The Hoofprint – June 1, 2007

“I’m honored. I’m humbled, I feel like there is so many other teachers in the State of Minnesota and in this building. I don’t think it means I’m a better teacher, it just means I was given the opportunity and it worked.” At the 2007 Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony, Director at Resource Training and Solutions, Rob Cavanna presented the WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Award to long time Math teacher and knowledge bowl coach, Peggy Pasche. Only six awards are given out each year in the state of Minnesota. “My heart started pounding hard when he said Math Teach, then when he said Knowledge Bowl my heart really started beating hard, because who else would it be. Everything after that is pretty much a blur,” said Pasche. The WEM Foundation Outstanding Educator Awards Program was created in 1998 to honor “unsung heroes who daily meet the challenges of teaching in a variety of settings.” The Award consists of State Recognition, a plaque, and an unrestricted $10,000 check. “I don’t get it [the money] until the fall,” said Pasche. “I’ve had a bunch of suggestions, my daughter wants to go to Hawaii, my sister-in-law suggested Aruba. My husband suggested another 4-wheeler. But I’ll probably use it for something practical, like getting new flooring, that’s me.”

With a dominating finish, Seniors Brittany Beneke and Amanda McKnown take first place in the Gourmet Foods Cake Decorating Competition. All of the students in the class formed groups averaging three to four and entered their cakes in the competition that was run by Mrs. Julie Mundahl. During the lunch hour, the student body had the chance to vote for their favorite cake design. To add an incentive to succeed in the competition, Mundahl included it as a part of their grade and had official “Best Design” certificates for the winners. “It wasn’t really too hard, it was just tedious. The icing melted all the time and it took a lot of pa-tience,” said McKnown. The contest is held each year, but this year was the first to have students outside of the class to judge the cakes instead of keeping closed only to the gourmet foods class.

On May 9, six students from the Business Professionals of America team went to New York City for four days where they competed in the National BPA Competition. These six students include Seniors Ben Pecarina, Josh Bauman, and Jeff Hortian, and Juniors Jesse Young, Zach Greenfield, and John Kreitlow. Three different teams entered the national competition in the categories of Webdesign (Young, Kreitlow, and Greenfield), Cisco Networking (Pecarina, Bauman, and Hortian), and Novell (Pecarina, and Bauman). In addition to those teams, three individual students entered in the categories of VBnet programming(Young), networking (Hortian), and XHTML (Kreitlow). Kreitlow, Hortian, and Young competed both individually and as a team. On May 13, the teams returned home with two Top Ten Awards. Pecarina received a Top Ten Award in Novell, and Young received the same award in the category of VB.net programming. Though receiving a Top Ten Award is an honor, the students who received the award didn’t think it was given enough attention. “They gave me a medal for being top ten,” said Pecarina. “And then I walked off the stage.”

The students file in sporadically and sit in their assigned seats chatting with neighbors. The teacher walks into the classroom after the bell and stands staring at the class, who slowly become silent. Students shift nervously in their seats waiting for the cheesy joke that would normally be the start of class. “I’ve just been informed that some students have been cheating on tests.”

Five students across three blocks were implicated by their classmates to have been cheating on a Chemistry test. The students were taken into the hall by the teacher and were asked if they had in fact been cheating or helping others to do so. “Everyone I confronted admitted to it, and I felt better about that anyway, at least that their honesty wasn’t so demented that they could admit that,” said Science Teacher Charlie Keifenheim.

Buffalo High School handbook defines scholastic dishonesty as “…cheating on assignments or tests, plagiarizing, altering, fabricating, forging, or acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly homework, tests or grades.” This broad definition allows for teachers to define and establish the rules and the punishment which follows.

“I don’t think it’d be of any benefit to make a blanket set of rules, teachers get to make decisions on a case by case basis,” Said Principal Nick Miller, “Certain situations need to be treated differently, and a teacher can make those decisions because they are closer to the student and the circumstances.”

Though some plagiarism is accidental because of a misunderstanding of proper citing and paraphrasing techniques there are those that blatantly cheat. The internet has made it easier to find information but this also makes it easier to copy information or alter someone else’s work to use as students own. A Google search on “term papers” yields 70,900,000 results. With the option of buying and downloading a term paper ‘guaranteed not to be plagiarized.’

“It’s very easy to find articles and papers but there are also websites where teachers can type your work in and check it for plagiarism,” said Junior Ben Coward.

Teachers can use search engines, like Google or Yahoo, to check certain passages of students’ papers and find the source of the information being misrepresented. Programs like Turnitin and iThenticate use their databases to make word comparisons of papers and identify similar word patterns, as well as exact passages. Programs like these are connected through the internet and are constantly updated.

“Plagiarism is as big a problem here as anywhere. The teachers’ just need to express their own views and what’s acceptable,” said Miller, “Students know what they’re doing is wrong and they need to decide for themselves.”

One in three students has committed some form of scholastic dishonesty with an assignment they forgot or were just too lazy to do, or a paper they could complete within minutes by copy and pasting information from the internet. Laziness or a misunderstanding leads to most academic dishonesty.

“You would like to believe that everyone is here for the ultimately high goal of learning and the cheating process is a short cut to a grade that undermines the learning process,” said Keifenheim, “It also undermines the student-teacher trust that is built up through the year.”

Students in classes such as College In the Schools: Writing and College Prep Writing spend weeks researching, writing and rewriting papers that they could potentially use later in college. 95 percent of students thought that there was no problem reusing a paper they had already written for one class in another class later. 10 percent of students said they would ask for teacher approval before handing in a paper they had already written.

“Students have brought richness and youthfulness to my life,” said Counselor Mary Lynn Leff. “Students have meant everything to me, outside of my family. They have taught me a lot. I am very much going to miss the students. In some ways I am grieving. Its been great. I’m going to miss it. I have spent 28 years in one place and have saved every note given to me, and now I will have the time to reminisce all those years. .”

With the end of the school year around the corner, Leff, has decided to retire after 28 years of working as a Guidance Counselor in Buffalo.

“I’m retiring because I’m old,” said Leff. “I am at that point in my career where others have already retired or considered it. Also, I now have four grandchildren, two born just a few weeks ago, and I need to be able to help them. My husband lives in Chicago, and I would like to spend more time with him. I want to rock babies at the hospital, volunteer to read books at an elementary school, and eventually when my husband retires, we will volunteer with the Red Cross-Disaster Relief.”

