The Bison – October 28, 1988

With our conference dissolving around us, BHS sports and activities will find themselves in an uncertain season next year. State law states that within 90 days of receiving a written request from a high school, The Minnesota State High School League [MSHSL] will place that school in a conference provided that the school, lacks membership in a conference because of involuntary exclusion from a conference or because of the dissolution of a conference, and has made its own good faith attempts for at least 180 days to obtain membership in a conference." BHS meets both of these criteria since the dissolution of the Suburban West Conference, and the schools applications to three other conferences have been rejected. Benilde-St. Margaret High School notified BHS of the rejection from the Missota Conference. Over the past three years, the Missota Conference has lost Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Simley, while gaining Holy Angels, Benilde-St. Margaret, Chaska, and Shakopee. "The feeling is unanimous that the conference needs more time to assimilate and adjust to such extensive changes in ...BHS will not be scheduled with a conference for the 1989-1990 school year." such a short period of time," said James F. Hamburge, Chairman of the Missota Conference, in a letter to Superintendent Darrell Miller. Hamburge also cited possible scheduling problems, and geographical problems as reasons to reject BHS. The North Suburban's review of BHS's application was a somewhat different approach from that of the other conferences. The North Suburban Conference allowed representatives of BHS to be present at the time of the decision, and allowed them to present material on BHS's behalf. The information presented was distributed in a four page packet which included current and projected employment, the number of sports offered to students, geographical location, indoor and outdoor facilities, and other information of value to the conference. The North Suburban Conference declined BHS's application due mainly to geographical problems, and a less compatible roster of sports offered. "That was one of their questions..."why don't you have swimming?" I told them...we have tried to have swimming before and have not been successful," said Activities Director Nancy Bergert. The 180 day waiting period will end on March 20, 1989, and the 90 day deadline will be reached on June 18, 1989. This means that BHS will not be scheduled with a conference for the 1989-1990 school year. Bergert said she feels conference membership is important because it helps form school rivalries and enhance competition. At this time Glencoe, Hutchinson, and Mound are the schools which will be counted on most heavily for scheduling next year.

According to a poll given to 155 BHS students, 41 percent are sexually active but, only 21 percent have tried to purchase birth control. The 21 percent is not an accurate measurement of the amount of people who actually purchased birth control. "...fear and embarrassment probably cause people not to purchase birth control," said Mary Lynn Leff, counselor. 71 percent of the students polled think that it is very important to be knowledgeable about birth control. They obtain information primarily from three sources; doctors and nurses [within and outside school], friends, and parents. "There has to be more knowledge, because I think that sex is an emotional thing and if it is left entirely to emotions, then people will make an emotional decision rather than an intellectual one," Leff said. One of the questions constantly is, 'How much information should schools give to students about birth control?' As an example of the amount of knowledge they possess about birth control at BHS, 63 percent of the students polled knew at least three different forms of birth control. The forms listed most often were condoms, the pill, and diaphragms. Approximately 15% knew five different forms. The other forms that students listed were: abstinence, gels and foams, IUD, spermicide, the rhythm method, and surgery (hysterectomy, and vasectomy). Debate is often raised when the effects of teaching birth control are questioned. Arguments for and against teaching it range from the opinion that it would encourage teenagers to have sex to saying that students should be exposed to all the information available in order to make educated decisions about their sexuality. "If it is taught in the right way...it should teach them when to have sex," said Sharon Hareid, school nurse.

Trash. Most people would define it in simple terms as what they throw away. Science teacher Boyd Emmel's Environmental Conservation class is trying to reduce the amount of paper thrown away at BHS through a recycling project. They are encouraging students to, "Make recycling a habit," according to a poster in one of the halls. In the first week of the project, October 10-14, the class turned in approximately 1000 pounds of paper to Polka Dot Recycling in Buffalo and saved eight and one half trees. "We [the class] appreciate all the cooperation and enthusiasm that all the students are giving," said Senior Jim Quigley. Boxes are placed in every classroom to collect any kind of white paper and newspapers. Colored paper is not acceptable. The class does not receive cash for the recycled paper but coupons each worth a one dollar refund on monthly Buffalo utility bills. As of last week the class was undecided about what to do with the ten coupons/dollars they have received so far. 1000 POUNDS OF PAPER, collected in the first week [October 10-14] of a school-wide recycling effort were loaded into a truck by Junior Mark Lindquist and other members of the class. (Photo by Tracey Uecker)

Behind the scenes, anonymous to everyone but the cast, the directors, and their families, 'The King and I' crews prepare for the upcoming performances, November 10-12 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on November 13 at 2:00 p.m., in the Buffalo Junior High auditorium. 'You don’t have a play unless you have all the crews coming together and getting their jobs done. They’re just as important as the cast," said Director Clark Swenson.

The six crews: sets, props, costumes, make-up, lights and sound, and publicity involve about sixty students.

The set crew takes care of the rented backdrops, drops and raises them when needed, and builds the three-dimensional sets. The set crew is the largest crew and has been working together the longest.

The props crew "supplies things for the members of the cast," according to Sophomore Jeni Veches, one of the prop heads. For "The King and I," they need to obtain "Victorian things; scrolls, glasses for the king, and benches."

Head of lights and sound, Senior Jon Priem, described their jobs, "We determine what we want the lights to look like, and what colors we use. Then we set the lights, coordinate them, make sure they’re in the right places, and then run them for the actual performances."

The make-up crew has quite a difficult job this year with all but three of the cast needing to appear Siamese. "The crew will be split up into stations and the cast will go to different stations," said Senior Aimie Jones, head of make-up.

"The costume crew has helped measure for costumes; we’re going to rent most of our costumes. Their main job is to take care of 94 costumes. It’s going to be a huge job to take care of them and to get the right costumes on and off the stage," said Swenson.

Overall, "Crew members have to be willing to work hard and not get too much recognition. They receive recognition in the program, they don’t get as much as the cast, but they should get personal satisfaction from having contributed to the finished play," Swenson said.

Imagine paying between five and 15 dollars to take a test.

Many BHS students have taken, or will take, a variety of pre-college tests used to determine skill and knowledge including the PSAT/NMSQT, the ACT, and the SAT.

