“I started playing trumpet in fifth grade. I switched to euphonium in freshman year and decided to do Jazz Band. I started sophomore year on the euphonium and decided I’d switch to trombone then I started playing trumpet [again] and it just took off,” explained Welch.

Despite his current passion for music, Welch hasn’t always loved music.

“Going into freshman year, I absolutely did not want to be in band at all, partly because I hated the trumpet, now I think it’s one of the greatest instruments ever.”

After rekindling his enjoyment for music by finding the euphonium, Welch began put more and more time and effort into being a successful musician.

“I usually practice an hour or two a day. Whether it is just sitting at the keyboard learning music theory or just messing around with a saxophone. It requires a definite amount of commitment,” explained Welch. “I’m always kind of a competitive person, I always wanted to be the best person in the section or the best person in the band, and working hard in the classroom led to working hard out of the classroom which led to being in All-State groups and honor bands. Participation feels great no matter which group you are performing with. everything I’ve been in, every program, every piece of paper [is kept at his house].”

“I had been told by some of the coaches in eighth grade that I should try track. Before, I had always done soccer and lacrosse until I went out for track and I was really good. I always came in first place for the mile and I remember how good of a feeling that was and I realized ‘hey, I can do this’ so I continued with track and joined cross country in the fall,” explained Kluver.

As Jake felt began to experience success as a runner, he realized that he wanted to continue and that he wanted to be successful. This feeling encouraged him to put in hours upon hours a week to reach his goal.

“I like the feeling of success when I win a race… runner’s high… There’s nothing else like it. It is hard to explain, you feel like you can do anything even when you’re really tired. Especially after a race, if you go out and run a PR [personal record], you feel like you can do anything,” explained Kluver. “I have a goal to get a scholarship and run in college, that is my long-term goal, plus I just love to run. That is why I do it.”

In order to reach his in-season goals and his goal to become a collegiate athlete, he planned and continues to put continual effort and hours into the sport.

“You have to put in a lot of work in the off season, that is what really makes your season successful [track or cross country]. You have to stay focused on your goal during the season even if things aren’t going right,” said Kluver. “Last year I ran 385 [miles during the summer] and this year I plan to run over 400 for sure.”

“We’ve been preparing for Student Appreciation day for a while, we have to find a list of teachers to work at each area, order things, and find bands to perform. It’s a lot of work, and we’ve been working hard on it. It’s fun to plan though, and an exciting day,” explained Student Council member Allie Palmer.

This year, the food service will provide the school’s top lunch choices voted on by the student’s; Cheese Sticks with Marinara and French Toast Sticks.

“We make a larger quantity of food than on normal days. It’s a really fun day for us, we enjoy it,” explained Katie Lohse a lunch lady at BHS.

As always, the lunch periods will be lengthened and time spent in the classroom will be shortened.

“A&B and C&D lunches are combined. Students are excused at 1:30 for a short assembly, followed by an ice cream social and student music in the cafeteria gym,” explained Assistant Principal Kris Thompson.

Not only is Student Appreciation Day a time to celebrate and to enjoy music produced by various student groups including two freshman groups and one senior group , but it is also yearbook distribution day.

“The yearbook staff gets out of first and second block to go set up the PAC and prepare for everyone to come in and get their books. It’s really fun to see everyone looking at the book at lunch because everyone is on a different page, and saying something different about it. We get to see them early, and it’s really cool to see all our hard work put together,” explained yearbook member Tommy Peterson.

Student Appreciation Day will take place on May 29th throughout the school day. It will be a fun day of entertainment and a recollection of memories for the 2014-2015 school year

1. Peru

Peru is a small country located on the Pacific Coast of South America. It offers a variety of landscapes and cultural experiences including the Andes Mountain Range, beaches, and of course, it was once home to many indigenous groups including the most well known, Incas.

“I’m going to Lima, Peru, I’m excited to experience somewhere completely different from anywhere I’ve ever been,” said Junior Emma Maxson.

