“I started to hate baseball, ” said Schepp. “But it was way to slow placed and I always cried when I struck out so I decided to try track instead.”

He slowly developed into a good jumper and progressively got better through middle school. This year, he was able to make it to state in high jump with a jump of  six feet and three inches.

These results did not just happen. He worked out daily to help prepare himself for the track season.

“I lifted several times a week, and drank protein shakes after,” said Schepp. “I also barehanded walleyes in rivers to help me with my reflexes.”

The season started fairly slow because of the inclement weather, and along with every other track athlete he wished they were outside earlier.

“The season sucked at the beginning of the year and I wished it was warmer,” said Schepp. “I really wanted to get outside and jump plus I also wanted to see all those hot bikini bods.”

Even after track was delayed several weeks he was still able to make state in high jump.

“I was in doubt early in the season,” said Schepp. Since we were inside a ton it was tough to find a rhythm. But after being outside for a little bit I was able to get in a groove and make my goal.”

With this being his last year of track in high school, he plans to go on to college and jump as well.

“Track is just fun,” said Schepp. “I’m excited to move on and jump at college, but I am also pumped to meet new people. Plus I get to show off my stuff.”

When he looks back at track in high school he is proud that he not only got better as a jumper, but as a person as well.

“I think my self-confidence really went up through the years in track,” said Schepp. Now I don’t only think I’m the best at track, but the best at everything else as well.”

This season has been vastly different from other years due to the weather, but Varner’s success, along with that of her team, has stayed the same.

“We won the conference championship this year,” said Varner, “and I already have more home runs than I did last year. The weather has sucked but softball with our team is always entertaining. There’s never a boring day.”

There are countless memories that go along with thirteen years of softball, but one stands out above the rest.

“This year at Cambridge I got hit two times in a row in my first two at-bats, but my next time up I hit a grand slam,” said Varner. “That felt really good.”

With finding success on the field,  her many years of softball have also benefitted her in other ways as well.

“Softball has made me a better leader and has also taught me accept the things I can’t control,” said Varner. “I have also learned that you need to work hard to get the things you want.”

“I joined track back in seventh grade because I didn’t know how to play baseball or golf,” said Olson. “I did know how to run however, so I figured that track would be a great fit for me.”

Throughout middle school, Olson got better and better and by the time high school came around he was ready to compete at the varsity level.

“In my freshman year I was able place third in the 1oo at sections,” said Olson. “I was only one spot away from making it to state.”

Olsen excels at more than just the 100 meter dash. His speed and athleticism have led to success in other events as well.

“Now I run the 200 and 400 primarily,” said Olson. “I used to do high jump and be in relays along with the 100, but jumping hurt my legs and I didn’t feel like I was at my best in the 100. I felt like I was more of a middle distance sprinter.”

His success hasn’t happened by accident. A lot of sweat and hard work is put in during the off season to prepare for each spring.

“I had a lifting program that I did two to three times a week. I also did plyo-metrics and some sprinting drills along with lifting,” explained Olson. “It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.”

This track season has made it tough for Olson to showcase his blazing speed. Most of the track meets have been canceled due to the prolonged winter.

“It’s frustrating,” said Olson. “Reaching goals is difficult when you can’t run because of the weather.”

With less than five track meets left in the season, there is a very short amount of time for these goals to be reached. Olsen has set the bar high for himself.

“I want to place top three (in the state) in the 400 and the 200, and break one or two school records,” he said.

o”I am very excited to run in college,” said Olsen. “Joining a new team and racing new people is going to be a ton of fun.”

The road hasn’t always been easy, but Olson is very thankful for the journey. The benefits of track have far outweighed any struggles.

“Track may have kept me out of trouble in the past few years,” said Olson. I have never really been a trouble maker but maybe track has something to do with that. I don’t know where I would be without track.”

“It felt like we were stuck in the BAC,” said Track Captain Andrew Mussel. “The repetitiveness was awful, and there was not enough space for all the teams to practice.”

“It almost felt like it wasn’t real,” said Senior Jason Senger. “You can’t get any live action inside. Plus you’re limited to a certain space which isn’t fun.”

Now that the weather has subsided a bit, the teams have been released to the outdoors and the athletes are very relieved.

“Being inside the activity center was getting claustrophobic and rustling my jimmies a bit,” said Track athlete Christopher Scott.

“Track is ten times more fun outside,” said Mussel. “There’s so much more space to practice your events.”

Due to the weather many games and events were canceled or postponed. These games are now being made up and the condensed schedule is taking a toll on some of the athletes.

“The busy schedule is horrible,” said Senior Haley Prim. “We had four games this week which doesn’t give your body a chance to recover.”

Even with these drawbacks these students athletes are much happier to be outside every day.

“I’m ecstatic to be outside because it gives us all more freedom. Plus it’s less work,” said Scott.

“I told my mom I would not attend my own party unless it had a bouncy house,” said senior Emily Varner. “I figured it would be fun plus bouncy houses are just awesome.”

Even though this a celebration of the academic achievement, the seniors  play very little role in the planning.

“I let my mom and dad do most of the planning for my grad parties,” said senior Austin Brandes. “I do some of it, but most of it I leave up to them.”

While some people leave it up to their parents, some have not even gave any thought of what they might do.

“I have not thought about that yet,” said senior Connor Mann. “I don’t know what I’ll do.

Other students have weighed the option of having a grad party and have opted not to have one at all.

“I’m not even going to have one,” said senior Jonathon Wirkkala. “I did not want to spend the money, or organize it. I figured that most of my Saturdays and Sundays are already taken up by other grad parties so how would I have time to have my own?”

