The Hoofprint - Issue 2 - October 31, 2003

Two high school students are dead after John Jason McLaughlin, a freshman at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, MN, open fired on September 24, 2003. Aaron Rollins, age 17, died the day of the shooting. Seth Bartell, 14, had survived over two weeks after being shot in the chest and forehead, but died October 10 at 1:00 p.m.

It is unknown what drove McLaughlin to do this. Did he plan it for a long time? Why did he shoot the people that he did? And the main question is: What can BHS do now to prevent this from happening in the future?

“I think we are coming closer together. I think the picking on people will stop and I think we’ll all become closer,” said Elizabeth Kinzer, a senior from Rocori High School.

Forty-seven percent of BHS students said that the Rocori shooting frightened them, yet eighty-four percent of those surveyed said that they feel safe at our school. Forty-four percent said that they could see a similar shooting happen here.

“School violence is a big issue these days,” said Junior Emily Weis. “I feel safe walking the halls here at BHS. It worries me a little to think something that awful could occur, but I don’t think about it. If I did, school would not be a fun environment.”

Students thought school violence stemmed from problems at home, being mistreated, bullying, discrimination, verbal abuse, depression, and the media.

“School violence is the result of peer pressure and negative media influence,” said Junior Megan Silbernagel.

Although the majority of students consider BHS safe and could not see it

An informal poll of 250 Buffalo High School students found that overall drug and alcohol use among BHS students is lower than the state and national averages.

Thirty-five percent of the students at Buffalo High School have used marijuana during their lifetimes; about 19 percent have used it in the last 30 days. Both of these figures are comparable to the national averages found by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the state averages found by the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

Student use of narcotics, hallucinogens, stimulants, steroids, methamphetamine and the abuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs was well below the national average for high school students.

Cigarette use mirrored state and national norms, and many of the students polled were of legal smoking age.

However, when it comes to drugs in school it is not just the statistics that count it’s the students and their lives behind the smoke.

“For me a drug problem exists as long as anyone in your school does drugs,” said Dr. Nick Miller.

It’s hard to tell if the school has a “drug problem” because everyone has a different definition of a “drug problem”.

School Resource Officer Glenda Ridley defined a drug problem as an event that would keep the school from functioning. She said that drug problems belong to students, rather than schools.

Students admitted smoking marijuana for a variety of reasons. One reason given by students was the pressure of parents, teachers, and everyday life.

“It takes my stress of my shoulders. My parents are always on me and this is a way for me to get away,”

Despite the downfall of online file-sharing pioneer Napster and the recording industry's focus on prosecuting any online music trader that aims to replace it, experts say that Internet song swapping is here to stay.

Recent court victories and massive copyright payments won by the major record labels put pressure on Napster knockoffs. Kazaa, WinMX, Morpheus, Grokster, IMESH, Bear Share, and Limewire are the most popular Peer to Peer networks.

Unlike Napster, the new file sharing networks don't have a centralized downloading database, the songs are just "out there" on the web. Napster had a site where everyone went to download and was easily shut down.

With the maximum fine per song at $150,000, the majority of students still find themselves at home using illegal Peer-to-peer (P2P) software to download their favorite songs.

“Sharing a bottle of water is not illegal, so sharing music should not be,” said Senior Chris Thorton.

While most students use file sharing to get all of their favorite songs for free, some students use it in a way that they think is less harmful to the artists.

"It's a good way to sample," said Senior Steve Vanelli.

"I think you should use it to see if you like the artist," said junior Kyle Bakke, "then you buy the record."

Even when sampling, one could still be a target of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Recently they have filed suits against 261 people who have large amounts of illegal files on their computers.

"I don't have near enough stuff to be worried about," said Freshman Sam Stone.

With the RIAA mostly filing suits against users with large amounts of files on their computers, some students still wont find themselves downloading songs illegally.

“I think that it’s fine and I would do it more if I had my own computer that my parents didn’t use,” said Freshman Jacob Middagh.

Besides being illegal; having no computer, or having a slow Internet speed discouraged students from file sharing. However, the simplicity of file sharing provides students with an incentive to continue downloading.

“It is so much more practical than buying CDs,” said Stone. “Instead of getting the extra songs, the case and the disc itself, you get a small file on your hard drive. The lawsuits aren’t solving a thing. Instead of the settlements going to artists, it so far has only been used to find more lawsuits. Talk about a bit of greed.”

happen here, twenty percent of students know some one who has brought a gun or other type of weapon to school and thirty percent have been involved in school violence ranging from verbal abuse and bullying, to fighting.

“When people are teased and they don’t have anyone to go to, it is a bad thing. Parents need to get involved,” said senior Claire Chock. “Students let their emotions build up and don’t know what to do. People should always have some one to go to, to talk about their problems.”

A letter has been sent out by Dr. Nicholas J. Miller to BHS student’s parents regarding the Rocori shooting and how the school is reacting.

BHS has decided to have a lockdown simulation that involves the entire student body. The letter explains how the school wants to take every precaution they can to treasure the student’s safety.

