The Hoofprint – December 5, 2003

Attention everyone in the vicinity: this is a lock down. Teachers please secure your class rooms now. This is NOT a drill. I repeat this is NOT a drill. If anyone is in the hallway now go to the nearest room immediately.
Confused and worried students clamber to flip desks over and get down as teachers run to lock doors and shut off lights. Only moments before, it had been a perfectly normal day, but now, as the school waits in silent darkness, the sounds of gun shots and screaming students resound in the hallways outside growing closer every second.
The fear of a school shooting has. finally hit close to home. With the recent incident at Rocori High School in Coldspring, MN on September 24th, 2003 schools all across Minnesota4including BHS4are beginning to take more stringent precautions in order to provide a safe environment for their students and staff.
Many schools have planned lockdown simulations similar to our recent lockdown on Tuesday, November qth 2003. Although 74 percent of BHS students agreed that the lockdown was a good idea, 26 percent thought that it was a bad decision.
"Tt was a good idea to practice but now if someone might want to do a shooting they are going to know our procedure," said Sophomore Alicia Gaarder, "and anyway they would just do it during passing time pease there are a lot more people.
Either way you look at it, having a lockdown simulation can be a catch-22 situation. Despite differing opinions on the matter, the administration is thinking about having another school lockdown in the spring. However, this time it will take place during passing time when a shooting would most likely occur.
"The research says that in order for you to do something well, you need to practice," said Principal Nick Miller. "You just say to yourself that there9s no way it could happen here...I guess you"

"The trip to Chicago9 was successful on many levels," said Mr. Jon Holtz; "The students stayed at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located in down Chicago. The hotel fit the students four to a9 room, but the tight quarters gave the students opportunities to bond. There was a little struggle and a lot of time spent checking into the hotel, but it finally worked out. All the students were tired and stiff from the bus ride there, so that made everyone a little impatient. The first look at the rooms on floor 17 was worth the wait.
"Staying with three other students or friends was a lot of fun and a lot of good times," said Amanda Olson.
The trip exposed the students to art and culture that they would never have been exposed to in Buffalo. One benefit of the trip was getting the opportunity to eat at many exotic restaurants such as the Cheese Factory and Chinatown9s many restaurants. The students enjoyed foods such as squid, Chinese soup, quesadillas, and cheesecake.
Going to the top of the John Hancock tower observatory put butterflies in students9 stomachs. Leaning against the windows and looking down gave them a cheap thrill.
Checking out all the art museums, such as Chicago Institute of Art, gave the students a look at some great work by great artists. The Hologram Museum was also an amazing sight for the students. They saw images that looked like they were jumping out of the picture.
The students went to the Shed Aquarium where a dolphin show amazed them by jumping out of the water and doing really neat tricks.

The students arrived in Chinatown via tour bus. They spent their time there eating and shopping at restaurants and shops that were foreign to them.

Dancing all around, the Bisonette dance team works hard 3 days a week from 2:45-5:15 every day, practicing new moves to the dance.

There are 10 members on the dance team, and also our Dance Director Julie Schazel: She is the choreographer, and coach on the Bisonette dance team. Julie has been in dance for 20 years. She attended high school at Champlin Park and was choreographer and captain of the Troupe Dance Team there. She also received all conference in dance in 1998. When she graduated from college, she was a choreographer and captain of the UWEC dance team.

One of Julie's goals for the team is to develop a competitive team through performances, and have fun doing it.

The performances for the first session will include some basketball games and other community activities. They would also like to try some competitions as well.

Right now the dance team is learning a dance to the music group Disturbed and they are putting three songs all mixed together for their routine.

The dance team is really pumped every day to start practicing and working hard. This takes a lot of dedication to be apart of something like this. So far the girls are really dedicated. The dance team is almost ready to perform now, so listen up for the performances.

---
Photo by Ryan McCallum

Ardently attempting to conquer their routine, the dance team concentrates on the beat of the music. The Bisonettes's next performance will be held on Friday, December 5, during halftime of the Varsity Basketball game.

Buffalo High School comes in contact with bacteria from over 1,700 students and staff every day. When surveyed, the majority of the student population thought that the bathrooms held the title of the dirtiest location in the school.

However, research conducted at the end of a school day proved that a whiteboard marker is dirtier than the flusher on a urinal, a used pencil is much dirtier than the bathroom door handle, and sitting on the floor can be filthy compared to sitting on a toilet seat in the building.

"It depends on when the toilet seats get washed. Most of the time it's the hand touching areas where the bacteria comes from," said school nurse Leslie Morrison.

The toilet seat was the 15th dirtiest place out of 20 that were tested. The cleanliness was due to its frequent cleaning and sparse usage. In Morrison's opinion, the keyboard and the mouse would have been the dirtiest spots in the school. The keyboard was the fifth item on the list.

A payphone mouthpiece produced the most fungus in the study, but the overall dirtiest spot in the school was the floor in a corner of the building.

Although bacteria can be harmful, preventing bacteria isn't always a good thing to do. Drugs such as antibiotics and vaccinations are created from bacteria and used as weapons against illnesses. Using some bacteria against bad bacteria helps people avoid getting sick.

To help prevent harmful bacteria or fungus, people should wash their hands for at least 30 seconds with good soapy water after using the bathroom, sneezing or before eating. "To prevent getting bacteria or fungus on your feet, wear flip-flops in the locker room to prevent close contact to protect yourself. Also to bring your gym clothes home," said Morrison.

Research by Olivia Graham

1. A table top
2. A table top
3. A text book
4. Computer mouse
5. A pen
6. 9th grade locker padlock
7. A payphone
8. Keyboard
9. Drinking Fountain Nozzle
10. A shoe bottom
11. The Floor

Continued from page 1
can't say that, you just don't know.
This new lockdown simulation will be meant to teach students what to do and where to go in case something happens outside of class.
Again, students had mixed feelings about having a lockdown during passing time for similar reasons. Seventy-eight percent of thought it was a good idea, 17 percent thought it was a bad idea, and 5 percent were in between.
T think it's a good idea, because someone's likely going to attempt something when everyone is most vulnerable, said Freshman Collin Tierney. Not only that, but people need to know what happens if one of their classes is a ways away.
Although most students agreed that passing time would be the most likely time a shooter would strike, 64 percent of students couldn't see an actual situation occur here at the high school. On the other hand, 82 percent felt the same or indifferent about the current safety of our school.
Sometimes I feel safe, but I always try to think that anything is possible, said Junior Kessie Moench. I could see a situation happening here. It could happen anywhere.

