The Hoofprint – November 17, 2005

The new Ceramics and Tech-Ed area was finished this fall before school started. It wasn’t supposed to be finished until the fall of 2006, but the construction workers were accomplishing their final touches a year early.
As Ceramics Teacher Jon Holtz was scrambling to move into his new room just one day before school started, some of his students back home preparing for school had no idea there was a new room. "I didn’t even know they were making a new room. I didn’t find out until I walked into the old room, and was told about the new room," said Senior Alissa Doll. "I was so surprised."
It wasn’t just a surprise to the Ceramics students, but the Tech-Ed students didn’t know it would be finished either.
The old ceramics room only had a couple of wheels, so people had to take turns using them. There was also limited work space in the old room; you would have to fit 7-8 people to a table," said Junior Alyssa Graunke.
Their faults of the old rooms provided a launching pad of ideas for the new rooms.
The new ceramics room provides the students with what they were undersupplied with in the past.
The Ceramics I class work skillfully on their clay stamp project in the new ceramics room. The ceramics and tech. ed. area both gained some much needed space, allowing students to have more room to work on all projects.
"I never knew when it was supposed to be done, but I knew they were making more rooms," said Senior Dan Kalk. "I first saw them on the first day of school, and they turned out really nice."
The rooms were finished early, and they were finished without the dilemmas of the old rooms.
There were some setbacks in the old pits.
The wood-tech room suffered from lack of space just as the ceramics room did.
"The old wood-tech room only had a small room for staining your projects. It would get crowded," said Senior Jared Ackmann. "And now they have added a whole separate room."
"The new room is really nice, and there is a lot of room. It is nice for working because nobody gets in your way," said Graunke. "There is a wheel for everyone, plus extra. If anything, we could use more shelves for work in progress, but I like the

Beep-beep-beep-beep alarms the cash register. Insufficient funds again.
The lunch room sounds ring in the ears of students.
Buffalo High School consumed 94,676 lunches last year. Rising prices and unavailable nutrition facts have students on edge.
When asked for the nutrition information of Bosco Sticks, the lunch staff produced a strip of cardboard, rigidly torn off of the shipping box. It stated the ingredients.
"Sorry, we were unable to find the nutrition information," apologized a friendly face.
Fifty-five percent of students polled said they would like to know the nutrition facts of the lunch room food; however, that information is unavailable at all levels of the school, district, and state.
"I would like to know what I'm eating," said Junior Logan Hoffman.
"The information is unavailable," said the Director of Food Services, Marilyn Splinter. "Foods are prepared according to USDA guidelines."
Splinter said nutrition information should be available online soon, even though schools are not required to disclose it.
The guidelines require meals to have no more than 30 percent of calories from fat, and less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat.
Ala Carte items do not follow these

Say hello to the new 2005-2006 Foreign countries. Anywhere from u. Brazil to Serbia..
Theatre pro- With the department's & Oliver stage crew that make the show work..
With the winter sports wrap up for the Bison teams.

Juniors, sophomores, and freshman are only a few months away from trying to create a balanced schedule for next year's classes. Twenty-two College in the Schools (CIS), Advanced Placement (AP) classes and enriched course are being offered this year. The school also offers Creative Foods, Jewelry, Dance and a variety of band classes.
Some students feel this variety is a good thing; however some students feel that these easier classes act as crutches for those students who don't want to do work.
"Those are definitely slacker classes [Foods, Dance and Band], people in them will even admit they're in it to boost their GPA," said Senior Jayanna Truong.
Many juniors and seniors take advantage of the CIS classes to get credit from Universities and AP classes to test out of college courses.
"You can save a lot of money by taking CIS and AP classes," said Senior Erik Rogness.
Thirty-four percent of 80 juniors and seniors surveyed are taking a CIS or an AP class and 95 percent of the students thought taking CIS and AP class was a good idea.
"They [CIS/AP classes] give motivated students a chance to be in an environment with other students who want to learn and want to be there," said Senior Laura Sandberg.
When choosing classes, students have a hard time choosing between fun classes and classes that will help with college, but could harm their GPA's. Some students think that grades should be weighed, or there should be a system to even out class difficulty, that," said Truong.
For example, fifty-two percent of the Concert Band is getting an A+, while only seven percent of the students surveyed are receiving A+'s in their CIS or AP classes.
"If you are taking harder classes, the grading system should be different, like it is in AP Calc, the rest should too. I don't know why it's so difficult for them to do something like
While some students feel certain classes are a waste of time, other students think these classes help them relax from an otherwise rigorous schedule.
"....it's [Band] fun and it allows you to be in extracurricular and get involved," said Sandberg.
When sending in their applications, the hope for many is that colleges will look beyond GPA and class rank.
"...even if the high school doesn't care how difficult the classes you take are, I think colleges will care, so in the end it may not matter," said Junior Matt Norris.

The American flag was raised by the Rogers Legion Club on the new grounds of Cabelas on Thursday, October 13. The next day the doors of the new Cabelas store opened to the public at 8 am. There were lines all over the store of people vane to get in.

"We're expecting 80,000 count on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday," said Cabelas Senior Vice President Mike Talahan.

Cabelas sits on a 40 acre chunk of a 55 acre lot, with the location right off of Interstate 94 and County Road 101. The store is approximately 185,000 square feet (about six times bigger than Buffalo Ice Arena).

The outside of the store is like the ones in East Grand Forks and Owatonna, with a log-built structure with green metal roofing. The parking lot has the abilities for RV parking, horse corrals, dog kennels, and boat storage. Boat-sales offices are inside the store.

Taxidermic animal mounts on the walls, a 58,000-gallon freshwater aquarium full of fish, from perch to muskellunge, found in Minnesota.

"This is the biggest store in the Cabelas chain of stores in Minnesota," said Talahan. "We went out on everything." So far there are 14 Cabelas store in the United States, and eight more are in negotiation for construction.

In the center of the store is a conservation mountain covered with animal mounts, everything from squirrels to musk ox. At the base of the mountain there is a pond with live brown trout in it. The purpose of the mountain is to show the work of local taxidermists. It is made up of desert, mountain, forest and tundra [etc]. Every Cabelas store has one.

Upstairs there is a deli and arcade style games, Backwoods Shooting Gallery and Laser Shooting simulation. The laser simulator has four games dove hunt, skeet shooting, hog hunt, and deer hunt. Backwoods Shooting Gallery is an area that looks like a backwoods home and trailer. On top of the mountain there is a fly-in floater plane. Most of the upstairs is for the camping gear.

"I really like the arcade games and Alaskan theme above the mountain," said Sophomore Riley Bennis.

The upstairs deli area has a cafeteria style to it. They serve sandwiches, pop, water, and chips. The deli can even cut up lunch meat for whole sale.

The overall layout can be seen from the front doors. Walk in the front doors, clothing in the front, firearms to the right, fishing to the left, and food and automotive in the back of the store.

"With the upcoming hunting seasons, Cabelas is expected to do quite well for business," Talahan id.

Down the hallways and above the light switches, signs display ways to conserve energy. "Be cool, dress for the weather," and "Look, water running down the drain is wasting energy in vain," are some slogans flaunted. The posters might seem comy, but they serve a purpose: promoting the SEE program, Schools for Energy Efficiency.
Of 50 students and teachers surveyed, 100 percent didn't know what SEE stood for.
A mere 20 percent of those surveyed have heard of it before and knew that it had to do something with energy.
"Umm...I think it's Students for Energy Efficiency," said American history Teacher Tracy Hulley.
SEE is a program designed to formulate methods to reduce energy use and energy-related expenses while at the same time improving the learning environment. Building and Grounds Director Sandra Hanson is in charge of the program for District 877. Her duties include putting up posters, light switch stickers and transmitting information to the district's tracking company, Bishop Engineering.
Since it started in October of 2003, 230 schools from 12 Minnesota school districts have been added to the list of participants.
Each school has a goal of reducing energy use by 10 percent with the help of a government-backed program called Energy Star.
According to Hanson, BHS has avoided $41,763 of the annual $800,000 energy bill in the first three quarters of SEE.

