The Bison – September 6, 1991

Brought about by an unsuccessful coup, the winds of change have once again swept through the Soviet Union, this time in the form of radical democracy.

“I think it will turn into a democracy,” said junior Julie Fiedler.

On the morning of Monday, August 19, a plan was initiated to overthrow Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The coup was lead by eight communist hard-liners.

While Gorbachev was being detained under house arrest in his summer cabin in the Crimea, a state of martial law was declared in an attempt to restore communism and hinder the process of reforms enacted by Gorbachev.

Troops were sent into Moscow to detain protestors, but thousands of civilians flocked to the streets to demand democracy.

Boris Yeltsin, the president of Russia, arose as a leader of the soviet people. Yeltsin climbed atop a tank captured by civilians and gave a passionate speech to the people of the entire country, asking them to rebel.

Of the thousands protecting Yeltsin and other key liberals in the Russian Parliament building, three were killed.

By the afternoon of Wednesday, August 21, the coup had failed and Gorbachev was restored to power.

Attention was again turned to the Soviet Union on Thursday, August 22, when the Soviet Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union. During the next two weeks 10 of the 15 soviet republics declared independence, including the republics of Byelorussia, the Ukraine, Moldavia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kirghizia.

The European Community (EC) recognized the Baltic states as independent countries, but made it clear that other republics may not get the same treatment. President George Bush has been very cautious, but said that recognition of the new countries may come soon.

Many in the Baltic states are pleased with their independence, but one of their main goals

The education curriculum of District #877 may take serious budget cuts in the near future, affecting the education experience of all students.

A vote will be taken on Tuesday, November 5, to determine whether taxes should be raised to supplement an increase in school funding.

“We should just be perfectly open and honest to give the voters all the information they need,” said Principal Nick Miller.

Each school in the district would make individual decisions as to where their share of the money would be used best.

“We should clearly identify decisions for our school and put it on paper and go from there,” said Miller.

The additional funding that the district is requesting would be used for several items, such as added classes, increasing opportunities for gifted and talented students and providing time for more individual student instruction and attention.

State funding has not expanded with the increasing enrollment and inflation costs. With District 877 increasing roughly 150 students per year, the tax increase is necessary to keep up with other school districts.

The school district is requesting roughly $500,000 which will be added to the general fund. The general fund includes money to use on staffing, books, computer programs/software, etc.

The capital outlay fund is the money used on computer hardware, school equipment, and building projects.

According to Miller, the school was built with the maximum of 1000 students in mind. With the student population at 1200 and increasing, many financial cutbacks will have to be made if the referendum fails to pass.

Without the added financial support, basic summer school classes would be reduced or possibly eliminated. For those students who need to make up credits, it would make it much more difficult to do.

Instructional materials and textbooks would become more and more outdated, making learning and instructing more difficult.

Academic enrichment, extra-curricular activities and activity buses may be reduced. Students may not be able to participate in as many extra-curricular activities as is possible now.

If the referendum fails, the adult-to-student ratio in classes will increase.

“We should reduce the size of classes for more learning ability,” said senior Shawn McClellan.

A nuclear war with the Soviet Union could break out at any minute and the whole world would explode.

Back in our childhoods, these were the words that scared us all. To us, the Soviets were not like us, they were the “Bad Guys” of the world. They were cruel people who liked to fight.

But now the Soviet Union is no longer run by communism. The Soviet citizens now have more freedom.

The Bison wants to know if this will be the same for the children of the next generation. Will they grow up with the same fear we had of a nuclear war occuring?

Our parents’ generation never dreamed that one day Americans would visit the Soviet Union without fear of what could happen. They never dreamed the Berlin Wall would come down, and Germany and East Germany would be united.

Now those dreams have come true.

Will the next generation forget all that’s happened? Will they live in sweet ignorance? The Bison hopes not. The events that have happened in the past few years have taught those of us who are free to not take our freedom for granted.

Picture this... You drive into the student parking lot without wrecking your car on the potholes and cracks in the tar. You find a parking spot close to school and are able to walk to the building in seconds instead of hours.

To students who’ve already graduated from BHS, this story sounds like it belongs on the list of their wildest dreams. Thanks to the administration, it is now a reality.

This year eight new tennis courts are being built at BHS. The old tennis courts were no longer needed, so they were tarred over as an addition of the student parking lot.

Before the new addition, you had to drive two miles from school to find a parking spot you could fit your car into.

