The Hoofprint - Issue 4 - January 23, 2014

Pg. 11

Pg. 12

Two thousand and fourteen holds a different meaning for everyone in our school. For Freshmen, 2014 means that they will have completed their first year of high school. Sophomores will finally be able to walk up the stairs to get to their lockers and will be considered upper classmen. For Juniors, 2014 is the year that they will have to start preparing for life after high school. They will also have to step up as the leaders of the school. Two thousand and Fourteen holds a lot of meaning for Seniors. It may be perhaps one of the most important years of their lives. It’s the year that they have been anticipating since they were in elementary school when they first got their school emails. Suddenly the fourteen that comes after their school username has significant meaning; their graduation year is here. It’s time to start acting like adults.

Many also consider 2014 as a chance to start over. The new year gives people this opportunity and many set resolutions for themselves. Social Studies Teacher Gerard Rohl, for example, is resigning from coaching football this year. For him, 2014 marks the end of an era and the start of something new. BHS’s theatre department is accomplishing a huge feat this year. They will be performing “The Phantom of the Opera” at the orpheum. A lot of students in the cast never imagined they would be given this opportunity and will be living out one of their dreams in 2014.

No matter what the resolution is, it takes a lot of hard work and self determination to be successful. So what happens when resolutions fail? In this issue of The Hoofprint we will answer that question and we will also find out what 2014 means to BHS.

With winter driving getting fully under way this month, new and experienced drivers are being put to the test, hoping not to get in accidents or end up in a ditch. Caution and slow driving are a few ways to avoid an accident.

“My thought on driving in the snow is it’s not as tough as people make it to be,” said Art Teacher Jon Holtz. “People think they have to take it to the extreme and go so slow or some think they even have to go fast on the slippery roads.”

Based on media reports, the average annual fatalities in 2008-2009 from road ice in Minnesota was 27, which was the worst out of the seven states around Minnesota. In 2010, Minnesota was ranked 6th for the worst winter storms.

Senior Hunter Fonkert is among a group of seniors who feel that icy conditions in the school parking lot contribute to hazardous driving conditions.

“I think the school should be obligated by the State to at least plow it once in the morning,” said Senior Hunter Fonkert.

There are some teens who are absolutely scared to drive in the winter because of the thought of getting into a bad crash and some find it fun to drive with a challenge and getting to do things like drifting.

“I love driving in the snow. It’s fun to drift and whip my truck around,” said Senior Casey Anderson. “Last year was good for me, nothing happend. In tenth grade, I hit a tree while taking a turn, and crushed my front end.”

Studies show that women are more likely to avoid driving in the winter than men. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 29% men compared to 44% women, said they would avoid driving in the winter. However, both say they feel more alert during the snowy months.

When the first snow started falling Senior Erica Bordak and Sophomore Mika Bordak managed to get in the ditch on their way to school in the morning.

“I don’t like driving in the winter. When Mika Bordak and I went into the ditch, I should have been scared but I wasn’t,” said Bordak

On Wednesday, December 4, over 135 car crashes happened in Minnesota because of black ice, bad roads, and the fact that a lot of people don’t have winter tires on yet.

“I think driving in the winter can be very scary and dangerous. It went seemingly well last year for me, because I didn’t crash, but I did have some close calls,” said Junior Clay Schuster.

Walking through the doors of Cherry Berry, customers are greeted by the cheerful reds and greens that decorate the store and aromas that entice anyone with a sweet tooth. Cherry Berry is a self serve frozen yogurt bar that provides its customers with a variety of unique flavors and toppings. Frozen yogurt bars have been popping up in many cities the last few years. However, Buffalo has yet to have one. President and Chief Manager for Richard Restaurant Holdings, Bill Richard, plans to change that. He will be opening a Cherry Berry in Buffalo and Albertville. The Buffalo Cherry Berry will be located in the Crossroads Strip Mall behind Dairy Queen. Richard said he is targeting the end of January or beginning of February for the grand opening.

“I was interested in opening a franchise. I did a lot of research to see what Buffalo might need or want. I have lived in St.Michael for the past 17 years and have been really frustrated that the cool restaurants never made it to Buffalo or my town. My niece and nephew go to school in Buffalo. I wanted to provide them with an entrepreneurial opportunity to help teach life skills for them, their friends, and classmates,” said Richard. “At this point, we are anticipating the opening to be either the last week of January or the first part of February. Due to the various storms in December and the dreaded cold, the shipment of equipment has gotten delayed.”