2. Alaskan Cruise

Alaska is not a state many American’s ever live in or visit. Despite Alaska’s massive size, according to the US Census Bureau, there are only 736,732 residents.

“I’m going on a Carnival cruise ship, We are stopping at 3 Alaskan cities and at Victoria, Canada,”said Junior Abby Munsterteiger.

3. Spain Trip

Every other year, the BHS Spanish Department takes a trip to a location with vast Spanish heritage. This summer, the department is headed to Spain, including its capital, Madrid.

“I’m nervous and excited to meet my two different host families,” said Junior Catie Purcell.

4. Colorado

When the Rocky Mountain range in Colorado isn’t completely covered in snow during the summer months, the state continues to utilize the natural beauty of the state. The summer months bring a time of water activities and tours of the mountains by horseback, ATV’s, and gondolas.

“I am eager to visit my dream college, Colorado State,” said Junior Hannah Anderson.

5. California

California has always been known as a getaway destination for Americans. It holds the second most populous city in America, Los Angeles. California’s location on the Pacific West Coast allows the summer months to be filled with good surf, and an endless abundance of beaches.

“I’m really excited to go see my family down there, and visit places I’ve never seen before,” Junior Paige Dalbec.

“I didn’t take any practice tests this year, I did nothing, I was just like, ‘Oh I have the ACT on Saturday.’ Which I remembered the Wednesday beforehand and I was like ‘Oh ok,’ so I woke up Saturday morning and went and took the test. […] I probably should have [studied], but I didn’t, “ explained Scherber.

This year, the state has added the ACT to graduation requirements, but many BHS students, including Josh Polzin and Andrew Scherber, had already taken the ACT before the Minnesota state test day. By requiring all juniors to take the ACT on April 28th, the state spent extra money on students like Josh Polzin, who already had a achieved a perfect score of 36 and will continue to spend extra money on underclassmen like Andrew Scherber who achieved a 36 at an earlier grade level, unless the requirements change.

“Everyone should take the ACT at some point and I think that it is a good statistic to see how everyone is doing and to plan curriculum but I don’t think everyone should need to take it on the same day,” said Polzin. “If students have already taken it on a national test day, they should be able to use those scores to fulfill state requirements. Personally, I think that the four hour test I spent my time on was time I could have spent on classes that were more important at that point. It was a waste of resources on the state’s part.”

In order to improve the overall fairness, effectiveness, and economics of the test date, the restrictions should be changed to accommodate students who have already achieved scores that they are proud of and that meet college benchmarks.

“The state should change rules surrounding the ACT and not force everyone to take it on the same day without any exceptions. If you’ve already taken the test before the time (state test date), I don’t think you should have to take the test again, you should just need to submit your score to the state for statistic purposes so the state knows that you are on track as a student,” explained Polzin.

One these changes occurred in the Phy. Ed department with the addition of Megan Scherer. Coming straight out of college at the University of Minnesota, Scherer might just be the youngest teacher at BHS.

“When I walked into the school, I was like ‘I like this place’, I really liked it here, everyone was very welcoming, it wasn’t intimidating. I was coming into an interview feeling very comfortable. […] I called my mom afterward and was like ‘Mom, if I don’t get the job there, I am going to be so sad because I know I’m not going to love a school as much as I love this one’. […] Some people say that you get a feeling here, and I definitely felt it,” said Scherer.

Being one of the youngest teachers in the building hasn’t stopped Scherer from implementing new teaching styles and presenting her ideas to more experienced teachers. In fact, she has found the staff to be extremely open to her ideas.

“I had the opportunity to write curriculum here for health over the summer, […] everyone cared about my input even though people could look at me like ‘you’re a first year teacher, you don’t have any experience’. Everyone has been very receptive and helpful with new ideas,” explained Scherer.