Over the course of a year more then $333,000 is spent on twenty minutes of unorganized schooling called AAA. Some BHS administrators think students are wasting time and therefore money, others believe it is a valuable asset to the day
In a journalism survey of 30 randomly selected students, 50% said they used this time to unwind at the end of each day. The other 50% said that they thought they used it productively; to catch up on late work, retake tests, do homework, or meet for extracurricular activities.
In a journalism survey of administrators and teachers 55% thought AAA was a good addition to our school day and 45% did not. Of the teachers who liked AAA 40% had some kind of weekly schedule that helped keep their classrooms productive during AAA.
"AAA is an issue I have wrestled with for eighteen years," said principal Nick Miller.
"It is a good time to unwind at the end of the day," said library para Judy Loberg.
"I like AAA because we can sit and BS and do nothing," Sophomore Eric Mattson.
Science teacher Ed Cox doesn9t approve of that type of student use of AAA. He said students would use AAA more productively if it were placed in the middle of the day.
Spanish instructor Connie Crocker said that AAA needs to be at the end of the day, which is both beneficial and problematic. "The time of day can't really be changed, due to after school activities," said Crocker, "yet that is part of the issue with it."
On the same note; Miller said AAA used to be at the end of the morning, but it was moved to the end of the day so students could leave early for sports teams and so he could offer senior privileges without students missing too much class. Miller also said its location at the end of the day makes it more convenient for him.
Health teacher Mary Bremmer agreed with Miller. "I benefit from AAA and it is productive for me," said Bremmer.
Teachers gave suggestions on what we should do with AAA. One teacher suggested that "If every teacher had two definite days of activities it might improve."
Phys. Ed teacher Troy Holland said we should have a designated AAA classroom unless they are needed elsewhere. "We should place students in AAA," Holland said, "Then they would need passes to see other teachers."
"Drop it," said science students teacher Kip Wold.
Students such as Sophomore Stephanie Johnson also dislike AAA. "It's a waste of my time," said Johnson.
Other teachers who agree with Wold suggest that we take the 26 minutes from AAA and passing time and add them to classes, because that promises more productivity.
Sophomore Bjorge disagrees. "Adding time to classes would just make for a longer, more wrestles day. Instead, we should take those 26 minutes and add them to passing time and lunch," said Bjorge.
"AAA will remain an issue," said Miller, "but not one easily solved."

"Coach Rohl's locker, because he's Coach Rohl."
Mr. John Gunderson
Art Teacher

"The Freshman hallway, Freshmen don't keep their locker bay as well kept as the upper classmen."
Justin Vankeulen
Sophomore

"The bathroom's because dudes pee all over everything, its sick."
Sonny Helgeson
Junior

"The locker room bench, because naked people & dirty clothes always touch it."
Amanda Trossen
Sophomore

Have you looked around lately while you were driving down the road?
You'll see one about every couple of minutes. These small four cylinder front wheel drive cars with these huge wing like things screwed onto their trunks. I don't know if it makes them fly or maybe go a little faster. Heck, I don't know what they're for.
On dragsters you will see a spoiler (wing) on the back over the wheels. The point of it being to ground, causing grater traction and it makes the vehicle perform better. The purpose of a spoiler on a dragster is obvious, and on any rear wheel drive vehicle, for that matter.
Spoilers are made so when driving down the road at faster and faster speeds, the wind passing over the spoiler will put a downward force on the wheels below it. Seeing how that works, picture this.
A front wheel drive car with a spoiler on the back. It applies force down on the rear wheels. The car is being moved by the front so it is essentially pushing down the back of the vehicle in a way making it so there is less force on the front wheels. To get the best performance out of a front wheel drive car, it would make more sense to have a spoiler on the hood. It would put more force on the front wheels where it is most needed.
I can't believe that no aftermarket accessory company has thought of it yet. So if I was one of you airplane/front-wheel drive car driver guys, I would immediately take that wing off your trunk and screw it or glue it to your hood. It may not have the airplane look that you're going for, but you would surely have the fastest car around.
---
Photo by Ryan Hendrickson

You are sitting in your new class and the teacher asks a question for someone to answer. To your surprise, you know actually know it. With confidence, you willingly raise your hand. The teacher points in your direction. As you lower your hand to give your answer, someone behind you shouts it out. Your self esteem and confidence drop as you realize that it was a star athlete in your school. Was it by total coincidence that you weren't chosen, or was it favoritism? Do you have to be a star athlete to be called on?
I believe you do, but it does depend on the teacher. In some classes, with coaches as the teachers, you expect that only the people on his or her team would get called on. Just because you aren't an athlete does not mean you're incapable of answering a question. Some of us can't afford to be in sports, have no interest in them, or have to work for a living outside of school.
If by some chance you are disfavored for how you dress, it's not going to be gothic or punk people who get called upon, by rule. Being one of those who don't necessarily dress up to the high society standards, I can relate to this. Some days you wonder if the teacher even notices you sitting in class trying to participate.
The next time when your teacher asks a question and he or she doesn't call on you again, just blurt out the answer and know that you've conquered all.

