clinics that he/she wishes, although he/she may not attend one within two weeks prior to the start of the high school sport season. The student or his/her parent(s) must pay for the clinic him/herself. The school may not issue equipment for personal use by players in a non-MSHSL sponsored camp; however, schools may lease or rent equipment out. Schools can even rent out their facilities to non-school clinics.

A student may not attend a non-MSHSL sponsored camp where one of his/her coaches is a staff member during his/her attendance. The non-MSHSL sponsored camp cannot compete with other camps or clinics.

Violations by an attendant of a clinic which is not sanctioned by the Minnesota State High School League will result in the loss of eligibility for the next six consecutive events in that sport.

Information regarding the new camp policy can be found in the current edition of the student handbook.

They are the brain-children of social studies teacher Sue Sodeman.

Born out of Sodeman’s desire to teach rather than babysit, tardy passports have been adopted by 18 of the 61 BHS teachers to handle tardy problems.

The new tardy/detention policy gives teachers the right to decide the punishment of a continually tardy student without giving detention. Therefore, the outbreak of teachers using the passport system.

Part of the appeal of the system is that teachers do not have to give detention or keep track of tardies or even stay after with a tardy student--while rewarding the majority of students who never have tardy problems by allowing the passports to be used as extra credit at the end of the quarter.

“My grades are not the best, but I’m rarely late for class. If I haven’t used up all my passports when this semester is over, I get 15 extra credit points--and I could use that,” said one senior.

Basically, students are given a certain amount of passports, along with a list of rules explaining when they can be used. For example, anytime students forget their books or are late to class, they merely turn over a passport--until they run out of them. Then teachers penalize tardy students by subtracting points in the grade book, usually 5 points per time.

The student body has mixed feelings concerning the tardy passport system.

“I’d rather have detention,” said senior Monica McCarty, “because if you get good grades, but are tardy a lot, you get a lower grade than what you’d get if you didn’t have the passport in the first place. I’m getting graded on my speed to class rather than my intelligence in class.”

Passports are designed to teach responsibility and punctuality, after-all the world does not give detention to those that are late.

“It’s just like a job,” said Assistant Principal Lloyd Styrowll. “If you keep coming to work late, you get fired.”

Visit a foreign country without having to leave the United States.

Concordia Language Villages offer language students a chance to use their learning without even leaving the country, or even the state.

The college owns several camps near Bemidji that are used to promote foreign languages.

Participants enter a “foreign country”, receive passports, and foreign currency replaces American money for the week.

“It’s a fun way to supplement French training,” said Beth Orlowski, the only teacher going this fall.

Many different activities are offered; such as: fencing, boules, slang, modern/folk dancing, cooking, and customs of the foreign country.

“It makes language real,” said German teacher Maija Zaeska.

There are several weekends and mini-weeks allotted to the foreign languages taught at BHS: German, French, and Spanish.

There are two German weekends offered this fall, four for French, and four for Spanish. There are even more weekends offered in the spring. A weekend costs $78 and a mini-week is $105.

Concordia Language Villages is also held during the summer, usually for longer periods of time. There are other various languages offered then, including: Chinese, Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, French, German, and Spanish.

Any language student interested in attending a session of the Foreign Language Camp, should contact either Orlowski or Zaeska.

In the past many actions have twisted the outcome of Homecoming, from the king and queen, to the burning of 26 out-houses and one stolen telephone booth(1981).

The main purpose of Homecoming, is to celebrate the last home football game (or in one past year, a basketball game). “Homecoming is a time that people come together,” said senior Matt Barthel.

In 1946, Homecoming was not a concern of the students, so there wasn’t one. Their main celebration was over the returning soldiers from World War II.

From 1947 to 1981, a bonfire gleamed after the coronation of the king and queen.

Also in 1947, a Homecoming basketball game replaced the traditional football game and an alumni party concluded the events. The 1948, football returned to conclude the Homecoming week. It has been this way ever since.

In 1952, three students played a trumpet fanfare before the coronation ceremony, according to the 1952 Tatanka.

Bonfires, bands, dances, alumni celebrations, etc. were part of the events in Homecoming history.

Since 1946, two events have been canceled, the alumni party and the bonfires. The bonfires were canceled because of the seniors; who had taken 26 out-houses and one telephone booth, according to the 1981 Tanaka.

Again this year, Homecoming week came to a conclusion with a dance, sponsored by the student council. The dance started at 9:00 p.m., after the football game. The band, The Max, played many hits from such groups as: R.E.M, U2 and other popular bands.

Started out of the need for parents to be involved in their children’s social life, the Parent Communication Network, (PCN), was adopted by District #877 last year.

PCN originated in the hopes that parents would better understand students and their day-to-day problems, and that parents would be able to meet with other parents with similar communication problems.

It was started by Sue Blaszczak from Apple Valley, the coordinator for the whole state of Minnesota. Blaszczak even attended the first PCN meeting at BHS.

PCN will be sponsoring many different activities through out the year, some of the suggested ideas are to hold such events as dances, pizza parties and ice cream socials, after sporting events such as football or basketball games.

“We are thinking about an alternative to the Prom,” said Jan Hance, a member of the PCN.

There are some commitments that the new members of PCN have to make; such as, only holding activities that are chemical free, always making sure there is an adult at any party that their child attends, and always making sure to communicate with other parents on various issues of concern.

Parents are encouraged to attend the free classes anytime.

There are also many other organizations that are set up in the event that parents are having a hard time dealing with their children, some of which are: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP), Developing Understanding of Self and Others (DUSO), Family Education classes in Wright County, along with the District #877 Community Education program, whose philosophy is to develop a better relationship with their children.

A new Post Secondary Options, Minnesota Community College rule went into effect this year with North Hennepin and other community colleges.

Students must now be in the upper half of their class to be able to go to college in their senior year, and in the upper 25 percent of their class to go in their junior year. It is also possible to get into Post Secondary by having an authorized note written by a principal to the college admissions department.

“I think students should be able to go to college in their senior year even if their grades aren’t in the top 50th percentile because they might make it in college but not in high school,” said junior Tracy Beise.

Currently, 15 seniors and four juniors are enrolled in the program. 15 of these 19 students are attending North Hennepin Community College. Others are currently enrolled at St. Cloud State University, Northwestern, Bethel, or Concordia.

