The Hoofprint – April 9, 2009

Picture Perfect Winter sports’ strong performance sets the stage for the spring season

Staff Appreciation Week was held from March 9 through March 13. To commemorate the week, teachers received purple BHS “Fire Up” mugs with hot chocolate, a variety of candies, and a free breakfast on the last day of the week.

“It was a great,” said Math Teacher Michelle Macalena. “It was nice to feel appreciated by my colleagues and by my students for the entire week. I wish that I could have the entire year dedicated to me and the other teachers, but I’m grateful for the week that we do get. It helps to remind me that I made the right choice by being a teacher. It’s a very rewarding job.”

Along with the gifts, all provided by the Student Council, certain teachers were pleased to receive individual hand-made cards from their students, express- ing the appreciation and admiration they had for the staff as a whole. Senior Mysee Chang was one of the students who made such cards.

“I really appreciate my teachers,” said Chang. “So many of the teachers here in our building deserve to be recognized and rewarded. They’re always will- ing to help out and be there to listen to us, even though they have better things that they could be doing. I always have a fabulous time with each of them. I don’t think we could have an any more amazing staff.”

The fourth annual Community Book Read was held on Monday, March 16. This year’s book was Touching Spirit Bear by award-winning author Ben Mikaelsen. The book features the story of Cole Matthews, a troubled teen, in his quest to overcome a cycle of violence and in learning to forgive.

The Book Read opened at 5 p.m., and offi cially began at 6 p.m. Community members were assigned to groups led by BHS students with pre- determined discussion questions.

“I thought the small groups went really well,” said English Teacher Katherine Kunz. “I had a great set of facilitators, and we were able to cover a lot of the different topics and themes of the book. It was very productive.”

After the small groups met, Mikaelsen gave a small speech and pre- sentation in the PAC. He spoke of his inspiration to write the book and how he hopes it has made an impact upon all readers, whether they be students or adults. Mikaelsen also took the time to sign copies of his books afterward.

“I loved the fact that we were able to meet with the author,” said Kunz. “I love to know about the process of writing a book. I thought he was a very animated man, and did a nice job of telling stories and presenting himself to the younger crowd.”

1) Junior Avery Holm reads over information to help with her speech. The team had their last meet on Saturday, March 21st. Sections was held Saturday, April 4th. MATTEBELING GRACERUZICKA GRACERUZICKA 2) Juniors Jenny Engnell and Mandy Haggen practice their duo speech. 3) Sophomore Madelyn Roseen and senior Jacob Warner discuss their events as they prepare for the meet. In what may be their last season, the Bison Speech Team has shown they will go out with a bang, as the team and individuals alike continue to place highly in competitions. The team took second place overall in a recent meet at Zimmerman, and fi rst place in three out of four meets previous to it. Ten out of the twelve meets per season have already been held. Heading up the team are two coaches, Mike Worcester and Social Studies teacher William Florsheim, who are there to provide direction, help write speeches, and give point- ers on how to better a performance. “It’s different for every category,” said junior and co-captain Luke Weinzetl, when asked what defi nes a speech. “Some general things are voice infl ection, delivery, hand gestures, eye contact, and word emphasis. It also depends on if the judge agrees with your speech.” Weinzetl is one of the individuals doing very well, taking two fi rst places, one second, two fourths, and one fi fth place at previous meets in his specifi c category of Great Speeches. In this category, the speaker breaks down segments of written speeches and explains what makes them great. There are 13 possible cat- egories, with 15-20 kids competing in each. Other examples include Duo Speeches, or speeches involving two people; Creative Expression, where the speaker writes his or her own speech; and Discussion. “I’ve been doing really well this year because I’ve found the right category for me,” said junior Robert Malmstein. He participates in Humorous Speeches, where the speaker takes written speeches not originally intended to be funny, and makes them humorous. Malmstein was awarded fi rst, second, and fourth place at three out of the last four meets using the speech “The Complete History of America Abridged” by Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenen. Out of the 19 members of the team, only one or two are in each category. Besides Weinzetl, captains are juniors Ian Raatz and Jenny Engnell. Each participant practices once or twice a week for half an hour. “You speak to the coaches and anyone else that happens to be in the room, and everybody can give you feedback,” said Weinzetl. “I usually like to write with the coaches, so practice is a good time for that too.” The season ends in April after a three month run, but perhaps the team’s continued success could prevent it being cut next year. “I hope so,” said Weinzetl. “By showing speech can succeed, we might be able to save it.” NEWS EDITOR

Even with budget cuts, Buffalo High School continues to offer CIS and AP courses to meet the needs of its academically-driven students. These students surpass the high school education standards by taking, not only required courses, but also college classes. Counselors and the administrators say that, by taking these college courses, students save money by earning free college credits in high school.

“It’s important to take CIS and AP courses in high school,” said Junior Graham Wyatt. “Working hard in high school is rewarding and those classes look good on your transcript.”

In some cases, taking difficult classes can do more harm than help. Students who enroll themselves in advanced courses may be penalized for their decision by earning lower grades than comparable students who remained in regular classrooms.

“In my experience, colleges look at grades, class rank and GPA first,” said Assistant Principal Matt Lubben. “Then they look at the classes taken and their difficulty.”