The PSAT/NMSQT is a 115 question, multiple-choice test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning and takes approximately two hours to complete. This year the test cost $5.25 and was given on October 18.

Each four hours long and either recommended or necessary for college acceptance, the SAT and ACT tests vary in costs and subjects covered.

The SAT has two sections, verbal and mathematics. Whereas, the ACT covers english, mathematics, social studies, and natural science.

For information about registration deadlines, test dates, and costs contact a guidance counselor.

Participation in the Post Secondary Option (PSO) program has increased steadily at BHS.

The program allows high school juniors and seniors to attend a college or a vocational school, full or part-time for college credit.

The dual purpose for PSO is to promote rigorous educational options, and to provide a wide variety of options for students.

Last year, 19 BHS students participated in PSO. This year that number has grown to 28 students.

More than half of the 28 are attending North Hennepin Community College. Many chose North Hennepin because it doesn’t have any enrollment requirements.

The other half are attending vocational schools, private colleges, or state universities-most having admission requirements.

"It’s a great program, but it’s also a lot of work. I have less classes now, and less days of school, but twice the homework," said Brian How, BHS junior and Northwestern student.

Containers in the mall are filled weekly as the SCC aluminum can recycling endeavor continues again this year.

The SCC Can Drive during Homecoming week was a huge success, in the eyes of Karen Swenson, SCC adviser.

The SCC made $200.00 and they spent $42.00 of it on doughnuts for the eight top classes in the can recycling competition.

Swenson and SCC members are encouraging more students to inform the group of sick students so the group will know who to send gifts to.

So far this year has been challenging for the Tatanka staff, due to many changes and surprises.

"One of the most surprising things was the sit-in [on October 14] that the seniors had over the yearbook," said Carlie Clark. "I was shocked and upset that seniors would even begin to suggest that we should take out 40 pages of stories, that's not what you do for a quality yearbook."

The sitdown was called because seniors learned that the color photos in the senior section would have to be cut because of decreased yearbook sales.

"The reason I went to the sit-in was because I was confused about what was going on, I had heard that seniors might not have colored pictures this year, and I wanted to know the truth," said Julie Sadowski.

So the yearbooks were put on sale for an additional four days in hopes of selling more books. But according to Clark, the extension didn't really help that much--only 50 more books were sold.

The publisher of the book was also changed this year due to the fact that the yearbook was just too much for the previous company to handle. They were not set up for computer use, which the Tatanka staff uses.

The former company also made some mistakes last year in getting the books out on time. They were supposed to arrive in early May, but in actuality did in the last week of May. This contributed to the change.

"This year were working with Taylor Publishing Company, which is centralized in Texas, and what most people don't think about is the fact that we're working with a real company, out in the real world," said Advisor Sharon Barsness.

The most noticeable thing about the yearbook is that of the price increase, which was also due to the change in companies. All the money that is earned from the yearbook sales, along with at least $3000 from advertisements is used to pay the company for publishing the book.

First it was a disease that only homosexuals got.

Then it spread to intravenous drug users that shared needles. Now it is predicted that the next group to be affected with AIDS will be teenagers because of irresponsible, unsafe sex.

"I have yet to see a group of students really grab it by the horns," said Chris Mctavish, a spokesperson for the Minnesota AIDS Project [MAP].

She also commented on the sexual irresponsibility of teenagers as the major determinant of the projected AIDS infections. "The way people are getting AIDS is in the back seat of cars after parties, when they're not using condoms," Mctavish said. "The schools would never have gotten one million dollars to deal with AIDS if it wasn't going anywhere."

Having multiple sex partners, not using condoms, and sharing needles will increase your chances of getting AIDS. The myth of AIDS having the ability to spread by exchanging saliva has been proven false. It takes at least one gallon of saliva exchanged at one time to transfer the virus by saliva.

Nationally, as of last spring, 3200 people have died from this virus and between 15 thousand to 30 thousand are infected.

In Minnesota alone, there are at least 400 cases of infected people.

It is estimated that by 1991, nationally the number of people with AIDS will have reached 270 thousand cases. 2,000 of those cases will be in Minnesota.

The Marching Band, Concert Choir, and BHS Singers have only two school days left to prepare for their first concert of the year.

The concert will be on November 1 at 8:00 p.m., in the mall. There is no admission fee.

"The new design of the mall probably will not change the concert but, it will make the surroundings more enjoyable," said Mike Walsh, choir director.

The Marching Band will play many of the selections used during the football season and will be accompanied by the Flag line.

A tribute to the Carpenters will be performed by the BHS Singers. Rehearsal for this began a week before the school year started.

Imagine carrying a suitcase to school, dropping it off in the conference room, and flying off to Washington, D.C. right after school on November 16.

Some Bison and Tatanka members will be attending the Journalism Education Association (JEA)/National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) convention November 18-20, along with journalism students from around the country to learn from experts in the field.

"I hope to gain some practical experience," said Junior Paul Wilson. The convention is sponsoring "Shadow a Pro," a program where a student is allowed to spend a day following, and learning from, a professional reporter or photographer.

The convention is also sponsoring a national writing competition, historic tours of Washington, tours of local newspaper and magazine headquarters, and awards for the best publications in the country.

"There's a kind of magic in the air when thousands of kids interested in journalism get together," said Tatanka advisor, Sharon Barsness.

Several businesses have teamed up with the convention to offer reduced rates for the journalism students. Northwest Airlines is offering reduced flight charges and Hyatt Regency Hotel in D.C. is offering reduced hotel fees.

To raise money for the over $400 per person cost for the trip, Bison and Tatanka members are selling beefjerky, Cadbury candy bars, and M & M's until November 11.

Imagine paying between five and 15 dollars to take a test.

Many BHS students have taken, or will take, a variety of pre-college tests used to determine skill and knowledge including the PSAT/NMSQT, the ACT, and the SAT.

The PSAT/NMSQT is a 115 question, multiple-choice test that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning and takes approximately two hours to complete. This year the test cost $5.25 and was given on October 18.

Each four hours long and either recommended or necessary for college acceptance, the SAT and ACT tests vary in costs and subjects covered.

The SAT has two sections, verbal and mathematics. Whereas, the ACT covers english, mathematics, social studies, and natural science.

For information about registration deadlines, test dates, and costs contact a guidance counselor.

