News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 180 - 204 of 918
Varsity runners for the Outlaws cross-country team traveled to Nike Portland for the largest cross-country meet to be held in Oregon this year on Saturday. And they came home with some new perspectives. An estimated 2,500 runners took part in the meet, which included 18 different races and featured schools from all classifications and a number from other states. Some of the top high school runners in the nation raced over the 5,000-meter course and produced eye-popping times.... Full story
The cancellation of the Fresh Hop Fest resulted in a smaller than expected field of runners for the second Sisters Hop Fest Half & 5k — but Race Director Sean Meissner considered the event a success nonetheless. The event did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Seventeen runners completed the half-marathon and another 35 took part in the 5-kilometer race, under what Meissner described as “absolutely gorgeous conditions.” Jason Gulley, a physical therapist at Green Ridge Physical Therapy, defended his... Full story
Clear air and a brisk morning helped propel the Sisters High School cross-country teams to a satisfying start to the 2021 competitive season. The Outlaws performed well at the Stayton Invitational held Saturday, September 11. Facing all of the schools in the Oregon West Conference, along with a smattering of 3A and 2A schools as well as 5A South Albany, the Outlaws held their own as individuals and as a team. A combined junior varsity 3,000-meter race of boys and girls... Full story
The regular monthly meeting of the Sisters School Board held Wednesday, September 8 at the school district office never got off the ground, as a group of nine or 10 attendees refused to comply with the statewide indoor mask mandate. Before the official start of the meeting, Board Chair Don Hedrick addressed the audience of approximately 30 people, including staff and administrators, saying that in order to stay in the room masks were required. “If you don’t wear a mask, you must leave,” he said. A cluster of four women stand... Full story
Despite the sad news that the Sisters Fresh Hop Festival, hosted in part by Three Creeks Brewing and Circle of Friends, is not happening this year, the associated Sisters Hop Fest Half-Marathon and 5k will still be taking place, according to race director Sean Meissner. Registration is still open for the race, which is set for Saturday, September 25. The event benefits the Sisters High School swim team. The Sisters Hop Fest Half-Marathon starts and finishes at the Three Creeks Brewing production facility on Barclay Drive in t... Full story
Since 2005, Tony Cosby has directed hundreds of Sisters High School students through the detailed process of building their own guitars. As he eases into his last year of teaching the class on his way to full retirement, Cosby has come up with a plan to bring his former students together for a reunion. A reunion for students from over all the years is scheduled to take place on Sunday, October 17 at the Sisters Artworks building from 4 to 7 p.m. Cosby sees it as a way to... Full story
Do you ever have one of those moments where you experience what my wife refers to as “psycho-magic”? Psycho-magic is when you buy a raffle ticket for a guitar at a folk festival event and just know you are going to win — and do. Psycho-magic is when you pick up a basketball, cold, and from 15 feet behind the backboard and rim, tell your sons, “This is going to be the most amazing shot you have ever seen” and then sink it. Psycho-magic is a “rock, paper, scissors... Full story
News last week regarding the passage of Senate Bill 744 and subsequent approval by Governor Kate Brown might be compared to the wildfires burning all around the State this summer. Citizens are hot. The change in the law suspends for three years the graduation requirement for students to show proficiency in “Essential Learning Skills,” which over the past 13 years has been accomplished through statewide assessments called Smarter-Balanced, as well as other alternate measures and assessments, including the PSAT, ACT, SAT, Wor... Full story
Fall sports at Sisters High School got underway officially on Monday, August 16, and Athletic Director Gary Thorson has a message for all high school students: “Get involved!” The official Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) fall sports season, which includes cross-country, cheer, football, volleyball, and soccer, is scheduled to be back to normal after more than a year of canceled and truncated seasons due to COVID-19. During that span, participation plummeted. Thorson wants to reverse that trend. According to Tho... Full story
The boardroom at the Sisters School District office was packed with over 30 citizens for the monthly meeting held Wednesday, August 4. Most were there to express their opposition of the recent mask mandate for K-12 students handed down by Governor Kate Brown two days earlier. Twelve of those in attendance spoke during the community comment portion of the meeting, addressing concerns about masks along with the issues of critical race theory, bullying, and Black Lives Matter (BLM). Board members in attendance included Jeff Smit... Full story
The Sisters School Board has installed Don Hedrick as its new chair. Hedrick, a long-serving member of the board, takes over for Jay Wilkins, whose term ended this year and who did not seek re-election to the board. David Thorsett was chosen as vice-chair. Hedrick, a retired school principal, is in his 11th year overall in serving on the board, including a previous stint as chair from 2012 to 2016. Over a span of 34 years, Hedrick spent 25 in suburban Chicago as a teacher and administrator, before moving to Oregon in 1982... Full story
The Hoodoo Run to the Top 5k and Half Marathon delivered as advertised, as both courses concluded at the tip top of Hoodoo Butte — an arduous one-mile-plus climb. The Saturday running event drew over 100 entrants in its return to action after being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. About 50 intrepid runners departed the start at 8 a.m. sharp, for the 13.1-mile course under clear blue skies. The course began at the edge of the Hoodoo parking lot near the access to... Full story
