“The most rewarding part of my job is when the set ups for events are done and nothing is missed,” said Warzetha.

“Being able to watch my students learn and grow, and helping teach the life lesson they’ll use forever,” West said is the most rewarding part.

“The most rewarding part of my job”, said Mattson “is making kids smile.”

When asked about their favorite part of the job everyone mentioned the people around them.

“The day-to-day interactions with students,” said Mundahl.

“The people who take the time just to say hello or having a good evening, it can really put you in a good mood,” said Warzetha.

“My favorite part,” said West. “Is getting to work with kids everyday and great people every day and I get to go with my wife and kids every day, those are big pluses.”

“The thing I’m going to miss most is my students who are so curious and amazed when they resolve an issue- they prove to themselves they are competent and moving toward independent adulthood,” said Mundal.

“The great energy here, I’m going to miss the most,” said Mattson.

While they all reflected on their time here at BHS, they also thought about their future and what lies ahead.

Warzetha talked about wanting to “reconnect with friends that I haven’t seen when working the second shift, spend time with my grandkids, visit state parks, and ride more of the bike trails. “

“My top priority is to be more available for my two daughters when they need me. I like learning, so maybe take some classes. I want to become active again in my professional association. This is just a transition to having more time to do other things. Hopefully, this will be a better life balance,” said Mundahl.

West said, “I’m going to finish up house projects, hunt and spend more time outdoors, and enjoy more family time.”

“Nothing’s certain right now, but trying out something different like little jobs, volunteering, being more available for my grandkids’ events… not sure, but I’m excited about this new adventure in my life,” Mattson said.

The process for being chosen is a long one. It starts with Activities Director Tom Bauman pulling a list of seniors that have a cumulative GPA of 3.67 or higher. After that he has the counselors help him go through the list and determine the level of class rigor those students have taken. Then they look at what activities those seniors are involved in. For every arts and athletics activity the student is participating in, they earn a point. The more points a student earns, the more a student is considered for the award. Then, Bauman makes a list of the top kids and informally asks teachers for their input on those students. Bauman ultimately makes the final decision about who he thinks best describes the AAA award all around.

Bauman explained why Kaitlyn and John were chosen.

“I got to watch John and talk to kids about John and how he approaches things, and the statement I pulled about him was that he does it quietly, not looking for recognition. That’s a big reason why he was picked,” Bauman said. “And Kaitlyn, she is really humble, she’s a strong swimmer and a very good teammate.”

“It is a true honor to represent BHS and my fellow classmates,” Schendel said. “I am proud to carry the Triple A award, it means a lot to me and I truly appreciate it.”

“It’s definitely an honor to know that people think highly of you and are recognized for multiple things,” said Bjork.

Bauman ended with, “So, if I were to just describe them in one word it would be, “package-deal”, all around they’re both just the package deal.”

Photo by Grace West

The boys track and field team placed 10th with a score of 472.

The girls track and field team placed 8th with a score of 481.5.

Leading the boys was Isaac Basten placing first in the 3200m.  He had a time of 9:29.53

Leading the girls was Alexis O’Malley placing first in the 800m. She had a season record time of 2:21.35

Junior Katie Burandt expressed her thoughts on the rest of the season.

“We are expecting a strong finish,” Burandt said. “The coaches always tell us to be prepared for May because that’s when everything counts. I know a lot of hard work is going to be put in to be the best team we can be for sections and possibly state.”

The team only has a few meets left before their conference meet on May 22 and sections May 29.

Those who advance to state will compete starting June 7 at Hamline University.

Photo by Tatanka Yearbook 

Buffalo High School is known for its amazing people and the strong connection between teachers and students. The students interviewed couldn’t agree more, especially the seniors.

Senior Erin Bersie and Jacob Muhich both said teachers and the people are the best things about the school.

“The people and the legacy of those who came before us,” said Senior Tye Van Pelt.

Senior Kayli Hansen highlighted building administration in particular, saying she appreciated “the efforts of admin to provide a welcoming learning environment.”

Other highlights of BHS according to students are sporting events, the block schedule, and the overall atmosphere of the school.

With new changes coming next year students expressed some nervousness about how they will impact the culture. 

“The changes being made for next year, it feels like they’re reducing us to middle school,” Hansen said.

“They should definitely not take out AAA next year,” Sophomore Kenzie Hansen added.

“Put the doors back on the bathroom,” Senior Briauna Lerass said.

Other overall changes students would like are:

“We should be able to use the athletic facilities, especially the sports fields without supervision like you can at the middle school,” Muhich passionately shared.

And Van Pelt said he wishes the school had a bigger budget.

Mill City Farmers Market

The Mill City Farmers Market is open every Saturday from 8am-1pm. The farmers market brings in fresh, healthy, local, and organic food. Along with local artisans and a variety of classes including cooking and yoga. It also features live music overlooking the Mississippi River and Stone Arch Bridge.

Music and Movies in the Park

There are five different locations in the cities that offer live music daily, starting memorial day and going through labor day. Movies in the park run throughout the month of august with a mobile program that travels to over 30 parks and provides movies Monday through Saturday. Both these events are always free.

