The Hoofprint - Issue 4 - June 2015

Pages 4-5

Pages 30-31

Pages 16-17

The end of the year is an exciting time for most students. It’s the start of days at the beach, nights with friends, and there’s no homework. It can also bring a bittersweet feeling, especially for graduating Seniors, who are leaving the place they’ve spent the past four years and saying goodbye to the people they’ve spent the past twelve years of their life with. It’s the end of something comfortable, but also the beginning of something new. It can be a confusing time for many, trying to decide which school to go to or whether or not college is even a priority for them. As everyone goes their separate ways and begins pursuing different goals, high school will always be a memory that will not be forgotten.

With so many different colleges to choose from, it seems that BHS students’ top picks include the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota, St. Cloud State University, and North Dakota State University. Great opportunities lie ahead as Seniors make their final mark on Buffalo High School and continue on with wherever life takes them. It can be a scary transition, but it can also be very exciting.

“I’m so ready to graduate. I’m ready to start the next step in my life. Don’t get me wrong, this school has been good to me, but I am ready to move on,” said Senior Dani Maas.

Graduation raises many thoughts and questions for Seniors, who have to make some big decisions in life. Young kids are often asked “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and often answer with silly or unrealistic careers because they don’t know any better, and choosing a career seems like a lifetime away.

Time moves quickly, though, and before you know it, it’s you trying to decide what you want to do in life. It’s not an easy decision, nor one that has to be made right away. Some take years and others have always known.

Each year at BHS hundreds of new freshman officially become high schoolers in September, adding to the community of our school. However the class of 2019 will be the largest to ever walk through the front doors, making the student population almost exceed our high school’s maximum capacity.

Currently BHS has more teachers than classrooms, and with the new class joining the school next year, even more teachers will need to be hired to accept the large number of freshman. This further complicates the problem that BHS is currently struggling with.

“It’s gets hard because we do not have enough classrooms for the amount of teachers, and so there’ll be at least two teachers who will not have their own classrooms just in the science department. So they will be going around to other science teacher’s classrooms, and we will not be in our classrooms during our preps,” said ninth grade physical Science Teacher Rachel Busch.

With a class size projected at 523 students, there are certain disadvantages associated with more kids in a class. “The more kids you bring in the more of a challenge it is for you to connect with everyone of them,” said Mark Mischke, head principal at Buffalo High School. “Our goal in our school is that at some point in time every kid in this building has an adult that they can go to if they have a problem, a concern, or even if they just feel that they can connect to them as a positive role model.”

However, on the contrary, there are benefits that a school can receive with bigger class sizes. BHS may now be able to try new things in the classroom and after school activities that our lower population could never have allowed us to in the past.

“If you have a sheer number of kids, you might be able to explore programs you couldn’t have in the past just because you have more students,” Mischke said.

There is a little bit of anxiety not only for the staff members but also for the new wave of freshman who might hold doubts about whether they and their peers are ready for high school.

“I don’t think the middle school prepared us well enough,” said Lauren O’Connel, an incoming freshman. “I think we should have been mixed up more with the different age groups like the high school does.”

Regardless of the upcoming challenges and worry this class is already bringing before even stepping into our school, there is a lot of positive feeling that this class will be a great opportunity for Buffalo.

“As a dad, I’m excited because I have my own personal interest in this class. My own daughter is becoming a freshman at BHS next year,” Mischke said. “But, I’m also excited because I see it as much more of a positive thing than negative by far. I’m excited about having a class of that size come in because of the opportunity it brings.”

With a total number 1,900 students at our school next year, which approaches the 1,950 student maximum capacity of the building, BHS’s largest student population yet will leave a great impact on our community. Whether that impact is positive or negative, it is up to us and only time will tell.

The school year of 2016-2017 will be a big year full of many big changes. One of those changes will be the addition of new classes offered at BHS.

“The goal is to offer more college-level coursework in every single department in our building for kids to be able to access,” said principal Mark Mischke. “So [they will be] not only where we have them currently but also in areas where we don’t.”

This will be accomplished by BHS partnering with colleges, namely North Hennipen Community College (NHCC) and Hennipen Technical Center (HTC).

“We’ve been working on it for a couple of years, and it’s getting close now. The North Hennipen partnership we’re working on in terms of bringing our staff together with their staff to talk about that alignment from college professor to high school teacher and making sure that they can match coursework; we’re doing the same thing with Hennipen Tech right now,” Mischke said.

NHCC is a natural fit due to it’s proximity, its enrollment of many Buffalo graduates, and the fact that it already offers night classes within the BHS building. If for some reason a bump in the road is encountered with NHCC, there are other colleges available. HTC comes into the picture because of the more specialized classes it offers in certain departments.