Participation in the Post Secondary Option (PSO) program has increased steadily at BHS.

The program allows high school juniors and seniors to attend a college or a vocational school, full or part-time for college credit.

The dual purpose for PSO is to promote rigorous educational options, and to provide a wide variety of options for students.

Last year, 19 BHS students participated in PSO. This year that number has grown to 28 students.

More than half of the 28 are attending North Hennepin Community College. Many chose North Hennepin because it doesn't have any enrollment requirements.

The other half are attending vocational schools, private colleges, or state universities--most having admission requirements.

"It's a great program, but it's also a lot of work. I have less classes now, and less days of school, but twice the homework," said Brian How, BHS junior and Northwestern student.

Containers in the mall are filled weekly as the SCC aluminum can recycling endeavor continues again this year.

The SCC Can Drive during Homecoming week was a huge success, in the eyes of Karen Swenson, SCC adviser.

The SCC made $200.00 and they spent $42.00 of it on doughnuts for the eight top classes in the can recycling competition.

Swenson and SCC members are encouraging more students to inform the group of sick students so the group will know who to send gifts to.

The question of how to increase food drive response was all but academic. Pure greed. That’s all it was. To supply the Wright County Food Shelf with canned goods for extra-credit points and donuts, it seemed contradictory and self-defeating. Playing on greed and self-interest, however, may be the American Way, but that too may be the reason we need food shelves in the first place. Because of NHS’s efforts and those individuals who take the initiative to rummage through their cupboards at home, BHS is the major contributor of canned and preserved goods to the Food Shelf every year just before Thanksgiving. The question of how to continue increasing the Campbell’s Soup and Green Giant canned corn count is important. If it’s okay to use extra credit points to spur students into bringing 30 boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, why not offer them an “A +” for a 300 items? Since the rich are the ones who need to give, let them have the opportunity to buy their grades, one could argue. Or if a student could corral a whole U-Haul of T-bones and Filet-Mignon, maybe the school could see its way to promoting that student up one grade. Or BHS could skip the small potatoes. The reason students want good grades, afterall, is so they can go to a good college, get good grades there, and then get a good job with good pay. If NHS could guarantee us a job with the IBM Corporation, there’s no telling how many bags of Cheetos students could donate. Donate. Isn’t that the crucial word? Even going to a system whereby homerooms compete eliminates the extra-credit question caused by first hour classes; the moral lesson behind the food drive becomes as empty as the holes in the donuts dangled before us as our reward. Donating to charity should teach us how fulfilling giving can make us feel; not how giving leaves us feeling full. Bring the canned goods during the food drive, and just say no to the donuts.

It is one of the toughest jobs a student can love: editing the school yearbook. Recently, the Tatanka staff has come under fire from much of the student body. These attacks have sprung from students who show a lack of understanding for what a yearbook is. A yearbook is a product of journalism. If, for example, financial problems mandate that the photos be black and white, cutting stories for color photos is not the answer. The day you get your yearbook, you may want to open the cover, and see color photos, cliches, and inside jokes without paying much attention to the quality of journalism. Ten years from that day, you’ll value journalistic quality. 10, 20, 30, or 40 years later, the inside jokes won’t make sense, and much more valuable will be a reminder of what happened that year of high school, or in other words, quality journalism. The Bison applauds the yearbooks dedication to quality journalism, and the lasting interests of its owners.

Advertising policy

The Buffalo Senior High School newspaper, The Bison, offers advertising to businesses and organizations on the basis that the Advertising Editor(s) can refuse any ads for any reason. The Bison makes it a general practice of not accepting ads for mortuaries, liquor stores, bars, and complimentary ads congratulating school activities and athletes.

As a service to businesses, The Bison, tries to draw the attention of the potential buyer so that they will not only read the advertisement, but act on the offer.

The Bison assumes full responsibility for advertisements containing misspelled words or incorrect information and will negotiate with any advertiser in the case of a complaint.

Letters policy

Letters to the editor are encouraged and read with great interest. All letters must be signed if for publication in The Bison.

The Bison may edit the letters they receive, but will not distort the meaning. Letters submitted should be typed or neatly written and contain under 300 words. They may be submitted to David Robinson, or a Bison editor, or in the "letters to the editor" box in the office.

Policy guidelines

The Bison feels it is imperative to restate its purposes and policies for the 1988-89 school year. The Bison's policies are designed to reinforce its obligation to accuracy and student opinion and to oppose censorship.

The Bison has three purposes: to inform students of issues that affect them; to help students learn advanced journalism techniques; to serve as a forum for the opinions of students, school staff and members of the community. It is our responsibility that the news we print is accurate and unbiased. All materials published will adhere to the standard journalistic practice, be free from libel and be in good taste.

The Bison will not be reviewed by administration prior to its release to the public. The staff or adviser may seek advice from the administration on paper content at any point in the production process.

Sources will be able to review their quotes at the time of the interview or at the reporter’s initiative. A source will not arbitrarily be able to demand to read the reporter’s completed story and then perform editing tasks on that story.

The Bison will print a correction statement if a mistake is found. The correction statement will run in the following issue.

The Bison will strive to clearly name their sources and only print current news that is beneficial to the whole student body. Instead of printing a slanted story, The Bison hopes to present both sides and let readers draw the conclusions. Only news will be published and will appear in a non-biased manner.

The Bison will resist any and all attempts at censorship either before or after publication.

All content on The Bison’s editorial page reflects student opinion on major issues. This page serves as an outlet to students, allowing them to voice their feelings. Editorials state opinions of The Bison editorial staff. Columns are signed and reflect the opinions of the writer.

The Bison encourages students to write letters to the editor and express their opinions. Our policy concerning letters to the editor appears at the bottom of this page.

This year’s elections may have some BHS students disgusted or confused. Or worse yet, apathetic. Whether or not students get caught up in the political web of Election ’88, the results will affect them. Voting can be an awesome responsibility and decision for a student or it can be just another fill-in-the-blank test. Racism, financial aid for furthering an education, AIDS education, abortion, higher minimum wage, and the homeless are topics that students are concerned about. Do students know where the candidates stand? And who represents students or raises questions to the candidates on the issues?