One of Richard’s first steps to determining whether or not to open a Cherry Berry in Buffalo or Albertville was to create a Facebook page. The Facebook page featured a competition between both cities. The city that got the most likes would be the first to receive a Cherry Berry. The Facebook page got over 2,900 likes. It created a lot of hype about the frozen yogurt bar and talk of the new Cherry Berry spread through Buffalo like wildfire.

“I heard about the new Cherry Berry through Facebook. I’m really excited for it because I really love their frozen yogurt and all of the toppings they have to choose from,” said Senior Katie Manz. “It’s also a great place to go after school and just hang out with friends.”

Richard used other advertising techniques for the new Cherry Berry. He hopes that it will be a place where kids, groups, and families can come to hang out. He also plans on giving back to the community through the Cherry Berry store by helping out local organizations and school groups.

“We have a significant investment in the store. We are hoping that by being active in the community as well as the school groups and clubs, we will help them as well as our investment. We plan on having dedicated nights to different groups where a certain amount of the proceeds goes back to the groups,” said Richard. “Cherry Berry is designed to be a place where kids, groups and families can come and hang out. We have put in extra sofas, flat panel TVs and free wi-fi so everyone feels comfortable staying and hanging out. In addition, we are going to have USB charging stations for iPhone and other smart devices.”

Richard has high hopes for the grand opening of the Buffalo Cherry Berry. Despite the cold season, he’s excited to see what Buffalo has to offer.

“Our hope is that even though we are opening during the colder season that everyone comes out to see what we have brought to Buffalo,” said Richard. “We are excited to be part of the Buffalo community, many of the franchise organizations that are in larger communities don’t believe that they can be successful in smaller communities. This is ours and your community’s opportunity to prove them wrong.”

Reading through last month’s Hoofprint, I felt that many of the articles had to do with taking God out of school. After reading the two opinion articles, I went home and told to my mom about how angry I was with those articles. I did not understand why some people think that we should not have a Christmas tree in our office, or why others think that The Pledge of Allegiance should be taken out of school. There are Christmas trees in public places like malls and even downtown Buffalo. My mom later showed me a pamphlet called “Separation of Church and State: What the Founders Meant” written by David Barton. After reading and highlighting it, I decided to write into the Hoofprint myself now that I had proof and examples provided by David Barton.

I have heard many times that the reason people are arguing for such things is because the constitution states that we should have “separation of church and state.” Well, I would hate to break it to those who believe that, but the words “separation,” “church,” or “state” are not found in either the Constitution or any other official founding document in this country. The First Amendment does not mean that religion should be kept out of the government, and here is the proof.

According to the Congressional Record, which has all of the official words and acts of those who were involved in the making of the First Amendment, The Founders wanted to make sure that one single religion would not rule over America like what had happened to them in Great Britain. Now during their talks, they often interchanged the words “religion” and “denomination.” A denomination meaning a recognized branch of the Christian Church. For example, the first version on the part of the First Amendment regarding religion states, “Congress shall not make any law establishing any religious denomination.” The fourth and final version of the draft they decided on states, “Congress shall make no law establishing religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” So now, let us all keep in mind that the word “religion” was often interchanged with “denomination,” which means the Founders intended on the meaning of the First Amendment to prohibit the government to form any single denomination, or a specific branch of the Christian Church.

Now in recent decades, courts have redefined the word “religion” in the first amendment, to a definition that is in no dictionary except the Court’s own privately used one. The results of redefining “religion” is that the first amendment is now used to prohibit the religious activities that the Founders initially encouraged using that same amendment.

In Washington’s “Farewell Address,” he reminded Americans that religious teachings and values should never be taken out of politics and public policy stating:

continued on page 7

Movies like Mean Girls set a lot of stereotypes about how rigorously structured social class can be in high school. Some students would say that these lines are set in stone, and that the friends people have can keep them from meeting new people.

“Your friends can hold you back, but only if you let them,” said Sophomore Sam Quiring. “People you choose as friends should not look down on you for who you choose to spend time with, and if you branch out, they shouldn’t try to stop you.”

It’s important for adolescents to try new things, find out what they like, and figure out a bit about who they are; their character.