Through her years of experience as a counselor, Leff has witnessed the changes the school has gone through, such as; technical advancement, new testing procedures, and a growing population.

“She was here before I was,” said Principal Nick Miller. “She has retained the small school atmosphere and relationships they have even in a school as big as this one. It didn’t impact her ability to keep her charm and calmness, which is difficult to have when a school like ours continues to grow.”

With a smile always on her face, Leff has become a role model, not just for the students, but with staff as well.

“Think about it,” said Counselor Mark Jones. “After 28 years of stability, we are going to loose our leader. She knows everyone, and has great relationships, not just with the faculty, but with members of the community. That is a huge asset when we are dealing with scholarships. I have never seen her over-the-top angry. She is always approachable, a great listener, and is well respected. We are going to miss her. But I know we are ready, but I will keep her on speed dial, just in case. She was the key part of me getting hired; therefore, she has changed my life forever.”

The student body has already registered for next year’s classes; 4.3 percent of the eligible students are choosing to go Post Secondary. Although Post Secondary is free for the student, money for tuition and books comes out of the school’s budget.

Post Secondary is also known as PSEO, which stands for Post Secondary Enrollment Options. It is a program through the Minnesota Department of Education for high school juniors and seniors. These students get the opportunity to earn high school credits along with college credits that are transferable to many colleges, at no cost to them.

Yet the high school doesn’t publicize Post Secondary heavily, even though it saves the student money.

“McDonald’s doesn’t have Burger King signs all over their walls, and we don’t have signs saying ‘Please go PSEO’. It’s very diffi cult to compete with free college tuition,” said Principal Nick Miller.

Every year, the school loses $5,981 per PSEO student. If 35 students go, the sum adds up to $209,000 which is equivalent the salary of fi ve teachers. Although this money is important to the school budget, it’s not the only disadvantage of PSEO for the district.

“It [PSEO] begins to raid signifi cant leaders out of our school and then the school begins to suffer,” said Miller.

Many students however, feel otherwise.

“I think that if the school offers it, they shouldn’t be upset or against PSEO,” said Junior Erika Ecklund. “I would recommend going Post to save money on college.”

“Free college for the student is good and I think the classes are easier. It’s a little bit more work, but it’s less stressful than high school,” said Junior David Niemela, who currently attends North Hennepin Community College.

Students state that fi nances are an important factor for choosing PSEO, but there is also added responsibility that comes along with attending colleges a year or two early.

“It’s going to get harder and harder for Juniors to go Post,” said Counselor Mark Jones. “We are changing the requirements. In order to be a full time PSEO student next year, they [students] will have to take 15 credits instead of the current 12.”

Along with more credits, Juniors going PSEO will be required to take one high school World Studies credit, and Seniors, half of a high school Economics credit.

Jones sees the need to make sure the student is meeting all of the high school requirements as well as the college requirements.

“The toughest part of this program is communication,” said Jones.

“The bottom line is that the school makes no effort to withhold PSEO from the student,” said Miller.

The decision comes down to family and personal choice.

“For the right kid, in the right situation, it’s a good program,” said Jones.

A boy sitting across the room struggles while taking his chemistry test, finally falling to pressure, he sends a text mes- sage to another student across the room. “Dude what’s the answer to #12?” “C, but what’s the answer to 9? “A” As the end of the year ap- proaches, teachers prepare their students for end-of-the-year fi- nals. The pressure that arises during the reveiw process, builds pressure among students, which causes students to find different ways of cheating. These methods include anywhere from writing down answers inside a water bottle, programming an- swers into your calculator, or even writing them on a sole of a shoe. Each method comes with its own risk that a student takes just to receive a grade they didn’t earn. The integrity of a person is immediately put into danger each time that person decides to cheat, no mat- ter which method of cheating is used. Cheating earns that person no benefits beyond a fake grade on a small part of the class. Yes, finals are difficult; putting every- one, including the teacher under great amounts of pres- sure, but personal integrity is more important than a grade earned through cheating. When filling out applications to future colleges, colleges don’t only look at the grade you earned in a class, but they also care about how well you can han- dle pressure, without cheating, how involved you are in extracurricular activities, and how well of a worker you are. Grades are important, but they don’t make the person. Your integrity makes the person you are. Any method of cheating jeopardizes that. Not only colleges, but employers look at the integ- rity of a person upon hiring. Integrity is one of the best qualities to have when looking for a job. If you can’t handle pressure well, most employers will throw your application away soon after meeting. But nothing is more important than personal integ- rity. After cheating once and getting away with it, the feeling of adventure can easily take over your judgment and morals; leaving cheating to become your second nature. This will leave you with no personal integrity. Everything that you have come to work for would be a lie, since you arrived there through numerous methods of cheating and never earned it. With end-of-the-year finals approaching, realize that, while it may be tempting to buckle under the pres- sure, it is more beneficial to be well-prepared and con- fident in your own intelligence than cheating your way through it.

