“I would like to say ‘thank you’ and that I will miss you guys.  I think these few words capture as well as I can possibly say without rambling.” -Principal Mark Mischke

“Good luck, be kind, and next year you’re freshman again.” – Social Studies teacher Devin Davidson

“Muy buenas suerte.” -Spanish teacher Daryl Boeckers.

Then comes graduation on Friday.  That will be the last day that all of us seniors are in one place together.  After Friday our lives will start.  We will be done with high school and ready to move on to college.  But as far as goodbyes go, our senior class has some things they would like to say before they are done with Buffalo High School.

“Do something meaningful with your life.” -Presley Rumsey

“Its been a fun and good ride, but it will be weird not being in an environment where you know everyone.”- Henry Harris

“I’ll miss seeing you guys everyday.” -Alyssa Baldwin

“We have been through a lot as a class and because of that we will still be close with everyone in a few years.  We will always be 2014.” -Megan Mets

“Eat enough fiber and good luck or something… good luck to you all.” -James Remer

“Make your life successful and have no regrets.” -Taylor Simone

“Have a lot of adventures.  It’s better to say ‘remember when’ instead of not doing it.” -Hayley Downing

“One fish two fish go to college and succeed.” -Jackson Piechowski

“It has been fun being a part of the class of 2014. They were very welcoming. I made a lot of friends. Its going to be sad to go back to Spain and say good bye to all of them. It has definitely been a good experience.” -Foreign exchange student Cristina Aliu.

Good Luck Class of 2014!!!

Melanie Lewis

“Well technically Mat and I had been together for six months before we had our first date.  My parents wouldn’t allow us to go out alone until I turned 18.  We were very excited to not only be going on our first date but also to go out alone for the first time.  We had been friends for four years so it was a long awaited time together.  Mat planned the whole day as a surprise for me.  He showed up in the early afternoon to pick me up with a big bouquet of roses.  I was so excited to finally be able to spend alone time with not only my boyfriend, but my best friend.  I had wanted to get my nose pierced ever since I can remember so the first thing we did was drive into uptown to St. Sabrina’s, a famous piercing and tattoo parlor.  My heart was beating so fast but as soon as I got onto the piercing bed I tried to close my eyes and stay calm.  It hurt so much less than I thought it would.  While I was trying to stay calm, Mat saw the needle go through my nose and he got grossed and a little scared seeing a huge needle go into my nose.  I was in no pain. That is until we get into the car. I didn’t talk at all on the way home, because moving my lip meant my nose moved which equaled a lot of pain.  After a long car ride back I started to feel better and we were able to go out to dinner.  We had talked about going to red lobster, so he surprised me even though its not his favorite food. Then we went to Nadia’s cake for the first time for me and picked out a special cupcake.”

Not every date goes according to plan though.

Marcell Mikkelson

“I was in sixth grade and we [my date and I] went to see the movie with Will Smith and he was the last guy on Earth…I am Legend is the movie.  I don’t remember what movie we were going to see but it was sold out so that’s why we saw I am Legend.  So while watching the movie I got up to pee like six times.  It was a scary movie then.”

‘Les’ Stuhr

“One time me and my girlfriend went out to eat at Ahola Chinese in Buffalo.  When it was time to pay I realized that I didn’t have my wallet, so my girlfriend had to pay for our food.  It was embarrassing.”

Jordan Bjorklund

“Me and my boyfriend were at the intersection by Target [in Buffalo] we had a green light and the car on the oncoming traffic looked far away but he wasn’t.  Both of us tried to stop but it was too icy out so we ended up hitting each other.  So then we called the cops and when they came they asked us where the dope was ‘cause I guess our truck smelled like it.  So they searched our truck and this one female cop said to us “ I’m going to give you one more chance to be honest with me” but we didn’t even have any dope on us!  We were clean.  So then I got a ride home in the cop car and they told us [my boyfriend and I] that he [boyfriend] would be going to jail.  But later he called me and he told me that the one cop dropped him off at Walgreens.”

Kyle Gerdes

“Me and my brother-in-law were at Chipotle. The car battery died, so we called my step-dad to come jump us. Afterwards we decided to go to Subway for cookies. I was driving and didn’t see the patch of black ice as I was coming up to a stop sign. I hit the brakes to stop but  just kept going through the stop sign. I hit someone -a mom and her son- in the passenger rear side. The mom freaked out and called the cops and the boys father. The cop came and ran my permit and brother-in-laws license. They called the tow truck for there car because the body of the car went in the tire so the tire couldn’t rotate. The cop made me call my parents because I was a minor. Then I was just told to go home.”