To get into Post Secondary Options, minors must have their parent(s) sign a permission slip and meet with a counselor. The student must register for classes at BHS, if he/she wants the college credits to transfer into high school credits.

“Post Secondary’s a good idea if your ready for college and not challenged by high school. It’s a chance to enrich your education,” said counselor Richard Bakken.

A student must make a counselor’s appointment for each subsequent quarter or semester approval, since it is possible to transfer back to high school.

If a student chooses to accept college credits, the cost is their responsibility. If the student requests high school credits, it is then the schools responsibility to pay for the classes.

If after a quarter or semester, a student were to decide that he/she was no longer interested in participating in the Post Secondary program, before the term is over, he/she must file withdrawal forms with the college and meet a high school counselor to make a new schedule. If negligent in filing the necessary forms, a student may receive a failing grade.

Visit a foreign country without having to leave the United States. Concordia Language Villages offer language students a chance to use their learning without even leaving the country, or even the state. The college owns several camps near Bemidji that are used to promote foreign languages. Participants enter a “foreign country”, receive passports, and foreign currency replaces American money for the week. “It’s a fun way to supplement French training,” said Beth Orlowsky, the only teacher going this fall. Many different activities are offered; such as: fencing, boules, slang, modern/folk dancing, cooking, and customs of the foreign country. “It makes language real,” said German teacher Maija Zaeska. There are several weekends and mini-weeks alloted to the foreign languages taught at BHS: German, French, and Spanish. There are two German weekends offered this fall, four for French, and four for Spanish. There are even more weekends offered in the spring. A weekend costs $78 and a mini-week is $105. Concordia Language Villages is also held during the summer, usually for longer periods of time. There are other various languages offered then, including: Chinese, Danish, Finnish, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Swedish, French, German, and Spanish. Any language student interested in attending a session of the Foreign Language Camp, should contact either Orlowsky or Zaeska.

In the past many actions have twisted the outcome of Homecoming, from the king and queen, to the burning of 26 outhouses and one stolen telephone booth(1981). The main purpose of Homecoming, is to celebrate the last home football game (or in one past year, a basketball game). “Homecoming is a time that people come together,” said senior Matt Barthel. In 1946, Homecoming was not a concern of the students, so there wasn’t one. Their main celebration was over the returning soldiers from World War II. From 1947 to 1981, a bonfire gleamed after the coronation of the king and queen. Also in 1947, a Homecoming basketball game replaced the traditional football game and an alumni party concluded the events. The 1948 football returned to conclude the Homecoming week. It has been this way ever since. In 1952, three students played a trumpet fanfare before the coronation ceremony, according to the 1952 Tatanka. Bonfires, bands, dances, alumni celebrations, etc. were part of the events in Homecoming history. Since 1946, two events have been canceled, the alumni party and the bonfires. The bonfires were canceled because of the seniors; who had taken 26 outhouses and one telephone booth, according to the 1981 Tanaka. Again this year, Homecoming week came to a conclusion with a dance, sponsored by the student council. The dance started at 9:00 p.m., after the football game. The band, The Max, played many hits from such groups as: R.E.M, U2 and other popular bands.

Started out of the need for parents to be involved in their children’s social life, the Parent Communication Network, (PCN), was adopted by District #877 last year. PCN originated in the hopes that parents would better understand students and their day-to-day problems, and that parents would be able to meet with other parents with similar communication problems. It was started by Sue Blaszczak from Apple Valley, the coordinator for the whole state of Minnesota. Blaszczak even attended the first PCN meeting at BHS. PCN will be sponsoring many different activities throughout the year, some of the suggested ideas are to hold such events as dances, pizza parties and ice cream socials, after sporting events such as football or basketball games. “We are thinking about an alternative to the Prom,” said Jan Hance, a member of the PCN. There are some commitments that the new members of PCN have to make; such as, only holding activities that are chemical free, always making sure there is an adult at any party that their child attends, and always making sure to communicate with other parents on various issues of concern. Parents are encouraged to attend the free classes anytime. There are also many other organizations that are set up in the event that parents are having a hard time dealing with their children, some of which are: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting (STEP), Developing Understanding of Self and Others (DUSO), Family Education classes in Wright County, along with the District #877 Community Education program, whose philosophy is to develop a better relationship with their children.

A new Post Secondary Options, Minnesota Community College rule went into effect this year with North Hennepin and other community colleges. Students must now be in the upper half of their class to be able to go to college in their senior year, and in the upper 25 percent of their class to go in their junior year. It is also possible to get into Post Secondary by having an authorized note written by a principal to the college admissions department. “I think students should be able to go to college in their senior year even if their grades aren’t in the top 50th percentile because they might make it in college but not in high school,” said junior Tracy Beise. Currently, 15 seniors and four juniors are enrolled in the program. 15 of these 19 students are attending North Hennepin Community College. Others are currently enrolled at St. Cloud State University, Northwestern, Bethel, or Concordia. To get into Post Secondary Options, minors must have their parent(s) sign a permission slip and meet with a counselor. The student must register for classes at BHS, if he/she wants the college credits to transfer into high school credits. “Post Secondary’s a good idea if your ready for college and not challenged by high school. It’s a chance to enrich your education,” said counselor Richard Bakken. A student must make a counselor’s appointment for each subsequent quarter or semester approval, since it is possible to transfer back to high school. If a student choses to accept college credits, the cost is their responsibility. If the student requests high school credits, it is then the schools responsibility to pay for the classes. If after a quarter or semester, a student were to decide that he/she was no longer interested in participating in the Post Secondary program, before the term is over, he/she must file withdrawal forms with the college and meet a high school counselor to make a new schedule. If negligent in filing the necessary forms, a student may receive a failing grade.

Relief from the burden of real life is grand. The decisions we supposedly are making for ourselves during our teenage years, like whether to smoke or not, prepare us for life. Or do they?

In Germany there is no such thing as a drinking age. The German teens socially drink, and feel no need to get “plastered” on weekends to be “cool.” They know alcohol is available to them, and abuse loses it’s ambience of entertainment. Abuse does exist, but on a much smaller scale. The entire meaning of drinking is as a means, not an end--a means of meeting friends, not just drinking to get drunk.