As you walk down the halls, friends exchange disrespectful, homosexual slurs like, "That person is so gay" or "What a fag." This slander spews from students' lips on a daily basis with no regard for the feelings of the gay or lesbian community. Students hear the word gay, and think of an act and don't consider, maybe that's not all homosexuality involves. Regardless of personal feelings about right or wrong, the intolerance must come to an end.

In order to educate students about discrimination towards the gays and lesbians of the school, students are considering forming a group for Friends of Lesbians and Gays (FLAG). The mission of this group is to support homosexual students and educate the public in order to stop intolerance. Although a wide variety of views, about the "correct relationship situation," exist between students, FLAG is necessary to bring physical violence and intolerant behavior to an end.

However, problems might arise from extremists on both ends of the spectrum. When FLAG goes into full swing, armies may stand, ready for battle. On one side, "crusaders for their noble cause," push their agenda on every man, woman, and [child]. On the other side, "gay-bashing soldiers of truth and the proper way" stand firm, ready to strike. FLAG might be the answer to put all this conflict to rest. Hopefully, the group advocates an understanding and tolerance, not school-wide acceptance, while people who can't accept their lifestyle, hopefully learn to tolerate.

"I think it is tolerant. There is racism, but only to the point. Most of it is in their thoughts."

"Everyone wants to think it is tolerant, but in reality, it really isn't. Everyone is just lying to themselves."

"Yes because I do not think there is a lot of racism here At least I don't see any."

"Yes because all the adults that work here treat all the students equally."

Dani Schmidt
Freshman

Michael Rose
Sophomore

Andrew Burns
Junior

Bobbie Johnson
Senior

Poll and photos by Ashley Adams

Walking into the large building, two
students frantically search for their classroom. Although they had previously toured
the school, the girls suddenly found themselves lost in a sea of people. Coming to a
new school was difficult enough, now the
girls faced the challenge of making friends,
living on their own, and succeeding in the
new environment that was St. Cloud State
University. The students opted out of their
senior year of high school to go to college
a year early, and although there are clear
benefits to going Post, the girls admitted to
feeling a sense of regret about the decision.
Post Secondary provides students with
the chance to get a head start on college
Not only do students get the opportunity
to experience college life sooner than most
of their classmates, but it also gives their
pocket books a rest for at least another
year. The program pays for schooling for
those students who choose to go this route.
For some students, this may seem like the
ultimate deal, but others feel it puts students at a disadvantage.
Sure, getting a whole year of college
in before you graduate high school can be a
huge benefit academically, but what about
socially? Most students consider their
senior year irreplaceable. Everything is
better when you are a senior. School activities such as Homecoming and Prom seem
to have the most meaning during senior
year. Missing all the excitement is something students won9t get a
chance to get back. Students who
skip senior year won9t get to be a
part of all the fun memories that
are a part of the last year of high
school.
The memories of senior year
are too precious for some students
to give up. Post Secondary may
be a good option for a few students, but most feel they are not
ready for college life. College is a
huge step, and students have a lot
of time to experience it. Although
getting done with generals a year
early would be nice, it isn9t worth
missing out on all the priceless

American high schoolers are obsessed with music. They walk around with discmans and iPods hooked up to their ears. They crank up the radio in the car and listen to CDs at home. They wake up to music in the morning, and fall asleep to it at night. America is also obsessed with quality. Americans aspire to be able to own expensive cars, name brand clothing, and fancy homes. Wouldn't it make sense to demand that same kind of quality in such an important part of our daily lives as music? It is a sad thing when all someone has to do is repeat "my humps" over and over again to produce a popular song. Beethoven said, "Music is a higher revelation than all the wisdom and philosophy." In the case of music, less is more and quality should overtake quantity. We need fewer artists with more talent. Would it be unreasonable to ask a singer to also write their own music? We refer to them as musicians and artists, and we should narrow the playing field down to only those who are. By making this demand, we could avoid people like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. We would get to know artists better and learn about them through their lyrics and how they present them in a song. Performing a new song should be a huge risk. In Breathe (2am), Anna Nalick sings, "and I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd cause these words are my diary screaming out loud." These artists should be forced to make their own original art. They would have the opportunity to write songs that are meaningful to them, and that are more satisfying to listen to. Sure, we'd have fewer musicians, but we would have more musicians of a higher caliber. Artists are idolized by people of all ages, but especially by the children. Artists who have to write their own music no longer can rely on their looks and sex appeal, but will be famous for possessing genuine talent, skill, and intelligence. Young children would be idolizing aptitude rather than sexy bodies. Something that takes up as much time as music does in our lives, has a wide influence on the whole culture. By demanding quality in music we have the opportunity to make a change that goes far beyond notes on a page.

In a country where one of our basic building blocks is freedom of speech, it seems we've hit a snag. Even the brilliance of our forefathers could not foresee our striking inability to listen to each other. On the international scene people argue and kill each other with arms of anger and deaf ears. In our own backyard, prejudice reigns supreme between neighbors who refuse to simply listen. In our own school newspaper, articles appear seeking reform and are met with unclever acronyms from the powers above. We are growing up in a society where people harbor strong opinions. Yet, those opinions possess little importance if we steadfastly remain opposed to the prospect of even considering the ideas of those who we disagree with. There never will be a day where the world, or even our relatively small community, will wholeheartedly agree on anything. Luckily for us, agreeing is not the most important aspect. Rather, taking a moment to open your mind to a perspective other than your own, will go further. Then, maybe the country music listening farmboy and the hip-hop listening city slicker will realize they aren't all that different. We might even begin to accept twenty more minutes of reading on Friday. Our ability to disagree with and question all that we wish to is a great gift, but it will continue to serve us little purpose until we are able to shut our mouths and open our minds.

As our society tries to grasp an understanding of true love, it runs into trouble. People of today hold a warped and butchered definition of love; that definition holds no sentimental value, nor any great significance. Finders of this <worldly love= unknowingly miss out on the true meaning of what they search for in their petty love relationships. People can claim that love defines itself in casual sex and a simple, <I love you.= Unfortunately, those who fall subject to such and artifical love and meaningless relationships, also fall subject to incomplete joy. Couples today seem to forget the actual reason for love...to find joy. That joy will only come through truthful and sincere relationships. People go about love the wrong way as they search to find it in their puppy love relationships. One should rather approach the situation by searching for that one relationship that is founded on truth and sincerity, and then love will come to them. Love creates a bond between people, and in order to experience the <true love= and joy that people desire, that bond must hold authenticity. Society pulls our attention away from creating those authentic bonds with others, resulting in dead end relationships and superficial love. The media plays a big role in these love misconceptions also, exemplifying the fact that almost all TV shows contain broken relationships with ex-lovers and one night stands. Society doesn’t seem to understand the fullness of true love. True love consists of more than the indescribable attraction between someone and their soul mate. It also refers to the loving bond between friends, the love for family, and most of all, the willingness to give one's life for another out of love. True love willingly makes sacrifices in relationships, sacrifices that eliminate selfish and conceded motives. Until Hollywood and Reality TV come to the understanding that love doesn’t find its definition in physical terms, it will never attain the meaning of love. Defining true love creates a challenging mission; people can come close, but they will never fully understand. Love is a lifestyle, and it takes a lifetime to define true love. The perfect definition will remain a mystery to all except for one man. That man lived a life of love, and he understood that of true love, applying it to all of his life and showing the greatest love through His sacrifice...(John 3:16).

