The Hoofprint – November 6, 2008

District #877 Levy Referendum

Elimination of some activities No activity bus End of Gifted Ed Supply cuts Administrative cuts Larger class sizes Activity costs increase

Every week from two thirty to three thirty on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoons, 72 students from Students Stepping Up participate as Elementary School Helpers. Students in this program go to one of the four elementary schools in our district and help a teacher in their classroom for an hour one day a week. A total of 38 teachers from Tatanka, Northwinds, Parkside, and Discovery Elementary Schools requested high school helpers this year.

“I help Mrs. Peterson’s kindergarten class at Discovery,” said Junior Rebekah Jacobson. “I thought it would be cool to be with the kids and fun to do activities with them.”

The program, originally named Sidekicks, was started by social studies teacher and SSU advisor Tracy Hulley 10 years ago.

“The high schoolers have no idea how big of an impact they have upon the younger students,” said Hulley. “Everyone’s self-worth improves. In one case, a student stopped an act of bullying and the younger kids just saw that and said ‘wow.’”

The annual Cheese Tasting Party was held from 2:45pm to 4pm on October 29th in the World Language Resource area. The party was sponsored by the International Club, and teachers Michele Strassbug, Nancy Eiynck, Jason Swanson, and Michelle Norman were in charge of the gathering. The entrance fee was $1 and all earnings are used by the International Club for their various future activities.

“The main reason this event even takes place is to encourage community between others by food, culture, and flavor,” said Swanson. “It’s a really good event. There once was a puker three years ago, but other than that, it’s been a blast. It’s a great way to get students to socialize outside of the classroom and embrace another culture.”

Over 20 different kinds of cheese were offered, from countries including Germany, Spain, and France. Bread, crackers, and lemonade were also served.

“I loved the cheese party,” said Junior Devan Barker. “I’ve gone the past two years, and it’s always really fun. There were a few cheeses I didn’t like, but they didn’t make me sick or anything. My favorite cheeses were Brie and Camembert, which are both French. It’s kind of funny and ironic because I take French as a language!”

The annual Trick-or-Treating for Canned Goods drive was held last Friday, on Halloween. Sponsored by BPA, DECA, and the Sophomore Class Cabinet, students from all grades were welcome to go trick-or-treating to help give back to the community. This was the second year of trick-or-treating, and the advisors felt great about the success of the students.

“Trick-or-Treating for Canned Goods is a great way to get older students involved in trick-or-treating, without the bad stigma,” said Business Teacher Jennifer Kremers. “It was also for a really good cause. All of the donations that we earned are going to the Buffalo Food Shelf. It was a great way to show everyone that Halloween is not just about the candy and that you can instead use any holiday to try to give back to your neighbors.”

Quite a few of the students also used Trick-or-Treating for Canned Goods as an opportunity to gain community service and NHS hours.

“I was planning on going trick-or-treating anyway,” said Junior Francie Varner. “I figured that I might as well go trick-or-treating for cans while I was at it. It was a good way to get individual hours for NHS, and I was able to hang out with my friends at the same time. It was really fun. I can’t wait for next year!”

On November fourth, the Levy referendum proposed by District 877 to prevent $1.595 million in budget cuts failed; a result that could have devastating effects on the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose community.

Members of the community will be affected greatly as the 2009-2010 school year comes around. Everything from bus limits to the block schedule could be drastically altered as the school receives less money from its community members.

“Its dumb cause were going to have so many classes and no AAA, it will be hard to get things done,” said Freshman Amelia Haggen.

Students will see the fallout from the “no” vote in the form of increased class sizes, fewer teachers and principals, the elimination of Gifted Education throughout the district, activity fee increases, cuts of activities, and the elimination of the activity bus, among other proposed reductions. Decisions on specific cuts will be made throughout the year by building administrations, the school board, and the superintendent.

When the rumors of a referendum first started emanating from locker bays and teacher’s lounges during the 2007-2008 school year, many believed that a budget cut was something not to be worried about. The only people who really fully understood the meaning of the word were the teachers.

“I was disappointed because it lost by such a small margin last time, and we knew that there would be more fees and larger class sizes,” said Social Studies teacher Nicole Gmach. “Also, a failed referendum meant losing a colleague and friend.”

But the reality of budget cuts hit hard as the first referendum failed. Students realized the affects a failed referendum can have on a small town school once familiar faces had left the building forever, and classes freshmen had always hoped to take as seniors were deleted from the class registration book.

“I miss last year’s speech coach, Mr. Geoffrion,” said Junior Robert Malmstein. “He was so awesome, and now we don’t even have a coach.”

As time went by, and students filed into overcrowded classrooms, the voting for the new referendum made a bigger impact than ever on students and community members of the district. Many Buffalo area residents worked hard to promote better schools by labeling Halloween candy with notes asking parents to vote “Yes,” and conducting other tactics to convince residents that the children are the future. In the end, the hard work community members put in, turned out to come shy.

“On Halloween I went collecting canned goods,” said Junior Graham Wyatt. “While I was there I talked to people about the importance of good schools, and what it means to me.”

Because the referendum has failed many customs students have grown used to over the years are rumoured to cause some students culture shock. The halls that seniors are so used to seeing will be drastically altered as the next school year comes upon us. The biggest thing that will define each class is the amount of resources they were provided, not its student’s individual personalities.

“They already failed us once, and I was a fool to trust them again,” said Senior Ben Kolbinger. “My sister will have to go through three years of failing budgets, packed classes, and more classes on her schedule.”

Walking into the varsity locker room, players carefully avoid the bison head painted on the middle of the floor scared of the possible consequences if it is stepped on. As they lace up their skates and re-tape their sticks the team gets ready for the new season. It’s finally that time of year again and with tryouts closely coming up the players hope their hours of ice time will pay off.

“I’m just really excited about playing hockey everyday again and meeting all the kids coming up from bantams,” said Senior Captain Luke Marty.

With over half the group being returning players, Head Coach Mike MacMallian and the rest of the team, is extremely excited about the past experience this team has had. Returning at forward will be the previous leading scorer Juniors Josh Gaughan and Austin Perkins, and Marty, Alec Ackmann and Zach Blaisdell. Defensemen from the previous years will be Seniors Cole Meyer and Mik Ortenblad, and Junior Buzz Tryggeseth.

“We’re going to have a lot of offensive depth because our leading scorers are returning and most of our main defense are coming back,” said MacMillian. “This years seniors have all been infl uential players in the past.”

Many of the boys have been playing together the last 8-10 years which has created a lot of team chemistry. The team has been conference champs two out of the last three years and is hoping to defend that position this year. With last years record being 16-10-1 the team was first in the Mississippi 8 Conference.

“We’re really hoping to be conference champs, section champs, and be above 500 in lake conference,” said Meyer.

The team will participate at a AAA tournament in Rochester, where they hope to defend their championship. The team will carry out their tradition of having a game shown on FSN (Fox Sports Network) this year which the players continuously agreed is a big highlight of their season. The fans haven’t disappointed yet on this big night, always coming to create the atmosphere and show support for their team.

Coach MacMillian pointed out that his teams always have different qualities that stand out from the rest, and his players agree.

“Our team this year will be fast and experienced, with a lot of heart and hustle,” said Marty.

State Update

“You girls not only go out there and use your heads, but you girls strive together and play with your hearts”, Coach Andres Ordonez wrote in a letter to his players. “I want you to know how proud I am of you and to make sure that you have fun in this game.”

Tears filled the girls’ eyes as Assistant Coach JaRae Ellefson read the inspirational note left by Ordonez. As the girls stepped on to the turf at Hopkins High School, they used Ordonez’s note as motivation for their state game against Eden Prairie.

“In all the years I have played for Andy, he has never told us to just go out and have fun,” said Senior Danielle Krolak. “His letter shocked me and immediately brought tears to my eyes. As I looked around, I knew it had touched everyone. That letter told us what we needed to hear from him.”