Middle school social standing is unpredictable, and high schoolers like to think that their maturity is beyond the clique phase. Students like to think they can hang out with whoever they choose, but in reality, it’s hard to disregard the opinions of their friends, and decide they want to hang out with a person that none of them approve of. It may be difficult to break away from a social group, so people tend to get stuck in a social rut. Some of them are happy with it and some of them are not, but people are usually only willing to branch out if their friends would accept it.

Though high schoolers would like to believe that the people they hang out with would allow a new person into their circle, there probably haven’t been many new additions to their group of friends in the last few years.

“I feel as if guys fight less, so they’re more likely to stick together, while girls might float around, and [might] be closer to some girls than others over time,” said Sophomore Michael Sawdey. “I’ve had the same core group of guys closest to me since sixth grade, and I think a lot of guys I know would say the same.”

When a student’s social circle changes, it tends to be a complete overhaul. If there’s been a falling out with their original social group, they begin to hang out with a completely new circle.

“I think people become more like their friends the more time they spend with each other,” said Junior Megan Pearson. “You start to dress like them and listen to the same music, and eventually you can start to think the same.”

That’s when it can get hard to progress socially. It’s okay to maintain the same group of friends, but only if they don’t keep a person from doing what they want to do.

“If they don’t respect you then it’s time to find new friends,” said Quiring.

On November 17, Buffalo High School’s production of Phantom of the Opera closed its doors for what they thought would be the last time. The set was torn down, the costumes were packed up, and the cast and crew said goodbye to months of hard work and preparation. However, the journey of this show wasn’t over yet. The cast earned Spotlight Awards, giving the the whole cast an amazing opportunity: A performance on the Orpheum Theatre’s stage.

“The Spotlight Awards are put on by the Hennepin Theatre Trust,” said English Teacher Tracey Hagstrom-Durant. “They had some funding available to create a program that would get musicals adjudicated.”

Almost every aspect of the show is judged by a panel of three judges during a performance’s entire run.

“It felt amazing that we all get to share this experience and that Phantom is not over,” said Senior Katie Miller who, along with Erika Hoops, won “Outstanding Performance” awards for their roles in the “Phantom”.

“I just was surprised that they noticed us that much and that we made that big of an impression,” said Freshman Jonah Schmits. Schmits, Bryce Bishop, Jonny Miller, and Noah Gilbertson achieved honorable mentions for their roles. Since there were six award-winners, the entire production was given an “Outstanding Performance” award and will get to perform a medley from the show. Due to their awards, Miller and Hoops will get an additional performance with the other students from around the state who received the same award.

“I think any time you get a special honor like this it helps to get even more support from the community.” said Hagstrom-Durant.

The performance at the Orpheum will take place on June 9.

Donald Glover has become a controversial character ever since he got a job writing for NBC’s 30 Rock in his early 20s. Even though he was given such a golden opportunity at such a young age, he hasn’t stopped reaching for the stars. Since 30 Rock, he’s branched out into writing his own movie (The Mystery Team), acting in NBC’s Community, doing a stand-up comedy act and starting a musical career in 2008. After typing his name into the online Wu-Tang Name Generator website and getting “Childish Gambino”, he’s been running with it ever since. He released some playful mixtapes and one album (Camp, 2011), but now he’s released his serious, revolutionary album Because The Internet.

The album isn’t revolutionary solely because of the content, but because of the way it was released and the experience that Gambino created.

“I know it sounds silly, but I don’t want to make albums. I want to make experiences that stay with people for months,” Glover said during an interview on the Breakfast Club radio show.

The way he went about this was subtle at first by tweeting “Roscoe’s Wetsuit” and encouraging his fans to do the same, yet not explaining it. Then in August he released a 30 minute short-film entitled “Clapping For The Wrong Reasons” which brought more questions than answers. A few days before the album was to be released, he posted a 72-page screenplay, where the album works as a soundtrack, on the website becausetheinternet. The story follows “The Boy” who’s a lonely, rich kid that spends his time throwing parties in his dad’s mansion and trolling people on Twitter. The Boy is a character that a lot of teenagers and people who use social media can relate to. For example, in the song “3005” he says “I got a house full of homies, why do I feel so the opposite?”, similar to the way on Twitter you can have a lot of followers and interactions, yet still feel just as alone. On December 8th, two days before the release, he tweeted an address in NYC where he asked his fans to go to receive bracelets with a time and location where he’d be performing a secret show where the only “ticket” was to buy the album.