Most people think of professional athletes as people who are paid a horde of money to do what they do best. But did you ever think about how they also get off of the hook very easily? Especially in this case that includes a first-rate basketball star that gets accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old in July.
Kobe Bryant was staying at Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colorado. When a short while later he allegedly sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman in his room.
What is wrong with celebrities today? Bryant had an affair with a teenager and got away with it. Kirby Puckett fondled a female at a restaurant and got away with it. Are celebrities really doing this stuff or are people just making stuff up to get famous people in a heap of trouble?
On July fourth, Bryant was issued an arrest warrant. He turned himself in, posted $25,000 bond, and was set free. Why do they have a money bail? I think that it is wrong that Bryant can do that and only have to owe minimal pay. An average person can sexually assault someone else and probably get life in jail, where in this case, Kobe has admitted that he has had sex with her and he only had to pay $25,000. This might be a lot for us, but it's not a lot for someone who makes that amount in a fraction of one basketball game.
On September 20th, NBA Commissioner David Stern thought that Bryant should continue to play basketball, even though he was accused. It is so sad that just because somebody is a "legend in the making" in a sport, they can get away with stuff that they admits to.

Lately I've been noticing how nobody cares about anything or anyone. I don't know if it's just my grade, or if it's the whole society, but it seems to me that everyone has a lump of coal for a heart.
When I watch movies that are full of gory killing, or play a video game where you shoot someone right in the head and walk away, I cringe. Yet everyone else just loves those games, so that's what sells. I don't get how you can enjoy killing people for fun. Me, I find no fun in those games. If someone gets his or her eye stabbed or ear cut off, I cringe and grab my ear, or cover my eye. The person next to me doesn't even blink, or worse yet, they laugh--just like when I saw the movie Gladiator, which everyone loves. The plot was ok, but every time someone got sliced in half or hit with a spiky metal ball in the face, the person next to me would laugh! When I asked other people about it, they said that the thought of how that person would feel never even crossed their minds.
People who go hunting for deer or grouse, or whatever seem to be worse. I've always been against hunting, but I am starting to realize that it needs to be done for certain reasons, but it is still sad. Every hunter I know says they don't ever feel bad when they shoot something. I was just talking to someone the other day and he said, "It's just a deer, it can't feel." The heck it can't feel! I don't know how you could become so cold hearted as to be able to kill something so innocent and not even care! Seriously, does anybody have a heart?

Last year, the National Institute of Mental Health conducted a research on eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. Their ' research found that, throughout the United States. 5 to 10 million females and | to 2 8million males suffer from an eating dis- order.
The vast majority, 86 percent, of eating disorders in females start before the age of 20, 43 percent start between the ages of 16 to 20 and*43 percent start at an age younger than 16.
~ This year, 1 out of every 100 female teenagers is not eating enough food by choice, | out of every 20 of them use pills or laxatives only to lose weight.
_
Buffalo High School is not immune to these diseases, and most students do not take this problem seriously. The majority of students surveyed thought that an eating disorder is just a phase, and that is something that will just go away in a short period of time.
Statistics show that eating disorders are not just a phase, and that they won9t just go away. Twenty percent of anorexic and bulimic teenage girls will die from the diseases.
Anna, (whose real name will stay anonymous) suffered from anorexia and bulimia for almost two and a half years. Her problem began the winter of her freshman year at BHS due to family problems and a desire to lose weight. According to the national institute of mental health these are the most common reasons for an eating disor- der to start.
<TJ had a lot of important things coming up, like prom,that I wanted to look good for,= said Anna. <A lot of things were going wrong and what I ate was actually something I could control.=
The disease usually starts out with a little dieting because the person gets the impression or is told that he or she is over- weight. Then the dieting becomes even more precise, getting down to the very last pound, and getting out of hand. At first, they are proud that they can manage something in their life but, eventually it turns into something that they have no control over anymore.
<Tt9s like if you have a younger brother or sister, the more you bug them the more mad they get, the younger one thrives off the anger that the older one is giving off,= said Anna, as she tried to explain how anorexia works.
<First I wanted to keep losing weight, it was my choice, but then I want- ed to stop, and I couldn9t. I no longer had that choice.=
' Anorexia and bulimia are diseases of the mind, not the body. They are diseases that haunt the victim9s mind and never gives them a break. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, as a person eats less and less, their brain doesn9t get enough nutri- tion and becomes weak. When this happens, anorexia or bulim- ia starts to take over the part of the brain that holds some of a person9s reasoning ability. In some instances, portions of the brain literally shrink.
<The only time it was really off my mind was when I was having a really good time,= said Anna. <Otherwise, it never left.=
Anna9s physical problems were much worse than just a hungry stomach, like many, other girls with eating disorders. Headaches, stomach aches, body aches and horrible shaking are some of the other problems that can occur with anorexia and bulimia.
<Headaches...the headaches were the worst They were horrible,= said Anna. <It felt like someone was stabbing me in the head, and in the stom- ach.=
Most eating disorder vic- tims don9t have just one disease or the other. At times Anna would eat because she felt she had to, but her guilt horrified her into purging (throwing up). It9s common for most anorexic or bulimic girls to trick family members and friends into think- ing that they ate. Anna would even go as far as to cook some- thing, chew it up, and then spit it out onto a plate so it looked as if had she eaten. Sometimes she would tell her parents that she had to do homework and*then she would bring the meal up to her room and throw it away.
When somebody is suffer- ing from an eating- disorder, they can9t help themselves, they want the help, but they can9t bring themselves to try and get it.
<There were times I would lay in bed and think of how to tell my best friend,= said Anna. <Come the next day though, I never could do it.=
Anna recovered just last summer from the horrible dis- ease thanks to the help of her family, friends, and different clinics. She said it is never really gone though; there are times when she goes out with her friends and can still only eat half of her food, otherwise she feels awful. Going through the recovery wasn9t easy for her.
<T was getting frustrated with people yelling at me, telling me what to do, and eat. I was always crabby and I was a b****_ Everyone tried to help and said they helped me,= said Anna. <They did help, but it was really me. I helped myself.=
Anna went to clinics and doctors to help herself recover. There are people in this school today that need help with their disease and don9t know what to do. If you know someone who has an eating disorder some- thing should be done. There are many different hotlines and websites made for teenage eat- ing disorders. The hotlines have someone to talk you through everything, they do not make you do anything, and they listen to you and help you. Two of the most recommended hotlines are 800-762-3334, and 541-344-1144. They will take your calls and help you with your eating disorder. A website that can help you help you or a friend is www.something-fishy.org. They also have other links to help you.
<As long as I am helping someone [| will do this inter- view,= said Anna. <One more thing...looks aren9t everything, it9s the inside that counts. I may not be perfect, but I9m a lot hap- pier now.=

Artwork by Alicia Winkle

In the United States alone, 5 to 10 million females and 1 to 2 million males suffer from an eating disorder. The majority of eating disor- ders begin before the age of 20.

