The Hoofprint – June 2016

As another year comes completion at BHS, we once again stand in awe at how quickly the year has passed, and how suddenly we are young—adults making big decisions. Whether next year is a large step in a new direction, or it is yet another year in similar, our community will always be home.

Memories made at BHS will be retold to our children in our classrooms, and relived regardless of our location. Although each year our school separates and adapts to students coming and going, we have collectively grown up together; a bond throughout our developmental years that will—hopefully—never be broken.

In this time of change as our senior class graduates, it is important that we all remember that regardless of where we are in the world or who we are with, there is always a place of us back in Buffalo; BHS. Wherever you are next year, on this summer, or tomorrow, cherish your memories made in Buffalo, but don’t forget to move forward and discover the world.

Anxiety
As anxiety becomes a more prominent issue, we must recognize its effects on us. High school. Whether anxiety is caused because of school or other triggers, it is troublesome for those at BHS with it.

Activites Budget
In a system supported by thousands of dollars, it is difficult to comprehend where sports money disappears to. From transportation to coaching and food, each budget is individualized.

03 Just Numbers

04 Anxiety

06 College Decisions

08 AAA & Campus

10 Activities Budget

11 Budget

12 Dress Code

14 Gary Bakke

16 Calista Susa

As the year comes to a close and students look at their transcript to reflect on the year’s "accomplishments," they find a collection of classes, tests, and grades, but more than anything else, they find numbers. Though those numbers do mean something, they certainly don’t mean everything.

Some things, by their very nature, are not represented by numbers. Consider the time you finally read in AP Calculus. It seems like your future is determined by numbers. It is easy to think those numbers represent who you are: your GPA, grades, and class rank are just some of the statistics that reflect a small portion of who you are. No number can show your compassion for others. No number can show passion. No number can show how you treat yourself.

I’ve had people tell me that math is a great equalizer, but it’s also important to remember that numbers can be misleading. I put myself down if I don’t do as well as I expect to. I’ve seen and heard people think poorly of themselves due to a poor test result, causing them to stop taking joy. I’ll never give two jolts of applause if I’m not a straight-A student.

Although these numbers are a large part of our view of the world right now, ten years from now no one, including yourself, will care what your grade was during your second quarter of English sophomore year. It’s the person you develop as someone off the page who matters most. That’s the sort of thing that can’t be captured in a number.

It’s the small moments in life and relationships with people that matter more than our scores. So, the next time you find yourself stressing over a single digit or percentile, remember that those numbers do not define you. They are only a small piece of the larger picture that makes up who you are.

June 2016

After Mrs. Guida finishes reading, the bell rings and the classroom gets a little louder. A junior phone handed to me so that I can bring in the news day.

It’s a tradition, but despite how familiar I am with it, I still get a little restless, just barely waving at my wrist like a silent clock. I get paralyzed, wondering if I’ll mess it up. And if I do, how will I do it? Will people notice? Will they laugh? If so what will be the effect, and how will I live on?

To this I don’t want to be alone; I want to be heard, to be known. It’s more familiar with anxiety and indecision than I am with anything else in my life. Even while I’m writing this article, one of the most truthful to myself I’ve ever penned, I’m wondering if people who know me will read it and think I’m just being self-indulgent, or if they’ll see that I’m trying to draw attention to something that so often seems to go overlooked in high school. In the past, The Hedges has run an article about overwhelmed students schoolwide and how they try to cope, but it’s time to take a long, hard look at what exactly, the effect of these schedules is.

The most telling statistic was discovered in a study conducted in 2008 by the American Psychological Association. According to their research, typical schoolchildren have the same levels of anxiety on a day-to-day basis as child psychiatric patients in the 1950s.

Correspondingly, the problem in the fact that according to an article published in The Atlantic in 2013, anxiety levels have continued to rise since then. Not only is the problem real, it’s getting worse.

Even worse, the number of people suffering from anxiety is increasing, as well. According to a paper published in the Psychology Today, over 17% of individuals suffer from anxiety disorders every year, and over the course of our lives, 28% of people will in some point be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In 2013, Statista found that 80% of adolescents met the diagnosis for multiple subsets of anxiety disorders (including, but not limited to, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder).

Due to the fact that these disorders are now commonplace, the physical ailments caused by them are more commonplace. Higher anxiety levels are linked to hypertension, arthritis, respiratory illness, and arthritis, as well as other ailments. Not only are students being affected, parents, teachers, and emotionally in the present, they’re also setting themselves up for physical ailments in the future.