No longer do we need to play games such as “Pack the Parking Lot.” (That’s the game where everyone sees how little space they can use to park their cars, so the last people have to crawl out of their sun roofs.)

Now you can drive through the parking lot holding a cup of hot cocoa without having to worry about hitting a pothole that will spill your cocoa and burn your leg.

With the parking lot repaved, no more do you have to worry about losing your car to the black pothole in the student parking lot.

Of course, that means all the jokes about the parking lot are obsolete. New people to BHS won’t have any idea what the jokes mean.

It’s nice to know that when students have a complaint, their complaint will be considered and taken seriously.

Thanks to the administration for the new parking lot.

Throughout the last few weeks, the world has witnessed many dramatic changes occurring within the Soviet Union.

It use to be, when we thought of the Soviet Union, we automatically thought of Communism, thus putting a dirty name to the country. I guess you could say that a dark, gloomy cloud has hung over the Soviet Union for the last 74 years.

Our generation and past generations have grown up with the fear that someone over there will push the button at any minute, thus destroying the United States, and what ever other country might be in its way.

In 1985, the current Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev, came into power and started a dramatic reform program, which brought ideas such as Glasnost, Perestroika and Democracy to the Soviet people. These three simple terms became very well known throughout every home in the Soviet Union, along with the rest of the world.

During the next few years, Gorbachev and his reform program continued under a great deal of heated controversy. Many of the Soviet people were in favor of reform, but felt it was all happening too fast. On the other hand, Russian President Boris Yeltsin criticized Gorbachev for not moving fast enough.

Due to this controversy the incredible events that have transpired over the last couple of weeks took place.

We will no longer view the Soviet Union the same, in fact if things keep going as they are, there might not be a Soviet Union to view at all.

I was simply amazed to watch on television, the crowds of people who came out of “hiding” to demonstrate in the streets for freedom and democracy. If this would have been done ten years ago the results would have been horrifying.

Through watching television and reading newspapers, Americans have been able to witness everything that has transpired over in the Soviet Union.

We all watched in amazement, as Yeltsin climbed a Soviet tank and demanded the people to rise up against the hard-lined coup.

We also watched in sadness, the mourning of the three Soviets who were killed during the demonstration on the streets of Moscow.

No matter what happened, the Americans were as, if not more, updated on the events that took place.

We as American's really can’t imagine what these Soviet people are actually going through. Never in our lives have we had to deal with the same sort of problems. Compared to them, our generation has grown up with everything literally handed to us on a “silver-platter.”

Now, what our generation needs to do is help the Soviet Union in its time of need.

Our generation has grown up with the fears that our parents have taught us about the Soviet Union. What we need to do now is change those ideas that have been constantly drilled into our heads. We need to start a new idea of the Soviet Union, not as our enemy, but possibly as one of our allies.

The soviet people are living in a nation of turmoil, in a time that will be very important to the country’s survival. If we simply sit back and watch these people suffer through these hard times, we face the risk of the country going back to what they once were, only a few days ago.

Television. The average teenager watches at least five hours of TV per day. Magazines tell us we watch too much TV. Our parents tell us we watch too much TV. By now, haven’t we gotten the idea? Apparently not. But, did you ever think that it isn’t how much TV we watch that warps our minds? It actually might be the ideas presented to us by the small screen. I bring to you, my dear readers, all four of you, five minutes in the life of my TV. Join me as I sit, with a remote control in my hand........

Click.
“Try to make your brush strokes light and even. Remember, make your trees look like happy trees!”

Click.
“Do you have the IQ of patio furniture? Just drink IQ in a Can!”

Click.
“He’s at the 30...the 20...the 10...TOUCH-DOWN!!!”

Click.
“C’mon, Willy, let’s go check out that dog in the dark alley that was foaming at the mouth!”

Click.
“Gee, Woodchuck, I dunno...”

Click.
“And today, we’recovering the 250 KM Nude uni-cycle race!”

Click.
“We now return to Finding Yourself By Screaming Loudly.”

Click.
“Can you say Aluuuumacraft? I thought you could!”

Click.
“Billy! Get off that runway this instant!”

Click.
“This concludes ‘Oprah’ for today. Tune in tomorrow when we investigate ‘Brothers and Sisters Who Kill Each Other, Are They Reincarnated as Turtles?’”

Click.
“Have you ever been interested in human sacrifice? If so...”

