School board selects new superindendent

The school board has been working to replace Jim Bauck, the current superintendent, who is leaving June 30 for Eastern Carver County School District in Chaska. The process began by a subcommittee consisting of three board members interviewing five or six applicants. Of the applicants, three finalists were chosen and took part in an all-day interview.

The three finalists were Michael Munoz, the Executive Director for the DesMoines Iowa Public Schools, Pam Miller, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Teaching and Learning Director, and Scott Thielman, Superintendent of Albany Area Schools. Each finalist was assigned a day for an interview that began at 9:00 am and ended at 7:30 pm. Staff and public had the opportunity to meet each candidate and ask questions.

“I think it’s helpful that it’s open to the community,” said Principal Mark Mischke. “The board members can attend the question sessions as community members as well as board members.”

The new superintendent, Thielman, was announced on Friday, June 4. He is from Kimball, MN and currently resides in Albany, MN. The school board decided that Thielman will be a strong leader and has a great deal of experience in education.  They also expressed that he is committed to doing what is best for the student. At this time, they plan is to have a contract ready for board approval at the June 29 meeting.

Desdamona and Carnage perform for English classes

On Friday, May 29, Desdamona and her partner, Carnage the Executioner, performed in the Performing Arts Center for various classes. They opened the mic up to students to allow them to present any of their work and also performed some of their own pieces. They don’t rely on the use of instruments, but rather beat boxing.

“I’ve been beat boxing since age 9,” said Carnage. “I first heard it from Buff Love from Fat Boys. Then I saw them on MTV and I would watch his mouth and try to make my face and mouth the same. I’m basically self taught and I’m still learning.”

Carnage gives private lessons to a large age range of clients.

“My youngest is a 3 year old client,” said Carnage. “The mom wanted me to work with her son because he had delayed speech, so it was sort of a speech therapy to help strengthen syllables and words. On the other end, my oldest client is a 45 year old bass player.”

Carnage has other interests apart from music.

“I have two daughters so I love spending time with them,” said Carnage. “In addition to giving beat boxing lessons, I do social work at a private agency that teaches people that changing the way they think leads to changing their feelings which leads to changing their reactions.”

While Carnage provides the beats and some lyrics, Desdamona provides a majority of the vocals in their partnership. Although they sometimes work together, they don’t always. Desdamona has also worked with or opened for Wyclef Jean, GURU, Bahamadia, Zap Mama, Black Uhuru/Sly & Robbie, Saul Williams, Ursula Rucker and Rhymesayers Artists. She works in a variety of different places, including overseas.

“I’ve performed in many venues in front of many different artists,” said Desdamona. “I like performing overseas. They pay well, they feed you, and you don’t spend much money. The government in France also has a lot of grants for the arts.”

Desdamona has applied for many grants by writing an artist’s statement and has been awarded three. Desdamona and Carnage can be found on iTunes and MySpace Music, both together and individually.

Local hip-hop artist Desdamona visits high school English class

Desdamona, a hip-hop artist from Minneapolis, visited Katherine Kunz’s English class on Thursday, May 20 to teach kids about poetry.

“I think it’s important to educate kids because in high school people are trying to find their voices,” said Desdamona. “Writing allows you to learn about yourself even if that happens after writing it. Writing in itself  is a teacher so it’s almost like self-teaching.”

Desdamona began performing through dance as a little girl and was in band and choir through out high school. She found that she didn’t have the same type of outlet in college, but soon found it through poetry and rap.

“I had performed like that once in 9th grade, but not again until college,” said Desdamona. “That was when I really found that outlet. My inspiration comes from my own life experiences or friend’s life experiences.”

Desdamona, a unique name, came from a Shakespeare play. Desdamona’s real name is actually Heather.

“I wanted a name that people would remember,” said Desdamona. “No one else has this one. I chose it because I related to the character. She was killed and didn’t get to tell her story because it was too late. I wanted a chance to tell my story.”

Desdamona’s music can be found on MySpace music and iTunes. She will also be returning to the school on May 26, 27, and 28 to continue to teach about poetry. On the 28 she plans on performing for the class.