Sherie Seppala

“Last summer my family planned a day to go to a waterpark as a family get together. My brother asked me if he could ride with me to my sisters house because I was driving separate. I told him to go ask mom but while he was asking I just left. I don’t know why, but I just did. On the back roads to Monticello I stopped at a stop sign to check my gps. Normally I would have taken a right but since I didn’t know where I was going, I followed the gps straight. I put my phone back on the seat. Continuing on I got to an S turn. All of a sudden I sneezed just as I was rounding the gravel corner and lost control. I did a 180 and flipped twice down the embankment. Landing upside down, I panicked because it was really hard to get out and my cell phone had flown out the window and the car landed on it. Finally managing to crawl to the back side door that wasn’t squashed I got out. A nice lady and man came by and helped me clean up the blood and call the cops and my parents.”

Andrew Novotny

“I was at work and I was let off to go home, and before I left we were all talking about car crashes and I said that I’ve never been in one.  Then like five minutes later as I was driving I got in one by my house.  That day it was snowing really heavily.  There was this lady who was trying to catch up to her husband in his vehicle (she was driving separate from him) and she started to come into my lane.  So I went into the opposite lane so I could avoid her but we ended up hitting each other.  Both our passenger sides were hit so no one got hurt but her daughter was screaming during the crash.”

The challenged has been called the Polar Plunge or the Cold Water Challenge.  If the person doesn’t complete the challenge they are supposed to donate money to cancer research.  So the person can either jump into freezing water or donate money.

“I was nominated… and the water was friggin cold.  Colder than Superior lake!” said Senior Bryce Bishop.  “Just standing on the dock I was already cold.  Then I jumped in and got even more cold and was like AHHH!”

Not everyone wants to do this challenge though.

“It is stupid and people will just jump in so they don’t have to pay money,” Senior Veronica Oistad said.

Besides this being stupid to some people it can also be dangerous.

16 year old Davis Colley was found dead in Minnesota’s Eagle Lake on Friday night according to abcnews.com.  He most likely died because of hypothermia but there is no official reports of it.  Even across our nation there have been countless injuries related to this challenge.

So if you are participating in this challenge make sure you don’t go alone and have plenty of towels to help dry and warm you up after you get out of the water.  The number one way to prevent injury from this is to not participate even if you are nominated.  Safety should always come first.

“Can you shut the F*** up.”

I didn’t know what to do.  They told me to shut up.  What did I do wrong?  Like all I did was ask a question.  How is that so wrong?  I’m sorry for asking.  But telling me to ‘shut up’ won’t help.  It makes me more angry.  Why does this happen to me?  Is it because I’m different?  I can’t help that.  I like who I am.

“Hey Mrs…”

“Can you just not talk for like five minutes?”

Okay

I used to think that our school didn’t have bullying.  But what you just read was a situation that used to happen almost everyday in my third block class*.  Sophomore Tim Smith** had to go through that situation.

“I’m not like everyone else,” said Smith.

Even if someone isn’t like everyone else that’s no reason to bully them.  Bullying is pointless;  There is literally no point to it.  I am going to try to end the bullying in my one class.  I have been I sitting with him so he has someone he can talk to.  I just hope that it helps him out.

Besides just talking to him there are other ways to help end bullying.  Students and teachers can both put an end to bullying; they just have to believe they can.

“We should show respect for every person because we don’t always know what is going on with them.” said Junior Bethany Lindquist.  “We should acknowledge the fact that everyone is a human and they all have importance.  Human life is valuable.”

Even if you personally don’t think there is a way to end it, the least you can do it try.  Like what Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.  One small act can make or break someone.

“Things that happen now, won’t affect me or other people tomorrow,” Smith commented.

*Class hour has been changed

**Name has been changed

Sex.  Sex.  And even more sex.  

That is pretty much what the magazine Cosmopolitan is about.  Every cover has something to do with sex; whether it’s how to be better at it or learning new things to do in bed.  Why is there a woman’s magazine pretty much dedicated to the subject?

“ I don’t like the magazine at all.  I think that there’s a hidden message behind it saying that you [girls] are a terrible person,” said english teacher Ryan McCallum.

Even if the message is that girls are a terrible person then the magazine is showing that sex is the answer.  I don’t think girls should have sex just because a magazine is telling them that it is okay.  Sex is a big deal, once you have lost your virginity you can never get it back.  Instead of Cosmo (Cosmopolitan) telling young girls how they can be better in bed why not teach girls and women about safe sex and the dangers that can come with it?

