News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The first time I saw Sydney McLaughlin compete, she was about to start her senior year of high school as a 16 year old. I was covering the 2016 Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field and wondered if this teenage phenom was for real. She had established herself as an up-and-coming track star in the 400-meter hurdles. The question on everyone’s mind was: Can this whippersnapper possibly make the Olympics by placing in the top three at the Trials? The answer turned out to be y... Full story
Eugene cannot be described as cosmopolitan, or even really urban, but during the World Athletics (track-and-field) Championships, which have attracted hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans from over 200 countries for the meet that runs July 15-24, “Track Town, USA” has certainly taken on a distinctive international flavor. As I parked near Mac Court on the University of Oregon campus Thursday evening to pick up my media credentials, I looked across the street to the pio... Full story
Track-and-field fans are in for a 10-day treat as the World Athletics Championships begin on Friday, July 15, at Hayward Field in Eugene.... Full story
The Sisters School Board selected Asa Sarver to fill the vacancy created by Don Hedrick’s resignation, at a special meeting held Thursday, June 23. The result came a week after the Board deadlocked on the initial vote due to board member David Thorsett’s absence. At the initial meeting last week Sarver and Josette Johnson each received two votes. The third applicant, Rodney Cooper, received no votes. At the outset of the meeting, Hedrick asked to say a few words for the rec... Full story
A special meeting of the Sisters School Board held Thursday, June 16, to vote on a replacement for the position vacated by Don Hedrick, resulted in a tie, delaying the decision for another week. Three applicants, Rodney Cooper, Asa Sarver, and Josette Johnson, were briefly interviewed at the public meeting before the vote took place. The board had nearly a week prior to the meeting to review the applicants’ comprehensive applications, according to board member Jeff Smith. The information within the applications was not s... Full story
The Sisters Eagle Airport of July tradition this year with a variety of events for all ages. The day begins early Monday, July 4 with the Sisters Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast at 7 a.m., which is offered for a $5 donation. Registration for the Rumble on the Runway 5-kilometer run and walk also opens at 7 a.m., and the race itself commences at 8 a.m. with the “Plane versus Hot Rod” challenge as the starting gun. All registration for the 5k will be done in person, with a cost of $20 per person or $40 for a family. All pro... Full story
One by one, as the four student speakers delivered their addresses Friday, June 10 at the 74th Sisters High School commencement, a clear theme emerged: gratitude. Perhaps having the final months of senior year return largely to normal following nearly two years of pandemic tumult gave the class of 2022 enough breathing room to allow them to reflect on the good in their lives. From start to finish, thankfulness, joy, and celebration marked the ceremony, which was held in a... Full story
The weather held, the golf was good, and the food was tasty at the Outlaw Open Golf athletic fundraiser held at Aspen Lakes June 3. Just over 80 golfers from all over the region and as far away as Seattle took part in the afternoon event, according to the Outlaws’ Head Football Coach Clayton Hall. “The staff at Aspen Lakes did a phenomenal job of hosting this event, including having a fleet of golf carts ready to go,” he said. “At 12:45 everything was ready to go and the gol... Full story
Last week, I attended the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic track and field meet, which featured many of the best American and foreign athletes in a smattering of events at the ultra-modern Hayward Field in Eugene. The meet is just one of a series of high caliber meets to be held in Eugene this summer, including the NCAA championships, the U.S. National Championships, and the big daddy of them all, the World Championships. For the Worlds, it will be the first time ever the... Full story
The monthly meeting of the Sisters School Board took place Wednesday, June 1, at the district office. Board members Jenica Cogdill, David Thorsett, Jeff Smith, and Don Hedrick attended. Edie Jones was absent. Prior to the start of the meeting Hedrick was honored by his board colleagues and other school staff with a reception. Hedrick, who is 88, announced last month that the June board meeting would be his last after 11 years of service. Curt Scholl said to Hedrick, “When I g... Full story
Sisters schools responded to support students the day following the school massacre in Texas last week. Staff met at Sisters Middle School and Sisters High School prior to the arrival of students, to check in with one another and to form an action plan for the day. “No teachers are unaffected by news of school shootings,” said Tim Roth. “We needed to support one another and then take care of the kids during the day.” As the day began, teachers spoke to their first period classes about the incident in three ways, according to... Full story
Being a runner can be a fairly solitary experience, in part because it can be tough to find the right running partner. About five years ago I met a potential candidate. He had just moved here from Hawaii and, as a beach bum, had limited experience running in the forest where I always go. But his enthusiasm gave me no choice other than to give him a shot. Perhaps it helped that, like me, he was a little “chunky,” which made us comfortable with one another. His speed sur... Full story
An emotional Tyler Cranor directed his final big show for Sisters School District at the Spring Band Concert Thursday, May 26, at the Sisters High School auditorium. Cranor, who is leaving after eight years in the district to take a job in Fort Myers, Florida, sprinkled in thank-yous and appreciations throughout the evening that included students from grades 6-12. Cranor’s colleagues Steven Livingston (middle school music), Melissa Stolasz (fiddle club), Julie Cash (music a... Full story