Once it was released, it was polarizing the hip-hop community. To fuel the fire, Glover tweeted “my album isnt done” which just made people go nuts. Some people thought a screenplay and the complex story that came with it was just too much. The other side of the argument thought it was genius and were calling it “The most creative project of the decade”. I guess you could say they’re all able to argue about, well… because the internet.

As the days get colder and colder, the outdoors becomes less inviting. For some people, they like to maintain a tan throughout the year, and when a natural tan isn’t welcoming they still need a satisfactory amount of color. So instead they use a tanning booth.

“We have a busy season between New Years and prom,” Sophomore Sabrina Munsterteiger, an employee at Tan on First, said. “That is your regular season.” There are a lot of available times to tan but the favorites are when the weather isn’t the most comforting.

“Mainly during the winter is when we get the most tanners,” said Junior Shannon Labat, an employee at Totally Tan. “Starting in November is when we get piles and piles of customers.”

“Spring is technically the busiest time, about February is where it picks up and it is at the peak in April.” Munsterteiger said.

There is a variety of reasons that people want to tan, but the most common is envy.

“When you realize there is vast amount of difference between you and someone that is really tan, it may be a change that you want,” Munsterteiger said. “So you try and strive for that so you can achieve the same thing.”

Most of the customers have different levels that they prioritize their tanning with the rest of their life.

“It depends on the person, there has been people who have been addicted to tanning in a sense,” Munsterteiger said. “It depends on how obsessed you are with how you want your skin to look like.”

There are a lot of cases when people may put tanning high in their priorities, and the want for it is excessive.

“We’ve had people tan too many days in a row, so we have a 24 hour rule where if you tan back to back days you have to wait another 24 hours before you tan again.” Munsterteiger said. “When they become a customer they have to sign a waiver for them to know that.”

Customers most likely know the risks to tanning, and if it is ever a danger to their health.

“When people walk in and they have obviously been tanning several days in a row, then it becomes unhealthy,” Munsterteiger said.

With everything you do, there can always be problems and tanning is part of that accumulation.

“Tanning is definitely a problem in my life, it takes 45 minutes of my day just to go tan,” Munsterteiger said. “For people that are obsessed with it, it may become expensive. It may also be a problem if they pay more for tanning then maybe something for their kids.”

Even though tanning doesn’t seem the most challenging, there are still guidelines you have, to ensure a turnout that will suffice.

“Tanning can become a problem,” Labat said. “There are steps you have to focus on so then the tan can actually turn out good and you can get the great results that you want.”

Failure. Simple as that, is something everyone is afraid of. Whether it’s failing at school, athletics or relationships it tends to scare everyone. New Year’s resolutions may be a thing of the past, but that has not stopped almost half of Americans from making some this past year.

“I think New Year’s resolutions are good for people who actually do them and keep to them. Over half of us will not be able keep ours for very long, maybe a month or two long, but nothing past that,” said Junior Elizabeth Jensen.

Resolutions are turning out to be much worse than ever intended. The rate of failure for these is astonishing: within just the first half of the new year, one study done by “The Guardian Newspaper” found that 78% of their participants failed. Although the most common resolution for that study was health related, other types are not being found very successful.

“I have had one before where I wanted to try and workout four times a week, but it didn’t last for more than three months,” said Jensen. “I think that as people, we fail because we don’t think anymore in this ‘high standard’ world. We continue to accept things that are good enough or accept them as long as we will still have food, money, and a place to live. We have become a lazy society.”

As a country we have gotten worse in such aspects. In America alone 66.67% of people are either obese or overweight and that number isn’t getting any smaller. Deciding to eat healthier or changing the way you live may not seem unreasonable, but for many this is complicated. Trying to lose weight is quite a hassle for people because they resent change so much. Although we must all endure it, it can set up people for failure. “People may lack the commitment or make resolutions that are unrealistic for them to do causing them to fail or give up,” said Sophomore Kirsten Deladi. “Personally, I have not made a New Year’s resolution, because I do not need to wait for a certain day to make changes, I can do that any day.”

New Year’s resolutions are over-hyped. Sensible plans to address important issues in our life can be made any time of the year.Tips are available to help you succeed, but the best advice for many to avoid breaking a New Year’s resolution may just be to not make one.

