Singers Harrison Klaphake ’24, James Nelson ’24, Ellie Cassady ’25, Hope Schmitz ’24, and Xander Sabinash ’24; Flautists Malika Gallus ’24, Maggie Bertsch ’25, and Kiera Mcgorry ’25, along with clarinetists Lexi Zheng ’24, Oliver Holt ’24, and Anna Wuollet ’25, all submitted an All-State or MMEA (Minnesota Music Educators Association) audition last year. They were all accepted into the Minnesota All-State 2023. Each year hundreds of students around Minnesota submit their auditions hoping to be accepted. Having 11 students from the same school participate is an honor. 

Student musicians spend months preparing and practicing for their auditions. 

“I practiced almost every day or every other day, whenever I was free. Usually, I wanted to practice because I really wanted to get into the band and I knew I had to be really good at the music. It was never really a chore for me,” said Anna Wuollet.

Her hard work was rewarded when she and her musical peers were handed official-looking envelopes from band director Scott Rabehl and former choir director Zachariah Carlson.

“During band, Rabehl handed us each an envelope that had our names on it. Inside it said ‘Congratulations on getting into the MMEA Honor band!’ At first, I was shocked because I didn’t expect to be accepted, but then I was happy and really proud of myself and everyone else who got in, said Wuollet.

After being accepted, students pay a fee and mark off a week in August for the All-State camp. Students attend this camp for five days, where they learn their music, make connections with fellow players, and learn more about what it means to participate in All-State. 

“The camp was a lot of fun, it was my first sleep-away camp, you had to live in a dorm room for a week without air conditioning and it was a little hellish but fun. It was different to do band for eight hours a day with a huge band — our band here is pretty big, but the all-state band is about 100 kids,” said Lexi Zheng.

They’ve waited, practiced, and prepared for months for their concert at Orchestra Hall in February, but the idea of playing at Orchestra Hall still doesn’t feel real for some.

“I think it’s really crazy that we’re going to play in the same building that the pros play in. I’ve been there for field trips with Tri-M and it’s so cool to think that I’ll be on the same stage,” said Zheng. “I feel pretty ok about the concert. My technique has increased since the camp from playing, but I haven’t sat down and played the music in a while. I might be a little rusty but I think it’ll be fine.”

Orchestra Hall is one of the most prestigious performing art centers in the United States, and definitely in Minnesota. To play at Orchestra Hall is a huge honor and something most Minnesota musicians only dream of. This dream is coming true for these 11 students.

While the losses weigh heavy on athletes and coaches alike, from the bottom, the only place a team can go is up. Whether that is seen in winning games or growing a stronger mentality. 

“It’s allowed us to raise our level of competition, and it’s allowed us to raise our level of preparation. I think a lot of times, it’s natural for us as humans to get comfortable. It’s definitely pushed a lot of our student-athletes and coaches out of their comfort zone,” said head coach of the boy’s basketball team, Josh Ortmann. 

Switching from the Mississippi 8 to the Lake Conference was a huge jump in competition level. It was a shock many athletes and coaches weren’t prepared for, but players have used the challenge to make them stronger.

“I feel like it’s a good challenge for us at the same time because then it like makes us strive to do better,” said Kaylee Dehmer ‘24, captain of the gymnastics team.

The endless challenges of being in the Lake Conference have forced Buffalo teams to grow mentally, but at what point do the challenges cause more harm than good? 

 “It kind of changes our mindset to work harder and like gets us to put more effort into practice, but I also think it can kind of get in our heads a little bit if we’re constantly losing. In a way, it takes away from the mental part of it. I ultimately think it does help us get better because we’re getting challenged more and more every game,” said Anya Pery ‘25, a member of the girls’ basketball team.

Some sports teams have been able to find success in the Lake Conference, while for others, it has been a continuous struggle. Being in the Lake Conference is a challenge for all, no matter the level of success. There has been some push to switch conferences now that we are eligible and many people are questioning if the challenge of being in the Lake Conference is worth it.

“I think every one of our student-athletes deserves an opportunity to see success. When it gets continuous, and you continuously lose, and lose and lose in different areas, it can be hard, it’s hard for the players, and it’s hard for the coaches because it’s not like anyone’s going out there trying to lose. Mentally, to be in a state of mind after losing a lot can be extremely difficult. And that’s when you’ve got to lean on the people that you trust in buying the little victories within the games itself,” said Ortmann.

“Sports were my life,” she said. “They were my whole identity. I am now relearning my self-value, separate from the sports I play. I’m me because of who I am, not because of the times I run.”

As briefly introduced above, sports and other recreational activities come with the risk of injury. The specific types of injury are hard to predict. It could be anything from a minor concussion to something way more severe, like the tearing of the Anterior cruciate ligament (or ACL). Whichever injury you find yourself with, the difficulties you’ll face will not change, and neither will the stress of their disappointments.

“Sitting on the sidelines and watching the game from the bench was always difficult,” said Varsity Soccer player Abigail Bolin ’25, who suffered from a lower body extremity last year. “I felt kinda helpless. I couldn’t do anything to support my team physically the way I knew I had been able to previously.”