Good questions. Those running for Congress usually do not get the coverage and visibility that the Presidential candidates do, so therefore it is harder to acquire information on the candidates running for Congress. Students really aren’t the type to dig around for information. Of course, is the rest of the population any different? The Senate is an example of this. Six people in Minnesota running for the U.S. Senate--and four were never included in any of the debates.

And we can’t forget the local vote. Four men are running for the position of the Mayor of Buffalo. If you are 18 by Nov. 8, this is where your power starts. Vote ’88!

There is a major decision to be made on Nov. 8. Students polled at BHS revealed what issues they would like to hear more about from presidential candidates Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Vice President George Bush.

Areas of special concern were college funding, minimum wage, abortion, and the drug use of America’s youth. Students feel all of these issues have affected almost everyone and that those who have not been affected will be in the near future.

The first concern of the students polled was minimum wage, the concern was expressed mostly by freshmen, sophomores and juniors. The minimum wage is currently at $3.35 an hour. Pulled from the U.S. Senate in September was a bill that would have raised minimum wage to $4.45 per hour by 1991. It looked like a positive move to make, but further investigation by economists into the bill showed that employers would not be able to afford to hire more help at the higher wage minimum, and therefore less jobs would be available. “I think it (minimum wage) should be raised so that families with a parent in a minimum wage job can still survive,” said Senior Len Shoquist. He also expressed concern about teens getting jobs over adults.

George Bush is favorable to increasing the minimum wage, while Michael Dukakis has not yet stated how he feels.

College funding is a second issue that needs to be learned more about. The funding is a necessity to most students that are considering furthering their educations. BHS students expressed concern as to how their educations will be paid for, since college aid from the Federal government has been reduced greatly in the past few years. A college savings bond plan is what George Bush would establish if he were elected President. This

Big names are the rule for the United States Senate campaign. Dave Durenburger and Hubert H. ("Skip") Humphrey III are the two heavyweights in this year's election.

Being an active speaker who believes, "There is no higher calling for an elected official than constituent service," Durenburger works to help conserve water and oil, and works with chair committees in Minnesota who are also concerned with the matter. Since the 1980's, he has had a hand in every major legislation piece involved with these issues. Where farm prices are the issue, he continues to work for supports. He also feels that there should be a partial write-down on third world departments and that there should be no relief to one sector of the Trade Bills if there is to be retaliation.

Humphrey favors a verifiable nuclear freeze and nuclear test ban, and he strongly supports the ABM treaty and opposes Star Wars testing that violates it. He also has a four point plan to lower the budget deficit, cut military and domestic spending and increase tax law enforcement insuring that everyone pays their fair share. Humphrey insists that our allies pay a fair share of defense costs. He will support tax relief to low and middle-income families, will crack down on tax cheats and tax frauds. He will fight in the United States Senate to pass the pay equity bill. He will also make education a priority because he believes education is the best investment this country can make.

Before becoming a Senator, 54 year old Durenburger served in the army, worked as a lawyer, served in the state government and was active in more than three dozen civic and community organizations.

His opponent, 46 year old Humphrey, has served the state of Minnesota for almost sixteen years. Before being elected as the Attorney General in 1982, Humphrey served three terms in the Minnesota State Senate. When he was re-elected in 1986, he had over seventy percent of the vote.

Not all campaigns in '88 will spend millions of dollars on TV commercials.
Not all campaigns will receive coverage by Nightline or the New York Times.
And not all campaigns will have the impact of the Bush-Dukakis choice.
Yet, the importance of elections, right here in Buffalo, cannot be slighted.
To know what the mayoral candidates stand for is important whether voting for the first time this November or not.

Gerald Melgaard, the present mayor of Buffalo, is running for his seventh term. Having lived in Buffalo for 35 years, he feels it is important to give something back to the community in return for what it has given his family. Prior to becoming mayor, Melgaard served on the City Council for three years.

Melgaard believes "with growth comes progress." He would like to see Buffalo continue to develop with new business and industry, yet he is concerned with the needs of the people.

Challenging Melgaard for mayor are: Robert K. Nelson, Richard Richter and Scott Varner.

Nelson is a life long resident of Buffalo who has served in the military and with the CIA in Washington D.C. He is currently the Star City Committee Chairman and has served on the Buffalo library board as well as the seven-county library board.

Nelson's main concern is to keep the lines of communication open between city officials and the citizens. He has been involved with the band and choir and strongly supports Buffalo schools and feels they provide a quality education.

Richard Richter and his wife own a downtown restaurant and J's Under and Bar, which most people would know them from. Now after 20 years of living in Buffalo, he is running for mayor because he feels he can do a better job than the incumbent mayor. He hopes to accomplish constancy and equality to everyone, yet the most important issue is to treat the people of Buffalo fairly. Although this is the first time he is running for public office, he has been dissatisfied with the administration for many years.

Scott Varner is currently a City Council member and has lived in Buffalo all his life. If elected for office, his main concern is to change the direction of the housing issue.

On the issue of the stop lights at the McDonalds intersection, the candidates stated as follows:

Melgaard was very supportive of installing the stop lights. Nelson declined to comment because of lack of information on the subject.

Richter said that something needed to be done but was concerned about two stops lights that close together on a major highway.

Varner stated that the project was already in progress and will be started next spring.

Their advice to first time voters was, Melgaard felt it was important to consider the past of the candidates.

Varner said it is important to "be informed" and take a good look at the candidates. He also stated that you should know why you are voting or why you are not voting for them.

Nelson said voters should evaluate the experience and motivation of the candidates.

Lastly, Richter reminded voters that every vote makes a difference.