“I’m excited for the opportunities it will bring, and I am excited to see what will happen next year as we start moving forward from the theoretical stage into reality,” said Mischke. “Kids, no matter what their strength area is or what their interest area is, will have the opportunity to accelerate to the point where they can earn college credit.

“[The start time] is a big conversation right now too; they really will come in the same year,” Mischke said. “We don’t know [the exact start time] yet. The recommendation to the school board from this spring was 8:30 or later for secondary schools.”

It is official that the start time will change, but the details are still being worked out and will continue to be worked out through next year. Not only the actual start time is changing, the length of the school day is also up in the air.

“[There probably won’t be] a lot of variation, but there could be some slight [changes],” Mischke said. “It doesn’t all just go. There’s a lot of behind the scenes stuff; we’ve met as an administrative team to start laying frame of what that looks like. We’re working with coaches and our activities directors to make sure that we are aware of the activities challenges that may or may not arise from the schedule switch. They are right in those small group discussions turning over every stone to make sure that we are doing it the right way.”

BHS is in for a big year of planning next school year, and an even bigger year in the school year of 2016-17 as the hard work of the school board and administration comes to fruition.

Work has begun this spring on the $33 million of upgrades district-wide that voters approved approximately seven months ago. Of these upgrades, approximately 40% of the funds have been budgeted for improvements at the high school.

In April, the first construction bid for the outdoor athletic facilities at BHS, the most expensive project at around $5.9 million and one of the first scheduled, was proposed to the school board, but was rejected due to cost and other concerns.

“We designed something that was very, very nice,” said Activities Director on Assignment Tom Bauman. “So now we just have to say ‘Let’s spend our money wisely. Let’s make sure we’re getting the right bang for the buck that the voters asked for and voted yes for.’”

With this delay from the initial best-case timeline, sports not originally expected to be affected will have their practice and/or game locations moved. While many students and community members are excited about the end result of the upgrades, there are still many who are discontent with the interference with their sports.

“The reality is, we went out for it, so now we have to try and get it done. I guess I just feel I won’t have 100% everybody happy,” said Bauman. “The bottom line is what they can count on from me is that we’re going to do our best and make sure that everyone has a meaningful season, as best possible.”

The district expects that all of the improvements will be completed within three to five years. However, the specific timeline of projects at BHS will create differences between the grade levels in what changes they will see before they graduate.

“The people that are juniors, going to be seniors, they’ll feel a sense of loss, like ‘Oh, this is really great stuff, and I just missed it,’” said Bauman. “[But,] I think this year’s sophomores are going to see a lot of those things unfold in front of them and go ‘wow, this is really neat.’ And the freshman for sure, because they’re going to see all of the changes I think.”

Plans are currently underway for a construction news site under the district website to keep the community up to date with the progress—check bhmschools.org for updates.

The remaining portion of the roof repairs will be completed. The total improvements to the roof are expected to cost $3 million.

If construction follows as planned in April, the multi-purpose synthetic turf field with the stadium and the track surrounding the secondary field will be ready for the 2016-17 school year.

This includes the multipurpose fine arts classroom and storage space behind the PAC and a new gymnasium with improved BAC entryway.

The baseball field renovations and softball field relocations are expected to be completed by Spring 2017.

Sand-peat multi-purpose field expected to be ready for Fall 2017. Sports that would use these fields will likely have their practices or games relocated to other locations in Buffalo during construction.

Major improvements of the parking lot will be taking place after the removal of heavy machinery from the outdoor facilities and building addition construction.

After a spectacular 2014 season that culminated in a state title, the BHS Knowledge Bowl team had a lot of work to do. Matching last year’s success was not going to be an easy task.

“At the beginning of the year, we had a lot to work on, and we had a lot to live up to, because last year, we sent two teams to state,” explained Senior Dylan Harcey. “We were hoping to do the same thing this year.”

While this hopeful outcome wasn’t achieved, BHS still sent its Varsity One team to the state tournament in Brainerd, where they placed third, behind Alexandria (first) and Chaska (second).

“I’d say we were pretty happy with it,” said Junior Jacob Nosbush. “We were very happy with third, out of 900 teams in the state.”

“I’m happy because this is personally as far as I’ve gotten in the state tournament before,” said Sophomore Sophie Lefebvre, a member of the team that participated in the tournament. “Of course I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t win this year too.”

Even though BHS wasn’t able to repeat its state title, the members still enjoyed the season.

“We’re serious at the meets, but at the practices, we just give out joke answers, just try to get some laughs in,” Harcey said.

“I really did enjoy this season,” said Lefebvre. “I got along really well with my teammates, and I would say by the end of the season, they weren’t just my teammates; they were my friends, too. It’s fun to be around people who share the same interests I do.”

The future is also looking bright for Knowledge Bowl at BHS. “I enjoyed seeing the JV teams and how their members were progressing,” Harcey said, “because it gives me hope that maybe next year we [go to the state tournament] again.”