Track teams travels to Fargo

On Thursday, May 13, the Buffalo Boy’s and Girl’s Varsity Track teams attended a meet in Fargo, North Dakota. The meet was set to take place at the Concordia-Moorhead campus but was moved due to field renovation. Other teams who attended included Brainerd, Alexandria, Moorhead, Bemidji, Monticello, St. Cloud Apollo, Sauk Rapids, and St. Cloud. It was rainy and cold, but the girls managed to place 5th and the boys placed 3rd

“It was very cold,” said Coach Jason Karn. “I told the jumpers it was just a big mental game. If they had a good attitude and thought ‘hey, this will be fun’ when their opponent is standing there thinking about how cold it is then they already beat them.”

As of today, there are only 2 meets left before sections.

“I think a lot of people will qualify for state,” said Karn. ” I feel that we’re right where we need to be time and training wise. It’ll be a good number of both boys and girls.”

Buffalo art students place at Mississippi 8 Visual Arts Festival

On Friday, May 7, art students from Buffalo High School (BHS) attended the Mississippi 8 Visual Arts Festival at Becker High School. Other participating schools included St. Michael Albertville, Monticello, Becker, Cambridge, Zimmerman, Big Lake, Rogers, and Princeton. 

“The artists from the other schools were very interesting,” said Senior Cora Fox. “The mixture of their personality and talent with art made them very fun to talk to. I saw some amazing things, but I feel very accomplished as an artist and a BHS student.”

Buffalo entered 20 pieces to be judged and two pieces received first place. The two first place winners were Junior Nina Jepson for her pencil/charcoal self-portrait and Fox for her color drawing “The Hidden”. 

“It makes me feel so accomplished,” said Fox. “I truly feel that I have grown in my artist abilities and it feels great to be recognized for my hard work.”

Jepson also took second place for two of her pieces and other awards included five honorable mentions, awarded to Junior Ethan Kalinowski, Senior Abby Huff, Junior Nicole Nystrom, Junior Nina Downer, and Junior Nicole Norberg.

Junior Class Cabinet prepares for Grand March

From the beginning of the school year until the day of prom, Junior Class Cabinet (JCC) met and discussed the theme and details of prom for the 2010 school year. Members included Olivia Haggerty, Caleigh Fischmann, Calli Durst, Anna Mason, Sarah Frost, Josh High, and Sam Kemp.

“The hardest part of planning prom was deciding on a theme,” said Haggerty. “We wanted to be different and unique from any other year. It’s hard to compromise 7 people’s likes and dislikes to agree on one thing.”

The JCC decided on the theme of Mystery Masquerade with the theme colors being red, gold, and black. They spent the school day on Friday in the gym decorating and preparing for Grand March.

“Overall it’s been going really well,” said Haggerty. “Everyone just sort of took the initiative and each took a job. Everything has been getting done really fast.”

The JCC advisors were Nancy Eiynck and Tracy Hulley, who have been advising together for 16 years.

“Hulley is magnificent,” said Eiynck. “She is so patient with the juniors and has awesome ideas for whatever we’re working on.”

Prom takes place tomorrow, May 1, and Grand March will begin at 4 pm in the Buffalo High School gym.

Auschwitz survivor speaks out about the horrors of her Holocaust experience

“I feel no guilt for surviving,” said Holocaust Survivor Margot Dewilde. “I knew I would survive and get out of there alone, even as I stepped off the train at Auschwitz. I had a vision and the place seemed familiar to me. I felt like I had been there before and I knew I would be okay.”

At 91 years old and wheelchair bound, Margot seemed quite harmless and reserved, which contrasted with the middle school aged audience she was addressing. But as soon as she spoke these words, her strongly accented voice captured the attention of the energetic crowd, as well as myself.

As Margot continued to speak, it was obvious that she had told this story many times to a variety of different types of people. It had become routine for her to go through the series of events that took place in her life and that over time she had been able to remove much of the emotion from her accounts.

“I began telling my story in 1969, twenty years after World War Two ended,” said Margot. “At first it was extremely difficult, but I knew it was worthwhile to tell because I my hope is to prevent something like this from happening again.”

Margot was born in 1921 in Berlin, Germany and lived with her mother,father, and brother in an apartment. Through her childhood Margot’s family struggled financially. Her grandfather lost his department store and her father could not keep a steady job. Eventually, her family moved to Holland where her uncle lived. While living in Holland they moved often as an effort to save money.