Click.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! “The Energizer, it keeps going and going...”

Click.
“Thanks John, that was an excellent impersonation of a desk calendar. Now, on to Marsha who will present a representation of paper mache...”

Click.
“We now return you to the Late, Late Insomnia L.A.”

Click.
“Remember that when we sculpt cheese, we do it in a room with LOW temperatures.”

Click.
“And in the national news, 2LiveCrew has announced that they will be putting out their rewrites of Beethoven and Brahms.”

Click.
“Your Cabbage and You will return after these messages.”

Thank you for reading this column, we now return you to the regularly scheduled newspaper.

Good Morning! I know most of you are reading this in the afternoon or evening, but I can’t imagine you care that much.

Right now I’m pondering the new school year. Actually, I never left school. I spent the summer coming once or twice a week for marching band. As I write this, it’s two weeks before school is going to start, and I’m here, again, pretending to learn how to put a paper together.

What will it be like not to have to face the stresses of the sport’s section? No longer do I have to deal with not enough stories. And I won’t have to worry about the staff writer shortage. But that’s someone elses problem, now, so we won’t dwell on the past.

I think I’ll like the editorials section better. I’m the only person who His Majesty, the Editor-in-Chief, has to work for. (Sorry, Jason, but it’s the truth.)

Not that I like to be rude, but I have to tell you something that will insult your intelligence. Did you know that newspapers are written at a sixth grade reading level? Yes, even The Bison, as wonderful as it is, is written at the sixth grade level. Before you think it’s so bad, it could be written at a second grade level and we could hear our news in baby talk. Fun.

I also have an interesting story I want to tell you about, that the teachers will love me for writing, and the students will enjoy it. It seems these police were caught cheating on a test so naturally they were failed. They took it to court. The judge ruled they couldn’t fail these guys for cheating because the people giving the test never said they couldn’t cheat.

Just a thought for the new school year.

Until my voice has recovered from homecoming, good-bye.

Good Morning! I know most of you are reading this in the afternoon or evening, but I can't imagine you care that much. Right now I’m pondering the new school year. Actually, I never left school. I spent the summer coming once or twice a week for marching band. As I write this, it’s two weeks before school is going to start, and I’m here, again, pretending to learn how to put a paper together. What will it be like not to have to face the stresses of the sport’s section? No longer do I have to deal with not enough stories. And I won’t have to worry about the staff writer shortage. But that’s someone elses problem, now, so we won’t dwell on the past. I think I’ll like the editorials section better. I’m the only person who His Majesty, the Editor-in-Chief, has to work for. (Sorry, Jason, but it’s the truth.) Not that I like to be rude, but I have to tell you something that will insult your intelligence. Did you know that newspapers are written at a sixth grade reading level? Yes, even The Bison, as wonderful as it is, is written at the sixth grade level. Before you think it’s so bad, it could be written at a second grade level and we could hear our news in baby talk. Fun. I also have an interesting story I want to tell you about, that the teachers will love me for writing, and the students will enjoy it. It seems these police were caught cheating on a test so naturally they were failed. They took it to court. The judge ruled they couldn’t fail these guys for cheating because the people giving the test never said they couldn’t cheat. Just a thought for the new school year. Until my voice has recovered from homecoming, good-bye.

The marching band has recently completed their fourth successful summer of competitive marching with three first place and three second place trophies. Several major goals accomplished this summer was: improved marching and general-effect scores. “New Richmond, Wisconsin was definitely the best performance,” said band director Lee Kjesbo. The band scored a 78.9 and finished third over all, out of 21 bands, including the grand champion, Alexandria, who scored 85.0. This was also the highest score of the season for “The Herd”. All though they have come quite far, the band agrees that there are still improvements to be made. Kjesbo says he would definitely like to have more instructors, add another unit, and see students work harder. Some band members have found other places where improvement is needed. “The drum line needs improving,” said senior Josh Zimmerman. Another percussion member added a problem that she saw in her section. “There needs to be less talking at practices,” said sophomore Trish Hibner. There is work involved in marching, but the attitudes were good. “I wanted a hassle-free summer and out of 128 members, I only had one all year. You can’t get much better than that,” said Kjesbo. Some band members were also pleased. “Some people are negative about the week of practice in the hot sun, but everyone seems to respect Mr. Kjesbo and do their best,” said sophomore Jessica Lilja. Attitudes were highly noticed throughout the summer season. “People had a good attitude. Those who were in it wanted to be,” said freshman Tammy Schmidt. While the had it's benefits, members also resisted the new changes, thus provoking the members to have conflict. “Some members had a problem as far as willingness to change. They were pretty negative about it,” said senior Nikki Paripovich. One thing that was most looked forward to, was the trip to Hinkley, Minnesota and New Richmond, Wisconsin. “It was great. It brought the band a lot closer together,” said Hhibner. While some members sited this opportunity brought band members together, others sited the maturity that came from the experience. “I think we really acted mature and made a good impression,” said Schmidt. Kjesbo was very pleased with the trip. “It couldn’t have been better! The students were polite, respectful, and cooperative. We hear these things from the other band directors, too,” said Kjesbo.