The start of the game was followed 15 minutes later by Sophomore Rachel Mussell leaving the game with an injury after a slide tackle by an Eden Prairie player. Mussell’s injury brought down the players and delivered a hard half for the team. After a defensive half, the score remained 0-0 forcing Coach Bill Anderson to change to a more offensive game. Five minutes after the start of the second half, Eden Prairie was able to put the ball inside of Buffalo’s net allowing them to take the lead.

“It was a lucky shot and we were mad they scored on a mistake,” said Sophomore Amanda Munstertieger, “so we stepped it up and tried to get it back.

Later in the game, Junior Frances Varner was added to the injured list with a torn ACL, causing the team to lose another player. The half remained a battle as the minutes dwindled. With their fellow students supporting them, the girls pushed their game into a complete offensive mode for the final minutes, but were still unable to score.

It was a long battle ending with a score of 1-0 with an Eden Prairie victory. The girls then lined up and exited the field with their heads held high. They thanked and greeted their audience, ending the season with a traditional “ Bison! You Know”. The girls end the final chapter to their story leaving a mark on Buffalo Girls’ Soccer History as the first team to win section finals and to have competed in state.

Road To State

“Control what you can control and don’t worry about the things you can’t,” Athletic Director Tom Bauman says to the girls before their big games. Tension and nervous energy is in the girls’ faces as they glance around. They see their competition that, in their eyes, has everything to lose, when the Bison only have everything to gain. After a full year of ups and downs for this group, they have finally made their long time goal come true as they put their mark on Buffalo Girls’ Soccer history.

After beating Bemidji 5-0 on October 11 and Elk River 4-0 on October 14, the girls had one team left between them and state. On October 17, while the rest of the school was on Fall Break, they took on three time defending section 8AA champions, Brainerd. Brainerd scored a goal two minutes into the game, followed by another goal later in the first half putting Buffalo down 2-0 at halftime.

“After Andy left a spark came up inside our team where we knew we needed to pull it together, since then I’ve never been so happy to play soccer in my life,” said Senior Celeste Lundgren-Laws.

Some team encouragement during halftime helped the girls come out with a new intensity and drive to win the game. Proving their skill and determination Senior Anna Lundeen and Mussell were able to put in 2 goals within 15 minutes of each other to tie it up. Coming into the game after Lundeen was injured, Sophomore Calli Durst was able to get a foot on a free kick sent by Freshman Kaitlyn Halvorson with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Seconds before the final buzzer of the Section Finals rang the girls couldn’t contain their emotions. Running to hug their teammates, they celebrated their 3-2 defeat over Brainerd earning a spot in the girls’ state high school soccer tournament.

“We’ve all definitely had our highs and lows, especially with losing our coach. But, we all knew we had to step it up big time and deliver and that’s exactly what we did,” said Lundeen.

Back when cars were fi rst designed, roads were simply made of grass. Now, in the 21st century, roads are paved and are considered essential for everyday travel. Whether it be county roads, highways, or even freeways, roads have become the most used form of transportation throughout the world.

In recent weeks, the citizens of Buffalo have had to put up with multiple reconstruction projects of the city streets. Highway 55 is undergoing an addition of three extra lanes. Lake Pulaski Road is being repaved. County Road 134 is also undergoing changes. There are also various small projects on neighborhood roads due to the replacement of several water pipes. All of these roads are commonly used by staff and students of BHS.

“I like to go on that lake road by Pulaski,” said English Teacher Joel Squadroni. “It’s a very nice, quiet road and doesn’t have any major commuter traffi c. But now, because of construction, I have had to change my daily route just a little bit. Now I have to take the highways to school, which I don’t necessarily like. Construction is construction, I just have to deal with it for now.”

This delay of time and change in routes has required students and staff alike to wake up earlier in the day. Because school starts at a time that is relatively close to the same time that the average worker begins his day, both parties are left in traffi c delays. This is especially true during the winter, when accidents are more likely to occur. Throw road construction into this mix, and commuters are found having to leave their homes earlier and earlier each day.

“It’s especially hard for me because I live in Waverly,” said Junior Drew Maas. “I need to go through most of the construction work to get to school, and it’s really frustrating. I’ve had to wake up earlier just so that I can make it to school on time. Traffi c already sucks in the morning, and now it’s even worse. I fi nally understand that saying: ‘Minnesota has two seasons: winter and road construction’... well, right now, those seasons are mixed together, and it’s not fun to drive in at all.”

The traffi c after school is let out is also condensed. The four-way-stop nearest the high school is notorious for being backed-up, and with construction on some of the roads leading to this intersection and with detours that aim commuters towards this intersection, the line of vehicles has grown progressively longer.

“When people get out of school, they, right away, want to go speed off and go home or go hand out with friends,” said Maas. “Just the other day I was driving along and I had to stop at that four- way-stop and it was the longest wait it had ever been. The person driving behind me almost hit me because the sudden stop was so unexpected, too. A lot of the roads around the high school are being worked on, and that’s not safe for us younger drivers.”

Although many students and staff members have a negative view towards the road construction, others fi nd it easier to think optimistically.

“It needs to be done,” said Math Teacher Michelle Macalena. “We have to deal with it. The construction isn’t that big of a deal for me anyway. It takes a minute more, if even, and it doesn’t affect my spendings for gas too much, at least not as far as I have noticed. I don’t venture out too far, either. I live right next to Wal-Mart, so if I need anything, I just go there. That way, I can avoid the construction and detours, and then I won’t have to deal with it.”

In another positive light, a few students and teachers have come to develop better, faster routes than they had previously taken.

“I have to take relatively unknown back roads to school so traffi c is not as bad,” said Junior Dustin Grage. “I get to school faster that way, faster than before.”

All road construction is expected to be completed next spring, when the weather is warm enough to allow the workers to lay pavement down.

“I thought I saw them laying down some pavement yesterday, and that made me really excited,” said Squadroni. “I’m hoping they can complete as much as possible this year, so it will get done faster. I’m not keeping my hopes too high, though. The only thing I can really do is wait until next Spring.”

After putting in the time and ef- fort, the band members of Undefined Purpose are getting exactly what they want.

The members of Undefined Purpose are Junior Jesse Ernster with vocals and guitar, Junior Alex Treptow with vocals and guitar, Jun- ior Mike Radke with bass, and Junior Jackson Tonn with drums. Ernster and Treptow are the only two original members.

“This is Undefined Purpose. Other members helped us grow to become what we are now,” said Ern- ster.

At Trocaderos night club in Min- neapolis a Battle of the Bands com- petition took place. It consisted of two rounds. In the fi rst round, bands play and who ever draws more peo- ple to the show, moves on to round two. During the second round, all of the bands that drew the largest crowd will play. It’s judged the same way as round one. It started at 16 bands and narrowed down to four. Undefined Purpose made it to the second round. They played one show and drew out the largest crowd. Getting this far took a lot of hard work for them.

“We try to practice as a group at least three times a week,” said Ernster. “Each practice is about two hours long. Everyone practices daily on their own though.”

Undefined Purpose just fi nished recording their fi rst demo cd, “Recol- lection”.

“When we write, it’s a collabo- ration,” said Ernster. “We’ll write at practices and on our own.”

After everyone writes a few parts, they combine it and tweak it a little to make one song.

“We’re writing two new songs right now,” said Treptow. “We’re taking them pretty slow; we just want them to be really good.”

When they fi nally all agree on a how the song is flowing, they prac- tice it many times and then consider recording it.

“Everyone writes their own parts to make sure we all like the song,” said Tonn. “We’re thinking about finding someone who will just sing lead. That way Jesse can do vocals but also play some more complicated pieces on the guitar.”

Wednesday, October 29, 2008, Undefined Purpose played round two in Battle of the Bands. They won and received the 1000 dollar prize.

On September 9, 2008, Ap- ple launched the fourth generation model of the popular iPod Nano. With the previous version packed full of great features, people are wondering, “What more could the new iPod have?” and sure enough, Apple pulled through with their rep- utation for cramming big ideas into small products.