Photo by Jamie Scott
During a break from class, Junior Andrew Hesse brings out his iPod to listen to as he finishes up his homework. With musicians ranging from Fifty Cent to Christina Aguilera, America needs new artists that can write their own lyrics and sing about themselves and not beating wives or getting dirty because it sets a low standard for America.

Photo by Jamie Scott
Holding hands in the hallway, a couple feels that this is the way to show their feelings for each other. The images on the TV gives people the idea that true love is simply an <I love you.=

A girl's scream rings throughout the
room, followed by the loud smack of her
body hitting the floor. Girls rush to her aide,
and help the latest victim to her feet. She is
just one of the many who have fallen on the
slippery cement floor.
Though dangerous when wet, the swimming
locker room floor at the middle school
should not cause bodily harm. All it takes
to avoid the hazardous situation is a strip of
two by 24 inch sandpaper placed periodically around the floor. Even with frequent
accidents, the school feels no need to put
money towards these necessary and
inexpensive strips.
With yellowing walls and mold incrusted tiles, the pool area is in serious need of remodeling. Most of the girls took to buying mats instead of sitting on the less
than desirable floor. For the last five years
the team needed new lane lines, but has not
received the funding to buy them.
Spending two and a half hours a day, five
days a week, and 15 weeks a year would be
less time than the average Buffalo swimmer
spends practicing in one season. With that
much time spent in the pool, the girls hoped
to slowly bring life back to the pool area.
When the referendum was passed, it looked
like some things could finally change.
Just under 10 million of the 14 million
dollar addition will go into the school activity center, the number of basketball courts
will be more than tripled, and it is said that
the new field house is going to be amazing.
However, of that 10 million dollars, swimming gets nothing. The team was forced to go business to business and find sponsors in order to upgrade their timing system.
With 10 million dollars coming in, the swim
team still sits and waits for funding.
The girl rubs her sore back as if trying to
smooth out the bruise that will surely appear.
As the basketball players run out onto new courts, and the volleyball players dive for the ball on the newly polished floor, the swimmers continue old routines. Tip-toeing across slippery floors and kneeling under showers that are too small, swimmers wait and try to keep from catching hypothermia in the arctic locker room.

After their double overtime victory over
Crown College, excitement started to flow
through the bodies of many Minnesota Morris football fans and players. Rushing the
field, fans attempted to take down the goal
post at the final game at Cougar field. After fans rocked the goal post back and forth,
it finally gave, taking with it the legacy of
Cougar Field, but also the life of Morris Student Rick Rose. Shouts of joy and excitement quickly turned to cries of horror and fear. With Rose crushed beneath the goal post, many frantically hurried to lift it off as others screamed for help.
The loss of life is always devastating.
No matter who it is; a parent, sibling, friend,
someone you see in the hallway, or even someone you hear about on the news. People
are always affected. Hanging out at someone's house, talking in the hallway and sitting down at lunch with one another, are all important things that people do not cherish. The loss of life happens too often for people to take anything for granted, especially the friendships that they have.
Learning one too many times that life is short, people need to realize that it is not worth it to bicker: it is just too short to let broken friendships remain. Life is too short to not be lived. Tell your friends that you love them, even if they will punch you. They will thank you later. If they don't, they will have regrets. I'm sure Rick Rose's friends would have said "I love you," if they knew October 22 was going to be his last day.

If there could be one word that sums up
why people get hurt and why people hate
each other, it would be rumors.
A rumor is defined as a piece of unverified information of uncertain origin usually spread by word of mouth or hearsay. Rumors can be anything from mean, nasty things, to a secret that no one else is supposed to know.
There are hundreds of rumors spread daily. Usually rumors are about what he or she did at a party. Rumors are a product of jealousy of someone who does something new; something that they usually would not do.
Any unusual activity can spark rumors. Everyone that hears it will tell someone else, even though they were sworn not to. High school students are very prone to hear rumors everyday. Rumors cause drama, hatred, and loss of good friends. Anyone can think of a rumor that was spread about them and they were hurt by it.
The best way to stop a rumor is to just ignore it and not tell other people. You aren’t going to go around and just deny something. The best thing to do is just keep your head up and focus on something more important, like school, sports, after school activities, or a job. In five to ten years, it isn’t going to matter if you kissed a certain person at a party or got wasted. It’s high school and stuff like that happens. Who cares if someone became a little carried away. It should not affect their life.
Everyone makes mistakes in their lifetime. That is just how we learn. If you know in yourself that a rumor is not true, then just forget about it. Life will be much easier if you ignore rumors and move on with your life.

Yes! I'm going to go to school in America for a year, and visit exciting places. It will be awesome, and I'll have the time of my life!
Wait a minute, where is Buffalo, Minnesota? Dang, that's far away from Florida.
This year's exchange students come from a variety of countries all over the
world. All of them wanted to experience America's culture hands on.
"In Serbia, you talk about perfect Switzerland, or U.S.," said Nikola Car from Sabac, Serbia. "I wanted to see how it was, see the culture and meet more people. I didn't expect it to be gorgeous. It's like in the movies, like the houses and the streets."
The exchange students all had different reasons for wanting to visit the U.S., but they all
agreed they wanted to experience the culture for themselves.
"I wanted to go I know for one year," said Andrew Vauthey from Fribourg, Switzerland. "I wanted to see a new culture, meet new people. I needed a break from my life, being here is like an adventure."
All schools are different in some way. Sometimes the differences are huge, and the change can be a shock.
"In Indonesia students don't really care about school," said Dana Hasibuon from
Bogor, Indonesia. "There is no air conditioning or second story to the building and it's almost a century old. It's easy to jump over fences and skip school."
Other students noticed simpler changes that go on during a school day, like walking to other classes.
"The high school here is a lot different, the way it is run, I noticed the teachers stay in the class and the students change classes," said Aline Kazitoris from Campinas, Brazil, "but in my high school, students stay in the classroom and the teacher changes."
So many differences to experience at once can be overwhelming.
First day jitters are common in students for starting a new year of school, especially if they are the "new kid."
"I was really tired, I didn't think about anything," said Ralf Vogler from Wallenfels, Germany. "The school and entry way is so big. I got lost a few times, and I was a bit confused."
From new families to new schools, foreign exchange students go though a whirlwind of change. Though the anxiety of experiencing new things to the homesickness everything is new to exchange students when they arrive in America, though they may be excited it's scary going to a new place.
"It was like my heartbeat was so fast, the experience of new things, there's always
obstacles, but I enjoy it," said Hasibuon.
Traveling to a place with a totally different culture can have many surprises. Some positive, some negative; weather wise goes either way.
"At first I didn't know where I was going to all over the 50 states," said Lisa Tsang from Hong Kong, China. "Then I saw I was going to Minnesota and saw the degrees get negative and I couldn't believe it could get so cold."
Leaving home is hard to do, especially without family by your side. Foreign exchange students live with a new family and meet new friends while they visit America. Through their stay they think of home, and remember family and friends back in their home country.
"I miss my mom and my parties," said Julieta Castillo from Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico. "I miss the happiness of everyone and the affection. It's like everyone is so focused on themselves, but I think it's a culture thing. We greet with kisses and here you don't."
Most of the exchange students are leaving in June of 2006. Many memories and experiences from living in Buffalo will be remembered by all.
"I'll probably miss my host family and friends," said Jovana Stevanovic from Jagodina, Serbia. "I'll miss the big malls, and the good clothes here. I'll miss visiting the big cities, like Minneapolis."
Buffalo, Minnesota is far from Florida, and isn't the most eventful town in America. All exchange students were glad they had received the opportunity to live here awhile, and all said they liked Buffalo High School. In awhile they'll board a plane, say auf wiedersehen / adios / au revoir, and all the other goodbyes to Buffalo and return back to their normal lives.
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Photo captions and single-sentence quotes included in the article page:
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal
Nikola Car from Serbia
Foreign Exchange Students 2005-2006 Rodrigo Dourado Brazil
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal
"I was nervous a bit, I got surprised because there are a lot of students and I did not know anybody and I had no idea where classes are," said Rodrigo Dourado from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Meike Danisch Germany
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal
"Here they have so many students, and a homecoming," said Meike Danisch. "I like it here. With our school it's all learning and no sport teams in afternoon, and we don't have a lunch time, we don't eat during the day,"
Nikola Car Serbia
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal
"I'll miss my new family but I'll be happy to be with my family again. I'll really miss all the friends I have made here and the school," said Nikola Car. "Most of all I'll miss refilling pop in McDonald's. We don't have that in Serbia."
Dana Hasibuon from Indonesia
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal
"I miss my mom and my parties," said Julieta Castillo from Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico.
Photo by Kayla Ronnie
Andrew Vauthey from Switzerland
Photo by Kayla Ronnie
Raissa Viana from Brazil
Petra Perttunen from Finland
Front row: Julieta Viana, Meike Danisch, Jovana Stevanovic, Roman Fisher - Maximillian Schmachtenberger
Second row: Andre Vauthey, Dana Hasibuon, Nikola Car, Rodrigo Dourado, Phillip Wagner, Florian Urban, Ralf Vogler, Rafael Bulcao Castillo, Petra Perttunen, Aline Kazitoris
Last row: Ling-Shan Tsang, Raissa Viana, Josephina Tsang, Nikola Car
Photo by Jolene Tokkesdal

