Macalena New Head Volleyball Coach

Lori Zumach has been the Varsity Volleyball coach for the past 3 years. After her husband getting a new job and her youngest daughter still in elementary school she decided to resign from the head coaching job. Buffalo High School math teacher Michelle Macalena was chosen to be the head coach for next years squad.

Macalena was the 9th grade volleyball coach for 3 years, and was the assistant varsity coach for 2 years. She was also the JV softball coach for 3 years and is now the assistant varsity coach for the softball team.

Although she has never been a head coach for any team she has a really confident and positive attitude about it.

“I am excited for the opportunity and really excited to work with the nice kids,” she said.

A head coaching job can be more stressful and nerve racking at times but Macalena is up for the challenge. One of her strategies for next year is to make sure the girls have fun and are not worried about making mistakes.

“Sports are not fun when you play scared,” said Macalena.

The 2009 volleyball team had a record of 12-15 and they also lost 4 Seniors- Shelby Quady, Nicole Spier, Sasha Valenchenko and Veronica Archibeque.

William McMillan receives national honor

William McMillan has been apart of Boys Scouts since 2nd grade. He has earned the Eagle Scout rank which is what 2% of boy scouts earn because they usually do not stay in Boy Scouts until they are 18. McMillan is the highest rank in his Boy Scouts group and has over 100 community service hours. He just recently won the Presidential Volunteer Award for having so many community hours.

For those who don’t know what becoming an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts means, it is actually a very big accomplishment. You have to have a total of 21 merit badges. To earn a merit badge you have to do certain tasks like cooking or starting a fire. Boy scouts has a lot to do with skills.

“Because of Boy Scouts I have learned a lot of things, and I have met some of my best friends. I like how there are all different kinds of people in it,” said McMillan.

After earning all of the merit badges to become an Eagle Scout the boys have to do one last service project. For McMillan’s service project he decided to make a jump at Powder Ridge.

When McMillan turns 18 on August 5 he is not allowed to participate in any more activities.

“Some people who are Eagle Scouts have ceremonies, but I think I will just leave and not really make a big deal,” said McMillan.

The end of the quarter is near

With only 2 days left of the third quarter, students are in a frenzy to get all of their work done.

“This quarter has been really stressfull on me because I have CIS Psychology because it’s just so much more work because it’s a college class. It’s not that it’s hard it’s just all of the tests. Says Senior Hannah Otto.

Other students are on the very opposite end of the spectrum and are ready for fouth quarter to start off fresh. Some students believe this quarter is easy and dont feel the pressure.

“I love it. It’s the best quarter I’ve ever had. I have Bakke so that makes everything better. I wish I could have him every quarter.” Says Junior Bailee Mackedanz.

Students hope to finish this quarter here at BHS strong, espesially our graduating seniors.  They are getting ready to take a shot at life on their own.

“I’m just so excited to get into the real world. It’s gonna be really weird but i’m definitely ready for the challenge.” Says Senior Savanha Gravening.

Baseball and softball starting up

The softball team starts out their season with their first game on April 8th at 4:30 here at Buffalo High School. Baseball starts out with their first game on April 12th at Princeton High School at 4:30.

“I’m pretty excited for baseball to be starting up again. I love being with friends and just having a good time and hanging out.  Baseball is just a blast.”  Said Junior Matt Kelly.

National Breakfast Week

Breakfast week is nationwide annually around the U.S. starting on March 8th through March 12th. They also have a national lunch week, although thats in October. With this year’s theme for breakfast ”Ready-set-go” they are starting it off with chances to get free breakfast every morning in the cafeteria the lunch ladies set out a box where you can put your name in for a chance to win a free breakfast, like a breakfast sandwich. They offer breakfast sandwiches or muffins, burritos, bistro sandwiches, and much more along with your choice of milk or/and juice.

“The point of having a national breakfast week,” said lunch lady Katie Lohse. “Is to put focus on the food program and what we offer every morning in the cafeteria.” Breakfast is an important part of the day, so a good nutritious breakfast is essential for our bodies and ability to focus. It’s known that children and adults that have breakfast do better in school. When you skip breakfast, you are more likely to become more tiered because your brain and your body run low of fuel.

Minnesota Assessments for English Language Learners

The Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE) is for students nationwide that are not primarily English speaking. Thirty-Five students from Buffalo High School took the TEAE Testing; it is required nationwide by the Federal Government in order to get funding for their program. The testing usually takes the English Language Department (ELD) students approximately a couple hours for two days, along with a retake day. The ELD students took the test on March 15th and March 16 during first block. Retake day was scheduled March 17th. The Test of Emerging Academic English (TEAE), is a reading and writing language proficiency assessment and Minnesota student oral Language observation matrix (MN SOLOM), a rubric for evaluating, listening, and speaking language proficiency is a way to show the accountability measure for the annual measurable achievement objects (AMAO). Each student’s testing scores are compared to other students around the nation that have spent the same amount of time learning English, or lived in America. Our adequate yearly progress (APY/MCA’s), the mathematics and reading accountability measure required under the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND it is the exact same as their testing. The only difference of the two is that the MCA’s do not care how much English you do or do not know TEAE testing is testing your English proficiency.

