The Bison Stampede – March 20, 1998

The Graduated Drivers Licenses, which passed the Senate is being sent through the Minnesota House and Means Committee, if implemented, will dramatically change the process of getting a driver's license. The new legislation proposes a three-step licensing system which includes a six month permit phase, a one year provisional phase, and a third phase with full driving privileges given after an extra stage of drivers education. This means at the minimum, a teenager would be 17 before receiving an official license.

“Most of what they are proposing is just overkill,” said BHS drivers education teacher Jerry Melby, who has been teaching drivers education for 20 years.

During the proposed provisional phase, a teenager has all the same privileges as a fully licensed driver but is under a strict watch. If the driver is involved in an “at fault” collision or has more than one moving violation then the year-long provisional phase starts over.

“I think that it’s stupid because not all teens are bad drivers,” said freshman Josh Webber.

The State Senate recently okayed the Graduated Licensing System with a 49-nine vote. The original bill proposed a curfew that was from midnight until 5:00 a.m. with exceptions for working teens, and teens with special disabilities. The curfew was vetoed. Although the Senate vetoed the midnight to 5:00 a.m. curfew, the bill in the House and Means Committee still contains it.

Teens ages 15-19 made up 16 percent of the fatal car accidents in 1996. With 5000 teens dead every year from car accidents, a sixteen year old driver is 42 percent more likely to be in a fatal car accident then a 17 year old driver. It is because of statistics like these that legislators are proposing a change.

“It would be nice if the driver’s education instructors were able to say when a kid was ready to move on,” said Melby.

“Positive vibes happen earlier in the morning for me.”

Billy Soden band director

“Less people will fall asleep during class if we start later.”

Nichol Otten freshman

“Starting later will prevent tardies.”

Anthony Jarvis sophomore

“We will be able to get out of school earlier every day by starting earlier.”

Mary Totushek junior

Fifty-three percent of people polled knew that the start times would change next year.

Sixty-three percent of people polled said that the high school students should start earlier. Nine percent were indifferent.

It’s Saturday morning, the day most students sleep in. Not the speech team. Members of the BHS speech team board buses at 6:45 a.m. They have been building up for the Sections 2AA meet on Saturday, April 4. All these early mornings and hard work will come down to this final Saturday of the season when team members will try to prove they are the best in their category. The winners in each category will walk away with smiles on their faces and a trophy in their hands.

Mankato is hosting Sections. Speech participants will stay overnight to experience all the activities. Sections are one of the biggest events during the speech season. Members work for weeks and go to the different towns to get ready for this “special” meet.

“It will be a good experience competing against really good people that will help us with our speech,” said sophomore Nathalie Miller.

Practicing is a preparation that every member must do. Signing up for a practice session with coaches Mike Quady and Diane Durham at least once a week is a requirement. Critiquing speeches and advising team members about what to work on is their role.

Practicing at home and to close friends are other ways speakers get a little practice. Talking to the wall is another way to practice. Seeing this is an odd sight. People speak to the wall in different voices and do abnormal actions. To a first time observer this may seem abnormal. To speech participants it’s a great way to relieve stress.

Right now the team is trying to memorize lines, and this is a skill that the team needs to practice more, Durham said.

Getting up in front of the judges is something every contestant anticipates. Emotions flow from the words that the members speak when they try to do their best in front of the judges. Some people transform into more serious characters. Others turn on the charm and humor. It all depends upon the speech.

“When I’m in front of the judges, I am a little nervous but anticipate for how well I will do,” said freshman Lauren Robinson.

Each member of the team chooses a category. There are dramatic duos, which a speech is given with partner. There are also great speeches, where a well-known speech is given and interpreted. Poetry, and discussion are just a couple more to choose from. Speeches are chosen by people depending on their personalities and interests. Some participants even write their own.

“I wrote my speech myself; this way almost everyone can relate to at least one part of my speech,” said sophomore Laurie Burling.

There is a good chance that one or two of the speech veterans from the team will go to State, so there is a good outlook, said Durham, there are some good, strong speakers coming up in the next few years.

Until then the teams sights are focused on the April 4th meet in Mankato

Everyone looks forward to receiving their yearbook, but the yearbook staff looks forward to it the most. To these students, the yearbook means something more. They spend three terms running around, looking for information, practicing their writing, and doing a lot of brainstorming.

“I wanted to be on the yearbook because I love to write. I didn’t expect as much work as we have, but it’s fun,” said Sarah Kolbinger.

Not everyone can take the class though. A willingness to work hard and ability to meet deadlines are minimum requirements for staff members.

“I [unclear] to be highly motivated,” said yearbook teacher/adviser Vicky Cary.

There are four deadlines in the span of three terms. When a deadline comes up the mood is very hectic. The tension in the air is thick. Some are edgy, especially the editors. They are the ones who make sure that everything is getting done. The writers are also nervous. To them it seems like time flies. Kids run around trying to finish before the deadline comes. Most of the work night is available for every deadline.

“It isn’t like other classes, because when you miss assignments, you can turn it in late and just have your points docked off. In here, if [unclear] that happens, the yearbook won’t come out on time, and that means angry students,” said Editor-in-Chief Laura Roberts.

The class offers tons of things to do. Kids run around trying to do surveys or polls to make the yearbook more interesting. Still others search their brains for a good way to write a story to make it appealing to readers. Creativity and a great imagination is the key to a good writer.

“[The] Best thing about this class, is that you have freedom,” said junior Jamie Marschel.

In most classes you just sit there and either listen to your teacher, write down notes or do homework. In yearbook, there are times when the students are either leaving the room or coming in on their own time.

Thereward for all the hard work is being named “The Sample Yearbook.” The publishing company collects outstanding books so other schools can use the samples as a good reference in yearbooks. The yearbook will come out on student Appreciation day which is on May th.

“You have to be highly motivated,” said yearbook teacher/adviser Vicky Cary.