With colleges looking first at GPA and class rank, the school’s 12-point un-weighted GPA scale appears to leave some academically driven students at a disadvantage. Many students must then make the decision to struggle in a difficult class or get an A in a less rigorous one.

“Because of the un-weighted scale, students may shy away from tougher classes because they are afraid it might damage their GPA,” said Counselor Mark Jones.

Buffalo High School has been using the 12 point un-weighted scale for over a decade, but currently has the scheduling committee looking at the scale, weighing its’ positives and negatives.

“We’ll look at other options,” said Lubben. “If another GPA scale presents itself and will benefit our school, we’ll look at making that switch.”

A possible change for the school is converting over to a weighted system of grading. Weighted grading is used to give credit for honors or advanced courses taken – evaluating students participating in those courses on scales differently than students enrolled in standard curriculum. A major concern with weighted grading is whether it is unfair to students who don’t take honors classes; in fact, their class rank would be severely affected by the change. Students who take only regular curriculum classes aren’t necessarily trying less than those taking honors, and some feel that they should reap the same rewards that a weighted scale would offer.

“Weighted grading would be unfair because some kids can’t handle classes that are that difficult,” said Senior Celeste Lundgren-Laws. “The smarter kids already get enough reward after high school; why reward them further?”

The most basic form of weighted grading is increasing the final grade by one letter; for example, a B becomes an A. Other options include a multiplicative system of grading in which a multiplier determined by the school calculates your final grade, or the additive system of grading which automatically gives you a designated bump in your grade.

“Weighted grading would reward students who take difficult courses,” said Junior Taylor Krolak. “Those people who are challenging themselves deserve rewards for their extra work and effort.”

Though many students are in favor of it, weighted grading can become very controversial. Labeling classes as weighted often gives students and parents the wrong idea. A weighted class may not educationally benefit every student in the building and not all subjects would be represented with a weighted course option. For example, a CIS Spanish would have weighted grades, but there would not be a CIS Journalism course. In addition, many teachers would not want to be told that their class is lacking in difficulty or importance.

“Deciding which classes would receive the extra weight would be a difficult process,” said Lubben. “A diverse and all-encompassing committee of teachers, along with the administration, would look at what colleges find most important and go from there.”

The 12-point scale is also being looked at by the scheduling committee for possible change. The difficulty with this scale comes with converting it over to the traditional 4-point scale, which is done by multiplying the 12-point GPA by 4 and dividing by 11. This can create a hassle as students apply for college.

“It’s really confusing, especially when I applied for colleges and scholarships,” said Senior Grace Ruzicka. “I accidentally took my GPA and divided it by 3, but there is actually a whole formula to convert it to the 4 point scale.”

A benefit of the 12-point scale, on the other hand, is the ability to easily separate a standard letter grade into three different grades: A-, A and A+.

“The 12-point scale differentiates between varying levels within a grade: B+ vs. B-,” said Lubben. “This gives a more accurate and precise assessment of a student.”

The scheduling committee plans on analyzing the current GPA scale, while acknowledging that no scale is perfect. Whatever scale is used, the main concern of the faculty will always be the continued academic growth of students.

“It’s not about weighted vs. un-weighted,” said Lubben. “The question is what is best for the students.”

As the school year winds down and the start of the fourth, and fi nal, quarter begins we need to make sure that we maintain a positive attitude. So many great things are happening to our students that we should be grateful for the wonderful opportunities that are present and celebrate them with the remaining time that we have. Athletes from various sports have ad- vanced to the State Tournament—including both wrestlers and swimmers. Individuals and teams from BPA and FFA have also reached the State level. These individual accomplish- ments are representative of the student body, showing hard work and a dedication to achieve and succeed—an opportunity to celebrate ac- complishment. In addition to the individual athletic suc- cess, positivity and accomplishment has spread to team activities—including both sports and academic activities. Hard work has taken teams and organizations to the State tournament level as the Girls’ Basketball faced Centennial after beating out Elk River to qualify, and the Mock Trial team took was narrorly defeated while competing at the State Meet in Duluth. The Knowledge Bowl team most recently ad- vanced to the State level. Students have excelled in academics as well with the infl ux of college acceptance let- ters arriving in the mail. Seniors are planning where they’ll be next year and juniors are pre- paring for their ACT examination this upcom- ing weekend, with hopes that it will carry them to the college of their choice. These examples, however small, are forms of accomplishment that should be recognized and celebrated. It’s impossible to deny the ailing negativ- ity that surrounds us in the news, at home, and throughout our course of life. But we can’t forget that when looking hard enough, the simplest things are those than can bring the most joy and happiness. It’s these things that we need to remember and have in our thoughts. Although, unfortunately, there will always be something negative to report on, we still—and always will—possess the power of perception when dealing with said negativity. We have the option to perceive events dif- ferently from our peers, teachers, and parents. We can choose to look at the world and our problems pessimistically—thus succumbing to it—or we can do so with an optimistic at- titude. We’ll be faced with this option for the remainder of the year and the remainder of our lives and we need to choose the positive outlook. Even though we can’t control all of the events around us, we can control how we look at them. Things will get better, there are plenty of accomplishments surrounding us to cel- ebrate, and it’s time rejoice in them.