They hand out literature for Michael Dukakis during lunch, teach freshmen about presidential candidates, attend public meetings or help candidates with their campaigns after schools, and help register seniors voting for the first time. And they study about our government. BHS students involved in the student council, the Advanced Government and Law class and freshmen in American Experience are actively involved in election '88. Advance Government and Law class encourages students to take an active part in the political process--even if they can't vote. One of the most important goals of the course is to promote a lifelong involvement in the political process. Class time is spent analyzing candidates running for office and their platforms. Time is also spent by the students verbalizing their opinions on the political platforms and discussing how this could effect the future; they also spend time dredging up information on the politician's past. "I go by the man, not the party," said senior Jay Nelson. "I couldn't care less who is running for the Republican or Democratic party." Students read the Star-Tribune on a daily basis. They also read certain Newsweek articles that pertain to the influence of the voting system and the choices that the voters make. These articles are important to the choices that students make, because they give unbiased information. "I don't think any of the politicians give anything at face value. You have to read between the lines," said senior Troy Kadlec. The students learn by taking an active part in what they are studying. There is very little lecturing or book type work, instead class discussions take up much of the daily load. Nine public meeting credits are expected by the end of the semester. They can earn credits by attending meetings and helping with campaign work. Though this may seem time consuming, most students prefer these opportunities to lecture. "The meetings are better, because in school you just memorize and are unable to learn what is actually happening in the real world," said junior Kevin Anderson. Guest speakers such as representatives for George Bush and Michael Dukakis and Congressman Gerry Sikorski are brought in to the class so that students can learn more about the politicians and have their questions answered. Field trips, such as the one taken to see William F. Buckley and other political speakers at the University of Minnesota, give students a chance to see viewpoints that differ from everyday mainstream politicians and newspapers. "The speakers give us a perspective on the issues that we are not always informed of and they try to sway our opinions to their side," said Anderson.

44% Dukakis 41% Bush 15% other 35% Humphrey 53% Durrenburger 8% Mann Based on 178 students of equal numbers between all four grades, randomly surveyed. *In a seperate poll conducted on seniors alone, 41% chose Bush, 27% chose Dukakis, 17% were undecided, 8% would not vote at all, and 7% chose write-in candidates ranging from Jesse Jackson to Pee Wee Herman.

A couple years ago Freddy, Jason, and Michael were just the names of kids on my block. Now Freddy and company are the teenage freak machines scaring kids all over the world. Move over Drac, Frank, and Wolfy and make room for Freddy Krueger, Michael Meyers, and Jason. Although Freddy and company lack the acting abilities of Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff from suspense movies of yesteryear, they do seem to frighten and terrify teenagers and adults alike. Common instruments of destruction are four inch metal finger knives, chainsaws, and any virtually harmless garden tools, that when put into a psycho's hands, could turn a teenager into Alpo. In horror films one can see that a lot of painstaking hours of plotting and suspense have been replaced by extremely expensive special effects. In years past the plot would take the whole movie to unwind. Today, the true story and meaning can be shot in ten minutes or less. In today's monster movies producers are using profanity, sex and violence to sell tickets. In the old movies the big love scene would be Dracula coming into a beautiful woman's room and swooping down on her to bite her neck. Bela Lugosi, the most famous actor to portray Dracula would turn over in his coffin if he saw today's horror movies. Why do teenagers love these blood fests with absolutely no plot? It is the main character who, up to now didn't speak a word, with the exception of Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy has turned into a comical heroic killer of the big screen almost overnight. What makes Freddy the favorite slasher of human flesh? "He has some great one-liners," said Junior Eric Johanns. It may seem that the days of monster movies are completely lost to the era of deranged psycho killers. However, all is not lost. There are occasional monster films such as The Fly, The Howling, and Silver Bullet, a werewolf movie that did quite well in the box office. The latter brought back the stalk and suspense of the late night black-and-white thrillers. The kids on my block better not turn out the way their same-name horror movie monsters did, or we're moving.

Five of us. Going to the movies, a horror movie. And not the In-the-safety-of-your-own-living-room-VCR variety either. Sheer terror with Nightmare on Elm Street (part III) at the Delano Theatre. The credits roll and I develop a weird anticipation--my stomach knots and I hunch down farther into the seat. I notice all the other people hunch down further too, further than if this was a children's movie like Walt Disney's Bambi playing. The eerie music plays and I make one last survey of the surroundings noting exactly where and what everything is. If it moves anytime during, I want to know what it is and why it's moving. That brings up an important point: Never let a friend sit behind you during a horror movie. With the modern horror movies, the first slaughter usually occurs within the first fifteen to twenty minutes and the killing continues about every five or ten minutes. This is important since the audience is mostly teenagers with one or two of the over twenty-five crowd. And the over sixty folks, would probably never survive the first trail of blood or corpse in a plastic body bag. Slashings or inanimate objects coming to life are Freddy's major methods of killing. Lots of blood and action. Since in Elm Street movies you can only die in your dreams, I suspect everybody in the theater is slamming Cokes to keep them extra alert. Hardcore horror movie fans are usually caffeinated in advance. The minute any two characters decide to mess around, the audience knows that sooner or later Freddy will teach them a lesson. Another reason to just say no. Revenge or pure evil are the motives for most modern horror movie monsters with a touch of the supernatural to make the unbelievable believable. Also, Freddy type characters normally have super human strength and mysterious capabilities so they can pop up anywhere. This helps in making sequels. By halfway into the movie, my friends aren't eating. Everyone's full attention is on the movie and nothing else. Mostly nobody eats. Me especially. I never let my hands, legs, and feet get unscrunched. I'm tense and intense. There are a few short screams--mostly from rookies who don't know Freddy's habits. Plenty of gasps from the audience from the gross mutilations. A couple of curses follow the gasps. By now the "valley girls" two rows in front of me stand up and bolt up the aisle toward the bathroom. Another point: Do like the valley girls--always go to the bathroom in pairs. Even Alfred Hitchcock's movies have killed people in the bathroom. What gets me in these movies is how realistic everything appears. My favorite scene occurs relatively early in the movie when Freddy makes his first kill. The young girl along with other friends have these peculiar dreams about the same man. Later while sleeping she dreams, Freddy chases her and eventually slashes her to death while he throws her about the bedroom. During this time her boyfriend stands and watches in total amazement since he cannot see what is actually killing her. Freddy is invisible to him. Later he is charged with her murder. I doubt this would ever happen but the idea of someone killing you in your dreams and when you die in your dream it's real, that might keep a few from going to sleep the night they see the movie. Some cannot get the thought of Freddy out of their minds so, the normal bedtime routine of zonking out immediately is not possible. New horror movies are fun to watch for some but can be perceived as gross, rude and obscene to others. Parents sometimes see horror movies in this way and object to their children seeing them. Many teens find their own ways of seeing them. Watching horror movies at home with the lights off is fun but nothing is like watching horror movies at the Delano Theatre.