At the age of nine, on the family piano, with his parents encouragement, a young boy discovered his musical scale.

That boy who grew to be a talented musician was Lee Kjesbo.

Through his junior and senior high years, Kjesbo played trombone in his schools' marching band.

“When I went to college, I took my horn with, for something to do. I wasn’t planning on majoring [in music], but I thought I’d play my horn. As I got more and more involved, I really enjoyed the music and I found I didn’t enjoy other classes as much. So by the time I was a sophomore in college I chose it as a major,” said Kjesbo.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Moorhead State and a Master of Music of Education from the University of Minnesota, he married his wife, Carol, in 1968. Later they had four children. With their parents influence, the children also play various instruments, including: french horn, flute, piano, and drums.

Following Kjesbo’s other teaching experiences, the family moved to Buffalo.

“I enjoy all levels of kids. Right now I teach at the junior high school and I love working with seventh and eighth graders, but I like all ages,” said Kjesbo.

So in 1987, the school board also hired him as a new director for the high school marching band. He was ready to change the spirit, style, and attitude of the band.

The band has changed many aspects of performance since then.

“We’ve changed styles. We march in a drum corps/military style. They used to march in a Big Ten style,” said Kjesbo.

The Big Ten style was full of body movements, while the corps style is a more precise and disciplined manner. The students are expected to memorize their music and their marches, plus practice self-discipline.

Kjesbo dedicated much of his time to the students in summer marching band.

“I start planning for marching band in the winter, choosing music, setting schedules, and going over invitations to parades. Actual practices start with flags and drums in April or May. Full band starts when school’s out,” said Kjesbo.

Currently Kjesbo is preparing for the football season. Planning the “field band’s” music, and movements, Kjesbo must work quickly.

Besides his music career, he and his wife own a floral and gift shop in downtown Buffalo.

“I consider myself a music educator, first and foremost, and that’s very important to me. I do not want to be known as the marching band director. We want the marching band to be good, but we want it to be good, just like our concert band and jazz bands are already good,” said Kjesbo.

In every company there is a boss. One boss can’t be everywhere at once, so he appoints supervisors, one for each section. Each does the same job, for their section. The captains of the BHS marching band are like supervisors. They each have a section of the band to watch over and help. The idea of creating captains, came from Director Lee Kjesbo, when the need for more instructors rose, but funding didn’t. Kjesbo chooses captains at the beginning of the season. He stated that he looked for students who wanted leadership, who had more experience, and those who would enjoy the job. Three months after choosing captains that have qualities that were fulfilled, he stated that “[The captains have] been wonderful and mature leaders!” Though captains hold certain responsibilities, they still consider themselves as “one of the band.” “We’re all in a group together,” said sophomore [...] at the continuation in the right column is obscured by the gutter

Imagine seeing a human Band-Aide walking down the street. Parents, alumni, and friends of the marching band, known for their nickname, the Band-Aides, helped Marching Band director Lee Kjesbo throughout the Marching Band’s summer season. Band-Aides provided many things for the band, and Kjesbo, that needed to be taken care of. “We provided treats, chaperoned, helped at band camp, provided necessities like safety pins, socks, hair pins, band aids, gloves, spare parts, ice cubes, water, guidance and comfort,” said Band-Aide Heide Ludwig. The Band-Aides provided assistance throughout the summer by helping with events such as the Buffalo Days parade - supplying water and running a concession stand for the participating bands. Band-Aides also walk along the parade route with the band and provide encouragement and support. “While we walked we could hear spectators talking about the band and we could take the comments back to the band later. We could also talk to the spectators and answer their questions,” said Band-Aide Barbara Kearn. Throughout the summer Band-Aides noticed, while assisting the band on the streets, that improvements were being made at each new parade. “You could see the improvement when they got to the judging area,” said Kearn. Band-Aides are considering starting up a booster club for next season. “We would do fund-raising and make a welcome equal to what we received from other schools,” said Kearn. The most rewarding part of being with the band is the feeling of satisfaction Band-Aides get from working with these students. “There’s an intense sense of pride that you get from working with them, something you can’t describe,” said Ludwig. “They’re a pleasure to work with, a great bunch of kids,” said Ludwig. The band also showed many appreciation toward the Band-Aides. “I felt like a mother to them, some of them even called me mom, you feel special when that happens,” said Ludwig.

