“Being a leader is my chance to give back to the people who are giving up so much time to do all of this,” Anderson said.

She describes being a leader isn’t just being appointed a role but showing up every single day and always putting your best foot forward.

The activity she’s been a part of the longest is band.

“I joined band in sixth grade. It’s always just been a part of my life.”

She is in 6 music related extracurricular activities. 

• Marching Band (Drum Major)
• Pit Orchestra
• Symphonic Orchestra
• Tri – M
• Allstate Band
• Music Listening

Music isn’t just putting in the hard work, it’s also about making time to enjoy what you’re doing.

“I am in a woodwind quintet right now. So it’s a bassoon, an oboe, a clarinet, flute and a french horn, and it’s just five of us that get together and we just sight read and play chamber music and it’s my favorite thing to do, because it’s run by us. So we have a lot of say in what we get to do and play. We’re playing Minecraft songs right now, which is kind of fun,” Anderson said.

Anderson takes Concert Band as an elective, but she says it’s so much more than a class. 

“It’s not just a class. It’s an environment,” Anderson said.

She touched on how Concert Band is a culture and how different members bring in different aspects that really shape the department.

“Amelia is 100% engaged,” Band Director Scott Rabehl said.

According to him she’s always all in regardless of what she’s in. She has the work ethic and isn’t afraid to begin new things or step up when necessary.

“I don’t know how she’s able to juggle [it]. I know I don’t have the organizational chops to spin as many plates as she does,” Rabehl said.

Community is a word Rabehl would describe Anderson as. She helps link students together and always puts her best foot forward. She also helps young students in the music department feel included in the music department. She mentored the Freshman Band this year and helped them with whatever they needed.

“She is a fearless beginner. She is willing to fail in order to get great at things,” Rabehl said.

Junior Elle Keranen is in various activities with Anderson. They are both in Concert Band, Music Listening Team, and she’s also in a woodwind quintet with her. 

“I have learned leadership skills from Amelia. She stays on task and is able to enforce productive rehearsals,” Keranen said.

According to everyone who has been in an activity with Amelia, she has a great work ethic.

“She is able to juggle many of her activities because she is a dedicated person who is willing to work hard for things she cares about,” Keranen said.

Besides the many music related activities Amelia is involved in, she also participates in 3 other activities.

• Mock Trial
• BPA (President)
• Student Council

Anderson has been a part of Mock Trial since her Freshman year and she’s always stuck with it for the past few years. 

“Mock Trial for me is less about the law and more about the public speaking, and the opportunities I get,” Anderson said. 

Mock Trial is a tight knit community. Anderson has been on the same team of 12 people since her Freshman year and has made many strong connections. 

“They’re not necessarily people that I would reach out to normally, but I know I can reach out and talk to them. It’s the inside jokes and it really bonds you,” Anderson said. 

Junior Faith Mutterer is also in Mock Trial with Anderson and speaks incredibly highly of her.

“She is such a significant person in mock trial and is the backbone [of it],” Mutterer said.

Anderson has made many close friendships in mock trial and you can ask anyone and they’d agree that she’s always there to guide and help.

“She taught me how to write a closing and how to gain confidence in the courtroom,” Mutterer said.

Mock Trial went to State March 3-4, Varsity 1 placed 10th and Amelia received 5 perfect scores.

BPA also qualified and went to state, March 10-12, and Amelia even qualified for nationals. She placed 3rd in Extemporaneous Speech and 3rd for Video Production team with Senior Jack Hintze and Junior Adam Gusel.

“It’s a good experience, it gave me a lot of good organizational skills about how to get people together,” Anderson said. “It’s a culture shock. It feels a lot bigger and grander. We’re facing schools I’ve never heard of before.”

“Amelia definitely works hard to cooperate with others and create an environment where people are able to comfortably push their limits on what they think they can do,” Adam Gusel said.

Amelia Anderson is definitely a person who can at least attempt to do everything. She is always willing to learn new things to better herself and others.

She will be attending the University of Minnesota in the Fall to participate in even more activities than she is now.

A few students have decided to give a slight preview of what they’ll be showing off Monday.

Isabelle Anderson

Q: What is your project?

A: For my capstone project, I decided to sketch out a locker that has three selves. Each shelf is going to represent a year of high school, with a sketch or two of things that represent things I went through mentally that year. For senior year because it’s such a big year, I chose it to be the door of the locker.

Q: Why did you choose to do the project you did?