45% of Americans usually make New Year's Resolutions

38% of Americans never make New Year's Resolutions

49% of Americans fail with resolutions

Length of Resolutions 75% one week 71% two weeks 64% one month 46% six months

Top 5 Common Resolutions 1. Lose Weight 2. Get Organized 3. Spend Less Money 4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest 5. Stay Fit and Healthy

When they first walked into this building the majority of them were 14 year old freshmen with mixed emotions about beginning the next four years of their lives. Now the class of 2014 is soon to be walking out the doors of our school in a short five months. They will be then be graduated and starting a new chapter of their lives.

“It’s weird to think that we’re graduating in 2014. In elementary school they told us we were graduating in 2014 and it seemed so far away, and logging in as tmarr14. Now its reality that we get to pursue our dreams in a few months and that is amazingly exciting.” said Senior Tiah Marr.

The Class of 2014 has had good times and bad times, ups and downs, happy and sad. Through it all they’ve been there for one another and have became stronger as individuals and as a class.

“I think that our class has a lot of really amazing people in it. I feel like our class is a lot more tolerant of each other than some classes. For the most part we do a good job of showing everyone respect.” said Senior Parker Morehouse.

Most of the Seniors described their experience here at BHS in a positive way. They also hope that they have left a good impression on grades to come.

“The two words I use to describe my class are strong and determined. Each person has a path that they follow and when obstacles arise, each one of us pushes through bettering themselves and others. As more obstacles appear, the more we learn.” said Senior Katie Glen.

Seniors are like a family soon about to leave their home.

“My feelings on my class is that we are more memorable than other classes. We don’t remember us by our faces and expressions but by the mark we make. 2014 to me means graduation. Able to get out of here and see the real world.” said Senior Josh Braxton.

In the final days before the holidays, the Mall of America is packed with frenzied shoppers aiming to fill the empty space under the tree before Christmas has come and gone once again. If you listen closely, under the harried rush you can catch a distant melody floating up into the food court. During the holiday time, the Mall of America invites musicians from around the state to fill the chilly air with the sounds of the season. Buffalo’s own BHS singers and treble singers eagerly made their way to Bloomington Sunday, December 8th.

"It was pretty cool to get to hear our voices ringing in the mall," said Senior Katie Miller.

The mall’s Holiday Music Festival spanned over 24 days, from November 30 to December 23, and included dozens diverse musical groups. The selection of artists encompassed wide variety from elementary school choirs all the way to the Minneapolis Community Police Band. The type of performances included soloists, jazz, string ensembles and even percussion groups. Buffalo’s portion of the concert included songs centered around the holiday including White Christmas and Deck the Halls.

"Deck the Halls was a really interesting piece." Miller said.

BHS singers is an elite group that holds auditions in the spring of every year. The choir practices after school on Monday and they get to sing music than the school's traditional choir.

"We sing mostly jazz pieces,"said Junior Noah Gilbertson.

Being part of such a group opens up many opportunities for unique performance venues like the rotary club and a nursing home.

"We're singing at Des Moines later this week," Miller said.

Although this talented group does many concerts every year, this performance in particular was a memorable one for those involved.

It’s a time to unify the student body, to get everyone to come together. It’s a time to wear colored shirts. It’s a time to respect and value everyone. It’s RAVE week.

Respect And Value Everyone week, as it’s officially known, is going on its third year at BHS. The Student Council has been planning the event since its creation. Junior Leah Mussell, who has been a member since eighth grade, has seen the event’s growth. Mussell said, “When we went to our Eastern Minnesota Student Council Association a couple years ago, another school presented it to us. It wasn’t exactly RAVE week, but a week where the school got together one more time. My freshman year, Eli Larson, Billy Otten, and TMR thought of the idea for RAVE week.”

To the regret of many students, a school week lasts five days. RAVE week has events planned for all of them, ranging from anti-bullying to being environmentally friendly. Students are encouraged to wear clothing matching the theme of the day.

“Monday is white, and that’s respect yourself, so everyone will wear white,” said Mussell. “Thursday is anti-bullying, so that will be orange.”

RAVE week begins on the second week of the third quarter of the school year. The planning for such a long event begins far in advance. “It’s kind of right after Homecoming,” Mussell explained. “Not necessarily right smack after, but it’s a couple weeks after Homecoming ends.”

Another testament to the size of the event is how many groups are involved with it. Though the Student Council handles most of the planning, many other groups offer up their assistance.