There are deadlines in the span of three terms. When a deadline comes up the mood is very hectic. The tension in the air is thick. Some are edgy, especially the editors. They kids do finish stories in class unless they do an interview. Then they do it in AAA. A [unclear]

The string of disasters in the city of Grand Forks all began with the constant blizzards of '96-'97. School was canceled most of the time leaving BHS freshman Monica McDaniel bored at home. She couldn’t even leave the house because the snow was so thick. During blizzard number eight (blizzard Hannah), her parent’s car became a temporary home for a day when they were stranded. However, when the snow began to melt, there was much work to do.

“It started innocently enough, I think, with the sandbags. They’d say, ‘Go down and sandbag in your local area.’ And then it became, ‘Go do it now.’ They said it was your job now,” said McDaniel.

She claimed the sandbagging had its lighter moments. “It was fun ’cause we would laugh and joke, me and my friends, throwing sand at each other.”

Suddenly everything began to collapse. Monica watched the Red River slowly creep under her. “I never thought myself an idiot, but at that point in time; I thought What the heck? I’m standing here on this dike that’s about to break and I’m going hmmm,” said McDaniel. She then turned to run but water seemed to be everywhere.

“You could stand up on those dikes and it seemed like you were so far up, but the river was lapping at your feet.”

Up to her waist in water, she was picked up by a truck gathering the Grand Forks sandbaggers. “Someone picked me up by the collar and just hoisted me into the truck.”

When the flooding began, her mother didn’t think anything of it and was prepared to stay even without electricity, water, and sewers which were backed up. Eventually, on April 19, they left. Monica packed enough clothes for a week, expecting to return soon.

“This’ll be just a nice vacation,” thought McDaniel. “I’ve been carrying my bag around ever since during the flood because it’s my security thing. It’s kinda like the only thing the flood didn’t take.”

She stayed at her aunt’s house in Plymouth for longer than any of them had ever expected and took residence in the Super 8 in Buffalo for a short time while her father searched for a job.

The flood waters would not recede. The town was destroyed by floodwater, there was looting, and fire damaged many downtown buildings. She went back to Grand Forks for cleanup soon after.

“You just slowly watched on TV all your stuff go. That was my town, that was where I lived my whole entire life. I hated to see it,” said McDaniel. “You kinda wonder, Is our house like that?”

At night, the whole town was dark and barren. There was nearly no light to be seen.

“When you looked, even as you approached the horizon where you knew Grand Forks should have been, there was nothing. There was one flicker of light off in the very far distance. When you approached, this town was so quiet, almost too quiet. It was deafening,” said McDaniel.

At home, the McDaniels found that water flooded their entire basement, and it was quite obvious as everything in it was displaced and mud was everywhere.

“The stereo was lodged in the toilet because when the water rose up and covered everything, it shifted everything around so when it receded it left it where it was. The desk had rammed the water heater, and the washer and drier were still filled with this gross, icky water,” said McDaniel.

The town was barren. Anything still standing was covered with feces and mud, leaving a horrid stench, and in cleanup, garbage was everywhere.

Monica relocated and is living in Buffalo. Now, one year after the flood of the century, Monica has made a new life here.

“They nominated me because I give them food,” said current Feature Teacher Vicki Cary.

Cary, however, does not think she deserves the award.

“There are a lot of other teachers that deserved this award more than me,” said Cary.

Growing up in a small school (her class graduated 27) taught Cary about the importance of getting to know students.

“We usually had the same teachers from year to year,” said Cary. “I really got to know them well.”

Through getting to know her teachers better, she knew that as a teacher, she had to know her students better in order to understand them.

She did not always want to be a teacher, though. Her husband’s parents convinced her that she would make a good one.

“I originally got a degree in journalism,” said Cary. “His [my husband’s] parents, who were both teachers, talked me into going back for my degree in education.”

Cary jokes with her students to keep her classes light and fun because “laughter is the key to better learning.”

“You have to laugh, or you would go crazy,” said Cary.

Cary says she has been lucky enough to “get to work with good kids,” throughout her eight years of teaching.

“I try to be a teacher who sets high standards for the kids,” said Cary. “Then I just give them enough room to achieve it.”

Lives of people in our community, maybe even the life of someone you know may have been saved by Tuesday’s blood drive sponsored by National Honor Society.

Blood drives supply blood for accident victims, premature infants, cancer patients, anemia patients, and anyone else who needs blood. Every 12 seconds an American receives a blood transfusion. Often blood donors give the gift of life to people that would otherwise died. In 1997, 155 caring BHS students gave blood.

“It’s such a worth while thing to do, you don’t have to be rich, or smart, you just have to show up and you can save the lives of three or even four people,” said Karen Rebischke, who was in charge of the blood drive for the past ten years.

Sayward Hayes, a senior at BHS, received a blood transfusion when she was ten months old. The blood that Hayes received saved her life. Without the transfusion, Hayes only had a 20 percent chance of living.

Hayes said that she was given the blood transfusion before the blood was tested for AIDS, so in ’86 or ’87 she had to go and get tested, luckily it came back negative. Unfortunately, some people were not as lucky. Blood transfusions were one of the leading causes of AIDS until 1983, when it became mandatory to test blood before it was used. Today Hayes is alive and well and looks forward to the chance to help another person as she was helped.

“I am definitely going to give blood this year,” said Hayes. “It saved my life.”

If you missed the blood drive this year at school, you can still give blood. The Minnesota chapter of the Red Cross holds blood drives all year long around Minnesota communities.

No diseases can be received from giving blood and it takes under an hour to help save the life of another human being. A local blood center can be found by calling the Minnesota chapter of the Red Cross at 612-291-6789.

Do you have an opinion about next year’s school start times? The school board would never know it by attendance at recent public meetings discussing the issue. At the March 2 school board meeting, only about 10 students showed up, and they weren’t necessarily there to discuss start times. When Superintendent Tom Nelson held a meeting during AAA, approximately 25-30 students showed to express their opinions. This is a pretty small sampling for a school of 1,450 students.