Maybe they [Cosmo magazine] do talk about that; I wouldn’t know because I never have picked up one of their magazines.  I do not want to read about sex and how to be better at it; it makes me uncomfortable, and I’m sure that I’m not the only girl or guy who thinks that.  Even some stores like Target cover up the front of the magazine so people don’t have to see it.

From another perspective people could also be  used to seeing things like that.  If that is the case then what has our world/ generation come to?  Young girls should not be used to seeing things about sex, and learning new position they could try.  They shouldn’t even know what sex is until they are older and understand the importance of it.

“It [magazine] seems wrong… it’s sending a bad message if teens are sexually active,” said Junior Jacob Bonde agreeing with McCallum.

People might even think that other people who read it aren’t ‘the best’.  When I asked people if they knew about Cosmo some just looked at me like I was crazy and others seemed to shy away from me asking them.  When they would shy away that shows me that they aren’t happy about other people knowing that they read Cosmo.  People shouldn’t feel bad about a magazine that they are reading; that’s not what magazines are for.

Cosmo is almost a promographic magazine with the content it has.  There is even Cosmo Men magazine that helps guys with sex.  When will this magazine company stop with all the sex?  Probably never because people keep buying it.  I personally don’t think that girls or guys should be reading it, and maybe stores shouldn’t be selling them.  People can read this magazine all they want; I am one person who won’t be reading it though.

Juniors Lucas Leiferman and Joshua Nevala are both going on the trip. They give a more in depth look at what the [musicians] will be doing when they are in Nashville, TN and Chicago, IL.

Well you as a reader are about to find out some numbers about our school that you most likely didn’t know before.

 Stairs

8 steps leading up to the PAC

22 steps on one side of the main stairwell

Lunchroom

13 high tables

16 longer tables

26 circle tables

Pictures

7 large art pictures

19 National Merit Scholars

48 Homecoming candidates

56 Hall of Fame candidates

Library

5 Mac computers

27 other computers

Other Cool Numbers

22 water fountains

25 security cameras*

55 college flags in the counselor office

105 fire extinguishers**

*Number thanks to Mr. Mische

**Number thanks to Mr. Underberg

All other numbers Taylor Simone and Sherie Seppala counted

Years ago people got their ear pierced because it could show that they had power or that they belonged to a certain group; but now the meaning for someone to get their ear pierced has changed.  Someone could get their ear pierced because they want to, it looks good, or it could symbolize something.

According to Clinical Nursing Research about 62% of people get their ears pierced just because it “express their individuality”.

“When I go to get my ear pierced it does make me feel like an individual,” said Senior Kelley Vassar. “ and it proves that I can make my own decisions without my parents.”

Beside just making your own decision about getting your ear pierced you are also making a decision to have a permanent hole in your ear.  The only way the piercing wouldn’t be permanent is to take the earring out within a few days of getting it done.  Otherwise the ear will be healed and then the hole wouldn’t go away.

“…before I get a piercing I start to doubt if I should get it,” Vassar said. “ because it’s permanent and do I still want that when I’m 70?  But once I get my ear pierced I am happy that I did.”

So in the end ear piercings people can get ear piercings for any reason either to look good or that it symbolizes that the person is an individual.

Every year both the band, choir, and orchestra classes play a piece of music either as a solo act or an ensemble called Solo and Ensemble.

“ I have no idea when it started, it’s been around for a long time.  When I was in highschool it [solo and ensemble] was there,” said band/ orchestra Mr. Knutson.

Kids who are in the music department know about Solo and Ensemble, but not everyone is in the music department.

“It’s a big opportunity for our [band] students to play a piece of music that they are responsible for.  They pick, decide, and how to rehearse; they are on their own 95% of the time.  They have to find out everything… it’s a last step to them becoming an independent musician,” Knutson said.

“It is a good way to gain experience, especially since we are in front of a judge,” commented Percussionist Justin Theien.

Other than the fact that the musicians have to decide everything on their own they are also judged on their performance day.

“We hire other choir or band directors that have experience in judging,” said Knutson.  “There is eight categories to get points and there is different rankings.”

There is a possible 40 points for each student to receive to get a ranking title.  A student can either have a superior (35-40 points), excellent (28-34), good (22-27), or fair (21 and below) ranking.

“There is also the best in sight award that the judges pick.  One year there was 14 [best in] sights and Buffalo had 9 of those 14,”  Knutson said.

With all the awards a band student can earn, they are sure to leave their solo or ensemble knowing that they are a better and stronger performer.

“As stressful as preparing your piece of music it is worth it.” said Theien. “You feel accomplished after a good performance.”