The Hoofprint - Issue 1 - November 2019

Fall is one of the best seasons for sports, but how have the Bison handled their first season in a new conference? As a season wraps up, there were a lot of emotions shared between the players.

Aiden Bouman ‘20 and the Bison football team made it to Round two of the Class 6A tournament but was stopped just one game short of the state tournament by Mounds View. That’s not to say that they didn’t have a great season, including an amazing win against St. Michael. This was also the first season that Buffalo had made it past the first round of the playoffs in 6 years.

“We knew we were going to lose a lot of guys from last year and to be able to make it as far as we did and win the games we did, it was pretty special,” Bouman said.

The swim team also faced challenges within the new conference, but they managed to pull through and found new ways to accomplish their goals through working hard. Sydney Polzin ‘20 reflected on her time on the swim team. “I think takeaways would be that in order to make progress and be successful, you have to work really hard in practice and you need to cheer on your teammates,” said Polzin.

The boy’s soccer team shared a similar humble view of their season. Ryan Park ‘20 described his relationships with his teammates.

Talk of budget cuts echos through the halls of bhs after a list of budget cuts is published. After an attempt to get more funding was voted against last year, a desperate attempt to keep BHS functioning at such a high level was announced. Many rumors were perceived as truth and began to spread.

This year has been a year of changes for Buffalo High School. New and returning students alike walked through the doors of the building on their first day to face a whirlwind of new changes that have been introduced to the school’s environment. What was once a set system is now varied and foreign. People’s normal routines are now different.

Uncertainty and questions have been flying around. Rumors and myths about the changes are just as common as facts. Information about the new policies and practices is being passed along in one giant game of telephone. Truth has become false, facts have become fiction. Uncertainty has brought upon unease and fear to students who have always found BHS to be a constant.

The Hoofprint has worked hard to uncover the truths about these changes. Digging deep into changes such as the possible presidential impeachment and the first season in a new sports conference, we hope this issue reveals the truths behind the change and distills the fear that has surfaced. Despite all of the changes that have been introduced this year, we are still the same Buffalo High School. We still have that same Bison Pride and sense of community that has always existed here. “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous in the end.”

This year at BHS, there was an increase in students per classroom due to the large intake of students and the static number of teachers. This creates the need for more and more students to be piled into a single class in an attempt to best accommodate everyone’s interests and needs.

The amount of students permitted per class is determined by a number of factors and agreed upon by the staff and Administration. These factors include available equipment, the class’s subject, and space in the classroom. In some CIS classes, the number of students permitted is determined by the college that offers the class. When the school begins to fill classes, they start with the seniors, then juniors, sophomores, and freshmen. It starts by filling as many of the requirements/electives for seniors as it can make work. The same is then done for juniors through freshmen. The school had to decrease the teaching staff by three and a half teachers this year, which had an impact on how the school went about the scheduling process. In some cases, students were forced to choose between two classes that were only offered at the same time as the other. It is unknown how many students were put in this scenario.

The students of BHS have had varying thoughts about this change. “In some classes, it’s ok and in some it’s frustrating,” said junior Shayla Schuft. She stated that nearly all of her classes appear to be at capacity, particularly her Algebra 2 class, “It’s a larger class which makes it hard to get help.” Though she does also believe it has its perks, “In discussions and group-based activities/classes, it makes things more interesting.”

Another student who does not mind the increase in size is sophomore Caitlyn Seidel, “I like them. It can be a little hectic at times, but I’m more likely to be with people I know or am friends with.” They stated that seeing as they are primarily in Arts Infused classes, they don’t feel as impacted, but they also stated that with the start of the new quarter they predict it will be trickier to get one-on-one help. “I just worry about kids that might not be able to be helped. I have friends that go the extra mile with teachers, and with these sizes, that’s not as easy.”

The staff has also had some varied opinions on the new sizes. “It creates a challenge of time, due to the large amount of grades and feedback,” said English teacher Usset “It makes it harder to touch base with every student.” In the math department, Bauman stated, “I felt like the whole room was saying my name.” Both agree that the increase in size affects the individual success of students and the classroom culture as a whole. In the first quarter, Algebra 2 classes were feeling unleveled with Bauman having 36 students in her class, making it hard to have any one-on-one time with her students. Now that class sizes have leveled out to nearly 30 throughout the department, “Term two has been significantly better.” When asked how things might get better, Bauman stated that with BASE time being used well, students could get better help.