SEX... Is a thing for married couples. That’s what 77 percent of students fi lled out when questioned about their parents views on sexual activity and the underlining statement of their own sexual education. In reality however, sex is a more common occurrence that one might expect. So if sex is obvious, why not contraceptives? “Contraceptives are used to prevent the worst kinds of STD’s, and having children,” said junior Zachary Greenfi eld. Contraceptives are forms of birth control such as pills, IUD’s and the most common type, con- doms. So, one might ask, why would a girl like me even care about such an issue? And my answer sim- ply is that about seven members of my graduating class have either had, or are about to have their fi rst child, and never the less, that is just my class alone. So really what I’m trying to say is that regardless of the sexual education that most kids have been told about sex and the importance of abstinence, I am a fi rm believer that if kids really want to have sex, not much will stand in their way. So all in all why not take our sex education one step further and cre- ate a health care facility to teach our student body about sex and contraception. “I think that when it comes to birth control for girls it should be easier to get,”said Senior Marissa Tolley a new mother of a precious nine months old boy named Silvester. “All the things that girls have to go through to get birth control is stupid and I think that there would be less teen pregnancies if it were more easy to get, because then people would use both condoms and the pill.” Although Tolley is a teen mom herself, she is not the only person who feels this way according to the facts sheet issued by the sexuality informa- tion and education council of the United States, 57 percent of adults think that high school health clin- ics should provide young people with contraceptives if the students ask for them. Even more so 78 percent of our own student body agreed that there would be more of a benefi t to having a health care center that issued out waivers or on the spot, contraceptives. “I think that it would be a good idea,” said So- phomore Kelly Kiernan. “Not everyone can go to their parents and talk about these issues, so it would be a good idea to for those who still want to be pro- tected.” However, I do realize that by creating a health care facility that would deal with such issues as sex and contraceptives, our school could refl ect our com- munity in a bad way and that the funding for such facilities does not come cheap. Also, some may argue that it would be promoting sexual promiscuity. “I don’t think it would be okay,” said Senior Rachel Goldberg. “Giving out birth control is just like telling people to go crazy and have sex just be- cause they have the birth control.” I do understand where Goldberg is coming from and the other factors that play into the creation of a health care facility. I still fi rmly believe that, regard- less, kids are going to have sex. Eighty-eight percent of students here said it would be easy to have sex and not get caught in the act, and of that 88 percent 64 percent of students could specifi - cally state a time in which their parents weren’t home or specifi cally state another place or location where they could go and have sex and not get caught. “Every kid knows where their parents are when they are away, and when they are going to be back,” said Senior Mosic Greenprice. I do realize that the actual creation of a health care center for a small town is unlikely to be put up over night, but with Buffalo’s growing diversity we are quickly becoming just another suburb of the cit- ies. “Urban schools are more into the health care fa- cilities that issue out contraceptives because a lot of the times those schools are used for everything,” said School Nurse Leslie Morrison. All in all it’s just something to consider. If there’s a will there’s a way, and because there will be a way, why not make that way just a little bit safer.

With high schoolers staying up later to party and stressing to their homework before the deadline, caffeine fi nds a way to help in the effort of staying awake. This could be blamed on society as a whole or even the media pressuring us to be all that we can be or, to be suc- cessful we have to work extra hard and sometimes people need the extra boost to reach that requirement. Although, some might be so lazy that they aren’t able to wake up in the morning without proper encouragement, such as coffee or an energy drink. According to energyfi end.com it would take 127.90 cans of energy drinks to kill me (in a limited time period). Compared to that, 5 cans a month doesn’t sound so bad. So why do we hype so much on how much caffeine can hurt you and not so much on the positive aspects of it? Caffeine has proven to help people concentrate on tests and working in general. It can also ward off type two diabetes and even help prevent certain kinds of cancers. All in all, it shouldn’t be looked down upon as a hor- rible thing. However, teens and everyone else shouldn’t splurge on caffeine fi lled bever- ages, but instead drink them in moderation.

Hello again. I am writing in reply to Brad Palmer’s article in the May 11th issue of the Hoofprint. First off, Brad, let’s get ALL the facts out onto the table, not just the ones you see. Let’s “bother” to argue whether a fetus should be considered alive. If in fact, as you say, all major scientifi c organizations disagree with the FACT that the fetus is alive, then where do all those billboards against abortion that are based on scientifi cally proven FACTS come from? I’m guessing major scientifi c organizations, or at least that’s what the billboards say at their bottoms, if you would look. Let’s bring up another FACT; I never once said that I was justifying war, death, or any of that. All I said was that I supported my brother who fought for freedom, as all the people did who fought in all the wars before. Don’t put words into my mouth. Another FACT for you, before you say what I think, maybe you should know me. If you did, you would know already that each and every human life is sacred to me. Even my enemy’s. Each and every soldier, sailor, marine, or pilot that dies is a like a brother or a sister to me. Every civilian that dies is mourned for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We all are in this world together, aren’t we? Now, you have a right to your opinion, but so do I. I’ll explain now my thinking. You call this a use- less war. All death is unnecessary. But think of WWII. People believe that was a necessary war, and the men who died or came back were heroes. Why? Because we all believed we were bringing down an evil power. So many are against this war effort, including you I see. I believe we are getting rid of those evils again. An evil that wants all Americans dead. That includes you and me, Brad. All the readers. What do you think we’re over there for? Imagine you are an Iraqi under Saddam’s rule. Eve- ry day men are killed, women raped, and everyone lives in fear that they are next. Plus there are the possibilities of WMD’s. (Weapons of Mass Destruction) Granted we never really found any, but have you seen the pictures of what we did fi nd? I have. My brother showed me. We went into Iraq to get the WMD’s, get rid of Saddam, and then get the heck out of there. You say we trapped the Iraqis in a war they didn’t want. That we did it all wrong. Ok, mister president, say what you would have done. The news only shows the public the faces of the few Iraqis that don’t want us there. It doesn’t show the majority who cried at the sight of Americans walk- ing in to free them from Saddam. It doesn’t show the people who insult the terrorists and call them cowards. It doesn’t show the little girl that gave my brother a fl ower to put on his helmet in gratitude for him being there. You don’t know anything of what they feel. Only those over there know. You asked me how many inno- cent lives I’m willing to sacrifi ce. The better question is, how many are YOU willing to sacrifi ce? If we were to pull out of Iraq now, the terrorists would just fol- low and blow something else up. You want to talk about thousands of innocent lives lost? Brad, you and I have had this discussion before. You don’t think they could take a plane and blow up another spot off the map of America. Well, we all laughed at the thought of them giving us 9/11, but it happened, didn’t it? Some of you may be saying now that it was the Taliban that did that, but they are all terrorists. They are all needing to be stopped. We tried to leave. We tried giving power to the Iraqi military. They lost Fallujah, and more of our men died getting it back. I am, in no way justifying war or death. I never jus- tifi ed it in the fi rst place. I wish there was no such thing as war, but there is. Next time you want to argue with me about something, Brad, say it to my face. I couldn’t with the abortion girl because she was anonymous. I’ll listen to what you have to say, if you listen to what I have to say. Thank you, Joel Schmitz