“One of the most notable new features is the accelerometer,” said Apple Employee David Orwoll, “This lets you play motioned cen- sored games, just like you can on the iPod Touch or iPhone.”

The motion censor is also used in the new “Shake to Shuffle” feature as well. This lets you shuffle your playlist simply by shaking the iPod. It’s a unique way to shuffle your playlist, however, there are draw- backs to this seemingly fun feature. Disappointingly, “Shake to Shuffle” is often times dysfunctional and is sure to fail at the worst moments. Be warned that when you excitedly rush to show off this amazing fea- ture, you will be left looking fool- ish when you are standing, shaking your iPod and it fails to shuffle.

“The accelerometer makes the vertical screen possible as well,” said Orwoll. “When watching mov- ies, the screen rotates to landscape view to view full screen, so you get the same size picture you did with the third gen model.”

Although the fourth generation Nano sports the same 2” screen, it is no longer perfectly fl at, but curved along the surface of the iPod. This creates annoying glare at times, and many consider it a major fl aw in de- sign.

Most agree that the multiple new colors was a good choice in de- sign on Apples part. The Nano now comes in colors such as orange, yel- low, purple, and green, which had not been an option on the previous version. But not all change is good.

Sadly, Apple decided to break away from their traditional edging, and rounded the corners. In doing so, the edges become dangerously sharp.

Overall, the new iPod nano is a great product, but only a small step forward from the third genera- tion model. If you are debating an upgrade, it would be well worth it, but only if you are currently owning a fi rst or second generation model. If you own the previous model, I would advise waiting for a fi fth generation nano, for you may be disappointed in the small jump in “upgrades”.

For the first time in over a decade, both Buffalo High School publications took home All-State Gold awards at the Minnesota High School Press Association convention.

The awards were given to work done for the 2008 Tatanka Yearbook and the 2007-2008 Hoofprint Newspaper.

Thirty-four BHS students attended the convention and awards ceremony, held on October 21, at the University of Minnesota and presented by the Minnesota High School Publications Association.

“I was sort of expecting gold for yearbook,” said Senior Brad Palmer, “but once I heard the announcing of silver for newspaper ended, my heart stopped. I thought ‘oh no, we might be going home empty-handed.’ I looked over and saw McCallum looking down, shaking his head.”

“When I looked over at Brad and Graham Wyatt,” said Newspaper and Yearbook Advisor Ryan McCallum, “we all had the same ‘oh crap’ expression on our face, and started to think we didn’t win anything this year. When they called The Hoofprint for gold I was shocked. We had never won gold and this was the first year we thought we had a chance.”

Several students took home individual awards as well, highlighted by 2008 graduate Kelsey Bergman, who won First Place and Honorable Mention for Yearbook Feature Photograph, First and Third Place for Yearbook Sports Photograph, Second Place for Front Page Newspaper Design, and Third Place for Editorial Cartooning.

“Knowing Kelsey,” said Senior Chris Lundquist, “I wasn’t surprised. She’s a great photographer that’s willing to go the extra mile. One time she needed winter sports photos, so she went to Powder Ridge. The lift operator wouldn’t let her on without a pass, even though she didn’t have skis or a snowboard, so she had to hike up the entire hill on foot just to get a few photos.”

Other students that received individual awards includes: Senior Dani Krolak who recieved First and Third place for Sports Writing, Seniors Sarah Ramsey taking home First Place honors for Club Feature Writing, Mitch Mills (‘08) was awarded First Place for Newspaper News Photograph, Kayla Ronnie (‘08) who won Second Place in Page One Newspaper Design, Katherine Camargo (‘08) won Second Place for Editorial Cartoon, and the Tatanka Staff received First Place for best Theme/Concept Package.

While receiving gold in both categories is a large achievement for the staff, critiquing shows room for improvement. Staff members will strive to win all awards this year by improving on the areas with shown weaknesses.

While doing so may not be easy, McCallum finds it far from impossible.

The staff and McCallum also are very grateful for the environment that they are able to work in, and realize that much of their success would not be possible without it.

“There would be no way we could have a really great yearbook or newspaper without the incredibly supportive helpful environment of Buffalo High School,” said McCallum, “We coudln’t function without people like ConnieMae Cooper keeping out technology working correctly and dealing with out weekly emergencies, principals that understand the importance of student publications, the teachers that put up with interruptions and interviews, and students that actually read the paper and buy the yearbook.”

The elusive lion approaches its prey, slowly it stalks its meal. In a swift and rapid pounce it gorges the innocent antelope. You fl ip the channel. Now it’s a program urging you to donate money to the starving children dying in Africa. This is all you mostly see about this continent.

Africa, to most teens, is a desert with cool animals and people who live in huts. In reality only 33 to 34 percent of Africa is desert. The continent of Africa has been deemed as a third world for years. The continent has it’s problems, but there are big misconceptions about the continent.

The images of the slums are isolated incidents. So many people have asked me naive questions about my former home. “Do you speak in clicks when your there?” Only 18% of the South African population speak in clicks and that is South Africa, one country out of 53. Africa’s population is 922 million (as of 2005). Foreign aid is only necessary for the less developed areas. There is fresh fruits, livestock and water in many parts.

Then why do you only see grim sad images on the T.V. and Internet? The answer is because the public is uninformed about the modern parts of Africa. Have you noticed you rarely, if ever, see anything encouraging you to come tour Africa? Personally in all my years watching T.V, in the U.S, I have only seen one commercial coaxing me to visit Egypt. It’s so different if you watch T.V. in Africa When I visited this summer most channels I watched were not from Africa but from the U.S. or the U.K. I watched MTV, NBC, Fox, Cartoon Network and some more on satellite programming. All of these shows glamorized the great nation of America. I think that is so unfair that Hollywood has so much infl uence around the world. This makes me come to my point that America glorifi es itself and keeps all the bragging rights.

With so many resources I couldn’t help but wonder why the government does not utilize the potential investments? There are a number of problems with the African Government. Corruption, poor tax systems, run-down and unaccountable public services, weak parliaments and unreformed courts to name a few. Most countries in Africa have bad leaders. Sadly in some schools a student cannot pass exams without bribing the teacher. It’s hard to fi nd a good president to run the countries, power brings greed.

Despite the bad press, Africa has prime locations to live and visit. While you relax in the Hilton hotel in Kenya, you can watch an episode of African Idol. The Safaris are incredible! You don’t even need a tour guide if you don’t want one. Just take your car and roam the parks. The people there couldn’t be friendlier, you can gain a couple pounds while feasting on all the food the citizens have to offer. The best experience I had when I was there was when I pet and sat next to three cheetahs while they were eating a big slab of meat at the animal orphanage. I encourage everyone to have a better experience than me.

Despite all its problems, Africa is a great place to live. When I visited Kenya, I had the time of my life. There is always something to do, something new to see, and what I consider the best food anywhere in the world. It’s a nice place given an unfair chance to shine in the Hollywood limelight. As we say in Kenya, “Hakuna Matata”, no worries.

Nothing makes a teenager blush harder than an embarrassing childhood story. Your story may tell about your chronic bed-wetting issue, or your Barney fetish. Either way, when the topic of childhood habits arises, you immediately evade the subject.

I am no exception to these rules. If somebody pressures me for my most embarrassing story, I skip right past my childhood and try to cover it with a slightly less horrifi c story about my dog leaving a smelly surprise for me on my lap. Then, while my friends break into laughter about Barkley’s accident, I breathe a sigh of relief that I once again slipped by the truthful answer.

Luckily, my mother never worried about buying new plastic sheets when I was young. Instead, she worried about having no place to hang her jackets. I played with hangers. I walked around my kitchen and living room with a plastic pal in each hand, while talking aloud to myself. Every day I created a new scenario with different people and played it out to myself. I had no need for Barbie Dolls or My Little Pony. Just give me an open space and two hangers and my enjoyment could last for hours on end. Once, I even brought out my inanimate friends at a cousin’s birthday party.