I sink back into my chair. Maybe, if I ignore her, I won’t have to hear her talk about it again. It’s like a broken record playing the sound of nails against a chalk board; yes, it is that bad. As I listen I think to myself, I wish I was cool; I wish I could be content to pass this quarter with D’s and even a few F’s. If only I was “cool” like her. But I’m not. If you’re convinced that school isn’t your thing, you need a reality check. Most people don’t like school, but it shouldn’t take much to realize how im- portant it is. Those barely passing students are one short step away from fail- ing high school, dropping out, or becoming a “Super Senior”. Without a high school education you’ll probably end up working at some low-end fast food restaurant making an income equal or less to that of a teenager. Only 9% of dropouts are ever accepted into a college. It’s disgusting to sit back, watch, and listen to some people. Everyone knows the people I’m talking about. People who think it’s cool to announce that they failed something or that they passed by only a couple of points. The people that don’t care enough to try or put any effort into anything. Those are the people that are going to struggle to get anywhere in life, let alone get accepted into college. The people who get denied by scholarships and grants because it’s very clear who tried in high school and who didn’t. If you’re barely hanging on and you manage to graduate with a D average, you’re not safe. Just because you graduated doesn’t mean that any college is going to accept you. In fact, more than 90% of colleges require you to have a GPA of 2.0 or higher, which is the same as a C average. Failing classes might be perceived as a small problem that doesn’t affect many high school stu- dents. In all reality, the problem is getting worse. In the United States, 13% of students have failed math courses, 18% have failed English courses, and 34% have failed at least one class. Besides lowering your GPA, a failing grade also lowers the amount of credits you have earned, meaning you might not graduate with your class if you don’t have those credits. One of the main reasons as to why people are doing so poorly in school isn’t because of the lack of time, but more so because of the way they manage their time. Teenagers are too caught up in fi nding the “coolest party”, going to the movies, shopping with their friends, and talking to their significant other on the phone. The next day rolls around and they have a huge test that they had “no time” to study for. They take an ‘F’ and say that they’ll do better on the next one. One failing grade after another and before you know it; you’re barely passing the class. You don’t have the time to catch up so you watch yourself get further behind. This is how people fail. This is how people hold themselves back. This is how they find closed doors instead of open ones. This is why people feel so overwhelmed; they look for the easiest escape and drop out. This issue isn’t’ addressed enough. So if you plan on graduating with a D average, going to a college with a beautiful campus, and making a ton of money, you should probably think back to the tests and classes that you’ve failed and realize the chances of achieving this are slim to none. You need a good foundation to build off of, and if you’re already behind, chances are you wont get ahead if you can’t even catch up. So maybe the next time a test rolls around, you will actually have the time to study for it.

Flash back to October 2, 2008. A warm autumn Thursday and I come home from school with my sister, looking forward to my dance classes that night. My sister and I had been arguing about something unimportant when we walked up to our house and my mom opened our front door, her eyes red from crying. We know something was wrong.

“What happened?” blurted my sister. “Was it grandma?”

“No,” she says as we walk inside. “It was Becca.”

I freeze and my tears blur the world. Meet Becca: blonde and bubbly, always writing in her journals and listening to her iPod. Always on stage dancing and singing in her school’s mu- sicals and acting in her school’s plays. Always smiling, singing and having fun.

On October 1, 2008, Becca came home from after-school play rehearsal, went upstairs to her room and killed herself. She was fi ve days away from her fi fteenth birthday.

Does Becca seem like the face of suicide? She was well-liked, involved in her church, annually went to bible camp, and according to family and friends, she didn’t act depressed. Becca was the ulti-mate actress, able to hide her depression from the people that loved her and would have dropped ev-erything to help her.

Every 16 minutes a person kills themselves, and every minute, someone attempts suicide. Suicide is the third largest cause of death for those 15-to 24-years old, and it’s the eighth largest cause of death in the US.

Becca didn’t experiment with drugs, drink alcohol or smoke. She didn’t isolate herself or act depressed. She had plenty of friends and mentors through her church and school.

For every teen that commits suicide, there are 50 to 100 suicide attempts. Since 1970, teen suicide rates have tripled.

The truth is, Becca was my friend. When I found out that she was dead, I thought that it had been an accident, a murder even. But not suicide. Becca was the happiest, brightest, most vibrant person I ever knew, and forever in my heart she will remain that way, not as the utterly-depressed-almost-fi fteen-year-old victim that she was.

I know that Becca is in heaven; I have absolutely no doubts. Suicide may be a sin in some religions, but it is a sickness - there was nothing Becca could do about that. About 20% of teens will have experienced a form of depression before they go to college, and 70% of those teens will have another bout of depression before they reach adulthood.

These suicidal teenagers are our friends, siblings, peers.

4,844 people aged 15-24 killed themselves last year. Are we okay with that?