Beating the back-to-basics blues is not as simple as merely changing your attitude, although one would think so.

One of the more significant factors is learning how to support others while giving yourself grace. It doesn’t matter if you cheered your team to victory or completed a more personal goal toward recovery because both have positive impacts. It’s hard to be a glass half-full in a half-empty world, but if you take the time to look, influencing others will have something to do with ease.

“I’ve always been a very relationally driven person,” said Claire Erickson ’24, an injured captain also in the Varsity soccer program. “Being able to connect with every person on the team, whether JV or Varsity or anyone else in the Soccer program, is super important to me. I’m so glad I could build relationships with everyone, even if I couldn’t do it on the field.”

Bolin agreed, “Even though I couldn’t bond in the same way most of the others were able to, I enjoyed my role on the team. I tried really hard to be a supportive teammate, someone the younger girls could come to for support. Even though they can’t comprehend what I’m going through, we can still relate. I used to be them, and I understand how it feels to be one of them.”

Even though the consequences and memories attached to an injury never go away, they don’t have to be unpleasant.

“I absolutely loved hearing the commentary on the sidelines,” said Erickson. “Everyone was always so electric, especially when someone was on a breakaway or about to score a goal. Even the coaches were jumping up and down with the sideline players. It was just a really fun atmosphere.”

Claire Erickson, Abigail Bolin, and our anonymous player all found strategies amid their pain to cause a difference in the world around them, and all three succeeded because every achievement is a win, large or small.

In previous years, the two concerts were held on two different nights, allowing concert-goers to attend whichever one suited their schedules the best. This year, however, both performances will be on the same night, two hours apart.

“In the past, from what I’m aware of, parents have wanted two different nights to attend in case they’re working for one [of the dates],” Concert Choir member Kiley Herbst ‘24 said. “This year, I don’t really know why we’re having two because they’re on the same night, but I think it’s in case people get off of work later [they can still go]. That could possibly be a reason why.”

Partly due to the time limit now placed on the first concert, groups have put together a little less music than they have in previous years.

“We’ve had to limit how much [music] we’re putting in the concert, but that’s kind of worked out because we’ve had shorter blocks and shorter time to prepare for the concert,” Herbst said. “The music is relatively just as difficult, there’s just going to be less music overall.”

The new concert schedule will also change the experience of the performing students.

“What has happened [in the past] is that the first night is an alright night, but we go back to school the next day and still are prepping for the same concert that we’d already done, so the second night’s better,” Herbst said. “Because it’s all on the same night, we can’t really do that process anymore. [The BHS Singers] have also done carols before the concert on the steps of the PAC but this year I don’t think that’s going to happen just because we have to take the photos for the yearbook [before the first concert] and we have to just get ready for the next concert after that.”

Despite the changes, Sounds of the Season promises an enjoyable experience for both the audience and the choirs, with the latter group looking forward to getting back into the familiar atmosphere of a performance.

“My favorite part is the camaraderie between everyone and the community aspect,” Herbst said. “Behind stage, BHS Singers are never really sitting in the audience watching, so while everyone’s performing, we’re talking and getting ready to sing, and it’s just really enjoyable and fun.”

Before Nationals, Varsity 1, consisting of seniors Ryder Zvorak, Amelia Butler, Avery Thompson, Matthew Scherber, and Milo Zimmermann, competed at the State competition for the second year at Cragun’s resort against 71 other teams. The previous year Buffalo got 1st place, this year Buffalo took home the 2nd place trophy.

“I had decided for myself that we had already won once, so I didn’t need to do it again. I was just happy to be [at state] with [my team] and have fun,” said Butler.

Varsity 1 earned the exact number of points that won state last year, yet this year it wasn’t the winning total.

“It wasn’t easy to get second place,” said Scherber. “It was easier to take the loss knowing the competition was so good. We can be proud knowing that we had the potential to do really well and did do really well.”

Knowledge Bowl success does not come without team compatibility. The team has been competing together for two years, which allowed them to know each other’s strengths. Each team member has different areas of knowledge, all of which promote success.

In addition, Varsity 1 tries to keep a positive team environment to avoid conflict while competing.

“One thing that we don’t do that a lot of other people do is the blame game,” said Thompson. “I think that keeps us away from a really negative team dynamic.”

Besides having an outstanding season and record, the team of seniors marks the first Buffalo team ever to make an appearance at the National Knowledge Bowl meet.

Many people seem to be hesitant to enter the teaching profession because of all the negatives they hear in the media. Some of those negatives are long hours without worthwhile pay, students becoming increasingly disrespectful, excessive student phone use while trying to teach, and working on getting students back on track after Covid.

“The negatives that I am hearing on Social Media do scare me,” says Ashley Wesolowski ‘23. ”I’m nervous about having so much anxiety and being burnt out, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I can learn strategies to help myself.”