The larger class sizes caught a lot of people off guard, with many not knowing how it would affect their learning. But now that everything is beginning to normalize, it is clear that BHS will beat this rise in size.

Change can be bittersweet, a feeling many understand entering the 2019-2020 school year. This year Buffalo High School will look different in many ways, the biggest being the school schedule. Advisory and BASE Time will replace AAA and Bison Time, leaving many unsure of what to expect.

Advisory and BASE Time each serve their own purpose. Advisory is a time of community, allowing students to know and connect with other students, as well as staff at BHS. BASE Time is an opportunity for student enrichment and further understanding pertaining to a subject of their choosing. It is a time for students to get their educational needs met.

According to Spanish Teacher Jess Nickelsen, the transition to BASE Time and Advisory will offer a more effective way for students to feel supported and connected to their school community.

“Our goal as a building is to have ALL students feel they belong at BHS. Advisory is a research-based system to foster these relationships. It is intentional and constant for all students,” said Ms. Nickelsen. “BASE time will allow students and staff to connect in a smaller, more concentrated setting. The 35 minutes can be used as a time for students to meet with teachers to get personal instruction, test preparation, enrichment, or to work collaboratively with other students.”

English Teacher and Advisory Coordinator Amy Sparks, stated that the new Advisory period comes with a new curriculum built on the basis of research, in hopes to connect students to each other and themselves.

“When students feel connected to others, to themselves, to a purpose or a why. Like why am I here and what am I doing next, then they just do better in life. With mental health and with getting jobs, and with finding opportunities. While they are in high school, and beyond,” said Ms. Sparks.

The curriculum is based on the CASEL model for social emotional learning. Using this, Sparks created a curriculum based on three main principles.

“Self discovery, so we’re talking about being aware of yourself, and then also what are you struggling with, with managing yourself and living your best life. The next thing that this organization looks at is social awareness, the world outside of us and relationships, and how do we find ways to connect with people,” said Sparks. “Then the last thing is really about responsible decision making, so even more than self management, it’s about being able to set long term goals.”

continued from page 1 “We really grew as a team and as a group and stayed together we did all the things that we need to do to be successful,” Park said. “If you asked a lot of the members of the team I think that they would say that we had a successful season but some of the results just didn’t go our way.”

Soccer gave it their all this season, and did a good job of staying a team. This season, the girls soccer team chose to work together and look towards the future. Brooke Bergeron ‘21 explained how she used teamwork to play efficiently.

“So we really pulled off of each other’s strengths throughout the season,” Bergeron said. “We really just chose to make the best out of it and look at the next point instead of dwelling on the past.”

The cross country team had a great season this year. The cross country team is coming off an exciting season with Nick Oak ‘20 tying Buffalo’s state cross country record. Cory Crest ‘21 discussed the team’s performance.

“Buffalo seems to be really fast. Our Varsity and JV tend to win most of the invites that we go to,” Crest said.

Overall, Buffalo had a strong fall athletics season, although there were challenges in switching conferences, the athletic teams found ways to work together and adapt and came away from this season stronger because of it.

Veganism is a lifestyle choice against animal cruelty, this includes the use of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. Choosing a vegan or vegetarian way of living is a great way to be eco friendly and also fuel your body in a healthy way. Veganism is an effective approach to having a positive impact on the planet, as many places face deforestation and destruction of land in order to produce crops and raise livestock. It’s also a fantastic route to take for a more nutrient rich diet. Actively searching for where meat originates, how it was raised and how it was processed is also an effective way to fight destruction of ecosystems, even if sticking with a meat diet is the preferred choice.

Another great way to get a variety of nutrients and protect the environment is a vegetarian diet. Slightly different from a vegan diet, vegetarians don’t eat meat and meals consist of fruits, grains, and nuts. However unlike veganism, it is acceptable to eat eggs and dairy products. Finding meat free meals at restaurants can be stressful and frustrating, but knowing what to order beforehand can be very helpful. Even if you are not a herbivore, there are delicious meat free options at almost every restaurant.