“I guess it’s a good thing,” said senior Tyler DuSchane. “I mean if someone was to start shooting, I would probably just run and hide. But, then it’s a bad thing at the same time, because than a potential shooter would probably learn all the good hiding spots.”

Additional quote used from sacbee.com

said a 15-year old sophomore. Parents had a strong influence of the drug use of students. “My friends and I found dope in my dad’s desk, we tried it and fell in instant happiness,” said a 16-year old junior. Another substance that is commonly used by students is alcohol. About 64 percent of all students surveyed have consumed alcohol; about 36 percent have consumed alcohol in the last 30 days. These numbers are both below the state and national average for teenagers by about five percent. “What can I say, my coffee in the morning isn’t just coffee, wink wink,” said a 16-year old junior. Miller said that the main concern for the staff is the amount of students who have used or continue to use drugs on the school premises. About 14 percent of students surveyed admitted to using some sort of drug or illegal substance on school premises, including the school building, school grounds, the parking lot, or at school-sponsored events. “That’s like a tradition, getting stoned the first day of school every year,” said a 15-year old sophomore. Students admitted to using drugs in the parking lot and in the school bathrooms more than other places on the premises. One student described creating an elaborate “filter system” in the bathroom that takes away most of the smell of marijuana. In order for students to do drugs, other students have to deal them. Students who do this are more cautious about who they tell. “I keep it quiet. It’s not something to brag about,” said a 16-year old junior. Money is one of the main reasons students cited for selling drugs, but personal reasons come along with the bundle. “My older bro did it and now he’s gone, so I picked up his clients,” said a 17-year-old senior. “Its easy money. Once people know you do it, and you earn their trust, it’s great money.” “I do it for the money, and that way I know where it comes from,” said a 16-year old junior. Miller admitted that the staff and administration is aware that drugs are being used and sold at school, and that they are taking steps to stop it. “If somebody says to me, ‘Nick, do you think anybody has ever sold drugs in school,’ I would have to say yes,” said Miller. “To say no one ever sells drugs in school, that would be really naïve of me. However, we are doing everything we can to become more aware of this problem, and we are always taking steps to eliminate these situations.” Ridley echoed Miller’s sentiment and said that the use of drugs in school mirrors a larger problem in the community. “The school mimics society” said Ridley. Student names were changed to protect anonymity.

Two former students of Buffalo High School have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) Exams. Daniel Van Lith and Jennifer Wahle - members of the class of 2003 - earned the distinction by completing three or more AP Examinations with grades of three or higher. The highest score possible on the tests is a four. Van Lith and Wahle took the AP Exams in May of 2003 after completing college-level courses at Buffalo High School. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on the number of yearlong courses and exams. Almost fifteen percent of the more than one million high school students in more than 14000 secondary schools worldwide who took the AP Exams performed well enough to merit the title of AP Scholar.

Principal Nick Miller announced on Wednesday, October 23 that senior Andrew Persons has been named Commended Student of the 2004 National Merit Scholarship Program. A letter of Commendation from the school and the National Merit scholarship Corporation (NMSC), will be presented by Dr Miller to Persons. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the competition, Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of more than one million students who entered the competition by taking the 2002 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test. "Recognition of academically talented students and of the key role played by schools in their development is essential to the pursuit of educational excellence in the United States," quoted a spokesperson for the NMSC Persons seemed to have a different idea. "It's kinda one of those things you can bring home. 'Oh wow…it's nice,'" he said. "You get to be in the paper and shake Miller's hand. It was ironic, because I've always been busted and got in trouble by him."

Sometime in the next week, there will be a practice lock- down at BHS involving the entire student body. This lock- down is designed to prepare everyone in the school for a pos- sible school shooting situation. Will this drill really help us or will it just bring more concern to the students, faculty, and par- ents? The practice lockdown con- sists of students going to the nearest classroom or resource area and being locked in there for an undisclosed amount of time. There may be a series of these done in hopes that students and staff members will know what to expect and stay calm if an actual shooting or other act of violence occurs. While it is obvious that stu- dents will stay calm when they know that this lockdown is a practice, if there was a shooter, it could turn chaotic. In a state of panic, would everyone remem- ber the drill and abide by it? I know that if I saw a shoot- er, I would not sit in a classroom. I would run like hell. Also, if there were a shoot- ing, the shooter will most likely be a student from BHS. If the school should have a lockdown involving the entire student body, this would show the stu- dent exactly what would be done. They will know exactly what to expect. Finally, a practice lockdown could make a shooting more of a possibility. Many students at BHS do not actually envision a shooting taking place, but this lockdown will change their opinions. The lockdown will bring the idea of a shooting to everybody, even the possible shooters. Everybody's opinion about their safety will change for the worse when they imagine themselves as a part of a tragedy. Perhaps we should have a staff lockdown. Why involve and concern all of the students? A staff-only lockdown would allow students to feel safe while preparing the faculty for any dis- asters. While the lockdown is being done in concern with everyone's safety, will it really help us? Will a lockdown protect us?

