News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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My running career started on a bicycle. On June 1, 1972, at the end of my sixth grade year in school, my mother drove me from our home in Sublimity, Oregon to Salem where Scott’s Cyclery did business on South Commercial Street. I had visited Scott’s a few weeks earlier to order the bike of my dreams: a 10-speed Schwinn Varsity. Even though I had to settle for my second choice in color — lemon yellow — I am not sure I had ever been more excited about a purchase. The bike was a birthday present from my parents, but... Full story
Shirleen Cundiff rolled into Sisters in 1998 with her two daughters, Jamie and Kelly, the day before school started, fulfilling a dream she and her husband, Gary, had kept for many years of residing in Central Oregon. The dream became reality when Gary was offered a managerial job at J and J Carpets in Bend. “We researched schools in the area and Sisters quickly rose to the top of our list,” she said. Sisters, with around 800 residents within the city limits at the time, was... Full story
Oregon Department of Education (ODE) Chief Colt Gill led a digital press conference on Wednesday, June 10 outlining “Ready Schools, Safe Learners,” a plan developed by the Oregon Health Authority, ODE, and Governor Kate Brown, which includes the preliminary guidance for school re-opening in the fall of 2020. Governor Kate Brown has also created a Healthy School Reopening Council that will contribute guidance over the weeks ahead. After shutting down in mid-March and relying on distance learning for the remainder of the sch... Full story
The leadership class at Sisters Middle School (SMS) wanted to make a difference in the community, especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic, and came up with a way to do so while underscoring a message of strength and togetherness. Led by teacher Jeff Schiedler, the class decided to design and market “Sisters Strong” T-shirts as a symbol of unity in tough times. SMS student Jack Turpen got busy working on a design. He took a hard look at the Outlaw horse logo for ideas.... Full story
Donning a black cowboy hat, Sisters High School principal Joe Hosang welcomed the crowd celebrating the class of 2020 at the rodeo grounds Friday, June 12 saying, “We’re doing this rodeo style!” With the COVID-19 pandemic altering normal life throughout the world, commencement planners including Lynne Fendall, Jillian Frankl and Melanie Petterson got to work weeks ago to find a way to honor the class of 2020, culminating with a drive-in ceremony on the east side of the rodeo... Full story
Sisters schools are wrapping up a very challenging school year and the school board is digging into what the budget will look like for next year, given the economic disruption of COVID-19. Steve Swisher, the chair of the school district budget committee spoke during the public comment portion of last week’s Zoom school board meeting to highlight some of the “what-ifs” regarding funding from the state next year. The committee approved a budget, but Swisher made clear that adjustments by the school board may become neces... Full story
In an outpouring of support for the class of 2020, staff members from all three Sisters schools lined the roadway and bus turnaround at Sisters High School cheering, ringing bells and waving signs as the seniors drove through to pick up graduation gowns and other materials on Friday, May 29. “It was one small way we could show our love for the seniors,” said SHS Principal Joe Hosang. High school teachers and support staff handed out packets that included graduation caps and... Full story
Sisters GRO (Graduate Resource Organization), the local non-profit that manages dozens of scholarships for graduates of Sisters High School, has announced the addition of numerous new awards for the class of 2020 and beyond. Behind the efforts of Susan Parker and other members of the GRO board of directors, an additional 11 awards will be available for this year’s senior class. Board members worked together to identify business groups, organizations, and individuals, who looked like natural and viable supporters of new a... Full story
Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy said, “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” Reading is foundational for education and under the current coronavirus shutdown that has compelled “Distance Learning” for students, getting books into the hands of young people may be more important than ever. Parents have expressed concern about their students falling behind. Warburg sees the reading programs as a way to mitigate that conc... Full story
For Karen Hensley, co-founder of Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (GRO), the desire to create opportunities for others had its roots in being part of a big family growing up in a small town in the Willamette Valley. “When you are one of 10 kids, you learn about giving and receiving and the need to be unselfish, so I have always had a heart to help others,” she said. Her motivation to build up a scholarship program for students in Sisters also stems from und... Full story
A team of dedicated educators and parents have saved the day and created a plan for the Sisters High School class of 2020 to have a commencement ceremony after all, despite the limitations imposed by COVID-19. The one-of-a-kind ceremony will take place at the Sisters Rodeo grounds at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 12. Due to health restrictions, the event will not be open to the general public and will be a drive-in style event. Graduates will have two parking places allotted for themselves and guests in specific locations in front... Full story
Actress, blogger, food nerd, stand-up comic, entrepreneur. That’s what the past 18 years have entailed for 2002 Sisters High graduate Tara Redfield, who is “home” in Sisters for a bit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Redfield is a prime example of how one experience leads to another as well as proof that a person’s passions can often lead you to a pathway for expression. Chapman University in Orange, California, where she majored in theater and also studied journalism, provide... Full story
Earlier this year, the Sisters School District implemented a program called Sources of Strength (SOS) to form a foundation for interconnectedness and well-being for students, staff, and community. In light of the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SOS team at Sisters High School (SHS) has jumped into action, offering a variety of resources and activities designed to help people cope with these challenging circumstances. In the fall, 60 high school students and some... Full story
