The Bison Stampede – May 2001

Dying to Fit In by Brittney Christy
The Pressures on Gay Teens

Dead Run by Reese Mankenberg
Original Fiction

Finding a Way Home by Elmurod S. Haugen
A Memoir

spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner. Three months of freedom. Three months of, "You want fries with that?" Three months away from school. Right now, time away from school sounds unbelievable, but soon the languishing summer will set in and there will be thoughts of school.

Think about it. Everyday we get to spend eight hours with our friends. We get a great lunch for a buck and change. And we get to hang out with dedicated and energetic teachers. Not a bad deal.

BHS is not a bad place to come to school. Almost everyone is excited to be here, the halls are clean, and the education is unparalleled.

We are sure at some time, when you have driven into school, you have noticed the sign outside the school. At the bottom is the saying, "Education beyond the blackboard." Setting aside the fact that there is not a blackboard in the entire school, the saying is true. And this is what we are about to do. So as you clean out your locker, turn in your final projects, and take those finals remember that you are getting ready to take something out into the community this summer: your education. Be wise, safe, and curious.

Student Notes 3
Gay Teens 4
Original Fiction 8
True Story 12
Safety Audit 14
Male Cheerleaders 15

When you turn 18, the United States recognizes you as an adult--free to make your own choices. Here at BHS, the rules state that regardless of age, students must adhere to the same rules and regulations. The question then becomes, why can't you write your own notes if you are 18? "The policy applies to all students--age doesn't matter," says Mrs. Swaggert.

When you turn 18 you become your own legal guardian. If your parents tried to sign a contract for you it would be invalid. If that is true, how can it be legal for your parents to sign a permission slip for you to go on a field trip? If an 18-year-old student was injured on a field trip, and their parents had signed the permission slip, the student could probably still take legal action against the school. The other problem is that as an adult you may decide not to live at home. If this were the case, you would have to call your parents so they could call the school to tell them you are sick. The way I see it, we should just eliminate the middleman and let the students call in for themselves.

"You should be able to write your own note if you don't live with your parents," says senior John Wallace.

I realize that some students will abuse the right but most of the students won't. "If you are old enough to buy cigarettes you should be able to write your own note," says junior Chip DuBois. I agree with Chip and I'll go even farther than that. You are old enough to pick the person that leads our country, but you are not mature enough to know when you're sick or not. If this right was being abused the school would have the power to say they won't excuse them any more, but it's not right to restrict every adult because a few might abuse this right.

I feel that at BHS the adult students are mature enough to take on this responsibility and not abuse it. I think that the least the school could do is try it for a while. They can always go back and say that it was too much of a problem. The school should prepare you for the real world. My parents aren't going to call my boss if I'm sick and can't make it to work. We need to be able to exert more in control with our lives.

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"The way I see it, we should just eliminate the middle man and let the students call in for themselves"

[Editor's Note-Both of the key sources for this article have been given pseudonyms in order keep the focus on the issues affecting teens, as opposed to the individuals]

Being a young person in our society is not easy. Being young, and homosexual, can be deadly.

Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transsexual (LGBT) youth are 2-3 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual young people. An estimated 30% of suicides are committed by LGBT youth annually.

Gay/bisexual male youth form about 10% of the male population and are about 6-7 times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth. This is a shocking disparity. These youth are under tremendous pressure and risk.

But the pressures don't stop there. LGBT youth are at a high risk of ending up on the streets. As a result of parental rejection and peer rejection, many LGBT youths turn to the streets as a home. Twenty-six percent of LGBT youth are forced to leave home because of conflicts with family over sexual orientation. Twelve percent of mothers and 18% of fathers reject their children because of their sexuality. LGBT youth constitute up to 25% of all youth living on the streets in the U.S. Eighty-three percent of gay-identified street youth attempted suicide.

LGBT youth are also at high risk for feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, and depression. Eighty percent of LGBT youth report severe problems due to social and emotional isolation. Social stigmatization leads to depression, low self-esteem, and powerlessness. (Note: these are problems that often lead to suicide)

Many times, members of the LGBT community feel hated and rejected by almost everyone, including peers, teachers, parents, religious leaders, and even their God.

The most stressful aspect of being LGBT youth is coming out to others or being discovered by others because of classmate's homophobia, and negative reactions from friends. Gay students are a high-risk population.

At our school being gay is not something you would usually talk about. Most kids wouldn't come out while they were in high school out of fear of retaliation.

While gay hate crimes are not common at all in our school, gay hate is present. Walking down the hallways or sitting in class one can usually hear some derogatory remark about something being so "gay."

When asked what some BHS students would do if they were gay, the popular response was either "I'd kill myself' or "I just wouldn't tell anybody."

When asked what they would do if they found out a friend was gay, the popular response was "I would still be friends with them-if they didn't hit on me."

