Many conspiracy theorists go much further, though, and they see a hidden hand behind the world’s major events. Conspiracy theories are often very difficult to dislodge: Some may contain grains of truth or feed an emotional need for believers. And hardcore believers are adept at rationalizing away evidence that contradicts their beliefs. 

So what do people think of a theory claiming that “birdwatching goes both ways”?

The Birds Aren’t Real movement is a viral conspiracy theory that posits that birds are actually drones operated by the United States government to spy on American citizens. On their website, the movement offers a long history and explanation for the theory, which involves the American intelligence community and the Red Scare.

It has captured the minds of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Americans. 

“I’m not completely sure of it, to be honest,” says Elizabeth Eolrin, a sophomore. “I think some people like to go all out with these kinds of things.”

Hundreds of young people have joined the movement, wearing Birds Aren’t Real T-shirts, swarming rallies and spreading the slogan.

Some would probably ask: Who is behind this? That would be Peter Mclndoe. 

The 23-year-old is the creator of this feathered fugitive tale. From his website to protesters to even a nauseating live interview, he takes his theory incredibly seriously. 

Mclndoe travels the country in his van to make his movement known, all while knowing the possible dangers of starting a huge propaganda. 

“Conspiracy theories are fun to talk about,” says Avery Thompson, a junior. “But I think that taking certain action on conspiracy theories, especially if they involve the government, can have really bad consequences.” 

Some people do leave comments trying to disprove the Birds Aren’t Real movement, but other followers appear to be sincerely buying in. With people online seemingly joining the “Bird Brigade,” which is what the group’s activists call themselves, the line between reality and potential satire becomes alarmingly thin.

• 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!

Year after year, BHS performs outstanding and phenomenal productions. From lighthearted and appealing to dramatic and gloomy, BHS has done it all and can do it all.

But not only theatre helps build self-confidence and build trustful friendships, theatre also provides a fun and entertaining experience for students to take on a new role and be as big, expressive, and, obviously, LOUD as they want.

“I love playing different characters,” said Junior Kylie Cox. “I love embodying different roles and really figuring out what makes a person do a bunch of crazy things on stage, like my character did in Into the Woods.”

BHS’s take on “Into the Woods” had ended on a beautiful note, thanks to the talented directors, music composers, backstage crew, and the actors such as Cox. While those are left sad by the last curtain call of the musical fantasy, another fun adventure is being brought to the spotlight.

One-Act has just begun, and this year’s show will be the story of a  wildly-curious young girl and her journey through a kooky, colorful place filled with eccentric characters. You guessed it: “Alice in Wonderland”. 

“It will be interesting to do Alice in Wonderland,” said Sophomore Neve Elo. “And, personally, I’m excited for it. I think it will be a fun experience.”

The One-Act Play is a competitive MSHSL activity. No more than 20 students are allowed to be involved. Auditions were just held Tuesday, November 30, and Wednesday, December 1. Callbacks have been posted on the BHS Theatre website. Needless to say, the show is already on its way to production.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” says Kadin Anderson, a sophomore. “You get to meet a great community. I’ve made so many new friends through theatre.” 

While we countdown the days for this astounding act to hit the stage, I will be counting down how many theatre-related jokes I can come up with, but it’d really just be a bunch of play on words.

With one of the main roads to the high school closed and heavy traffic in and out of the parking lot, problems have ranged from 20-minute delays in the lot to more fender benders occurring inside and outside of school as students scramble to work, sports, or home.

BHS is a school with over 2,000 students, many of whom are drivers, that travel to and from school by car daily. Every morning and afternoon, there is a line to get in and out of the student parking lot. Some students have to wait in their cars for 15 – 20 minutes before being able to leave the lot at the end of the day. Lines of cars have students lined from bumper to bumper. There has also been an increase of car accidents involving students.

Upperclassmen have expressed their distaste for the new parking lot rules, such as: having the entrance to the student parking lot split into two lanes, and not being able to turn right at the stoplight at the end of the day in order to prevent the roundabout from backing up.

“It would be nice if someone was out there to direct traffic,” said Senior Claudia Staut. “A lot of people are arriving late, especially me because the traffic lights take forever.”

Staut has been driving to and from school since her Junior year and thinks that the construction “could not have been done at a worse time”.

The construction was originally planned to take place during the summer of 2021 and be completed sometime in 2022, but it was postponed due to a supply shortage. Until it is completed in the fall of 2022, the road will be gravel.

“I like the plan they currently have in place now,” said Junior Caleb Cruse, “but they should have done the construction when school was not in session like in the summer.”

BHS is doing as much as it can to help students enter and leave the parking lot safely. They have provided students with updates showing new adjustments for morning and afternoon traffic. they have also provided a map with traffic flow instructions, but students have conflicting opinions on which plan is better or if a plan is even necessary.

“It’s stupid. Every time I try to leave there is a huge line of cars, and no matter where I go it’s backed up,” said Junior Kaitlyn Diederich. “I don’t it at all. You should just be able to go where you want, except where the road is closed of course.”

“I think that they handled the construction pretty well,” said Junior Dylan Mart. “They have more options and you know what’s going on. Even if something changes, you still know what’s going on.”

Whether some students choose to follow the road instructions or not, the Buffalo High School road plan continues to remind  students why understanding the parking lot rules is important. BHS wants its students to be cautious and patient during this time, in and out of the parking lot.