School Red Baron Bake to Rise Pepperoni Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut of 15"
{|
Calories- 389
Total Fat- 15g
Protein- 17.4g
Carbohydrate- 45.7g
School Red Baron Bake to Rise Cheese Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut of 15"
Calories- 347
Total Fat- 11.9g
Protein- 15.8g
Carbohydrate- 45.1g
School Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut
Calories- 306
Total Fat- 14g
Protein- 17g
Carbohydrate- 27.92
School Pizza Hut Cheese Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut
Calories- 294
Total Fat- 16g
Protein- 17.2g
Carbohydrate- 28.6g
Domino's Thin Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut of 14"
Calories- 240.2
Total Fat- 12.6g
Protein- 10.6g
Carbohydrate- 21.9g
Domino's Thin Crust Cheese Pizza
Serving size- 1/8 cut of 14"
Calories- 191
Total Fat- 8.3g
Protein- 8.4g
Carbohydrate- 21.7g

* Food Comparison
continued on page 7

Editors note: This story is written about the experi-
ences of Kaesa Jordet, Mallory Mitchell, Katie Kruck, and
Christina Leonard from the eyes of Jordet. The four girls
spent the night, from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am at Wal-Mart in
Buffalo.

As we drove up to our destination,
I looked out at the
massive playground that lay ahead and thought to myself
"Why in the heck did I volunteer for this again?" Being sick
with Bronchitis, having
a stomach ache, and feeling like
crap, I wanted to call it quits and move as far away from this
place as possible. We switched into cars and I tried to gath-
er the sanity that I had left before we ventured inside. The
night ahead of us may kill us by the time it hits 6:00 am. As
we walked up, only a few cars lingered in the parking lot,
which is to be expected at eleven o'clock at night. The elec-
tric doors slid open and we ventured in, exhausted already
from the dread of spending the next seven hours of our lives
in WAL-MART.

Right away, we headed to the entertainment section
looking forward to the movies that we would be able to
watch late at night that would show up on all the TVs.
Just
as we started to watch the movie A Bug's Life on the miniature DVD player screen, we were kicked out of the section,
because the washing and waxing of the center aisle was
about to begin. They continued to wax that section, and only
that section, for the next seven hours. Disappointed with the
thought of no movies to entertain us for the rest of the night,
we moved along.

Keeping in mind the things that we had planned to do,
we headed for the arcade section in the front. Mallory dug
into her purse and pulled out some quarters and slid into the
race car seat provided for the game she attempted to play.
Christina and Katie, on the other hand, took the more risky
approach to things and jumped in the small bus made for
exceptionally small children. Heads and limbs stuck out
from all sides. I grabbed the camera and took a picture.
As we started to re-enter the main part of the store, Katie sud-
denly got the urge to use the fifty cents in her hand and
bought a miniature whistle from the vending machine. That
thing would plague our stay for the rest of the night. (Just to
let you know how annoying this thing was, I wanted to...actu-
ally, I can't tell you what I wanted to do, because this is
supposed to be a PG version of the story.) As we re-entered
the main part of the store, I saw a wheelchair with a little
cart in front of it (before we even went into the store that
night, I told the other girls I wished they had a wheelchair,
because I desperately didn't want to walk around Wal-Mart
all night, especially when I was feeling like crap). As I
walked over to it, the lady behind the counter gave me a
nasty look, but there was no way I was going to go through
this whole night without it. I asked her politely if I could use
it, but, instead of answering, she stared at me like I was
insane. She asked me why I needed it, and I told her I felt
like crap. She let me use it, which was a good thing, because
I think I would have gotten kicked out if she didn't (hint,
hint).

We decided it was time for us to get the munchies for the
night, so we grabbed all sorts of junk and went up to the reg-
ister to purchase the items. In less than a minute we are sur-
rounded by about four or five women that worked there and
the questioning began. I looked around me thinking, "are we
getting kicked out?"
We told them that our teacher had
called to confirm that we could stay all night. All of a sud-
den the ladies that seemed to be nice turned into demons
with cruel devilish looks on their faces, ready to devour us.
They said that they hadn't heard anything about it or received
a call. We said that our teacher had talked to Justin. When the
name Justin escaped our mouths, the demons went away and
we were talking to nice ladies at the register again. They
said that since we said the name Justin we were okay. (Per-
sonally, I wanted to know who this "Justin" guy was because
he must hold an awful lot of power to make demons turn into
nice women again).

Already clueless of what to do next, we headed down to
the toys section, but not before Mallory had to relieve herself
with a bathroom break, of course, which would be the first
of 10 million or so trips to the restroom. We sat down on the
bench (except for me in my wheelchair) and started to read.
Then Christina looked up and saw a nice hunter outfit and
decided it would be fun to try it on.

Winter in Minnesota isn't always pretty -- especially when you drive a vehicle.
Here are a few student's stories that many drivers could relate to.