We need to tell the school board how we feel, so they can take our opinions into consideration. Many students feel that the school board doesn’t really care what we think, they just want to save money. The reason they’re changing the start times is because they don’t want to waste money. They are willing to hear what you have to say. In fact, Nelson said he’d be willing to meet with students in small groups before or after school to discuss this issue.

You may be afraid to voice your opinion because you’re not aware of all the facts.

On Monday, March 2, the board decided to adopt multi-tier busing. This means the same bus will be used to pick up and drop off several routes. Using this system our district could save almost $100 thousand, cut the number of buses being used, and avoid transferring to other buses.

With the multi-tier busing no student would have to ride the school bus for more than one hour, and no elementary student would be picked up earlier than 7:00 a.m. An earlier start time would mean getting up 15 to 20 minutes earlier. That also means getting out of school 15 to 20 minutes earlier. That extra time would help many students get to jobs on time and allow more time for homework.

No school in the district will start any earlier than 7:45 a.m. A later start time means getting a few extra minutes of sleep every morning. That also means having to attend school a little later into the day. Leaving less time for homework, a job, and after school activities such as sports.

The decision will be made at the next school board meeting on Monday, March 23, at the Discovery Center (old junior high) at 7:00 p.m.

No matter what your views are, attendance at the meeting is a must for all residents! You need to let the Board know how you feel. If you don’t, they may make a decision that you’re not happy with.

After a basketball game, do people from the crowd come up and tell the players, “you missed that shot and you looked like crap out there?” Usually not. However, this is often what it is like for any newspaper staff member on distribution day. Many times every issue, people come up to members of our staff and point out our errors and say “Look at that stupid mistake you made,” without pointing out the good stuff.

It takes a lot of work every month to put out a good quality publication. Everything is read over and over, looking for any mistakes that could be in the story. Sometimes everyone misses a mistake and it goes to press. Then on distribution day, we usually notice the mistake, or someone notices it and lets us know. Fair enough. We want to hear what we do wrong and we would be happy to address any problems that we make. EVERY issue is a learning experience, and we rely on our readers to help educate us.

The February issue was particularly educational. In the Pat Sonju story we said, “Although the Buffalo Bison boys basketball team has seen better years, one prominent change for the better is first year head coach and science teacher Pat Sonju.” Oops! We would never intentionally imply that a coach was bad, or that one coach was better than another. Our sincerest apologies to former basketball coach, Dave Alto. This was a poorly phrased sentence that went to press. We will do our best to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Although much was said about this, sadly, there were no letters to the editor. If there had been, the situation could have been a greater learning experience for the entire staff. It would have taught us first-hand that we are responsible for what is on OUR pages.

The Bison Stampede is a student publication — produced and published by BHS students for BHS students and staff. We welcome comments, questions or complaints. The best course of action is writing a letter to the editor. Like in basketball, sometimes we play a bad game, but other times we play a great game. It would be nice if people noticed our good games as well as our bad ones.

It is a little known fact that 40,000 children about the world die of starvation each day; in the US alone, 12.6 million children live below the poverty line and over 19 million citizens depend on food stamps. This, however, is not the problem; the problem lies in the fact that there is enough food in the world to ensure no one goes hungry, yet it doesn’t reach the needy. An individual cannot be expected to implement the action required to feed the starving — that would be virtually impossible — nor is it expected of anyone to accept personal guilt for a situation that is clearly out of their hands, but would it be too much for people to respect the food they have in view of these harrowing statistics? Apparently so, being as there is another set of more shameful statistics to accompany the aforesaid ones. It appears, according to a recent survey, that 25 percent of all students eating from a school lunch line will waste some of the food they get. Seventeen percent of these will throw away more than half the food on their tray on a daily basis. Surprised? Maybe not, but in view of the fact that the cafeteria prepares 300 slices of pizza each day and uses 80 pounds of turkey roast in gravy alone, such waste is ill affordable. The cafeteria has to constantly monitor and modify the food consumed to make sure waste keeps to a bare minimum; they are, however, concerned that waste could be even lower if students knew more about what goes into dietary planning therein. So, just in case this waste is totally accountable for through student ignorance there follows a brief run down of the main suggested reasons for waste and the facts that make them unjustifiable. Perhaps some people throw away food that they are concerned is going to drastically increase their weight. Misconception number one. For a start, no food is bad food when consumed in moderation; considering the cafeteria has to conform to meal patterns, required by federal law to meet recommended dietary requirements, every set meal purchased in the cafeteria does nothing but complement the diet of the consumer. If people are wasting what they have no room for, then perhaps they are not aware that the food is sold on an offer versus serve basis, whereby a student only has to take three of the five foods offered as part of a meal. Maybe people are aware of this but prefer to decide what they want when they get to their table instead of in the lunch line. In such a case there is no solution, as the parents have already failed in teaching their child the morals of taking only what is required. It is a sad and shameful fact that the waste in schools for younger students is probably double that of high school, but kids have the excuse that they don’t know better. High school students do know better and there is no need for this flagrant disregard of all those who go without food on a daily basis.

The timber wolf has been under federal protection since 1973. Recently, the Minnesota wolf population has dramatically scaled to an estimated 2,200. Now is the time to cut back on the wolf population. If we don’t, wolves will be coming closer and closer to humans, making a very dangerous situation. Many people think it is time for downsizing of sorts. Last winter was cold and harsh on deer, so the deer population dropped, making an easy meal for wolves. This winter has been mild, so deer are healthier and many wolves are going hungry, which explains why more wolves are roaming closer to humans. Many farmers from Northern Minnesota have suffered the devastating effects of the increasing wolf population. Livestock lost to wolves has increased 19 percent. Ninety-three farms reported losses from wolves. There have been cases when very hungry wolves have attacked pets and even human beings. In the 1960’s the timber wolf had been hunted down so bad, there were no more than 30 in Minnesota. The wolf population skyrocketed recently because there is an average of six pups in every litter. In the year 2000, estimated wolf population will be 2,500. If we don’t cut back on the wolf population now, ten years from now we could have some very bad cases of wolves attacking small children. There are now enough timber wolves in Minnesota and around North America for them to be taken off the endangered species list, so then the wolf population can be controlled.

