In the years since the first Unified class was offered at Buffalo High School in 2018, local educators have become state and national leaders in a movement to build connections and community among students with and without disabilities.
The most recent evidence to support that claim is two-fold.
From the classroom to the health office, and from the media center to the lunchroom and playground, Deb Ross served students in a wide variety of capacities during her 31 years with Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools.
That she did so in a memorable manner is evident in the way former students still recognize and thank her decades after they moved on from her care.
“It makes you feel good, like maybe you made a difference to them,” Ross said.
Orchestra students from BCMS and BHS gathered for the third annual Summer Orchestra Camp at Buffalo High School from July 8-12. Throughout the week students rehearsed in both large and small groups, and BCMS students worked with high school mentors.
Students also had the opportunity to learn from and interact with a number of professional musicians. Eric Graf, a freelance cellist, performed samples of classical, folk, jazz and pop music. In addition, “The OK Factor,” a new-classical crossover duo, joined the students for a three-day residency.
Tracy Hulley didn’t plan on pursuing a teaching career until midway through college. But once she chose that path there was no turning back, not even when an exciting detour with great views came along.
At the end of June, 35 years after she traded her job as a United Airlines flight attendant for the classroom and 30 years after coming to Buffalo High School, Hulley is retiring with no regrets and a reservoir of gratefulness that welled up into tears as she reflected on three decades at BHS.
Over countless hours spent in labs on the way to earning three degrees in life science, earth science and general science, a few themes emerged that clarified Greg Hygrell’s future path: he loved science, and he had a knack for teaching.
This summer Hygrell is retiring after 34 years in the classroom, including 30 at Buffalo High School. During that time he taught nearly every course in the science department catalog, from ninth-grade physical science to College-in-the-Schools Human Anatomy.
Students from a wide variety of backgrounds received honors at the WEST Adult Education Consortium’s Graduation and Awards Ceremony in Discovery Auditorium on Tuesday, June 11.
For the first time since 2019, Buffalo High School has a National Merit Scholar.
Senior Yiqian “Lexi” Zheng was named a semifinalist for the rare honor in September, became a finalist over the winter months, and received word on Monday, May 20, that she was one of only about 7,000 students to receive a National Merit Scholarship out of 1.3 million students from 21,000 schools who took the 2022 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
That means she earned her way into the top 0.5% of students who took the test nationwide.
“Although a band had long been a desire of Buffalo High School, it was not until the fall of 1923 that this dream was realized. Then, under the leadership of Mr. Melby, a band was organized ... We now have the material, and a capable leader - all that is necessary is hard work.”
So began the story of the BHS band program, as recorded in the 1924 BHS yearbook.
Last Thursday, May 2, students in three large ensembles and Director Scott Rabehl put a triumphant accent on 100 years music with the program’s Centennial Band Concert. The Repertory, Varsity and Concert bands took turns entertaining an enthusiastic near-capacity crowd in the Performing Arts Center before combining forces for the grand finale, the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Thanks to meticulous preparation that enabled an outstanding performance at regions, the Buffalo High School Repertory Orchestra gained a statewide audience and critical acclaim earlier this month.
The ninth-grade ensemble under the direction of Kristine Wiese took the stage for the State Festival Honors Concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on April 15. Only eight ensembles from around Minnesota were chosen for the showcase based on their performances at regional competitions, and the 2,085-seat auditorium was filled to capacity for each school’s performance.
“It felt surreal, almost, just being in that big of a space that was that important,” said Cora Smiglewski, a viola player.