[Suburban Classroom] Enter Smart Kid, three minutes before bell, Dumb Kids, and Teacher Teacher: Okay class, we’re going to discuss the piece now. Go into your groups. Class forms into groups. Dumb Kid 1: So what are we sup- posed to be doing anyways? Dumb Kid 2: Oh man, I didn’t read it! Dumb Kid 3: Me neither. Did you? Smart Kid: Yeah. Dumb Kid 3: What did you put for number seven? Dumb Kid 4: So, where’d you and Torrie get last night? Dumb Kid 2: Well, so we’re like making out— Smart Kid: I don’t know. I think he’s trying to tell us about the depressing materialism of the Jazz Age, that the glimmer of it all is a façade hiding deeper societal problems. Dumb Kid 2: And I move for her bra, right? Dumb Kid 1: Okay, if she calls on us, you talk. Dumb Kid 3: I don’t even think she grades these things. Dumb Kid 2: And her dad comes in and there’s my hand on the strap and I’m just like— Dumb Kid 4: Oh crap here she comes! Dumb Kid 1: Okay so, like, I don’t think Gatsby was that great. I mean, sure, he like has that big house or whatever but—Oh good she’s gone. Dumb Kid 3: What do you have for 12? Dumb Kid 2: So her dad’s all NAZI now like I can’t come over or whatever. Dumb Kid 4: It’s not as bad as my girlfriend’s dad. Dumb Kid 1: Yeah, they call him the... Teacher : So, are you guys about getting about done now? Dumb Kid 1: Yeah, just a couple more seconds. Teacher: Okay class, I hope you’ve had a produc- tive discussion. Let’s get back and discuss this as a class after lunch. Exit all but Smart Kid, who picks up book.

Thursday, May 24 marked the day that many fans of Pirates of the Caribbean received the conclusiveness they desired. The cast will seem very familiar to anybody savvy to the series, for it is essentially the same as both of the previous movies. Everybody you wanted to see is back. They haven’t changed. At all. The humor hasn’t changed, either. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, seeing as it is one of the many things that made the series famous to begin with. There are a few jokes (using the word “few” very liberally) that you need to see the previous movies to understand, but you’re not really missing anything. Plot-wise, this movie was terrible. Yes, this movie is very predictable. It’s a Disney movie after all, so it was expected. There are just so many things that have no purpose other than a (small) laugh. The ending appears as though there is some sort of ‘Secret Hollywood Writers’ club that had a meeting and somebody said, “Hey, I have an idea. Let’s wrap everything up, but still leave room for another one in case we need more money.” Visual effects were probably the only redeeming quality of the whole movie, or would be if they weren’t so prevalent. A few, I can handle. It’s just when you have at least one in every shot of the entire movie that I start to get bothered by it. By the end, I started to question their decision to make an entire group of people CGI. At least in the fi rst movie, the group o’ skeletons could be seen in human forms throughout most of the movie. The fi ghts scenes were the usual drawn-out mess that they always are. Still, there are parts where they pause fi ghting for humor, which really doesn’t make sense considering how lame that humor usually is. If you’ve liked the series thus far, you will probably like the third installment. If you didn’t like where the second movie went, you probably won’t like this one either.

The Buffalo Mock Trial team spent May 9 through May 13 in Dallas for the national Mock Trial tournament. Out of 40 teams competing, Buffalo (representing Minnesota) captured 17th. After finishing a team-best First Place at the State tournament, Nationals was a new experience.

“It was a challenge to go to the national tournament,” said Coach Laurie Raymond. “We had never been before, I had never been before, and it was interesting to see how the teams would compete compared to State.”

The national tournament consisted of three rounds of matches. In the first round, Minnesota faced California, and lost by a narrow margin of just two points. In the second, Minnesota topped North Marianas Islands. But in the third, South Carolina came through with an upset victory.

“Everyone, including South Carolina, thought we had won,” said Captain Senior Chris Roberts. “The only people in the room that didn’t think so, I guess, were the judges.”

Although the trial felt like a win, one can see were the team faltered.

“Looking back,” said Raymond, “I can see where we lost points. We objected too much and too often, and at the wrong times. The times when we should have objected were the only times we didn’t.”

The other matches, though, went well.

“Our favorite was against California,” said Captain Senior Collin Tierney. “We lost, but they were a good team, we were a good team. We were at our pinnacle during that trial.”

Aside from the competition, other aspects about the tournament were different.

“There were opening ceremonies, a barbeque, they took us all out to a local rodeo, and on the last night, there was a seventies dance,” said Roberts. “Some of the judges came out in afros, dressed like seventies rock stars, and they were the band. They were actually pretty good.”

Another distinction was the lack of preparation time.

From left, Seniors Chris Roberts, Collin Tierney, and Kellee Williams prepare before their third round against South Carolina. Many observers (including their opponents) thought Buffalo had won the match, but the judges thought otherwise. Inset top, Co-Chairperson Stephen W. Carlson announces the qualifiers for the final championship round while, inset bottom, the Mock Trial team awaits the disappointing announcement after their final round. Buffalo ended up finishing 17th in the tournament. For the team, the national competition was a vastly different experience in comparison to their former meets, complete with stepped-up competition, a rodeo, and a 70s dance in which the judges dressed up in afros.

From left, Alicia Berg, Kevin Tierney, and Graham Wyatt assisted the team of Jess Heap, Jacob Westman, Kellee Williams, Kelsey Wright, Brittany Phillips, Chris Roberts, and Collin Tierney.

Photos by Laurie Raymond

“We only had six-and-a-half weeks to prepare, and everything just felt a lot more rushed,” said Raymond. “Collin and Chris put in a lot of extra time on this one.”

The national case was a civil case, and the state case was criminal. Criminal cases and civil cases don’t have the same rules for evidence, Mock trial members had to shift gears.

“There was a lot more improvisation,” said Roberts. “We had so little time to pre- pare and memorize, that we had to impro- vis e a lot, and in that respect I think it was more like an actual trial.”

Some liked it that way.

“It’s more fun when it’s less pol- ished,” said Tierney. “At state, everything is so routine, and so memorized. It’s very robotic, and it’s hard to adapt to anything unexpected. Here it was more on the spot, and it’s more fun. California through some stuff we weren’t expecting, we gave them stuff they didn’t see coming, and everyone just rolled with it. It made for a far more interesting and fun competition.”

The preparation, too, was improvised.

“We learned how to prepare in a short period of time,” said Tierney. “We made our case theory in a weekend [a several week process]. Chris and I wrote our open- ings and closings in a week. We had all the questions in another week. We were prepared in two weeks, doing what would usually take two months.”

But all of the other teams are feeling that same pressure. Everyone receives the case at the same time. Because everyone isn’t totally comfortable with it, teams at nationals often scrimmage before hand.

“Teams set up, over the internet, scrimmages up to a month before hand. On Thursday [May 10th] morning we scrim- maged with Kentucky. On Thursday eve- ning we scrimmaged with Oklahoma,” said Raymond. “It was a learning experience. We learned that you don’t give your open- ing and closing statements at these scrim- mages, because you don’t want to give away strategy. That was something new for us.”