If you ever feel depressed, please know that you matter! Call one of these numbers below for help. 1-800-SUICIDE 1-800-273-TALK

Fact: 16% of American teenagers are obese. Fiction: It’s not a problem right now. It’s reported by the Center for Disease Control that 32 percent of American teenagers are overweight and 16 percent are obese. This number has tripled in the last 20 years. With this number still on the rise law makers are stuck with the job of solving this epidemic that has swept through the nation before it becomes any big- ger. A possible solution; requiring more physical education classes for children of all ages. The State of Minnesota requires that all schools must offer physical education but there are no set requirements of when and how long. It’s up to each district to decide their own specific requirements. “Right now at Buffalo High School, students need to have a credit of a physical education class and a half credit of health class in order for them to graduate,” said Curriculum Director Pam Miller. Some are concerned that only taking a ninth and tenth grade physical education class is not enough to keep students in healthy shape. “I would love to find 20-30 minutes for all to exercise - much like an SSR,” said Physical Education Teacher Troy Holland. Holland has proposed, along with the physical education department, the thought of allowing a class of stu- dents to ride bikes while reading during SSR. The basis of this proposition is the fact that exercising can directly improve a student’s academic performance. A study done by Michigan State University found that students who took part in more vigorous physical activities did 10 percent better in their classes. “Physical education and activity during the school day reduce boredom and help keep kids’ attention in the class- room,” said Lead Doctoral Student Coe Dawn Podulka who now works as an assistant professor in the Department of Movement Science at Grand Valley State University who helped conduct the study. The American Heart Association recommends that teenagers raise their heart rate at least 20 minutes a day for two to three days a week at the minimum but with today’s demanding schedule for students in high school it’s hard for students who aren’t in a sport to find that time to exercise. “Since I’m in basketball it’s not a problem for me to exercise, but if I wasn’t in a sport I know it would suck to try and find time to fit it in”, said Junior Brandon Bares. With 32 percent of teenagers overweight that still leaves 68 percent who are at a normal weight. Does that nec- essarily mean they are healthy? Track Coach Scott Palmer points out, “There are skinny people who aren’t physically fit so they [more classes] should be required for everyone.” Requiring students of all ages to exercise is not at the top of the list of priorities for the Department of Education, however students at Buffalo High School have the option to sign up for a wide variety of physical education classes. The school has made resources avail- able to students and left them with the responsibility of continuing healthy life-style choices.

What is $20? 2,000 pennies, 400 nickels, 200 dimes, or 80 quarters. A $20 dona- tion to Heifer International could provide a poverty-stricken village with a fl ock of chicks, ducks or gs eese; the fl ock then grows and provides income and food for the village. At Sephora, $20 can buy you one Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips Lip gloss or a Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. For Junior Nick Goedel, $20 is spent at Walmart where he bought dog treats, dog bones, and chew toys for his yellow lab puppy, Jasmin. Each month, he spends at least $50 on his dog. When he’s not spoiling his dog, he’s usually spending money on basketball games and gas for his Dodge Durango, “Dwango.” “My little girl, I’ve only had her three months,” said Goedel, “but she has like twenty toys. She’s a money pit; my dog is so spoiled.” If you were driving a Toyota Prius which gets 46 miles per gallon, with gas at $2.00 a gallon, you could drive to St. Louis, Missouri for $20. For Junior Hannah Robbins, $20 is spent at Hollister where she bought a blue and white striped T-shirt. She shops at Ridgedale or Mall of America, at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, Urban Outfi tters and Tommy Hilfi ger. In a one day shop- ping trip, she usually spends $100 to $150. “[Money] takes forever to make,” said Robbins, “especially when you work at McDonald’s, but you can spend it in fi ve seconds. I spend money too much, and that’s the bottom line.” In 1900, $20 was worth the equivalent of $529, having increased by 26.5 percent in a century. For Sophomore Nick Weeks, $20 is spent in St. Cloud on a ticket to a Buffalo vs. Moorehead hockey game and food. He rarely goes shopping, but when he does, the Nike and Reebok Stores at Albertville Outlet is where he frequents. “[$20] goes a short distance,” said Weeks, “I fi gure that when I die, money won’t matter.” For Senior Chuck Hermes, $20 buys a protein-infused sports drink. He’s in- volved in football and track and also lifts weights after school. “If the world didn’t have any money,” said Hermes, “people wouldn’t be as greedy. I think they would be more giving and polite. Obviously, I want to have money when I’m older but I don’t think it’s a big deal as long as I have enough to be happy and comfortable.” Money, to Freshman Eric Selchow is, “just kind of there. I don’t really think about it too much.” $20 each month to Capo Verde Children, a organization that gives primary health care and education to young children, can send fi ve-year old female Evelise or fi ve- year old male Edilson (or hundreds of other kids) to school and give them basic health care. For Sophomore Devon Miller, $20 is spent at Buffalo Wild Wings, where she bought 6 piece honey barbecue chicken wings and “about eight cups of cherry coke.” She mostly spends money on food at restaurants like McDonald’s, Arby’s and Kwiktrip, where she buys energy drinks, skittles and “little bags of chips.” A $20 donation to Feed My Starving Children (fmsc.org), which packages and sends food all over the world, can feed a nourishing meal to 117 starving people. “Money means nothing to me.” said Senior Briana Smith. “It’s just an object.”

For Junior Nick Goedel, $20 is spent at WalMart where he bought dog treats, dog bones, and chew toys for his yellow lab puppy, Jasmin.

For Junior Hannah Robbins, $20 is spent at Hollister where she bought a blue and white striped T-shirt.