Anxiety builds, the eerie music deafens the ear. In a dark movie theater, waiting, their concentration and anticipation to see the loathsome creature on the big screen builds. Frankenstein. Frankenstein was first portrayed by a nineteen year-old girl named Mary Shelley in her book published in 1818. The original movie version, made in 1910, is closer to the book than any of the later, movie versions. These Frankenstein films used gruesome methods such as being burned alive, drowned, or buried in boiling mud, forcing the audience to close their eyes and only take peeks at the grotesque disfiguration on the screen. While in the original version the monster is destroyed by the power of love, vanishes into thin air, and everyone lives happily ever after. "It was more weird than scary," said Junior Brooke Kincaid. "It wasn't until the 1931 production starring Boris Karloff, that Frankenstein received the title of the greatest monster film of all time. Count Dracula The descriptive novel Dracula, written in 1897 by author Brian Stoker became the basis for almost countless vampire movies which have kept viewers horrified, in suspense and somewhat nauseated by the unearthly method of killing their victims. "It's freaky thinking that someone was sick enough to make these movies and actually think of someone sucking the blood of another human being is sick," said Junior Kathy Radzwill. In 1931 Universal Pictures decided to make a film based on Stroker's novel using the first talking vampire played by Bela Lugosi. Lugosi, since the day of the premier held on St. Valentine's Day, has been known as the Count Dracula. Werewolf The first werewolf picture named, The Werewolf, was made in the United States in 1913. The film was based on a Navajo legend where the werewolf was actually a wolfgirl. In 1935, the first wolfman movie, The Werewolf of London was made. It wasn't considered the best of all the werewolf movies because it was, in actuality, a take-off of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1941 another, more popular version was created. Lon Chaney Jr. played the werewolf in The Wolf Man, which thrilled audiences because of his realistic appearance as the wolman. Horror movies have changed over time, and it is debatable over whether or not they are improving.

Have you ever wanted to jump into an airplane and fly away from it all? About 100 to 200 hundred people each year get their pilot's license at the Buffalo Municiple Airport. Most are usually 17 to 60 years of age and come from all over the state. To obtain a pilot's license there is a pilot's ground school people may attend but is not mandatory. There is a book you can study from called The Private Pilot's Handbook. Before you fly, you must take a 50 question written test which can be taken over as many times as necessary. If you pass the written test, an instructor will go up in the air with you for 20 minutes. Three instructors at the airport are John Hornbrook, Tim Dick, and Dave Bullock. Afterwards you go up solo for a minimum of 20 minutes. Subsequently you can fly 10 to 15 hours cross country with an instructor. In those 10 to 15 hours you make three trips. One of them must be at least 300 miles long. The other two are about 50 to 75 miles long. Usually it takes three to four months to go through the whole process of getting your private pilot's license. Most people don't have an airplane to use. There are airplanes at the airport they can use. Junior Stephanie Anderson, received her license this year. She has flown for her 20 hours of solo flight. Anderson flies about once or twice a week. How often she flies varies greatly because of the weather, her and the instructor's schedules, and also her father's schedule since he might be using the plane that day. Anderson flies her father's plane. She would fly more often said Anderson, if she could. Anderson said if she could fly anywhere she would probably like to fly to Hawaii. Anderson mostly flies around Buffalo. She has flown with her father up north and to Canada, down to South Dakota and also flies all around Minnesota. Anderson said she hopes someday to have a job as an airline pilot.

Teaching in one of his World Studies Odyssey classes, John Ause portrays the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, while students, [among them] Junior Amy Guggenmos, ask questions to further understand the Frenchman. "In each unit we study excerpts from a great book. In the second unit we read from Rousseau. Rousseau deals with the concept of justice," said Ause. Rousseau's book, The Social Contract, written in 1762 assaulted the problem of political despotism and earned him fame as a skeptic and critic.

Have you ever wanted to jump into an airplane and fly away from it all? About 100 to 200 hundred people each year get their pilot's license at the Buffalo Municiple Airport. Most are usually 17 to 60 years of age and come from all over the state. To obtain a pilot's license there is a pilot's ground school people may attend but is not mandatory. There is a book you can study from called The Private Pilot's Handbook. Before you fly, you must take a 50 question written test which can be taken over as many times as necessary. If you pass the written test, an instructor will go up in the air with you for 20 minutes. Three instructors at the airport are John Hornbrook, Tim Dick, and Dave Bullock. Afterwards you go up solo for a minimum of 20 minutes. Subsequently you can fly 10 to 15 hours cross country with an instructor. In those 10 to 15 hours you make three trips. One of them must be at least 300 miles long. The other two are about 50 to 75 miles long. Usually it takes three to four months to go through the whole process of getting your private pilot's license. Most people don't have an airplane to use. There are airplanes at the airport they can use. Junior Stephanie Anderson, received her license this year. She has flown for her 20 hours of solo flight. Anderson flies about once or twice a week. How often she flies varies greatly because of the weather, her and the instructor's schedules, and also her father's schedule since he might be using the plane that day. Anderson flies her father's plane. She would fly more often said Anderson, if she could. Anderson said if she could fly anywhere she would probably like to fly to Hawaii. Anderson mostly flies around Buffalo. She has flown with her father up north and to Canada, down to South Dakota and also flies all around Minnesota. Anderson said she hopes someday to have a job as an airline pilot.

Teaching in one of his World Studies Odyssey classes, John Ause portrays the philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, while students, [among them Junior Amy Guggemos], ask questions to further understand the Frenchman. "In each unit we study excerpts from a great book. In the second unit we read from Rousseau. Rousseau deals with the concept of justice," said Ause. Rousseau's book, The Social Contract, written in 1762 assaulted the problem of political despotism and earned him fame as a skeptic and critic.