When you start PowerPoint from the toolbar in the top-right corner, you will get a box asking you how you want to start. Click the dot next to “Template” and click OK. Once you have one made though, click “Open an Existing Presentation.” There are three types of templates: Blank (black text, white background — boring), Presentation Designs (colors and graphics), and Presentations (already made, just fill in the blanks). Your best bet is a Presentation Design. Run through them and find one you like. Now you are asked to choose a slide layout. The layout determines the font size and color, where it is on the screen, and the background graphics. The first one has a title and a subtitle. The next two are for lists in one column, and lists in two columns. These are the most commonly used layouts. Pick one and click OK. You can always change your layout by clicking the “Slide Layout” button in the lower-right. From here it’s basically fill-in-the-blanks. Have fun with fonts, move the text boxes around, personalize it. To add a saved graphic, go to the “Insert” menu and select “Picture”. Another solution for a boring presentation is clip art. Go to “Insert,” and select “Clip Art.” If you don’t like the colors, go to the “Format” menu and select “Slide Color Scheme.” From there you can pick from an assortment of pre-mixed color schemes or make your own. For a new background, go to “Format,” then “Custom Background.” Choose shades, patterns, textures, a plain color, or a saved image. There are five “buttons” in the lower-left corner that come in handy. Button #1 is the Slide view. It lets you zoom in on one slide. Button #2 is Outline view. This is a good way to print off a summary to read from. Button #3 is for the Slide Sorter. It shows you a “thumbnail” of each slide. There you can rearrange them or copy them. Button #4 is for the Notes Pages. This is like having handouts with a picture of the slide on top, and specifics below it. The fifth button is Slide Show. The slides will show full screen according to any animations or timings you have set. This is what you want to click when you go to give your presentation. Must Buy: Iomega’s ZIP and JAZ drives hold tons of stuff, have removable disks so you can share them, are easy to install, and are cheaper than buying a new hard drive. If you have a computer, external models hook up within minutes. If your family is thinking of buying a computer, many manufacturers can put in an internal model. ZIP disks can hold 100 MB (megabytes), and JAZ drives can hold one or two GB (gigabyte - depends on model). And the disks are nearly indestructible, so you can haul them around anywhere! Suggested retail prices: ZIP - $150, JAZ 1 GB - $300, JAZ 2 GB - $600 (Iomega, ZIP, and JAZ are registered trademarks.)

BHS students who are non-travelers are going to need something to do March 27 through April 4, spring break. Many students think that all there is to do is to stay home and watch television. Tons of things are happening in the Twin Cities. You could catch a movie, see a play or two, or even go to a concert.

Movies and plays out over spring break

Movies Meet the Deedles - Comedy ---- Rated PG The Newton Boys - Action ---- Rated N/A No Looking Back - Drama ---- Rated N/A Ride - Comedy ---- Rated N/A A Price Above Rubies - Foreign Art Drama ---- Rated R The Proposition - Drama ---- Rated N/A My Grant - Comedy ---- Rated N/A Genealogies of a Crime - Foreign Art Drama ---- Rated N/A

Buffalo Cinema
Admission:
$5.50--adults
$3.00--seniors,
children, shows
before 6 p.m.

Or...

Go to http://www.sidewalk.com to find movie locations near you, show times, and prices.

Plays Twelfth Night March 20 - April 12 Performed at the Theatre in the Round Players Regular tickets $12.00

Conservations About Hannah March 17 -20, 25 - 27 Performed at the Great American History Theatre Students tickets $7.00

Black No More
March 20 - April 19
Performed at the Guthrie Theater
Tickets $12.00 - $21.00

Thunder Knocking on the Door
Now - March 28
Performed at the Guthrie Theater
Tickets $15.00 - 39.00

The touring Broadway musical Chicago is being performed at the Historic State theater, also. Tickets for Chicago cost between $26.50-$50.00. Performances during spring break are March 27 through March 29. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Arts line at (612)673-0404, or at the State and Orpheum Theater box location and all Ticketmaster locations. Thunder Knocking on the Door is playing at the Guthrie Theatre. This musical features lots of guitar music and blues. Show dates during spring break are March 27 through March 28. Tickets start at $15.00 to $21.00. Call 377-2224 for tickets and show times. Canned Goods is playing at the Penumbra theater, show dates are March 27-March 29. Tickets start from $16-$22.00. Call 224-3180 for tickets.

Concerts Eric Clapton kicks off another concert to promot his new CD, Pilgrim, on March 30 at the St. Paul River Centre. However, this show is sold out within 45 minutes of going on sale. Whether someone's going to Mazatlan, Cancun, Dayton or Tahiti, spring break this year is looking to be a fun one. However, the difference this year is, to someone else's who's staying home, you can say it will be a fun break for them too.

Staying home for spring break this year? Even though it’s too late to book a vacation this year, it’s not too early to start saving for next year. Finding a great price for getting out of town can be a stressful experience of watching prices in the newspaper, booking in advance and talking to numerous travel agents.

Mexico is often the “hot” spot for spring break travelers. Going to Mexico can range from $590-$650 per person with a package deal that includes airfare and seven day hotel accommodations in a moderate hotel on the beach. Traveling in a group of three to four and staying in a hotel that isn’t on the beach can save around $100 and drop prices to $480-$520.

Mazatlan is usually the least expensive spot in Mexico.

“Mazatlan and Cancun are surpassing Florida this year in sales,” said Lisa Mills of the Travel Gallery in Buffalo. “The weather is never a worry and it’s better because you don’t really need a car to get anywhere. In Florida you also need to be 21 to rent a car.”