In the process, growth was inevitable.

“The hardest part wasn’t winning,” said Tierney, “it was keeping everyone motivated. It’s a long, stressful season, and it’s hard to keep us all together. I learned how to be a more tolerating leader.”

“I gained a lot more self confidence,” said Roberts. “You get up there at a nation- al tournament and you have to speak. You get over stage fright real fast.”

Through it all, the team did stick together, and agree that it was a positive experience.

“Nationals ran a superb tournament,” said Raymond, “things were scheduled well. The judges were complimentary. For the kids, it was the pinnacle of what they’ve done in high school, and they earned it.”

As Sophomore Renée Gritz walks into the lunch room, she heads right for the salad bar line. She doesn’t just have a craving for salad that day; it’s a daily choice Gritz has made. “I’m a lacto vegetarian, lacto meaning I’ll still eat and drink dairy products,” explained Gritz as she recalled her transition into the vegetarian lifestyle. “I became a vegetarian because I was depressed at the time and wanted to change my life, and I like animals.” A few months ago Gritz along with several of her friends chose to join People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, a group that promotes the vegetarian lifestyle, and protests against eating meat. At fi rst it may seem like the group of friends just chose to not eat meat to be cool, or go along with what the other was doing, but each of them truly has their own reason for going vegetarian. “Well my brother and aunt are vegetarians, and I’m close with them,” said Sophomore Danica Gertjejansen. “I also saw some videos and I was really grossed out. It’sjust nice knowing that you’re not hurting animals.” Infl uence can play a major part in a person’s choice to go vegetarian. While vegetarians like Gritz and Gertjejansen are very positive infl uences for those who want to live a vegetarian lifestyle, there are those who are against it. “I just don’t think it’s healthy, people are meant to eat meat,” said Senior Joe Crawford, who is against vegetarianism. “My sister became a vegetarian, and now she has anemia because she didn’t get enough protein.” Crawford brings up a valid point. Vegetarianism doesn’t consist of just not eating meat; you need to change your entire diet and lifestyle in order to get the proper amount of protein that you need. But in order to get that proper amount of protein, it does come with its inconvenient prices. “I don’t think the school has enough vegetarian options,” said Sophomore Dyllan Opsal. “If you want just a salad, you have to pay more if you don’t get a sandwich.” Opsal makes a good argument that the cafeteria doesn’t have enough vegetarian options. However, some don’t see it that way. “There are vegetables, grains, eggs, and fruits available to students, but they don’t eat them. They have the pasta bar, cheesy breadsticks, and the cheese quesadilla,” says Food Service Manager Jean Bryant, who purchases the food and writes out the daily menu for lunch. “There really isn’t much more to offer. Right off hand, I know the kids would go ballistic if I offered Tofu. The thing is though; I can’t recall students ever bringing the so-called lack of vegetarian options up to me. I’m willing to listen to what they have to say, but they often just complain, and don’t take action.” And Bryant doesn’t just have favor in non-vegetarians, it’s her job. Many students don’t know that the school has federal nutrition requirements that Bryant has to meet when writing the daily lunch menus. Each side has their own points. The vegetarian lifestyle doesn’t come easily. There are many everyday foods that many people don’t think of that vegetarians can’t eat. “You have to get different types of rice because there is egg used to process it,” explained Gritz. “Eggs are actually in a lot of things too like salad dressing, so you can’t have those.” For some vegetarians, it doesn’t just stop at not eating eggs, some vegetarians will choose the vegan lifestyle, in which no egg or dairy products are eaten. Many of the everyday indulgences that we take for granted are harder for vegans to obtain such as chocolate and many types of desserts because they contain egg and milk products, which goes against the vegan lifestyle. Vegetarians have chosen to live a lifestyle of not eating meat. For many, this is considered a daily struggle. Vegetarians will go through friends taunting them with meat in their face, to people mocking the PETA name, changing it to “People Eating Tasty Animals.” But to those who are vegetarians, its worth going through the struggle of not eating animal products, just knowing that they saved many innocent animals.

“When my brother in law was deployed it had a huge impact on me.” said Sophomore Fred Glunz. “Knowing that everyday he could be killed.” Glunz’s brother in law was deployed in Tallil just over a year ago. He transports supplies in and out of Baghdad and has been hit by three IEDs. As the war in Iraq lingers on, some students are beginning to realize the significance of Memorial Day. More and more students are having people close to them deployed overseas. “I never really paid attention to Memorial Day,” said Glunz. “But now that he is overseas I will be remembering everyone fallen in wars.” M e m o r i a l Day is about more than honoring the soldiers who died long ago in past wars. Over 1,000 soldiers have died the past year in Iraq. Some of the soldiers we honor on this day could be the same age as the seniors in this building. “I don’t think students know or realize how many are dying and how young some of them are,” said Glunz. “You can enlist or be drafted when you are only 18, and many are.” Other students view Memorial Day as just a day off from school. The reason for this varies among students. Some say it is because they haven’t had someone close to them deployed overseas while others just don’t see the need to participate in it. “I have never known anyone personally in the war, so Memorial Day doesn’t really mean much to me personally,” said Freshman Joe Rayl. “I’m just happy to have a day off from school.” Buffalo holds an annual Memorial Day parade that ends at the legion where a ceremony is held. Many students choose to attend the parade while others have more personal commemorations. “[Along with] the parade, sometimes my family and I will visit a graveyard,” said Sophomore Jessica Nikula. “Personally, I remember and think about those in the army, passed away, retired, or fighting, on that day especially.” “We go to a cemetery in Cokato. My dad’s uncle is buried there, and he was a veteran in World War II” said Nikula. “We also visit my cousin’s gravesite in Buffalo. Even though she wasn’t a veteran we still remember her on Memorial Day because it was the weekend she died on.” Many students who do not participate in Memorial Day commemorations will just be enjoying their day off from school. “To me, it’s like Flag Day,” said Freshman Jon Sullivan. “I mean I’m not going to go hang around a flag all day.” With the war continuing, many more people are having people they know deployed overseas. Because of this, Memorial Day is beginning to regain its meaning among students

Tyler Schenk Journalism Staff Memorial “I don’t think students know or realize how many are dying and how young some of them are.” -Sophomore Fred Glunz Day Despite the war in Iraq, many students struggle to see the importance of Memorial Day 1,000 soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the past year.