Not only has the Phy. Ed. department seen changes, but the World Languages department has seen great changes in the teaching staff. A part of the three large changes in the department, Elizabeth Mullerleile, the newest French teacher, has a very unique background at BHS. She began her experiences at BHS as a substitute teacher and an AVID tutor.

“As a sub [before being a World Language teacher], I’ve been outside this district, and there are quite a few high schools where you walk in and the feeling that you get from being in the building is not a happy feeling. Here, it is happy. I’m sure part of it is the open architecture of the building but then the staff too seem to sincerely enjoy being here,” said Mullerleile.

Even after Mullerleile’s teaching experiences at BHS much of the large building is still unknown territory to her.

“As a brand new teacher, during new teacher workshop week, we were given a tour of the school. Mark Mischke was our tour guide and he took us through rather quickly and I had no idea how big this building is. We were in parts that I had never seen or knew existed. […]  When I venture beyond the main area of the building that I know, I’m still wishing I had dropped bread crumbs along the way because it’s huge. This building is absolutely huge,” said Mullerleile.

Mullerleile was not the only addition to the World Language department this year, Jess Nickelsen was also added as a Spanish teacher. Although it was not her first year teaching, her experiences from her previous teaching job in Wisconsin for the last nine years remind her of BHS.

“I feel much more at home here than I have for a long time. I taught in Wisconsin for nine years at a school that was very similar to here, just smaller. […] So this fits very well, I feel very welcome with my department. […] I think this is absolutely the place that I was supposed to be,” said Nickelsen.

Nickelsen has brought many new ideas and teaching techniques to the World Languages department, including as she described it, ‘the ground shaking revelation’ of not having massive amounts of homework that are usually associated with taking a foreign language. This idea relates to her overall perspective of teaching a language.

“Kids need to feel safe and accepted, and I don’t think I could teach anything other than a foreign language, it’s a way to be goofy at a high school level. We’re always making weird skits and activities. I think you can still be juvenile but learn and thats why its a good fit to have a language because you are teaching basic things but for kids that are at a higher level for humor level. […] I think that if I have fun, they have fun.”

Nickelson, Scherer, and Mullerleile each came to BHS with individualized teaching backgrounds but have each found BHS to be an optimal workplace for them. BHS is known to our new staff as a place where students put forth willingness to try, administrators put forth effort to ensure the success of the school, and where colleagues are helpful and interested in the ideas of the teaching community.

The testing will take place during the school day.

“It will be in the classrooms in the ‘A’ wings, it will be proctored by teachers that will be trained on how to proctor and run an ACT,” explained Christina Cox

Teachers will not be teaching classes that day, but rather proctoring tests and supervising underclassmen. They will be trained by our Administrators as well as Ms. Lane for that day. Teachers will also play a key role in helping the very complex day run smoothly.

“9th graders will be doing some Personalized Learning Plan work. they will be going on tours at the Wright Tech Center and working with counselors or trained teachers on the MCIS website on college and career preparation. 10th graders will split their day half and half and will be doing some PLP work and taking their Reading MCA that day, the Reading MCA is all online this year. Seniors will not be here that day,” said Cox.

Unlike other tests supplied by the State, juniors will be required to take responsibility for registering themselves for the test.

“The day that Juniors take the MCA Math Test, they will be registering for the ACT test through the (ACT) website. They will be registering themselves. (this is where they will upload photos and select colleges to send their scores to),” said Cox.

For Juniors that have already taken their ACT, it is still unclear to whether you will be able to “opt-out” of the test.

“We are waiting for clearer communication from the state (regarding “test-out” or “opt-out” options) It’s becoming more of an issue as we get closer to the test, they (the state) will probably have to do some type of statement saying how they will handle it. As a school, we need to test as many students as possible,” explained Cox.

Will all of the unusual activities that are occurring on April 28th, it will make for a long day of hard work.

“The day itself will be long, lunches will be pushed back to the end of the day,” said Cox.