A:  I chose my project because I wanted a reason/way to reflect on the last few years of my life. I always thought high school was going to be like High School Musical, like all the fun happy high school movies but it really wasn’t at all. 

Q: What does your project mean to you?

A: This project has a lot of meaning to me. This is the last project that I will ever do for Arts Magnet. Arts Magnet has been my family throughout high school. We have our ups, we have our downs, we have our emotional moments but we always come together to make something amazing.

Q: What has the Arts Magnet program meant to you?

A: The thought that the arts magnet program won’t be around anymore after this quarter is absolutely devastating. Arts Magnet is a whole different perspective on things, it’s a family, a support system. I remember when we were told that they were shutting down the program, most of us were highly emotional. We wish others would have been able to have the same fun experience we had. The Arts Magnet Program has shaped all of us involved in so many different ways. The one dance we had together was so much fun, lots of laughs, lots of love. I love my Arts Magnet family more than they all know. The program and the people in the program have shaped me to the person I am today, and have made a huge imprint in my life. I will never forget the last four years with this program and the people involved.

El-Sara Duopo

Q: What is your project?

A:  I’m singing Home from The Wiz.

Q: Why did you choose to do the project you did?

A: I’m passionate about singing and I’ve always loved The Wizard of Oz but wanted to do the version that emulated my life and a song that is dedicated to my family.

Q: What does your project mean to you?

A: It’s a way for me to draw out emotion and tribute my family. Everything in the song shows how close I am with them and how much they mean to me and support me especially with interests like singing.

Q: What has the Arts Magnet program meant to you?

A: The Arts Magnet was a place where I could be myself and found people who were creative and accepting. I’m sad to see it go. It was the first time that I felt I could be completely myself at Buffalo.

Abigayle Dewolfe

Q: What is your project?

A: My project is a dress made out of single use plastic shopping bags.

Q: Why did you choose to do the project you did?

A: I have always wanted to make a dress and I wanted to make an impact with the single used plastic I used to make it.

Q: What does your project mean to you?

A: My project means hard work and dedication.

Q: What has the Arts Magnet program meant to you?

A: The Arts Magnet program is a family. A family that fights and makes up and a family that supports you through your challenges.

Olivia Thomes

Q: What is your project?

A: My project is performing one of my favorite musical theater songs: “Somewhere That’s Green” from Little Shop of Horrors.

Q: Why did you choose to do the project you did?

A: I have always adored the show Little Shop of Horrors, ever since I first saw it when I was in eighth grade. Immediately I connected with the character of Audrey, with her dreams of living somewhere better and leaving behind her pain and sorrows for something simple. For my final performance I wanted to pay homage to this character I adored so much, as well as express my own hopes for my future.

Q: What does your project mean to you?

A: Comfort and familiarity. 

Q: What has the Arts Magnet program meant to you?

A: It means that you work on art that means something to you and can help improve learning in core classes.

People attending the Senior Capstone Reception show Monday night can not only see and hear the projects, but they also can chat with the artists, starting at 7pm.

The Bison went into the game as the number 1 seed in 8AAAA and STMA was going in as the number 8 seed.

“Numbers really don’t matter, you just have to go into the game giving it all you got,” Junior Nate Dahl said. Dahl led the team with 17 points last night.

In the first few minutes of the game the Bison went on a 10-0 run, but STMA slowed down the Bison’s offense and from then the score was neck and neck. 

“Johnny Tennyson did his thing tonight and all we could do was try our best to stop him,” Dahl said.

The Knight’s Senior Johnny Tennyson finished the game with 30 points and was definitely the Bison’s biggest struggle defensively.

“Johnny Tennyson got hot and he was hitting some crazy shots. It was tough stopping him,” Senior Will Pool said. Pool finished with 13 points.

With the score going back and forth it was a battle keeping the lead for the Bison.

“We were hot and playing good defense and you’re not going to hold a team’s score list for a whole game, so they’re going to hit shots at some point and they did but we were able to respond,” Pool said.

In the last 30 seconds of the game the Knight’s had the opportunity to score and potentially win the game but as they were driving up to the basket, they charged and fouled Dahl.

“Having everyone’s back is important. All the Seniors on the team have my back and I’d do the same for them,” Dahl said.

The Bison will now face the number 5 seed, Brainerd Warriors, Saturday, March 12 at 4pm in the main gym.

“We played them [Brainerd] and they had a big lead on us at halftime,” Dahl said.

The Bison defeated the Warriors 75-58 in their last matchup.

“Our first game against them we had a comeback win, and I don’t think we should’ve been down in the first place. I think we should just play good from the start and we can get another win,” Pool said.