When decisions are made for us we lose common sense practice. The power in individuality is in decision making, and the decisions made for us by law provide for no self-development.

The more restrictive the law becomes in relation to our personal lives, the less energetic the future generation will be. In a time of swelling international competition, we cannot afford to stunt the mental development of future citizens.

Some Americans possess memories of their own experiences with government restriction. The Prohibition movement during the 1920’s spurred a massive illegal liquor trafficking movement when made law which could only be stopped through revocation. When a bias judgement became law, the voters recognized the error and corrected it.

Education is the key to decision making skills. If we have students who cannot make responsible decisions, the answer is not to make the decisions for them. If choices are made for them, we will have adults who cannot make decisions within a few years span--and that, then, is not education.

The school has separated us from the real world once again. Years ago it was open-campus. This time it’s the selling of candy bars.

We can understand the federal government not allowing the sale of “junk food” one hour before and one hour after a federally supported lunch program, and BHS’s compliance with that order. It means money.

The Bison cannot understand why open-campus is feared by the administration on the grounds that it would destroy the school lunch program.

The administration states in one corner of the office that they want to teach us how its like in the “real” world--see the school mission statement. Then in another corner it decides to not let anyone see what the real world is.

The food service can give us good-for-you, nutritious meals but they don’t have to lower prices or make better food because the kiddies have to eat it, as nothing else is available. We are taught in the classrooms that one of the most basic ideas of Adam Smith, the person that explained our capitalistic society, is that wages go up, quality goes up, and prices go down as competition grows.

True for the classroom and the real world, but not for the mall.

A main argument behind the open campus is that if we open the campus, no one will eat the school lunch. Perhaps that says something about the quality of the food.

Maybe competition would force quality up and even increase the amount of people eating school lunches.

A little competition might do the school more good than harm.

Halloween is the perfect holiday to cut loose. Some of my earliest childhood memories connect to this holiday, and it was a time to fantasize, dream, and lose my perception of reality for a night.

How my childish, mystic habits remain? I mean the little stuff--like a fear of the dark or stepping on the cracks in a sidewalk? There is a scope of this hocus-pocus stretching from the crazy to the generally accepted voodoo.

The black cats, broken mirrors, and paths under ladders are absurd. These beliefs, for the most part, are not taken seriously. Although they have the same origin as many modern day beliefs, they are seen as “primitive” somehow by our moderneye. However, knocking on wood is not that far removed from TV evangelism.

As you move toward the center of the belief spectrum, you encounter other variations of mystical teachings that receive a much wider embrace from modern people. What’s the difference?

The more someone tries to ride the trolley to the land of make-believe, the less rational his or her life becomes.

When I was younger I would envision a world of supernatural powers that gave me more control over my surroundings. I once tried believing with all my might in “The Force”, but it never did suck my flashlight across the room into my hand--and never will. To sum up what I now think, I paraphrase a comment made by a friend of mine: collect “wishes-come-true” in one hand and “excrement” in the other, and see which gets full the quickest.

Faith can be an elaborate or a simple fantasy. The belief in values, historical events, and even laws on the basis that there is no proven reason is not rational. You can place your full emotional power behind a belief in pink polka-dotted elephants, but you won’t find one. You can continually meditate to the entity of pink polka-dotted elephants, or wear a pink polka-dotted elephant charm, and still no such animal will exist.

Faith in people is another reality dodge. Trust can be earned. While I trust many people, I have faith in none because faith implies an insupportable belief, an assumption of good character embedded in a society reminiscent of Utopia. When I see someone show positive qualities, my trust in them grows. When I see them do something moronic, it shrinks. Simple. Heros and friends are human.

Faith is soothing, tempting, and secure because we modify our own feelings as we want to. Since faith, by definitions can have no factual basis, we make up our own rules. People love to hide reality, and can be seduced into a dream world in the short term. Nonetheless, in all the people who hide from reality in society, it’s the drug addicts and alcoholics that seem noticed most often.

My Halloween illusions were fun, especially Star Wars.

Like Obie Wan Kenobe said, “May the Force be with you.”

But then, too, was just pretend.

Two things I can write about, am expert enough to know what I am talking about: my fears and my family. A funny thing though. They are, to some degree, one in the same.

Phobias.

We all have them--some are weirder than others. People are afraid of heights, water, open spaces, closed spaces, furry things, and peanut-butter sticking to the roof of one’s mouth.

But I believe I have the est, strangest phobia of all--the fear that when we are saying the Lord’s Prayer in church that I am the only one standing.

It happened to me once, and since then every time I stand up, I look behind me left and then right. Slowly and carefully.

No kidding.

Family.

We all have them--some are weirder than others.

In my family phobias are king. The most serious phobia has attacked my brother Kyle, age three. Plagued with the fear that he will not have clothing with the Superman emblem, the phobia we ascribe to him is called Lex-Lutherophobia. He has Superman pajamas, five Superman t-shirts, assorted capes (with farmer handkerchiefs as substitutes) and Batman t-shirts as a back up.

He has to wear Superman clothing at all times.

This is a problem Sunday mornings. We have to convince him that wearing his Sunday Best is really his Clark Kent clothes. He constantly rips open his shirt, like in the Superman movies, and hums the Superman theme during the sermon or the three-fold benediction--much to the displeasure of the 90 year-old ladies who glare toward the Bakke family pew.

Such a sad illness for a boy so small.

My two sisters are free from the phobia bug--that’s why they don’t understand the rest of us.

Eric, the most renowned senior at BHS (or anywhere as he claims), has no phobias. He is one.

No kidding.

My brother Shawn, however, is stricken with Twins-Vikesa-phobia. This condition makes his grades go down every time there is a Minnesota team in the playoffs, Superbowl, World Series, playing on television, radio, or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere--except the North Stars.

He is a Bakke, after all.

And then there is my beloved father, the pride of the Buffalo Wrestling team.

But then that’s another story.

No kidding.

