It is easy to judge a team based on how much they win or lose. Despite that, Head Coach Joshua Ortmann isn’t focused on points.

“I don’t care about records, I just love how hard we are playing. When you have a group of guys that are that bought into each other and not worrying about their own individual stats it’s really fun to work with every day,” said Ortmann. 

    This year’s Varsity team only contains two seniors, meaning the team has a lot of opportunity for growth. Creating a team bond is an important step in a team’s success.

    “[The team bond] is one of the biggest things that I’m most proud of. We have two seniors on our team, Jacob Bakeberg, and Nate Dahl. We have seven sophomores in JV/Varsity and they brought them all in with open arms and loved them up and have been unbelievable role models for them. They do a really good job representing what we hope our basketball program represents,” Ortmann said.

    “For me, it’s like another family. The team is always going to have your back, so it’s nice having them on your side,” said Nate Dahl ‘23.

    The Bison try to keep the energy high before and during the game. They use energy as a tool to boost each other’s morale.

“If it’s not going our way we look towards the bench to get us in the game,” said Dahl.

A positive team attitude is something they work hard at. 

Photo by Matthew Scherber

Staff to guess from: Amelia Butler, Lexi Zheng, Greta Winger, Sirena Rygiel, Emmerson Breyer

1.) This writer is starburst-ing with joy to be on the staff this year! Their favorite candy, starbursts are sweet just like them. This writer is a junior and is involved in yearbook as well as Hoofprint.

2.) This writer has a sweet spot for sour patch watermelons! They’re a senior and their favorite subject is science, but especially forensic science. You can catch them doodling all day!

3.) This writer jumps for joy for almond joys! They are a cat person who just can’t pick a favorite subject

4.) This writer just wants more and more m&m’s! They’re a sophomore and you can find this writer behind the scenes of BHS theater productions working on the tech crew.

5.)This writer loves breaks and they love KitKats. They have no shortage of holiday cheer, in fact they’re the only ones in their family who enjoy the holiday season!

BONUS: This staff member is in pieces over Reese’s white chocolate pumpkins. They hide a Garfield plushie all over their room!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Answer Key:

1.) Lexi Zheng

2.) Amelia Butler

3.) Sirena Rygiel

4.) Greta Winger

5.) Emmerson Breyer

BONUS: Mr. McCallum

     Vaccine rollout offers a potential answer to a question many of the students at Buffalo High School have been asking: “When will things go back to normal?”. 

     The answer is most likely not during this school year. However, with open vaccine rollout is it possible for Buffalo High School to achieve herd immunity? According to Mayo clinic, herd immunity against COVID-19 is a 70% recovered or vaccinated rate. Excluding the Class of 2024, who are younger than eligible age, would the rest of the students achieve vaccinated immunity?

According to a poll done by the Hoofprint on Instagram, 63% of students plan on getting vaccinated, and 37% do not.

     Using these results, it’s safe to assume that herd immunity could be further off. A sizeable portion of our school’s population is already ineligible for the vaccine, and the remaining portion is in favor of getting a vaccine, but the numbers aren’t high enough to create that bubble of protection the student body needs to achieve normality again.

Q: What was it like working when supply was selling out?

A: It was really weird to walk around in the store that you work in everyday and just see empty isles. We hardly had toilet paper ever but it was also canned goods and bread and so many different things. And then we also did not get much of it because there was a nationwide shortage.

Q: Did anything have to change for you to continue going to work?

A: We all had to wear masks obviously and cleaning procedures were way different, a lot more intense so we had a designated cleaner of the store that would walk around and would all day just wipe things down. We also had a cart cleaner so they would do the same thing, just clean carts the entire shift. We had to quarantine clothing returns for 72 hours I think, so we had a back room just for that.

Q: Did you consider quitting at any point?

A: Not really, circumstances changed in my home so I couldn’t be around my baby brother so that was a point when I thought I really don’t like doing this at all, staying away from people that you really love is hard.

Q: Why did you choose not to?

A: Ultimately I thought it was important for me to take advantage of that situation and turn it into something positive, a way for me to make money and learn from my job.

Q: Did Target do anything to protect their employees?

A: Yes, we had lots of cleaning procedures and if you had any symptoms right away they wanted you to just stay home for the whole quarantining period which was 14 days still back then. Cause you know tests weren’t always available so if you didn’t feel very good they told you just stay home. Everyone had to be masked up and hand sanitizer was everywhere so I think Target did a pretty good job.

Are you for or against double masking?: 52.9% Yes

Do you participate in double masking already?: 6% Yes

While double masking is a favorable idea, few have incorporated it into their routine.

Sophomore Makenna Wagner, who double masks, said, “I feel its safer for me…I want to do my part in preventing the spread of covid because it’s what I feel is the best thing to do for me and the community.”

On the other side of the spectrum, senior Hannah Neutgens said, “I don’t think it’s effective. I wouldn’t say I support it, but I follow single masking rules to make others feel as comfortable as possible.”

If double masking could be potentially harmful to people due to a pre-existing condition like asthma or if someone does not possess the resources required, creating a better fit with the “Knot and Tuck” method improves single-mask protection to 65%.