I didn’t talk to my hangers. I never asked them questions or started up a conversation pretending that they would answer back. Even as a six-year-old, I knew that plastic doesn’t breathe. They simply helped spark my creativity as I dreamed up a new story. If I sat down in front of a piece of paper and tried to write a masterpiece, nothing great ever turned out. But with a hanger in each hand, constantly turning and slapping against my arm, my mind thought up new tales left and right.

Golf clubs also attracted my attention. My mother’s old clubs dealt with a true beating as I circled round the driveway with a club in each hand, pounding them repeatedly against the pavement while telling my new story to the whole world. Fortunately, small children easily overlook the opinions of others, so strange looks from my neighbors or brother didn’t faze me. However, I quickly grew out of that stage as I aged and realized that any normal child thought of golf clubs as an adult toy. But my passion for hangers stayed with me much longer.

For a majority of my childhood, up until fi fth grade, I chose hangers over any other “regular” toy. They kept my interest way longer than any doll or stuffed animal ever did. I never begged my mother to drive me to my friend’s house or take me to Chuck E. Cheese. My empty room with a hanger-fi lled closet pleased me much more.

Things changed with the starting of fi fth grade, though. My love of hangers stayed the same, but I knew my relationship needed to stay a secret. I would shut the door to my room and talk more quietly than ever, hoping that nobody heard me. When my cousins asked if I still played with hangers, I blushed and turned the other direction. When I fi nally ended the relationship and left my hangers in the closet for good, I tried to never glance back.

For years, I blocked out all of my hanger-fi lled memories and pretended as though I lived a normal childhood fi lled with Bratz and Sesame Street.

I still blush and turn the other way when admitting to my old habits, but now I can also laugh about it. All children have their quirks, and you always insist that no other quirk can compare to the embarrassment level of yours. But why? If the plastic sheets now sit in a landfi ll and your Barney tapes have passed onto other youngsters, your embarrassing tales exist only in your past life. You have long grown into your teenage years, and left kindergarten and elementary school in the dust. Those once shameful moments now live in the very back of your closet, just like my hangers, only to emerge when friends need a good laugh.

College: some embrace the idea of it, others cringe when they hear the word. With seven months of the school year left, more and more seniors may be finding themselves experiencing the latter option. But, in many ways, the chance to get ahead or at least keep up on the college process has always been there.

High school isn’t merely a social scene with random classes thrown in to waste time. It’s try outs. Every class taken in a student’s high school career is vigilantly looked upon by college admissions counselors. If the student performed well, they’re in. But for students who chose or choose not to take their early years of high school seriously, their chance of having a respectable transcript decreases dramatically. Teachers can only tell a student so many times the importance of putting an effort into school. Freshmen and sophomore year aren’t meant to be spent thinking of a career and then finding a college that offers it, but they still play a major role in obtaining the final product.

Freshmen and sophomores can benefit from the many opportunities to take pre-ACT programs and ultimately have more time to take the ACT a number of times. Once again, the thought of this now may seem pointless, but taking action earlier on will only save students time and mental sanity.

For juniors, taking advantage of early ACT testing is equally as important and beneficial. Also, counselors take it upon themselves to sit down and have a “junior meeting” to prepare them for the upcoming year. They provide students with a sheet of paper that gives helpful tips to think about doing over the summer in order to get a leg up on college preparation. Attending the college fair is a primary chance for juniors to begin thinking about colleges that interest them. Although the urgency to choose one isn’t there, they have a foundation of where to begin.

And for seniors, if they’ve completed their required courses and taken the ACT at least once, they aren’t behind…yet. Procrastinating in this situation can be detrimental. Having a basic idea of where a student wants to go to college is essential. Without it, it’s difficult to zero in on colleges. Asking around is a helpful way to get first hand, inside information on colleges. Parents, teachers, co-workers and graduated friends are excellent sources. They know much about the school, plus have additional inside information on the quality of education, dorm life, food, entertainment and other things only alumni would know.

Counselors have met with almost all of their senior students in order to help them prepare and stay organized throughout this process. If students haven’t taken advantage of counselors in the past, they need to embrace their help now.

A sheet of paper lays in the Counseling Department. By the time the seniors of our school read this, the vast majority will have had their appointment with their guidance counselor. This sheet holds information 91% of seniors require, but merely 12% percent have looked over. This document is the College Search Schedule.

Compiled and distributed to every senior by their respective counselors, this time table breaks down the school year by month. Each month brings with it a new set of benchmarks that seniors should try to follow. When successfully followed, the stress of the college admission process and all that it entails can be greatly reduced. However, recent statistics and some personal insight would seem to question the senior class’ motivation of choosing a path after school.

“Everyone’s just to busy,” said Guidance Counselor Mark Jones. “Almost every senior sits down with their counselor for Senior Meetings in September, but all too often the second meeting with a senior tends to be the same thing.”

Options With endless possibilities, juniors and seniors display a wide variety of intentions after high school. While 87.5% of students plan to attend a four year school, 10.25% plan on entering the workforce, and 2.25% plan on joining the military the staggering majority of students plan on receiving a higher education. However, the type of college (public, private, or profit-private) splits seniors into different categories, all lobbying for their choice.

“You’ll get a better education at a private school,” said Senior Aaron Oie. “That’s because you get more interaction between students and teachers.”

Not only do students’ opinions differ, but some adults’ professions deal with the college subject daily. Although, they usually agree that no matter the type of institution, the college experience is important for a high school graduate.

“College gives people a chance to identify and pursue their dreams by learning more about themselves and the world,” said Admissions Counselor Carrie Carroll from Augsburg College

Financial Aid Like it or not, the search for colleges is often shadowed by another important factor: financial aid. With the average cost of attending a public four-year college in Minnesota at $15,759, students and parents are looking for ways to cut back on the impending costs.

“I’m trying to find the best option that I can get for financial aid,” said Oie. “I guess it can make or break your college choice.”

Scholarships and grants often offer the easiest route to making college more affordable with an estimated 1.3 million scholarships available online in the United States. Often times though, predominately in the private sector, colleges offer their own “need-based aid.”

Differences The majority of the educational programs in the state are offered through private schools, but only 17% of Minnesota college students attend them. While some see this as a poor statistic, others realize it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Private colleges are often (but not always) grounded in a faith tradition,” said Carroll. “[They] focus on small class sizes and have full time faculty teaching courses.”

With an average price tag of $27,829, nearly double the cost of public education rivals, the cost of a private school may seem daunting. But most students don’t realize the financial aid offered through a private school tends to be larger than that of a public university.

Public colleges are the main choice for students as 83%

all Minnesota college students attend them. The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the largest public school in the state with 32,294 undergraduates and a cost of$10,806.

“I wan to go to the [University of Minnesota],” said Senior Lauren Luffey. “It’s just going to be so much easier because I already have credits there.”

In addition to the Twin Cities campus, the University of Minnesota is located in Duluth, Morris, Rochester, and Crook- ston.

“Making a decision about a college based solely on cost without going through the fi nancial aid process is the worst de- cision a student can make,” said Carroll. “Find out how much fi nancial aid you can receive before making your decision.”

The cost of tuition at Carleton College is $37,845. Stu- dents may react to the sticker price, but after a $27,532 reduc- tion in cost for an average family (a $70,000 to $80,000 yearly salary) the tuition drops to $10,313. Carleton, recognized by juniors and seniors as the most prestigious college option in Minnesota, becomes much more competitive with other public schools after accounting for demonstrated fi nancial aid.

“Students and parents are often happily surprised about how affordable [private] college can be,” said Carroll.

One thing high school students need to get them through the day is energy. With the latest trend of eating organically, that doesn’t seem to be a problem. For Junior Sophie Jundt, it isn’t just the new thing to do, it’s a lifestyle.

“I defi nitely notice the difference,” Jundt says. “I have so much more energy throughout the day, and I don’t get sick as often because I’m able to fi ght off colds better.”