Most restaurants are willing and happy to accommodate special dietary needs. Things can be substituted or taken off, for example taking chicken off of a salad. Many sit down restaurants mark their meat free options with a “V”. If vegan options are not available on the menu it’s always acceptable to ask the service staff what the best vegan or vegetarian choices are. Getting used to a vegan diet may be different or difficult to begin, however, it has many advantages that can’t be found elsewhere. Veganism has been known to lower blood sugar and improve kidney function. It is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and can reduce pain due to arthritis. Going vegan or vegetarian is a great option for anyone looking to contribute to the well being of the planet and their bodies.

For a base, you can order either sofritas or fajita veggies, and for toppings, guacamole and the salsas are vegan, and the cheese and sour cream are vegetarian.

Culvers has a veggie burger thats vegan as is, and without cheese it’s vegan. Fries are nice side that’s almost always vegan. All of the custard products are vegetarian.

Noodles offers a peanut stir fry that’s completely vegan as is. They also serve pasta fresca that’s vegetarian if you order without shrimp.

The number six sandwich is vegetarian, and is vegan without the mayo and cheese. All of the chips and cookies are vegetarian as well.

While playing video games or watching netflix for a living would be some high schools students dream career, that just isn’t how the world works.

However, some high school students decide to turn their passions into their own business. There is no manager to take them step by step, so these students have to find ways to push past the difficulties their business endures, all while juggling school and other aspects of their life.

“I got my first drone in ninth grade,” Quincy Kabe ‘20 said. “I did the CEO class at wright tech which gave me the funds to upgrade my equipment and open my own business.”

Kabe has made more money with his business than when he was working full time at the Buffalo Water Department over the summer.

“The hardest part of starting was probably working on my business for multiple months with no income,” Kabe said. “I had to keep working and advertising in order to get clients. It cost me money but it has definitely been worth it since.”

While most people would love to get paid for doing one of their favorite hobbies, there are also a lot of background work that goes into running a business.

“There is a lot more to running a business that I had expected,” Kabe said. “Every single penny that comes in and out has to be recorded for tax purposes, my website has to be constantly updates, and I need to stay on top of phone calls and voicemails. I’m not just going out and flying my drone for three hundred dollars an hour. I do work a lot harder than I expected, but it really isn’t work to me because I enjoy what I am doing.”

Another BHS student, Madelyn Thompson ‘20, started her own instagram based thrift store in April of last year.

“I always loved fashion,” Thompson said. “People were always telling me that “you should sell your clothes’ so one thing led to another and I was just like why not make an instagram account?”

Thompson created her account, ThriftsBuyMaddy and dedicates her profit to her upcoming trip to New York City through the music department.

“It was hard getting people to take it seriously,” Thompson said. “They would be like ‘can I try this on can I try this on’ and that wasn’t how I wanted this to work. A lot goes into it that people don’t really see. It does take a lot of time taking good pictures of them and to post them and it can be hard figuring it out with school. ”

People started noticing Thompsons account in June of 2019. “The best part is meeting people,” Thompson said. “ Like other thrifters who just like to share their experiences and stuff like that. People also reach out to me and saying that they love my account and they always look at it to see what’s posted.”

For Thompson and Kabe, their business experience won’t end when they receive their diploma. Thompson is looking into going into a business related career and Kabe is hoping to continue his business throughout his college years. Running a business while in high school is not an easy task, but when one is passionate about what they are doing it can open new doors for later in their life.

The Tri-M talent show occurred early this year, taking place in the fall instead of the spring. Despite the early date, there was a full lineup for the show consisting of unique and inspiring acts.

Olivia Carey ‘23 noticed the sign up sheet outside of Mr. Carlson’s room and decided to give it a shot.

“At first there were not many people on the sign up list,” Carey said. “I thought hey, this might be a fun experience to try something new, and put myself out there and start off the year with something special.”

Carey performed an original song “As Long As I’m with You”, and wowed the audience with her voice. Her songs usually consist of everyday things. The song she performed hit home for all Minnesotans.