Faith has always been a touchy subject for some, espe- cially for me. In spite of this, many of a minority feel no ill will when spouting their faith, or more so, a lack there of. A spike in the population of atheists has occurred recently, in Buffalo and all across America. Sadly, many people who are actually agnostic, label them- selves as “atheists”. Agnostics are doubtful that God exists or believe that it may be impossible to ever know if there is a god. EVERYONE questions their faith, nearly every day. I know many atheists--some real and many more pretend. What is a fake atheist? Someone who holds any belief in a higher power, someone who is confused just like the rest of us, and decides to rebel in the wrong way. Fake atheists are fueled by teen angst, vengeful feelings towards parents and other authority figures, and the con- stant effort to be different. Real atheists are those who scientifi- cally dissect the Bible, Koran, or other book of, and decide that they believe there is no god or higher power. Not lack of belief, but belief in nothing. A friend of mine, who claims to be an atheist, (her name will remain undisclosed) told me one night over the inter- net that she was the anti-christ, and then that she was atheist. A few days ago, I brought up her “atheism” in a conversa- tion about atheism. After much prying, she admitted to calling herself atheist, but didn’t like to label herself with a certain group. Why would she feel this way? If I was atheist, I would definitely denounce god pub- licly, not hide behind a curtain of animosity at those who ques- tioned me on my faith. So, she was atheist, but didn’t want to be thought of as atheist by certain people. What else does this remind you of? In third grade, we were required to make resolutions that we would enact if we were ever to become the president of the United States. I decided on an idea to colonize the ocean floor in a fantastic scheme. However, upon presenting in front of the class, I said I would try to elim- inate all drug usage. Why? I was afraid of being alienated by my friends and fellow students. My friend’s reluctance to call herself an atheist stems from the insecurity and fear of being forsaken that plagues us all everyday. Anyone who knows me also knows I don’t talk like this on a regular basis, but there is a lot going on in my head that I don’t say, but I’m willing to put down on paper. The illusion of being anonymous stands in this news- paper, and also on the internet.

In the locker rooms, the halls, and anywhere else students might hang out, there is usually someone getting made fun of for the sport they are in. Students have found a new way to discrimi- nate. Not by race or religion, but by sport. If you’re not in a crowd attracting sport, you’re not cool. This isn’t always true but it does happen. In our school, students argue the most over whether hockey or basketball is better. No one used to care about professional football when it began, and now Superbowl Sunday is the second biggest party day of the year. During the reign of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, basketball was the spotlight of winter sports. Now it has changed to hockey. The professional sports that are popular influence which sports students think are cool. Students who play the unpopular sports are the ones who play because they love the game. It’s probable that they have more guts than the ones who play for the title of “cool.” People can’t help what skin color they are born with, and they can’t help it if they fall in love with a sport that isn’t considered cool. I know not to judge someone by their skin color. I don’t judge someone by the sport that they play because it’s simply discrimination in a different form. There is no reason for anyone else to do it.

The Hoofprint was selected as the official name of the Buffalo High School Newspaper. The name was the leading vote getter after over 150 students voted on over 30 suggestions for the new name. Junior Jonathan Coward suggested the name, along with the subtitle “Tracking the Bison.” The name received 28 percent of the votes. The Tatanka Times and the Buffalow Down ranked a close second and third place in the balloting. “I was just brainstorming ideas, and I was thinking about what Bison leave behind,” said Coward. “You have the idea of tracking the hoofprints and tracking what your school does.” The name change is just the first of may changes for the Buffalo High School Newspaper. The following issue will feature a new flag on the front page as well as many other design changes meant to complement the name. Thank you for your ideas. They were greatly appreciated.

You’re sitting at home downloading a few songs from a new band you just heard on the radio. Innocent enough, right? Well, not since the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) recently started fil- ing lawsuits against random Kazaa and other file sharing network users.

57 percent of students in our school have shared files over the internet, meaning they have let other users download songs from them. 72 percent say that they have downloaded music files. Out of the students that don’t share or download music files, only 24 percent said that they didn’t partic- ipate because it was illegal. Other reasons students gave for not downloading were lack of internet/computer and parent issues with it.

So why should the RIAA even bother suing random people and then spending our hard earned tax dollars by putting them through court? The music industry defends themselves by saying that it’s cutting down from CD sales and that their “artists” are losing money. Actually students here have been buying the same amount or more CD’s than those who haven’t.

While music and file sharing is labeled as illegal, it shouldn’t be, and it shouldn’t cost someone an arm and a leg if they get caught either. For each file a person is caught sharing, they may have to pay any- where from $750 to $150,000. Does the music industry really need that much money for one lousy song? I don’t think so.

Most of the time, networks like Kazaa give little-known musicians the chance to get their music heard. It gets people inter- ested in a variety of musicians. So in reali- ty, these networks are helping the music industry.