Florida is another place for travelers in search of the sun and beaches, but at a lower price. Going to Florida can cost anywhere from $300 for a package deal that includes airfare and seven nights in a moderate hotel.

Cruises can be quite expensive, but everything that’s needed is included in the price. A cruise to the Caribbean can be anywhere from $1200-$1500 per person. That price includes: airfare, meals and accommodations on the cruise ship. The only additional money needed is for souvenirs and extra excursions.

If staying in the Minnesota area, taking a road trip skiing can be cheap. During spring break the most desired place to go where they still have snow is Lutsen. Going to Colorado or Montana for skiing can be done driving or flying. If choosing to fly cost runs around $700-$1000 with a package deal of airfare, seven day hotel accommodations and a lift ticket.

Another road trip that could be taken would be to Texas. In Texas there are tons of beaches and Mexico is only a short drive away. “Texas is the closest beach area to drive to, but it still isn’t very close,” said Mills.

Vacations taken during spring break can be great when traveling smart and looking for deals. Talking to a travel agent is usually the most helpful in booking a vacation and learning about an area. Trips are basically a matter of personal preference on the destination chosen and how much money is invested in them. Staying in the area can be cheaper but, sunshine and beaches mean advanced planning and investing some money.

Staff Writer

Spring break. A time of freedom for students. A time to spend with friends and family; or, as many students prefer, a time to catch up on some zzz’s. As some students get ready to have a fun time with friends around home, and others climb back into the same cave they entered over winter vacation to hibernate for the week, others are getting ready to bust out of town. Their main spring break objectives: have fun and get a tan.

Many BHS students are leaving town for the tropical sights like Cancun, Mexico and Hawaii, while others are just going around the country with friends or family.

Sophomore Jessica Archer is taking her annual family trip to Hawaii. After she arrives on the island of Oahu, she hopes to get out to the beach and swim, snorkel and scuba dive; her favorite Hawaiian pastimes.

“I like swimming in the ocean because the waters are so much different than Minnesota,” Archer said. “You get a whole different aspect when you’re looking through clear waters at the different sea-life.”

While Archer is off relaxing on the sandy beaches of Oahu, freshman friends, Niki Jepson and Angie Trimble are heading off for San Diego. While staying with Jepson’s grandmother, they plan on spending their week at Sea World, Disneyland, Hollywood and visiting Mexico for a day.

“I want to spend time on the beach and boardwalks. They’re really cool,” said Jepson. “I also want Angie to see the Pacific. I’m praying the weather will be very nice.”

Weather is going to be a large factor in how much fun spring break is going to be.

Freshman Darcy Belcourt hopes the nice weather will visit Arizona with her.

Belcourt and her family of five are planning a five day trip to Phoenix to go swimming, horseback riding and sight-seeing.

Darcy said she just wants to relax and have a good time, go shopping and work on her tan.

Finances to pay for the trips came from many places. Archer had to save up and pay for half of her trip while her parents paid for the rest. Jepson’s grandmother will be paying for hers, while Trimble has to pay for her own. Belcourt’s parents are taking care of their expenses. Costs for the trips range from $360 to “a lot.”

On Monday, April 6, when students arrive back to school, there will be telltale differences in faces showing what they did over the 10 day break. Some will have an extra gleam in their eyes that showed they had a fun time, others will have the indentations of their pillow creases still imprinted in their cheeks and others will be showing off their new tans and sunburns.

Staff Writer

School districts across the country give students a break every spring. Sometimes students find a more convenient time to go than the school’s time, that doesn’t coincide with the district. While the vacation is memorable, missing school often comes with serious consequences.

Senior Brian Moon took one such trip. He and 10 other people packed into a suburban and drove for 30 hours non-stop to California.

“The ride wasn’t that bad at all. The scenery was beautiful and I never really got bored,” said senior Brian Moon.

Once they finally got to California, Moon and his friends bought six days of lift tickets to go skiing on the Sierra Mountains, in South Lake Tahoe.

“I have always wanted to go skiing there, and now I finally did,” said Moon.

After a long day of skiing, Moon and his friends sat in the hot tub outside of their room. From there they could look down at the brightly lit city.

“It was so cool looking down at the city lights from on top of the mountain it was so beautiful,” said Moon.

Out of all the skiing trips that Moon has been on, this was the least expensive of all. He only spent around $600 dollars total.

“This is the first year that I don’t have any skiing debts or owe money to my parents,” said Moon.

Even though there were many ups to this trip there were also some problems. Brian was gone for 12 days and missed seven days of school.

“I had to drop my first hour class the first day of the term, because of my trip. If I would not have dropped the class I would have failed it,” said Moon.

When Brian got back he heard from two of his teachers that they were going to drop him from their classes. To avoid summer school, Brian’s teachers were completely willing to help.

“My English and personal business teachers wanted to drop me from their classes. It was a big deal for me not to let that happen,” said Moon. “I really appreciated the way my teachers worked with me so I wouldn’t get dropped from any classes or fail them.”

The words, “spring break” have a different meaning for different people. Some students feel spring break is just a break during spring. Most teachers, however, feel it’s just the time off school. Such a discrepancy can cause conflicts.

“For [everyone’s] benefit, it’s important to communicate with your teachers and notify them 2-3 weeks in advance of when you’ll be gone,” said Moon.

Staff Writer

Would you be willing to work, train, practice, lift weights, dream, and hope for something for eleven long years and in the course of a few short hours have to listen to someone tell you that you are finished? This nightmare became a bitter reality for senior Luke Johnson.

After being captain of the junior varsity hockey team in 1997, it looked as though Johnson was well on his way to fulfilling a dream of being on the varsity squad as a senior. Regretfully, Johnson was ordered to hang up his skates two weeks prior to the start of the 1998 season due to two incidences involving alcohol last October.

“The feeling was like falling into an icy lake in November, with the water stabbing you like sharp knives cutting into your flesh,” said Johnson. “As I watched eleven years of my life pass before my eyes, a sudden emptiness overcame me, and at that moment, I knew a part of me was now dead forever.”