Since the 60’s and years before that the golden rule in many households was respect. Now, about 60 years later that rule has been limited to very few households and enforced in less of them. Sure everyone disrespects one another once in a while, but this “belittling” trait has grown over time. Many think that the decrease of respect that has occurred is due to the advancement of technology.

“I really think that technology; iPods, cell phones and other things that today’s generation are used to using is affecting how students act during the school day,” said Student Teacher Robyn Gotvaslee. “It’s making it hard to build educational relationships between teachers and their pupils, which is really important.”

Some teachers adapting to the trend are beginning to use high-tech instruments to teach. Although they seem to work well they can be expensive, most of the things teachers use in class that are “not necessary for a good learning environment” need to be paid for by the teacher, or by student groups that have raised money and agreed on its use.

“Since we rely on technology so much at home and almost wherever we go, it helps to have cool, interesting things in class. It grabs attention much more easily than boring text book lessons,” said Junior Billy Federline. “I learn faster and more effi ciently when I’m doing fun activities.”

A common excuse a student gives for being disrepectful is that they were just kidding . When people disrespect each other and feel bad about it, they try to laugh about their own mistake and cover it up.

“I disrespect my teachers and friends, it comes naturally, I’m usually just kidding though,” said Sophomore Fred Glunz.

Is kidding about something that in most cases is hurtful really respectful? Even if the person says that they didn’t take it in offense they did. Things people say to each other hurt, whether you’re joking or not, what’s said is said and when you can’t take something back it begins to set in.

“Acting the way we do is still accepted in society,” said English Teacher Tracy Hagstrom. “You think you’re joking but it’s not funny. We all have a long way to go.”

According to the dictionary disrespect is a lack of respect, insulting, discourtesy, or rudeness; and, to regard and treat with contempt or rudeness. If something is insulting many would agree that it would is disrespectful, yet disrespect is still taking place within school. Comparing the present school year to when our own teachers were growing up and in school the amount of respect we give would be unacceptable in the eyes of everyone.

“When I was a student if one of my teachers would have called my parents with a complaint saying that I had been disrespectful they would have sided with the school 100% no matter how much I pleaded I hadn’t done anything wrong. There is no way they would have tolerated even one call,” said Social Studies Teacher Cindy Khalil. “Society has a lack of respect towards teachers, and some disrespect any authority they have in their lives.”

Khalil isn’t the only teacher who grew up learning to respect her authorities; many teachers employed by District 877 would never act the way some students act towards teachers presently.

“I put my teachers on a pedestal, I treated them as people, when they said to quiet down I did, and in return I got respect back from them,” said Gotvaslee.

We don’t want students and teachers to hate each other. Students don’t want to feel they are being treated like children who can’t think for themselves without help, but students also don’t want to be treated like they’re complete adults. Some claim it’s the teachers who are disrespecting the students. With all the rules and guidelines that are set, they tend to be a little far-fetched. The true culprits are diffi cult to pinpoint.

“The relationship between teachers and students is a little antagonistic,” said Substitute Teacher Dan Schneider. “Teachers harp on students about the littlest things; it’s really unhealthy because you always seem to get back what you dished out.”

The truth is we’re all to blame. High schools create their own cultures. If you’re respectful you receive respect and vice versa.

“If the person on the other end feels bullied, then their being bullied,” said Schneider. “Everybody has a bad day once in a while, its when is becomes part of your personality that the real problem begins, they say ‘you need to earn respect’ but we have to respect any critter on this planet.”

The amount of respect and common courtesy you give others while growing up will stick with you. Often times people who don’t respect each other have no respect for themselves and the “bigger people” who can determine how you live your older years can see that right away.

“People should clean up their language, when you swear constantly you become used to that, if you’re on the job and let a curse word slip you can be replaced easily,” said Khalil. “Apologies go a long way, and the ability to say ‘I’m wrong’ can change your life.”

“Do Dave in the morning.” These five words are an advertisement for The Dave Ryan in the Morning Show. In the studio - a little rectangular room with microphones and computer monitors - the four crew members chat before they go on air.

Being the head DJ of the morning show brings fame to Dave Ryan. Although a public figure, he is just a typical guy with an ordinary life.

“I am an average guy with a wife, two kids and two pets,” said Ryan. “I love my job; it’s like I get paid for fun! I do work a lot, though, which leaves little time for my personal life.”

When listening to the show, you can tell that Ryan loves his family. He always talks about his six-year old son, Carson, and Allison, his fifteen-year old daughter, who sang a parody (the Hollister song) on the radio. Juggling work and family can be difficult, but for Ryan it comes naturally because he is so passionate about his life.

“Dave arrives at the studio around five o’clock, while others arrive at three or four; not because he is lazy, but because he knows his job and he does it so well,” said Producer Wilson.

Arriving so early can be exhausting, but the excitement of what is going to happen on the show keeps them awake. While on a recent trip to sex world, Kassie bought each of the crew members a gift and gave them out while they were on air. Steve-o attempted to put on the nipple rings, but didn’t follow through with it.

With events like Blind Luck, War of the Roses, and Dave’s Dirt, the crew always has fun.

“The more fun we have, the better of a job we’re doing,” said Ryan.

Sometimes, however, they take it too far.

“We threw a chair off a parking garage for Corey because it was her last week. That was one of the only things we got in trouble for so, I got written up for that,” said Ryan.

As hundreds of listeners tune in everyday, the show’s fanbase continues to grow, attracting enthusiastic fans from all walks of life.

“People don’t always recognize me; it’s my voice they recognize. I was at Chilis the other day for lunch. The waitress took my order and after she heard my voice asked if I worked at KDWB,” said Ryan.

However, an encounter with one fan got a little eerie for Ryan.

“I once had a male stalker. He somehow got my home phone number and just kept calling it, it was kind of creepy,” said Ryan. “So I called him back and politely asked him to stop calling. After that he called my boss and said all he wanted to do was be my friend and that I was being rude to him. My boss came to me and asked what it was all about. That was the weirdest experience I think I have had.”

The job also has other downsides.

“I’m busy all the time. Like the other day I should have been home with my six year old son, but instead I was at the MOA. I also have to keep up on recent events; watch TV shows, see movies, sometimes even go out and rent them; because we need to talk about it on the show,” said Ryan.