Not to mention it is far cheaper to download one or two songs instead of spending $18 on a new CD, especially when you’re only going to listen to a fraction of the material. That’s another thing. Lately the music industry has upped their prices in an attempt to gain more money. However, it’s driven more people away, because no one wants to pay nearly $20 for a CD when they don’t even know if it’s worth it.

I think that the RIAA and the rest of the music industry could stop file sharing if they took the time to make music more available and affordable. Until then, file sharing is one of the best things that we have in the entertainment industry. It should not be frowned upon because every- one and their grandmother have down- loaded something at least once in the past year and I’m sure a good portion of the music industry’s employees are guilty of the same thing. So I say we drop the whole thing and call it a day.

The process of recording music is lengthy, tiring, and very expensive. A fraction of the musicians in the world are lucky enough to have a fan-base large and dedicated enough to support them. But what happens when that support dis- appears?

Every year, hundreds of fledg- ing artists are forced into obscurity because of a lack in funding. Although many artists aren't "in it for the money", without their excessive amounts of cash, getting music to their fans would be nigh impossible.

Being perfectly blunt, file-shar- ing is not only illegal, and bad for the artists, but an insanely ignorant action. An often-heard defense of file sharing: "One person won't change anything." This would be true, however one person is not stealing music. Millions are.

Recently, the recording industry has been filing multi-million dollar law- suits against file sharers. In aiming for Joe Schmoe and Bip Smith, they hope to strike fear into the hearts of thieving fans, and rightly so. You may think that stealing music only hurts corrupt corpo- rate bigwigs who already have all the money they need to live in comfort for the rest of their meaningless lives. This is not the truth. Hundreds of people go into the creation and production of a sin- gle album. When you steal music you are not only hurting the higher ups, but production artists, producers, recorders, and many many more people.

There is another problem: Your Privacy. Every time you log into Kazaa or WinMX or your file-sharing system of choice, a little program starts in your computer as well. 'Spyware' as it is called, records every action of your com- puter. Every file you download, every website you visit, all the programs you have installed, in addition to personal information about you is recorded and sent to the Kazaa HQ. This in turn is sent back to your computer in adware.

Programs created for one purpose: Advertisement. Extra pop-ups, ads, and also, damage to your computer.

Besides loading your computer with unwanted files, viruses, and ads, file-sharing is also very dangerous to your computer. Is it so hard to pay $10 to support the musicians we listen to?

There is enough ignorance and stupidity in this school to make someone sick, but you can set your self aside from the brain-blown masses and pay for your music.

Welcome to America and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. I hope you enjoy your stay in Minnesota. Those were the first words the German exchange students heard when they landed in Minnesota. After a eight hour flight most just wanted to get off the plane so they could get rid of the nervousness by meeting their host families and to go and get some sleep.

“ I was so tired, all I wanted to do was sleep. The plane seats were too small to sleep in otherwise I would’ve slept then and been awake when we arrived,” said Marie Ernst. “When I seen all of the people waiting for us, it was like whoa; I felt like a movie star.”

Fifteen students came from the towns surrounding Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, October 9th. That night the host families welcomed them to Minnesota and Friday morning in the library of our school, the mayor of Buffalo, Fred Naaktgeboren welcomed them to Buffalo, along with Nick Miller our school principal.

Following the welcoming they German students get a taste of Minnesota had a tour of our school.

“The school is big, clean, the people seem to be nice and there aren’t so many special groups here as in Germany,” said Jannike Büttner.

For the past three weeks the students have seen Minnesota with their host families and have also had the opportunity to go places with just the German group that came. They have been to Parkside Elementary, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mall of America, Minnesota Zoo and other tourist attractions.

“The elementary school was fun, the little kids were funny and wanted attention. I really like kids and want to be a kindergarten teacher,” said Jane Rasche.

After coming to a foreign place and staying for 24 days most aren’t home sick and would even like to stay longer if they could. For some Minnesota isn’t a place where they would like to stay, they just want to be here for three weeks and go home. On Saturday, November 1st ,that is just what they will be doing, heading back home to resume school and talk about the experience they had in Buffalo, Minnesota.

Child molestation or sexual abuse is no longer a secret or something that can only happen to other people. It crosses all socio-economic levels. Sexual offenders come in all shapes, sizes, and sexes. And it happens to BHS students.

A child is sexually abused in the United States every two minutes according to the National Institute of Mental Health. And the mean age at which a child experiences sexual abuse is nine.

Amy* a BHS student whose name is changed for the purpose of protecting her privacy experienced sexual abuse from her father between the ages of four and eight.

“I didn’t tell anyone at first, especially my mom,” said Amy. “I was scared that my dad would come back and hurt me because I told.”

According to Amy she told her mom during a difficult divorce hearing, which took place almost a year after the abuse stopped.

The National Institute of Mental Health says, close to two-thirds of all child abuse victims do not tell anyone for some time because they fear they will be blamed, punished, or most of all not believed.

