District News

A wide variety of students were recognized at the WEST Adult Education Consortium’s Honors Ceremony in Discovery Auditorium on Tuesday, June 10.

One highlight of the program was the recognition of dozens of individuals who earned their General Educational Development (GED) certificates, a credential equivalent to a high school diploma. Nineteen of those individuals were present at the ceremony, and two of them, Rachel Darrow and Danielle Stover, spoke about their path to earning their GED. 

For the second time in as many years, the Buffalo High School Repertory Orchestra has achieved the rare feat of emerging from intense regional competition to perform on stage at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

That the group did so under extraordinarily difficult circumstances this spring makes the achievement that much sweeter.

The ensemble was one of only three ninth-grade groups, and 11 groups in all, to earn the two “Superior with Distinction” ratings necessary to advance to the showcase State Middle Level Festival Honor Concert on April 7. A total of 28 schools competed at three regional sites around the state in March.

The reception of a statewide honor recently brought lifelong connections to early childhood programs full circle for one Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose parent educator.

Danielle Stein remembers attending BHM Early Childhood Family Education classes from the perspective of a child. Later in life she began taking family ECFE classes as a parent. Three years ago, with the encouragement of her mentor, Stein became a BHM parent educator herself. 

And on April 10, she received the 2025 Emerging Leader Award from the Minnesota Association of Family and Early Education (MNAFEE).
 

The spring play at Buffalo High School presents a unique challenge for its cast and crew. 

There are the usual hurdles – memorizing lines, creating a set that effectively brings scenes to life, and finding time for rehearsal among the rush of school obligations and activities that seem to accelerate as the end of the academic year crests the horizon.

But preparing a show where a lead actor has only one line of dialogue, where scenes are occasionally built around physical rather than verbal expressions of emotion, and where actors must accurately recreate the experiences of remarkable historical figures is no simple matter. 

Audiences will see how Buffalo High School students have surmounted each of those challenges when they come to three performances of “The Miracle Worker” in the BHS Performing Arts Center Thursday through Saturday, April 24-26. Each show is at 7:30 p.m.

Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools is pleased to announce that Jake Hockinson will be the next principal of Parkside Elementary School.

An extensive search and evaluation process has been conducted over the past seven weeks, culminating in the school board’s appointment of Hockinson to the principal’s position during its meeting on Monday, March 24. Hockinson emerged from a competitive field of candidates due to his strong instructional background, his proven ability to form personal connections with students and staff, and his approachable, enthusiastic and collaborative demeanor.

Hockinson joined BHM Schools in the fall of 2023 as a dean of students at Montrose Elementary School of Innovation. This winter he shifted to Buffalo Community Middle School in a support role while BCMS Principal Matt Lubben took on the interim principal role at Parkside.

As the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School Board has gathered for meetings in the opening months of 2025, a pair of familiar faces have been conspicuously absent for the first time in almost two decades.

Melissa Brings and Sue Lee decided not to run for re-election last fall after serving 17 years and 19 years on the board, respectively. Their seats are now occupied by Angie Grieg and Mike Honsey.

Following their final meeting in December, Brings and Lee reflected on their years of service, and shared their thoughts on the state of the school district.

After months of research and preparation, sixth- and seventh-graders in the Quest program at Buffalo Community Middle School presented their findings in a Minnesota History Day event on Tuesday, March 4.

The theme of this year’s event was “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” Organized by the Minnesota Historical Society, the program challenges students to choose a topic related to the theme, conduct extensive research and present their findings through performance, exhibit, documentary or website.

“Our middle schoolers continue to impress me with the amount of work they put into this project and the quality of what they create,” said BCMS Quest teacher Danielle Kelm. “I feel like with each year of the competition, they keep leveling up what these projects can look like. Their work is nothing short of amazing.”

Amid an impressive compilation of pieces performed by Buffalo High School orchestra students at their winter concert, one made history. 

For the first time, the Concert Orchestra performed a song composed by one of its own members.

Senior cellist Mitchell Friesz’s four-minute “Chasing the Unknown” was a highlight of the evening. Featuring a memorable melody line combined with layers of satisfying harmonies – as well as a generous distribution of feature moments to each instrumental group – the piece held its own in a program otherwise populated by the works of professional composers.