Meeting celebrities is another thing that Ryan does.

“I’ve met a lot of celebrities---too many to name. I’d have to say Justin Timberlake was the nicest. I actually went into his dressing room with him,” said Ryan. “Outside of the studio we don’t really see famous people, but we once went bowling with Nick Lachey for a charity cause.”

Every morning, Monday through Friday, the show airs 5-9 on KDWB (101.3 FM radio). For more information, go to www.KDWB.com.

With all the obstacles that come along with the job, Ryan still loves his career.

“The best part of my job is I get to say my own opinion!” said Ryan.

First Emily Mattson drawing

Third Carlos Aguirre ceramics

Third Kelsey Bergman painting Ericka Ecklund ceramics

Honorable Mention Ron Larson ceramics

Honorable Mention Bri Brush ceramics

Honorable Mention Kayla Ronnie painting

1. Students found other modes of entertainment last winter as snowboarding yet again increased in popularity. 2. Senior Sara Devore swims in a meet last winter. 3. Senior Josh Ortmann makes his way through a Roger’s defender 4. Senior JaRae Ellefson slides for the ball during a game last fall 5. Freshmen Maggie O’Donnel follows through on her stroke 6. Junior Kyle Willetts and others gather around Coach Gunderson during a game 7. Senior Darrin Downs stares down the pins, ready to shoot during practice last winter 8. Junior Jon Zitur prepares to throw during practice 9. Junior Cater Vogt grapples with a Monticello opponet last winter 10. Senior Ron Larson sets up a volley during practice 11. The Volleyball team sets up a block during a game against Princeton last fall 12. Senior Erik Olson prepares to shoot

“Learn to love the challenge,” is the rule that the Girl’s Golf Team plays by. Consid- ering that most of the team has golfed since their starting freshman year, it would be easy to say that they have learned to live by this rule. “We’ve been building for a long time,” said Senior Kate Dehmer. “So starting out with the mentality of going a long way has really helped us.” For most golfers, the game is more of a mental and individual task instead of a physical one. “If you’re up tight you play a lot worse,” said Dehmer. In order to add up the scores in a golf competition the six competing golfer’s indi- vidual scores are taken. Afterwards the top four are then considered and used. “If you lose you have to get back out there tomorrow and try again,” said JV Golf Coach Pete Bergquist. “Once we get to the match, as a coach, I can’t watch and hope for the best. It’s not like soccer where you can coach from the sidelines, or call a timeout.” The team works together to accomplish the best to their abilities in their section. That is why the team has had an undefeated season in their section. “We have been doing so well this year and we are all really motivated because we are moving to a different section next year so we want to go as far as we can [this year],” said Senior Laura Ackmann. There are many reasons why the Girl’s Golf Team is succeeding this season com- pared to others. “This year we have really good senior leadership and talented younger golfers; a mixture of a girls who work hard but still have fun and joke around,” said Bergquist. “It’s been really great working with the girls.” Although the girls don’t get the amount of recognition they would like, they think it is because golf is more about your mental ability than physical ability. This is also what sets golf apart from other sports.

Thirteen years ago within the BHS cafeteria, it was once again french toast boat day and served along side it were those infamous school sausages. Most students just ate their sausage, but not that day. One sausage made it out alive; this sausage was Sammy. Rescued by, then student, Ryan McCallum and now Journalism Teacher and Yearbook Advisor.

“When Mr. McCallum was in high school he stole a sausage from the lunch room, wrapped it in napkins and stuffed it in his locker,” said Senior Kory LaCroix. “Thus the beginning of Sammy the Sausage.”

As described by his owner, Sammy is about 1-inch tall, quiet and introspective.

“I think it’s fricken hilarious, who keeps a sausage and wraps it in napkins for 16 years?” said Lacroix. Correction, actually 13 years.

“Same thing,” said Lacroix.

Some have wondered, why keep a sausage for 13 years?

“At first it was just an accident,” said McCallum. “I did want to burn him after a year.”

Although students see the hilarity behind Sammy, some have their own visions as to what they would keep.

“I would keep a cute food,” said Senior Jordan Bruhn. “Not something that looks like poop!”

Those 13 years have not gone to waste sitting in the Mr. Bean lunchbox that Sammy calls home. He’s been to every continent, except for Antarctica, every state, Mexico and Canada. Along the way, he’s collected hotel soaps which have given him a strong fragrance of soap because he keeps it in his house.

“I’d probably take Sammy to Jupiter, we’d obviously moon walk on Jupiter,” said Senior SunMee Sandusky. “No, actually we’d Jupiter walk on Jupiter.”

Along with his travels Sammy has celebrated many birthdays. On one of his early ones, he received a special treat.

“I made him a cake for his birthday,” said English Teacher Tracy Hagstrom. “It was a huge Sammy cake, it looked like a giant poop”

Sammy is not the only old food that calls the Mr. Bean lunchbox home; he is happily joined by two cookies, a bagel and a toothpick given to McCallum by students.

“I’d bring him a girlfriend, like a little cinnamon twist because every teenage boy needs a girlfriend, they could go in his pouch together” said Sandusky. “Can I say things like that?”

In comparison to a two day old sausage and Sammy, you would probably never guess they used to be the same thing.

“He’s aged well with a few wrinkles here and there, but not too bad,” said Sandusky. “He’s shrunken, and maybe his spine is compressed from gravity and old age.”

Sammy has brought embarrassment as well as good laughs to McCallum on many occasions from both teachers and students.

“We all know McCallum is a bit odd, but that’s what makes him a good teacher,” said Hagstrom. “If he got rid of Sammy it would be sad.”

Hopefully Sammy’s life will continue on, maybe he’ll even make it to Antarctica. But since he’s already been stolen so many times, McCallum thinks that someday someone will just steal him, and he’ll never come back. But the legend of Sammy the sausage will continue forever.

“McCallum gets very sad when people steal him,” said Bruhn. “He takes the sausage seriously.”

Have you ever been the only one in your class with a different colored skin? Have you ever felt uncomfortable looking around noticing that you are in a school with 36 percent white kids and the rest diverse? Five kids from Buffalo took the advantage of learning about the experience in a highly diverse school called Park Center in Brooklyn Park.

“It was weird,” said Junior Kelsey Platzer. “You look around and notice you’re the only white kid in the classroom.”