“There was so much confusion going on in my life,” said Amy, “and I didn’t know what was going on. I just wanted to know why it happened to me.”

Victims often feel that there is “something wrong with them” and that the abuse is their fault.

“At first I blamed myself. I didn’t know who to blame,” said Amy, “but then I realized that it wasn’t my fault and I had to bury it in the past.”

Research found by the U.S Department of Justice says an estimated 50,000 children disappear annually, most of who are never found. Experts say that many of these lost children are forced into some kind of slavery, becoming victims of the “kiddy porn” otherwise known as child pornography. Within the home, sexual abuse can include rape, inappropriate fondling, sexual intercourse, or other acts.

“Things started off small with my dad,” said Amy. “But as I got older they got worse. I should have told my mom but I was too scared.”

Paul E. Mullen, a professor at the Settle University said that child sexual abuse can take on many forms. While tens of thousands of children and young adolescents are sexually attacked or molested, thousands of others are filmed, photographed or otherwise exploited for the private recreational purpose of abusers.

Parents and children often have a difficult time dealing with child abuse and the subject itself brings up things people tend not to want to talk about.

“I am pretty open about what happened to me,” said Amy, “but only with the people I trust. I really confide in my friends. They help me get on with life when I hit rock bottom.”

Dealing with sexual abuse is not easy for anyone. Having someone to talk to or someone who will just simply listen seems to be the best way to cope.

“When I get upset I tend to talk to my friends over my family,” said Amy. “They don’t always understand but at least they listen.”

Savannah Marion, a student at the University of Colorado said, “The untold truth of wisdom lie solely in the beating of the heart of an ill-treated child, whose wounds will heal and heart will heal, but memories never die.”

“I am happy with who I am and who I am growing up to be,” said Amy. “A lot has happened to me over the years but I have discovered myself and who I want to be and I am proud of that. There is no one better to be then me. And no one can take away my happiness.”

Grabbing their fans by the ears, Echoed life takes control of the stage. The members: Anthony Marek, Dan Awe, Nick Lacasse, and Kenny Koepsell all agreed that they love to play rock music.

Playing together for a year the guys got the name Echoed Life, meaning life repeats itself and it reflects their music .

“When we feel the best about the band,” said Koepsell, “is when someone compliments us when we are doing shows.”

The band practices as much as possible, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But with around 33 hours a week of work, and then school, they have very little time.

“Going to school is another brick in our wall,” says Marek. “Having to work gets in the way of practicing and performing,” said Awe.

When performing they do so in basements, civic centers, java joint, garages, and basically anywhere they can.

Finding time to perform and practice is hard.

“Having barely any time while in school, we used the summer to write our music,” said Awe.

“Feeling good about each other in the band, we are just starting to finally get out,” said Awe.

"I think we have a lot of talent," said Marek.

“The love and compassion for music and just being a musician is what keeps them all going,” said Koepsell.

Getting to play together and go play at different locations like the Java joint to see all the fans is great.

“We’re planning to stay a band in the future and maybe as a career,” said Lacasse. “We all love the music and we wanted to share it with the world.”

“We have always wanted it; we just needed to find each other first,” said Awe.

Now that they have found each other they can conquer the stage.

The parts for the fall play, Music Man, have been chosen and the rehearsals have started. Performances will be held on November 20, 21, 22, and 23, at 7:30 pm in the BHS Performing Arts Center, everyone is encouraged to attend.

“In general, Music Man is a crowd pleasing musical, and the music is catchy,” said Senior Rachel Brown. “I think the audience will really like it.”

With 40 parts needed to be filled, the directors had a tough time choosing which people to keep and which ones to let go. In the end, 52 people were cast.

“It’s always hard choosing the people,” said Director Tracy Hagstrom, “because you know you’re hurting someone’s feelings when you say no.”

While auditions can be nerve racking, many felt confident about their talent and gave it their all, hoping to get the part.

“I think by singing my best and really trying to show them that I could play the part good, helped them in choosing me for the part,” said Brown, “although, I would have been happy with any part.”

Experience in both acting and choir helped earn a spot on the list. Senior Eric Wright, who plays the part of Harold Hill, likes all different types of performing, but he especially enjoys singing.

“I really like singing,” said Wright, “I sing all the time, even in the hallways.”

Junior Patrick Rich plays the part of Marcellus Washburn, a man who meets up with Harold Hill throughout the play, and kind of sticks with him.

“When I found out that I got the part, I was ecstatic,” said Rich. “I smiled the whole rest of the day.”

The cast is hoping to get a good turn out for their four performances in the week of November. They all enjoy working on the play and look forward to performing for an audience.

“The play is really corny, but everyone loves it, it’s just a general go-have-fun performance and it’s not too deep,” said Wright. “You could almost say it’s like Dumb and Dumber.”

With its newest release of Madden NFL Football for 2004, EA Sports has cemented another layer onto its long-lived dynasty while Sega has re-planned the foundation of its game with the new ESPN title (previously 2K3).