"Oliver is a very thought-provoking show that will stir you innermost soul," said Junior Aaron Anderson. "It will expose you to the depravity of mankind and make you reconsider all that you hold to be true and lovely."

Director Tracy Hagstrom called eighteen middle school and elementary students to fulfill the new rolls for the chosen musical. In an attempt to recruit young talent Hagstrom held auditions the second week of school, open for anyone interested in performing. Sixth grader Zach Zumbusch landed the lead roll as Oliver, choosing the cast was not easy with each student having to read, sing and dance.

"I'm looking forward to the little kids. I enjoy meeting them and them meeting us," said Sophomore Emily Carlson. "It is a good opportunity for them to get involved in high school theatre."

The line between work and play is difficult for the younger cast members. This knowledge comes with experience. As the older cast members try hard to set good examples, the child in them has a tendency to sneak out occasionally.

"We have to work hard around them behavior-wise, try not to goof off, and know when it is work time and play time," said Senior Eva Walsh. "But it is nice having all the kids around; I hope we are setting good examples."

Opening night will prove to be the biggest test this year for the cast. In a live setting there is no way to anticipate the reaction of the audience. Learning the nuances of the stage comes only with experience.

"On opening night the adrenaline is pumping and things that may never have been funny to the cast suddenly seems funny to the audience," said Anderson. "But the overall goal is to be able to know how the audience will react."

Unlike most musicals, Oliver is a dark, serious drama. Written in the 1850s, the show contains perennial themes that affect society today such as domestic violence, homelessness, adoption, jealousy, fear, passion, love, perseverance, and reformation.

"Oliver is actually totally relevant to today," said Hagstrom. "Two main characters are involved in a very abusive relationship, where the woman keeps going back to the abusive man, young kids live on the streets, creating a gang having to steal to survive, and it is about creating a family when you're not blessed with one."

Photos by Emily Andrews

[Photo] with Tim Schmidt on Oliver, acting, and theatre
Photo by Mitch Biermann
Interviewed by Mitch Biermann

Q: Tell us about Oliver.
A: It's a show about a boy named Oliver. He lives in an orphanage. His mother comes to the orphanage when she's pregnant, and then she dies during childbirth. Then the people who run the orphanage keep him there and they don't feed them very well. (You know, it's like the early to mid-1800s orphanage, so they're not really well fed, it's dirty, they overwork them—that kind of thing.)

So one night he makes the mistake of asking for more gruel with his food, so they sell him to a mortician to work in a funeral parlor, and he runs away from the funeral parlor after he beats up one of the other people that works there for insulting his mother,

And he's running across the streets of London and he finds this character named the Artful Dodger who's about the same age as Oliver and he works for a thief named Fagan who brings all these children to him to steal things for him and then he'll in turn sell them on, like, a black market.

Q: What's spotlighted in the play, music and dance or Dickens and Oliver Twist?
A: It's actually kind of an interesting musical that way. Normally when people think of musicals it's a happy, fuzzy show where there's not really a whole lot of acting that goes on. I mean, when the acting happens it's very exuberant: and like to the full-tilt. Like if you're angry, you're real angry, and if you're happy you're really happy, and it's that kind of thing; there's no subtleties to the acting. But in Oliver the characters have a lot of depth, and you have to read into your characters a lot more and think about their motivation. They're not one-dimensional characters. It's a lot more focus on the dramatics with focus being as well on some really good music and some really fun dance numbers too.

Q: How does it keep that balance?
A: The music itself doesn't halt the show, it progresses the plot lines. It's not just, "We're going stop the show and do a number and then pick up where we left off afterwards." The music definitely progresses the plot along. It doesn't stop the show for the sake of, like, "We need a song here because we've gone four pages without a song."

Q: Tell us about your character, Fagan:
A: Fagan is a slightly older than middle—probably sixty or fifty-year-old, Jewish who lives in, like, the slums of London—he's a thief. And what he does is, he [like] hoards these children to his lair and he [has] like, an academy for thieves. And he [teaches] them how to steal things.

So they go out to rich gentlemen's street, or rich ladies, and they steal like handkerchiefs, and wallets, and stuff like that. And they bring them back to Fagan and keep the money and sell the watches, or what have you. And he'll sell it on like a black market and [use] that money to buy food and clothing for children as well as, you know, putting money aside for himself.

Q: What makes a good actor?
A: I think a lot of it comes back to just [reading] the script like many, many times, and familiarizing yourself with the character [so] much that you could imitate them [perfectly] in a sense of just becoming that person—know all their mannerisms, you know history; you know everything about th[em].

Top left, Eva Walsh (Nancy) sings "It's a fine life" to the gang young pickpockets. There were 18 elementary and middle school students cast in the play. Top middle, Zach Zumbusch (Oliver) takes the blame, after asking for more gruel (porridge). This concluded the song "Who will buy." Landing the lead part in a play is an impressive feat, but even more so for Fifth Grader Zumbusch, possibly the youngest lead in the history of BHS drama.

Oliver, Zumbusch plays an orphan with a troubled past and uncertain future. Top right, Kristen Weller (chorus) and Logan Wal (chorus) hide from the murderer Bill Sykes, while he brags and sings about "His Name." Bottom-left, Aaron Anderson (Sykes) warns the towns people to fear "His Name." Before Anderson comes on gets into character by lifting weights, listening to music, and practicing facial expressions. Bottom middle, Tim Schmidt (Fagin) finds Zumbusch (Oliver) has woke before the others and found him with his treasures. Schmidt feared that Zumbusch would want to steal all of his treasures. Bottom Right, Maggie Lungstrom (Widow Corney) teases Brandon Aldrich (Mr. Bumble) while singing "I shall scream." Lungstrom and Aldrich have a love affair that appears many times throughout the play. Director Tracy Hagstrom confided that bringing students up to a level in quality was one of her greatest pleasures of drama involvement.