One of the most noticeable things in their school is the diversity. There are 36 percent white, 33 percent African-American, 24 percent Asian, 6 percent Hispanic, and less than 1 percent American Indian. Park Center’s diversity rate is the key to this school. Six out of ten students interviewed claimed the best thing about Park center is the intergration and diversity the school holds; but with that said, is racism ever a problem?

“From my stand point I don’t see racism,” said Park Center’s Assistant Principal Heather Miller-Cink. “That’s the beauty of Park Center, the diversity.”

At Buffalo, there’s a four block schedule. Meanwhile, at Park Center, they have six classes a day, each consisting of 55 minutes.

“You’d never get anything done in that amount of time,” said Junior Lindsey Jo- hansen. “When we take tests it takes all hour. I couldn’t imagine only getting 55 minutes for tests.”

Not only is their class scheduling different, but even the way they give credits is dif- ferent from our school. Park Center goes by giving full trimester credits and we give .5 credits for classes. By graduation, they need 64 credits all together; whereas Buffalo only needs 32.

“That would suck to take the same classes all year long,” said Junior Mary Cronin. “I would need a change by the time half of the school year was over.”

Unlike Buffalo, Park Center has its fair share of fi ghts. They set a rule from middle school through high school; it’s called the three fi ght rule. If you’re involved in 3, you’re expelled no matter what. This is a district rule, therefore you would not be able to attend any other schools in the district; but in the time being handling a fi ght ends up with this punishment.

“A kid got jumped,” said Jhentell Buckner from Park Center. “His eye got split and he got tazerd [by a cop] with his shirt off.”

People from Park Center said the craziest thing they have ever seen was ‘someone get- ting tazerd.’ 98 percent interviewed mentioned tazering incidents.

“For someone to have to get tazerd it would have to be a last result,” said Junior Jack Thompson. “I’ve never heard of schools having to do that.”

A lot of unexpected things happen at Park Center that not all the students may be ready for.

“Someone ran across the football fi eld when we were playing against Andover,” said Junior Kourtney Brooks from Park Center. “He was totally naked and there was a car on the other side of the fi eld to pick him up, but the cops got him fi rst, it was hilarious.”

There are some crazy things that happen at this school, a more noticeable thing is how different their building was from ours.

“It was really weird how they still had black boards,” said Johansen. “I’m so use to white boards. I haven’t seen black boards since my eighth grade year. Downstairs they didn’t have any windows in any of the class rooms. They had assigned lock- ers, and unlike our school they had all the walls in the class room the same color.”

It’s proven that if you have one different colored wall in a room you’re most likely not to feel trapped, anxious, or over- whelmed. In their building however, all their walls are the same color.

“When we sat down with the architects,” said Principal Dr. Miller from Buffalo. “I told them I want a school with a warm and friendly environment, so you don’t feel like you’re in a prison.”

Park Center might not be a very expensive school with the lack of windows and black boards for the use of their classes, money and luxury isn’t the point of Park Center; it’s a little piece of the world crammed in to one school.

“We built our house in this town, so my kids can come here,” said Miller-Cink. “This is the real world here; we look like the world looks like.”

“The students at Park Center, in my opinion, are at a high advantage, because they get a taste of what it’s really like to be the minority,” said Junior Chelsie Kramer. “At Buffalo there’s not much diversity, so it’ll be different for my freshmen year in college.”

No matter what each stu- dent looks like, they accept one another.

“I like the sense of com- munity and the sense of being together as a family. The multicultural- ism is great,” said Senior Dominic Mi- nor from Park Center.

Every year, in June, the school loses a senior class. Every senior class that has passed through these hallways has made an impact somehow on the school. Each individual has their memories that they will carry with them the rest of their life. High school is like an emotional roller coaster of difficulties. Students meet new friends, grow apart from old friends, go through their most embarrassing moments and meet teachers that they will remember forever. The end of student’s high school careers is the day where they venture off into the real world and start their future. One thing remains, the memories. On a normal school day, the inevitable “trip up the stairs” causes a students face to turn bright red and walk away giggling with a funny story to tell their friends. Seniors recall some of their embarrassing moments.

“It was in 9th grade,” said Senior Sallie Parsons. “I was wearing my older sisters khaki pants that she specifically told me not to ruin. As I was bending over to grab a marker, I felt a sharp thing cut my butt. I had bent over by the edge of the board, which not only ripped my sister’s pants but also left me with a huge bleeding cut on my rear. I had to wear a sweatshirt around my waist the rest of the day and later explained to my older sister how her pants were ripped. I still have a three inch scar on my butt.

Besides a cut on the rear, there are also embarrassing moments in sports.

“It was very embarrass-ing running out of the huddle in my first Varsity Football game and tripping on my own cleats,” said Senior Eric Stovern. Teachers at BHS are very influential. They leave their mark on students every year. They not only teach their specific area of study but also morals and values students can take with them.

“Todd Lubben really impacted my life,” said Senior Grant Dehmer. “He taught me you can be smart and act stupid but you can’t be stupid and act smart.”

“Mr. Holtz really impacted me because of just the type of person he is,” said Senior SunMee Sandusky. Teachers also make learning a more memorable experience.

“Mrs. Hulley was an awesome teacher,” said Senior Jason Brummer. “She made things that I wouldn’t usually find interesting, interesting. Out of every teacher I have had in my life she has been my favorite.”

Inspiring students and teaching them about different careers is another thing teachers do.

“Mr. Squadroni is just an incredibly inspirational person,” said Senior Matt Patterson. “He taught me a lot about being a teacher through his classes.” Students look up to not only teachers but also administration.

“Dr. Miller impacted my life,” said Senior JaRae Ellefson. “He is so intelligent and helpful. He cares about every one of the students and does everything he can to keep the school up and running. He changed my outlook on life after a short talk with him.” Students learn important lessons in high school that they can keep with them through college or just daily life.

“Don’t procrastinate,” said Senior Ashley Berkholz. “The longer you wait to do something the harder it will be to finish. I have Mr. Squadroni to thank for that piece of advice that got me through the year.”

“Question all sources of information until proven credible,” said Stovern. Dr. Miller announces each student’s name. They walk down the isle with their cap and gown. They shake his hand. This is the end of their high school career. All the late nights staying up doing homework, stressing over a big assignments, drama with friends, first kisses, big sport events, long lunch room lines, and buying supplies, all leads up to the final goodbye.