GRAPHICS

The foundation of the Madden football game is the player model graphics, which bring you right to the field with their resemblance to the real stars of the game. The player bodies are curved and naturally formed, especially in comparison to ESPN’s with its slightly choppy player models. The player and coach faces in Madden resemble the real thing the real people.

PRESENTATION

Despite its graphic shortfalls, the realism of plays in ESPN is far superior to Madden. When you are running the ball in ESPN, it looks and feels real as you push your way through a blocker or shake off a tackle. You can almost feel the turf under your feet as you slam your half-back down the defense’s throat. Touchdown! You watch your teams fans go nuts as you make the leap into the stands. When you are playing ESPN football it looks like you are actually watching a live game on the ESPN network because the telecast score box and other visual effects match. Only in ESPN will you find a half time report with shots of key plays, and between-play clips of customized fans cheering mindlessly for their home team. Madden came up with the best over-all in game feature called the playmaker control used with the right analog stick. It allows you to change the direction of a Run if the defense is staking the line on that side, or change the top receiver’s route before plays. During plays you can also change the blocking assignments of your blocker so you can get that key block that lets you get a touch down.

EXTRAS

In the line of off field extras the Madden dynasty has always reigned supreme. Madden 2004 has added an owner mode which allows you to move your team, change stadiums, and control details down to the price of hot dogs. ESPN does not even come close to producing that much control over your franchise. In Madden’s create-a-team option, you make the jerseys and your team’s stadium. Then Maddens create-a-player, you can create make your friends or make special players meant to fill weak spots on your team. ESPN has both these features though they are not advanced with as many options as Madden. Though both games have loads of unlockable features, ESPN features you can go into called the Crib. Its basically a 3-D mansion that you can move around an see what you have unlocked. Over time you can customize it with special posters and rugs of your favorite team. It also has to fun unlockable mini games, air hockey and paper football.

OVERALL

Both Madden 2004 and ESPN football are improved enough that veteran players should consider an upgrade this year. If you want stylish good looking players and optionized game play, pick Madden. If you want a more realistic physical game with a network television look, ESPN is your best bet.

When the two of the most important rings to the Federal Witness Protection program go missing and people on the list show up dead, Charlie’s Angels are called in to solve yet another mystery and catch the murderer. But after putting trust in a former angel (played by Demi Moore) they soon find out that she may be the reason for the missing rings and the murders. Now, they don’t know who to trust.

Along the way Natalie (played by Cameron Diaz), Dylan (played by Drew Barrymore), and Alex (played by Lucy Liu), get to show off their skills in: disguise, martial arts, and espionage.

It’s a star studded movie with actors and actresses like Bernie Mac, who plays Charlie’s “assistant,” Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Shia Lebouf, Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, Pink, and Demi Moore.

I liked this movie for it’s girl power. It made me laugh. I gave this movie 4 out of 5 stars. I didn’t like the amount of skin that they constantly showed, but I figured that they did that in order to grab male attention. I thought it was an over-all good movie and it is definitely worth spending 15-20 dollars for the DVD.

As you sit tentatively in your seats to see who the substitute is, you’re hoping it’s not one of those teachers that sits around and moops about her current position in the classroom. Suddenly a guy with shaggy hair enters the room and your whole vision of a substitute teacher flashes before your eyes and seeps through the window as steamy vapor. Jack Black (Shallow Hal, Orange County) turns these stereotypes upside- down in the comedy “School of Rock” directed by Richard Linklater.

Tossed from the band he once created he now desires to start another one. After that doesn’t work out he waits for opportu- nity to strike… That opportunity comes very quickly. The phone rings and it is the principal from a preparatory school won- dering if Ned Schneebly(Mike white), Dewey’s roommate, wanted to sub. Dewey then masquerades to be Ned and takes the job knowing he has to pay Ned back for the rent.

On the first day of his two week sub- bing job he enters the room and all the kids get ready to learn. What he did next shocked the students, he sat back on his chair and declared recess. Some of the stu- dents were in glee and others disappointed. One of the students chimed up named Summer Hathaway(Miranda Cosgrove) and says her parents don’t pay big bucks to learn nothing. So that’s when the title “School of Rock comes in. He teaches the students about Rock N’ Roll. From there he lies to them about a state wide competition that if they win would be an easy ticket to Harvard. It is not a state wide competition it is Battle of the Bands competition. At con- ferences Dewey gets caught being some- body he isn’t and loses his job. In the end, after all there hard work the students aren’t allowed to go until they rebel against the system.

“School of Rock’s” setting pretty much took place in the preparatory school with a lot of whites, reds and browns. I think this was a movie of no other using fifth grade students to fulfill a 30 year old mans dream of be coming a rocker.

The motion picture was an eminent film that was very entertaining. Black is hysterical to say the least. It should have had a PG rating because it was more a fam- ily oriented. There were a few instances involving sexual references, swear words and drug references.