Some students have diffi culty fi nding organic food in grocery stores, and some families resort to growing their own. Junior Patrick Raitor says that approximately 25 percent of what his family eats comes from their garden. This includes: rhubarb, radishes, carrots, and his personal favorite: strawberries.

“I can’t really taste the difference between organic food and not, it’s just that one has herbicides and pesticides, and the other doesn’t,” said Raitor.

Along with her mother, Jundt works at Kramer Organics, an organic family-owned vegetable farm in Delano. They are able to bring home crops such as, potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers for their family.

Apart from personal gardens and large-scale farms, organic food can also be found at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods store in Maple Grove. Even some of Buffalo’s local grocery stores have begun to carry organic foods. For over a decade, organic farming has been one of the fastest-growing segments of U.S. Agriculture. To be considered organic, foods must not contain fertilizers or pesticides, cannot be raised with drugs, hormones, or synthetic elements.

“It’s healthier,” BHS cook and mother, Lori Pierce, says. “It’s not just the new thing to do; people are starting to be more concerned about not getting all the extra additives and hormones in their food. It just grosses me out.”

While she isn’t strict with watching her kids’ diet, Pierce hopes that once they are on their own, they will be careful about what they eat.

One of the few disadvantages of living this lifestyle seems to be the expense.

“We [my family] don’t go out to eat as much, because it isn’t organic, we’d rather spend our money on better quality organic foods which tend to be more expensive, but it’s worth it,” Jundt said. “You can actually taste the food itself, and it supplies your body with antioxidants, preventing free radicals from harming you.”

English teacher, Heather Tireney, said “In terms of the expense, we just budget it in. I feel it is worth it for my family. I kind of have to pick and choose, but we usually go for the organic produce and milk.”

Besides the many health reasons why, benefits are not only limited to humans. Eating organically is kinder on the animals, allowing them to graze freely instead of being manufactured in a factory. It is also better on the environment, because organic farmers use less energy and water resources than factory farming. It’s often easier to change along with others, so it was something that the Jundt family decided to do only about three years ago.

“It [eating organically] brings our family together; we spend a lot more time in the kitchen preparing healthy meals together.” Even though Jundt does enjoy the occasional treat of Culver’s, she says ,“I feel icky when I’m not eating that way. It has become a lifestyle, like a good habit I wouldn’t be able to give up.”

Students around Buffalo aren’t doing this because it’s the new thing to do, or because that’s what’s in the house, but more because they are making a conscious effort to be healthier. It’s a choice they make that not only will affect them, but it will also improve the environment along the way.

Less than three miles from Buffa lo High School, Min- nesota’s fi rst Culver’s was built. This Culver’s dishes up food to families, students, as well as a variety of customers. Over one- fi fth of students surveyed claimed that they prefer Culver’s to any one of the other 20 restaurants located in Buffalo. They enjoy Culver’s creamy custard, signature ButterBurgers, as well as all the memories that accompany the meal.

Since fi rst opening in 1993, Culver’s blue leather booths and matching blue carpet have taken on everything from sports team’s victories to stories of the latest band concerts. Groups of students gather at this restaurant after all sorts of events, for a sweet treat and also, to create good times.

“One of the greatest moments I’ve had at Culvers’ was a reenactment of the salt scene in Dumb and Dumber,” said Sopho- more Sarah Oliver. “That’s the scene where the guy spills salt and you’re supposed to toss salt over your shoulder, but he tosses the whole salt shaker over his shoulder.”

Other funny moments have less to due with movies and a group of friends, and more to do with the entire restaurant. Some- times these memorable moments fall more towards the awkward side of the spectrum.

“One time, Bridger Quatier kept telling Chris Zumach to shut up, and Chris told Bridger ‘why don’t you just shut up,’” said Junior Ryan Strait. “Then they kept saying ‘shut up’ back forth. Then they timed it perfectly and they both shouted ‘shut up!’ really loud at the same time. The whole restaurant got really quiet then and everyone stared at us.”

Employees can only handle so much excitement from their customers before they must intervene. In cases like that, the cus- tomers sometimes come back and take revenge.

“Well, my youth group went there one time, and we were so loud and made such a mess that one of the kids in our group that work there got yelled at by the manager,” said Sophomore Delaney Freer. “So we went back for ice cream later that same night.”

Behind the scenes, back in the kitchen, employees also play pranks. The kitchen is divided into two separate sections. Large, fl at griddles stand in the front part, with several buckets off to the side holding all of Culver’s ingredients for burgers and sandwiches. Large trays stacked with buns sit in the back section, along with two huge sinks used to wash dishes. While employees don’t go so far as to spit on a customers’ food, they may break other rules and fi nd ways to make working more enjoyable.

“Once, before I worked at Culver’s, a kid got fi red be- cause he got slapped in the face with a fi sh,” said Senior Chris Lundquist. “Also, I got Jake Middagh completely drenched in water from the dishwasher hose in the back.”

For both students and employees, Culver’s tall, blue and white sign symbolizes much more than just orders served up in under fi ve minutes and vanilla custard with over thirty differ- ent possible toppings. Students and employees alike have cre- ated personal memories at Culver’s for the past 15 years. Cur- rent Manager Justin Liljequist remembers bringing his friends to Culver’s when he was a teenager. For many students, their memories and experiences made at Culver’s will last a lifetime.

It’s been 67 years since the Holocaust, and the after statement of “Never again” is still not being upheld. Death has hung like a vul- ture over the non-Arab black Africans of Darfur, and now it has spread like a virus throughout the rest of Sudan. When the genocide started, there were about three or four rebel groups involved in the conflict. Now, UN peace- keepers are reporting that they have no idea just how many there are. Although the American government originally ex- pressed concern towards the conflict, it has gradually abandoned the people who are murdered, raped, and tortured every day. America needs to come down hard- er on the Sudanese government for their crimes against humanity. Sudanese gov- ernment and rebel groups alike have re- peatedly dishonored peace agreements and ceasefires to which they agreed. The gov- ernment in Khartoum has made it nearly impossible for reporters and aid workers to enter Sudan, and those that do enter have been assaulted or intimidated; their vehi- icles stolen and robbed.

The American government needs to put more pressure on other countries to stop trade with the Sudanese government. China is heavily invested in Sudan’s oil, and has been trading weapons for it. China therefore has a great amount of leverage when it comes to Sudan, although as of yet they have exercised very little of it.

Another way America can help is to provide aid helicopters to help UN peace- keepers in Sudan. Since January 2007, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed the need for helicopters to U.S. offi cials, but “no member state has come forward to provide these vital assets. Meanwhile, janjaweed militia are painting their helicopters white--the color of UN humanitarian aircraft -- and bombing vil- lages.

While it’s true that President George W. Bush did label the conflict as genocide, and has continually warned the Sudanese government that strict actions would be taken if the mass killings were to con- tinue, he has not followed through with those threats. Instead, he’s called for more UN troops to take care of the situation -- troops who are allowed to fi re a weapon only when threatened. The UN hasn’t been able to stop the genocide yet, and without more support, it might not ever be able to stop the killings.

In one sense, it’s understandable that American government wouldn’t be con- cerned about the genocide that 62% of Americans believe the U.S. has a respon- sibility to end, according to a Zogby In- ternational poll. After all, we are currently involved in two wars -- one in Iraq and and one in Afghanistan. But if we really did invade Iraq for oil, we did so needlessly: Sudan actually has a higher percentage of oil than Iraq and Afghanistan.

We wouldn’t necessarily have to start a war in Sudan, either. Helping another country doesn’t mean you have to bomb the side you don’t agree with. When geno- cide ravaged Rwanda in 1994, Paul Rus- esabagina aided the Tutsi minority by al- lowing them to take shelter in his hotel, rather than adding to the chaos by picking up a gun.