"My parents won't let me drive in the winter as much. They don't trust my experience."
Sophomore Jeff Gilmer

"The roads are scary in the winter time and I'm not getting in another car accident. That was a nightmare!"
"I was driving with my sister and a friend to my house after school. The car in front of me stopped and I hit them and swerved in to oncoming traffic where I hit again. Everyone was fine though."
Junior Christina Leonard

"On the fourth day of having my license, I backed in to a new caravan. I just drove off though."
Senior Nathan Hopkins

"Senior Adara Bonnell"

Does it seem possible for a farmer of nearly 40 years to make the jump directly to an auditorium specialist at a high school sound possible? It is here at BHS. Custodian Richard Liefert did it.
Living all his life on a farm, Liefert now in
eall the technical work in the Performing Arts Center. Before his custodial job Leifert was a dairy farmer who raised crops and pigs. While doing this, he worked as a janitor at the old high school, currently the middle school. When the new high school was built, there was a posting for an auditorium specialist. Only one person applied: Richard.
When he found out what the job entailed, he wasn't sure what he was getting into. He was sure glad about one thing though--it cuts his driving time in half. Instead of driving four miles, now he only has to go 2.2 miles. There were a lot of new instructions for Liefert to learn in order to become an auditorium specialist. For each area of his duties, which include lights and sound, someone had to come out to teach him the skills he needed to do the job.
There was supposed to be 12 hours worth of instructions, but only three, two hour sessions were needed. Reading the manuals and studying up on how to operate things were the rest of what was required.
"I enjoy it," Liefert said. "It's the people I work with. The young people, the teachers -- all great -- and the people in shows. Show people actually seem to be nice."
Staying on top of his job can be a challenge, because there's always something new coming out. Liefert learns new information from other tech groups that come here to perform their show. He has learned many things already, with help from three highly technical students that were seniors at the time the high school was built -- Peter Walz, John Wetter, and Bob Schlick.
"It's a good experience working with all the custodians and teachers," Liefert said. "A good part about working here is getting to meet a lot of kids. It's great to see them come back after they graduate."
Liefert is due to retire in two and a half years, but he knows he won't stay gone completely.
"Oh, I would come back and might sub in or just help around," said Liefert.
Liefert's dedication highlights the dedication and selflessness of the entire custodial staff at the school.

When you're in Rockford, Minnesota, not in a hurry, and looking for some nice greasy home-style cookin' stop by Burger & Chicken Express to get your fill.
From the outside, Burger and Chicken Express looks like a grimy yellow bar. However the interior of the restaurant presents visitors with a warm, country home atmosphere. Modern furniture and spotless floors make patrons feel safe from germs. The porcelain plates and real glasses add to the "at home" feel.
Before taking our seats, we walked to the front and ordered as if we were at a fast food restaurant. It took about 10-12 minutes for our food to arrive, which is much faster than most sit-down restaurants.
The service was fast and friendly. On the chicken strips' journey to the table one was lost overboard. Another one came quickly to replace it. The chicken was very juicy and had a light breading on it with just the right amount of seasoning. Dipped in ranch sauce, the chicken was a delight.
The burger was cold, and bland, and there was no recognizable flavor. The burger was half the size of one of the buns. The French fries (or should we say freedom fries) were better than good.
As we were savoring our meals the elderly cook kept staring at us. Jen Ask decided to be destructive and shredded a napkin. Before we left the creepy cook picked up the shredded napkin, glared at us and sneered "It's ok." Even though we never once said sorry.
The creepy cook and bland burger were the only two bad aspects of an overall positive experience.

Its 2:20 on Friday. The bell sounds, schools out for the weekend. Everybody hurries out of school and flies into their weekend activities. For some, it's off to work, others it's two and a half days of free time. Shopping, going to movies, partying, and just hanging out are all just a few of the activities enjoyed by BHS students.

For most BHS students' Buffalo, isn't the "hot spot'.
"I don't hang out in Buffalo much because you get kicked out of every store when you try to have fun," said Freshman Ryan Neimela. "Or maybe 'old' Buffalo people just hate us little kids."
"We all miss Café 22," Neimela added sarcastically. "Also, Buffalo people should let people skateboard more."

Most BHS students find themselves headed toward the nearest city that has everything Buffalo doesn't have, like Maple Grove.
"I love shopping at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove. They have so many stores. I just love it," said Sophomore Amy Lehtola. "It's the best."

With the new shopping mall, along with a long list of restaurants and snack shops, Maple Grove is also a magnet for students just to catch the latest movie. "The theatres in Maple Grove are huge," said Freshman Justin Johnson. "And they have cool reclining seats, but their popcorn is really expensive."

It's a perfect paradise for a ...

If popcorn isn't your thing, then you won't have a problem finding a place to eat. Along with the huge variety of sit down restaurants, Maple Grove offers lots of little shops where you can get a small ice cream snack or a cup of Java.

"I lived in Maple Grove up until I was 15 years old and it was amazing how much it grew," said Junior Bre Hansen. "It seemed like there was a new place to eat or shop all the time. You could always find something to do."

Ridgedale in Minnetonka is also a place to go on the weekends. With their numerous stores and restaurants it's also an attraction for students on the weekends. "I like shopping at Ridgedale because they have all the stores I like," said Junior Mallory Mitchell. "All of the latest and greatest stores are there."

Shopping and eating isn't everybody's bread and butter. According to Senior Jeff Carver you don't have to go somewhere to have fun. "All weekend I sit on my butt and work at Burger King," said Carver. "Doing nothing is so much more fun than being at school."

Although Buffalo isn't the place to be on weekends, BHS students keep themselves busy in the surrounding areas. Bowling, Movies, Dance Clubs, or Partying are just a few of the things that are cool when you're not in school.

"With the downfall of Café 22 our options are limited," said Senior Andrew Rohlik.

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series set the standard for crime games with huge playable maps and game play. Since then, game designers have attempted to design games that can top it. The Activision crew (the designers of True Crime: Streets of LA) said, "we weren't trying to copy GTA we have always wanted to make a game like this." They put many hours into creating maps for the game and the exact replication of Los Angeles. The game brings out the brutality of LA life and today's world big action means big bucks.

True Crime: Streets of LA is a game about a cop named Nick Kang. Nick is a part of the E.O.D agency (Elite Operations Unit) to stop down the syndicates from two big gangs.

In the game you can do a variety of stuff such as drive around for fun, you can acquire upgrades for cars and guns. The way True Crime approaches missions is unique, during a mission if you die there is an option to restart the mission or play on. Playing on will change the course of the game and 6 game endings place you on the top or the bottom of the LA crime situation.