The Bison were down the majority of the game, but were hoping to bounce back after a tough loss to Wayzata last week.

“We just wanted to come out here, compete and show what we’re made of,” Senior Zach Zrust said.

Zrust dominated last week against Wayzata in his first game back after a tough injury last month. He continued fighting hard during the second half last night, finishing with 11 points.

It’s been tough to adapt without Zrust playing the past few weeks according to Senior Will Pool.

“I feel like we’re almost already back to normal, or very close. Having someone down there to toss it in there and know they’ll go to work really helps our flow,” Pool said.

Both the Bison and Skippers played a very defensive and physical game.

“We had a lot of contested shots, and we gave up too many offensive rebounds,” Pool said

With only 10 minutes left in the game, the Bisons’ momentum completely shifted. They took the lead and fought until the very last second.

Minnetonka hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the last minute of the game. The Bison hustled to inbounds and get the ball past half court.

Zrust was underneath the basket with 3 seconds left and hit the game winning layup.

“That felt amazing to finalize the win. It’s good that the game went in our favor,” Zrust said.

The Bison are now 13-6 and their next game is at Eden Prairie Friday, February 11.

“Edina’s always been a team we’ve been pretty evenly matched with,” Senior Norah Burke said. 

It was a constant back and forth the entire game, Edina maintaining the lead for the majority of the game. 

Junior Jordan Anderson had a really impressive game especially for it only being her 4th game back from her knee injury. 

“It’s super amazing [to be back] and know that all my hard work has paid off,” Anderson said. 

Anderson played an amazing defensive game having multiple rebounds and constantly going after the ball. 

“It’s more fun when you play more physically, and be able to know you’re strong,” Anderson said. 

Anderson wasn’t the only player who worked hard defensively, the entire team pulled their weight to close in on the win.

Norah Burke, who describes herself as a more defensive player, really pulled her weight with multiple defensive stops throughout the game. 

“I’ve never been a scorer. My role is defense and rebounding, I’ve adapted to that role,” Burke said. 

Burke said that the team is constantly in the weight room and always working to improve from the previous game, win or lose. 

“You’ve got to be in shape and you’ve got to fight,” Burke said.

The last 10 seconds of the game were definitely the most exciting and intense moments of the night. 

The Bison had a fast break opportunity and Senior Brooke Gunderson drove to the basket to score the final and winning layup of the game. 

“It was definitely nerve racking, having a wide open layup at the end. I knew I had to make it,” Gunderson said. 

The moment Gunderson’s shot went in the crowd went wild. 

“It felt really good. I felt ecstatic, and I’m happy we beat Edina because we’ve been rivals with them for a long time,” Gunderson said.

The Bison played the next day against the Andover Huskies and had a tough loss 64-67. The Bison’s next game is at Wayzata, Friday, February 4.

This game brought up a huge milestone for Senior Antonio Bluiett. He became the 8th basketball player in Buffalo High School history to surpass 1,000 career points.

Bluiett hit the milestone with a free throw late in the 2nd half. He effortlessly made his shot and the crowd went wild.

“It feels good, but I’m glad it’s over. Don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Bluiett said.

Without a key player, Zach Zrust, the team has been forced to adjust since his injury last week against Hopkins. 

“I think we’ve adjusted way more with Zach being hurt,” Senior Will Pool said. 

Struggles for the team showed up pretty early as well.

“Guarding their big guy was a struggle, and we had a mismatch down low,” Will Pool said. 

“[We] did some uncharacteristic things on defense,” Bluiett said.

The Bison have now lost 3 in a row. 

Even with struggles, there were plenty of things going right for the Bison. 

“Usually we’re pretty locked in defensively, and I think today we were pretty solid, just had a couple lapses,” Bluiett said.

The Bison are now 10-3 after a tough loss, being back at home Thursday night against Minneapolis Southwest.

Back in early November, Curry was diagnosed with a severe case of COVID-19. He was diagnosed with COVID pneumonia, which left him hospitalized and reliant on oxygen. After a couple of tough weeks, Curry has been making a slow but steady recovery. 

Buffalo’s NHS and Work Experience Classes set out a table in the lunch room containing magnets, homemade soaps, hot chocolate supplies, bath salts, and more all available for students and staff to buy. All proceeds go to Mr. Curry and his family.

“He [Curry] was really open with us, and talked about how frustrating COVID-19 was,” said Curry’s student Junior Grace Fladung.