“When I was younger, I would hear the older kids telling me about their experiences throughout their high school journey. But now, I’m scared it’s my turn.”

We conducted a survey of 100 students, and 49% of them were most nervous about getting lost or trampled by older kids. Another 42% say that they are most nervous about the difficulty of their classes. 8th grader Emma Staut, who is currently involved in the Quest Program, is a small part of this percentage.

“I have always stayed on top of things in the past, now comes high school, a new chapter in my life. I’m scared about the difficulty of my classes for 9th grade, especially since I’m going to be taking much higher level courses,” explained Staut. “I’m also nervous about the classes that I might pick, because I’m not sure if they will be the right choices for me.”

The activity that students are most excited for is sports. A total of 58% are excited about getting to experience sprinting down the court, racing to the end, or making that winning goal in their sports. Sports are something that many people are involved in, some students join them for fun, to stay in shape, or to meet new people. For others, like 8th grader Carter Barton, it goes farther than that.

“I’m very excited about sports because I know that I will be representing my school in a competitive manner,” said Barton. “All of the after school late night practices and competitions are worth it to show how amazing our school and sports programs are.”

Other than sports, another anticipated activity is music. This is what 38% of the class of 2019 are anticipating.

“For high school, I’m excited about all the new things I will learn about my instrument, and being able to explore the new opportunities the class will help me do,” says orchestra student Kaitlin Galdonik.

The class is also excited to learn a new language. 45% of the class of 2019 are looking forward to taking a language class in high school.

“I’m excited to learn a new language because it’s nice to know something new. I think it would be cool to be able to communicate with people around the world, without using Google Translate,” says future French student Abby Vogler. “I also think it’s nice to learn a second language because you can carry it with you throughout your life.”

Most kids want their high school experience to be exciting, productive, successful, and most of all, fun.

“A lot of people say that the only thing that they want to do in high school is stay focused. Although a big part of my desired high school experience is this, I want to enjoy the four years that I get there. I want to be able to have fun while I learn, and still get an amazing education. I want this experience to be one of the most memorable pieces of my life.”

“I think this year’s [yearbook] is going to be really well done, we’ve had the largest class which is an advantage and disadvantage at times but I feel like it helped us make a better book, made our stories stronger, pictures more available and more people working on spreads.”

“The theme’s different and the overall take on the book is different. We wanted to change things up, to make it more enjoyable and presentable to the reader because we’re making it for them.”

“Our cover is cool, it’s more relatable to Buffalo as far as colors and I think that’s pretty new. We haven’t done this kind of a book in a long time. We have a ton of pictures this year and they’re really strong.”

“Being a really artsy school is cool. I felt like our staff developed spreads that other schools couldn’t even figure out without a template. They’re really good at puking on paper and finding something that looks beautiful. Its been drilled in our brains ever since we came to high school and feel like it really shows in our book.”

Ask any parent about the state of adolescents in the twenty-first century, and they’ll tell you that teenagers today are busier than ever before. Rigorous courses, active social lives, and extracurriculars all attribute to the constantly frantic state of many millennials. But just how dramatic is this change, and what can high school students do to keep their heads above water?

The first indicator of academic success is a student’s grade point average, and in the USA, it’s recently been on the rise. According to the U.S. Department of Education study called “The Nation’s Report Card,” in 1990, the average GPA for girls was 2.77; as of 2009, it’s 3.10, which is a significant improvement. This trend is echoed for boys, as well. In 1990, the average male high school student had a GPA of 2.59; it has since increased to 2.90, meaning that males improved only slightly less than females.

The courses that students take in order to receive their grades seems to have increased in difficulty, as well. The same study noted that two- thirds of students who took what was qualified as “rigorous” coursework took an Algebra I course before even entering high school.

“I have a mentorship in the Spring, and some AP and CIS classes,” said Junior Trey Green. This year, Green has taken AP Calculus, CIS Chemistry, and CIS College and Career Prep, “and next year I’m going to take more.”

The number of credits earned by high school students before graduation has increased as well, having increased by over three whole credits since 1990. Taking this into account, modern high school students have over 400 more hours of instruction time than their predecessors.

This translates into a large amount of homework for students to complete in between classes. “I would say I do about one to two hours, daily, of homework,” said Sophomore Austin Maki.

“[I spend] around an hour, two hours a day [on homework],” said Green, echoing Maki’s response.

According to a recent survey of 1,000 teachers conducted by the University of Phoenix College of Education, high school students get assigned more than 17.5 hours of homework per week. Students who choose to do their homework spend an average of 6.8 hours of homework per week completing their assignments, according to research done by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Most high school students don’t just go to school, head home, and begin working on their assignments once the final bell rings. Over 800 students at BHS alone participate in extracurricular activities. According to the research of Stanford educator Denise Pope, students engaged in extracurricular activities spend, on average, 10.5 hours on them each week.