Through greater communication and unity on the court, the Bison volleyball team is setting its sights on regions and state. "You don’t rely on one person; if someone is having a bad day, you can always get it to another teammate," said Junior Leah Lemke. After beating conference rival Hutchinson in three games (15-7, 15-4, 15-7), the team secured at least a tie for the conference championship and increased their record to 13-4. "That was one of our original team goals, the conference championship," said Head Coach Helen Dahlman. At the beginning of the season, Dahlman said that the team was playing as individuals and not as a unit. Now, according to Dahlman, the team has turned things around. "We’re working as a unit, rather than six separate players," said Dahlman. "We’re getting it together as a team. Everybody is starting to work together and we’re finding out who we work best with," said Junior Melaina Grover. Last year the team made it to the semi-finals of the region. "We’re playing much better this year and we have more experience in region play," said Dahlman. Sub-regions will be held Nov. 3 and 5. Regions will take place on the 10th and 12th. The state tournament will be Nov. 18-19. "State is a realistic goal, but we have to continue to improve and be playing our best at the end of the season. If we play the way we’re capable of playing, we have a chance," said Dahlman, who will be trying to go to state in only her second year of coaching volleyball for Buffalo, her 14th year overall. The consensus seems to be that Columbia Heights will be one of the top picks to win state.

The ninth grade football team finished the season having their best year so far, finishing with a record of 3-4. In the past two seasons, this team has never won a game. But something happened this year, where they felt a little better about themselves. Their biggest win for encouragement came from their game against Hutchinson, where they won 20-14. There are many reasons for the improvement of the team this year. But probably the one thing that has helped them the most this year is their improvement in defense. "This year the coaches are really teaching us how to block better," said Freshman Ted Zrust of the new coaching system. "I think that we’ll be a better team with the new system of coaching, in both offense and defense," said Freshman Grant Ingersoll, who plays runningback and linebacker. Another important reason for their winning is Freshman Brad Reif, the quarterback for the team. "Reifer has made an important difference to the team this year, and he is doing better than he ever has. With his improvement, the whole team is better off this year," said Freshman Jason Roback. Zrust and Roback both think that we'll be the first varsity team to beat Hutch! With an attitude like that, they just might pull it off. Even though their record shows them as finishing this season losing, it really has been a winning one for everyone on the team. Freshman Kyle VanderKooi probably summed it up best by saying, "Last year we didn’t win a single game and this year we won three. Next year we’re going to have our best year yet--finishing it with a real winning season."

Twelve players who started on the varsity football team were suspended for the duration of the season last September 26. Eleven players suspended admitted to attending and drinking at a party on September 24, and the twelfth conceded to drinking previously in the season. Any person involved in an extra-curricular activity and caught drinking or using illegal substances in 1983 was suspended from that activity for nine weeks as a penalty. One year later this was changed to a two-week suspension. Now, in 1988, any Varsity football player who is caught using or possessing any illegal substance is suspended for the duration of the season. Both parents and players supported this rule change at the beginning of the season. "The twelve athletes were all better than average football

A large proportion of today's students don’t think about physical fitness and nutrition because their time is spent either on school, at jobs, going out with friends, or simply relaxing in front of the television. "What you’re doing to yourself now is what you’re turning yourself into in the future," said Martha Driscoll, health teacher. "The school lunch is balanced, but I don’t watch what I eat actually," said Junior Dan Scott. Eating a nutritious meal, many times comes down to whether or not there is enough time. "I don’t really eat meals, I just eat when I have time," said Senior Robin Anderson. Breakfast, the most important meal of the day, is the least nutritious for many students. "For breakfast, I usually grab a doughnut," said Sophomore Barb Marquette. "I’m usually not hungry for breakfast," said Scott. "When I get to school, I usually grab a candy bar or whatever." Exercise is another area that many students overlook for a number of reasons. Both Anderson and Marquette said that they just don’t have the time. "The name of the game is motivation," said Driscoll. "You have to realize that you’re responsible for your own health. You either contribute to your own health or you wreck your own health." "I pretty much stay active," said Junior E.J. McNulty, "because when you exercise you’re less hungry." "I lift weights everyday during the off-season for 1 1/2 to two hours unless something comes up," said Scott, who is active in football. "People who are not out for sports need to do 30 minutes of physical exercise at least three times a week," said Driscoll, "and for the people who are out for sports, their problem is mostly nutrition; eating meals instead of junk food and snacks." "Sixteen-year-olds don’t have heart attacks," says Driscoll, "but the 16-year-olds who smoke, drink, eat junk food, and never exercise are the ones who have heart attacks when they’re 35."

Although the cross country team is comparatively young to past teams, Coaches Gerry Bakke and Jill Hanson, agreed the runners performed to the best of their ability. "We had a good year, a lot of improvements. Considering the young team, we did a good job and were very close," said Junior Brooke Kincaid. Bakke was proud of the boys team for many reasons. "I thought our second place finish in conference was very gratifying. I was also proud that four runners got their three mile times under 18 minutes, and nine got their times below 19 minutes." Hanson agreed with Bakke’s statements, but added, "If it wasn’t for the girls, the guys would never have gotten their tree mile times under 19 minutes. The only reason they got their times, was because they were chasing the girls."

"It seems that every time we get something going or try to get something going, someone gets injured, gets sick, or gets kicked off the team," said Head Football Coach Kevin Schmeling of the ’88 season. Some of the problems that transpired throughout the season include the suspension of twelve players due to rules violations (see story on page 10), a constant sting of injuries, and most recently, three players went out with mono. The loss of starters allowed many sophomores and juniors to get lots of valuable playing time, giving the team more experience going into next season. After the suspensions, their was a feeling of sadness on the team. "When you lose twelve players from your team, it does something to your mind, it does something to your team effectiveness," said Schmeling. It didn’t take long however, to get things going again, if not as well as before. "I think the moral has been good with the players that are left, but it definitely affected the team because we haven’t won a game since," said Schmeling. Schmeling is looking toward next year for many reasons. One reason he says is that it can’t get any worse than this year. "This is definitely a first year that I will remember." Seven of the twelve that were suspended this year, will be eligible to return next year and Schmeling believes that they can contribute to the team. Schmeling said that in order to be a better team next year the players will have to make an effort to get in the weightroom over the summer and believes that the players should be active in more than one sport during the year.