This movie was exciting and funny. You could watch this movie with your little bro or sis, or with a bunch of friends. Finding Nemo is a great tale of a fish getting lost in a big ocean, filled with big mean sharks, and other fish. In the beginning of the movie Nemo tries to catch up with a boat, when all of a sudden a scuba diver catches him and takes him away. Nemo’s father is worried sick about him and sets out on a journey to find him. Along the way, Nemo gain strength in being independent and Nemo’s father is able to face his fears of going out into the ocean.

With a cast including Albert Brooks, Ellen Degenerates, Alexander Gould, William Dafoe, and directors Andrew Staton, and Lee Unkrich, you’re sure to have a fun time laughing with your family or friends.

The DVD for Finding Nemo has Dolby Digital 5.1 surround EX tracks, and has both wide screen and full screen versions, but also includes not one but two discs of extra (fea- tures). On disc one is visual commentary, deleted scenes, recording sessions, “Making Nemo Documentary,” and “The Art of Nemo.”

On disc 2 are more geared to kids with features includes “ Exploring the reef with Jean- Michael Cousteau,” “A tour of Pixar Animation Studios,” “Fish Encyclopedia,” the game “Fisharades,” and “Virtual Aquarium” where you can turn your t.v. into a Aquarium.

I would suggest renting or buying this moving as soon as it comes out! I rate this movie four ½ stars out of five stars, for creativity and humor, but I will say at the end of the movie, you may feel sad for ever having a pet fish.

Girls Soccer is a growing program here at the high school, the Varsity team alone was start- ed three years ago by Coach Sally Geisler and more tradi- tions and higher expectations are being set for the girls each yer.

This season has been their best one yet with an overall record of four wins, thirteen loses, and two ties. Two of the wins were in conference play, and one of them was against Monticello-- their biggest rival. With the team get- ting better each year the team has hopes for what is in store next season.

“I think I did O.K.,” said Senior Lauren Kennedy. “I improved a lot over the summer and it was fun to see it in my game.”

Practices took place on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Friday’s from 2:45 to 5:15pm. The girls worked on ball skills, drills, and conditioning.

“I think practices are diffi- cult but we need to stay in shape,” said Junior Michelle Moer. “I like how we run a lot, but I also dislike how we run a lot.”

Varsity is decided by the girls’ commitment, skill, condi- tioning, attendance, and atti- tude. Currently, there are only the top 20-22 players that get to play at Varsity level.

“When they were making cuts or saying you got in,” said Freshman Catie Scott, “they said ‘Scotty get over here’ so I came and they told me they wanted me. I started to cry I was so happy.”

There were a few set backs in this years season including injuries acquired by Sophomore Sami Beilke and Senior Ashley Bethke.

“I think we did well considering my injuries,” said Junior Hannah Berndt. “I hope to keep on improving my game.”

“I feel that I did O.K. this year.” said Moer. “I think that I should have put more points on the board. To me I just want the whole team to improve as one.”

“I improved so much from last year.” said Junior Amanda Sandusky. “The year before I had little ball skills. I hope to improve my ball control.”

Stand up and take a good look around you. Hundreds of students surround, squish, and crowd you every day. The BHS population is dramatically growing in front of your eyes while your opportunity to join JV/Varsity sports is dwindling. Students get cut from the sports they enjoy participating in. A solution to this problem is creating a new sports activity which allows them to participate and compete with other students in the school. Intramural sports opened at BHS on Monday, September 3, 2003.

The BHS gymnasium was filled with co-ed volleyball teams competing against each other. Five to six people made up teams that played three games each. With smiles on their faces, students showed their energetic spirits while having a fun time out on the court. “Intramurals are all different kinds of activities centered on bringing all kinds of stu- dents together for the common goal of fun,” said Coordinator Matt Lubben.

Not only can students enjoy intramural volleyball, but intramural basketball and soft- ball will be available throughout the year. Unlike JV/Varsity sports, Intramurals occur once a week and consist of games and no practices.

“You don’t have to spend hours and hours practicing and you can just go out and have fun,” said Junior Matt Bauman.

Intramural and JV/Varsity sports differentiate from each other. Any student at BHS is able to participate in intramurals if they are not playing the same JV/Varsity sport during that season. (Example: Students in JV/Varsity softball cannot join intramural softball because it’s during the same season.)

“I think that it’s important to have a sports program that people without outstanding skills can be a part of,” said Sophomore Nathan Altenber.

Sports other than volleyball, basketball, and softball were suggested to be in the intra- mural program.

“We should offer different sports for intramurals like badminton or field hockey— things we don’t currently offer at all,” said Junior Leah Brown.

Involving people other than athletes provides students who are not usually involved a chance to feel included in the school.

“There needs to be something inclusive for all students and not just for the so-called athletes,” said Lubben. “It will be a slow process but hopefully more and more students will come and join.”