“He’s such a great teacher. I hope everyone gets the chance to meet him and get to know him,” Junior Kenzie Donovan said.

Anita Trutwin teaches the Work Experience class and helps her students gain work experience. These students, along with Trutwin, started the boutique.

“I was looking for an entrepreneurship opportunity last year so we put it into work experiences in the community during COVID,” Trutwin said. “This simply became an opportunity where we could practice basic job skills, but it has grown into a community involvement activity where people support what we’re doing. Our students get to expand their base of job skills into problem solving and leadership.”

The students in her class sparked the idea to help Mr. Curry’s family.

“It wasn’t my idea,” Trutwin said. “The students came up with the idea that when we were brainstorming what we can do now with basic soap making. We focused on where to take this idea next and broaden the basic skills we’re learning into something that supports our community.”

Curry is planning to be back at the beginning of next semester in late January after he makes a full recovery. 

• Rachael Noble
• Norah Burke
• Jager Sorenson
• Brooke Gunderson
• Lauren Feddema
• Lindsay Hartman
• Macie Guida
• Zach Zrust
• James Lindquist

Q: What has the last four years meant to you?

Rachael Noble: Working together on and off the court.

Norah Burke: The last four years have meant a lot to me. I’ve grown a lot as a person and a player, and I’ve overcome a lot of mental and physical challenges. I know I’m still not a perfect player but I’m very proud of how far I’ve come as a teammate.

Jager Sorenson: It meant a lot, because I’ve always been working to get up to this varsity level. With a bunch of my friends that are on the team and we always have one goal, get to state.

Brooke Gunderson: It’s been fun playing basketball and getting a new coach. That’s helped us a lot.

Lauren Feddema: We’ve had a lot of different teams over the years. People are leaving or graduating, but I feel like we adjusted very well and made memories with what we had.

Lindsay Hartman: Building relationships with your teammates. Learning about teamwork and working together on and off the court. The importance of family outside your actual family.

Macie Guida: These past four years have been an experience I will remember for a long time. It means a lot to play with my friends.

Zach Zrust: These past four years have meant a lot to me. Being able to play for Buffalo is a great thing. Also the fact that I get to play with my friends that I’ve known my whole life is great too.

James Lindquist: I’ve made most of my friends here and made some of the best memories

Q: What work have you put in the off season that brings you to where you are now?

RN: Every Summer we would come in three days a week. Coming in and lifting together.

NB:  During the off season I always shoot around when I can, either with friends or in my backyard. If I’m working on homework I’ll throw on either an NBA or girls college basketball game and simply take it all in.

JS: We work everyday. Offseason we have a bunch of camps. We workout in the morning at 7 a.m. 

BG: We play a lot of AU with the comets and practice at home.

LF: I also play a lot of AU and shoot hoops in the gym whenever.

LH: We had summer camps almost all summer long. I played on an AAU team and I know some other girls did too, so that’s just another thing we’ve done.

MG:  In the offseason I play AAU which is essentially an extension of my season. I lift and go to camps and I really never get too much time off but I enjoy it!

ZZ: In the offseason, I’ve done summer camps and also have done practice on my own.

JL: In the summer, I get up at 6:30 am 4 days a week. Before and after school practice too.

Q: What impact have the coaches made on you?

RN: Taught that you’ll get what you work for.

NB: The new coaches this year have had more of an impact on me already in the first month than any coach has in years. They push us to be better everyday, and it’s amazing because they believe in us. Metcalf trusts and believes in us as players, and we trust and believe in her as a coach, the chemistry is simply unmatched.

JS: They are always there for us and support us.

BG: Our past coach helped make memories and impacted who we are today. 

LF: Our new coach has really pushed us to be the best we can be, and that’s helped us a lot

LH: I think this year especially with new coaches they’ve just really emphasized how important it is to put 100% effort, 100% of the time and you’ll get out what you put in. 

MG: The coaches this year have been really great by setting an example or what it looks like to work hard and succeed in and out of sports.

ZZ: The coaches have impacted me a lot. Thay have also pushed me to be my best and continue to do that. I wouldn’t be as successful as I am without them.

JL: Ortmann is one of best guys I’ve ever met and one of my favorite coaches ever.

Q: What is the difference between when you first started and now?

RN: I was very scared and not willing to use my full ability. The goal is confidence, doing what you do best.

NB: I first started playing basketball when I was four, so as you can imagine I’ve changed a lot. More recently though, throughout the years I’ve noticed a difference in my role on the team. Everyone wants to be a scorer but in reality not everyone is, and that includes me. My number one job is defense and rebounding, and once I accepted that everything started flowing for me more.