“I try to do my homework right away after I get home from sports, but that usually doesn’t work, and I end up cramming it all in at one time,” said Green.

Rigorous schoolwork, a daunting amount of homework, and extracurricular activities all combine to make life hectic for high school students. Some have very little time to unwind from their busy days.

“I enjoy relaxation for maybe an hour, some days not even that long,” said Maki.

And this is when another issue is revealed: adolescents nationwide are notorious for not getting enough sleep. The average amount of sleep that teenagers get is between 7 and 7.5 hours. However, they need between 9 and 9.5 hours in order to properly function.

All of this comes together to create one of the most overworked generations in history. And though some may wonder what they can do about their busy schedules, there are tried-and-true methods to help busy students keep their sanity.

Creating to-do lists and budgeting time are two of the most important options available to students with full schedules. By knowing exactly what you have to do and knowing when you can do it, you will be able to use your time more effectively.

Also, set aside a specific time in your schedule to be used solely for studying. Ideally, this will be during whatever time of the day that you, personally, find most productive, so that you will be able to maximize the amount of information you memorize.

But above all, simply get a good night’s sleep. There will be times when calling it a night, even when there is more work to be done, will serve you better in the long run than totally exhausting yourself for the next day’s lesson. Life as a high school student can be chaotic, but with the right strategies, it can become much more manageable.

Cell phones are amazing pieces of technology that can be used for good purposes like communication and expanding knowledge. They can also be used for other, less helpful purposes.

Most kids have cell phones now (about 83% of teens) and use them frequently throughout the day; a typical teen checks their phone about 110 times a day. What does that mean for our brain?

When you make a phone call the radiation from your phone increases the glucose metabolism in your brain. Scientists are still unsure of how this can affect your health, though an increase in glucose metabolism in your blood has been shown to lead to some diseases such as diabetes.

Although most scientists are unsure of cell phone radiation effects, one scientist is confident that cell phone use is dangerous. Dr. George Carlo, PhD, JD, says that the amount of time we spend on our phones is dangerous to us. His studies show that the radiation given off by cell phones can damage DNA and impair DNA repair.

83% of teens have smartphones

100 is the amount of texts a typical teen sends and recieves a day

43% OF TEENS TEXT IN CLASS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY

Texting too often can result in “text neck”. This happens when you look down at your phone so often that your eck gets used to the position and causes pain. It has also been shown to have an impact on adolescent brain development.

Social media has a big impact on our brain. The reason people check their Facebook and Twitter so often is because our brain releases oxytosin and adrenaline. When this happens, we become addicted, similar to drugs, but the effects are much less drastic. Some studies show that social media can reduce anxiety. Others have evidence showing that it increases narcissism and decreases the abilities of our memory.

At BHS, it is well known that seniors are able to get a day off and leave the school at 2 p.m. during fourth quarter. To be eligible for this privilege, seniors have to meet certain standards. They must have good grades, attendance, and behavior, then they must take the Student Climate Survey, and turn in a permission form in order to utilize their senior privileges.

Seniors will be expected to carry their pass at all times, and show it to any adult supervisor when requested to do so on their way out. Seniors will not be allowed to transport any student that doesn’t have a pass off school property at this time, or stay in the parking lot themselves. In other words, if they leave the building during AAA or Bison Time, they will be expected to leave the school property. If any senior abuses this privilege or demonstrates that he/she cannot handle this freedom, he/she will have this privilege taken away.

“I like the senior privileges we have. I mean, I don’t get to use them very much, but when I do I usually go get a banana and water before I go to track,” said Taylor Spier.

BIG LAKE The whole senior year, the seniors get to pick if they want two hours off in the morning or afternoon.

BUFFALO During fourth quarter, students can leave campus during AAA/Bison Time. They also get the day before prom off.

DELANO After the last Tuesday of the year, seniors are not required to go to school.

MAPLE LAKE They have a last hour study hall which they don’t have to attend during fourth quarter. They get the last week off.

MONTICELLO Seniors get off a week early.

ST. MICHAEL They get the last 30 minutes of school to go home.

ROCKFORD The seniors are able to be TA’s. They get the last week off of school (before graduation.)

“I wanted to become a mentor because I wanted to help out my favorite teacher, Social Studies teacher, Tracy Hulley,” said Senior Josh Nevala. “Some highs are playing the Newsgame and having fun with the students. Sometimes, it can be very disruptive when the students try to be funny with me, and we have to settle them down multiple times. Some of the students made a Twitter account of me, @JoshtheMentor, and tweeted about my day.”