Johnson’s first offense occurred late one evening in a parking lot of the St. Francis High School, when a suspicious police officer found open containers of alcohol in the back seat of his car. Being the sober cab of the evening, Johnson passed the breathalyzer test, but was still suspended from school for three days and two weeks from hockey for open bottle and possession of an alcoholic beverage.

“If I was given the opportunity to redo that night, there is not a thing I would do differently,” said Johnson. “My buddies would have drank regardless, and I would rather be suspended for being a sober cab, than to end up finding one of them dead!”

A second offense was committed late last fall, when it was brought to the school’s attention that there were alcoholic beverages at a party Johnson was attending. Not knowing of a denial penalty, Johnson tried to deny his charges of consumption while at the party. Soon after threatening him with the disqualification of nine additional weeks if proven guilty, he finally confessed. Instead of facing the violation charges for a second offense, which would be suspension for an additional three weeks, the coaches decided to permanently remove Johnson from the team.

“I honestly believed that I would have never gotten busted. Unfortunately, I was only fooling myself, and so is everyone else who thinks that,” said Johnson.

MSHSL’s bylaw for mood-altering chemicals states that during the calendar year, regardless of the quantity, a student shall not: (1) use a beverage containing alcohol; (2) use tobacco; or, (3) use or consume, have in possession, buy, sell or give away any other controlled substance. The bylaw applies to a twelve-month calendar year.

Because of his love for hockey, Johnson went on to play on the Midgets team, and was selected to be a captain by his teammates.

“You have the rest of your life to drink and party,” said Johnson. “Don’t ruin what you can make of your future by starting now!”

News Editor

NAME: Jackie MacMillan
SPORT: Hockey
POSITION: Goalie
YEAR: Senior

BRIEFLY: “My greatest achievement has been being able to play hockey on the boys varsity team,” said senior Jackie MacMillan.

She has made remarkable achievements in her high school years. None are as remarkable as playing on varsity hockey for three years. Her most memorable moment in hockey was taking Centennial into overtime this year. Other years the team didn’t even come close. MacMillan’s other achievements include running varsity cross-country for five years, starting for two years in softball and track, and being the sports editor for the ’98 Tatanka yearbook.

Jackie credits her success to her dad.

“I owe a lot to my dad. Mainly because of everything he has taught me, not just in hockey,

NAME: Jerrod Nordberg
SPORT: Hockey
POSITION: Defenseman
YEAR: Senior

BRIEFLY: He has a personality like no other. His carefree attitude makes him a friend of many, his hockey ability makes him a definite leader. These qualities made Jerrod captain and two year starter, a role model for many younger players. Jerrod has had many highlights during his eleven seasons of hockey. One example is during his sophomore year the team took a trip to Duluth, and stayed in hotel rooms for the weekend. His most exciting moment in hockey is when he got his first career point. Student council, golf, football and legion baseball are among the many activities that Jerrod participates in, including hockey.

“My youth coaches made me the hockey player I am today, especially my dad and Doc.”

Two wins, seventeen losses. That was last year. This year, the BHS varsity baseball team hopes to shed their woeful ways of years past. Returning players like junior Tony Ross, junior Jason Opsal, senior Jamie Larson, senior John Goodale, junior Ed Shult, and last year’s only All-Conference selection for the Bison, senior Matt Olson, the Bison hope to get off on the right foot, and stay that way throughout the season.

“We hope to finish in the top three of the conference. If we’re there, it’ll be close. We could win the Conference Championship this year,” said assistant coach Mike Beilke.

This season, there will be no captains on the varsity team.

“We just want some guys to step into the roll without all the pressure that comes with having the C on their jersey,” said Beilke.

This season will be head coach Donnie Thompson’s third year at the helm. Thompson is a Phy-Ed teacher at Buffalo Community Middle School.

“This year we’re going to break out and set tradition. This is a committed group of ballplayers who play together very well,” said Thompson.

Practices started March 9 for pitchers and catchers, and will begin for position players on March 16.

Tentatively speaking, the first game of the season will be on April 7 against Spring Lake Park.

The normal turn-out for freshmen players is around 30 to 40, and this year there is anywhere from 25 to 30.

“We expected to get a very high freshmen turnout again, so we lined up two coaches for the first time in a while. It really surprised me when I looked at the first sign-up sheet and there were only 17 names under the freshmen column,” said Beilke.

Before the season even started, the coaches ended up the gym from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for the four Sundays before practices started. There was a fairly low turn-out at the open gyms due to many three-sport athletes who needed Sunday to rest from a hard week of practice at their other sport.

Regarding the team’s academics, both coaches thought that the Conference Academic Championship would be a goal to shoot for. The State Academic Championship could be a realistic goal as well, just as the football and boys’ hockey teams did.

“This will be this year’s seniors third year under my philosophy, so the commitment level is very high,” said Thompson. “If these guys didn’t agree with my philosophy, they would not still be playing for me.”

1) What is the oldest NFL stadium?

2) What sport has the highest ratio of officials to participants?

3) Who is the only person to be in both the Baseball and Football Hall of Fame?

4) New York fans can enjoy watching two of their teams play each other in hockey. Name these two teams.

5) How many grams of gold are in an Olympic Gold Medal?

Answers:
1) Soldier Field
2) Tennis (13-1)
3) Cal Hubbard
4) Islanders and Rangers
5) 6 grams

It was a cold day in Blaine. The long faces, the droopy eyes told of the disappointment the Bison felt. They have placed eighth in the State True-Team track meet. That was last year. Now the new and returning members of track plan to get there again, but with a different outcome.

There is a possibility of two new events this year. For the boys there is a 4x200 relay and Pole-vaulting for girls. A new requirement for both boy and girl pole-vaulters is the requirement of wearing a helmet.

“Hopefully there will be many girls trying out for a pole-vaulting position,” said coach Scott Palmer.