“When I was younger I wasn’t the biggest fan of the snow,” Carey said. “I wanted to just go to a warm place and not have all the cold and winter.”

Carey was not the only one to sing for the talent show, Danielle Ruhr ‘20 sang a cover of “Gravity” by Sarah Bareilles.

“I wanted to sing ‘Gravity’ because that’s song me and my sister used to sing all the time,” Ruhr said. “I would play the piano and we would sing together and my mom loves that song. I chose that song because it is us.”

In addition to the singing acts, instrumental acts were also a large part of the performance.

Brass and Body Works surprised the audience and even had some on their feet dancing and clapping. The band consisted of Grace Borgerding ‘21, Luke McGorrey ‘20, Sigorney Wubben ‘20, Luke Lichtenberg ‘20, and Tate Hanson ‘20. The band played the song “Funky Town” as the finale of the show.

The talent show had various impacts for every single performer which made it special to the audience. Delaney Elton ‘20 who was sitting in the front row was able to have an inside look into the talent show as someone sitting in the audience.

“It was really cool to see all my classmates or people I know and didn’t know before and just to see what they do outside of school,” Elton said. “I didn’t know a lot of those people personally so it was really neat to see what they are interested in and to see how talented my classmates are.”

Students throughout BHS had the opportunity this fall to witness their classmates and peers perform talents and skills that were both well known and of complete surprise. The students that performed in the show gained an appreciation for both their peers and their passions. Overall the night was a huge success for all involved, bringing the school community closer together.

All around Buffalo High School there are talented and unique musicians roaming the halls. For junior and senior musicians there are audition-only groups that get to perform highly advanced songs compared to a general music class, are able to perform multiple times at concerts, and get unique opportunities. These groups are highly revered in Buffalo High School, and underclassmen musicians look forward to possibly be apart of this group.

Two great opportunities were offered to the instrumental groups last month. In October, Concert Band was able to perform with the Gustavus Adolphus Wind Orchestra, and the Concert Orchestra got the chance to play with the St. Paul Civic Symphony.

For the percussionist Stevie Schoder ‘21, he was ecstatic to play with the Gustavus Adolphus Wind Orchestra on the night of October 25th. This is Schoder’s first year in Concert Band and was his first experience playing with another ensemble group.

“It was really cool and exciting to play with professionals,” said Schoder. “They were very precise and definitely knew what they were doing.” Schroder has performed in six high school band concerts over the last two years. When asked to compare the two experiences, his face lit up and he said, “It was a very interesting experience. I got to make new friends and made connections with a lot of experts.”

The Concert Orchestra musicians have a similar story. Cellist Lucy Johnson ‘20, has been involved in Concert Orchestra for two years. “I love everything about it [...] being able to relax and use my brain in a different way than in my regular classes feels great.”

On October 21st, Concert Orchestra performed with the St. Paul Civic Symphony. Johnson thoroughly enjoyed performing with a different group, “...because you get to see what they do differently; everyone has a different technique.” She agreed with Schoder that it was a great experience and met many new people.

However, her favorite part was the powerful sound created by all of the musicians on stage. “When playing in an ensemble group, there is always strength in numbers. We sound better as a whole and more powerful.”

During combined rehearsals and performances all musicians involved in concert groups can make connections with professionals in their field. For many of them, their eyes are opened to the fact that their instrument could be a potential career or lifelong hobby.

President Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, is currently under investigation, led by Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The Committee is in the midst of an impeachment inquiry after a whistleblower’s statement that President Trump would not release foreign Military Aid to Ukraine until they provided him with damning information about Hunter Biden, son of Vice President Joe Biden, and his alleged “illegal business dealings with Ukraine.” The Presidential Administration and Republican leaders countered the accusations with the statement that, “there was no quid-pro-quo.”

However, in audio released from President Trump’s phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it’s abundantly clear that Military Aid would have in fact been withheld, had the Ukrainian President failed to provide sufficient information on Hunter Biden. Blackmailing a foreign government and prompting them to involve themselves in the United States Presidential Election is illegal, contrary to whatever the Presidential Administration says. Our government was built on a basis of checks and balances, and the United States Government no longer feels conviction towards the statement, “no man is above the law.” If the Executive Branch can no longer be held accountable, we not only fail our Constitution, but our ideal of democracy as well.