The locker room tasted of anticipation; the only thing stopping the team from becoming Conference Champs was…Centennial. The only team in the team’s conference that has won five Conference Champs in a row. The girl’s knew tonight was the night they had been preparing for all season. “Are we going to let them win,” said Senior Kelly Strait. “NO,” yelled the girls. Although the night ended with a 91-95 loss for the Buffalo Swim Team, the girls kept their heads high and smiled. But once the locker room door shut some couldn’t help but let their emotions take over and smiles faded. “We gave it our all, and never stopped pushing ourselves,” said Senior Megan Warfield. With Centennial becoming Conference Champs for the sixth year in a row, the team’s emotions ran wild the Tuesday night. “We know we’ve done our best and that’s all we can ask for,” said Freshman Kati Pooler. “But when you come so close, you can’t help but wonder what went wrong, and wonder if maybe you had pushed yourself a little more, we could have won.” With the swim season ending, the team has beaten every team they have swam against except Centennial. The team is now 13-1, the new record for the Buffalo Swimming and Diving Team. “We can push ourselves in practice as hard as we can,” said Pooler. The team has been proving that, by the individual times of the swimmers and the new recent records that were broken this season. The 400 Free Relay team of Anita Isch, Sarah DeVore, Kate Higley, and Kelly Strait, broke the Watertown-Mayer pool record, with a time of 3:49.36, beating the original record by a second. Along with the 400 Free Relay team, member Sarah DeVore consistently re- broke her own record (5:33.41) twice in one week. She broke her first record at the Irondale home meet on October 2nd, with a time of 5:32.34. That following Saturday October 4th, she broke her own record for the second time that week at the Buffalo Invitational, with a time of 5:31.65. She took second place overall in the 500 yard Freestyle at the Buffalo Invite. “To help keep the other girl’s spir- its up on the team I go out and cheer for oth- ers and make sure they believe that they can do it,” said Freshman Kailee Trogstad. “If you don’t believe you won’t achieve.”

The regular season ended for the Bison Football team with a win over the Monticello Magic, and Buffalo contin- ed on to a Section 6AAAAA match up against Hopkins on a winning note. The Bison lost to Hopkins earlier in the year, and their rematch ended with the same result. This time, however, Bison players fought harder. The final score was 27-13. Both scores came on passes to Junior Robert Mueller. One form Sophomore Corey Jeske and the other from Senior Chad Anderson. Junior Mike Ehrenberg was the star for the Bison against Monticello. He finished the game with a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdown and the Bison relied on stifling defense to beat Monticello 28-6. Monticello’s only score was the first one of the game. Bison then got their defense going. Corey Jeske started off the scoring for Buffalo to give the team a 7-6 lead. Later, Senior Matt Brown scored off of an impressive 66-yard run. The Bison then made good on a two-point conversion pass to Junior Brett Andrews. Before halftime the Bison scored again. Ehrenberg recovered a fumble and returned it 12 yards for the touch- down. At halftime it was 21-6. In the fourth quarter, Senior Brad Willets had to finish off with scoring another running touchdown. “It was really fun. Everybody was pumped up for it. Just about everyone got to play,” said Senior Andy Smude. “Nobody was solid all the way through. Everybody had their moments. Closer to the end of the season, our defense seemed stronger.” The team’s victory against Monticello helped erase the bade taste left by their Homecoming game against Totino- Grace the week before. The Bison were trampled by Totino-Grace, the seventh-ranked team in the state. The final score was 51-0. But the Bison did start the game okay. After the first quarter it was only 7-0. Totino scored 23 points in the second quarter and then 21 in the second half to completely close out the game. Bison highlights were limited to an interception and a fumble recovery in the game.

By receiving 4th and 8th places at the Lichfield Section Meet Van Bruggen and Fadgen advanced to the state meet, along with the other top ten runners. “Its going to be fun, because this is my second year now. I think I can do better this year than last year,” said Fadgen.

After a spectacular sea- son of soccer Ursell was rewarded by of being named one of the top twenty boys soccer play- ers in the state. “It was really surprising. I didn’t expect it,” said Ursell. “I thought I was going to get honorable mention.”

The majority of BHS students spent homecoming week: partying, having fun with friends, and partici- pating in dress-up days.

The week started off with get up and go day, then moved on to favorite celebrity/character day, trucker day then class color day.

“My favorite costume was the juniors who dressed at the Blue Man Group,” said Sophomore Natasha Bursch.

Finally, the week ended with purple and white day, in which the school united to show school spirit.

Decked out in purple and white the crowd roared with support for the Buffalo Bison Varsity football team who played the big game against Totino Grace. The game ended with a loss of 0 to 51.

After the game students headed back to the high school for Fun Night, where students enjoyed vari- ous activities such as dancing, ping pong, volleyball, and a hypnotist.

“My favorite Homecoming activity was the hypnotist because it was hilarious,” said Sophomore Teddy Peterson.

Other students thought that the rivalry between the juniors and the seniors was the coolest thing about Homecoming week.

“I had never heard of it before and then I got here and it’s like a huge war,” said Freshman Brianna Brush. “It was kind of scary!”

No matter what Webster said about Homecoming, the students made it their own.