Another popular response when asked about gay youth in general was, "I don't care if people want to be gay, I'm not prejudiced, just as long as they stay away from me." There are two problems with this statement. First, people don't usually want to be gay-they don't wake up and decide to be gay one day. Most struggle with it and fight it. Secondly, if you don't like to be around people based on a stereotype, you are prejudiced.

What can be done? First, we can get to know people who went through this experience. Then, we can develop empathy. No longer are these nameless statistics. Instead, the numbers become very real people who walk the hallways of BHS. The administration has worked diligently to create an envi-

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"[They] feel hated and rejected by almost everyone ... even their God."

"I can't believe this is happening to us!," Rick screamed. "We're gonna' be stuck here for a whole day, and I've only gotten ten days vacation!"

"Would you shut-up, Rick! We called the tow, and there's nothing we can do but wait. It's no reason to get mad." Rick's wife was sick of him yelling and had for once dared to interfere.

"What!? No reason to get mad!? The car ride is like Hell with you whining in my ear the whole time! We have to pay extra so Ryan's friend can come along! We hit a flat in the middle of nowhere! I can't believe this! This is impossible!"

The fight raged on, and Ryan and his best friend, Luke, leaned against the hood of the '95 Corolla, listening to the fighting. "Man, I can't believe my parents are pulling this right now," Ryan complained. "Sorry you have to hear it."

"Well," Luke replied sarcastically, "At least I'm used to it."

Ryan snorted out a laugh. "I wish it wasn't true." Both of them sat with painful looks on their faces, listening to the war of words going on. It started to run into topics from fights in the past and Ryan stood up.

"Let's go wander around for a while. Our ride won't be here for a few hours." Luke nodded his agreement. He was busy chewing at a hangnail.

The car had stopped in a clearing on the side of the road. It was slightly semi-circle shaped against the gravel, and was filled with knee-high crab grass. The ground was lightly wooded around the clearing, and about a half of a mile away from road the woods gave way to vast fields.

"What? You mean you want me to talk to them now?"

"No, I mean later, after the trip."

"No way. I wouldn't risk that anyway. He'd probably blow my head off," Ryan stated. That pretty much ended the conversation for a few minutes. Ryan broke the silence again. "I wish we weren't on this stupid camping trip anymore. The ride sucks. There's no room in the back because dad had to bring his guns with him. I hate hunting anyway. It makes me even more scared of him because he knows how to use them."

"Oh, c'mon. Your dad yells a lot but he wouldn't shoot you. Look, you're all ticked off right now and you need to get your mind off it. Let's go find something else to do. Don't worry, it'll all be settled when we get back." They slowly strolled through the rest of the trees, kicking sticks and talking about random things, trying to stay off the subject of the parents. They reached the end of the woods and took in their surroundings. Ryan noticed a barn in the distance, across the field. 'That meadow probably used to be farmland,' Ryan thought. 'Not cultivated in a few years.'

"Luke, let's just go back. There's nothing to do and we've been here about an hour."

"Awright," Luke agreed. "I'm getting"

I was born in Uzbekistan, but my nationality is Afghan. When we lived in Dinau, my family had a neighbor who hated us because we were Afghan and because my father used drugs. My neighbor knew the cops and had them come to our house. But the cops became friends with my father and they used drugs together. One day the cops, my father, and some other friends went to gamble. Before the game, my father smoked drugs and he wasn't thinking clearly. He gambled and lost more money than what he had. They told him he had to bring drugs or a woman to pay back what he had lost. When he came home he just slept and didn't go to get the drugs or woman.

Seven men came in the middle of the same night. Three were cops and four were other people. When I woke up, my sisters were crying and my stepmother was screaming. When I heard the screaming, I thought my father was beating her because he had beaten her before. But when I ran to go out I saw two men kicking her. There was another man pulling my father out to the car. When they saw me they said, "There is his son." They ran and tried to catch me. They caught me and started to beat me too. And they asked me where my father had put his drugs. I really didn't know where they were, but I told them they were in the pocket of his jacket, hoping they would leave me alone. But when they found the drugs weren't in his pocket, one man held my arms back and another man hit me repeatedly in the stomach. Then they let me go. I went running into another room, and they hit me in the back. I fell down and don't remember anything else from that night. I was maybe seven or eight.

My sisters woke me up the next morning. I had them go up to the window to look for the white car my father was taken away in. My stepmother had climbed out the window when the man had started beating me. I was alone in the house with my three sisters and my baby brother. His head was full of blood, but he was alive. My stepmother came back in the early morning, and my neighbor called a taxi to take me to my father's parents. My stepmother left with her own kids. She left me with my grandparents and didn't tell them what had happened. She just went.

My grandparents called for an ambulance that took me to the hospital. When I was there, I had surgery because of the beating. Then I found out my father had been killed in the mountains. They shot him and then poured gas on him and burned him. There was a shepherd in the mountains that saw them do it, and he called the police. They caught the men as they were leaving the mountains in their big truck. I had to testify at their trial and they said they would kill me when they got out of prison. They got out after I left Uz-

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"Then I found out my father had been killed in the mountains. They shot him and then poured gas on him and burned him."