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Things that go bump in the night: I used to be afraid of things that go bump in the night. But one evening I said to myself: “Hey, you don’t even know the things that go bump in the night.” I dragged myself off my comfortable middle-class American couch and grabbed a phone book:

Things that grow lumps in the night: 555-4372
Things that go bump in the night: 555-3279
Things that go dump in the day: 555-3278
Things that grate cheese in the night: 666-2020

I dialed 555-3279. A few seconds later, the message: “We are sorry. The number 5-5-5-3-2-7-9 is no longer service,” played like a bad piano. I called the operator again.

The operator gave me the number 555-3298 and asked me if I knew the things that go bump in the night personally.

“No, do you?”

“Well my friend Rosasally knows them. And they’re just the nicest things that do something in the night that you could imagine.”

I thanked her and hung up. I called the new number, and after a few seconds the message: “We’re sorry. The number 555-3298 is no longer in service,” crackled through the receiver.

I called the operator again and told her Rosasally doesn’t know squat.

Not even doodley-squat.

I trolled through the sleazy clubs like they do on T.V., and asked sleazy bartenders where I could find the things that go bump in the night. No dice. They weren’t shaking.

I went to an occult shop and bought a Ouija board. No dice.

I looked in all my board games. All the same: not a single pair of dice.

Eventually I gave up my search for the things that go bump in the night, but I did buy a nice shiny pair of dice, and I did call up that operator and take her out to dinner.

Epilogue: I figure that things that go bump in the night probably aren’t all that bad.

Two things I can write about, am expert enough to know what I am talking about: my fears and my family. A funny thing though. They are, to some degree, one in the same.

Phobias.

We all have them--some are weirder than others. People are afraid of heights, water, open spaces, closed spaces, furry things, and peanut-butter sticking to the roof of one's mouth.

But I believe I have the weird-est, strangest phobia of all--the fear that when we are saying the Lord's Prayer in church that I am the only one standing.

It happened to me once, and since then every time I stand up, I look behind me left and then right. Slowly and carefully.

No kidding.

Family.

We all have them--some are weirder than others.

In my family phobias are king.

The most serious phobia has attacked my brother Kyle, age three. Plagued with the fear that he will not have clothing with the Superman emblem, the phobia we ascribe to him is called Lex-Lutherophobia. He has Superman pajamas, five Superman t-shirts, assorted capes (with farmer handkerchiefs as substitutes) and Batman t-shirts as a back up.

He has to wear Superman clothing at all times.

This is a problem Sunday mornings. We have to convince him that wearing his Sunday Best is really his Clark Kent clothes. He constantly rips open his shirt, like in the Superman movies, and hums the Superman theme during the sermon or the three-fold benediction--much to the displeasure of the 90 year-old ladies who glare toward the Bakke family pew.

Such a sad illness for a boy so small.

My two sisters are free from the phobia bug--that's why they don't understand the rest of us.

My brother Shawn, however, is stricken with Twins-Vikesa-phobia. This condition makes his grades go down every time there is a Minnesota team in the play-offs, Super bowl, World Series, playing on television, radio, or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere--except the North Stars.

He is a Bakke, after all.

And then there is my beloved father, the pride of the Buffalo Wrestling team.

But then that's another story.

No kidding.

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Things that go bump in the night: I used to be afraid of things that go bump in the night. But one evening I said to myself: “Hey, you don't even know the things that go bump in the night.” I dragged myself off my comfortable middle-class American couch and grabbed a phone book:

Things that grow lumps in the night: 555-4372
Things that go bump in the night: 555-3279
Things that go dump in the day: 555-3278
Things that grate cheese in the night: 666-2020

I dialed 555-3279. A few seconds later, the message: “We are sorry. The number 5-5-5-3-2-7-9 is no longer service,” played like a bad piano. I called the operator again.

The operator gave me the number 555-3298 and asked me if I knew the things that go bump in the night personally.

“No, do you?”

“Well my friend Rosasally knows them. Rosasally says that they're just the nicest things that do something in the night that you could imagine.”

I thanked her and hung up. I called the new number, and after a few seconds the message: “We're sorry. The number 555-3298 is no longer in service,” crackled through the receiver.

I called the operator again and told her Rosasally doesn't know squat.

Not even doodley-squat.

I trolled through the sleazy clubs like they do on T.V., and asked sleazy bartenders where I could find the things that go bump in the night. No dice. They weren't shaking.

I went to an occult shop and bought a Ouija board. No dice.

I looked in all my board games. All the same: not a single pair of dice.

Eventually I gave up my search for the things that go bump in the night, but I did buy a nice shiny pair of dice, and I did call up that operator and take her out to dinner.

Epilogue: I figure that things that go bump in the night probably aren't all that bad.

Starting the new year in a new atmosphere is a problem which 49 new students had to deal with this year at BHS.

A new students lifestyle is usually changed in every prospect. The school, the friends, the clothes, everything changes right down to the smallest detail. Something that is so insignificant as a simple bus ride. Junior Nichol Vogt said, “It’s strange for me to ride the bus every day and see the cows outside. I’m used to riding the bus down the boulevard and seeing hookers.”

The hookers were one of the many reasons that the Vogt’s have changed school systems. There were more reasons such as the every day drug and gang activity, students beating up teachers, and living right in the center of the unwanted activity. So, changing schools is not always for the worst, even from the students point of view. Most of the students said that they really enjoy this school and all of the activities in it. The students are waiting to see how the rest of this years’ events turn out after homecoming is over. Sophomore Chantelle Hartman said, “The rules are pretty tough and there is no open campus, but I really like the school spirit.”

“It like we can go out and see, but then it gives me a chance to meet new people and gain more friends,” said junior Kari Strybicky.

Their backgrounds are varied from KQRS’s front office to the plains of Nebraska. What the five new teachers have in common is, they’re all the “new kids on the block.”

Remember days of riding a horse to school, winters with 40 foot snow drifts, and chasing cows out of the school yard? Jackie Collins, BHS’s new Speech Clinician, remembers it well. Collins formerly taught at a number of schools in Nebraska where these things still happen, before she came to Buffalo. “The only way to make it to school was to drive 40 miles into nothing in my 4x4,” Collins said.

Collins remembers total school enrollment of about 10 students. She looks back on this as “experiencing something others aren’t even aware of.”

Collins helps students with stuttering, and reading and writing difficulties. She would enjoy staying here in Buffalo for awhile, after all, we have roads.