Northern Spark

Go explore an art festival at night! Northern Spark is a free all-night are fair that keeps the cities bright from sunset to 2 am, June 15 and 16. They offer video projections, challenges, benefits, games, and art.

Uptown Food Truck Festival

If you’re a foodie this is for you! Over 65 food trucks will take over Lake St. in Minneapolis on June 23. This delicious event runs from 11am to 9pm. It includes every kind of food you can think of, two live music stages, and games and giveaways.

July 4 Marathon and Fireworks

Spend all day in the cities, starting with an early morning 5k and ending with a night if watching fireworks. Choose how far you want to run with multiple different races starting at 6:30 am. When finished with the race enjoy the afternoon by eating, taking part of a soccer game for charity, or partying. At nightfall, choose from a variety of different locations in the cities to watch an amazing firework display.

Basilica Block Party

For the 25th year, Cities 97.1 is putting on the Basilica Block Party. This is a great way to have a little fun and listen to some awesome music. It’s a two-day event- June 12 and 13 with Kacey Musgraves and Jason Mraz as headliners.

Aquatennial

The Aquatennial is a fun four-day event, July 24-27, with a variety of fun events to join in on. Starting with the largest nighttime parade in Minnesota, running a torchlight 5k, and ending with a top 5 national firework display! Throughout the days there are many family-friendly events including lawn games and activities and many different Family Fun Fests.

Summer X Games

The X games are an awesome event featuring insane skateboarding, BMX, and Moto. To top it off there are cool musical performances. Tickets are only $20 with other amenities extra. There are also free events to watch. The X games will be in Minneapolis August 1-4, with locations varying.

Minnesota State Fair

End your summer with a bang at the Great Minnesota Get Together! From August 22- September 2 join in the large crowds and enjoy the wonderful food, live music, animal barns, shopping, and art. There are plenty of daily activities to entertain everyone.  

Minnesota Renaissance Festival

Spend a week at the Renaissance Festival from the weekends of August 17-September 29. Explore the 16th-century villages and live entertainment stages, over 200 artisans selling handcrafted pieces, and interact with characters who spontaneously joust in the road. Everyone is encouraged to dress up and relive the 16th century.

Photo by: Audrey Green 

Of the 102 students surveyed, 48 said they are traveling somewhere and 54 are not. Some of the common locations people are going are Florida, Arizona, Mexico, and France.

Senior Tye Van Pelt is returning to Boston with his mom, with his sights set on a unique store.

“I went to Boston with the marching band the summer before 9th grade and loved it,” Van Pelt said. “Recently I have been looking for a music shop that has a large selection of French Horns, since that’s my main instrument. I managed to track down a shop called Pope Music in Boston, and it seemed like a good excuse to go back. Right now I’m walking into this situation (buying a french horn) not knowing what I don’t know. So many things are connected via the internet, but you cannot stimulate the sound of an instrument or its feel in all its depth over a website.”

Sophomore Spencer Heyerdahl is also traveling with family.

“I’m going to Hawaii,” Heyerdahl said. “This will be my family’s second time going. We are going for 12 days and I’m most excited about getting to enjoy the beaches and sun all day every day.”

Junior Sydney Polzin will be traveling to different colleges this spring break with family.

“I am going on college visits with my family we’re going to visit Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and University of Wisconsin-Madison,” Polzin said.

While many students are traveling with family, many are also going with friends like Senior Sierra Sabraski.

“I’m going to Costa Rica with Hailey Strenge,” Sabraski said. “This is our second vacation together, our first was Jamaica.”

Senior Molly Rosaaen will be making new friends while traveling with the school on the France trip.

“I am most excited about speaking French and immersing myself in the culture,” Rosaaen said, “but I’m also really nervous about speaking because I’m afraid I won’t be able to get my point across.”

“I initially kinda thought I could finish the match and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to finish the tournament,“ Bersie said.

This was Bersie’s first year on varsity and fourth year on the team. She said the boys have been her family for the past four years and mean everything to her. This definitely was not how she wanted her season to end, but she’s grateful for everything BHS wrestling has taught her.

“The biggest lessons I’ve learned is it’s easy to to quit, it’s harder to keep going,” Bersie said. “And you’ll never feel bad about doing the right thing.”

Bersie is not supposed to wrestle for eight weeks and has to very slowly heal and regain her strength. Once all healed she has many plans for her future wrestling career.

“This summer I’ll be competing at nationals, and in the next month at Girls High School State. I won’t be wrestling for a college, but I’ll be competing at open tournaments and continuing to practice with the MN Storm Team.”

Photo courtesy of Anais Bersie

The Lineup for R.A.V.E. Week

On Monday Mrs. Schramm’s class mixed up their usual spots and did ice breakers with their new table partners.

On Tuesday students and staff wore names tags as an easy way to say “hi” to someone they didn’t know.

On Wednesday students were welcomed and acknowledged for who they are.

Thursday during Bison Time students wrote thank you notes to a person of their choice.

Mr. Mischke fired up students Friday morning during announcements!