It was a lovely spring day. Under the matted down prairie grasses, spring life struggled to push itself free from the dead grasses of last year. The morning wind ripped up the ridge, and over the faces of eight men. And the faces of these eight men were focused on one intersection.

On the morning of May 16th, eight members of a Road Safety Audit examined the intersection of Highway 35 and Bison Boulevard—the sight of a recent tragic accident. In the examination, the Audit Team stood in the prairie above the intersection with their trained eyes. They watched the capacity and flow of the road—examining the markings and signage. Of particular interest to the Audit crew were the long queues that formed in the left-turn lane on westbound Highway 35.

Road Safety Audits came about from a pilot project in 1998. A Road Safety Audit is a formal process that is restricted to strictly road safety issues. A typical audit team is made up of 10-12 members from federal, state, and county agencies. A detailed report is usually presented two weeks after the initial survey. The team identifies problems, and solutions are suggested—solutions from short-term ideas to improvements that will require several years to implement.

The audit came at the request of Wayne Fingalson—Wright County Engineer. This was the sixth Road Safety Audit in MN, and the second at a school.

The scrutiny of this intersection came as a result of an initiative by the Safe Schools Committee following the fatal crash on April 13th. From that meeting, it was decided that students wanted to find a way to control and improve the safety of that intersection. The student group then went to the county to request some action at the intersection. It was decided that that the intersection did not handle enough traffic to warrant the introduction of a traffic light.

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"It was decided that that the intersection did not handle enough traffic to warrant the introduction of a traffic light."

At a meeting of the audit team on May 16th, Principal Miller addressed the need of a signal through the use of an analogy. He compared the need for the traffic light to be like a shower. He said that the need for a shower is not constant throughout the day, but it is sure handy to have one when you need one. In fact, a shower, at times, is a necessity.

The student group is determined to find a solution at the intersection—even it means raising the money for the traffic light themselves. They see their action as taking on a grass roots feel. They plan to circulate a petition—and, if necessary, begin raising funds. But first must come the report from the guys who stood amidst the dead grasses.

BHS has many sports and after-school activities. So, why not male cheerleading? Buffalo does have history on its side. BHS has had some male cheerleaders in the past. Some include Jake Mackey, Jim Halverson, John Ireland, and Tatanka Elementary teacher Mr. Mattson.

Mr. Bob Driver, BHS English Teacher, taught at Richfield High School where they had male cheerleaders. He said that the most popular athletes would lead cheers when their sport was not in season. "They would come out of football season, and then got to cheerleading to keep in shape," says Mr. Driver.

Some guys were serious about this sport. Jake Mackey, a former BHS cheerleader, says, "Ya know, I was better than this guy in football, but the coach played him more than me, and I just wanted to try something better."

Other guys weren't so serious. "Me and my buddy just did it as a joke," says former cheerleader Hank Mattson. The outfits that the boys wore were white legging-type pants, a polo T-shirt, and a purple sweatshirt. They usually performed cheers and stunts with the ladies at pep rallies.

As for teasing, it didn't really come from our school or their friends; it came when they went to other schools to cheer. "It takes a lot of guts to get out there and do it, in front of all your buddies, ya know?" says Jake Mackey.

Freshmen Eric Wright and Ryan Ebeling said they would consider being cheerleaders when they are seniors. When asked why, they answered with a question, "Why not?"

Earlier this spring, freshman, Chris Gudvangen, said if he did not make varsity football next year, he would try out for cheerleading. Current cheerleader Jamie Tokkesdal laughingly responded with, "If he's in cheerleading, then I quit."

He made the squad, and Tokkesdal's cheering.

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"It takes a lot of guts to get out there and do it, in front of all your buddies, ya know?"

What is senioritis? Senioritis is defined as a senior who knows that they will graduate, so they give up on getting good or great grades, and do just enough work to pass. They have the mentality of, "Why work for something that I already have?" But is it possible that kids are getting it before their senior year?

The answer is yes. This whole year I have done great in school. I have never done better. I made the "B" honor roll in the first three quarters. The problem now is that I packed mental book bag about 7 weeks ago. I have been so happy with the first three quarters that I have forgotten about the fourth. I got this idea that it is all right to let off a little and just barely pass, but it turned into a domino effect.

But two weeks ago it all changed. It all changed because of one man. This guy explained to me that the most important years of your career are your freshman, sophomore, and junior years. He said that those are the years the colleges look at. This made me realize that this whole high school thing is not just a short ride but a journey and that my journey has just started.

So maybe there is a little bit of senioritis showing up in our grade, but not enough to panic about. Responsibility is the biggest thing about high school, and there are many responsibilities. Kids just need to know how important these responsibilities are before it's too late.