Wal-Mart Target Sony Earbuds

$9.76 $9.99 Hand Sanitizer

$2.97 $2.99 12 Pack Mnt. Dew

$4.48 $4.29 Natural Inst. Hair Dye $6.94 $6.94 Gears of War II X360 $59.74 $59.99 Hershey’s Bar

$.50 $.69 3-Ring Binder

$1.87 $1.97 30 Sony Blank CDs

$9.97 $12.99 Axe Deodorant

$3.44 $3.44 6 Pack Gushers

$1.98 $1.99 Sally Nail Polish

$3.68 $3.59 500 Q-Tips

$2.50 $2.54 24 Extra Strength Tylenol $3.12 $3.19 Doritoes

$2.38 $3.00 Orbit Gum

$.96 $1.09 Contact Solution

$6.97 $6.50 “Twilight” movie

$17.00 $19.99 $Per Pony Tail

$.15 $.13 1G iPod Shuffle

$45.00 $45.00 Total

$183.62 $191.02 Items observed on Sunday, March 29. Note that select items have had price changes since March 29. These prices are not permanent and are still subject to change.

APRIL 9 2009

In an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 students, researchers found that students with experience in music scored higher on the SAT: students scored 57 points higher on the verbal, 41 points higher on the English, scored 63 points higher on verbal, 44 points higher on the math, than did students who were not involved with music. What is this blank? It’s music classes, esspecially band and orchestra. Actual studies show that being involved in music classes can make you smarter. A research team explor- ing the link between music and intelligence reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhanc- ing children’s abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science. But abstract reasoning skills are not fi rst thought of when walking into the orchestra room. Musicians walk around grabbing music folders, setting up chairs and music stands and tuning their instruments. Orchestra teacher Kelly Karrow sits in her offi ce patiently answer- ing any last-minute-before-class questions. “I am so proud of the improvement and dedication of the students in the orchestra.” said Karrow. “I’m very sad to be leaving at the end of this year and I’ll miss everyone immensely.” Karrow starts class bringing the orchestra together by doing scales, plucking exercises, then practicing songs, but when a song is not quite right, Kar- row breaks the students off by sec- tions: cello and bass, viola and vio- lin, while mak- ing sure that all of the notes are correct and the techniques are prop- erly used. “In band, if you play an instrument, you just blow and it’s a note,” said Senior Kirsten Ask. “In this, we have to be in the right string, be exactly on the exact point on that string to make it sound good and you have to have enough rosin on to make it sound even better. You have to see how loud it gets and there are certain kinds of ‘bowings,’ you have to make sure you all look nice by going in the same direction with your bow and there’s all those little technical things you have to work on that aren’t in band.” The members practice in school and take pri- vate lessons. They participate in judged contests and they perform private recitals for family and friends, but the hard work pays off. “The best part is when it sounds amazing,” said Ask. “And we get ‘all into it.’ You don’t just hear yourself playing, and you have harmonies and melodies. Awesome sounds and differ- ent rhythms, and it sounds cooler cause you’re not just playing by yourself.” “The coolest part is all the people you get to meet and play your instru- ments with,” said Senior John Klingelhoetz. “Especially when everyone comes together to make some big mess into something beautiful.

On Thursday, April 2, Buffalo High School’s knowledge bowl team competed in the region competition. Of the 18 teams competing, only fi ve made it to state, includ- ing Buffalo. The team fi nished in second place overall after four rounds of competing. This success comes after a hugely successful season for knowledge bowl, with numerous consecutive wins. “We were really happy to be going to state. But most of the rounds we didn’t do as well as we often times do, so at the same time we were a little disappointed. But we were still very excited to be moving on,” said Senior Elizabeth Logas. The fi rst round consisted of a written test. The test consisted of 60 multiple choice questions, in which only fi ve team members answered. Each participant had 50 minutes to fi nish the questions. Following the written round, each team was placed in rooms according to the scores that they received. Buffalo placed fourth in the written round and therefore was put in room two, the second highest placed room. Inside the room, the fi rst oral round took place where 45 questions were asked. After being asked a question, the team would buzz in, only having 15 seconds to answer the question. Buffalo ended the round with 10 points, with the highest scoring team having 12 points. The team was then moved to room three. Buffalo placed fi rst in this round with 17 points. After round two of the oral com- petition, they were moved up to room one. Buffalo stayed in room one for the last three rounds, competing against Tech and Rogers and ended up in second place. The state meet will be held in Brainerd on April 22 and 23. The team is going into state with an optimistic attitude, and an open mind. I have no idea what to expect, and there will be a lot of good schools there,” said Lo- gas. “But whatever happens, happens. I’m just happy to have gotten there.” MATTE BELING PHOTO EDITOR

With the results back from the fi nal regional contest on March 3, Buffalo’s FFA chapter? cel- ebrates another major accomplishment. The many successes attained by the Buffalo chapter this year put a positive spin on an increasingly success- ful year for sports and activities, and makes FFA Advisor Todd Lubben confi dent for state. “I’ve always been proud of these kids,” said Lubben. “They are they ones that push them- selves to study and do well.” The seven teams going to state in FFA are Horse Judging, Meats Evaluation, Fish and Wild- life, Dairy Foods, Crop Evaluation, Dairy Cattle, and Small Animal. Along with the teams, Senior Mark Kolasa and Junior and FFA President Lacy Swearingen will be competing individually in the state competition. “I’m really excited for fi sh and wildlife state contest, and my farm bureau discussion,” said Swearingen. “I get 1 of 16 topics at state, so I need to know about all of them.” The teams and individuals going to state on April 26-28, are judged on a variety of skills and events within their competition. The events sometimes consist of activities, written tests, and identifi cation. As is the case for the Meats team, they will be judged upon a written test, meat iden- tifi cation, and carcass quality judging. The FFA teams and individuals will compete on April 26-28 at the University of Minnesota.