Photos by Emily Andrews

Who: Zach Zumbusch stars as Oliver, directed by Tracy Hagstrom.
When: Tonight at 7:30; Friday at 7:30; Saturday at 7:30; and Sunday at 2:00.
Where: Buffalo High School in the Performing Arts Center
How: Admission $5.00 for adults, $3.00 for students

Q: Some people say actors are more empathetic than average people. Any truth to that?
A: There's an acting style where you're not playing a person who is angry, you actually become angry; you're not playing a person who is sad, you become sad. It's just you get that into it that you actually feel the way the characters are feeling at the time. So they're trained to use empathy. I don't know if they're any more empathetic with real people. A lot of actors can be kind of arrogant and not really care about anybody else but themselves. But they can be very good at portraying a sad character or an angry character.

Q: A lot of veteran actors graduated last year; you'll be gone this year. Who do you see stepping up?
A: Aaron Anderson—he's always a lot of fun to work with and he works really hard at getting his character—he plays Bill Sykes—who's the murderer, and if you know Aaron at all, you know that he's the lovable goofball and you can't even really see him being a murderer of any kind, or a criminal, and he does a really good job with that. Matt Patterson is great too. He has this knack for—you always want to watch Matt whenever something else is going on in the scene. Like if there's a conversation going on between two main characters Matt'll be doing something completely different. And you want to watch him. Jimmy Person's a gas too; he's a lot of fun. He plays the person that Oliver beats up at the mortician's because he's making fun of his mother. He does a great job; Jimmy's a real nice guy, and he does this job of playing an arrogant teenage boy named Noah and he thinks he's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and Jimmy does a really good job with that. And Griffin [Trevino], I've gotten to work with Griffin all three plays last year. And he was a freshman. So that's unusual when that happens—you get a freshman who is good enough to be in every single show in a year. He's not doing the musical, unfortunately (he doesn't like musicals), but he's really good. He's one of the only underclassmen from last year that's going to have a lot of One-Act training that won't be graduating after this year. Taylor Evans is another one; he's really fun to work with too.

Q: Even as the actors come and go Mrs. Hagstrom will stick around. What makes H-D a good director?
A: I think she really understands everything about theatre. Like, I mean, you get some directors who only understand certain aspects of the game, like, they only know how to do acting stuff, or they only know how to block, or they only know how to advertise for a show—that kind of thing. She pretty much knows everything about how to do things, like she can publicize a show, and block a show, and choreograph a dance number if she has to, and she's really good at singing too—so she can help you with singing and stuff too. So she can pretty much do everything.

Q: What advice do you give to new actors?
A: I don't know, I usually just tell people that no one in real life is one-dimensional, so try not to create characters that are one-dimensional. Always make sure that they're always thinking about something. Relax is one that I usually give people. Like a lot of people, they get real high-strung, or they think about it a lot, like their acting—you know, you've seen people like that. They have to get into character they like do this whole thing [moves hand down along face]—and they're like, "I need to focus for twenty minutes to become a character!" And it's like, people get really into it sometimes, and you've just got to tell people that, you know, it's okay, you just behave in a way you think the character would behave. You don't have to break your brain trying to—I don't know; I don't give advice very often.

Q: What's after Buffalo?
A: I would like to either go to a college to study Theatre, or English, or both. I don't know, maybe a liberal arts college somewhere or some sort of acting performing arts school. I'm not real sure.

There are those who like to talk about themselves and then there are those who like to read about other peoples' lives. For those people there is Xanga, the popular blogging site of today. Then, on the other hand, you have those who can't stand talking about themselves or hearing about other peoples' lives. For those people Xanga is a joke that shouldn't even exist. These factors go into the burning question of whether or not Xanga is a good thing or a bad thing.

Xanga, the online blogger that's recruited numbers of teens to write daily happenings on the web, has found a certain niche among students. However, others have strong feelings against Xanga.

"I just dislike it as a whole," said Junior Chris Rohlik. "I hate how people go there just to talk about themselves. They use it as a diary and tell us their feelings and what they did that day and I really don't care."

Even if that may seem like a negative thing to some people, for others that's just a good reason to have a Xanga account.

"I like Xanga just for the fact that you can write about anything you want," said Sophomore Robyn Rouillard. "It's nice to see what other people write about."

Even though it's deemed strictly a blogging site, Xanga is also used to sport other websites and to share reviews. In fact, Xanga first started out as a site for book and music reviews back in 1999, but being driven by member preferences it quickly formed a full blown blog site.

With more than 2.5 million users, Xanga had no trouble gaining the popularity it possesses today. Out of 33 students who had a Xanga account, all of them had heard of it through word of mouth.

"I joined about a year ago because someone told me to check it out," said Senior Amber Michaels. "I love Xanga, it's a way to be creative and keep in touch."

As fun as it may be for people to write about themselves and what they did during the day, they also risk facing abuse via eProps found on the site. EProps are comments members leave on other peoples' blogs that tell the blogger what they thought of the entry itself. Most of the time they're encouraging and friendly, but there are always people out in the webbing community waiting to attack verbally for no particular reason at all.

"The hurtful things people say or just do to be jerks and rip on other people are definitely negatives of Xanga," said Sophomore Nick Robinson. "It seems like a place to just type hurtful things about other people."

There are people who like Xanga and there are those who dislike Xanga, but in a few cases there are also those who have a Xanga account who dislike it.

"Xanga gives me a reason to go online more when I don't have a reason," said Senior Ken Koepsell. "It's represented as a good thing when it's not."

Even though it's popular now, Xanga shares some competition and may have trouble maintaining that same praise.

"I think its run is still going strong," said Robinson. "It's got a couple more years or so until it gets old or something new comes along."

A number of competitors, such as Myspace are alongside Xanga in the fight for the blogging site of choice, but so far Xanga remains the favorite. Whether it is good or bad and even with all of its competition, Xanga is going to remain the blogging site of today for some time.

Every day, teachers have to worry about students cheating on their homework or on a test, but may not realize how much cheating is actually going on.

Of 168 students polled, 83% said they have cheated at least once.

"I've cheated for a better grade that I sometimes can't get without it," said Junior Ryan Klingman.

Students have been cheating ever since they started school. Some years just have had more cheating than others.

Fifty-six percent of students said they have cheated most in high school, 37% said middle school, and 7% said elementary school.

Cheating is going on in many classes, but most often done in a math class. Forty-six percent of students said they have cheated most often in a math class, 22% said they cheated most in a science class, 11% said a geography or history class, 11% said an English class, 6% said a language class, and 4% had another class they cheated in.

Students listed many different methods of cheating that have been used, such as: copying a students paper next to them, writing the answers on their hand or table, hiding a small piece of paper with the answers, copying in the hallway from friends, having an open book or folder containing the answers on the floor, passing notes, texting friends, and more.

"I've cheated to get a good grade," said Junior Laura Hartneck. "In American Experience I wrote the answers or notes on my student planner and then I got the test right."

"For some tests such as math, we wrote the answers, we used our graphing calculators to write to each other."

Cheating can be as simple as writing on a hand or as elaborate as creating ways to get answers from friends. Some students feel pressure to do well and resort to dishonest methods to achieve a better grade, such as copying a classmate's test or notes, writing the answers on their hand, or hiding notes where they can access them during a test.

Students said teachers often do not realize how much cheating is taking place and that it's an ongoing problem that affects the integrity of grades and learning.

Walking, talking to your friend. Over there, look. Ignore it, its no big deal. Oops, there. it is again. Try not to stare, keep walking, head down, hands at side.

Students have realized that PDA (Public Display of Affection) has been happening more and more.

"I think that mild stuff is okay, just like holding hands and a quick kiss," said Junior Courtney Topping. "A few people take it a little overboard though."

PDA is tolerated to a certain extent, but where students draw the line between what's acceptable and what's not varies.

"People don't need to see lovers feeling each other up," said Senior Chantal Brown. "That is just sick."

Students are making human road blocks in the hallways with their connected bodies in efforts to keep other from class.

"Two people were standing in the middle of the hallway and they went to make out with each other," said Sophomore Alison Dykhuizen. "It was like in slow-mo, and it was really gross."