Another asset that True Crime has that no other game has is the random crime generator. You could be driving down the highway when a little red dot appears on the screen, which means there is a crime happening. Crimes can be anywhere from sexual assault to illegal street races. You can chose to take the missions but you don't have to. If you do you will be rewarded with points that you can use to go to the 24/7 stores (Dojo, shooting range, and the driving course).

True Crime does have its flaws though. For the first thing the game is way too easy. Though there are a few challenging parts in the game the rest is easy. But it makes that up in the area you can drive in. There are over 400 square miles to drive in, it includes places in LA like Chinatown, Hollywood, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills.

In its entirety the game was pretty good but wasn't as entertaining as Grand Theft Auto. You can't change the difficulty, which is pretty sad, because the game is fairly easy. The game was rated M for Mature for a reason: there's a lot of cussing, mature sexual themes, and the almighty blood and gore. I would give it 3 1/2 stars; Kang and almost everybody on the game repeat the same old lines over and over again. So if I were you I would rent this game.

Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Story: 6/10
Sound: 9/10
Lasting Appeal: 6/10
Overall: 8/10

Tru Calling, Tru Davies (Eliza Dushku) can relive days and instead of doing normal things she saves people's lives. After Tru graduates from college, and when her high-powered medical internship through she finds herself working nights at a New York City morgue, she hears the voice of a young murder victim asking for her help. The next day she wakes up, and relives the day all over, with 12 hours before the woman was murdered.

As the clock ticks, Tru runs through the city trying to prevent the woman's death, meanwhile at the same time rescuing members of her own family from their lives. The show deals with the issues of how saving or not saving people affects things, and what role fate and destiny play in people's lives. Tru comes to realize that playing God affects the world around her and herself.

When Tru was only 12, she witnessed her mother being murdered. At her mom's funeral, Tru heard her mom speaking to her, but didn't realize she had special powers until later on. Harrison Davies (Shawn Reaves) is Tru's younger brother; he always had some sort of scams he's running. He has a problem with gambling.

Meredith Davies (Jessica Collins) is Tru's older sister. She had a drug problem in the past and starts using cocaine again. Tru Calling airs on Thursdays at 7 pm on Fox channel nine.

Jet, featuring Kurt, D, A.J., and Lez are the crew for the Jet band. One dream is in all rock bands and that is trying to make it to the top once said "It's a long way to the top if you want to Rock N' Roll."

Jet is getting down with their CD "Get Born." What Jet is trying to say in "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" is "gonna be my girl." It talks about the cheating that is going on today in dating relationships. He is asking his girlfriend if she is going to be his girl or another rogue. Jet brings a little bit of everything to the table, with rock ballads such as, "Timothy," it gives a variety of tempos, rock songs such as, "Cold Hard Bitch," which is mainly a song they made up for fun, and alternative rock such as, "Rollover D.J."

With an arsenal of hits like that "Get Born" can contest some songs in each category. Overall those were the great songs. The rest of the bunch I really didn't care for. So if you like an array of music in one CD I would buy this.

Looking back on the Trilogy of The Matrix it is very easy to say that they were all successful and helped advance the overall story that the films were trying to get across. Did they actually succeed or did the follow-up movies to The Matrix fall short of their real potential?

When The Matrix was first released it was a sleeper hit, that stunned people with its amazing and original Sci-Fi visuals. It then gave us another surprise when it swept all the technical Oscars from under the Star Wars: "Phantom Menace's" feet. Suddenly The Matrix was on the map as a well known movie, the movies ending releasing thousands of possibilities for future Matrix films. Though for a long time the talk of sequels to The Matrix disappeared they finally resurfaced in early 2003 with the first preview for Matrix Reloaded shown during the Super Bowl. The expectations were high, the idea that the movie could be bad was hardly thought on. The release of Reloaded was huge, every Matrix fan was hungry to see the second film of the trilogy. Though it was mostly received well I did not stand up to the bar of expectations or standard that the first Matrix set. The visual action with bullet time that made the original so phenomenal didn't start to kick in until Neo's major fight with Agent Smith. The middle of the film was a unnecessary scene in Zion with dancing and jumping that was just awkward and boring. I definitely woke up for the car chase-which is by far the best ever filmed. The whole chase on the highway was beautiful cinematography and kept your heart pounding through the last moments when two semi-trucks collide.

Soon after the chase, Reloaded thoroughly confused people with Neo's chat with the Architect. Then the movie quickly wraps itself up in a hanging ending. The Matrix Reloaded overall did not hold up to my high expectations. It had good parts encircled in boring cheesy ones. Mostly, I was disappointed in the fact that they did not show Neo's full potential for fighting in the film.

I diligently sat and waited having faith that they could pull it together and make the third movie of the Trilogy, Matrix Revolutions live up to expectations. I had set my hopes in the sky high above the dark clouds that covered the real world in the movie, yet that was where the results landed. The third movie started off extremely intriguing then went down hill. Thousands of visual opportunities were dropped, sadly I saw all the opportunities for bullet time pass by as the movie's plot got more and more boring. Most of the movie was spent in the real world with people just fending off oncoming machines. Finally at the end of the movie there was a final fight between Agent Smith and Neo. Throughout the entire fight it was difficult to tell what was happening with all the rain falling and the lighting. Then finally in the middle of the fight they showed Neo's full power. As the movie went to slow motion Neo shot his hand forward moving so fast he hit rain drops in mid air then drove his fist into Agent Smith's face. The movie ended with many questions unanswered. The third Matrix was just an action movie with Sci-Fi elements.

The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions left people disappointed. I think what mainly happened is that directors provoked so many questions throughout the Trilogy that there was no way they could answer all of them without contradicting parts of the movies. They made the movies blind, unable to put together the intricate puzzle they had created. Though the follow ups to the original tightly wound question driving Matrix may have been a disappointment it can't take away from it. The Matrix still can stand alone as one of the great and most revolutionary in film making movies, in present day.