On Tuesday morning March 10, the Buffalo Mock Trial team left the High School to compete in the State Tournament, held in Duluth, Minn. Participating team members included: Senior Jacob Westman, Senior Micheal Chenowith, Juniors Lindy Jensen, Graham Wyatt, Kenzie Haight, and Dan Comstock, Sophomored Colm Macnab, Micheal Porttin, and Kassi Williams, Freshmen Beth Macnab, and Zach Marrandino. Coaches Laurie Raymond and Evan Ronken instrumentally helped guide the team to State.

Buffalo Mock Trial left the High School at 7:45 on March 10, arriving at Duluth around 11:30. They had until 4:00 to get settled and ready for their fi rst trial against Visitation High School.

“You could feel the tension, when we got there we were treated to a lunch and I didn’t really want to eat anything for fear of it coming back up during the trial; I’m glad I didn’t too, my nerves were crazy during the actual trial, I was pretty nervous, but I’m glad how it all turned out,” said Chenowith.

Buffalo began their trial at 4:00 p.m. against Visitation, a private girls’ high school.

“You know, the trial was amazing, we had new theories, and new ideas come at us that had never been heard before and we did excellent, we stayed on our feet and we fought strong. I couldn’t have been happier with our performance,” said Westman.

Buffalo dropped the fi rst ballot by a total of four points and was paired with Canby High School for the next round. Buffalo came out victorious with a 20-point lead over Canby. During both trials Graham Wyatt suffered a severe illness that caused his voice to become hoarse and his face pale.

“He did exceptionally well for being so sick, his performance was amazing, he delivered his closing and examinations perfectly,” said Raymond.

Buffalo competed against Lakeville North in the round before determining who advanced to the fi nal competition; Buffalo’s opening was delivered by Westman, followed by witnesses Chenowith, Macnab, and Jensen, closing arguments were delivered by Wyatt.

“The performances this year at State were the best they had ever been. I was so proud of our performance in each round, I can’t wait for next year,” said Raymond.

Buffalo lost to Lakeville North by one point. Receiving a ballot with Buffalo winning by three and another ballot with Buffalo losing by four.

The thick blue curtains are raised.Faces and props appear through the darkness as the cast of Les Misérables rehearses their opening scenes. With a cast size of 46 members and a total of 30 all-musical numbers, this musical will be one of the theater department’s largest undertakings. Because community theaters cannot perform Les Misérables, high schools, such as Buffalo, are one of the few places people are able to view the musical outside of a Broadway performance. The cast and crew have been learning how much work goes into creating a quality performance. The musical is selected by Directors Tracy Hagstrom Durant and Michael Walsh. The two directors spend hours fi nding a musical that will be unique and entertaining to watch, while keeping in mind if BHS has the actors who may fi t in particular roles. “Mr. Walsh and I look at who we think will try out,” said Hagstrom Durant. “Then we try to pick the right musical for the voices and the kids we might have; one that sounds enjoyable and has plenty of variety. It needs to be good for the community.” With voices warmed up and ready to be heard, students auditioned with their personal goals in mind. Each auditioning student comes prepared with a song to perform, as well as the character they would like to audition for. The audition process includes reciting a monologue, singing their prepared song, along with learning and performing a simple dance. “This musical doesn’t really have dancing; it’s more like an opera. But H-D still had us do these really easy steps to see if we had rhythm,” said Senior Hunter Otis. “It was really funny when some people still couldn’t do it, even though the steps were super easy.” With each audition, Hagstrom Durant and Walsh take into consideration the students’ other extracurricular activities and confl icts, their acting abilities, and the range and pitch of their voice. “One of the worst parts of casting a show is putting up that cast list after the auditions and seeing the faces of the kids who didn’t get the part they wanted, or even a part at all,” said Hagstrom Durant. “One girl came to me and asked why she didn’t even get a part and it was so hard to explain because it can be painful to hear.” In the weeks before the big event, performers are hitting the stage. The cast rehearses everyday after school, with practices beginning anytime between 2:30 and 6:00 pm. Practice includes singing each of the songs, blocking out acting movements, and memorizing their solo lines. Many students also rehearse outside of school. “I would say I practice about 50 hours at least, getting ready for the musical,” said Sophomore Rachael Cammarn. “I do voice lessons, practice music, and fi nd myself randomly looking over lines- it pretty much runs my life.” The actors are looking forward to their fi nal performance, along with the relief of a job well done. Many performers feel amazed when they see all of their hard work culminating with a performance they can feel proud of. “I love this year’s musical,” said Senior Amanda Burgdorf. “It has been my dream to do it every since I was six- years-old. It’s kind of nerdy, I know, but it’s a good way to close up my senior year.”

