There was plenty of intrigue, a healthy dose of investigative rivalry, and a few fun surprises in the Buffalo Community Middle School play last weekend.
Nineteen cast members and four tech crew students performed “Mystery at Shady Acres” at the Discovery Center auditorium under the instruction of Debb and Greg Bestland. A pair of shows were held, one on Friday evening and the second on Saturday afternoon.
From water quality studies to winter wildlife survival, and from croyogenics to “yo yo’s and the science of spin,” 45 students from Buffalo Community Middle School soaked in some fascinating concepts at the Spark STEM Conference on Friday, Jan. 5.
The event, organized by Resource Training & Solutions and hosted by St. Cloud State University, aimed to demonstrate how fun and interesting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) can be when students use them to study their surroundings.
Jayde Hallman and Kumail Akram were recently named Buffalo High School’s nominees for the Minnesota State High School League’s ExCEL Award.
The award, which stands for Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership, is for juniors who participate in an MSHSL fine arts and/or athletic activity, hold a leadership position in their school, and volunteer in their community, among other stipulations.
When Buffalo High School’s “Tatanka” yearbook won Best of Show in the Minnesota High School Press Association’s annual contest in the fall, it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Judges reviewing entries for the annual statewide convention have chosen the BHS yearbook for that honor in six of the last seven years (no convention took place in 2021, and 2018 records were unavailable).
In all, the 2023 yearbook won 18 awards at the convention in October, including numerous individual awards for photography, design, writing and features. Tatanka also took the top prize for its theme: “flourish.”
One meet into the 2024 season, it appears that Buffalo High School is poised to continue its legacy of success in Knowledge Bowl competition.
For one thing, the program remains one of the largest in the region, with four varsity teams and three junior varsity teams totaling 35 students. Those participation numbers are important, but the performance of the teams in their first meet of the season on Saturday, Jan. 6, at Foley High School was also impressive.
Buffalo teams took first and second place in both the varsity and JV divisions of the meet, which included 47 teams from schools across Region 7.
It takes a wide variety of skills and services to keep a school system running smoothly, and four Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose support staff members were recently honored as standout contributors to the school district’s mission.
Bethany Bienias (special education support professional at Hanover Elementary), Ryan Lindenfelser (district technology coordinator), Katie Lohse (nutrition services manager at Montrose Elementary School of Innovation) and Dean Milner (educational support paraprofessional at Buffalo Community Middle School) each received Educational Support Staff Awards during a ceremony at Resource Training & Solutions in St. Cloud on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Nearly 100 Buffalo High School students are hard at work preparing their fall musical, “The Wind in the Willows.”
Four performances will be held in the BHS Performing Arts Center, with 7:30 p.m. shows scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 16-18, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Nov. 19.
Tom Bauman never sought attention for his military service, so when he was asked to be the keynote speaker at Buffalo High School’s Veterans Day Program this year his initial impulse was to decline.
Though Bauman had been the school’s activities director from 2003 through his retirement in 2021, and even though he served 21 years in the Army National Guard from 1986 through 2007, finishing with the rank of sergeant first class, he felt like the honor should go to someone else.
“At first I was thinking, ‘No, you’ve got to get someone with merit, somebody more heroic, someone who has done bigger and better things,’” Bauman said.
Thanks to the initiative of one student, and the input of many others, Tatanka Elementary STEM School has a fun new playground feature this school year.
It all started in 2021 when a student wrote a letter to the Tatanka Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) requesting that the school’s tire swing be repaired, or a second tire swing added.
Four teachers have been recognized as exemplary educators and leaders among their peers by the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District.
Each will receive a Leadership in Educational Excellence Award at the annual LEEA Banquet and Award Ceremony hosted by Resource Training and Solutions in St. Cloud on Oct. 25.
