News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Melissa Stolasz thinks big. That trait likely helped her being chosen as the Central Oregon Teacher of the Year last year. But her latest big idea is one that many consider but never act on because of the preparation, time-commitment, cost, and risks involved: To complete a through-hike of the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Stolasz, 49, her daughter Sasha, 17, and a family cousin Brittany Terra, 28, from Rhode Island, left Sunday, April 11 for the U.S./Mexican bo... Full story
David Thorsett is running unopposed for Position No. 2 on the Sisters School board. He has held the seat since being appointed to the board in 2019. The Nugget profiled candidates for the other two open positions in previous weeks. Ron Cooper is running against Jenica Cogdill for Position No. 1 and Kevin Eckert is challenging incumbent Edie Jones for Position No. 5. All three positions up for vote are for four-year terms. Thorsett, an orthopedic surgeon, his wife Sarah, and... Full story
A year after losing the entire spring track season to the shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sisters Outlaws track and field team returned to the oval for the “Breaking the Ice” meet hosted by Crook County High School on Thursday, April 15. Head Coach Jeff Larson is approaching the season somewhat differently than normal, given how long athletes have been away from the sport, and the fact that the season is just over six weeks long. “Our goals for the season are to have fun, provide competitive opportunities for our senio... Full story
The Sisters School Board held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 7, at Sisters Middle School. Board members Edie Jones, Jeff Smith, Don Hedrick, and Jay Wilkins were in attendance. Dr. David Thorsett was absent. • Revenue showed a slight downturn due to adjustments the state made on enrollment, due to questions about total number of students in attendance. It is expected to be adjusted due to information on actual attendance being impacted by COVID-19. Scholl reported that overall enrollment stands at 1,159... Full story
All runners agree that doing a race virtually is no comparison to the real thing. The participants in the 19th Annual Peterson Ridge Rumble, held Sunday, April 11, couldn’t have been happier to be back on the trail after the event was derailed last year due to the pandemic. Race Director Sean Meissner said, “The Peterson Ridge Rumble was a huge success! There were a lot of COVID protocols that had to be met and all of the participants and volunteers graciously com... Full story
Kevin Eckert is challenging current Sisters School board member Edie Jones for Position 5 in the upcoming May 18 school board election. Jones has served on the board since February 2020, after being appointed to the position vacated by Amanda Clark. Eckert moved to Sisters two years ago with his wife, Erika, and teenage sons from Washington, but spent much time over the past 18 years in Oregon, his wife’s native state. Eckert holds a bachelor’s degree in structural eng... Full story
Ethan Hosang capped his high school cross-country career with a dominating performance on his way to winning the 4A state championship held Saturday, April 10 at Marist High School, helping his team to a very close third-place team finish. The Outlaws girls team also had a banner day, placing second place as a team, just six points behind the Siuslaw Vikings. The meet took place thanks to a grassroots effort by 4A coaches after the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA)... Full story
Sophomore Ella Thorsett claimed the individual title, and she and her teammates also took the top team honors at the Oregon West District meet Saturday April 3 in Sweet Home. The finish qualified the squad for next Saturday’s 4A state meet in Eugene. Thorsett described her 54-second victory over second place Ingrid Hellesto of Philomath as a “tempo run,” indicating that she is ready to defend the state title she won as a freshman. She clocked 20:14.5 over a very chall... Full story
The Sisters School Board Position 1 is a two-person contest between relative newcomers to Sisters, Rodney Cooper and Jenica Cogdill. Current Board Chair Jay Wilkins opted to not run for re-election to the four-year term. Terms for Positions 2 and 5 are also ending and elections to those seats will be covered over the next two weeks in The Nugget. Cooper, a graduate of the University of Oregon with an education degree in 1977, retired from teaching in 2009, after spending his e... Full story
All Sisters School District students will be attending school four full days a week beginning Monday, April 12 according to a letter published by Superintendent Curt Scholl on April 1. The much-anticipated decision came as a result of the reduction in the allowable physical distancing within classrooms, adopted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) — down to three feet between students in classrooms. County metrics of infection rates for COVID-19 have continued to stay in the range that allow this change to take... Full story
Steven Stancliff has been named the new principal of Sisters High School, replacing Joe Hosang, who, after 10 years as principal, is moving to a new position at the district’s administrative office. Stancliff, a native of Alaska and resident of Central Oregon since 2005, comes from a background in teaching, as well a variety of administration positions. He is finishing up his fifth year as principal of Pilot Butte Middle School in Bend. Over his 16 years in the region, Stancli... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws equestrian team had its first competitive outing of the season March 18-21 at the Redmond Fairgrounds, overcoming the many challenges of COVID-19 protocols in the process. Head Coach Annie Winter explained that restrictions meant that overnight stalls were not available. The team had to “haul in” every day and stagger sessions over the three days, since only 100 people could be on site at any given time. “But it’s all worth it in order to give these kids, a... Full story
Ethan Hosang chocked up his second victory in as many tries at a home meet held Thursday, March 18, on the scenic Big Meadow Golf Course at Black Butte Ranch. The event marked the first time the cross-country team held a race at BBR, and the move proved tremendously successful as coaches, athletes, and fans raved about the beauty and quality of the grassy course. “We can’t possibly express adequately to the generous people at Black Butte Ranch how well this worked out for all... Full story