A trip of a lifetime rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon ended with the world turned upside down for Sisters Middle School Counselor Brook Jackson and his wife, Marie. Permits to float the river are selected by lottery and can be hard to come by, so when a friend half-jokingly asked if Jackson could go, Jackson replied, “Let me ask my wife.” Jackson, an avid outdoorsman who has worked in Sisters since 2014, said, “I had a sense that this was the time for me to... Full story
Jeff Larson had assembled what may have been the most talented team of track boys in Sisters High School many years with a real shot to make a lot of noise at the state meet. The season ended without a single report of a starter’s gun after Governor Kate Brown officially shut down schools across Oregon due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, April 8. “From an athletic standpoint,” said Athletic Director Gary Thorson, “this has no doubt been extremely tough and difficult on our athletes, their parents, and our coaches. I saw a l... Full story
Teachers and students across Oregon are adjusting to a new way of doing school as the “Distance Learning for All” is being rolled out. Here in Sisters, creativity, flexibility, and learning new approaches to teaching through technology are abundant. Distance teaching looks a bit different depending on the grade level and subject matter, but a common theme runs throughout: adaptability, patience, and humor are required. Sisters High School art teacher Bethany Gunnarson explained that firing up “distance” art required a ton of... Full story
As parents and students lined up in their cars to pick up materials at Sisters Elementary School last Friday, the sadness was palpable. The reality of school being shut and distance learning being put in place really began to sink in following Governor Kate Brown’s announcement on Wednesday, April 8, to close schools for the remainder of the year. Sisters School District staff worked all throughout last week to make contact with students and families via phone calls and e... Full story
When St. Charles Health System put out a call for 10,000 masks to protect medical personnel as the COVID-19 outbreak ramped up, Wes Fisher of Credit Associates in Bend answered. “One of the people who works for me… they own a garment business here in town,” Fisher told The Nugget. “I hooked up with them to do 2,000 masks.” The masks are cut and sewn to meet St. Charles’ specs. Luan Pham, chief revenue and marketing officer for Laird Superfood in Sisters knows Fisher and... Full story
Amid an uncertain future for this school year, the Sisters School Board adopted a starting date for the 2020-21 school year at a meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, April 8. Board chair Jay Wilkins started the meeting with a brief lesson on how to conduct a virtual meeting and said, “This gives us an appreciation of the educational challenges our staff is facing with distance learning.” The meeting came on the heels of Governor Kate Brown’s announcement to close schools for the remainder of the school year. Public comments were... Full story
The Graduate Resource Organization (GRO) voted unanimously to proceed with the local scholarship program for the class of 2020 at its monthly meeting held via Zoom on Thursday, April 9. “Though we do not know exactly how we will deliver the news, seniors who applied for scholarships through GRO can rest assured we are moving forward with selection of recipients on the same timeline as if we were not dealing with the closure of schools,” said Tim Ross, GRO board chairman, after the meeting. Though not able to meet in per... Full story
In a school district like Sisters, which is continually striving to keep students feeling engaged, prepared and connected, the “Distance Learning for All” mandate from Governor Kate Brown’s office has local teachers and administrators working hard to make the best of a very difficult situation. The mandate comes out of the “Stay At Home, Save Lives” executive order the governor issued last month. In a letter to the community published April 2, Superintendent Curt Scholl said that on April 6, when teachers got back on the jo... Full story
Anna (Summerfield) McNair and her husband Cailen have worked overseas as educators for years and have experienced their share of challenges and adventures at their stops over the past decade in Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. But nothing prepared them for the coronavirus and its impact on their lives in Seoul, South Korea, where they now live with their three children R.J, Cael, and Lucy. The couple work at Seoul Foreign School, which was established in 1912 and has a populat... Full story
As I watched my dogs Kinzua and Raven race up the red cinder 1008 road just north of Cold Springs Campground, I paused to take in my surroundings: mature, sun-splashed, yellow-bellied ponderosa pines towering over the manzanita covered forest floor, birds singing songs of spring, and a smell of thawing ground. If we’ve got to practice social distancing, our forest is the place to do it. We Sisters Country people understood long before the coronavirus that we live in a s... Full story
Of course, sports are not the end-all to human existence and happiness, but we can all relate to one degree or another to the loss of a dream. This pandemic is no one’s fault. It’s not based on a political decision or a declaration of war. It did, however, remind me of a similar heartbreak for athletes right here in Oregon back in 1980, the year of the Moscow Olympics. The University of Oregon has a long and colorful history of producing elite distance runners, and the late 1970s and early 80s were no exception. This was a t... Full story
Next year’s school calendar has school ending June 24. That’s too late for some, and the school board took on the topic at its March 4 meeting. Board Chair Jay Wilkins was absent, leaving Don Hedrick to direct the meeting. Fifth-grade teacher Tiffany Tisdel was the lone participant in the community comment section of the meeting and brought up the topic that would be roundly discussed later in the meeting. She expressed concerns about the school calendar as proposed to the board which included a start after Labor Day (Se... Full story