“Before the game, I was not that nervous until I actually started warming up and saw the other team,” said Senior Sydney Driver. “When we were on the ice doing starting line ups, my stomach starting flipping and I got butterflies.”

During the first period, the momentum went back and fourth between the Bison and the Rams. The bison had a break down in their defensive end which resulted in the Rams first goal.

“After the first period, we were down 1:0 and the atmosphere was so weird. We were all really calm and we just refused to lose,” explained Driver.

After the second period, the Bison went into the locker room tied 2:2 against the Rams.

The Bison Girls Hockey Team pulled through to a win after being down 2:0 at the beginning of the second period to beat the Roseau Rams 4:2.

“When we won the game after coming back from being down two goals, it was the greatest feeling ever. I will always remember the feeling. When I got out of the locker room, I looked at my dad and I could tell he was proud of me.” said Driver.

Tears were shed by the players, coaches, and parents after the win with the realization that the team was going to get the opportunity to play in the MSHL Girls Hockey Tournament. For many players, the opportunity to get a chance play at the Excel Energy Center and to play in a state tournament is the ultimate goal. The girls have devoted a large amount of time to completing this goal by playing year round and by practicing on Saturday mornings. Their hard work has paid off.

“Winning the game and going to the state tournament is honestly one of the best things I could ask for and I would not want to be there with any other team.” said Driver.

This will be the very first state appearance for the Bison Girls Hockey Team since the split with the Wright County Blades in 2005.

The Bison will being playing on Thursday at 1:00PM against the Edina Hornets.

“We can do it and we will show everyone we are meant to be there.” says Driver.

1. Failing Required Classes

“I’m failing American Experience because I forgot to hand in a worksheet.” said one girl. “He doesn’t put in missing, he puts in 0’s.”

Her friend then added, “This makes it more urgent to get it done”.

2. The Uterus VS. the Brain

“Women aren’t afraid of each other because we have uteruses and we connect via uterus. We have less of a chance of killing each other,” said one girl.

Her guy friend then added, “Guys punch each other because we want to.”

3. Wrong Boob Shape?

“We were at Victoria’s Secret one time, and this lady came up to us and started asking us about her breast tissue, and started complaining about how she didn’t have enough underneath, and that she had too much on the side, and that she needed to have a certain style bra,” one girl explained.

4. Car Accidents, the talk of the town?

“I walked into French class and people were like ‘some people are going to be late, there was an accident (at the 4-way stop on the morning of 2/10/15)’ but it was only old people though so it’s okay,” one girl explained.

She later added, “I take the back-roads. I  try to avoid that spot.”

Her  friend then said, “It didn’t surprise me. I kind of saw it happening. I think [the location of the 4-way stop] is kind of inefficient where they have it right now.”

5. 2 Trillion Sperm

“In AP Bio, there was a video about meiosis,” said one girl.

Her friend added, “The video about meiosis and sex and [they were] talking about how sperm were really weird. The average male makes like 2 trillion sperm a year. We could fertilize the world with it.  Like if every man died, we could use one mans sperm forever.”

“They wanted to take a break (the administration) […] hopefully kids will be better behaved” said Scott Palmer.

Two years ago, there were a few instances with inappropriate behavior at the dance, this is just one of the reasons that the dance was cancelled for the year. Our administration is looking for the students to become more responsible, and to have a more positive experience at a school wide activity.

“We are taking on a different look at what Sadie’s could look like. [..] its a wonderful opportunity for kids to be social with their friends and with their school. […] there have been happenings in the past with kids at dances that have been frowned upon by other students” said Nick Guida.

This year, the dance has many noticeable changes, it has a new concept that has allowed students to request music to be played. To help increase student interest in the dance and to increase student responsibility, the Student Council sent out a link by email and through social media to request music to be played at the dance that was from the year 2010 or before.

“The playlist is something that is really being considered […] school dances should be a lot like a wedding dance” said Guida.

The newly revised Sadie Hawkin’s Dance will take place on February 13th after the Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball game.