America--not to mention other coun- tries closer to Africa--could provide the same kind of protection by allowing sanc- tuary for Darfur refugees for a specifi ed amount of time. This sanctuary could be monitored by the government in order to banish any fears Americans might have of starving Darfurians becoming illegal al- iens.

They could also encourage American citizens to provide aid in any way they can, whether it be divesting their fi nancial hold- ings from companies involved in harmful business with the Sudanese regime, or be- coming one of the brave aid workers that risk life and limb if only to save one life.

These solutions might raise taxes, which I know is something Americans are worried about in the upcoming election. However, taxes are what allows this gov- ernment to work effi ciently. Therefore, we all need to ask ourselves the same question Oscar Schindler asked: “How much is one life worth to you?”

“Its times like this that make me remember what my father used to tell me when I was a kid: Locks are for keeping the honest people out,” says an online blogger about the use of backpacks in schools. Carrying backpacks into school could potentially allow a student to smuggle dan- gerous items into our school, but many people agree that making back- packs not allowed in school is stupid. Many students consider backpacks a necessity, holding everything they may need throughout the day. If someone honestly is going to bring something dangerous to school, they would probably fi nd a more unique way of doing it than putting it in their backpack anyway. Backpacks are a necessity and convenience to many Buffalo High School students.

Also, we as students get so much homework that we need backpacks. There is no way that we would be able to get all of our homework home without a backpack. I would assume that if we weren’t allowed backpacks, grades would go down because many students wouldn’t bring their homework home anymore. The students that have to walk home will defi nitely have trouble bringing their stuff home.

I know students that don’t go to their lockers once through- out the day, and it works out really nice for them. If you ever have to go to the bathroom and you don’t have a backpack, you might as well just forget about it. The lines for the bathroom are really long and there’s never enough time to go to the bathroom, and then go back to your locker and get all of your stuff. I also know a lot of people that have things to do during passing time like: call someone, or go visit a teacher or go do something for a class, and if you have a backpack that makes it easier to do those things without being late to your next class. Eight minutes is a good amount of passing time, and many students can manage doing what they need to do and get their supplies for their next class. But having a backpack to store everything in makes things a lot easier and much less stressful.

“I don’t think I could go the school day without my backpack. I feel naked without it,” said high school Senior Lindsay Jensen.

Another good thing about having backpacks is that it eliminates many trips to one’s locker during class time. You might have thought you brought a pencil to class when you went to your locker, but when you get to class you fi nd that you’ve lost it and you have to go back to your locker during class to get one. Or you’ve forgotten a book; you need to once again use class time to go get it. With a backpack you already have all those things with you.

I do agree with one thing though, there does need to be some rules concerning back- packs. As it is now, teachers are totally able to check and go through backpacks whenever they feel its necessary. They feel threatened they may ask the student to take the backpack to their locker or resource area. If they felt they really had to, they could get creative and make transparent backpacks.

Looking from the other side of the argument, maybe backpacks shouldn’t be allowed in school. That would make many parents lives less stressed. They wouldn’t have to worry about their kids not being safe in school. It is also a safety precaution. Many of us students don’t worry about whether so and so has a gun in their backpack and then fret about it all through class, but teachers and parents do that worrying for us. So even though we don’t see backpacks as a real big threat, anyone can whip out a gun and change yours and others’ lives forever if we don’t start worrying about it. You can’t just go through life saying, “It won’t happen to me.”

I realize what school administrators are trying to accomplish by taking backpacks out of school; they want to prevent danger- ous things from entering our school, such as weapons and drugs. But if someone was thinking about bringing those items into school they would probably fi nd a better way than putting it in their backpack. There are so many other places on our bodies to put dangerous things than in our backpacks.

“I’ve heard of people carrying there switch blades in their socks or shoes. There are many other ways of carrying things, there is no way to know for sure that your child will be safe throughout the school day,” said mother of two Jan Edmonson.

Another thing people say is that our backpacks just get in the way. Many times when you’re trying to walk up the stairs, and the person walk- ing in front of you has a big bulky backpack it irks you. You just want to get up the stairs, but this person has their backpack in your face. I would rather have that than have people carrying all of their things up the stairs and then dropping them down the stairs right in front of you.

For the schools that don’t allow backpacks, I feel sorry for their students. Backpacks should be allowed in every school, because you can’t stop someone who is trying to bring something dangerous to school. They will fi nd a way no matter what. You just can not stop them. There is no way you can monitor every place there is to hide something on the hu- man body. You just have to take the chance.

A low hum is heard as hundreds of students prepare for the annual Minnesota State Congress at the Minnesota State Technical College in Detroit Lakes on October 10 and 11. Students from all across the state attended, including eight students from Buffalo High School: Senior Jacob Warner; Juniors Jennifer Engnell, Avery Holm, Robert Malmstein, Ian Raatz, and Luke Weinzetl; Sophomore Madelyn Roseen; and Freshman Conrad Weinzetl.

The students spent two weeks preparing for the meet with Mike Worcester, one of the coaches of the Speech Team at Buffalo High School. Out of the eight students that went, four of them had never gone to a Student Congress meet before. Many of them said that they decided to go because other students and Worcester encouraged them to. Also, a few students said they wanted to get involved with a fall activity.

“Mr. Worcester is the coach, and he told me to go,” said Roseen, “Also, since I didn’t get into the Fall Play, I wanted to do something.”

Student Congress is an activity within the speech team. The students involved research 8-16 bills, and prepare 3 minute speeches for or against each bill. At the October and December competition, they debate just like a real congress. There were mixed feelings among the team going into the October competition. Some students felt anxious for their first competition, while others knew what to expect because of their previous years in participating with the student congress.

“I liked it this year better, because I knew what I was doing than last year when I started,” said Raatz.

Student Congress is a new experience for anyone who has never attended a meet before. The rounds are spent with each student presenting their individual pieces of Congressional legislation to a large group, and the remaining students argue and question the speaker in a parliamentary procedure. Each student is judged on argumentation ability, speaking technique, and overall participation. Students can earn awards for giving a good speech and argument. Holm, a student new to this experience, was nominated as Presenting Officer, which is a substantial achievement.

“I think I did pretty good. I got to be PO [Presiding Officer] for the second day, so I guess that’s pretty big,” said Holm. “I guess I made some pretty good arguments, and I liked stumping people with questions.”

Other than Holm, Warner and Luke Weinzetl also received awards. Both of them have been to a Student Congress competition before, so at this meet they improved from the previous meet.

When the students returned home, they came back with lots of good memories. Many of them plan to attend next year’s meet, and said they would encourage some of their friends to go, too. They will start practicing and improving on the things they did at this year’s meet soon, and hope to do better next year.

They can feel the glares from the crowd burning into their skin as they assemble on stage. The crowd falls silent as the lights dim. The beat sounds. They thrust their bodies into the air, creating movements which can not be replicated, even by each other. Suddenly someone freezes, but not intentionally.

Sophomore Victor Hernandez, a member of Ninth Shadow Krew (9SK), Buffalo’s break dance crew consisting of nine diverse members, felt his muscles rap- rapidly contract in mid-routine during one of his very fi rst shows in the Performing Arts Center. He clenched his teeth and struggled on as Junior Seng Vang noticed and broke routine to draw attention away from Her- nandez.

“I started to cramp up on stage,” said Hernandez. “I just kept going and hoped that nobody would notice. Luckily Seng saw and tried to catch their [the audience’s] attention. I don’t think anyone noticed, but it was still embarrassing.”

When the lights hit, the pressure came over 9SK. Between their multiple perform- ances and the nerve-racking pressure, room for error is unfavourable small.

“We practiced and practiced and fi nally got our last routine perfected,” said Junior Adrian Jimenez, “It seemed like nothing could have possibly gone wrong, but once we got up on stage, the nerves took over, and the whole performance fell out of or- der. It became a huge mess.”

Each member of 9SK has to try out for their position by performing individu- ally in front of the entire group. They are judged by the senior members of the group on originality and style. If they don’t have something unique to contribute, they don’t get in.