Seven years ago, Kathy Houston was a secretary/receptionist at KQRS. Today she is a bus driver and also the newest Life Studies teacher at BHS.

A motto of Houston’s is, “Make sure you always have another career to back you up in life.”

After Houston went back to school and got her Bachlors degree, she came to Buffalo. She explained her change in lifestyle as, “grasping as much from life as I can in a healthy manner.”

Even though days at KQRS were “funnier than WKRP,” Houston is enjoying the change of pace.

Kristin Osterberg entered college without knowing if she would become a teacher or not. Osterberg’s first year of teaching was “easy to prepare for but once you get in the classroom the easy part ends.” Osterberg is impressed with Buffalo’s sense of community. “Everyone knows what’s going on here,” Osterberg added.

She started teaching at Mankato, so Buffalo is a far cry from the large population there. But for Osterberg it was a nice transition. “She describes Buffalo as an “aware” place.

When Pamela Ramstad arrived at BHS, she was a welcome surprise to her students.

All Spanish students were set for a year of learning the language on the interactive cable tv’s. Ramstad said, “it’s better for the students to be able to interact with a teacher right here.”

Since Buffalo has never had a Spanish teacher, new books were ordered. “I intend to pick up things as I go along,” said Ramstad.

Living in Mexico for six weeks helped Ramstad add insight to her subject and she fully intends to use it.

Jerre Rambow, BHS’s new Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, intends to turn the Ag. Department around and expose the students to the consumer end of agriculture. He also plans to build up the FFA program.

Rambow traveled to such places as Scotland, England, Germany, New York, and Chicago with FFA and would like to see a more active chapter here at BHS.

Rambow believes that farming used to be farming, but today it’s a big money business and plans to make sure his students are aware of that.

Washington D.C. HSGN News Service Fatty foods and poor exercise routines follow American teenagers to school, according to two national surveys. In its survey of school food service directors, the Public Voice for Food and Health Policy, a consumer advocacy group, found that most said they could serve students better lunches if the federal government reduced the amount of fat in its food supplements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides schools with such foods as hamburger, butter, and cheese. About 20 percent of school food comes from the USDA.

Washington, D.C. HSGN News Service Classroom censorship is alive and well, a national freedom of expression watchdog group announced late last month. In its annual survey, People for the American Way said during 1988-89 there were 172 incidents of textbook and idea censorship in schools. Last year, the group reported 157 cases. Shortly after it released its survey, the group endorsed the notice that “high school students should have the same rights of freedom of speech and freedom of press as adults.” The group, the First Amendment Congress, a notional foundation made up of members of the working press, sent the message in a one-page press release to educators nationwide. The Student Press law Center based in Washington, E.C., claims high school newspaper censorship is up 22 percent since the 1988 U.S. Supreme Court ruling -- known as the “Hazelwood” decision -- which gave principals more authority to regulate newspaper content.

Bethlehem, PA HSGN News Service Science textbooks that predominantly feature photos of men are discouraging high school females from pursuing chemistry and engineering careers, a university researcher contends. In her study of seven best-selling chemistry textbooks, Lehigh University professor Judith Bazler found that only one included a balance of male and female illustrations. She says young women are reluctant to enter the science world because they perceive it as a man’s domain. Now about only 15 percent of the freshman entering engineering schools are women. In 1983, 17 percent were women.

Sigrid Abele, a German foreign exchange teacher, is helping German teacher, Maija Zaska, as a new edition to the Foreign Language Department and plans to help teach until the middle of January. American schools differ greatly compared to German schools. While American schools are made up of junior and senior high schools, Germany has three different kinds of schools after students are out of fourth grade. Germany separates its students into different schools because German students must know by fourth grade what they are going to do with their future. The lowest school includes fifth through ninth grades. The middle school consists of fifth through tenth grades, while the highest school contains fifth through thirteenth grades. “The only thing in Germany that counts, is their grades. In America, colleges look at not only your grades, but what sports you have participated in, and extracurricular activities,” said Abele. Not many students work in Germany during the week, they only work during vacation, so they have more time to put toward their studies. Church attendance also differs widely. More Americans go to church every week compared to Germans, who generally go just on Christmas, Easter, and once every few weeks. Abele is enjoying being in the United States. “I like to meet people, tour the country, play sports, and am looking forward to snowmobiling, because we don’t have it in Germany,” said Abele. Abele would like to come back to visit, but she wouldn’t want to stay here because all of her family and friends are in Germany.

With the cost of college growing every year, 300,000 people will join the Armed Forces this year. Although some enlist for a career, many more join for the millions of dollars in benefits given to students planning to go to college. “In 1980, $8,000,000 of Army College Fund money went to education,” said Sergeant Barbara Ray of the Army Recruiting Office in Buffalo. Three different Army College Fund plans exist. The first describes that after two years of service a recruit can acquire $17,000 towards a college education. The three year plan pays $22,800 and the four year plan earns a student $25,200. Recruits must be 17 years old to sign up. “There isn’t a better college fund out there,” said Sergeant Ray. The Montgomery G.I. Bill is open to both the Army and Marines. Participation requires a recruit to contribute $1,200, paid in twelve monthly payments, and the Armed Forces will donate $9,600 for a grand total of $10,800 towards college, said Sergeant Eberle of the Marines Recruiting Office in Crystal. In part-time reserve duty, $5,040 is added to a recruit’s fund with no personal contribution needed. Eligibility for educational benefits of $140 per month starts after six months of service, said Eberle.

Starting the new year in a new atmosphere is a problem which 49 new students had to deal with this year at BHS. A new students lifestyle is usually changed in every prospect. The school, the friends, the clothes, everything changes right down to the smallest detail. Something that is so insignificant as a simple bus ride. Junior Nichol Vogt said, “It’s strange for me to ride the bus every day and see the cows outside. I’m used to riding the bus down the boulevard and seeing hookers.” The hookers were one of the many reasons that the Vogt’s have changed school systems. There were more reasons such as the every day drug and gang activity, students beating up teachers, and living right in the center of the unwanted activity. So, changing schools is not always for the worst, even from the students point of view. Most of the students said that they really enjoy this school and all of the activities in it. The students are waiting to see how the rest of this years’ events turn out after homecoming is over. Sophomore Chantelle Hartman said, “The rules are pretty tough and there is no open campus, but I really like the school spirit.” “It like is when I had my own friends there, then it gives me a chance to meet new people and gain more friends,” said junior Kari Strybicky.