With a problem clearly identified, the question of what can be done about high school anxiety is raised. There’s no instant cure-all for anxiety. Certain medications, such as benzodiazepines and Carbanaprats, have anxiety-relieving effects, but they are often highly addictive and provide only temporary relief. Counseling often has a proven positive effect and chemicalised resoleding during exams are also common to reduce anxiety levels.

The long and short of this issue is that anxiety is a complex issue with a variety of causes and no easy solution. It’s not an issue to be dismissed easily, but it’s extremely important to address, and soon, or else we’ll be facing a generation of anxiety-ridden teens with problems in all aspects of their daily lives.

Fading from darkness, a constant rumble can be heard around the block. Loud and noisy, it is only added to by laughs of glee that occasionally accompany the distant sound of wheels on asphalt. Four boys’ chit-chat on the hill, laughing and doing tricks as they zoom past on skateboards.

“I have no idea,” said Freshman Caleb McCormick. “I just do it for fun.”

The scene changes to a basketball across the water, tugging at the arms of younger teenage girl on a pair of skis. Slipping from wave to wave, her smile only emphasizes the outer delight she finds in being flung behind a boat at 45 miles per hour, even with the slight discomfort in her arms as a hold on disappears.

“When you first get up it just gets hit by because honestly it’s so hard to do, especially with shallow skiing. And when I do tricks or go over the wake it’s just that same joy. It’s really fun, especially when you are with friends and can do crazy stunts together,” says Freshman Cassie McNitt. “It takes a lot of bravery to do certain things, so there’s even a little bit of fear and adrenaline added to the ride.”

Again the scene changes, but this time it feels different. No laughing can be heard, no smiles can be seen. A sense of bittersweet can not only be seen on this person’s face, but seems to emanate through the inside of their car. Looking at the clock, a scowl comes across their face as they finally realize the time. It’s 7:00 AM on a Saturday; they should be sleeping in, but duty calls. Reluctantly, they pull their keys from the ignition, open the car door, get out, only to close it once again. Only then do they walk into their first day of their Summer job, a mixture of emotions jumbled inside them.

“When you get there, it isn’t that bad, but before you get there it’s when it really sucks,” says Senior Cole Shuker. “That is when you are getting out of bed and eating breakfast when you would rather be sleeping in.”

It’s unbelievable sometimes, what you may hope up to be amazing, but then someone else may see that same thing and dread it. Summer is a only one of many of those things, and it is just around the corner, bringing varying emotions with it. For some people, it brings feelings of joy and freedom; meanwhile for others, it brings a feeling of dread as they have to return to Summers jobs for various tasks now added to their already busy plate.

A dull drone fills the building for a few brief seconds and the hallways surge with students. It’s Friday, 3:45 p.m. Although classes are done for the day, all school announcements are still being made—room changes are announced in the bleachers, all the buses are accounted for, and the morning bell rings again. Seniors leave early, and other students are there to pick them up or just to talk about the weekend and different obligations and agendas to get done.

It’s 3:52 p.m. Off the freshman wing, Social Studies teacher Todd Manheim gathers the door to his classroom, even though nobody is trying to enter. The room is completely empty. Without notices in the building, Manheim’s room is left quite empty for a long time. A few students and other staff members walk through the area. A crowd of freshmen girls are excitedly and redirected to the CFA for their finals assembly. The warning bell sounds, and one more count of students walks in.

“Wow! It is, like, empty, you know?” a blonde girl shouts to the conference room and another one glares at her from the end of the hallway.

It’s 3:40 p.m. An announcement from the front office is made that the auditorium will be open for students and all are encouraged to attend. The auditorium is empty and the group of people milling over the area are a sea of fluorescent smiles.

I don’t get out into the hallways for an hour and a half. My friend and I walk through the lights, and the day goes on. The faculty’s hallway officers are left to do the hallway duty while the rest of the building is empty. The custodians knock on doors to remind students of the closing time and ask them to leave. The last person to leave is a man in a janitorial room with the mop, sweeping the floor of dust and gum wrappers.

By 3:55 p.m. Students who were in the halls head to their cars and leave. The school is left in the hands of students and staff who remain. It’s like the school day is a big wave that lasts only minutes and then disappears. We all shuffle out. There’s a tiny moment of silence that stretches until the parking lot clears up.