Staff Writer
In every company there is a boss. One boss can't be everywhere at once, so he appoints supervisors, one for each section. Each does the same job, for their section.
The captains of the BHS marching band are like supervisors. They each have a section of the band to watch over and help.
The idea of creating captains, came from Director Lee Kjesbo, when the need for more instructors rose, but funding didn't.
Kjesbo chooses captains at the beginning of the season. He stated that he looked for students who wanted leadership, who had more experience, and those who would enjoy it.
Three months after choosing captains that have qualities that were fulfilled, he stated that "[The captains have] been wonderful and mature leaders!"
Though captains hold certain responsibilities, they still consider themselves as "one of the band."
"We're all in a group together," said sophomore Chad Nagorski, also the youngest captain.
The bonding that develops during a summer starts with the captains, but spreads to the entire band.
"Being in marching band brings everyone closer together," said Dwelff.

Staff Writer
Imagine seeing a human Band-Aide walking down the street. Parents, alumni, and friends of the marching band, known for their nickname, the Band-Aides, helped Marching Band director Lee Kjesbo throughout the Marching Band's summer season.
Band-Aides provided many things for the band, and Kjesbo, that needed to be taken care of.
"We provided treats, chaperoned, helped at band camp, provided necessities like safety pins, socks, hair pins, band aids, gloves, spare parts, ice cubes, water, guidance and comfort," said Band-Aide Heide Ludwig.
The Band-Aides provided assistance throughout the summer by helping with events such as the Buffalo Days parade - supplying water and running a concession stand for the participating bands.
Band-Aides also walk along the parade route with the band and provide encouragement and support.
"While we walked we could hear spectators talking about the band and we could take the comments back to the band later. We could also talk to the spectators and answer their questions," said Band-Aide Barbara Kearn.
Throughout the summer Band-Aides noticed, while assisting the band on the streets, that improvements were being made at each new parade.
"You could see the improvement when they got to the judging area," said Kearn.
Band-Aides are considering starting up a booster club for next season.
"We would do fund-raising and make a welcome equal to what we received from other schools," said Kearn.
The most rewarding part of being with the band is the feeling of satisfaction Band-Aides get from working with these students.
"There's an intense sense of pride that you get from working with them, something you can't describe," said Ludwig. "They're a pleasure to work with, a great bunch of kids," said Ludwig.
The band also showed many appreciation toward the Band-Aides.
"I felt like a mother to them, some of them even called me mom, you feel special when that happens," said Ludwig.

Staff Writer
The marching band has recently completed their fourth successful summer of competitive marching with three first place and three second place trophies.
Several major goals accomplished this summer was; improved marching and general-effect scores.
"New Richmond, Wisconsin was definitely the best performance," said band director Lee Kjesbo.
The band scored a 78.9 and finished third over all, out of 21 bands, including the grand champion, Alexandria, who scored 85.0. This was also the highest score of the season for "The Herd."
All though they have come quite far, the band agrees that there are still improvements to be made.
Kjesbo says he would definitely like to have more instructors, add another unit, and see students work harder.
Some band members have found other places where improvement is needed.
"The drum line needs improving," said senior Josh Zimmerman.
Another percussion member added a problem that she saw in her section.
"There needs to be less talking at practices," said sophomore Trish Hibner.
There is work involved in marching, but the attitudes were good.
"I wanted a hassle-free summer and out of 128 members, I only had one all year. You can't get much better than that," said Kjesbo.
Some band members were also pleased.
"Some people are negative about the week of practice in the hot sun, but everyone seems to respect Mr. Kjesbo and do their best," said sophomore Jessica Lilja.
Attitudes were highly noticed throughout the summer season.
"People had a good attitude. Those who were in it wanted to be," said freshman Tammy Schmidt.
While the had it's benefits, members also resisted the new changes, thus provoking the members to have conflict.
"Some members had a problem as far as willingness to change. They were pretty negative about it," said senior Nikki Paripovich.
One thing that was most looked forward to, was the trip to Hinkley, Minnesota and New Richmond, Wisconsin.
"It was great. It brought the band a lot closer together," said Hibner.
While some members sited this opportunity brought band members together, others sited the maturity that came from the experience.
"I think we really acted mature and made a good impression," said Schmidt.
Kjesbo was very pleased with the trip.
"It couldn't have been better! The students were polite, respectful, and cooperative. We hear these things from the other band directors, too," said Kjesbo.