“I’m going to Spain this summer, so I thought it would be a good refresher to help with a Spanish 2 class,” said Junior Callie Liska. “I also love spanish and spanish teacher, Jess Nickelsen, so I knew I’d have a good time no matter what. I have a free block to relax and work on other homework. I walk around checking if the students have any questions, I quiz them on their vocabulary, and I also help them like translate words/ sentences.”

I wanted to be a mentor for Phy. Ed,” said Senior Joey Durr. “I had done another mentorship last year for Phy. Ed. teacher, Troy Holland. So, I decided why not basically mentor down there. I like being able to do tasks to help Phy. Ed. teacher, Jason Karn. Karn made me join in on a tag game where I ended up being the last one not it and I ran on the wall and jumped over a student to get to the other side.”

Buffalo Days On June 14, the annual Buffalo Day’s Festivities will commence. The carnival will be going on throughout the week and other happenings include a movie in the park Thursday, concert in the park featuring Authority, Buffalo Days Parade, and then you can find a place to watch a great firework show.

The Quarries “So what, if your friends all go jump off a cliff are you going to, too?” Actually, yeah. If you haven’t been to the Quarry Park in St. Cloud, GO DO IT. You can bring a tube and relax in the river, go on some nature walks, or, if you’re brave enough, try doing some backflips off the 35 ft cliff.

State Fair August 27-September 7, The Great Minnesota Get-Together: Largest state fair in the United States by attendance from people and animals! Baby animals are born on site daily. After you are done looking at animals, grab something to eat on a stick.

Luke Bryan Concert Kick The Dust Up Tour is outdoors on June 20, 2015. Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Randy Houser, Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch will all “Shake it” for you at TCF Bank Stadium.

Valley Fair is an amusement park located in Shakopee, Minnesota, USA and is currently the largest amusement park in the Upper Midwest United States. The park features over 75 attractions, 48 of which are rides that include eight roller coasters. Valleyfair also has a water park called Soak City.

Canterbury Park is a horse racing track located in Shakopee, Minnesota, USA. It runs a meet that consists of 69 racing days from early May to Labor Day.

Everyone loves Chipotle. Chipotle is life! August 22, in Loring Park, learn how to make Chipotle’s guacamole. Cooking demonstrations by Andrew Zimmern. Live music by Walk the Moon and others still to be announced. Last year’s event was well attended, with plenty of local vendors (Rustica, Dunn Bros. Coffee, and many others) selling and sampling their products.

West Pulaski Park off of Hwy 55 past Walmart, Delano High School, Becker City Park off of Hwy 10. Frolf is a common nickname for disc golf; a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target.

Bonfires. They’re opportunites for you get to hang out with a bunch of great people you care about, do unforgettable stuff, tell stories, and just have a good time. Maybe you can have some s’mores and play a little Truth or Dare, just for fun. Also, what’s better than a campout or a long weekend with friends or the family in the summertime?

If you’re a band member, you definitely are pumped about the marching band trip to Boston this summer.

Pictures of varsity teams line the hallways, our school becomes united to watch a varsity team play in a state tournament. A total of 935 BHS kids participated in fall and winter sports alone in 2014. But not nearly as many kids are involved in other activities. Not many people have bothered going to a Student Care Committee meeting to see what they might do for our school. Does anybody know how Knowledge Bowl or Mock Trial did this year? Why is it that sports get so many more participants, and more recognition than other groups and activities offered at BHS?

It’s no secret that high school sports are popular among students. However, they shouldn’t get in the way of trying to get involved in other activities our school has to offer. BHS has a total of 45 activities offered to students, half of them being academic, art, or lifestyle groups, yet according to the BHS activities office and director, more than half the school participates in athletic activities rather than art or academic activities. Studies show that it’s important for students to be involved in other extracurricular activities in addition to sports because it demonstrates the willingness to find new interests and hobbies, which in the end, might not even be sports.

In addition to being a bit closed-minded about trying new activities, students don’t always seem very open to the idea of supporting those activities. 22 buses followed the hockey girls varsity team to the state tournament to watch them lose. To compare, when our theatre department went to state, there were no fan buses to see our one-act cast win state this year. As well as paying more attention to sports teams than other groups, we seem to recognize the coaches of these teams more than the other activity supervisors. A line of portraits of coaches of various sports teams lines the locker room hallway, there aren’t any portraits of directors, or group supervisors.

When thinking about their future, many artistic students hope for an art or music scholarship, just as most athletes hope for an athletic scholarship. It’s not an uncommon thing, but do athletes get more praise? Signing parties take place during AAA at BHS, and students come together to watch their classmate sign the “official college paper”. It’s fun; there’s cake! But where’s the party for the student who got into college on a music scholarship?

Continuing with sports can be difficult, because we may fall out of shape, or not be capable of making it to a bigger team. Music, or the things you learn in Business Professionals of America (BPA), or the real-world experience of Mock Trial are things you can take with you forever. Why aren’t we celebrating kids who get into colleges for reasons other than sports?