3:58 p.m. Our halls have a tiny hum to them as people talk in the distance, but then it all dies down. I leave the building and the bell rings for the end of the day. The janitors take the trash and clean up the cafeteria. I walk to the parking lot and get into my car. The final bell chimes and I leave the building.

It’s after the bell. Students are gone and the hallways echo with footsteps. The day is over. Students head out into the world. The end-of-the-day movement is as brief as the buzz of a fly. It’s a small, final, communal event—students and staff exhale together and then dissolve into the afternoon.

Parent portal has become an integral part of school life over the past several years for all students at BHS schools, whether they like it or not. We recently sent out a survey to BHS asking them how they use parent portal, if their parents use it to monitor their grades, and whether opinion of how useful it is to them as a student. The results were reported and were from parents too home school and alternative site to those students and parents as a tool for monitoring performance in school. One of the positives of the platforms is that it allows a more stressed and difficult task it needs to be. The results from the survey showed that the majority of students agree that parent portal has made their school life easier, but there were also a number of critics saying parent portal had made life more difficult for them. Whatever students opinions of Parent Portal are, it appears the site is here to stay, whether it's for you or not.

A dim light shone over the stage as the FFA State officers called the class of FFA State Officers called the class of finalists. After three long days of competitions, awards ceremonies, and stays in our official dress, the Buffalo FFA Chapter was exhausted and ready to go home. The FFA State Convention is a small event for most of us, but points are tallied over the year and practice every week to weeks a trip to Nationals could be achieved.
She is in her last year of Maggie Socha, a sophomore at Buffalo High School. She had gone through the rounds of the Prepared Public Speaking Contest and had advanced to the final round. Maggie had been practicing her speech for months and had been in this CDE for several years. "I had been more prepared when I had been here and proud of her making it into the top five.
As the day dragged on, we all fought to stay awake for a single moment - to see what place Maggie would get. Tensions were high and the whole crowd had been very anxious. The end came, and our all names were announced and our attention snapped as the competitors walked on and off the stage.
A girl who had shown true passion for agriculture, her love for her pet piggy was apparent. As they entered the stage we all stood up in anticipation. Only the top four would be recognized and congratulated. It was everyone's goal to make it to nationals, and as the numbers were called, time seemed to stop. No one could imagine what Maggie was feeling. We peered over the railing in rows of us, and from our seats, but from inside of the building our face flushed, were being called. Finally two people were left to go on to be the national team, and of the other whole name wouldn't even be mentioned. We grabbed each other's hands and held our breath.
"This year's first place winner, who will be advancing to nationals, is Maggie Socha!" several times. then someone snapped pictures as she and the rest of the finalists posed for an unforgettable evening. The end of an exhausting competition, and yet it was an honor to represent our school and FFA program.
Maggie Socha, state champion, will be representing the school at the national convention. The end.

For the past couple years BHS only hosts one dance for all students to attend. This year, that song to changes.
June 3, 2016: BHS is hosting a Hangout/Insted dance in the courtyard. The dance is also to be the promation's beginning.
Student council members were already making burns for the dance as instruction for this year. They heard the dance as the "Last Chance Dance". Another first for this dance is that it's being hosted in the courtyard. The courtyard has no official purpose, but some teachers take their students out to work in the courtyard on nice days. This will provide a change of scenery and a chance for the normal "school" atmosphere that has been tradition. The dance will be held outdoors.
As the dance has been reported to run from seven to 10 p.m. "Dusk" is the time that administration gives us," said junior Student Council member Carson Reichard when asked about this peculiar and unique name for the dance.
"We're gonna have lots of hanging lights, a concession stand, a DJ and a decorated, we aren't gonna have a full band, we want it to be about the students," said junior Dance Chair Sabrina Musterberger. "It's real casual music, Hawaiian shirts and shorts. We really want to appreciate the students extra this year."
The dance is June 3, from 7 pm to 10 pm. For more information, contact Student Council members.

It’s a warm fall day and students find themselves at Buffalo Community Middle School with a bunch of friends and classmates paying a few bucks to enter the varsity football game. But where does that money go? The money comes in through user club district called the General Fund.

"The General Fund is basically just big pot of money, but it funds the whole district," said Activities Director Tom Bauman. "So textbooks at Montrose are no different than volleyballs here or computers at Tattnall."

Money from user general funds and tickets go to things like uniforms, referees and the varsity football team and band. The district only splits the user fees from the activities between sports and clubs because both student activities have to be split.