“Arts Magnet is very helpful during RAVE week. They do a lot,” Mussell said. “SSU helps. GSA helped last year. I think we had NHS help a little bit with a food drive, but I think we’re going to get AVID to help, too. SSU’s going to be helping.”

The week is more than a time to sport vibrant colors to show your support for various causes. It’s a time for people to come together for a common cause.

“I think the main goal for us, as Student Council, is to bring the school together one more time,” said Mussell. “Last year we really wanted to make that the big deal, we really wanted to up it. The more people involved, the more the school will get into it, and it will be awesome.”

In the last few years the orchestra program has been significantly smaller than the band and the choir. For the the first time ever the orchestra program has expanded to two groups, Varsity Orchestra and Concert Orchestra.

“The orchestra program has reached a size that has never been seen before. It’s exciting to see the growing interest in the program,” said Varsity Orchestra Conductor Rachel Vannet.

With a new teacher and a new curriculum, the incoming and current orchestra students have more opportunities to learn and excel to become more advanced players.

“By having another orchestra the students have gained more years to learn and practice. In the next few years the difficulty and technique is sure to increase,” said Vannet.

The program expects to continue to see growth in future years. The current 8th grade orchestra has over 50 students. The directors of both orchestras have started talking about creating another orchestra to accommodate the increased number of students.

“Having more and more students each year means the program will need to further expand to have a curriculum to fit the students. The possibility of a freshman orchestra is becoming real. ”

Next year the Varsity Orchestra expects to have about 50 percent of the students move up to Concert Orchestra. This means the Varsity Orchestra will have about 70 students next year and Concert orchestra will have about 55 students.

“In the next few years our Varsity Orchestra will continue to advance in technique with more Sophomores, Juniors, and potentially Seniors. The program has a bright future if we continue to see this growth,” said Vannet.

Leadership - it’s what’s for breakfast Twice a month students get up early to enjoy a free breakfast, served with a side of life advice

“Education Beyond the Blackboard” BHS’s very own official motto. A simple statement, but one that is tackled through a variety of means. One of those means is Bison Breakfast, where twice a month on Wednesday mornings before class, Activities Director Tom Bauman speaks to students about a variety of topics regarding leadership and self- improvement. Beyond that it is also a chance for students to interact with both staff, and themselves.

“[Bison Breakfast is a] chance to connect with kids to talk or do activities exploring character, and leadership,” explains Bauman.“Human connection and sharing seems to be in second place to social media right now so I am trying to keep that opportunity alive for kids. I still think it is important kids hear adults give experiences, advice, or just talk.”

The Bison Breakfast starts at 6:50 and students will be given a free breakfast and juice as they jump into that morning’s activity. The topics vary week to week, and can include discussion of new ideas or watching videos to get students “fired up!”

“Bauman keeps the conversation light,” said Senior Katie Glen. “There’s activities that involve us and make us laugh.”

One such activity was #MotivationIsAChoice, Glen’s personal favorite.

“He [Bauman] talked about how we create boundaries and don’t challenge our minds to think outside of the box,” Glen said.

Bison Breakfast is an outlet that is able to let students talk over topics such as motivation, leadership, and success among peers. In this way the activities and lessons of the breakfast can stay centered around BHS.

“We may look at views of successful folks, but we understand the most meaningful views for us at BHS might be right in the room that morning,” Bauman said. “I may try to relate ideas to what I see going on out there with our school activities, the challenges and successes they are experiencing if I can.”

Schools have their requirements of students, from learning math, to writing essays, and this is accomplished in the school day. On the blackboard. Living up to BHS’s motto is not just up to teachers however. The Bison Breakfast is not mandatory, but what it offers to students is up to students to make use of.

“I would want people to know anyone can attend that has the “will” to get out of bed and get to BHS early,” Bauman said. “Many folks think it is for captains or athletes only. I think it is up to the student to take anything we talk about and apply it to their situation. In my mind, most anything we talk about can be applied to any activity or life in general.”

Since 1992, BHS has seen only one face as the head football coach - the face of Gerard Rohl. A football coach for thirty-four years, he has been the leader of the football coaching staff and the football teams for twenty-two of those years.

“He did his best to keep his athletes accountable and in hindsight I see how important that was,” said Matthew McCallum, a former football player for the Bison who graduated in 2003. “Being present as the head coach of the program was a constant reminder of what the team was trying to build towards. His commitment to the team and his players spanned year-round.”