People may argue that sports have always been a part of student’s lives, and can’t be given up just so that they may be involved in other activities. Another argument may be that students don’t have time to be involved in both sports and other extracurricular activities as well as have time to do homework and study. The National Educational Longitudinal Study did a study that concluded the amount of extracurricular activities high school students were involved in had a positive effect on their grades and academic performance. Being involved in varying activities helps students learn to manage time, while keeping priorities, and find new interests. According to students at TAFE University in Australia, art activities specifically provide a “creative outlet”, boost literacy skills, and make students see and think in a way that everyday reality cannot.

Sports are positive and fun, but art groups, and academic groups can make students think, and learn in a way that sports can’t.

It is understandable that many students come into high school already dedicated to a sport, but many of these other activities aren’t even given a chance. Many of the groups aren’t offered at younger ages, so students never get the opportunity to try them, and see if a certain group might be something they’re interested in and want to continue with. In regards to the whole time management thing, there are always flexible options. Meetings for academic or art groups are usually scheduled within school hours, while sports are after school. Most coaches and advisors are willing to be flexible with schedules if they are aware of the situations.

So what’s stopping you from joining a new group? Is it your time commitment to the gymnastics team, or the basketball scholarship you absolutely have to keep all of your focus on? There are so many opportunities for you to try something else out. Who knows, you might even find something more fulfilling and rewarding than the sports you’ve been involved with all your life.

68% of students think that sports are put first in school over other activies.*

32% of students think that sports are not put over other activities.*

*100 students surveyed in a non-scientific poll

“I think we do a good job trying to recognize both sports and other activities. Most sports happen at night which a large number of community members can attend. I think we prioritize music and dedicate a block a day for four terms or four years of band, choir, and orchestra. We have other activities that are similar that come with scheduling time, like mock trial, knowledge bowl, BPA, or DECA.” Social Studies Teacher, Brigitta Bergquist

“No. I’m in sports, academics, choir, and theatre. Bauman, and now Guida, do a great job at morning announcements pinpointing each separate activity going on, and each one is very strong in our school, so it means that there is an equal amount of publicity for them. None of the staff or students say that ‘theatre’s stupid and sports are better’. Everything is really equal.” Junior Jonny Miller

It is probably safe to say that every other spring athlete can agree in regards to the weather. Let’s hope that spring athletes will be saying the same thing next year as well.

It is no secret that the weather in Minnesota can be crazy, and this is especially true in the spring. A mixture of early heat waves and late snowstorms leave spring athletes wondering what the season has in store for them.

“We had to cancel a lot more of our [track and field] meets and push way more back [last year] because there was snow on the ground,” said sophomore Georgia Gorr. “We actually got outside earlier this year than we did last year, and there were only two indoor meets this year as compared to, like, six last year.”

“Last year [the weather] shortened [our season] a lot because there was a lot of snow; a lot of our earlier games were cancelled, and we didn’t get to make them up,” senior Ben Kunze said. “This year it really hasn’t been bad - a couple were rescheduled because of rain - but it’s fine.”

Track and field is not the only sport that has been affected by crazy weather.

Weighted grades make classes that are more difficult have more weight attached to them. This makes it so that if a student takes an AP, CIS, or an accelerated class, they would get a “bump” in their GPA.

80% of BHS students** surveyed want a weighted grade system at our school. One of the most common reasons is because weighted grades could give them a better GPA, which is very important to high school students. When taking harder classes, a student is more apt to getting a lower grade than if you took the easier classes. With a weighted grading system, people who take these higher classes will get rewarded with their grades. This can be important so that when colleges look at a student’s GPA, they don’t think less of people who took harder classes and have a lower GPA as a result. BHS should implement weighted grades because if students decide to take classes that have more rigorous work, they should be rewarded for that on their GPA.

Obviously, students in the notoriously difficult AP US History class may not get as good of a grade as if they took American History. Some people can’t get into classes they want to get into because they aren’t in the top 10% of their grade.

“Should I be sorry I push myself and got two A-’s while someone took the easiest classes and got all A’s?” said a BHS student.

BHS has never had a weighted grading system, but it has not always been the same as it is now. About five or six years ago, the school switched from a twelve point system to the four point system we have now. The value of an A+ has also been changed.

“At [that] time, there was not interest [in discussing weighted grades],” said Principal Mark Mischke.

When it comes down to it, many people, including students, think weighted grades would be a great system. BHS should explore this system to reward students for more challenging classes.

Have you ever seen high school scenes in TV shows or movies and thought to yourself “do schools actually have this?” Well, in reality, they don’t. Here are the top 5 nonexistent high school clichés.