“Everyone has different moves,” said Senior Tyler Sachetti. “When I was trying out, I was worried that I wouldn’t do any- thing that stood out, so I just went all out. Nobody told me to stop so I just went until I was out of breath.”

Although personal style and other ele- ments of dance are important, practice is top priority in the crew and is taken very seriously. Every practice, members must dedicate their full attention and time to the routine and spend over two hours repeat- ing the steps in front of an enormous wall- sized mirror, where mistakes become more apparent and easier to spot.

Junior Neil Gleason should have bought a Mac... according to a message across his PC screen, displayed seconds before the machine shuts down. Angered, Gleason rips off the hard drive cover, claws out a hunk of computer chips and smashes his forehead into them.

This fi ctional scene exists on YouTube, a video sharing website which began Febru- ary 2005. Of 50 students surveyed, 28 visit it at least once a week and 13 have their own channels. Sophomore Michael Nelson’s channel has 70 videos, many about Indiana Jones and Miles ‘Tails’ Prower of the Sonic the Hedgehog anime, and 38 subscribers.

“Hey, if the world wants to see my vid- eos, let them,” said Nelson, “That’s why I put them on YouTube”.

Gleason also was able to explain why he posts the videos he creates. His chan- nel is home to digital birthday cards, public service announcements left over from health class, and his own show called ‘The Nelio Nightly News’.

“Sometimes I make them for friends, kind of like birthday presents,” said Gleason. “A lot of times I make them just to learn how new programs work, new video editing soft- ware, a lot of that. Usually I make them for certain people. A lot of times I base [videos] on songs or something. I make videos on, I don’t know, random... stuff. That’s just my own crazy mind.”

Many videos require no forethought whatsoever for their creators to post them. Sophomore Alex Gatzke’s channel hosts a 13-second clip titled ‘Insane Basketball Shot’. In it, Gatzke is with his friends play- ing driveway basketball. He wanders across the street, runs four steps toward the basket then shoots - and scores, to the cheers of his friends.

“We were just doing random stuff,” said Gatzke. “We thought it was going to be something stupid, like one of us jumping off a roof.”

‘Insane Basketball Shot’ has 303 views and six comments, none of which are nega- tive. Negative feedback can drive some channel viewers to take action.

“I have two videos of my son on YouTube, and I disabled comments because they can get so negative,” said English Teacher Ryan McCallum, “The reason I put [the videos] on YouTube wasn’t to show off my son. It was so my family could see them because they like to know what’s go- ing on. I didn’t want the whole world see- ing [the videos] because there are comments on other videos of little kids ranging from ‘What a terrible dad!’ to ‘What an idiot’. I decided I’d rather not hear negative things from people I don’t even know.”

Yet channel owners aren’t totally hos- tile. Complete strangers often will outstretch kindness in their feedback.

“Sometimes [viewers] make your day,” said Gatzke, “Sometimes you’ll get a com- ment and they’ll just be genuinely proud of your work. And you’re like, ‘Oh, thank you’.”

Twenty-two different countries, not in- cluding the United States, have their own YouTube website. The site allows only channel owners to post feedback on other videos, which still allows for 3.75 million people to share their opinions, for better or for worse.

“I’m pretty satisfi ed with just my friends seeing [my videos], and commenting on them because other people might just say the something rude and not really offer construc- tive criticism,” said Nelson. “Or they might just say, ‘wow, this is really good,’ just to make you feel better. But if you have a friend who tells you what needs to be worked on and what they liked about it, for real, then it’s constructive criticism and such”.

Friends of students are often the most important sources of feedback even if their responses aren’t always told with words.

“My friends usually laugh at me,” said Gleason, “but... I guess that’s kind of the re- sponse I want.”

YouTube may be internationally fa- mous and it may give people the chance to become famous themselves. But for most students, it’s just another way to have fun with their friends and family.

The stress of high school can be colossal. Students have school, and then go home and work either in the form of homework or in the form of an actual job. Add a social life into the equation, and students are bound to be out of their minds with too many activities crowding their daily schedules. Required testing further aggravates this state of mind.

The beginning of the year has been packed-full with tests that all students throughout grades 9 to 11 must take. These tests are not tests that can easily be studied for, because students usually do not know what specifi c kind of questions will be asked of them. The MCA II’s, the PLAN test, and the MAP tests are considered some of the most important tests that students will have to take during high school.

High stakes

The beginning of the school year is a time for students to get back into the daily routine of school, and it also brings about standardized testing. The scores that students receive on these tests last forever, and follow students throughout their lifetimes. College offi cials, for example, when making decisions for which students to accept, look at test scores early in the process. For students who are college-bound, this is something that could be very intimidating and could have a negative impact upon how they perform on the tests.

“Tests that we take in classes stress me out enough,” said Junior Hannah Strode. “But these tests are way more stressful because you don’t know what to study for. Plus, there is so much more riding on the scores that we get.”

How teachers use your scores

Both parents and students question whether teachers should be able to view a student’s scores before meeting the student, because they feel that the teacher could form false opinions of the student. Teachers are not forced to look at the scores, but all are offered the chance to view the scores to develop a lesson plan based around that student. Curriculum Support Specialist Jack Brady believes that all teachers have the best of intentions and would only use test scores in productive ways.

“I think that most teachers are professional and I don’t believe that they are going to be judgmental about students with their score,” said Brady. “You really cannot judge a student based off of one test score.”

The tests

There are certain tests that students must take in certain grades. As freshmen, students must take a MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test on both reading and math in both the fall and in the spring. MAP tests are taken on the computer, and the questions are fi t to each student. The diffi culty of each question depends on how the student does on the questions previous. If they get the fi rst question right, then the questions will continue to get harder. If the student gets a question wrong, the questions will become easier. This system makes the test an “optimal test,” which means that the students get half of the answers correct, and half incorrect. The results of these tests are important to schools and to teachers because they show what academic progress students have made. If there is one thing that may not be very high for an entire class, the teachers can learn to focus more on that so that the students can begin to understand that subject matter better.

Sophomores take the PLAN test as well as the MCA II reading test, which must be passed in order to graduate. The PLAN test is a test made for college-bound students, but all students take it. The test covers English, math, reading, and science. The results of the PLAN test help you determine what college level would suit you the best, and offer options of subject areas that would interest you for future classes. Juniors have to take the MCA II math test, which must be passed in order to graduate.

“The PLAN test is like the pre-ACT,” said Counselor Mark Jones. “It’s the fi rst test in which students are exposed to a more diffcult--and timed--test. It is a very valuable predictor for a student’s potential with the ACT. The PLAN test also has a built-in career wheel and an interest inventory, which helps to get students to start thinking about their future careers.”

Real consequences

As opposed to the PLAN test scores, which aren’t required to graduate, the MCA II’s and the GRAD tests are both graduation tests and need to be passed by a student before s/he can graduate. This requirement started with the class of 2010, and is in effect for all of the graduating classes following. The tests are given every year to measure the performance of each student based on the state’s academic standards. The standards that the tests are based off of dictate what students in each grade show know. The MCA II reading test has students read fi ction, non-fi ction, poems, short stories, and informational passages. After reading the passages, students are asked about main ideas, settings, characterization, plot, opinions, point of views. Students are also asked to evaluate information gathered from cahrts and graphs.

The MCA II math test has students solve problems and asks about identifying patterns, fi nding number ranges, mathematical reasoning, number sense and computation and several other things. Each of the MCA II’s are divided into four sections with each section having a number of multiple choice questions and a few short answer questions. Only four questions need to be correctly answered to get a passing score, but the four questions are not pointed out to the test-takers before the test is taken.

The class of 2010 is the fi rst class that is having to pass all of these required tests, and currently, the prospects of every student passing every test is low.

“It’s upsetting to hear kids coming back to us, the counselors, their senior year with concerns on why they won’t be graduating or why they won’t be getting into certain colleges,” said Jones. “A quarter of the current junior class has not passed their reading tests. It if I had $1 for every time a student came to me with concerns... They don’t hear us, plain and simple. We as counselors reach out and offer advice and try to help them as much as possible, but they don’t take our advice.”