“Teaching kids how to work hard, preparing them to be people of the future, understand how to be empathetic, how to be good leaders; that’s really why we have all of the sports.” Rohl said.

Rohl has definitely lived up to these beliefs throughout his career, but now he is at a point where he knows that his time as the head coach is up.

“Well, it’s been something I’ve been thinking and talking about for the past couple of years.” said Rohl. “I really don’t have a good reason except that there are some things where you just know it’s time. There just isn’t enough time in the day to teach, do a college class, world studies - I love teaching that, and be head football coach. So for me, it came down to time.”

Rohl may be resigning from being the head coach, but his legacy will live on. With Rohl leading the football program, the Bison have an overall record of 112-74, appeared at one state tournament, and won seven conference championships. Rohl has been the Mississippi 8 Coach of the Year twice in a row, in 2008 and 2009, has been named the all time “wins” leader in Bison Football History, and coached in the High School All Star Game in 2001. A record is not what will linger in the memories of the people he’s impacted.

“I remember getting recruited by college football programs during my senior year,”said McCallum. “At the time I never thought about how I was getting in the radar at all of these different schools and then it became apparent that Coach Rohl was working on my behalf to try and get me playing at the next level and even earn a scholarship if it was possible. I remember Rohl pulling me out of one of my classes one day and telling me to dress nice the following day because the Offensive Line Coach from The University of Northern Iowa was coming to visit me at school and at my house. I was suddenly getting attention from a Division I program and I am sure a lot of that had to do with Rohl wheeling and dealing behind the scenes while I went about my life as a student. Looking back I am so grateful to have had someone working so hard to market me and make playing at the next level a reality.” said McCallum. “Rohl never let recruiting get in the way of my everyday life or ever let me get a big head. He went about it in a way that kept me humble and focused on school.”

Rohl’s players signing a scholarship, friendships from over the years, seeing everything work out and the hard work pay off are some of the things he remembers fondly. But the best moments for him are when players come back.

“When kids come back or call you, and they say “Because of you” or “Because of football” or because of something we did together, “I did this and I just want to thank you” - when kids do that, those I think are the special moments,” Rohl said. “It’s always when some kid, especially a kid who when you remember them maybe wasn’t very good at football, but still played and finished. And football is hard if you’re not one of the best players, it’s hard to continue and to keep playing, and when you have kids doing that, it’s a lot of fun.”

“He was big on his players representing the school and the community well,” McCallum said. “We were expected to be upstanding young citizens and to stay out of trouble. He helped me take a lot of pride in the city of Buffalo and in being a Bison. Wearing that jersey on Friday nights made you a role model and Rohl emphasized how important it was. It’s clear that Coach Rohl is very proud of the program he ran and the young men he helped mold not only into better football players, but into better young adults. He had a lot to be proud of and we had a lot of be thankful for.”

Seniors Sam Ortmann and Collin Olmscheid have big shoes to fill after older brothers Josh Ortmann, Jordan Olmscheid, and Darrin Olmscheid led their team to a 2007 AAAA Boys Basketball State Championship.

BHS has seen many new teachers this year, but one really sticks out. James Didier has found a way to make his mark - using his unicycle.

“He unicycles around the sides of the class. He’s pretty good,” said Freshman Steven Walberg.

A graduate from the University of Minnesota, the first-year teacher receives mentorship from the long time Chemistry Teacher Charley Keifenheim.

“I taught with [Mr.] Wold, [Mr.] Emmel who retired last year, Mrs. Rodenwald, who has been around for quite a while even before she came to Buffalo, and Mr. Morris has as well,” Keifenheim said. “We’ve all been around for a while, so I guess the newness factor, a young guy coming in fresh out of college, he’s got a lot of really new ideas. And besides, he can ride the unicycle better than I can.”

Didier’s many hobbies interest both his colleagues and his students. He does a variety of things for fun: slacklining, hockey, seeing live music, mountaineering, unicycling, running, and snowshoeing, just to name a few.

“[I like to do] anything that has to do with adrenaline,” said Didier.

Hoping to share his hobbies in not only stories but by teaching them, he created the Balance Club, a new class for Bison Time this year. Offering to teach slacklining and unicycling, as well as various other things, he was excited for the class but didn’t know what to expect.