1. “All Jocks are Jerks”. You would never see jocks lock a handicap person in an outhouse like Puck did in Glee. Most jocks are made out to be evil, and that’s how they come across in movies. Yet in real life they could be very nice and total opposite of what shows and movies have portrayed them as. Look past labels and get to know them like we got to know Andrew Clark (the Jock) from The Breakfast Club.

2. “Teachers and Principals are pure evil”. You may hear kids around the school saying “I swear my teacher hates me!” or “Our teacher is crazy”. In reality principals never directly attack you like Vernon did in The Breakfast Club; he was just pure crazy. They will never be like Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World, and they will certainly never be like Vernon from The Breakfast Club.

3. “Nerds get shoved in lockers”. Have you ever seen or heard of a “nerd” or anyone else getting shoved in a locker by a bully? Me neither! Where did this getting shoved in a locker thing come from? Have you seen lockers in high school? They’re small! No one can fit in those. If anyone did that back then, they surely don’t do it now.

4. “Nonexistent dress code”. In movies like Clueless and The Jerk Theory you have to wonder if there was any dress code. Do their schools just ignore them? In the real world that would not be allowed.

5. “Cheerleaders only wear their uniforms.” In Glee, they wore their uniforms to establish their ranking and how important they are. The uniforms are revealing and uncomfortable to wear at all times. Cheerleaders wear their regular clothes for school, not their uniforms.

When you go to any event or activity in Wright County you have probably noticed a guy, usually wearing a backwards baseball cap, wielding a camera and lurking around the edges snapping pictures. Some of you may follow him on Twitter or even know him personally, for others he may be merely a mystery. His name is Rob LaPlante, and he works for the Wright County Journal Press as a Sports’ Editor.

Laplante has became a phenomenon around Buffalo High School (BHS). Tasked with writing weekly stories about Mississippi 8 sports, he is constantly interviewing athletes and coaches and has developed a strong relationship with the BHS community. He has come to know many of the students’ personally through research and face-to-face contact, but almost no one knows anything about him.

“See, a lot of people don’t know this, I’m a lot older than they know. I graduated in ‘90 then I did not do college right away like your typical student. I finally decided to do college 5 years after, so I graduated from St. Cloud State in 2000,” stated LaPlante.

Laplante currently lives in Maple Grove with his wife and daughter, and is now working up to 7 days a week as a successful journalist in Buffalo.

Laplante seems to have clones of himself, as he is infamous for being at nearly every Bison sporting event. He loves that aspect of the job.

“The best part [of my job] is when you see me out there, shooting photos and talking to you guys,” smiled LaPlante.

LaPlante states that his inspiration for all his hard work is his mother.

“She gives me the strength to go about my daily life on good days and bad.”

His mother passed away in 2003 from cancer.

LaPlante attends so many games that he claims he’d “be a broke man” if he didn’t get into the games for free.

He doesn’t just go there to watch the games. He is constantly taking pictures of the athletes and posting mid-game updates on Twitter. He then takes all of his acquired information and writes the stories that appear in the newspaper.

“I’m usually in the office three days a week. It’s pretty intense. Physically writing takes a lot of time.”

“There’s something about it. You get your nails dirty. You should see me when I garden; I’m a mess. I don’t know. I like it. I like growing. I like the beauty.

Meet Michael Boggess, a math teacher with a with a reputation of being a very kind and intelligent man who has an amazing hidden talent.

He grew up in Redwood Falls, Minnesota and lived there through high school, and he attended college in St. Cloud. After many years of teaching, Boggess has decided it is time for him to retire. This isn’t something that comes easy to him, as he is losing a big part of himself.

“Oh gosh... it’s hard, you know,” said Boggess. “I’m going to miss the kids, I’m going to miss teaching, I’m going to miss fellow workers, so it’s going to be hard.”

Boggess’s plans after retirement involve traveling, reading, and mostly gardening; which keeps him busy from March to November. He might even look into getting a job at a plant nursery.

Boggess has been gardening his whole life.

“My dad grew up on a farm. I didn’t like gardening because he always made us go pick the peas, but then he always had flower gardens too, and he used to save flowers and bring them in, in winter.”

Boggess has had his own gardening business for eight to ten years and used to work for another gardener for eight years.

For his work from the cities of Plymouth and St. Paul, he was won awards. Boggess is very passionate about every aspect his work and when it comes to choosing to be any plant he says he would want to, “be them all.”

“The first thing that came to mind would be a Magnolia because they’re a great big beautiful flower. I can’t limit it to one. I like an oak, they are big and stately, but I’m just a little person. I don’t know, I’d be a lot of trees. I couldn’t say one tree. I’m sorry.”

Buffalo High School is home to 395 seniors. All of them are unique in their own ways, yet some have left an outstand­ing footprint here. They have had many impactful encounters that have made them stand out. From musical arts, to just being a flat out genius, here are some of the many outstanding people in this school.