The Olympic Trials last month in Eugene provided my first opportunity to see the new Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus, which replaced the old historic facility. I have to be honest, I felt a bit of ambivalence about the thought of entering the spaceship-like stadium in place of the wooden, green-painted East Grandstands that literally came to the edge of lane eight, close enough for athletes on their victory lap to high five adoring fans. But once inside and... Full story
Melissa Stolasz and her daughter Sasha set out April 12 from the California/Mexico border with the intention to through-hike the entire 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) with an eye to finish by August 27 in order to get back in time for both to return to school. Melissa teaches science and math at Ridgeview High School and Sasha is a senior-to-be at Sisters High. At the end of June they passed the halfway mark and took a break in Shasta, California for a resupply. While on... Full story
The Sisters High School cross country team invites runners of all ages from the community to join team members for informal summer runs. Formal practices for the team don’t begin until August 16, but the team has put together four opportunities a week for low-key training runs for all experience levels. Coach Charlie Kanzig views the summer runs as important to the upcoming season and also sees the value of offering scheduled times for anyone who would like to join in. “The biggest thing is to have a consistent time to mee... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws wrapped up the wrestling season with an appearance at the 4A State Championships by five team members, including Wyatt Maffey who placed sixth in his weight class. Cascade High School hosted the championships June 25-26. Coach Gary Thorson said afterward, “I cannot be more proud of the way these young men handled themselves and competed this season.” He felt particularly elated about Maffey’s performance for a number of reasons. “It has been years since S... Full story
When Michele Hammer started working for the Sisters School District in 2005, she couldn’t really picture the varied positions she would hold over the next 16 years. Now, after officially retiring in June, she looks back with a feeling of satisfaction as an educator who served where needed, and as an advocate for students. Hammer came to Sisters well equipped to handle the variety of roles she ultimately took on. After spending her youth in San Francisco, she attended the Unive... Full story
In what may be the most unique start of a race in Oregon, 66 runners and walkers headed out on the 5K Rumble on the Runway following a low passover by a plane and behind the roaring engines of a hot rod and a souped-up semitruck. The event is part of the Fourth of July celebration held annually at Sisters Eagle Airport. The race, which benefits the Sisters Schools Life Skills program’s involvement in Special Olympics-related activities, attracted participants of all ages. D... Full story
The Kiwanis Club of Sisters is excited about the return of the Hoodoo Challenge: Run to the Top half-marathon and five-kilometer race scheduled for Saturday, July 24. The event, in its fifth year, did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both races finish at the top of Hoodoo, a change from previous years when the 5K did not go up the mountain. The half-marathon course traverses forested trails that include a scenic view from the top of Potato Hill, while the 5K run and walk will begin in the Hoodoo... Full story
A lot has changed in Sisters since 1983, but there has been one constant in town, a man who impacted the lives of hundreds of school-aged kids: Sisters Elementary School (SES) teacher Kirk Albertson, or “Mr. A,” as he is affectionately known. Albertson has decided to retire, ending a teaching career spanning 38 years, 36 of which were in Sisters. Albertson was a 25-year-old, who was just about to enter finals week at Oregon College of Education (OCE), now Western Oregon Univer... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws wrestling team exceeded expectations with six state qualifiers advancing from the 4A Special District 4 Wrestling Championships held June 12 at La Grande High School. The six moving on to state include Hayden Kunz (132), Wyatt Maffey (145), Carson Brown (152), Jared Miller (160), Henry Rard (220), and Hunter Spor (285). “I couldn’t be more proud of these kids for the way they competed,” said coach Gary Thorson. The top four wrestlers in each weight class... Full story
The annual Rumble on the Runway 5-kilometer run and walk returns to Sisters Eagle Airport on Sunday, July 4. The Rumble is part of the Fourth of July celebration held annually at the airport. Other events include a classic car show, rubber chicken drop, pancake breakfast, and helicopter rides. Food carts will also be available. For more information visit www.sistersairport.com/events/. Proceeds of the run/walk support the Life Skills Program for Sisters School District, according to Race Director Bryn Singleton. Singleton... Full story
The average 24-year-old is not a published author. But then, Zoe Falk is not your average 24-year-old. Though young, Falk has experienced enough highs and lows, and done enough personal introspection, to put together what she describes as “an autobiographical self-help” book. “The Adventure Guide to Living a Kickass Life,” which Falk self-published, launched Monday, June 21. She says the book is largely targeted at her own age group — from late teens to mid-20s —... Full story
When Teri Ast began driving a school bus in 1994 for the Sisters School District, she couldn’t have fathomed the thousands of miles she would end up accruing behind the wheel. Her daily bus route alone likely adds up to a half a million miles, not to mention the innumerable trips she took with sports teams, field trips, and other assignments over 26 years. She had been working at Tektronix as a welder when Fred got the opportunity to become a surveyor in Sisters, which he i... Full story
Outlaws Athletic Director Gary Thorson is the Oregon 4A Athletic Director of the Year for 2020-2021. The Oregon Athletic Directors Association (OADA) state athletic director of the year award was established to recognize outstanding athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state, and national levels made while serving as an athletic director at an Oregon high school. “This recognition is long overdue for Gary,” said Sis... Full story