“I can’t believe the support that I got,” said Didier. “I heard something about a hundred and fifty students tried registering for my Bison Time, so that was awesome hearing how popular it was. Unfortunately we are only going to be able to set up fifteen to twenty students in this Bison Time for the first go at it.”

Even with such lively pastimes, Didier still has a passion for teaching, and regularly shows it.

“He’s young and enthusiastic, and that’s a great thing for teaching,” said Keifenheim. “If you’re not enthusiastic, it’s hard to be a good teacher.

That is what the BHS culture encourages, and so Didier was immersed into that culture.

“[The BHS culture is] unreal,” Didier said. “When I compare to my student teaching and other high schools I’ve observed, and as well as my own high school, there’s quite the school spirit here. I was blown away - homecoming week was crazy. I’ve never seen so much participation among students in something like that, so that was really cool. Students have just been really good about participating in something, getting involved in school. I’ve been having a good time, it’s just gone by so quick.”

When you walk down the hallways of Buffalo High School you see promotional posters for many things. These include sporting events, yearbook, Care Committee, theatre department, and many other groups. There are a lot of things happening and groups forming here at BHS. One thing you may have never seen is a promotional poster for Catalyst.

“I prayed about it and really felt led by the Lord to bring this to Buffalo. I finally was like, ‘You know, we’re going to do this’”, said Sophomore Delaney Nord.

Buffalo Catalyst was formed last year by Nord. It’s a student led group who’s main goal is to make faith a priority for students. It has taken some time though to get Buffalo Catalyst up and running for students. With no way to advertise it at school, it has been tough to spread the word about this new group.

“It’s word of mouth. We have a Facebook page, Buffalo Catalyst page, and we have a twitter; @buffalocatalyst. We are going to make t-shirts soon too,” said Nord.

There are many things that go into Catalyst to make it all happen. An important thing that will happen is a “Come and See”. A “Come and See” will be held in a classroom twice a month or once every week in the morning. Student and staff can come and have food, play games, and share mini testimonies.

“We haven’t done a Come and See yet. It should be fun, the testimonies shouldn’t be deep, just something small; like who they are and how God has changed their life through Catalyst. Most likely it will be in the morning, just a half hour,” said Nord.

Walking through the halls of Buffalo High School, you see all types of hairstyles. Colorful hair and excessive facial hair is not uncommon. However, you only see one afro at BHS. That afro belongs to Sophomore Andres Correa. He’s bringing back a trend that was very popular in the seventies. The afro first appeared in the United States in the 1860’s. It took awhile for people to fully accept the hairstyle. Nowadays the fun style is considered unique and people like Correa add a modern touch to it.

“I wanted a change and just something cool to do before my senior year. I just wanted to see how long it could get. I expected it to get pretty long. I would describe my hair to be heavy and puffy,” said Correa. “It’s fun to play around with. When I straighten it out you can do a lot of things with it. When I straighten it, it sticks straight up. In the summer, my mom tries to straighten it out to make it stay down. It usually never works.”

He has an afro and makes it work. For Correa, growing out his hair was just something he decided to do that might be fun. Expressing yourself, and trying to stand out in a school full of kids can be difficult and may bring many challenges along the way. Correa knows what will set him apart though, and he is proud of it.

“Having hair like this doesn’t take too much work. I don’t have to brush it much during swimming, but I do brush it usually just to get the knots out,” said Correa. “I’m on the swim team. I actually can’t fit a cap on. Having this much hair slows me down a lot.”

Correa is proud of his hair despite the negative feedback he receives from some people. It took him a long time to grow it and Correa isn’t planning on shaving it off anytime soon.

“My family really wants me to shave it all off, but my friends think I should grow it until the end of my senior year,” said Correa. “It depends on the weather in the summer, if it gets too hot then I might shave it off. My hair has been this long for about a year and a half and I will probably grow it out again after I shave it.”

Correa is just one of the many people at BHS who decided to do something different for the new school year.

“People always tell me how much they like my hair and that it’s cool. They also ask me when I’m gonna cut it,” said Correa. “I liked the idea of having an afro, and I thought it was awesome.”

Some people like to try new things but others prefer to do things according to what they already know. Taking a risk once in a while to show who you really are or what your personality is like is okay. It can be difficult at first, but trying something new opens up the possibility for you to enjoy doing something new.