Staff Writers
Another Blades Hockey season is underway and it looks to be a promising one.
Former Buffalo High School Activities Director, Nancy Bergert, started the Girls Hockey program in 1997. Last year the team finished off their season with 21 wins and 3 losses, as conference champions for the fourth consecutive year.
Head Coach, Mr. Bob Driver, expects a good season. He feels that they are a very strong defensive team. This year they have three strong goalies. One of them is Sophomore Toni Menth, who is joining the Blades for her first season, coming from the boys' team.
"They have a lot of experience and are good senior leaders," said Coach Driver. "The team will also look to Sophomore Kathleen Roso, who last year was named All Conference Honorable Mention, for some great defensive skills. Coach Driver feels that one thing really special about the team is their ability to get along with each other so well. On the ice they play really strongly together, but even off the ice, they all are really close, which he feels is really important to any team."
"One thing that we need some work on is scoring goals," said Coach Driver. "And hopefully someone will step up and lead us through the season."
For good scoring, Coach Driver looks to junior Michelle Moen, who was All Conference Honorable Mention and Ms. Offense last year. Coach Driver also thinks that the team can look to her for great leadership skills.
Two other key players on the team this season are seniors Jamie Comee and Ashley Corey.
Below: During practice, girls huddle for a team discussion.
By the looks of things, it will be another strong and exciting season for girls' hockey. They played against Moorhead High School on Friday November 28, 2003. They won a close game in overtime with a final score of 3-2. Their next game is tonight in Buffalo at 7:30, against Irondale.
Above: Bre Hansen attempts to redirect the puck into the goal after receiving a pass.
Photos by Jeff Carr

Staff Writers
"The ice is still wet" said Pat Moore as he slipped out on the ice for practice.
Boys' hockey season is well on its way; captain's practice is over and the boys have showed the coach what they have to offer this year's Junior Varsity and Varsity boys hockey teams. Tryouts started November 17 and were completed November 21.
Last year's boys' hockey season closed with a record of 16-11. The coaches said that beating last year's record is just one of the goals they have for this year's teams. Coach Tom Walker, the assistant JV coach, said all the coaches have set other goals such as giving 110% every time the team is on the ice, which will help them achieve their long term goal of making it to the playoffs.
"We will get better each and everyday and use the schedules to get us to the playoffs," said Head Coach Mike McMillan.
This year's coaching team includes McMillan, and his assistant coach Larry Hendrickson. JV is run by head coach Chris Bonnell and assistant coaches Dan Ogdahl and Walker. Both JV and Varsity goalies will be coached by Mr. Ed Cox.
"I think this is going to be a fine year. We did lose a few key players last year, like our leading scorer David Marshall, but we have other experienced varsity players to guide the team this season," said McMillan.
The coaches agreed that this year's schedule is one of the most exciting yet challenging they have had in many years.
"If you want to be the best you got to play the best," said Walker. "Developing a strong team and playing as a unit, as opposed to individuals, will increase our chances of winning."
Some of the boy hockey players already see an improvement.
"This year is way better then last year," said Harlan Kartak.
"I can't wait for the season to start" said Carman Preston.
Their season started off with a loss against Burnsville. They played on November 28th, 2003. The next game they will be playing is tonight at 7:30pm in Thief River Falls.
"I hope we do as well or better then last year," said freshman Allison Eckhoff. "I will be at every game front row cheering them on."
Photo by Sarah Eckhoff
Boys Hockey players are getting the feel for the ice again, as they go into a new season.

Standing on the side lines, screaming, biting down on the towel, the pressure of a new team to handle is a familiar thing to coach Emily Bailey.
With this being her fourth year coaching basketball, and only her third year in Buffalo, Coach Bailey replaced Chris Gmach as head Varsity coach. Bailey was the JV coach for the last two years and now has moved up to coach a team that was 6-17 last year.
This years team has a tough schedule of 27 games total, which is the most the State High School League will allow. Some of the tougher teams that the girls will have to play against in the North Suburban Conference are the teams rivals; Centennial, Totino-Grace and Irondale. And non-conference teams Moorhead and Maple Grove.
Senior captain Ashley Bethke is looking forward to play Irondale.
"They are a very aggressive and cocky team," said Bethke.
Girls like Bethke have been doing things over the summer such as going to team camps, and summer and fall basketball leagues.
"I'm really excited about the commitment many girls made to prepare for this season. Their hard work will pay off," said Bailey. "We'll be a quick and aggressive team."
Bailey hopes that the team will progressively get to Larson.
---
Photo by Rachel LeMay
Girls basketball players Ashley Bethke, Cassie Yates, Kate Higley and Emily Sturges receive instruction from assistant coach Mr. Scott Sorenson as they prepare for an offensive drill. The team is looking to improve on their 6-17 record from last sea-
"But they're a good and strong team!" said Bailey
---
Photo by Allie Houfer
E
Rove basketball players Zach Christofferson, Mitch VanBruggen and Brett Andrews partici-. pate in a scrimmage during practice. The team will play its first game tonight against St. Michael-Albertville.

In professional sports when a head coach resigns the organization struggles to find a new coach. They want to find one who can hopefully lead their team to greatness.
Last spring, Matt Lubben resigned as head coach so our school was looking for a replacement and didn't have to go very far. JV coach Nick Guida took the job of head Varsity coach. Guida led the JV team to an 88 and 12 record last year and now knows his new job is more difficult than his last.
"It's going to be much harder because there's a lot of behind the scenes things you don't realize you have to deal with," said Guida. "I can't wait until the season gets started because then you can just concentrate on basketball."
Although Guida took a harder job, he feels fortunate to have most of the same players from last year's team. Micah Schmeling, the only player on the team last year to make all-conference was lost to graduation, but Senior Captains Ryan Kettenacker and T.J. Ortmann return. Kettenacker averaged 14.5 points and five rebounds per game and was team MVP last year.
Ortmann averaged 6.5 points and a couple rebounds a game and Guida hopes he can double those. There is additional help in Senior Robert Klatt coming off an injury from last year.
"He'll get up and down the floor and do all the little things a coach wants someone to do," said Guida.
Guida and the players plan to push to win conference this year. Guida always goes into the season planning to compete at sections and ultimately, to win state. It all starts with the regular season and the talent to excel the team.
"I think the talent is definitely there," said Junior Paul Olson. "I don't know if we'll be the top of our conference in talent, but we definitely have more desire than the rest of the people."
The team has their talent picked now that try-outs are over, and their first game is tonight at St. Michael-Albertville. This season's games against teams like St. Cloud-Apollo and Minneapolis South, Guida thinks will be good. They also play, last year's runner up in our section in the State Tournament, Osseo. Olson is looking forward to playing Cambridge-Isanti this year.
"They blew us out last year and I'm looking forward to come back and beat em,'" said Olson.
---
Photo by Allie Houfer
Rove basketball players Zach Christofferson, Mitch VanBruggen and Brett Andrews participate in a scrimmage during practice. The team will play its first game tonight against St. Michael-Albertville.