JS: I started playing whenever I could walk. We had these little hoops around our house up until now.

BG: I used to play for fun, but now it’s more competitive and for the future

LF: I guess I get better through the years.

LH: I started really young, my older sister played, so I just took after her. Confidence has grown and I have matured more.

MG: I think the difference between when I first started playing basketball is that women are getting more recognition. There are many super talented female athletes, even in our conference and I think they are finally getting talked about more.

ZZ: A difference from back then to now is my work ethic and love for the game. My work ethic has gotten me to where I am today and my love for the game has continued to push me to where I’m at now. 

JL: When I started, I didn’t like it. It was something my dad made me do, but now I love getting to play with my friends.

Q: What’s your favorite memory?

RN: Probably the road trip to Moorhead two years ago.

NB: Last year Rachael Noble hit a game winning three pointer against Edina at home.

JS: Our last home game against St. Paul Central when that one kid [Robert Brown, St. Paul Central Senior] came in and made the two three-pointers.

BG: Probably hanging out in the hotel and hot tubs and stuff

LF: Definitely the Brainerd Trip

LH: Any long bus rides just because we were always talking and laughing.

MG: My favorite basketball memory is getting up early in the Summer and working hard with all the girls that truly want to be in the gym getting better.

ZZ: My favorite basketball memory was last year. We were playing Eden Prairie at home, and it was a close game the whole time. I was playing well in this game and it became a situation for a game winner. Ortmann drew up a play for me to catch it and score, which ended up happening. I scored a game winner and finished with 27 points.

JL: This whole year has been fun because we’re winning

These seniors have made an impact on our school on and off the court. With all their hard work and determination, they’ve brought it all. As their senior year comes to an end and they go off to live their lives, we wish them the best of luck in the future, regardless of basketball!

Majority of students with jobs at Buffalo High School have been mistreated at their place of work. Some people have been treated poorly by customers and some by their own co-workers. 

A 17 year old student is an assistant manager at her job. She works food service, which is an average job for most teenagers, but she does more than what you’d expect. Her work days start at 4:00 p.m. most weekdays right after school. Being a manager at 17 is already stressful but for her it’s even worse because she is trying to balance work and school.

“Most of the time, I’m on track or only a day behind, but sometimes I fall more behind because of the stress.” 

She said she works by herself and closes her store once or twice a week. She has worried about simply taking the trash out because she fears an angry customer is waiting for her to come out. She is expected to do everything while she closes. Basically, she said she feels like she is working a full-time job for part-time pay. 

“[It’s expected] that the store is clean, both drive thru and in store customers are tended to in a timely manner, and inventory is done,” she said. 

Inventory itself can take up over two hours of her shifts, so that with everything else is very overwhelming. She said that she often doesn’t get off work until 11 p.m. after working seven-hour shifts.

This isn’t the case for just this one student. Many other students at Buffalo High School have jobs and have had a negative experience at their place of work. 

In an anonymous survey, students said how they were mistreated.

“I’ve been yelled at by multiple customers for things that I have no control over,” one student said.

They said there’s nothing they can ever do about it. Customers tend to assume they’re always right, but is it worth bringing down an already stressed teenager? 

Another person said that their boss told them, “I pay you too much for you to be sad” after they showed emotions at work following the death of a close family member. 

 The Pew Research Center found that 70% percent of teenagers think anxiety and depression is a big issue. That would be over 1,200 students at Buffalo High School.

“My boss was kind of crazy & she would yell at me for not following rules that she made up,” one student reported. “One time I asked a question & she said, ‘What do you think?’ and  then I made a guess and she said, ‘Good girl!’ but not in a nice way.” 

For this particular student, it made them not want to work as hard as they knew they could. 

Twenty-percent of surveyed students talked about how they were sexually harassed or assaulted at work. 

“I was sexually harassed by a coworker. I tried to laugh it off but I was finally fed up,” one other student said. 

This is a regular occurrence for them and they still work there.

“The guys at my work would constantly sexualize me,” another student said. “This one guy was obsessed with me and said he loved me everyday. He even came to my house one time, when I told him to leave me alone his friends tried to jump me.” 

They said that they told their managers and they did nothing.

Over 15,000 cases of sexual harassment are shown to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission every year. It’s very frowned upon to talk about it, especially in the workplace. These students expressed how management did nothing. Companies don’t want to ruin their reputation, but is it worth it at the expense of these poorly treated workers?