The strong events this year from Palmer’s aspect is the hurdles for the boys with Jed Kassulke, Brian Moon, and Sean Siffert leading the way. The high jump and some relays look pretty strong as well. Girls will be strong in the distance events with Beth Jackson and Nancy Busselmier and the field events will be led by Kelly Kothrade in shot and discus. Betsy Bremmer, Dana Kuntzman and Tara Schroeder lead the long jumping events.

“This could be one of Buffalo’s best track teams, even though we graduated a lot of seniors,” said Palmer.

Nagging injuries can hurt a track team and for that reason the Bison do lots of stretching. Staying healthy is a key element for the Bison to do well in their 1998 season.

The pitcher raises the ball – up and in, a hard stare back at the pitcher, the sound of ringing aluminum and screams of her teammates fills the air as she rounds first. One strong, male voice stands out above the others. It’s that of Coach Dave Alto. These are all part of the experience of the Bison softball team.

For eight years, Alto has been a strong voice giving direction and encouragement to the girls softball team. Last summer, he brought them to the State Regional and has won many awards. If it wasn’t for his coaching, team spirit, and dedication to his players, the girls wouldn’t have come so far.

“We lost some valuable players, but are gaining new players, who are working great,” said Coach Alto.

Seven out of nine players are returning this season. Some of the players who are returning this year are: junior Sarah Thompson, who won All-Conference and All-Section, senior Jackie MacMillian who won All-Section, and North-Suburban Conference, and senior Holly Bonk who won All-State, All-Section and took the team to second place for All-Metro and All-Conference.

The most improvement for his girls are, “stressing the fundamentals, which is throwing, fielding, and hitting,” said Alto.

The important information Alto wants them to understand about softball is to give it their all and to have fun. While off the field the girls discipline themselves with practicing strategies and homework. Their dedication to softball is great and they can’t wait to start the new season on the right foot.

“Alto makes us work hard, but is a lot of fun,” said Jessica Marquette.

In addition, Alto also coaches the freshman girls softball team.

“These girls are accepting new ideas and are working hard. They are doing a great job,” said Alto.

“When people think of sports they think of things like football or hockey. It’s not often someone says their favorite sport is climbing,” said junior Jesse Henley.

Rock climbing is one of the oldest sports, dating farther back than football or hockey. It’s an activity that hasn’t always been a sport, but a key to survival. People aren’t aware of the physical challenges involved in rock climbing.

To many people, rock climbing looks easy. They think they’ll fly right up the wall their first time. Like any sport, rock climbing can be done with practice.

“But to be the best, you have to put your life on hold,” said Henley, who himself has been climbing for approximately four years. “I remember the first time I went climbing; it wasn’t my choice either. My dad forced me to go with him, and I guess it just had a good impression on me and I stuck with it.”

Only 13 when he started, Henley moved to the top fast, improving every time he climbed. Two years later, Henley was ready to put his indoor skills to the test by completing his first outdoor climb in Wyoming. When Henley doesn’t have as much time or money, he has to make do at indoor gyms.

“I do some outdoor climbing out here; nothing very challenging though,” said Henley. Currently, Henley is ranked 17 in the nation including all. This fall Henley is planning a trip to France, in addition to his trip to Arizona during spring break.

No matter where he is climbing it takes intense concentration. “The only thing that goes through my head is my next move and where I’m going to go next,” said Henley.

In April, Henley is going to Boulder, Colorado, and tackling some of his most feared routes.

“Climbing has become my life. The only down side is missing out on everything going on back home with my friends when I am out of town climbing,” said Henley. “But, there is a time in your life when you have to put what matters most first, and right now that is climbing.”

Henley says his plans for the future are to become the best in the world by the age of 18. Then he can relax and live a little.

“Man, it’s hot!” You would say this too, if you were outside on July 10. Without any shade. Wearing a long-sleeved coat.

Long-sleeved coat? What would anyone be doing with a coat on in the hottest season of the year?

Marching band, of course. Think of it: a black polyester uniform, an instrument to carry and play, and a parade to march down one to three miles. No stopping, no water bottle, no electric fans. Only sweat in your ears, uncomfortable shoes on your feet and drumming in your ears.

Yet this, and many extra-curricular activities at BHS don’t seem to share the spotlight that many of the sports receive. The BHS community needs to further recognize the hard effort of the non-athletic students.

Student Council, the Class Cabinets, and National Honor Society all put a lot of effort into service projects many times a year. For example, the recent NHS blood drive: Many hours were spent planning, and members volunteered to help serve treats, escort donors, and help set up and take down the whole system.

Student Council spends many months planning Homecoming. Decorating, planning activities and running the whole thing take time and energy. Time and energy that has to come after class, just like any sport. This was also the case for the NHS Snow Daze, which required even more planning being it was the first year.

Even though these and other activities deserve more recognition, it doesn’t mean any should be taken away from any sport. All of BHS’s athletes work hard, and it shows. But not every activity/sport receives equal treatment. Or they may make you “march a mile in their shoes”...

“I thought how I could help the team. I knew I had to do my best on the events I competed on. So throughout the state meet, I focused on my routines and realized this should be a good meet, because it’s the last.”

— Megan Phillips, freshman gymnast

“I was really nervous because last year I bombed State and did really bad, but this year I hit each event and ended up with a tie for third place in the all-around, and received the fourth-place medal. [I also received] third place on the floor exercise. State was really enjoyable.”

— Tara Schroeder, sophomore gymnast

“I was thinking of the expectations I felt. I wasn’t really nervous, until I was in the starting gate.”

— Dana Greenwood, junior skier

“To wrestle my match and not let the pressure get to me.”

