Nearly 40 students from Buffalo Community Middle School have spent the past month, on either side of Winter Break, preparing their annual play.
“Kokonut High” is the comedic story of a family-owned island resort off the coast of Florida that is desperate to generate income in the wake of a hurricane. After their insurance company declines to cover the cost of repairs, island residents hatch a plot to start a boarding high school with steep tuition fees.
“Basically, everything goes wrong,” said eighth-grader Keira Lemke. “There are some crooks trying to get the island too, but in the end it all turns out.”
From fueling students in the cafeteria to morning hugs as they arrive, and from efficiently handling myriads of office duties to providing a caring and helpful media center presence, this year’s Educational Support Staff Award winners have made their mark on Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools.
Four individuals were honored at a recognition event hosted by Resource Training & Solutions on Nov. 20 in St. Cloud. They included Tamra Otten (Educational Support Professional at Buffalo High School), Tess Teichert (Teaching and Learning Director’s Secretary), Susan Van Lith (former Northwinds Elementary School Nutrition Services Manager), and Melissa Wykoff (Principal’s Secretary at Montrose Elementary School of Innovation).
The wRight Choice Backpack Buddies program provides supplemental meals and snacks for BHM students over the weekends and extended school breaks, free of charge.
But funding for those meals must come from somewhere, and a recent donation by Centra Sota Cooperative highlighted the key role that individuals and businesses in the community can play by supporting hungry students.
BHM Schools is seeking both parent and community representatives to serve on the Community Teaching & Learning Council. Meetings are typically held 3-5 times each school year on the first Friday of the month from October through May, from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Discovery Center.
Three Quest students at Buffalo Community Middle School have been nominated for the 2025 Star of the North Award.
Katherine Gustafson, Connor Smude and Will Umhoefer are now in the running for this distinction from the Minnesota Educators of the Gifted and Talented, which annually recognizes a student in grades 5-8 who has shown outstanding accomplishment in academics, visual or performing arts, or leadership.
Four teachers from Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools were recently honored for treating their work as “a calling that touches lives and shapes futures.”
Those words from Mark Schmitz, executive director of Resource Training & Solutions, summarized the positive impact made by select teachers invited to the annual Leadership in Educational Excellence Award banquet in St. Cloud on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
Among the award-winning educators from 37 central Minnesota school districts were Parkside Elementary third-grade teacher Steve Bratulich, Hanover Elementary special education teacher Colleen Manninen, Buffalo Community Middle School art teacher Jill Post, and BCMS/BHS/Quest English teacher Ryan McCallum.
Audiences have the opportunity to enjoy one of Buffalo High School’s more ambitious theatrical undertakings when the fall musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” opens this week.
More than 85 students have worked diligently since mid-September to prepare four performances, including 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 17.
“I really enjoy when we have an idea about a show, read through the synopsis and then make it come to life,” said sophomore Stage Manager Margot Miller. “Just sitting here watching each scene come together, I think it’s really magical."
After a recent run of musicals that tended toward the lighter side of life, the Buffalo High School Theatre Department is leaning into a darker, more complex challenge with next week’s opening of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
Four performances are scheduled, with 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 17.
“Our goal is to teach our kids and help them grow, so we were looking for something that would really stretch them,” said Director Tracy Hagstrom Durant.
Dozens of Buffalo High School students recently enjoyed a hands-on, behind-the-scenes opportunity to explore careers in the medical field at Allina Health Buffalo Hospital.
The Oct. 14 “Scrub Club” event featured the emergency department, and included the chance to visit with ambulance and Life Link helicopter crews, short talks by various staff members about their career paths, and hands-on opportunities to practice CPR, suturing, splints, bandaging, and even intubation.
“I came because I just like learning about things in the medical field,” said BHS sophomore Ireland Morris. “I think it’s fun, and you never know what kind of situation you might need these skills in. It’s what I want to do when I’m older, so it’s exciting to be able to look into it now.”
BHS is hosting five exchange students from Europe this year.
They are Juliette Homans and Leeloo Smets from Belgium, Marta Lippolis from Italy, Emile Rebotier from France and Boldizsar Vamosi of Hungary.
The group has been getting acclimated to their new surroundings through the start of the school year.
“I love the atmosphere and the people in this school,” said Lippolis, who is enjoying cheerleading in addition to her school work. “The people are kind.”