Their backgrounds are varied from KQRS’s front office to the plains of Nebraska. What the five new teachers have in common is, they’re all the “new kids on the block.” Remember days of riding a horse to school, winters with 40 foot snow drifts, and chasing cows out of the school yard? Jackie Collins, BHS’s new Speech Clinician, remembers it well. Collins formerly taught at a number of schools in Nebraska where these things still happen, before she came to Buffalo. “The only way to make it to school was to drive 40 miles into nothing in my 4x4,” Collins said. Collins remembers total school enrollment of about 10 students. She looks back on this as “experiencing something others aren’t even aware of.” Collins helps students with stuttering, and reading and writing difficulties. She would enjoy staying here in Buffalo for awhile, after all, we have roads. Seven years ago, Kathy Houston was a secretary/receptionist at KQRS. Today she is a bus driver and also the newest Life Studies teacher at BHS. A motto of Houston’s is, “Make sure you always have another career to back you up in life.” After Houston went back to school and got her Bachlors degree, she came to Buffalo. She explained her change in lifestyle as, “grasping as much from life as I can in a healthy manner.” Even though days at KQRS were “funnier than WKRP,” Houston is enjoying the change of pace. Kristin Osterberg entered college without knowing if she would become a teacher or not. Osterberg’s first year of teaching was “easy to prepare for but once you get in the classroom the easy part ends.” Osterberg is impressed with Buffalo’s sense of community. “Everyone knows what’s going on here,” Osterberg added. She started teaching at Mankato, so Buffalo is a far cry from the large population there. But for Osterberg it was a nice transition. She describes Buffalo as an “aware” place. When Pamela Ramstad arrived at BHS, she was a welcome surprise to her students. All Spanish students were set for a year of learning the language on the interactive cable tv’s. Ramstad said, “it’s better for the students to be able to interact with a teacher right here.” Since Buffalo has never had a Spanish teacher, new books were ordered. “I intend to pick up things as I go along,” said Ramstad. Living in Mexico for six weeks helped Ramstad add insight to her subject and she fully intends to use it. Jerre Rambow, BHS’s new Agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, intends to turn the Ag. Department around and expose the students to the consumer end of agriculture. He also plans to build up the FFA program. Rambow traveled to such places as: Scotland, England, Germany, New York, and Chicago with FFA and would like to see a more active chapter here at BHS. Rambow believes that farming used to be farming, but today it’s a big money business and plans to make sure his students are aware of that.

Students face difficult questions about the future; such as what to do after high school. Several students decide to go to college and don’t know where to start. Last year at BHS, 37% of the graduates went to four year colleges while 8% went to two year colleges, and 18% went to vocational schools, according to counseling secretary Ann Bullert.

Making a list of reasons to go to college and what interests them helps students start the process of choosing the best college for each student.

“Kids tend to just look at college characteristics. They should first make a self-assessment of what interests them,” said counselor Gloria Rose.

Studying hard and developing good study habits in high school also helps when preparing for college, said Rose. “And I don’t mean to just get an A.”

Talking with counselors can help students generate lists of colleges that may interest them. Several books and brochures on different colleges are available for students to look at and ask questions about in the counseling office.

Appointments are available to make with any of the three counselors: Mary Lynn Leff, Nick Bakken, and Gloria Rose.

Current or former college students, such as older siblings, friends and relatives, teachers, and parents can also answer questions about college and assist in sorting out priorities.

Regarding college characteristics also help students narrow their list of possible colleges.

Some characteristics to consider are the:
-Type of academic program (university, college, community college, vocational-technical school, or specialized institute)
-Majors available
-Cost
-Opportunities for financial aid
-Size of enrollment
-Admission selectivity
-Control or affiliation, (public, private/independent, or private/church related)
-Type of community
-Minority representation
-Male/female ratio
-Types of housing available
-Specialized programs for students with disabilities
-Campus activities
-Athletic program

College representatives often visit BHS to explain what their schools have to offer to students during mods in the counseling office.

Representatives give an overview of their college, tell why their college is a good place to go, and give features of their college, said Leff. “I think they’re great.” Representatives can also tell what tests are required for entrance, and what kind of financial aid is available for their colleges.

Another way for students to get a better assessment of their abilities is by taking college entrance exams such as the PSAT, (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude), SAT, (Scholastic Aptitude Test), and the ACT, (American College Test) which evaluate general academic development in several subjects. No studying for these tests is needed since students have been preparing since they started school.

All possible test dates for the SAT are Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Jan. 27, Mar. 31, May 5, and June 2. The ACT is scheduled for Oct. 28, Dec. 9, Feb. 10, Apr. 7, and June 9. The PSAT will not be given again this school year. Specific dates for when tests will be given will later be announced.

Many students start thinking about college late in the running and can miss out on opportunities for looking for, and deciding on which college they want to go to so proper planning can help.

Some information provided by ACT Midwest Regional Office.

Timetable for college planning

Freshman Year
Explore your reasons for going to college. Assess your personal and academic strengths. Talk to your parents, teachers, and friends about your interests and goals. Talk to college students about their experiences.

Sophomore Year
Consult with your guidance counselor. After taking the PSAT, meet with your college counselor to discuss the results of PSAT/NMSQT.
Begin exploring colleges. Consider taking achievement tests subjects you plan to discontinue. Begin consulting college handbooks. Attend college fairs.

Junior Year
Take the PSAT/NMSQT and appropriate college-entrance tests and/or achievement tests. Consult college handbooks, visit with college representatives. Learn about college course offerings, size, location, admission requirements, deadlines, and costs. Attend college fairs and college night programs.
Try to visit many colleges and narrow your list to five or six choices. If considering early decision, register for May SATs and June achievement tests. Where appropriate, make interview appointments for the early fall.