TEAE testing includes the common subjects such as reading, listening, and speaking language proficiency. The testing is similar to our MCA’s, they are testing their abilities to learn and enhance their English speaking language. It is not a substitute for taking the MCA’s. the English language department students have to take both MCA’s and the TEAE Testing, the only difference is that they are allowed to listen to the math portion of the MCA’s and have it read off to them, it helps to make it less stressful and allows them to focus on the math with less difficulties.

Bison fall short to Tech

On Thursday night the boys basketball team fought hard to beat the very good St. Cloud Tech team. Earlier this season they defeated Tech, which gave them a lot of confidence going into Thursday nights game. The night didn’t end the way anyone cheering for Buffalo wanted it to, Tech defeated the boys 52-45.  It felt like this game was a repeat of last year. Tech ended the boys season last year with a last second desperation shot.

“We really wanted to get them back for making that lucky shot last year, but they played a good game and ended up winning. There is nothing we can do about it now,” said Senior Captain Aaron Duske.

After this season the boys will lose 6 Seniors. Three of the seniors, Aaron Duske, Brent Kettenacker, and Erik Starr have been apart of 3 Conference Championships, and have played in 2 section finals games. This season they ended up having another good record, 20-7. Although they never made it to State they still accomplished a lot over the years.

Student teacher gains insight for future career

For over two months, St. Cloud State University student Lauren Rhealt has attended French class as usual: taking notes, asking questions and talking to classmates. But unlike most students, she is not in class to learn a language. She has been observing French teacher Jason Swanson and his classes because she would like to one day teach French, too.

Originally from Fargo, North Dakota, Rheault is majoring in French at St. Cloud State University has visited France three times. Yet she hasn’t always enjoyed studying it.

“I didn’t like French in high school at all,” said Rheault. “I didn’t learn from the way my teacher taught and I ended up really frustrated and wanted to quit. My mom said I could go on the France trip, and if I still didn’t like French after getting back, I could quit it. But when I got there, I literally woke up one morning and was like, ‘It all makes sense!’ It clicked. I love being able to speak a different language and being able to express myself and speak to others in a different language. Being surrounded by something I’ve never been familiar with before opens my eyes and it helps me. I wasn’t able to experience a lot of culture in Fargo, and that experience helped me realize how different it is around the world. Even holding silverware is different. No one way of doing things is right or wrong, but I like to compare.”

She has compared different experiences she’s had as a student as she’s studied to become a teacher. She feels it is also important to be a friend and mentor to students.

“Some of my best teachers have given me different ways of looking at content. Especially by instead of looking at [an idea] the textbook way, opening it up and applying it to me, showing how it’d affect my life – showing an idea to me as a person, not just a body in the classroom. It’s important for teachers to let their students know they are there for them when they can’t talk to their family and friends. I know I’ve talked to some of my teachers about personal things because my family and friends already knew about them and were a little biased. It was nice to know my teachers were there to support me and I’d like to be there for my students, too.”

Rheault will attend her graduation ceremony on May 8 and finish classes on June 4. She has no definite plans for her future career yet but she has a few ideas.

“For next year, I’m trying to get a job in France being a nanny – it’s called an ‘au pair’ – and I’m checking my e-mail every second I can. Next year my plan is to leave the country. I know one day I really want to have a family and kids and now is my opportunity to go out and learn and experience things. I also want to learn Spanish. I’m talking elementary Spanish I this summer and after I have some experience in a French-speaking part of the world I want to go to a Spanish-speaking part of the world and get my [teaching license] in Spanish, too. I’d like to be a French and Spanish teacher. But that would be a long way off.”

Rheault may finish student teaching in mid-April, but she doesn’t believe her learning experiences will end then.

“I consider myself a lifelong learner.”

The Hoofprint Video: People to meet – Jesse Ernster

Video by Matt Blizel

Pegasus Literary Arts Magazine reviews submissions

The Pegasus Literary Arts Magazine is working towards publication. Staff members met yesterday afternoon to review poetry and art submissions.
The magazine was created over 25 years ago as an outlet for students to publish their creative work and is advised by English teacher David Robinson.
Pegasus has received about 40 submissions total, but would like to receive about 35 more. Students can submit poetry, prose, and artwork for a variety of reasons, but work will not necessarily be published.
“It can give people more confidence to have their work published,” said Senior and Selection Editor Taylor Beck. “When somebody submits their work, it can be seen and enjoyed by hundreds of people.”
In the next month, editors will choose a cover and theme for this year’s issue and finalize its pages. The magazine should be published in late April or early May.

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