Clock ticking away the seconds to the end of the Boys Basketball 8-AAAA Sectional Championship Game. The Bison cling to a two-point lead over their higher-ranked opponent. St. Cloud Tech has the ball with 2.5 seconds left. Shoot. Score. Game over.

Heads hung low and a silence from the fan section as the boys watched their season come to an end March 19 at Hallenbeck Hall on the campus of St. Cloud State University. The Bison had a 13 point lead (36-23) after the first half of the game, but that fell shortly during the second half. Tech senior Nick Jordan shot a 3 pointer with just seconds remaining to make the final score 61-60.

“I couldn’t believe he made that shot,” said Senior Brock Korbel, “It’s a shot he would have made 1 out of 10 times and he was lucky to get it to fall. We had them where we wanted them, and our coach put us in the best position possible to win that basketball game.”

Although falling short of a point to continue in the MSHSL State Tournament the boys had a successful season with a record of 23-6.

“Our last game was one of our top three performances” said Senior Dan Ngandali. “We did everything we could to try and beat an undefeated potentially-State team. We just came up a little short. Our season was fun, we got to compete against the top teams in the state which made the competition tougher.”

The Bison put up a fight throughout the entire game. Senior Brooks Beilke, and Junior Brent Kettenacker were the leading scorers with 14 points each. Coming in with 9 points each were Seniors Brady Matzke, and Korbel. Tech Senior Nate Wolters had a total of 32 points as their leading scorer. With a tough competition throughout their season, the boys took pride in their goals and achievements.

“We had a successful season and accomplished a lot of goals we set for ourselves we exceeded a lot of peoples expectations for us this year,” said Korbel.

With next year in mind, the team will be losing 6 seniors and is hoping the underclassmen will take charge. The Bison varsity line-up consists of 9 juniors, and 1 sophomore for this year’s roster, with high expectations for next year’s underclassmen to excel.

“We won Conference and made a run in Sections. We wish we could’ve gone further but, its a great accomplishment,” said Kettenacker. “Next year we are going to get a bunch of JV and returning players to step up.”

Boys’ Swimming Senior Nathan Engfer (12th) Freshman J.D. O’Donnell (23rd)

Wrestling Senior Zach Smith (6th) Senior David Baker Junior Timmy Ruter 8th grade Mike Simeon

“Going to State was a fun and new experience, being the first was a great accomplishment and sharing it with J.J was so cool. It was an enjoyable experience and we bonded with our coach by going to MOA.” - Senior Nathan Engfer

“Past a certain round you’re guaranteed to place, after I got past that point I felt like I did something i was not suppose to do. I was the underdog but after I felt like all my hard years of hard work paid off.” - Senior Zach Smith

After the final seconds in the Boys’ Basketball 8-AAAA sectional championship game junior Aaron Duske is disappointed in the final outcome of the game. The Bison lost by 1 point with 2.5 seconds left in the second half. “I couldn’t believe it he could take that shot maybe 10 more times and he would have made it once,” said Duske. “It was depressing knowing you could go on but with 2.5 seconds left you loose everything you have worked for.”

Making History As the fi nal buzzer rang, signaling the end of the fi rst round of the MSHSL State Tournament and the girls’ basketball season, it was apparent that the game held more meaning than the 58-62 loss displayed by the scoreboard. The March 18 game, held at the Target Center against the Centennial Cougars, was a historical moment for Buffalo Girls’ Basketball. The 2009 team became the fi rst State competitors for girls’ basketball after their win against Elk River on March 13. Ending their season with a record of 16-14, the girls were the underdogs of the tournament. However, they took several leads against the heavily-favored Cougars and kept the game close until the very end. “Even though we lost it was a great experience for everyone involved,” said Senior Apryl Schmitz. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Target Center was huge and there were a ton of fans. It was really cool to see our school support us like that.” With their season ending in a trip to the State Tournament, the girls exceeded the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of the season. “Our goal as a team was to go to state when we were seniors,” said Senior Danielle Goodfellow. “After we accomplished that goal it was amazing.It had been a dream of ours since we were little. I kept having to have people pinch me because I thought I was literally dreaming. It was the best feeling in the world.” June will bring the graduating of 11 seniors, leaving seven remaining players to rise up to the challenge of next season. As the success of the 2009 season winds down, underclassmen continue to prepare for next season with hopes of the same success. “It was cool to be at State but loosing that game was one of the worst feelings,” said Junior Kristin Jeske. “But that feeling is going to make me work much harder during the off season.” “I kept having to have people pinch me because I thought I was literally dreaming. It was the best feeling in the world.” -Senior Danielle Goodfellow

Defending her Cenntenial opponent, Senior Taylor Johnson stays focused on the ball. After the team beat Elk River on March 13, they became Buffalo High School’s fi rst ever Girls’ Basketball team to be named Section Champions and to move on to the State Tournament.

During the fi rst round of the State Basketball Tournament, Senior DeAnne Bechtold blocks a Cenntenial shot. Bechtold scored 13 points against the Cenntenial Cougars at the Target Center on March 18. “I’m not really upset [about the loss],” said Bechtold. “We played really hard and did our best. Sure, there are some things we could have done differently, but there’s nothing to hang our heads about. We played a tough team and stuck with them until the end, which surprised a lot of people.”