Senior Year
Meet with your guidance counselor if you need to consider a major change in plans or type of college. Otherwise, send for applications.If applying for early decision, service academies, or ROTC scholarships, submit your application by Oct. or Nov. deadlines.
Begin working on applications. Some important reminders include:
Meet each college’s deadline for receipt of applications, transcripts, and recommendations.
Colleges establish a folder for you when your application is received.
Where teacher recommendations are required, give the teacher at least four weeks’ time for preparation. Provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
Attend college fairs and college night programs. Apply for November or December SAT and achievement tests.
If so, have your completed Financial Aid Form (FAF) submitted to college scholarship service after January 1 if needed.
Upon hearing from a college, notify your counselor of your status. He/she needs this information to ensure that your college receives your final transcript.

Information provided by USA Today.

The much improved Buffalo Bison football team has a big game coming up against Glenco on homecoming night.

The Glenco team is also very improved and have beaten a very strong team in Hutchinson. They have a very strong defence and on offence they have a very good quarterback in Kraig Terlinder and a good receiver in Scott Ward.

Buffalo is much improved because they have more coaches and more seniors. Another reason for the teams success is weight training. The Bisons big player is senior running back John Stecker. To prepare for the game they will be viewing a lot of film and working on pass defence.

Even though Glenco has a much improved team Bison head coach Kevin Schmeling said “we should defiatly win.”

The Bison have won some very important games this year, but the Glenco game is especially important because Glenco is in first place in the conference and the game will tell a lot about how the two teams will do this year.

Last year Glenco won a hard played game against the Bison, but this year both teams are improved.

“We can win if we keep our heads in the game and not on homecoming activities” said coach Schmeling.

“The attitude of the Bison team is improved from last year but still could get better” said senior Pat Ogden. The Bison held a meeting to discuss the attitude of the team and they decided it wasn't very good.

But even with the teams attitude not at its best, it should be a close game between these much improved teams.

By Kim Ibs
Sports Editor
Along with the new school year, came an exciting, new, and challenging sports program: girls swimming and diving.

On September 7, over 50 competitors showed up for their first day of practice. Head Coach, Renee Schneider, Assistants Judy Dunn, Judy Loberg, and Roger Anderson (diving), all began the season too.

32 senior high students and 25 junior high students, make up the first, Buffalo High School Swim Team. “It’s great to see so many interested participants,” said Loberg.

The Bison traveled to Princeton on September 19, for their first meet. 38 students signed up in their choice of 11 different events. “Overall, things went well. It was more of a learning experience since many of the swimmers had never swam competitively,” expressed Schneider.

Many schools around this area have experienced teams, but with a lot of time and dedication, Buffalo will be able to compete competitively also.

Although there is a difference in ages among the swimmers, they all work together as a team. “If the younger swimmers continue improving, in a few years their hard work will pay off. As a senior, I’m trying to encourage them to reach their goals, since I’m more in it for the fun,” said Julie Hammer.

Schneider is impressed with the team’s successful start. “My main goal this year is to get Buffalo excited about having a varsity team, and to teach them about competitive swimming,” said Schneider.

Students are definitely excited for the team. “Swimming is challenging for me, but I’m working hard and having fun with the new team,” said sophomore Joy Szarke.

“The coaches are really helpful. Renee knows a lot, and I’m more than willing to learn,” said sophomore Sheri Moon.

The team will have their next meet on October 6 at Monticello, followed by Mound and Dassel-Cokato in the upcoming month.

By Becca Weese
Staff Writer
The 1989 Buffalo Bison Varsity Volleyball season is underway. The team opened their season to a loss against Prior Lake on September fifth.

Since then, the team members have learned more about one anothers abilities and how each other works on the court. Head coach Helen Dahlman said, “Our main objective of this year was to start over from the last years successful team.”

Helping the Bison on the court is junior newcomer, Chris Elf. Her experience playing on Junior National teams has helped the Bison tremendously. Dahlman also stated that, “Chris is a person with good skills and is a great asset to our team.

Although injuries have hurt the team, senior co-captain, Lynette Bauer, whom herself has been injured, said, “The team has come a long way and is improving every match.”

“I am pleased with the way that the team is communicating with each other on the court. I am also happy to see the cutdown on our mental errors we have made in the past,” expressed Dahlman.

Many of the errors that are made is because of the inexperienced team members. Most of the players have never worked together as a team before.

The Bison record now stands at 3-5, with wins over Orono, Hutchinson, and Mound. The volleyball team will try to improve their record by defeating Hutchinson on the third of October, followed by the Holy Angels and Glencoe.

The dollar is not the only thing that is losing value these days. So is a man’s word. Especially if that man is an athlete. Promising to do something they have no intention doing is nothing but lying. Take the case of the Minnesota State High School League contracts that student athletes sign in order to participate in a sport. Too many students sign these contracts, but still use alcohol, tobacco, or other illegal drugs. They lie to their coaches, teammates, and themselves. They make the word of all of us high school students less valuable. When they are caught, the press is bad. Just this month, a prominent suburban high school ended up as a leading story for KARE when several athletes and homecoming royalty were busted for drinking. Student who ignore the contract, break the law. It is illegal to drink an alcoholic beverage before the age of 21 or to use tobacco or a related device (a pipe) before the age of 18. Even if students are not caught, they still hurt themselves-and others. What would Herbert Clark Hoover, the great humanitarian noted for his personal integrity who played baseball in college, say if he could see young people imitating their favorite substance-abusing sports hero? For instance, Ben Johnson, the man who will be remembered for losing an Olympic gold medal by use of steroids? Or Tommy Kramer and his drinking escapades? Or half of the 1987 Vikings? Or Dwight Gooden? Or the late Len Bias? Or Brian Bosworth? Or Heisman Trophy winner Charles White? Or the famed bowler Pete Weber? Certainly, Sports Illustrated could fill an entire issue with the names of drug abusing athletes and their illegal substance of choice. It would read and feel like a telephone book. Student athletes should note the fall drug-using athletes suffer. Student athletes are, after all, as much of role models to junior high and elementary students as the “jocks” listed above. Think about that before you swill down that next Coors. Whether out of respect for the law or their word or the role they play to younger kids, BHS athletes should keep their promise to society by not drinking, smoking, or using illegal drugs.