Continued from page 6.
In the middle of the aisle, she threw on the ensemble and realized it was kind of tight. She looked at the tag with a confused look on her face and said it's an extra large. I explained to her that it was for children. "Oops," she remarked. "So dumb," Mallory replied. Over the intercom, we heard <N32= repeated for the employee game of bingo. After all of that, it was only around 12:30. Suddenly, we realized we still had to do interviews-for this assign- ment, but we needed a notebook.
Of course, since we are all so smart we forgot to bring one. We bought a miniature- sized notebook for only 79 cents. We wrote down most of the stuff we had already done. After we got done recording we started to head back to the toys when Mallory had to relieve herself again, so instead we headed back to the lay- away area where we found a maroon leather couch, big enough for three. (I kept my butt in the wheelchair).
Soon we started to get really exhausted, so we decided to go play dress-up, Mallory as a whore and Katie and Christina as the nuns. No way was I getting out of my wheelchair to play dress-up. On our way over to the lin- gerie area, we met Pam, a9nice lady working in the infant9 section. We told her our story so far and how we had seen the worker Floyd and said hi. He just gave us a nasty look and walked on by. Pam explained to us that "Floyd is a grumpy old fart. He is a nice guy, but kind of gruff.". Then we picked out some outfits, put them on, and took some lovely pictures.. We walked our way to the fitting rooms to find out that they were closed. Disappointed, our choices were to either ask Pam or change out in the open. We ended up asking Pam. She couldn9t open the rooms, so we went back to the couch and made ourselves comfortable.
Sitting there, ready to fall asleep, we greeted every employee that passed by. Most were friendly and said hello, others like Floyd just walked on by.
Mallory noticed the copy machine located near the couch, and decided that she wanted to be a little adventur- ous, a little risky, so she grabbed a nickel from her purse and walked over to the copy machine. Again, considering that this story is in the PG version, she made a nice copy of her body parts. Afterwards, she noticed the two security cameras that-were located right inside the layaway area. At 4:11 am. Ian, one of the employees, was nice enough to offer us coffee with some sugar and cream. Not long after that, Katie and Mallory dozed off. Christina was 8about to follow them in their slumber when one of the employees came by and informed us that it was about time for the morning rush.
I checked the clock; it was almost five in the morning. Christina and I snuck off to the front of the store to interview people, and left Mallory and Katie sleeping on the couch and went up to the front and started interviewing people. Most of the customers that walked in happened to be employees, which got a little frustrating. Mallory and Katie showed up looking like they had just woken up in the middle of a winter hibernation. We moved the bench that we had found up to the front by the service desk and wait- ed for the customers to start rolling in. Keeping ourselves entertained during the wait we were able to help Carrie advance.on her bingo card. While talking to Carrie, we got to hear and see many interesting people. One of the people that rejected our interview was pretty special, even if we didn't interview him. He gave us one of the biggest laughs for the night. This person was not the brightest crayon in the box. He decided, while leaving, to try and pull on the electric doors to exit.
Finally, a customer walked in that didn't just pass us by for once and took their time out of their day to answer our questions. Inside, I was thinking the same thing. All of the sudden the alarm went off by the outer doors. One of the employees who was leaving had an alarm on the key chain. Too bad, I was hoping someone was trying to steal something. Then, maybe we would have seen some action happen.
The clock was starting to countdown our time. We couldn't wait to get out of there. We were all anxious to go strangle McCallum and then fall asleep. Suddenly, Christina's alarm went off. It was time to get the heck out of there. We unloaded the crap from the wheelchair's cart and said goodbye to the ladies up front. We asked Tom politely to take9a picture of us and he did. We left exhaust- ed, but felt a sense of accomplishment and readiness to kill.

Mr. Matt Lubben9s fourth block class is this years winner of the National Honor Society9s yearly food drive, donating over 10,000 items to earn 21,000 points. In second place was Mr. Ryan McCallum9s fourth block Publications Writing class, who collected= over 8,000 items to earn over 15,000 points.
Overall, the food drive produced 6,698 pounds of food donations in addition to a substantial monetary donation.
Mr. Matt Lubben9s fourth block science class, who donated more items than any other class during the food drive, poses with Mr. Ryan McCallum9s fourth block class, who took second in the contest. Lubben9s 21,100 points is a new Food Drive record,
Photo by Heidi Pauman

5
6
5:00 PM- 7:30 PM- Boys Varsity Varsity Hockey Wrestling Tourney (Away)
8
Triangular 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM: Girls 1:20- Early dis- 7:00 PM- Boys 7:30 PM- Girls ACT Test at 8:00PM- Varsity Hockey Varsity Varsity BHS Parent- teacher Basketball conferences 16:30 PM- 7:00 PM- Boys 7:30 PM- Boys 9:00 AM- Varsity Varsity Hockey-] Varsity Varsity Gymnastics @ Basketball Wrestling~4 BCMS jeuey) (Away) 7:30 PM- Choir 7:30 PM- Boys Winter Break TBA- Varsity TBA- Girls Varsity Varsity Hockey Basketball- Varsity Hockey Girls (Away) Tourney (Away) 28 30 3 -1TBA- Girls TBA- Boys TBA- Boys Varsity Hockey Varsity Hockey Varsity Hockey Tourney Tournament Tournament