Nick Swearingen Nick Swearingen has made a huge footprint here at BHS. He is the President of the Tri-M Music society, elected by his peers. He plays the guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and sings. He taught himself how to play everything. He was a part of the Minnesota Men’s all state choir. He is on the executive student council and is a tenor in BHS singers. He has taken AP Music, AP Calc, AP US History, CIS Econ, CIS Lit, CIS Chem, and CIS College Algebra.

Leah Mussell Leah Mussell is another well-known senior at BHS. She is in soccer and track and also managed girls’ basketball. She has received the Academic All Conference in all three of the sports and Academic All State for Track. She has lettered in Academics every year. This year, she was inducted into the BHS Hall of Fame. She’s most proud of being awarded Track Captain and the Triple I award, which stands for Impactful, Inspirational, and Influential. She’s also part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership team and has been a member for the past three years.

Jacob Jungwirth is an outgoing senior who has impacted many people here at this school. He is in AP history, AP stats, and a many CIS classes, is captain of the varsity soccer team, and varsity tennis team. He was named Most Dedicated Player and MVP in soccer. He works extremely hard at everything he does. In his free time he likes to go fishing and beat Jerame Schuetzle in FIFA.

Sarah Kolling is involved in many extracurricular activities here at BHS. She is a member of the swimming team, student council, National Honors Society, marching band, jazz band, Students Stepping up, Impact leaders, and the music listening team. She takes many challenging classes, some of those being AP Calculus I and II, CIS Chemistry, CIS Human Anatomy, CIS Writing, CIS Spanish 4, and AP Biology. Kolling has received multiple awards over her years at BHS. She received the Hanover Vitalization Award, Excel Award, Girl Scout Silver and Gold awards, Students of Excellence award, and the department award for music.

Nina Johnson is another senior at BHS that has been outstanding her four years here. Johnson has been involved in many extracurricular activities over the years, including Cross Country, Track, Volleyball, Nordic Skiing, Softball, National Honors Society, Impact Leaders, Students Stepping Up, Marching and Jazz bands, the music listening team, and BHS Singers. She has taken CIS Algebra, CIS Anatomy, AP Stats, and AP Biology.

Abby Deneen is a very unique and hard working student. She is active in playing the clarinet in concert band, piano for jazz band, and plays hands bells at her church. She has taken AP US History, CIS College Algebra, CIS Human Anatomy, CIS Writing and Critical Writing, AP Calculus, CIS Intro to Economics, and CIS Chemistry. She has received the Department Award from the Science Department last spring at the Academic Excellence ceremony. She’s got a very busy schedule, so she spends her free time catching up on sleep.

Reed Morehouse takes part in three sports at BHS. He participates in Cross Country, Hockey, and,Track. While balancing his constant practices and games he has been taking very rigorous classes such as AP History, AP Calculus, AP Stats, CIS Exercise Physiology, CIS Economy and more. Morehouse has received the Academic letter award all four years of high school, three academic all conference awards for hockey, three academic all conference awards for cross country and, two academic all state awards for track. Morehouse has received an extraordinary amount of awards throughout his high school career. He is currently captain of the track team.

Sophomore Jon Pearson has a job that people would not expect from a high school student. He trains dogs in the Pearson family’s business Performance Kennels.

Performance Kennels trains the dogs for patrol, drug detection, and bomb detection. When Pearson was old enough he didn’t really have a choice in whether he helped trained the dogs or not.

“I was born in the family, and then I started one time, I don’t remember when, and I liked it, so I stayed with it,” said Pearson.

The dogs are purchased before they are trained and begin training when they are 10-14 months old. It takes 9-12 weeks to train the dogs for patrol and drug detection, while it takes about 14 to train for bomb detection. The dogs he uses for patrol are German Shepherds. Others are “sporting breeds” like golden retrievers and other labradores.

“[For training dogs for bombs] you put the powder in a little can and you tell them to smell it, and once you can tell they smell it, you make them sit and you give them a ball, or a treat,” said Pearson. “After they get it you start to hide the can and make them find it.”

To train the dogs for drug detection, it’s the same principle, except drugs are used instead of bomb materials.

Training the dogs for patrol is different. The dogs need to train them to bite someone.

“You use a tug, and you tug them. They think it’s fun, and they want to bite you. Then you get a sleeve, same thing, but on your arm, and then you run away [and have them chase you],” said Pearson. “It’s fun to run away from them and feel them bite, as long as it doesn’t go through the sleeve.”

Once the dogs are trained they are sent to police departments or other places like the military. They have sent dogs all over the country, and some have also gone to Canada. For dogs that they sell to the military, the retirement age is five years. One dog was going to go to Afghanistan, but it was four and a half so by the time it started duty there, it would have been too old.

It’s tough not to get connected to animals that you’ve been around for a long time, but Pearson has learned to not build a relationship and not get too attached to the dogs.