November is almost here and it’s time to dust off that old story book you haven’t touched since last November: your strange uncle. Everyone has a strange uncle. Yeah, he’s that guy who lives down by the river, owns too many guns to count, and always has at least one more stories to tell. Deer hunting season is this guy’s forte; lots of people crammed into a dinky little cabin (camper, shack, or whatever you use) for two days, with enough food to last two weeks. Strange uncles have done everything and have everything happen to them. Or so it seems. They all start their really "good" stories out with, "Back in 19...ah...Hey Fred, when did I shoot that GIANT 20-point buck that I tracked for THREE MILES through a BLIZZARD and found out I was following spotted leaves the whole way? That was the same year I got SHOT and CRAWLED all the way back to camp, wasn’t it?" Strange uncles are not the only ones to take advantage of the cramped corners, however. I believe that there’s a little "strange uncle" in all of us just waiting to reveal a story that makes everyone look at us with that little, "Yeah. Right," type of look. "It was a disappointing event," said Senior Lisa Frisell, "but the coaches took the right measures and set a good example for other coaches and advisors." There was more lost than football games this past month, however. "We, as football players have lost more than some playing time this season," said one player that was suspended. "We have lost possible scholarships and we’ve lost something we love--the game of football."

"It seems that every time we get something going or try to get something going, someone gets injured, gets sick, or gets kicked off the team," said Head Football Coach Kevin Schmeling of the ’88 season.

Some of the problems that transpired throughout the season include the suspension of twelve players due to rules violations (see story on page 10), a constant sting of injuries, and most recently, three players went out with mono.

The loss of starters allowed many sophomores and juniors to get lots of valuable playing time, giving the team more experience going into next season.

After the suspensions, there was a feeling of sadness on the team. "When you lose twelve players from your team, it does something to your mind, it does something to your team effectiveness," said Schmeling.

It didn’t take long however, to get things going again, if not as well as before. "I think the moral has been good with the players that are left, but it definitely affected the team because we haven’t won a game since," said Schmeling.

Schmeling is looking toward next year for many reasons.

One reason he says is that it can’t get any worse than this year. "This is definitely a first year that I will remember."

Seven of the twelve that were suspended this year, will be eligible to return next year and Schmeling believes that they can contribute to the team.

Schmeling said that in order to be a better team next year the players will have to make an effort to get in the weightroom over the summer and believes that the players should be active in more than one sport during the year.

November is almost here and it’s time to dust off that old story book you haven’t touched since last November: your strange uncle.

Everyone has a strange uncle. Yeah, he’s that guy who lives down by the river, owns too many guns to count, and always has at least one more stories to tell.

Deer hunting season is this guy’s forte; lots of people crammed into a dinky little cabin (camper, shack, or whatever you use) for two days, with enough food to last two weeks.

Strange uncles have done everything and have every-thing happen to them. Or so it seems.

They all start their really "good" stories out with, "Back in 19...ah...Hey Fred, when did I shoot that GIANT 20-point buck that I tracked for THREE MILES through a BLIZZARD and found out I was following spotted leaves the whole way? That was the same year I got SHOT and CRAWLED all the way back to camp, wasn’t it?"

Strange uncles are not the only ones to take advantage of the cramped corners, however.

I believe that there’s a little "strange uncle" in all of us just waiting to reveal a story that makes everyone look at us with that little, "Yeah. Right," type of look.

players, and I regret that they did, what they did," said Head football Coach Kevin Schmeling, "but I don’t regret the decision to suspend them from the team."

Most people feel that this incident will be more positive than negative.

Junior Don Klatt, an offensive tackle on the football team, said that the incident will be positive in the end and feels that it brought the team closer together.

"It was a disappointing event," said Senior Lisa Frisell, "but the coaches took the right measures and set a good example for other coaches and advisors."

There was more lost than football games this past month, however.

"We, as football players have lost more than some playing time this season," said one player that was suspended. "We have lost possible scholarships and we’ve lost something we love—the game of football."

Despite not faring well against the conference this year, better years are ahead for the Bison girls tennis team, according to Head Coach Charlie Keifenheim.

The team ended up with a 1-3 record in the conference; beating Monticello and losing to Litchfield, Mound and Hutchinson.

Finishing their season strong winning the last five of eight games, they ended with an overall record of seven and seven.

"This year we ended up one and three, which doesn’t sound like any kind of improvement (from last year), but I feel we had a better season. The teams we lost to this year; Litchfield, Hutchinson and Mound, were much stronger than they were last year," said Keifenheim.

This is Keifenheim’s second year of coaching girls tennis.

"I’m just feeling now like I’m getting a handle of what’s going on, and I’m about ready to make some changes," said Keifenheim.

One change he would like to see is a cutting down of the number of players per coach. Right now they try to carry 40 players with only two coaches, the other one being Pam Gilyard who coaches JV.

Another change Keifenheim would like to see is some kind of summer program for tennis players.

By Wade Erickson Staff Writer

They live for the three o’clock bell. Storing their boards in lockers, skateboarders have developed a sport as well as a style and an attitude.

"Skateboarding is not a fad," said Senior Kerry Reynolds. "Vision Street Wear" printed in bold lettering on the back of sweatshirts denotes skateboarders in the halls of BHS. Light, baggy clothing is their uniform, much like a jersey to an athlete. And their equipment, up to five boards a piece, each cost around $130.00.

"I like to skateboard. It’s fun, challenging, and requires skill. It’s sort of like hockey or football," said one skateboarder.

They gather in the Zion Lutheran Church parking lot to practice long hours, performing moves like the ollie, backside and railrides, often staying out on the streets until the early morning hours where they are little threat to motorists and vice versa.

Skateboarders have earned the reputation of being bothersome and some have been taken to the police station for disturbing the peace. "They are a big nuisance for the community. They always seem to be in the way. For instance, the ’skater dudes’ are always darting out in front of your car, and making obscene gestures at you," said Senior Jeff Magandy.

"They are all Rednecks anyway. They are just jealous because we’re skaters," said Freshman Jim Wintheiser. "’Rednecks’ is the name skateboarders give to people who harass or "ruck" them up. Sarcastic remarks are directed toward them in and outside the school and they are seldom accepted with silence.

"Sometimes it’s difficult to wake up in the morning, knowing that today I will be harassed. Will I get checked into the halls? Will I get into a fight?" said Freshman Pat Church.

Most skateboarders rely on their friends for support and are seen primarily in groups. Although, there tends to be dislike for group members known as ’posers’ or people who only claim to be skateboarders.

As individuals within a group, pressure to conform to the skateboarder image--having a sarcastic attitude, performing daredevil moves, and wearing the "Vision Street Wear" logo exists.