News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The theme of the Sisters High School Class of 2021 motto shone throughout commencement ceremonies held outdoors at Reed Stadium on a perfect late spring evening on Friday, June 4. The motto, a quote from Morgan Harper Nichols says, “Going through things you never thought you’d go through will only take you to places you never thought you’d get to.” Principal Joe Hosang elicited applause as he welcomed everyone to the ceremony, saying enthusiastically, “We are together!... Full story
Sisters track athletes, including a slew of seniors, made the most of having the opportunity to compete at the 4A state track meet as many Outlaws stood upon the podium, including one state champion. Just two months ago track-and-field athletes believed there would be no meaningful culminating meet this season since the Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA) announced it would not be sponsoring any championship events for high school sports. But Chris Johnson, who works... Full story
High school wrestling competition got underway this week in “Season Four,” which finds traditional winter sports taking place in late spring. The Sisters Outlaws got busy right away, with two meets last week. The team opened the season this week hosting a three-way match with Summit and Stayton on May 19 and followed it up with the 18-team GFP Central Oregon Officials Tournament on Saturday, May 22, also hosted by Sisters. Gary Thorson said his team is composed mostly of begin... Full story
In a COVID-challenged year, the Oregon High School Equestrian Team (OHSET) season came to a close with a number of Sisters High School competitors placing in the top tier based on cumulative results from the three meets held this season. There will be no state meet this season because many of other districts around the state opted to not compete this season due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to Coach Annie Winter. The Central Oregon league did, however, decide to acknowle... Full story
Thirteen members of the Outlaws track-and-field program punched their tickets for the 4A state championships based on their strong performances at the Oregon West District Meet held May 14-15 at Stayton High School. The top two finishers in each event automatically qualified for the state meet. In addition, some third place finishers will qualify as “wild-cards” once all six 4A districts results are compiled. The state meet will be held at Siuslaw High School on May 21-... Full story
The Sisters School Board met Wednesday, May 5 for its regular monthly meeting, which was preceded by a Sisters School District Budget Committee meeting, at which the 2021-22 budget was approved. Details of the budget will appear in next week’s Nugget. Board members in attendance for the Zoom meeting included chair Jay Wilkins, Edie Jones, David Thorsett, Jeff Smith, and Don Hedrick. • In the wake of COVID-19 cases that required quarantining students at Sisters High School and the entire 6th grade at Sisters Middle S... Full story
J.T. Bushnell, a 1998 graduate of Sisters High School, dreamed of writing a novel from an early age, but he did not reveal this to others during his youth. “I had the notion from a really young age to write a fiction novel, but to me, that was like saying I wanted to be a professional athlete,” he said. “So I told people I wanted to be a journalist instead. That seemed safer.” Though he kept the secret for many years, the desire never left, and on May 11, his novel “Step B... Full story
Sophomore Ella Thorsett rewrote the Sisters High School record book for 3,000 meters at the Wally Ciochetti Twilight Invitational hosted by Cottage Grove High School last Friday evening Facing her rival Anika Thompson of Junction City, who bested Thorsett at last month’s state cross-country meet, Thorsett used the opportunity to shatter the former record by eight seconds with a time of 10:11.42. Kate Bowen held the previous record of 10:19.88, set in 2018. Thompson set her o... Full story
The Sisters School District decided on an “in-house” hire in naming current assistant principal Tim Roth as the principal at Sisters Middle School. Roth, a native of Bend, takes over from Alison Haney who stepped down from the position after three years. Roth is no stranger to the community; he worked as the athletic/activities director at Sisters High School from 2012-2017, including one year as vice principal. From 2017-2019 Roth and his family lived in Hohenfels, Ger... Full story
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