America is more ideologically divided twoday than ever before. Compromises and bipartisan issues have become a thing of the past, thus contributing to our United States Congress’ inability to get much done. A prime example of this, is the current, unfair and partisan impeachment inquiry. This impeachment is all based on an anonymous, politically-biased whistleblower. We know this person met with Schiff’s staff before ever filing a complaint and also worked with Former Vice President Biden.

Apart of a fair trial includes putting all witness’, such as Trump, Schiff and the whistleblower on trial and under oath for the public and Congress to hear. While under oath I don’t think that witnesses should be instructed to avoid answering GOP members’ questions as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has advised.

The Democrats of Congress are attempting to do everything in their power to overturn an election that was won by the man who they opposed from the start, and now are looking for ways to destroy his presidency and legacy. It started with the Ruissan Collusion Probe, a two year, multi-million dollar investigation that led to insufficient evidence, and now this. Quite frankly I think these accusations are hanging by a thread and in time, through fair and legitimate investigating on both sides, the real evidence will surface.

Diving into her last season as a Bison has led to bittersweet goodbyes, years’ worth of friendships, hard work, proud accomplishments, many lessons, and lasting memories to carry with her throughout her life.

Swimming on the team since middle school has given Sydney Polzin ‘19 many chances to form new friendships, and strengthen existing ones. Through the years, Polzin has met some of her best friends because of the sport, and have been friends since.

“My favorite part of the team is how close we are. In or out of the pool we’re all great friends and actually enjoy spending time with each other,” Polzin said.

Differing from other sports, swimming is both an individual and team sport. At the meets, you’re racing to improve your own time, but also swimming to earn points for your team. To do well in both you must not only work hard for yourself, but for your team as well.

“I’ve learned how valuable it is to work hard in order to be successful. I swim because I love the sport and I love pushing my body to its limits.” Polzin goes on to say, “I like how it’s an individual and a team sport. I get to work hard to see my personal goals be met, but also cheer on my teammates to see their goals be met, which contributes to our team’s success.”

This hard work Polzin mentions is what has led her to be a captain and a big contributor to the team’s success. Through countless practices, she had the privilege to qualify for the Medley Relay for state in 2017 as a sophomore, and letter in all the swimming events by her junior year.

Polzin wrapped up her last season as a role model for her teammates as a captain. As her last practices, trips, and meets wound down, she realized and cherished her last moments as a part of a high school team.

“I would randomly get the realization of ‘Oh, this is my last time ever doing this in high school,’ which was kind of a sad feeling, but forced me to work harder to make it all worth it,” says Polzin.

Her official goodbye to the team was on Senior Night, where Polzin cheered her last regular season cheers and swam her last home meet. The meet ended with two annual relays: the Coaches vs Seniors Relay and the Dads vs Seniors Relay. The relays were then followed by speeches given to the seniors by junior Elle Kaiser.

Polzin says, “I loved swimming against my coaches and dad and saying a final ‘goodbye’ to my teammates. It was a bittersweet feeling for sure.”

Over the years, swimming has been an important part of Polzin’s life. The sport and her close friendships on the team have changed her for the better, given her the satisfaction of seeing her hard work paid off, and led to a love for the sport. One she may even pursue in college.

“I’m super lucky to have met and made connections with so many of the girls on the team, because they’re all amazing and it’s so fun to be on a team with them. [...] This team has changed me as a person because I have become more outgoing and energetic because of the people I spend my time with.”

Student council is an elected group of students that take part in leadership oppritunities, foster relationships between students and staff, and create an environment where all students feel connected. Primarily, Student Council achieves these things through school spirit, service, and the sharing of student ideas and projects. Some of the major events at the high school that Student Council puts on are the Homecoming Dance, the Homecoming Fun Night, R.A.V.E. week, and the Bison Field Fest. The goal of student council is to make sure all students feel heard and welcomed, and we hope that through these events and activitiesm that will be achieved.