In 1933, Hitler rose to power in Germany and made life for the Jewish people impossible. All Jewish families were required to register all their belongings and leave them behind if they wanted any chance to flee from Germany. During this time, Margot was twelve years old and was staying in a Jewish hotel in Holland with her family. There, she met the man she married five years later.

While Margot spoke of her late husband, a hurt expression crossed her face and her voice faded to a softer volume. He had died when they became separated at a later date and it didn’t seem as if she wanted to share many details. She mentioned him few times throughout the time she spoke, and instead stuck to facts rather than details.

“I remember on May 10, 1940, the Germans invaded Holland,” said Margot. “They came in the sky at 4 o’clock in the morning. Some were in uniforms, others were in civilian clothes. They started bombing and Holland surrendered right away, which meant we were under German Law.”

The Germans made all people in Holland carry an I.D. that included a picture, thumbprint, and mark of the city. It also included personal information and a big J if the person was Jewish. Next, the Germans forced all Jews to wear a yellow star that became known as The Star of David. They were not allowed to attend school, use public transportation, or attend any form of entertainment. It was at this point that they began to move some families to ghettos.

“After all these laws were forced upon us, my in-laws decided we should try to leave Holland,” said Margot. “They tried to find a connection to some high level Germans who could be bribed. Eventually they found someone, but we had to wait for our immigration papers before we could go to Switzerland. During this time I got married because the Germans had said that they would keep families together.”

At this point, I realized the extent of how completely the Holocaust affected people’s lives, even before they were forced from their homes to be put unwillingly into camps. Love was no longer the only reason two people got married. Instead, they rushed marriage because they were promised that they would be kept together and would have a familiar face by their side in the months to come.

“In 1943 we were notified that we should be ready to leave for Switzerland,” said Margot. “We were each allowed one suitcase. I noticed that my husband was overdressed and asked him why. His response was that we never know. I think we suspected something at that point, but we didn’t want to see the signs.”

Margot, her husband, and her in-laws were escorted to the train station and put on a train with another group of people. After the train ride, which they believed was taking them to Switzerland so they could escape, they were arrested on the grounds of “attempting to smuggle valuables.” They were sent to Berlin and put in a collection camp in a school where they were housed on the floor with straw.

“During this time I came down with a sore throat,” said Margot. “I was put in a Jewish hospital and put in isolation. I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. After 6 weeks I was sent back to the school and only my husband was there. He had been told to wait for me. We were loaded onto a train and it was a long ride with no windows. When we stopped and got off, there was a German officer outside the train. They separated men, women, elders, and children. Everyone was in a trance. I am convinced that we were hypnotized because we followed any order that was given.”

Up until this statement, Margot’s face had been blank and emotionless. But when she made the comment about being hypnotized, she seemed sad, like her mind was elsewhere. She never stated it, but the train ride she spoke of was the ride to Auschwitz and it was the last time she ever saw her husband.

“Young married women like me were taken in a truck to a building with a huge shower stall,” said Margot. “We had heard slight rumors about gassing being done there. We were all shaved head to toe and given different clothing. The soap they gave us to use, if I remember right, it said RIF which meant Rest in Freedom. We were told that it had been made from the ashes of the people who had been killed.”

Another realization dawned as Margot explained about the soap. Not only did these people have to come to terms with the fact that friends and family were being killed, but they basically had it thrown right in front of them with actions like these. It seemed like a warning about what could happen and what the Germans were capable of.

“After showering, we were given tatoos,” said Margot. “They used glass with a metal pen to print a number above a triangle on all of us. We were no longer people, but numbers. I tried to rub mine out with dirt, but they they went over it again. Through this time I just didn’t know what was happening. At one point I was unconscious for 12 days.”

Through her time at Auschwitz, Margot lived through other people’s deaths and horrors.

“Even now when my neighbor burns garbage, I smell burning bodies,” said Margot. “I always douse his fire with a hose. He just doesn’t understand.”

In January of 1945, she was woken up and told to stand outside with many others. Everyone got a coat and was marked with a red X. They were put into lines of 5 and walked for 2 days and 3 nights, then were loaded into box cars and taken to a labor camp.

“In the morning when we woke, there was a commotion,” said Margot. “There were no Germans around and I saw an American with a flag. I was told I was free and to go West because the Russians were coming from the East with a lot of Germans. We walked and walked and ended up sleeping in a chicken coop and eating raw eggs, which made us sick. We then continued to walk until we reached a city and were put in a house. The Red Cross came by. We were taken care of and bunked by the British, who gave us tea.”