“It was a different environment. I was hesitant at fi rst and had to get used to the light. State was the highlight of my high school career. It was a good way to end the season.” -Senior Taylor Johnson

A glimpse from the life of Math Teacher Carlton Urdahl: working at his nephew’s farm, teaching German, and singing at Church. 2:30 a.m., wake up and get • ready Go over to nephew’s house to • milk his 15-20 cows and care for other animals on the farm Tends to his crops and buildings • on the farm Either goes to Buffalo from his • home town Litchfi eld, MN and has breakfast at Perkins. Or goes to Cokato to eat at local bakery and picks up Math Teacher Peggy Pasche. Works on calculus problem to • teach to his students. Math Teacher Carlton Urdahl hands out tests to his students leaving early so they could fi nish their test before Spring Break As 2:30 rolls around every morning, Math Teacher Carlton Urdahl wakes up and gets ready for his usual busy day. He goes over to his nephew’s house every morning to milk his 15-20 cows, tends to the other animals on his farm, and also cares for his crops and buildings. After doing those chores, he either heads to Buffalo from his hometown of Litchfi eld, MN for his daily breakfast at Perkins, or he goes to Cokato to eat at a local bakery and picks up Math Teacher Peggy Pasche for their carpool. For each breakfast, he works on a calculus problem that he solves and gives to his students. His most diffi cult problem took him four breakfasts to complete. “The number of breakfasts it takes me to fi nish a problem tells me how diffi cult it will be for a student,” said Urdahl. “I try to fi nd problems that aren’t too hard for my students. They have to be at just the right diffi culty.” Even after teaching for 46 years, Urdahl still enjoys taking some of his spare time to do a problem or two. But not all of his years were spent teaching math. He was a German teacher for several years before going back to school to get his Masters degree in math. Urdahl is the only AP Calculus teacher at Buffalo High School. He is very knowledgeable about his subject and it certainly shows as he teaches, it is rare that someone fi nds an error in his work. “I corrected him. Once. Maybe twice,” said Junior Kyle Sandberg. Urdahl is also very passionate when he teaches. Flitting around the front of his room, Urdahl fi lls his whiteboard with complex equations and solutions, enthusiastically explaining each step to his students. His animated teaching style and the obvious passion he has for math can defi ne his teaching and make lasting impressions. “He gets very excited when he teaches new concepts’ defi nitions,” said Senior Jake Dooley. “Depending on the students involvement, he’ll get way ahead of himself and teach something related to the subject, but totally advanced and irrelevant to the impending test.” Math problems aren’t the only things that Urdahl likes to do in his spare time. Urdahl is also on the Long Range Planning Committee and the mission board at his church. Urdahl also enjoys singing in a choir, and in his spare time he sings at weddings and funerals. “There was one wedding in the summer that I sang at and it was outside. That was a good wedding,” said Urdahl. “But then in the fall when I started teaching again, I heard that the couple got a divorce. I kind of joked about them getting divorced because of my singing. Also, when I was talking to the pastor, he said, ‘you may have sang, but I’m the one that married them!’. That’s one wedding that I’ll always remember.” Being the Math Department’s head chair comes with a lot of responsibility. But Urdahl just sees it as another challenge. He has been the department head for many years. The most recent thing that the department is working on is trying to decide what kind of books to get for the upcoming school year. As far as the future is concerned, retirement is not in the near future for Urdahl. “I don’t think that he is going anywhere anytime soon. He said that he loves this job too much and that he doesn’t really have anything better to do,” said Pasche. “Urdahl is going to be stickin’ around for a while.”

Junior Neil Gleason shares his unique hobby. He recently submitted two piano compositions into a state-wide competition. He received an honorable mention and placed third. Question: What about composing music interests you? I’m not sure. I guess I just enjoy expressing myself in this way and seem to do alright at it.

Question: How did you get started? It was about 7th grade. I just started playing around on the piano, and that slowly led to coming up with a song. I thought it was no big deal, but my parents and piano teacher encouraged me to write it down. And then there came a composition contest and here I am now.

Question: Did anything “inspire” you while you were composing your music? Yes, my life in general. Certain aspects of my life always fi nd their way into my writing. That's where most of it comes from really.

Question: What did you get out of the experience? No answer provided in the extracted text.

Question: Did anything “inspire” you while you were composing your music? No additional text provided beyond the earlier response.

“I completely zone out, and go into my own world. I focus on what I need to do, to put in a good run,” said Junior and Professional Skier Cody Ling Ling competed in the Junior Olympic national ski competition for the fourth consecutive year. Ling finished first place in the overall slope style competition, which consists of two runs of jumps and rails. “I had a pretty good first run, and after I was tied for first place,” said Ling. “My second run went a lot better, after the second round results I was in first place and really excited.” Ling has been skiing since he was two years old, and often finds himself out of school and away from home during the season. He has to take independent study classes and online courses to maintain his school work, while balancing his skiing career and relationships. “It’s fine to be away from home because I have lots of friends through skiing in Colorado,” said Ling. “Skiing is just a fun thing, it doesn’t rule my life. I make choices of what competitions and opportunities I take. But I’m ready to come back after the season.” His recent win has presented new opportunities, and has impressed his sponsors. Ling recently shot a commercial for Buck Hill, which will air in the fall, and will partake in other advertisements.