"The General Fund gives us money like field trips, artwork supplies and computers and standard supplies," said Bauman.

He also said that the money is used for uniforms and transportation, and to pay for custodial, officials and equipment, and repairs to fields, gyms and district property.

"The General Fund gives us money that helps us operate and keep our programs running," Bauman said. "It’s the basic money that comes in that’s used for supplies and paying for officials."

Students who participate in activities get money from a variety of sources, such as user fees, fundraisers and sponsorships. However, the most money often comes from ticket sales, concessions and other school-related revenue.

Bauman also said that schools can lose money when teams play in away games because they have to pay for transportation and officials. "We’ll have a lot of expenses to cover that we don’t always have in our regular schedules," he said.

Many different levels, so there need to be a lot of coaches. Lacrosse, on the other hand, has less players and only two levels - JV and Varsity - so less coaches are needed. Crowd Control has losses of the new levels for Concessions has lot of money. That is because football gets more money than other sports. For example, when charging admission there is a lot of money collected at gates.

There’s a lot of money collected for the band for equipment for band and also for a section called the Music Fund.

"We also have major expenditures for band, but we do quite a bit with the boosters for extra uniforms and equipment that the General Fund doesn’t cover," he said. "Booster clubs are key to keeping a lot of the extra things going."

Bauman said that he sees more students and parents becoming involved in fundraisers and booster clubs, which help pay for things such as travel, equipment and uniforms.

"They do a lot of the fundraising for activities," Bauman said. "They’ll sell concessions, run fundraisers, and some will pay for travel. It’s a big part of keeping everything afloat."

With fewer funds, schools have to cut activities and that makes it harder for students to participate. When the district had to cut programs in the past, it focused on reducing lower-participation activities first, Bauman said.

"We try to protect as much as possible, but sometimes we have to make tough decisions," he said. "When that happens, the community and booster clubs really step up."

Some boosters also have to do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work to make sure events run smoothly, such as working the gates or managing the scoreboards. "They’re the ones who often do the work that lets us run the events smoothly," Bauman said.

There are other costs that don't always get the same attention, like officials’ fees, security, and transportation. "These are things that are essential but not always visible to parents and students," said Bauman.

Bauman said that schools are also trying to find new ways to bring in money for activities, including hosting tournaments and camps, and renting out facilities when possible. "Those are ways we can bring in funds without relying solely on the General Fund," he said.

"At the end of the day, it's about making sure that students have as many opportunities as possible to participate in activities," Bauman said. "We do what we can with the resources we have, and we rely on our communities to help fill in the gaps."

Buffalo High School Backpacks Hats Short Shorts Phones
Rockford High School Backpacks Hats Short Shorts Phones
Orono High School Backpacks Hats Short Shorts Phones
Maple Lake High School Backpacks Hats Short Shorts Phones

* Phones allowed in certain classes, based on individual teacher's preference.

Buffalo High School has an almost non-existent dress code. We can wear hats, short shorts, use electronic devices, and carry our backpacks from class to class. This makes Buffalo unique among neighboring schools.

Maple Lake High School, on the other hand, is much less lenient. Their Student Handbook forbids saggy jeans and handkerchiefs hanging out of pockets. Phones and other electronics cannot be seen at school, and if one is lost or stolen, the school won't help you find it.

Orono, on the other hand, has a similar dress code to Buffalo, but short shorts are prohibited.

If you visited Rockford High School, short shorts and hats are nowhere to be found. Maddy Bremel, a Rockford junior, commented on her school’s current dress code, saying, "The handbook says it's strict, but they don't really enforce it much. The one thing that they really don't like are hats and inappropriate messages on shirts. Otherwise, they don't enforce the rules. It doesn't really affect me because I wear sweatpants and t-shirts everyday, and I don't understand kids who wear hats inside. It seems unnecessary to change anything."

A BHS sophomore commented on our permissive dress code by saying, "I think that clothes are a way to express yourself and with Buffalo High School being so artistic and creative, people wouldn't like that taken away."

The Dream

"I would do almost anything to get the kids going, get them excited, whether they were in my classroom or on my team. Whether it took jimmy hair grease or promissory to get them motivated or to wear the word on the t-shirt," said Gerry Bakke, former head wrestling coach and teacher.

Bakke was much more than a teacher or a coach. He was a friend, a mentor, an inspiration, and above all a dream chaser.