Bounce Back is a club for students to find volunteer opportunities to make the school a better place. We combined Student Care Committee and Students Stepping Up to create a unified group. One popular event we do is the De-Stress Fest. During finals week, we put on an event in the LLC dedicated to helping students get through the stressful week. We hope that Bounce Back becomes a fun place for students to become more involved in their school and community.

The silent supporters of the school. The ones that are here before most of us are out of bed and on our days off. They make the school shine and sparkle, they help make hangry teens just angry, and they are witnesses to all the strange things that happen inside the walls of this school. The delicious variety of food and well-kept school is thanks to the lovely lunch and the glorious custodial staff we have at Buffalo High School.

Many people don’t realize the different responsibilities these staff members have outside what we believe to be traditional. If we were to consider the custodial staff, people think they just come into the classrooms grab the trash cans and leave to go repeat the process for other classrooms. However, that’s only a slight fraction of what they do. Barb, one of the custodians for the school, described the truth behind the job.

“There is a lot to a custodian. It’s not just cleaning,” said Barb. “We have to do certain projects for when there are events like basketball, plays, and concerts.”

The lunch staff have a lot on their plate. What’s not as well known is the fact that they also have other responsibilities included in their jobs other than just cooking here at BHS. Patty, a kitchen staff member with 25 years of experience in this building, explained how she and the rest of the kitchen function on a day to day basis.

“We have to work with what we get, what is affordable, and what is the proper nutrition. We have to watch everything. And maybe they [the students] don’t realize that.” Said Patty. “We each have our own stations that we work. We all have our favorite thing. We think that if you like where you are [stationed] and you are used to it you will perform better.”

What happens during those three months where the last thing on a student’s mind is school? What happens to the building where they spend nine months of the year learning? A member of the school’s custodial staff commented on the behind the scenes work that occurs during these summer months.

“We work during the summer when everyone else gets to go home. We have to work the normal eight hour shifts. What we do is we take out the cabinets, desks, and chairs from the classrooms and clean them down,” the custodial staff member said. “We replace the lights, shampoo the carpets, and strip the floors if they need to be.”

The kitchen staff explained their summer responsibilities.

“We get off the whole summer,” the kitchen staff member responded. “But some of them do the janitorial stuff in the summer.”

The list of responsibilities that these staff members have is extensive and virtually unknown to the majority of the school’s population. Ranging from working eight shifts in the summer months and deep cleaning the building, to being here everyday at 6:45 in the morning to start preparing food for the day, these crucial members of our school community don’t get the credit and recognition that they deserve.

A plane circles above the ground and prepares to land. It came from Germany and is set for America. Sophia Terranova ‘20 is a passenger, and as she steps off, she prepares herself for a new year in a completely different country. As a new school year begins at BHS, Sophia Terranova ‘20, Villads Stokholm ‘20, and Maryam Gottstein ‘22 are thrown into a new, exciting environment.

Sophia Terranova came to America from a small town in Germany on August 10th, and is excited for this year to unfold. She had high expectations for her stay here, and so far, they have been met.

“I’m looking forward to doing things in school that we don’t have in Germany,” said Terranova. “At first I really wanted to go to England and be a foregin exchange student there, but I’m really glad that I was able to come here because now I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”

Villads Stokholm, a student from Denmark, could not predict what his experience as a high school student in America would be like.

“I just came to play football. I did a coin flip to decide whether I would come to America or go to a different country.” He said. “I’m glad I came here, and football has helped me make friends.”

In Germany, most schools don’t have their own sports teams. In order to join a sport, you would have to do it separately from school. Gottstein was excited to participate in a sport, but soon realized that watching them was just as fun.

“I love the school spirit,” said Gottstein, “we really don’t have that at all in Germany. My first football game was super fun because the sports team and the fans are really like a little community. ”

Aside from sports, Gottstein has also enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends.

“I don’t want to limit my best experience to one, because it’s all been really good.” Said Gottstein,” but I love traveling because I like to make new connections, and everyone is always so nice, and it’s fun to make new friends.”

Even though new experiences can push us out of our comfort zones, they can also produce the best experiences. Travelling across the world and in a foreign country offers opportunities for growth in many ways.

“I’m so happy that I came here, because now I have a new family and a second home,” said Terranova. ”Just being here is a blessing.”