PDA can distract students from reality, making them oblivious to their surroundings. Whether it's touching, kissing, or even just hugging, PDA can be a mind-numbing device.

"They kept bumping into me when I was at my locker," said Junior Rachel Lemay. "They were too busy with their mouths to use there eyes and see that I was standing there."

Even getting books out of a locker can be difficult when students overuse PDA.

"This couple was making out right by my locker," said Senior Eva Walsh. "It's the sort of thing that is more of a private moment between two people, they should keep it private."

As some students continue to make out and grope, others begin to think.

"Pike only reason that people show affection in public is because they don't get enough at home," said Brown. "Or they are just trying to prove to everyone that they are cool enough to actually get it."

The levels of inappropriateness vary throughout the hallways.

"These two are always all over each other," said Junior Katie Fagerlie. "He lifts her and she wraps her legs around, it's really disgusting."

What about the other side? The students who are the ones showing their affection.

"People should mind their own business," said Sophomore Taylor Evans. "They can just deal with it."

Students do deal with it, and many of them don't mind.

"I think it is perfectly alright," said Sophomore Lucus Haggerty. "I mean it is just people showing love, and as long as it don't get out of hand, its fine."

For the typical teenager a date consists of grabbing a bite to eat and hanging out with a group of friends and then going back to someone's house to watch a movie and talk. In some dating it is not all that easy.

Long-distance relationships usually happen when a student meets someone online or has a boyfriend/girlfriend that decides to move a million miles away and the couple decides to stay together. Out of 250 students, 68 percent said that they have been in a long-distance relationship.

How far is long distance? Is it the next town or the next state? Is it the next country or the next continent? It could be anywhere from the next town to all the way around the world.

When people meet at school, work, and church etc., it's easier to get to know them on a physical level because they see each other face to face than to just know them from the internet or the phone.

"In a long-distance relationship, it's a lot harder. If all you do is talk online and on the phone," said Sophomore Rachel Miller. "You are going to have to put more into a relationship to make it work."

Of the 170 students that have had a long-distance relationship, 35 percent said that they wouldn't do it again.

"In a long-distance relationship, trust plays a major role," said Sophomore Valerie Trulsen. "You have to know the person well enough to trust that they are going to be faithful, and it can get hard at times."

Most online relationships usually don't last as long as relationships in which the couple gets to see each other everyday at school. "It depends on the two people though," said Sophomore Maria Laqua. "If they are both like 'this sucks,' then of course it is not going to work out."

Of students that were in a long-distance relationship, 40 percent were in one at the moment.

"I'm in love," said Sophomore Kelly Schimmele. "Sure we don't get to see each other everyday, but I guess it makes the days we do get to see each other more special."

Finding someone off of the internet isn't always safe. The risk of running into a creep increases everyday. The safer way to have a relationship is to actually know the person.

Some people do better with long distance relationships while others prefer regular relationships; it depends on the person. Long distance or not, people have to want to put effort and time into a relationship.

For the typical teenager a date consists of grabbing a bite to eat and hanging out with a group of friends and then going back to someone's house to watch a movie and talk. In some dating it is not all that easy.

Long-distance relationships usually happen when a student meets someone online or have a boyfriend/girlfriend that decides to moves a million miles away and the couple decides to stay together.

Out of 250 students, 68 percent said that they have been in a long-distance relationship.

How far is long distance? Is it the next town or the next state? Is it the next country or the next continent? It could be anywhere from the next town to all the way around the world.

When people meet at school, work, and church etc., it's easier to get to know them on a physical level because they see each other face to face than to just know them from the internet or the phone.

"In a long-distance relationship, it's a lot harder. If all you do is talk online and on the phone," said Sophomore Rachel Miller. "You are going to have to put more into [a relationship] to make it work."

Of the 170 students that have had a long-distance relationship, 35 percent said that they wouldn't do it again.

"In a long-distance relationship, trust plays a major role," said Sophomore Valerie Trulsen. "You have to know the person well enough to trust that they are going to be faithful, and it can get hard at times."

Most online relationships usually don't last as long as relationships in which the couple gets to see each other everyday at school.

"It depends on the two people though," said Sophomore Maria Laqua. "If they are both like 'this sucks,' then of course it is not going to work out."

Of students that were in a long-distance relationship, 40 percent were in one at the moment.

"I'm in love," said Sophomore Kelly Schimmele. "Sure we don't get to see each other everyday, but I guess it makes the days we do get to see each other more special."

Finding someone off of the internet isn't always safe. The risk of running into a creep increases everyday. The safer way to have a relationship is to actually know the person.

Some people do better with long distance relationships while others prefer regular relationships; it depends on the person. Long distance or not, people have to want to put effort and time into a relationship.

Students don't always get away with cheating, but most do. Eighty one percent of those students who have cheated said they have never been caught.

"Our class was doing a worksheet on a chapter in Biology," said Junior Katie Foster. "One of my friends came in late to class so I gave her my answers. The teacher saw it and threw away both of our papers, we both got a zero."

The teachers have different ways of punishing the "cheaters," but some students have their own opinion of what should be done.

"You should get half credit," said Junior Braedy Silva. "After all, you did write the answers so you somewhat learned."

"Nothing should be done," said an anonymous student. "Punishment makes a person want to rebel more than if you did nothing."

Although a lot of cheating goes on at school, students sometimes do change their mind.

"Now I can see why not to cheat," said Junior Kory LaCroix. "Once you are out of school you will not have those answers then you will be screwed."

The alarm goes off as Junior Captain Karl Olson rolls over to see the clock lights flashing 5:00 a.m.. Getting up early to go into school everyday by 5:30 to play five on five basketball or just shoot some hoops with fellow players and teachers became routine for the dedicated players of the Boys, Basketball team.
The players were willing to do anything to be able to get out on the court and play some basketball with the guys. This included getting up for 6:00 a.m. practices with the team during the summer.
"Hanging out with the guys and building up the team's chemistry is a good part of the start of the season," said Senior Captain Corey Jeske.
Captain's practice is a part of the basketball season where the freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors participate in everyday after school, for two-three weeks before the start of their first practice. Captains practice consist of playing five on five, practicing defensive and offensive drills, weightlifting, and conditioning. Meanwhile, coaches hold tryouts for the Freshmen.
"Captains practice is time to play in full court scrimmages and compete with the other guys," said Junior Captain Josh Ortmann. "It's a way to get back into the routine before the season starts."
With their first game just ahead the team begins to prepare physically and mentally. The Bison face last years seventh seed in the northwest suburban conference, the Osseo Orioles.
"Last year we beat Osseo by one point. They're a really good team and a big competitor," said Sophomore Jordan Olmcheid. "They've been to state, so it would make a huge statement if we beat them because it's not expected, and it would be nice to start the season off with a big win."
The team startd their season on December 3, at Osseo at 7:30 p.m.