Since he was young, Gerry Bakke knew that he wanted to inspire. His father had always told him that he was to be a minister and a teacher because you could preach. At first Bakke wanted to be a minister, but realized he could only preach once a week. Bakke looked at his second career choice, teaching, and realized there was many percents to it. He could preach five days a week and get involved in coaching sports and other activities.

The Teacher

"When I was young I wanted to teach and coach in a high school," said Bakke. "I came to Buffalo and was very impressed with the school and heard about the potential with the wrestling team."

Bakke started off with a great teaching opportunity in 1967 when he began at Buffalo High School. While there, he would often go to the wrestling team practices and talk with the kids. Bakke was persistent and hardworking, always trying to motivate the students to accomplish their goals.

The Coach

Bakke had a long impacted on athletes. Gerry Bakke coached wrestling, track and field, cross country, and boys tennis. Although Bakke had an immense love for all those sports he had the biggest impact in wrestling.

"I always dreamed about winning the state tournament," said Bakke. "Ever since I was a kid."

As a high school wrestler Bakke placed sixth in the state at 140 lbs. Ever since then he has strived to reach big dreams by winning titles. He loves seeing kids reach their goals and achieve their dreams and to see his students reach the goal they always dreamed of. He made it his goal to help athletes achieve their goals.

"This is the part of coaching is at the end of the season, during tournament time," said Bakke. "All year we talked about goals and if finally got to see them reach their goals. I would bring them a little statue and each week they would have something to achieve."

Bakke led seven out of the eight Buffalo teams that made it to the state tournament, producing many state entries, placers, and winners. He took one of the teams to state to win an overall place finish in class A. He believed so strongly in the sport and coached for more than 40 years, because dreams are something to be achieved.

Although Bakke was not able to lead the Bison to a State Championship, what he did for the wrestlers was to coach them to be better men and to succeed. Bakke is remembered as a great man who had a dream.

"I always had a heart for kids," said Bakke. "It is that human element and you go to a football game and the kids will run up and say hi to you. That is part of the reward."

Bakke touched the lives of many athletes and students in the community and his legacy will live on through their accomplishments. When he would travel across the state to the Buffalo Middle School dedicated their wrestling room in Bakke's honor. The dedication was held for several years and the Buffalo Middle School wrestling room was dedicated to Gerry Bakke on February 4, 2003.

We offered the opportunity to teach and start a new class at BHS called Mirrorimetrics. Bakke took the offer and made the class his own.

"I loved not teaching out of a text book," said Bakke. "I got to make the class what I wanted it to be."

Gerry Bakke's coaching career at BHS taught many values including: Mentoring, Diversity, Social Problems, Current Events, and more, and gave some time to teaching Civics. Every day we came to school excited to teach and work with kids. There was never a dull day and that is what classes are all about."

Gerry Bakke, School Photo 1967

Q: What event has impacted your life significantly?
A: My bleeding on the brain last April :/

Q: What lessons have you learned because of it?
A: To not look at life that is 'just life.' It's more meaningful, and helped me become more grateful for the life I live. I feel more compassionate towards others as well, cause I know they may have gone through situations that has made them who they are. We are all very different, but we all have that in common.

Q: If you were to live a movie what title would best fit?
A: 'Live Life to the Fullest.'

Q: Would you give a homeless person CPR if they were dying? Why or why not?
A: Yes, because I would want to at least try to help them. I would feel too guilty knowing I didn't help when I could have.

Q: If you had a friend that spoke to you the way you speak to yourself, how long do you think that person would be your friend?
A: Some days I try to inspire myself, other days maybe an hour, so it would depend on the day.

Q: What one piece of advice would you offer a newborn infant?
A: I wouldn't offer them anything because I don't think they would remember what I said, but if they did it would be to be proud of the life you live.

Q: Is it better to love and be loved or to never love at all?
A: When you don't have to ever dream of it, and when you lose it you doubt; both have their ups and downs.

Q: What is one of your favorite habits you have?
A: That I am confident and outgoing.

Visit Calista's CaringBridge at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calistasusa

Q: Is it more important to be liked or respected?
A: Respected because I would rather get treated nicely than be liked and get treated poorly.

Q: What do you think should be done about substance abuse and why?
A: I know there are a few improvements that need to be made. People learn differently, so I think it would be great if they could adopt a different program.

Q: What do you value the most about a friendship?
A: I value the comfort that comes with knowing they will always be there. It's different than family because you don't need to be stuck with them.