The MCA’s are fi rst taken on paper, but for students having to retake it, it is on the computer. They also get the results back about two weeks later and have a chance to take it every two months.

“Testing is important,” said Jones. “We have so many opportunities here at BHS. Students just need to utilize them.”

Tears trickled down some of the faces of the members of the Bison football team as they marched out of the St. Johns University stadium. The team took second place in sections against St. Cloud Tech on Saturday, November 1 with an ending score of 39-21. With an outcome they were not expecting, the sight of disappointment ran across their faces.

“The last couple minutes were hard because you could hear the whole line choking up. I think the hardest part about losing was I knew it was my last time doing that again,” said Senior Casey Druar. “I expected the game to be really emotional, and by the way our season was going we thought we were going to win.”

With less than 10 minutes left in the game the score was 39-9, causing fans to lose hope in pulling off a victory.

“I think the hardest part about losing was watching our fans leave before the game was even over,” said Druar. “It brought us all down but then we scored.”

The team put up a fight scoring two touchdowns in the closing minutes. Even with the loss in mind the boys ended their season with a record of 9-2 and the Mississippi 8 Conference Champion title.

“It had been a goal of ours from day one to win conference,” said Junior Jake Letsinger. “Once we won conference I thought we would be out right away for sections.”

The team advanced to the game against St. Cloud Tech after beating Brainerd 20-14. The game went into overtime, and Buffalo got the ball after Brainerd missed their four attempts to get the ball into the end zone. Senior Taylor Vick took the ball and dove into the end zone, ending the game and Brainerd’s chance to advance.

“When I scored the winning touch-down I felt really relieved,” said Vick. “I just needed to get into the end zone and nothing was going to stop me. I just wasn’t going to go down.”

Being prepared played a big factor on the teams winning streak. They stayed focused, and were ready to play.

“I think we are always prepared,” said Senior Captain Brooks Beilke, “We come to practice focused and ready to go, and our coaches do a good job getting us prepared.”

“Our team had done really well this year,” said Senior Matthew Holthaus. “It’s because we focus in practice, and that really pays off on Friday. This year I think our running game carried us, because they score all the points.”

Even though they were prepared, their hard efforts came shy by 18 points. With losing 26 seniors, the boys will have to step it up a notch in order to have another great season.

“I think we need to play together as a team more, come together to pull off a good season,” said Letsinger. “We also want to work harder during the off- season to become a stronger team.”

The Bison Boys’ Soccer team scored a goal in Buffalo’s hometown history. With a record of 8-8-2, the boys took the Mississippi 8 conference championship title. Eagerly, the team waited for the results of the Monitcello vs. Rogers game, in order to give them a shot at winning conference. Monticello won which gave them their chance, and they took advantage of it.

“Winning conference was cool and it was my fi rst year on varsity,” said Senior Chris Lundquist, “It made a difference in the school and did something that no one had ever done before.”

Champions can click together, but a special bond helped the boys’ soccer team worked together. The team had a wide variety of different ages and groups.

“We had eight juniors, eight hockey players, and eight actual soccer players,” said Senior Keenen Stangl.

Despite the variety of players, the boys stuck together in order to pull off a victory. “We don’t click, we mesh,” said Senior Captain Ben Stephens.

Intensity strikes the fi eld as the Bison fi re up. The pumping up starts on the back of the bus before the team arrives to each game. With traditions like,“Tickle time” to beat boxing rhythms, the boys have a good time.

“We are all really good singers,” said Stangl, “We sing ‘Colt 45’ and ‘Lean on me’, and set beats on the bus seats.”

Even with an unforgettable season, sections were what it came down to. The fi rst loss and it’s over, or a win and continue on to a chance at state. The boys fell short in their fi rst round at sections. Being seventh seed and playing the number two seed the boys lost to Minneapolis South by a score of 4-0.

“We didn’t slack at any time,” said Stephens, “we went balls to the walls every minute.”

The boys played hard, smart, together, and had fun. They left their Bison “hoofprints” in Buffalo Boys Soccer for a lifetime.

Students sit in their desks with their eyes focused straight ahead, fi dgeting with their pencils and exchanging quick whispers as English Teacher Judy Jacobson gives a lecture on William Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet during Fourth Block. On the opposite side of the school, Social Studies Teacher William Floersheim sits at his computer during his prep updating his students' grades and correcting homework.

T e diff erence between 41 years and 44 days of teaching experience is immense. And this is the case when comparing the lengths of time Jacobson and Floersheim have been teaching. Jacobson has been teaching 9th grade English in the district ever since the high school was held at the building that is now Discovery Elementary School. She has loved teaching there ever since she began, and it is the only school she has taught at.

"I don't know if I have a favorite memory at BHS," said Jacobson. "T ere are just so many good ones in the many years I've taught."

Being a new teacher, Floersheim has only taught American History and Economics since the beginning of the school year. He just graduated four months ago from Saint Cloud State University, or "T e" Saint Cloud State University, according to him.

Because of the wide gap between their years of experience, both teachers have many things they do diff erently. Since Jacobson has been teaching longer, she has a general idea of what students' level of understandability is and teaches her material the same way. However, with this comes the personality of appearing strict.

"Yeah, she could be a bit strict at times," said Junior Angelee Hale, "but she helped me understand English better."

Unlike Jacobson, Floersheim is fresh to the job of being a teacher, and seems more easy going. He doesn't know what to expect out of his students, and must alter his ways of teaching sometimes to help the students learn better. Students also say that since he is new, he is more fun.

"T e newer teachers are more lenient towards students, and most of them are young and you can really relate to them," said Senior Bruce Manz. "T e older teachers know everything and are a lot more strict on all sorts of stuff ."

Something Jacobson and Floersheim share is their desire to see students excel in the classroom. Presenting new information to students and seeing them understand it gives them a feeling of accomplishment. Also, both teachers wish to see their students apply the things they learn in class to their everyday lives.

"I want them [the students] to understand why it's important, to be able to link it with something else we've learned, and to apply it to their lives," said Jacobson, "Seeing the light bulb go on in kids is rewarding."

T ough each teacher has their style of teaching, students tend to like the younger teachers better. T is because the older teachers have been teaching longer, so they know what they're teaching. T ey know how students understand it best, and won't try new ways when teaching it. Younger teachers have just begun teaching and are sampling diff erent ways of teaching. Experimenting like this can either help students understand the material in a fun and useful way, or it can confuse students to the point where they won't understand it.

"I like the newer teachers' teaching better," said Manz, "T ey make things more fun compared to a teacher that has taught something, the same thing, for so many years."

Two very diff erent teachers at the high school can be surprisingly similar by looking beyond the way they appear to most students. Boring and strict. Fun and easy going. Looking at more important things, like how well students learn from them, can be vital when giving a label to a certain teacher. Even though they may have their diff erences teaching relating to their level of experience, students should look past this. Instead, they should judge teachers on how much they learn from them and how helpful they are to them.

I was looking for a comedy; I wanted a new challenge for our students, and the Minnesota accent is a huge challenge. It’s also a Minnesota playwright with dark comedy that’s a lot like the Coen films. Also the fact that it’s about ice fishing might intrigue people who usually wouldn’t watch a play. -Director Tracy Hagstrom-Duane

My character is Francis and he’s a Missionary. He’s mainly comic relief and some of his speaches have foreshadowing. I enjoy it because he’s an uptight religious person, but sometimes it’s hard to be angry. -Junior Wesley Miller

I play Ron Heber, he’s the guy the whole play is centered on. He’s a fisherman in northern Minnesota who’s ice fishing in the middle of a snow storm. The play is about all the people that walk into his life. -Senior Brandon Aldrich

The Play opens November 13 goes through the 15 each show starts at 7:30. Cost is 3$ for Students and 5$ for Adults.