Here in Minnesota we are accustomed to the regular four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. But now, thanks to our friends to the North of us, we have an everlasting fifth season, the Hockey season.
Minnesota is known as the worlds' hockey capitol. So it's no surprise that Buffalo has its very own hockey team. And being such great sports some of these Varsity hockey players took time out of their hectic schedules to answer a few questions and give us a sneak peak on what it's like to be such an "oh-so-studly" hockey player.
Trying to manage being a teen becomes more difficult for the players when hockey season rolls around. It can be hard for them to keep their priorities straight and try to fit everything important in around their hockey life.
"We have practice five to six days a week," said Senior Nick Matson. "And I usually don't even get home until 7:00 each night. It's hard to hang out with friends and do other things. It gets frustrating a lot of the time."
And for others, being a varsity hockey player half of the time and a stressed out high school student the other half doesn't seem to be a challenge.
"I don't see my social life becoming a problem with hockey. I'm pretty good at balancing everything out," said Senior Jared Ackmann.
During the off season, the boys aren't just sitting around, they start preparation for the next season almost immediately. Whether it's on the ice or off the ice they all have different strategies for staying in shape and keeping their skills.
"I pretty much just skate whenever possible when it's off season, and hang out at the arena doing whatever. That's about it," said Senior Ray Aslesen.
This season though will have a much larger variety of teams to play since the hockey team will be switching in between two conferences, the Classic Lake Conference and the Mississippi 8 conference.
"I think it's going to be sweet being in two conferences. It's different teams and different styles, the North is all about cheap and cheesy and down south it's all about attitude," said Matson.
The players, coaches and fans of the hockey team are optimistic about the coming season, and The Varsity Boys' Hockey Coach Mike McMillan anticipates it to be a good year.
"Yeah I'd like to think it will be," said Coach McMillan. "But I guess you never know until you drop the puck."

Have a teammate that goes above and beyond everyone else? Nominate an athlete for recognition in the Hoofprint by dropping off a recomendation in room A 210 or talk to Sports Editors Max Rixe or Sara Hauer. Have an opinion about Bison athletics? Let us know.

On November 14 at 2:45 p.m., the Girls' Basketball team stepped onto the court for the start of a new season.
"I am ready to move on from soccer, basketball is my favorite sport. I'm sure we will have a good season" said Senior Captain Amanda Bethke.
The varsity team graduated six very strong seniors from the previous season.
"Those girls played a large role on our team, they were all starters in one point in time, but I think we'll fill the spots without a problem," said Senior Megan Otften.
There will be a lot of changes in the varsity team with a lot of new faces on the court. The girls however, remained optimistic.
"I think we will have a winning season, we have all played together for a long time, we work well as a team," said Bethke.
The first game for the Girls' Basketball team is November 29 at Minnetonka.

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Photo by Sara Hauer
During practice, Junior Ashley Deisting guards her teammate Junior Jordan Bruhn who is acting as an opponent, in the background Senior Brandi Dufour yells instructions. The girls are set to play their first game in Minnetonka on November 29.

"Balls, lots of balls," said Senior Jared Crislip about what it takes to be a good snowboarder.
With sprained wrists, aching knees, fractured tailbones, and Advil-draining concussions, among the numerous hazards of the sport, it's easy to see why snowboarders think guts lead to glory.
But that's not the only thing it takes.
"Determination, the ability to commit to a trick, and you need to have a good imagination," said Senior Chase Mastel.
"Getting over you fear of dying, or falling and killing yourself," said Junior Ryan Pikkarainen.
Using imagination is the key to snowboarding because there are no limits to the sport. Snowboarding isn't always so serious. Snowboarders look for ways to kick back and have fun.
"When your just goofing around with your boys on the hill ripping stuff that never get any is the most fun," said Crislip.
Focusing seems to be the hardest part for the boarders.
"It's frustrating, trying to learn a new trick and you can't get it, knowing you can't give up," said Senior Shannon Anderson.
Focusing might clash with the stereotypical snowboarder look. Snowboarders pick up their own style as they progress.
"Long hair, baggy jacket, very baggy sagging pants (not jeans), nice wide board stance, and pants tucked behind bindings," said Mastel.
Despite the laid back attitude, snowboarders agree that it all leads back to guts and going over your comfort zone.
"[Snowboarding] is really fun and its very progressive, people are always pushing the limits," said Crislip.

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Of 134 students polled-
14% said they snowboard on a regular basis.
52% said they have tried snowboarding at least once.
24% said the snowboarding is their favorite extreme sport.
7% said that snowboarding is the most extreme sport.

The second season of the boys swim team is right around the corner.
With practice expected to start at the end of November.
"This year we're going for more individual wins, and possibly qualifying someone to state," said coach Ryan Rehnstrand.
Last year the team lost four seniors.
"The seniors we lost were our founding fathers," said Rehnstrand, "However the seniors this year are a lot stronger leaders."
Many younger kids are considering going out for the team this year.
"There will be a lot of younger kids ready to step up and make us a stronger team," said Freshman Nathan Enefer.
Even the upper classmen will consider joining the team for a first or second time.
"I might join the team again this year," said Junior Collin Tierney. "Because swimming is something I'm good at and it's fun to be a part of a team."
A small team could be a problem again this year because the team is still very new.
"I'm nervous that we might not have enough kids going out for the team this year," said Senior Jordan VanDorp.
In order to meet the goals of the season the team will have to work very hard this season.
"I would encourage people to join the team because it's really good exercise and keeps you in shape," said VanDorp.
The first meet for the team will be December 6 at St. Cloud Tech.

Background-
Due to the creation of the Dance Line, Buffalo was obligated to create a new sport for males because of the Title 9 stipulation. Boys' Swimming

Coaches Corner with Ryan Rehnstrand
What are your predictions for the season?
"It's hard to say, we could be anywhere from first to fourth."
How do you feel about boys from Maple Lake joining the team?
"I think it gives more kids a chance to swim competitively."
Who are the leaders on your team?
"I think all of the seniors will have leadership roles this season."
How do you feel about being in the Mississippi 8?
"I think it is a great conference for our boys' team."
-Interview by Justine Houfer

Together before, expectations for the season ran high among the players.
"I think that everyone looks at us and thinks that we’re a young team and we won’t be able to face the new opponents," said Senior Captain Antoinette Menth, "But I think, [from] what I’ve seen in the last couple
months, that we have a good chance at surprising people."
"I’m excited to have our first game at home against the goalie from our old team that I competed with for playing time," said Menth.
The inaugural season of the Girls Buffalo High School hockey team kicks off tonight at the Civic Center as the girls take on their former teammates with St. Michael/Monticello at 7:00.

A racing heartbeat, nervous sweat pouring off your face and butterflies in your stomach. This is what it is like to race in BMX nationals. Athletes of BMX biking deal with those sensations every time they race.
Senior David Mullin is quite familiar with the jitters, sensations and emotions that go along with his sport and has been experiencing them for a while.
Mullin has been racing in BMX since he was eight. He and his family went to races together and the three Mullin boys used to race all day.
They went to practices frequently and judging by the mountain of trophies in his room, I guess the practice paid off.
"I like racing because its fun and I suck at school sports," said Mullin. "Plus I wouldn’t want to get fat."
Mullin took second in national BMX.
He lost to his good friend Joey.
"It didn’t really bother me that I lost to Joey because he is the number one 17 year old BMX racer in the Country and every time I race him I know am getting faster," said Mullin.
Mullin knows a lot about bikes and tracks.
"The most important thing to do is to get off the gate as fast as possible, it’s easier to stay in front of everyone else," said Mullin, "It is also faster to stay on the ground instead of getting air."
He just switched his 45 tooth sprocket to a 44 tooth, now this may not seem like a big change to someone that doesn’t BMX but to Mullin it gives him a better acceleration when he gets out of the gate.
"I prefer smooth, hard packed, clay for track terrain," said Mullin. "I hate black dirt."
Mullin plans to continue racing for a few more years or at least to the end college.

In the October 14 edition of the Bison Hoofprint, a story entitled "Bison get keen on bowling" was printed regarding bowling in Buffalo.
This story caused an outcry among high school age bowlers attending the school. Although there is a bowling team representing Buffalo High School, bowling as a sport is not affiliated with the MSHSL (Minnesota State High School League.) The bowling team which meets on Mondays and Thursdays to practice are coached by Karla and Les Huikko. The team plays matches on Tuesdays and Wednesdays against teams from all over the state.