The Sisters Middle School track team wrapped up its season Tuesday, May 17, at the Mid-Major Championship held at Ward Rhoden Stadium in Prineville. In addition to the Outlaws, the meet included Elton Gregory, La?Pine, Crook County, Obsidian, and Warm Springs Academy. Coaches Amber Tollerud, Bryn Singleton, and Jonathan Kelly managed the 65-member team, composed of grades six, seven, and eight, through some of the worst spring track weather in memory. Singleton said, “ E... Full story
Eight Sisters High School equestrian team members got to face off with riders and horses from all over Oregon in the 2022 Oregon High School Equestrian Team State Championships held May 12-15 at Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center. Oregon High School Equestrian Team is separated into eight regions during the regular season. The best from each region compete at the state meet, featuring competitors from over two dozen schools. The four-day competition features 26 different even... Full story
Most of the Sisters Outlaws track athletes saved their best performances of the season for when it mattered most, at the Oregon West District Championships held May 13-14 at Husky Field in Sweet Home. There are three ways for athletes to qualify for the state meet, which will return to Hayward Field in Eugene for the first time in three years. The top two finishers in each event automatically qualify, along with one “wild card” from each event based on being the best thi... Full story
Despite weather conditions that one coach termed “a monsoon,” the Outlaws track-and-field team tuned up for District at the 15-team Wally Ciochetti Invitational hosted by Cottage Grove High School. Personal records were hard to come by due to the wet, windy conditions, but a few Sisters athletes overcame the weather in strong fashion. With 300 meters to go, Ella Bartlett lost the lead in the 3,000 meters. Then the Outlaw stormed back to capture the lone win for the team in a personal best by over five seconds with a time of... Full story
The biggest news from the Sisters School District board of directors meeting on Wednesday, May 4, came just before adjournment: Board Chair Don Hedrick, who has served for over 11 years, announced that he would be stepping down effective at the June meeting. He said, “It’s been an honor to be on the board for 11 years, and the reasons are mostly, I am going to say, age-related. Community comments at the outset of the meeting included Steve Swisher reminding the board of the importance of actively recruiting budget com... Full story
After a two-year hiatus, the Outlaw Open golf tournament, dinner, and auction is returning to the June calendar as a fundraiser for athletics and other cocurricular activities for Sisters schools. Everyone is invited to the event, scheduled for Friday, June 3, at Aspen Lakes, according to football coach Clayton Hall, who completed his first season with the team this year. “The Outlaw Booster Club and I are so excited to have this event return after the pandemic,” he said. “I h... Full story
The Outlaws track and field team got to mix it up with a slew of great athletes at the Stayton Invitational held on Saturday, April 30. Oregon West schools Stayton, Philomath, Woodburn, and Newport were among the 25 teams competing in the meet. Due to the size of the meet, only two entries per event were allowed per school. Like most of the meet this season, the weather played a role in performances as heavy rain fell at times during the meet, adding an extra challenge to the athletes. Highlights for the girls team included t... Full story
Sisters Country is well-established as a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, so after moving here last year it came as a bit of surprise to long-time runner Amy Margolis that no organized running club existed in the area. Margolis, a physician’s assistant, and her husband, David Wilson, decided to take matters into their own hands —and feet – to change that. The couple, who hail from Seattle but lived a somewhat nomadic life for the three years prior to settling in S... Full story
The Sisters High School aviation program has produced many licensed pilots over the years, but a “school record” was established recently when junior Corbin Fredland became the youngest Outlaw to achieve the goal. Fredland, 17, moved with his family from Bend as a freshman primarily to access the aviation program. “It had been a move my parents had been thinking about for quite a while,” he says. Fredland first became interested when a friend of his father started talking... Full story
Circle of Friends (COF) hosted a special guest on Friday, April 29, as U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley stopped by to acknowledge the $93,000 federal grant awarded to the nonprofit. Merkley, who has served in the Senate since 2009, spent most of the visit asking staff members and adult mentors about the program and the impact it has on the youth of Sisters. His wife, Mary Sorteberg, and Outreach Director Stacey Jochimsen were also in attendance. At the outset of the gathering,... Full story
School nursing requires a unique skill set in normal times. Throw in a two-year pandemic and new, ever-changing priorities arise. Through it all, Trish Roy, the nurse for Sisters Middle School and High School navigated the stormy seas with what superintendent Curt Scholl called “grace and calm.” Her steady presence and unwavering commitment to students earned Roy the honor of being named Oregon School Nurse of the Year in a ceremony held April 21 in Ashland at the annual sta... Full story
Despite the weather challenges of April, the Sisters High track and field athletes are continuing to show improvement as the season moves into championship month. A handful of Outlaws qualified for the Meet of Champions, hosted by Cascade and Sweet Home on Saturday, April 23, and a number came away with lifetime bests under the first good weather of the season. The Meet of Champions invites athletes from 1A-4A ranks based on qualifying season performances and provides athletes an experience of a championship-style meet.... Full story