Ten years ago, Minnesota school districts were ordered to offer girls the same number of opportunities as boys in varsity sports. To this day, 65% of the districts have broken state law by not doing so.

Six of the ten North Suburban school districts, including District 877, were on an official list of 260 Minnesota school districts that were not in compliance with state law for the 1989-90 school year because they offered fewer sports for girls than for boys. The list was contained in a report that was released on Monday, August 26 by the Minnesota Department of Education. Of the six North Suburban districts on the list, Fridley and Spring Lake Park were short of the state law by two or more sports.

BHS activities director Nancy Bergert was not concerned with the difference in the number of sports for boys and girls in District 877.

“When you get up above 15 sports, you’re still providing [the students] lots of opportunities. When I look at the number of boys and girls in activities, it’s pretty well balanced,” said Bergert.

When asked why District 877 was not in compliance, Bergert said she was concerned with the idea of unbalancing the number of sports by adding soccer.

“When I added swimming, I was ready to be done so we had ten of each [girls and boys sports]. Some soccer parents went to the school board and begged to have soccer and the school board decided they wanted soccer,” said Bergert.

The school board responded to Bergert’s concern by saying that the students wanted it and Bergert had to agree.

“When you have kids who want to do something, and you’re providing them lots of opportunities as we are, you go ahead and go one over,” said Bergert.

The Bison football team, under the direction of head coach Kevin Schmeling, is searching for an incredible comeback season.

The Bison, who went 1-7 last year, are working hard in their second year in the North Suburban Conference. Spirits among the team are high and the team is looking to win the conference title.

“Team unity is high. We’re a lot closer to each other,” said junior Frank Birch.

The team also blamed first year jitters in the North Suburban on their disappointing record last year.

“We know who we’re going against this year,” said Coach Schmeling.

The players agreed, stating that the second half of every game was better than the first half, but the team didn’t have enough abilities to overcome the deficit.

“[Our opponents] would score points in the first half and then we’d change at halftime and stop them in the second,” said Birch.

Injuries hurt the team last year. In the first game at Spring Lake Park, senior quarterback Jason Topp was injured early in the game and junior Brad Rief had to take over for the rest of the season. Now the team is fairly injury free and looking to beat some of the teams they face.

“We have to stay away from key injuries,” said Coach Schmeling.

The Bison lost many close games last season, including a heartbreaking 14-13 Homecoming loss to St. Francis. This year, the Bison are hoping to win some of those games.

“This year, we want to keep [our opponents] out of the endzone, and then we want to get that ball into the endzone,” said Schmeling.

This year, Homecoming is going to be a battle. The Bison face defending North Suburban champs and state class AA runner-up Elk River, who beat the Bison 13-7 last season. Now the Bison are looking to upset new rival Elk River at Homecoming on September 27.

“It’s going to be a battle, but I sure think we can be on top of the scoreboard when it’s done,” said Schmeling.

Tonight, the Bison are at Columbia Heights for a game with the Columbia Heights Hylanders starting at 7:30.

The BHS swim team has a new coach who promises a successful season for the third year of the program.

Rick Loge, the new swim team coach at BHS, has worked with some very successful swim teams in the past, including well known Sartell. In all, Loge has coached swim teams for about 17 years.

“It was very easy to adapt to the change [of schools]. I enjoy working with the staff and swimmers of Buffalo,” said Loge.

The swim team’s four hour practice sessions start with conditioning. During this time the team lifts weights and does aerobics. They then workout in the pool for the remaining two hours.

“[The swimmers] work very hard, they really push themselves,” said Coach Loge.