In the following weeks, Margot tried to reach her family. She found her parents and brother, who were all alive. She took a train to Amsterdam where her father lived close to their old house. She stayed there, where she met another man that she hoped to marry but couldn’t because she didn’t have a death certificate from her previous husband. After 13 years, she moved to Minneapolis where her brother lived. She married and lived in Richfield for 40 years, until her husband died.
Listening to Margot’s story, there was a rush of emotions and reactions. Before Margot began to speak the students had been talkative and fidgety but as she neared the end of her story, the atmosphere had changed. The students were quiet and seemed to have a new respect for Margot after hearing her story. Her strength, composure, and confidence were incredible for a person who had witnessed the events that she had.

“I like to say I had a guardian angel through those years,” said Margot.

The Diviners suffers a cast change, but pulls together for opening night

The spring play, The Diviners, opened on Thursday, April 15. An extreme change from the bright colors and sounds of the fall musical, The Diviners focuses on the character of Buddy Layman, played by Charlie Aldrich, who lost his mother in a near drowning experience earlier in his life. This leaves Buddy terrified of water, even though he has the ability to divine, or find it. The play follows a character named CC Showers, a former preacher played by Junior D.J. McMoil, as he sets out to help Buddy.

Less than two weeks before opening night, the play suffered a cast change which had the ability to set them back a few steps. 3 members gained new roles and needed to learn new lines with limited time, but the cast managed to overcome it in time for opening night.

“The challenges of a cast change weren’t easy,” said McMoil. “It really showed the dedication of the members of the department. We just managed to pull together and bear down, lifting each other up and we somehow got it together. And as always, our director HD [Tracy Hagstrom-Durant] stuck right by us. We couldn’t have pulled this off without anyone else. I’m proud to be a part of this group.”

The Diviners will also be showing tonight, April 16, and Saturday, April 17 at 7:30 in the Performing Arts Center at Buffalo High School.

Boys’ basketball takes on Tech in section championship tonight

On Saturday, March 13, boys’ basketball beat the Elk River Elks with a score of 58-52 in the second round of Section games. They will be playing the St. Cloud Tech Tigers for the section title tonight (Thursday, March 18) at Halenbeck Hall on the SCSU campus. The game time is scheduled for 9:00 PM.

“They have a high scoring offense,” said Head Coach Nick Guida. “They have 2 outstanding players who average 19 points a game. We need to slow it down and make them play the way we want to play.”

The Bison have a history with the Tigers, including a game earlier this year that the Bison won with a score of 55-52. They have faced the Tiger’s in three consecutive section final games, including this year.

“The last 2 years, they have beat us with a last second 3 pointer,” said Guida. “We need to dictate tonight and challenge the heart and discipline of their team.”

If the Bison win, they proceed to the State Tournament. But if they lose, their season ends.

“I need to make sure to address this properly in event of a win or loss,” said Guida. “I’m going to tell the boys that it’s not what you achieve, it’s what you become. That said, what we’ve become is a team. When a player puts the team before themselves, the coach has done well. I want them to realize that they need that mentality with work, relationships, and family. It’s about more than championships.”

Boys’ Basketball finishes regular season, progresses to second round of Sections

The Boys’ Basketball team recently finished their regular season and emerged with the Mississippi Conference title. Their overall conference record was 15-1. The team’s first section game took place on Tuesday, March 9 against the

Brainerd Warriors. The Bison are seeded second in sections, while the Warriors are seeded seventh. The game started out as close scoring and continued that way until the end, with a final score of 37-33, the Bison emerging with their first playoff victory.

“We went into that game expecting exactly what we got,” said Coach Nick Guida. “We knew it was going to be tough playing against a team with such talent that it can scare you. We just focused on the things we could do.”

The second play off game is scheduled for Saturday, March 13 at 3:30 PM at Hollenbeck Hall on the St. Cloud State University campus. The Bison will be facing the Elk River Elks, who previously defeated them during the second game of the season with a score of 36-40.

“This game will be similar to the Brainerd game,” said Guida. “Whatever team comes out ready to play and controlling the ball will be the team who wins.”

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