Educators Rising acknowledges the struggles of current teachers and takes into consideration what it could be like for teachers in the future. When the club meets they discuss ways to help interested students prepare for how to handle the challenges that come with being a teacher.

“It’s all about balance and how you can find time for yourself so you don’t get burnt out like a lot of teachers do,” says Tia Thomspon ‘24. “Which I think leads to the fact that teachers don’t want to be teachers if they can’t find that equal balance of workload and being able to be with their family and have time to themselves.”

The media may stress the negatives about teaching, but there are also positives that Educators Rising seeks. The club’s advisor, Tara Rosh, finds fun opportunities for the students to serve the community. Serving the community helps the students to learn about working with different ages of people that aren’t just students ages. This leaves the opportunities open for working with all ages if they do decide to become a teacher. For example, the group made tie blankets for an animal shelter and is doing Project Prom for senior citizens.

These students are proof that teaching isn’t a dying profession. These people are excited to work with kids and help them reach their full potential.

“There are so many things I love about the idea of teaching. Like how you can have a part in shaping a child’s life and getting to watch them grow. I really like the perspective Educators Rising gives and the activities we do to understand children and people better,” said Wesolowski.

Next year Crosland will be swimming at the collegiate level for Luther College in Decorah, IA. Going to college was already going to be a big change for Crosland, and losing the sport that she’d done for most of her life wasn’t a part of the plan.

“I’ve always wanted to swim in college just because I knew that I wouldn’t be ready to be done competing,” said Crosland.

According to Zoe Hiers ‘23 another aspect of competing at the collegiate level isn’t just continuing to be challenged, but doing it for the team aspect. Hiers is joining the swim team at Concordia College in St. Paul. Just knowing that there’s a supportive team willing to lift you up can make moving into a new situation a little easier.

“I’m looking forward to being part of a team atmosphere again,” said Hiers, “and just knowing that I’ll have a team that’s really supportive is going to be great and it calms some of the worries about making friends in a new place.”

For Crosland, making sure that she felt like she had a team that had her back was a very big deciding factor. She wanted to make sure that she fit in with the team and the coaching staff.

“I leaned towards Luther,” Crosland said, “because I enjoyed hanging out with the team a lot more than others. They seemed a lot more involved in getting to know me.”

According to Hiers, the memories made by having a good time with teammates last longer than the ones of winning a race or swimming at a meet.

“I loved the fun holiday practices we did,” Hiers said. “We always had fun sets to swim and we really grew as a team during those practices.”

Crosland and Hiers are both very excited to start a new chapter in their lives and are looking forward to making memories with their new teams.

Playing as the defense, the team beat Ashby High School by 50 points in Round 5 of the Regional competition on February 13.

“We were so excited,” Elizabeth Bolin ‘24 said. “The entire next day I was just like, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to State.’”

According to Bolin, the team has been very prepared to face off against the opponents they’ve had so far this season. However, she’s nervous that the teams they might face off against at State could test the Mock Trial team in ways that they haven’t been so far.

“I feel like we’ve had it a little bit easy off,” says Bolin “and I’m really nervous about going against certain teams up at State.”

The Varsity 1 team is made up of Seniors Victoria Viteri, Reina Valli, Caleb Hultmann, Abby Seestrom, Lydia DesMairais, and Faith Mutterer, Juniors Elizabeth Bolin and Ayden Gaultry, and Sophomores Laryssa Laho, Britni Klatt, and Fia Carlson.

“It was more of a team,” Avery Russek 26’ said. “Everybody likes everybody and everybody was one.”

Everyone working and advancing their skills together brought what was previously assorted theatre students into a team. This year’s crew featured two freshmen. 

“The seniors were super inviting, and they never got cocky,” Russek said.

Bury the Dead was not among the three schools that received a Starred Performance Rating at the State Festival. 

For students who aren’t involved in a winter sport like volleyball, basketball, or hockey it may seem hard to find a daily workout plan that’ll last. At-home workouts are becoming increasingly popular post-pandemic. Now, more than ever is a great time to blow the dust off those musty yoga mats and dumbbells you’ve been avoiding.

“I have a lot of activity options to choose from,” says Evie Dockendorf ’26. “There’s a stable bike at home, the track after school, and my little brothers to play with if I really want a serious workout.” 

And if those mats and dumbbells aren’t intense enough, stop by the Weight Room. It’s totally free, after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:35 to 4:45, although you can stay until 5:15 to finish your lifts. It’s an amazing workout for both in season and out of season athletes.

“When I’m out of season I use the weight room after school to stay active and prepared for when my season does start,” says Seth Cotton ’25.

If you’re looking for something more moderate, put on some running shoes and a jacket and you’re ready for a jog in the cold – just watch out for ice.

“I walk two miles a day,” says Elsa Emons ’26. “One mile to school, and one back, I’ve learned to look forward to it when I start my day.”

These are just a few ways you can keep your physical fitness up. Just don’t forget to bring water, a notebook, pencil, rest days, and a boat load of patience. Once you have all of that, you’re set to start your winter fitness plan.