The swimmers feel that the intensity of the workouts will help them improve their skills.

“The workouts are hard, but I’m sure it will be worth it,” said freshman Joy Johnson.

The workouts required this year by Coach Loge are not much different from last year, but the team is pushed physically to increase their abilities.

“One of the goals for this season is personal improvement. [I want each swimmer] to improve each stroke, dive, and individual time,” said swim coach Renee Schneider.

Schneider has been in Buffalo for three years. She knows most of the swimmers well and knows that they are willing to work hard.

Loge has brought several advantages to the team. He has had professionals come from the U of M and help the swimmers improve their style. One upcoming event planned to help the swimmers improve is a visit by the man who placed 11th best in the world for swimming the breast stroke.

“He works us a lot harder, but it will make us better swimmers,” said junior Stephanie Affeldt.

The girls’ tennis team is looking forward to repeat their bid for the North Suburban title. Last spring, District 877 approved the building of new tennis courts at BHS in a joint venture with the city of Buffalo. The tennis team had hopes of switching from the junior high tennis courts to the new senior high courts that were to be built over the summer. Unfortunately, the courts, which were to replace the old high school courts, are still under construction and not scheduled to be finished until late in the tennis season. The team is not pleased with the fact that they probably will not get a chance to play on the new courts this season. “We’re just wait and see what’ll happen with them,” said head coach Charley Kiefenheim. However, some of the players are just glad that the courts will be ready for next season. “There will be next season so that is encouraging,” said senior Noell McPheeters. The tennis team is ready to play after last year’s 14-4 overall record and a second place finish in the North Suburban Conference with a 7-2 conference record behind Fridley, who beat the team during the season. Even with the loss of some key players, the tennis team feels that it has the strength to stay competitive. “We have a lot of strength, a lot of players coming back,” said Kiefenheim. The team is in a moderate state of mind after the first two matches in the early stages of this season. The team lost 4-3 to Prior Lake, winning three out of four singles matches but being swept in doubles play. The team then came back to beat Chaska 4-3, sweeping the doubles matches but losing three out of four in singles play. “Inexperience is something we’re going to have to overcome,” said Kiefenheim. As of Friday, August 30, the team was 1-1 this season. Their next match is today at 4 p.m. against Spring Lake Park at the junior high tennis courts.

Two new coaches were added to the soccer program at BHS this year as the team entered the varsity level. New varsity coach Mishawn Ahmad and new freshman coach Rick Huch joined coach Carl Davis, who coached junior varsity last year in a productive season. Ahmad, who is from the Middle East, is in charge of the varsity team while Huch is replacing coach Rick Toso, who coached the ninth grade team. This year the soccer team is entering the varsity level. Players are glad that they are going varsity and the new coaches are a big addition. “The new coaches aren’t hard to get used to, but sometimes you have to ask [Coach Ahmad] what he said [because of his accent],” said sophomore Chris Nevsinki. Coach Davis disagrees, citing the facts that he had more responsibilities in setting this year’s soccer program and is no longer in charge of practice sessions. “I think I am learning with the players about [Coach Ahmad],” said Davis. Coach Davis enjoys coming to BHS and coaching the soccer team after teaching Physical Education at Hanover Elementary for 11 years. This year, Davis is transfered to BHS, replacing Ed Miller who retired after last year. “This is a nice opportunity to come to the Senior High and to work with an older age group. It’s an opportunity for change,” said Davis. Some of the problems facing the team this year is getting used to new students and trying to work as a team. This year, the team has three foreign exchange students on the roster, along with a student who moved here from Africa before last year. Lack of experience at the varsity level and the loss of some good players to graduation will also be problems. “One of the problems in the soccer team is to get the plays down,” said Nevenski. The team hopes to do good at varsity after only playing junior varsity last year. “We’re not used to that kind of competition,” said Davis. Spirits remain high as the team faces a new challenge this year. “One of my goals is to win a game,” said sophomore Cory Schwitalla. The soccer team had 3 wins, 3 losses, and 4 wins in last year’s junior varsity season. The team started practices on August 19th and will be going through early October.