— Nate Holmberg, senior wrestler

A neon sign highlights the dampened parking lot and sends a welcoming glow into the crisp evening air; the sign reads Famous Dave’s. I was skeptical of going into Famous Dave’s, of Maple Grove, suspecting it to be a loud, rowdy restaurant that only served BBQ ribs. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The menu choices vary from garden salads to BBQ pork sandwiches. If you’re a vegetarian you can still enjoy the restaurant. The way you order the food is very unique also. When you walk in, a large menu is posted on a painted wooden sign, and a large ordering counter is in front of it. You order your food at the counter, then you receive an iron pig-shaped stand with your order number on it and bring it to a table. When your food is ready the waitress or waiter will find the table number and give you your food. There isn’t much server/customer interaction. So if you don’t like to be bothered by someone asking you how your food is, you’ll like Famous Dave’s even more. The decor is remarkable. There’s old antiques everywhere, ranging from old pictures to lanterns. This with the wooden walls, floors and tables gives it an appealing rustic touch. The prices are reasonable and the quality of the food seems to be very good, which makes it more fattening, but once-in-a-while splurging never hurt anyone. If you are looking for something leaner than a pork sandwich or ribs, they do have chicken sandwiches and a variety of salads. I enjoyed Famous Dave’s and I think anyone who goes there will, too. It isn’t just a rib joint. It’s a fun place where you can get a quality meal at a good price. There is a Famous Dave’s in Maple Grove Shopping Center, that’s probably the closest. Have a great time!

Date: May th Grand March: 4:00 p.m. Dance: 8:30 p.m. - 12 mid. **Prom will be held at the Earl Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Park. Grand March will be held at BHS. Seniors John Gooddalle (R) and Nathan Holmberg (L) modeling a Prom show.

This production is giving Buffalo High School students leadership and mentorship roles. Senior Jeremy Hance is the assistant director, senior Tim Kearns is the musical director, and freshman Sandy Kunzer is the dance choreographer (see picture). The cast is excited at the opportunity to involve elementary and middle school students and provide a mentorship connection between them and the high school students.

A great cast, a beautiful setting, and a confusing plot. What do they all have in common? They’re in the new suspense movie HUSH. Sadly the movie is pointless and very unrealistic. Jessica Lange stars as Martha, a woman with a few mental problems. The entire movie is about how she plans on getting her daughter-in-law, Helen (Gweneth Paltrow), pregnant, so that she can kill Helen and keep the baby for herself. Then Martha’s son Jackson (Johnathan Schaech) will stay with her and help her raise the baby, instead of moving away to New York with Helen and their new child. After Helen has the baby, Martha tries to kill her with a full shot of morphine. However, Jackson interrupts by coming home early from a business trip. The following morning Helen comes downstairs and proclaims that Martha killed Jackson’s father and tried to kill her in the night. How Helen found out that Martha killed her husband is beyond me. Upon learning of his father’s death, Jackson yells at his mother and Helen slaps her in the face. This isn’t something you’d expect after Jackson has found out that his mother had killed his father. I expected him to go crazy. You might think this sounds like a cunning plot, but in the movie HUSH, it’s presented very poorly. The main point to the movie seems to be, "Never trust your mother-in-law." There could have been more detail to the script and director Jonathan Darby should have made the scene changes more connected. An example is when rats fall on Helen when she is cleaning the attic. Nothing is said of it later. There are several unanswered questions and the movie is presented very unrealistically. The suspense part of the movie wasn’t there. HUSH isn’t scary at all. It’s boring. The best part of this movie is the setting, a horse breeding farm, and the actors really seem to get into their parts. (It isn’t the actors’ fault for a stupid plot, it’s the director’s and screenwriter’s.) If you like to see weakly written, slow plotted, unrealistic movies, I recommend that you go and see the PG-13 rated HUSH. Otherwise, save your money for another movie!

Looking through the photo album, I see a picture of someone. She is pretty, with jet black hair and big blue eyes. "Who’s that?" I ask myself. It is my grandmother.

Looking through the photo album, I see a picture of someone. She is gorgeous, with soft brown hair and cloudy blue eyes. "Who’s that?" I ask myself. It is my mother.

Looking through the photo album, I see a picture of someone. She is chubby, with tangled brown hair and a gigantic head. "Who’s that?" I ask myself. "Oh, no! It’s me!"

"Oh, no?" My mom suddenly asks me as she walks in the room. "I’m ugly!" I say to her, tears running down my eyes. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," she says. And you know what, she’s right!

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." -Mother Theresa

Wonderfully written, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is an excellent book to read if you have nothing to do all day or just have a few minutes. It’s one of those feel-good books for all to delight in.

The book is a compilation of fictional and non-fictional short stories and poems by teens from across the U.S. There are sections about relationships, friendships and making a difference just to name a few. Even celebrities like Jennie Garth (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (Party Of Five; I Know What You Did Last Summer) have submitted their stories for your enjoyment.

My favorite story, "The Bible", is about a father giving his son a graduation present that was not appreciated. The story itself really makes you think about your life and how to do things differently, as do all of the stories in this book.

Although this Chicken Soup book is not the first of its kind, it is the first one directed toward teens. The authors plan to publish another one sometime in the near future.

Chicken Soup is not just a book for girls to chitchat about. It is a book anyone can enjoy. On a 1 to 5 scale, I give this book a 4 and a ½ because, while it is an excellent book, no book can appeal to everyone (but this one certainly comes close!)

The Right Place is evidently where Bryan White, a prominent 23-year old country singer, wants to be. I would have to say that he must be pretty close. White’s newest album, The Right Place, displays all of his extraordinary talents commendably. From singing with the most genuine feeling imaginable, to writing a few hits of his own, White puts energy into everything that he does.

White proves his talent early, in the title track on the album, Love is the Right Place. Anticipation builds in the first few bars, a single guitar, joined by White’s voice, growing more and more passionate. By the middle of the song, pumping bass and drums have the listener trying to figure out the secret that’s got this guy so pumped.

The album ends with the same vitality. White’s very own, Call Me Crazy leaves listeners calling for more. Although this CD is considered country, the songs are ballads, but don’t have the stereotypical "tears in your beers" theme.

Go out and get this CD, you will feel like a trend-setter. Bryan White is a name of the future, keep your ears open!