Students don’t always enjoy the sociable part about grad parties either. It can be stressful to be the center of attention and have to answer to a large amount of people.

“I feel like I have to be nice and sociable to everyone who is going to be there,” said Varner. “Then trying to avoid several intoxicated relatives is a completely different story.”

“It was the last thing from my mind in high school. I was a knucklehead,” said Curry. “I wanted to be a cop or do something in law enforcement.

The first indication that teaching may have been the job for him came in the military. That was where Curry held his first leadership position, and he realized it felt good to be in charge and be responsible for others.

Despite this knowledge, Curry worked in real estate for two years before getting into teaching. “I didn’t feel good about real estate,” he admitted. “I wasn’t happy going to work every day.”

Finally, after two years he was done. Fortunately, he had some friends who were teachers who gave him a lot of positive feedback. He decided to give it a try, and it has been a great fit.

“I love getting up every morning to teach,” he said.

Every day for the past two years here at BHS,  Mr. Curry has given his students a wealth of information based on what they are learning, but these facts are far from the most important thing to him. “It’s great to build relationships and have a connection with the kids,” he exclaimed. “It’s very rewarding to watch the progress that they have made.”

His love for teaching is evident, but life as a long term substitute can be a very difficult one.

“The biggest thing is you have no time to prepare. I got this job only three days before I had to start teaching the class,” said Curry.”It’s a big time commitment to stay up to date with the lessons.”

Even with this difficult job Curry still loves to teach. In the future he plans to become a full- time teacher at the high school level. Buffalo High School would be his first choice.

Vicki Cary, a long-time writing and English teacher at BHS, came up with the idea of a class where students pick their own subjects and teach themselves about those topics.

“Another school tried a project where students designed their own curriculum,” said Cary. “I thought it sounded like a good idea so I figured we could try it this quarter.”

The idea of a self-taught class intrigued eight of this year’s seniors, and so far they are enjoying the experience of learning on their own.

“We get to be our own teachers,” said Senior Austin Brandes. “We have the opportunity to teach ourselves subjects that we are interested in. It’s different, but I love it.”

This may seem to outsiders as an opportunity for these students to slack off. The infamous senior slide is beginning to set in and this could be taken as another way for kids to avoid schoolwork. Contrary to those beliefs, these students continue to work hard in class every day.

“We have to put together a presentation for the teachers and the school board about what we learned,” added Brandes. “We also are going to teach what we learned to the other kids in the class.”

This is only a tentative beginning to this course. It could take any shape or form in the following years, but for now the future seems to be very bright.

There are many different opinions from the students at BHS on whether the male or female should make the first move. Some women believe in the more traditional way of doing things, and that guys should always initiate things.

“I think that guys should make the first move,” said Sophomore Anna Demgen. “It’s awkward if girls start it, guys just seem to have better judgement.”

Some women believe that it could be guy or the girl who makes the first move.

“It depends on the situation, and how comfortable you are with each other,” said Senior Hope Mueller. “If you really like someone, than it doesn’t matter who starts it. What matters is the relationship.”

Some guys do not mind making the first move, but struggle at knowing whether a girl likes them or not.

“I don’t want to get turned down,” said Junior Levi Bean. “I believe guys should be required to make the first move, but girls should initiate some flirtatious gestures first so we know they are interested.”

Some guys, on the other hand, would prefer that girls start it.

“Girls need to take a risk for once,” said Junior Samuel Ortman. “Guys like it when girls take some initiative.”

“We don’t know what we’re doing,” added Sophomore Cory Thielman. “Girls are sexier when they start it.”

It seems that the stereotype of men making the first move is starting to change. Maybe someday there will be a point where the roles are reversed.

“It seemed like an ordinary concert,” said Demgen. “I had no idea what was about to happen.”

Then, half way through the concert Mann was approached and talked to by a man who was part of the security team at the concert.

“I thought he was in trouble,” said Demgen. “I was a little scared for a bit.”

After Mann’s conversation, her fear turned to excitement as he was pulled up on the stage: right next to Allen. Allen then  proceeded to give Mann the microphone and he said, “Anna, will you go to prom with me?” She emphatically replied, “Yes, I would love too.”

The emotions were high, as the two just shared a very special moment.

“I was crying, shaking, and I could barely talk,” said Demgen. “I didn’t even know what to think, it was sort of like being stunned.”

This invitation has caused mixed reactions among the students at the school. Girls are blown away by how great it was, while guys are now upset that all of their ideas now seem lame.

“What is everyone supposed to do now? How are we supposed to compete with that?” said Junior Collin Olmscheid. “I can’t live up to that.”

This is one question Diversity Studies teacher Todd Manninen asked his class during a recent debate. Many different opinions are expressed during these debates.  For some students they would not care if if their kid got a hair from a guy who is gay; but some students would.

This is one of the many touchy subjects talked about during Diversity Studies. Sometimes clashing opinions create arguments, and those arguments can get heated.

“Some people take comments way too personal,” said senior Jason Senger. “But all people are doing is expressing facts that support their own opinion.”

Even though the debates get heated, they are still the highlight of the class for many students.

“My favorite part of the class are the debates, and seeing everyone’s opinion during those debates is very interesting,” said senior Austin Youngs. “Plus you get to see everyone argue with each other which is also pretty entertaining.”

Even after all of the arguing, the class always cools down and turns back to reality.

“The topics we study are important and we do have arguments,” said Youngs. “But after class were all good and things go back to normal.”