This year, several new courses will be added to the BHS curriculum to supplement subjects thought to be lacking. Faculty input was behind much of the design of these classes since, as Principal Nick Miller said, "People closest to the problem offer the best solutions." The new classes are: Advanced Chemistry and Contemporary Issues in Chemistry, taught by Charlie Keifenheim; Visual Technology, taught by Tim Nestrud; Introduction to Drafting, taught by Joel Prazak; and Algebra VII and VIII, taught by Peggy Pasche. Advanced Chemistry is in depth study of atoms, molecules, and elements. The class focuses on the knowledge and use of scientific theory. "I took this class [to] get a better understanding of things," said senior Traci Lay. During the year the students can use their creativity in designing their experiments. "Throwing in the creative part is good for the kids," said Keifenheim. Contemporary Issues is based on the study of the problems that affect students' daily lives. This course is ideal for those who aren't sure whether they are going to use chemistry in college or not. "The focus is on working together in groups to solve problems that we all face," said Keifenheim. Contemporary Issues prepares students for college courses without going into advanced chemistry. "I have some idea of what it's all about, but now I can get a better understanding for when I take chemistry in college," said junior Luke McLain. This course gives students beginning chemistry an introduction to the ideas and techniques behind chemistry. "I can use this as a base and add more onto it," said junior Jennifer Meyer. Visual Technology offers hands-on experience with video, photography, and computer graphics. It also offers independent study in areas such as silk screening. "The basic goal is to aid in the development of creative thinking and problem solving," said Nestrud. Nestrud also said that this is a class of high expectations, learning, and fun. Introduction to Drafting is a course in which students learn different drafting techniques. The class, however, deals mostly with the mechanical and architectural aspects of drafting and design. "I took the class because I thought it would help me if I became a draftsman," said junior Josh Lemoine. This class also helps students to prepare for other technical courses. Basic Algebra VII and VIII is a continuation of Basic Algebra VI. It is a class for those students who aren't yet prepared for the higher math courses at the High School, but have the potential to continue. "It's a way of finishing up for seniors to give them a chance to take higher math [in college]," said Pasche.

While most seniors will be graduating June 5, a select few will have already experienced a year of college life. Post Secondary Options is a program where students attend a college of their choice for their junior or senior year, and get credits for high school and college while taking college-level courses. Those involved in post secondary want to get the most out of their education even though it often means more work and less free time. Those choosing Post Secondary do so for various reasons. One given is that the high school setting and techniques were not sufficient. "I want to get my moneys worth for an education," said senior Peter Hessendal. Post Secondary students would rather leave high school and attend college in an effort to get a better learning experience. "Their way of teaching wasn't my way of learning," said sophomore Zara Akin about the Buffalo high school teachers. The program is structured to help students by giving them bigger and better resources through the college and to put them ahead of other high school classmates. Most of the students taking post secondary education felt that they weren't getting all that they could out of their high school classes. To get an added edge on the job market, Post Secondary students wanted more challenging courses. Post secondary education may give them that edge. "It was easy to a point where I sat in class and made paper airplanes," said senior Ned Akin. Senior Amy Carlson, one of the post secondary students, is taking the basic classes so after she graduates she can go to college and need not pay for them. "I'll be two years ahead of my classmates," said Carlson.

Continued from Page 1 goals is recognition as an independent nation by the west. "They'll be celebrating a lot more when the U.S. recognizes them," said German teacher Maija Zaeska, native of Latvia. On Monday, August 26, Gorbachev announced that he would resign as the head of the communist party in Soviet Union and dissolve the party. The next day, he made another announcement stating that those soviet republics demanding independence should have their demands granted. Around the nation, signs of the fall of communism could be seen everywhere, from the destruction of statues of former communist leaders to the closing of communist buildings everywhere. One building in the city of Belgorod was made into a clinic and health care center. Some of the leaders of the KGB, the Soviet Union's political secret police, were allegedly involved in the coup. Consequently, many leaders of the KGB are in the process of being fired, and the entire organization is being reorganized for it to have less political power. On Wednesday, August 28, Gorbachev said that he would resign as Soviet President if some form of Union wasn't preserved. Thursday, August 29, Russia and the Ukraine, the two largest republics of the Union, formed a temporary alliance and invited other former republics to join them to prevent military and economic disarray. In the United States, Representative Les Aspin, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, proposed to Congress that a one billion dollar cut be taken from the Pentagon budget to for economic and agricultural aid. Many stress the importance of long term aid, as opposed to money and food. "We should help them help themselves," said Fiedler. Many economic and educational reforms must be made for the new countries in order for them to survive as independent nations. "[The Baltic Republics] have a thirst for western education," said Zaeska. "Education is the key."