The girls tennis team has “so many players, so few courts, so few opponents, and so little time,” according to Coach Charlie Keifenheim. Many of the tennis players share Keifenheim’s concern. “We need more courts,” said Co-team Captain Paula Johnson. The limits on the program have led to other problems. “A lot of things are mushrooming, moral is just one of them,” said Keifenheim. Despite problems, Keifenheim still has “transitional goals” for the team. He expects a winning season and make improvements in past years. However, he does not expect to win state this year. The players have goals for the team as well. “We want to beat Hutch (Hutchinson),” said Co-team Captain Raxanne Luick. Two days later the team did beat Hutchinson. Keifenheim said that this victory improved moral on the team. Keifenheim says that discipline is not a problem. “I’m really happy with the maturity of the team as well. The team has an unusual number of young players on both Junior Varsity and Varsity. The team captains feel this will ensure a powerful team in the future. One player on the team, Junior Lisa Erickson, won the Buffalo Tournament. Some tennis players agree, but feel that team unity is a different matter. “It’s hard to have team unity when we’re all competing against each other,” said Luick.

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Along with the new school year, came an exciting, new, and challenging sports program: girls swimming and diving. On September 7, over 50 competitors showed up for their first day of practice. Head Coach, Renee Schneider, Assistants Judy Dunn, Judy Loberg, and Roger Anderson (diving), all began the season too. 32 senior high students and 25 junior high students make up the first, Buffalo High School Swim Team. “It’s great to see so many interested participants,” said Loberg. The Bison traveled to Princeton on September 19, for their first meet. 38 students signed up in the choice of 11 different events. “Overall, things went well. It was more of a learning experience since many of the swimmers had never swam competitively,” expressed Schneider. Many schools around this area have experienced teams, but with a lot of time and dedication, Buffalo will be able to compete competitively also. Although there is a difference in ages among the swimmers, they all work together as a team. “If the younger swimmers continue improving, in a few years their hard work will pay off. As a senior, I’m trying to encourage them to reach their goals, since I’m more in it for the fun,” said Julie Hammer. Schneider is impressed with the team’s successful start. “My main goal this year is to get Buffalo excited about having a varsity team, and to teach them about competitive swimming,” said Schneider. Students are definitely excited for the team. “Swimming is challenging for me, but I’m working hard and having fun with the new team,” said sophomore Joey Szarke. “The coaches are really helpful. Renee knows a lot, and I’m more than willing to learn,” said sophomore Sheri Moon. The team will have their next meet on October 6 at Monticello, followed by Mound and Dassel-Cokato in the upcoming month.

The 1989 Buffalo Bison Varsity Volleyball season is underway. The team opened their season to a loss against Prior Lake on September fifth. Since then, the team members have learned more about one anothers abilities and how each other works on the court. Head coach Helen Dahlman said, “Our main objective of this year was to start over from the last years successful team.” Helping the Bison on the court is junior newcomer, Chris Elf. Her experience playing on Junior National teams has helped the Bison tremendously. Dahlman also stated that, “Chris is a person with good skills and is a great asset to our team. Although injuries have hurt the team, senior co-captain, Lynette Bauer, whom herself has been injured, said, “The team has come a long way and is improving every match.” “I am pleased with the way that the team is communicating with each other on the court. I am also happy to see the cutdown on our mental errors we have made in the past,” expressed Dahlman. Many of the errors that are made is because of the inexperienced team members. Most of the players have never worked together as a team before. The Bison record now stands at 3-5, with wins over Orono, Hutchinson, and Mound. The volleyball team will try to improve their record by defeating Hutchinson on the third of October, followed by the Holy Angels and Glencoe.

Karen Wickman distributes place rankings at the Buffalo Invitational Cross Country Meet on Thursday, September 28. Junior David Jepson steps forward to recieve his place ticket after the 5000 meter, Boys Junior Varsity race. Photo by Paul Wilson

Standing on the sideline at most every major sporting event holding a camera for four years now. Learning the inside workings, excitement, 'electricity', of each sport; almost as a player. And trying to find a way to reveal this to a lay-person. I print my pictures, blowing up the action and cropping out the extra. I've cut off the extra person cheering, so the runner can be the focus. I've cut off the coach to center on the team captain. Not here.

The people on the sidelines, be it teammates, coaches, parents, reporters, cheerleaders, and ultimately fans effecting the performance of the players differently from sport to sport.

In cross-country (CC), the majority of the support is from the teammates and parents. Along with these regular supporters, five to ten local spectators join the coaches to yell the runners on to successes including this years conference title.

“The thing that bugs me is the crowds from other schools who follow they’re CC team [to the Buffalo invitational], and then not seeing any of our people come out,” said junior Brian Schmidt. “When I’m running I can’t hear what people are saying but when someone’s yelling for me I know it,” said Schmidt. “Every additional person cheering you on pushes you to drive that much faster.”

“If half the fans from a football game would show up at our meets, we would go to state,” said senior Troy Foede.

Fan support is needed for football also, although in a round about way.

“When we’re out there, we’re playing a game. We can’t hear what the crowd is yelling; It’s just noise,” said senior Nick Uecker.

“Sometimes you can here the fans if you’re on the sideline and you turn to the crowd and listen,” said senior Craig Kjorlien, “but when your playing, your teammates, on the bench, cheer you on and that’s what you hear. We get pretty nutty out there.”

The cheerleaders get the fans louder, so the sideline player get wild, so in turn the players on the field can do the Wild Thing on the opposing team.

Parents of players are important too.

“You can hear a few of the parents all the time but just having the parent support helps a lot. The guys who don’t have that family support need more building up by the rest of the team,” said Kjorlien.

The swimming & diving team have worked off the support of each other so far this year.

On the other hand, volleyball is greatly effected by the fans.

“A bunch of us were down at the Delano match and we were told by the officials to quite down because we were throwing off their serves,” said Kjorlien.

(Pictures rotate clockwise)

Senior Brook Kincaid at the Buffalo Invitational, yells a CC teammate up a hill.

Wishing to be in the game, B-squad football player sits off the sideline with a leg injury at Hutch.

Cheerleaders yell in vain at the varsity game at Hutch.

Coach Miller congratulating the B-Squad team for their victory over Hutch.

Issues Unanswered Questions:
--Do the football coach's ears get cold with those earphones on?
--Why does the Homecoming king get a smaller sceptor, then the runner-ups?