The whistle blows and the volleyball team sets up on the court. Fans cheering, and the players anticipate how the upcoming match will end. Emotions running high, the seniors are anxious to play possibly their last game. The Bison played Willmar in the Section 2 AAA Final Four. Buffalo came in the underdog, and Willmar took the team for granted.
Buffalo lost to Willmar last season in the Final Four. Willmar didn’t lose many players from last year, making them a strong team.
Buffalo on the other hand had a completely different team. With lone Senior Ashley Allen, and Juniors Amalia Schroeder and Calleigh Brown returning to the varsity team, there were many spots to be filled.
After losing seven seniors last year, the team felt unsure of how the team would fare.
"I thought it was going to be a rebuilding year," said Brown. "I thought the team would be shaky and it would be a lot of work."
Regardless of the assumptions put on the team, they proved they could win, ending the season with a record of 22 wins and six losses. The team went undefeated in the conference until they played St. Michael-Albertville for the Conference Championship. Buffalo lost three straight games and went home disappointed.
"It opened our eyes," said Schroeder, "it let us know how it feels to let our team down."
After the loss to STMA, the Bison stepped up their game for sections.
"We picked up our play and played our best games of the season," said Schroeder.
The Bison beat a strong Delano team in a five-game match, and went on to upset volleyball juggernaut Dassel-Cokato. Willmar came next, but the Bison were finally defeated in a 2-3 tug-of-war.
"I thought everyone played the game of their lives," said Allen. "I was sad the season was over, but happy because everyone played awesome, and didn’t go down without a fight."

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by the numbers
4
-number of seniors on the team
10
-number of players on varsity squad
2
-number of years in a row the Bison are undefeated on their home turf
24
-total number of matches played in the season
-total number of those matches that were won

Every Friday night during the fall season, at seven o'clock, the sun goes down but the lights are on at the stadium. The players get announced while fans look on cheering, full of anticipation; but with the season winding down it leaves players with disappointment that the season is done with, mostly the seniors, their final year of playing high school football.

SEASON SUMMARY
20-35 L Prior Lake
42-6 W Big Lake
12-28 L Becker
20-34 L Cambridge/Isanti
32-17 W Rogers
14-35 L STMA
47-7 W Monticello
36-20 W Princeton
42-22 L Brainerd
Overall 4-5-0

"It seems like the season just started like last week," said Senior Dave Nelson. "It was the quickest season ever, it sucks."

The team ends the year with a record of 4-5. For some, playing football is just another sport to play, for others it means alot; a scholarship for college, or it is just for love of the game. People who do not play think that it can be a tough game, but for the people that do, it isn't as brutal as it looks.

Girls 9 Swimmers take first Conference title
-Winter season now underway for Bison athletes
-Six swimmers qualify for State Tournament
«Volleyball concludes season with a 3-2 loss to Willmar
-Dana VanBruggen ends tennis run at State quarterfinals
-Lindsey Marty breaks two diving records consecutively
-Boys 9 Hockey set to make trip to <Big Apple>
-Nominations now being accepted for Spotlight Athlete*
(<see editors corner)
Saturday Nov. 19th
-Girls hockey @ Paynesville 7:30
Tuesday Nov. 22nd
-Girls hockey @ Elk River 7:30
Friday Nov. 25th
.-Boys 9 hockey tourney @ Plymouth
-Girls hockey tourney
@ Home
Saturday Nov. 26th
-Boys 9 hockey tourney @ Plymouth
-Girls hockey tourney
@ Home
Tuesday Nov. 29th
-Girls Basketball vs. Tonka 7:30
-Girls hockey vs. Tonka 7:00
Friday Dec. 2nd
|
-Girls Basketball
@ Coon Rapids 7:30
-Boys Basketball @ Osseo 7:30
Monday Dec. 5th
~ -Dance Competition
@ Home 7:00
Tuesday Dec. 6th
-Boys Swim/Dive vs. St. Cloud Tech 6:00
-Gymnastics vs. Annandale 6:30
-Girls Hockey
@ Edina 7:00
-Girls Basketball
@ Cambridge 7:30
Thursday Dec. 8th
-Girls Hockey vs. Sartell 7:30
-Boys Basketball vs. Elk River 7:30
schedule

Screams and cheers were heard throughout the Buffalo Middle School pool on September 22. Buffalo had just defeated Monticello. Monticello was Buffalo's biggest rival in the new Mississippi 8 Conference.

The Monticello meet was early in the season, so swimmers and divers strived to be the stronger team - "It was up to the swimmers to want to win conference, and we had to give it our all to beat Monticello," said Junior Emily Andrews.

The Monticello meet proved to be very intense, no one could even hear themselves cheering.

"When we won, my grandma said my mom and I almost fell in the pool," said Andrews.

With the win against Monticello, the Bison achieved their first conference championship ever. In previous years, the swim team has come close to winning conference but was never able to grasp it.

After the win against Monticello, the swimmers became even closer.

"Each meet we won, it brought us closer, seeing girls improve helped us bond together," said Junior Sarah Devore.

The last meet of the season was on October 27 in Big Lake. Swimmers and divers went into the meet, with the conference championship within grasp. Swimmers had to stay concentrated, and the divers had to stay focused.

"It was exciting, but not a lot of pressure because the competition wasn't at the same level we were," said Senior Maria Freund.

The team took third at the Section Tournament at St. Cloud Tech. on November 11. At the meet, Alyssa Danielson, Sarah Devore, Brittani Matzke, and Kailee Trogstad, Justine Houfer, and Lindsay Marty qualified for the State Tournament.

ACKMANN: Section contender in 100 backstroke
* With an undefeated conference record and a 9-1 overall record, Girls' Swimming achieves top ranking in the Mississippi 8 Conference.
MARTY: Swimming and diving phenomenon
MILLER: Staunch supporter of teammates
TROGSTAD: One of the teams most versatile swimmers

Photo by Sara Hauer
Girls' Swimmer Cassie Rohlik dives into the water during a competition.
Diving was a large part of the teams score and oftentimes was the deciding factor on who won.

Senior Britanni Matzke and Junior Laura Ackmann look on intensely during a close match against Monticello. Buffalo came from behind to win the meet 96-90.

Oliver's set crew

Coming, the sound of hammers and the occasional shout: The set crew has to be ready for anything.

"Tonight the crew is finishing up a lot of the pieces that have been in the works since auditions in September," said sophomore production designer Kristen Weller.

"I didn't picture the set to go together in a day, but in the rehearsal schedule there was a night right up until tech week and of course down time isn't always there," she said. "There's usually a few pieces that need their daily fixes or a whatnot."

"I participate in set construction backstage because there are a lot of small people that don't participate," said sophomore Ben Cresswell, "and it's a chance to hang out with all of the techs, I'm amazed at how fast this comes together." said Cresswell. "It was in pretty much every play and I learned a lot as part of my stage helping and crew work."

"Actually, the first time I worked on a show was 'AIDA'" said senior Billy Frederick. "It was during one of the rehearsals and I was helping out, but I was put in a spot to be right on cue. I just do techniques and set up. It's always a tumult of the cast and crew."

During the set construction, stage preparations were painstaking: different shapes and colors were cut into many combined pieces and then were lighted.

"The construction of the set is done during rehearsals so you can get an idea of how the set's going to look," said Cresswell.

"Everyone has a perspective before we start," said Cresswell. "I think the set is going to be part of what gives the show a sense of place."

"It's rewarding because you learn your craft and it's worth it," said senior stage manager Nick Robinson. "The most encouraging thing is seeing the passion of other kids put into place. You can be proud and your work is appreciated even if it's just a handful prints of something," he said. "Seeing the crew pull together to get the job done is what makes it worthwhile."

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Photos by Sara White

From left to right, top to bottom: set crew members working on props and scenery; members of the cast and crew setting up pieces; a close-up of hands arranging foliage and set details.

Note: The original page contained multiple photographs showing set crew members and cast working on the production.