Sisters School District will have two new building principals for the 2021-22 year, now that Sisters Middle School Principal Alison Haney announced her resignation after three years in the position. Her departure follows in the heels of the announcement of Sisters High School Principal Joe Hosang taking on a new role at the district office. Haney is expecting her first child in early June and has decided to put her focus on her family. “Stemming from my knowledge of early c... Full story
Ethan Hosang showed no signs of rust in his first cross country race in months, as he pulled away from Summit High School’s Mason Kissell over the final mile to win the five-team meet hosted by the Storm at Pine Nursery Park on Friday, March 12. Hosang, a senior, toured the 5,000-meter course in 16:26.28 and looked comfortable and in control, according to Head Coach Josh Nordell. “Ethan’s training over the winter and his experience really showed today,” said Nordell. After r... Full story
Naturalist Jim Anderson is well-known to readers of The Nugget for his columns over the past 20 years in which he has shared his vast knowledge of the flora and fauna of the Central Oregon region in layman’s terms — accompanied by a sprinkling of old-fashioned humor. Anderson, who is 93, and his wife Sue, recently moved out of the area to be closer to family in the Willamette Valley, but his impact and educational influence will be remembered for years to come thanks t... Full story
Bela Chladek, a sophomore at Sisters High School (SHS), finished fourth overall in the combined results at the unofficial Alpine State Championships held March 4-5 at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl. Chladek led the Outlaws in completing a very successful alpine ski season. Due to the pandemic, the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA) opted out of having an official season, so coaches and volunteers stepped in to make a season happen for the teams interested in taking... Full story
Sisters middle and high school students began in-person learning in late January under Oregons “hybrid model,” while Sisters Elementary School has been operating largely in person since September. For many citizens of Sisters Country, confusion and some frustration remains regarding the variations in the “hybrid” schedule among the three schools and the reasons for the differences. The key reasons for the variations in the three schools’ plans stem from the limiting factor of physical space in relation to the number of studen... Full story
The Sisters School Board’s monthly meeting took place Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at Sisters Middle School with all board members in attendance. • Board member David Thorsett expressed concern about the comparatively limited time that middle school students are in real-time contact with teachers while acknowledging that he understood that it is largely due to lack of physical space in the building to meet distancing requirements. Board member Jeff Smith posed a question about how effective the “at home” days are for stude... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws alpine ski girls and boys teams both won league titles based on performances over four meets during the regular season of Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association. The Outlaws came out on top against squads from Redmond, Albany, Corvallis and Eugene and will finish the season with a strong contingent of skiers competing at the state championships scheduled for March 4 and 5 at Mt. Hood Meadows. State qualification for teams is based on cumulative perfo... Full story
The long wait is over for the Sisters High School cross country teams; they have official meets on the schedule for the first time in months and are ready to test their training. A strong core of experienced runners return for the Outlaws and they look ready to make the most of the shortened season offered up by the OSAA during this pandemic-impacted year. On the boys team, seniors Ethan Hosang, Will Thorsett, John Peckham, Sam May, Vicente Rebolledo, along with junior Max... Full story
A year after the Sisters School District announced that Sisters High School Principal Joe Hosang would be moving to a position at the district office, the plan is coming to fruition. The move was scrapped last spring after it became clear that COVID-19 would continue to wreak havoc into the 2020-21 school year, and that Sisters High School (SHS) would need the stability of keeping Hosang at the helm. Hosang will move to direct the human resource and curriculum departments for... Full story
Sisters voters will be asked May 18 to pass a bond for the construction of a new elementary school to replace the current building that is undersized and in need of major renovation. A 2001 bond that was used to build Sisters High School is “retiring,” which means that if the levy is passes the tax rate of 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value would simply continue, allowing the creation of a $33.8 million fund for construction of the new school and renovations and upgrades on other district property. Population gro... Full story
A six-week class during the presidential election, and the tumult and upheaval that followed, gave Sisters High School teacher Gail Greaney’s Advanced Placement Government Politics and Policy students a chance to study history in the making. A January 21 article published by the state’s largest paper, The Oregonian, featured her class and focused on the challenge and strategies of teaching a course of this nature during an eventful political period. The Nugget followed up with Greaney and two of her students to uncover mor... Full story
Sisters High School football players, coaches and fans got a welcome message last Friday, when Governor Kate Brown announced that outdoor contact sports for the upcoming “fall” season will be allowed for many teams in Oregon, including Sisters. Not surprisingly, there are strings attached, including the need to offer on-site responsive testing for symptomatic individuals and close contacts, protocols in place for contact-tracing purposes, and written waivers identifying hea... Full story
