News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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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
For Sisters High School head track and field Coach Jeff Larson, the season has already checked off some successes. The track is clear of snow: Check. The coaching staff is very experienced: Check. Nearly 50 kids are registered for the team, including some top state placers and enthusiastic newcomers: Check. Larson believes he may have the most balanced boys team of his eight-year history with the team, which is what it takes to pull points in when it comes to championship-level meets. The girls team includes depth in certain... Full story
The Sisters High School equestrian team got the 2020 season underway with a strong start at the first Oregon High School Equestrian Team (OHSET) meet of the year at the Redmond Fairgrounds on February 21-23. With more than 20 different events — which involve individuals, pairs, and four-person teams — the meet requires multiple days to complete. Some event names are more familiar than others, according to Head Coach Annie Winter. “A fan’s appreciation of the com... Full story
A recently retired teacher from the Sisters School District had a saying for students when it came to the importance of school attendance: “I’m good, but I can’t teach you anything if you’re not here.” Data underlines this truth, as students with poor attendance form gaps in learning and tend to lag behind their peers in school performance. Sisters School District is implementing an initiative called “Strive for 95” this year to encourage students to have no more than two absences a quarter, which equates to eight total i... Full story
Senior Lydia Bartlett capped a stellar high school career in her final event at the OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A state swimming championships in record-breaking fashion. The meet was held Friday, February 21 and Saturday, February 22 at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. Bartlett started the day in the 200-yard freestyle and came up just short of a victory. After posting the second-fastest time in Friday’s prelims at 1:53.27, behind district rival Megan Hager of Sweet Home (... Full story
After nine years as the principal of Sisters High School, Joe Hosang has accepted a newly realigned position for the Sisters School District. He will be working as the director of human resources and also director of curriculum. In an announcement delivered via e-mail Friday, February 14 to school district staff, Superintendent Curtiss Scholl said, “After the human resource and curriculum director position closed, we screened the candidates and there was one top candidate. This candidate was interviewed earlier this week, a... Full story
Sisters GRO (Graduate Resource Organization), the local nonprofit that manages what totals now 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 total of 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 v... Full story
Lydia Bartlett won two events and Osmond Bates captured one at the Special District 3 Swimming Championships held Friday and Saturday, February 14-15 at South Albany High School. The victories earned automatic qualification to the OSAA State Swimming Championships. A total of 13 teams from the 1A/2A/3A/4A classification that comprise Special District 3, which is one of the four special districts in Oregon for swimming, competed for the District team titles as well as berths... Full story
As seniors in high school back in 2005-06, Harrison Womack and Chadbourne Lovegren both served as student interns for the now-well-known IEE (Integrated Environmental Expedition) program at Sisters High School. Working together to lead students, as well as adults, on a trip into the Three Sisters Wilderness and later on a rafting excursion on the Deschutes River, along with the daily work in the class, deepened their friendship and gave them a foundation of confidence that... Full story
With Edie Jones seated as its newest member, the Sisters School Board found that the books are in good shape at their meeting on Wednesday, February 5 at the Sisters School District administrative building. With no citizens present to contribute community comments, the meeting got underway with a video call to the company hired to do the annual audit for the District as a way to get live feedback of any issues needing immediate attention or action from the board and superintendent. The auditors answered a few questions and... Full story
Winter doesn’t afford many opportunities for prep runners to test their training, but a contingent of Sisters Outlaws track athletes trekked to the Boise, Idaho, area to do some racing at one of the few indoor track and field meets available to high school athletes in the northwest on February 8 and 9. Friday’s schedule included the boys two-mile — 16 laps around the 200-meter track at the Jackson’s Track/Ford Idaho Sports Complex. Many athletes represented their home high schools, while others competed unattached or as part... Full story
Another double-meet weekend for the Sisters Outlaws swim teams moved them one step closer to the district meet scheduled for later this month. Results from the meet in Stayton Saturday, February 1 were not made available before press time, but Friday’s seven-team meet at Lebanon produced some season bests for the Outlaws. Lydia Bartlett once again provided a number of high points for her team as they placed fifth overall with 114.5 points. Sweet Home completely dominated the team standings with 382.5 points to easily o... Full story
Want to go to a fiddle camp or a culinary competition? Study science or theater outside of school? Don’t have the funds to make it happen? The Roundhouse Foundation is ready to help. At mid-school-year nearly $12,000 remains in the Roundhouse Foundation Enrichment Scholarship budget for Sisters middle and high school students who want to enhance educational opportunities beyond the regular school day. Managers of the fund are working to get the word out so students can take advantage of the generosity of the Roundhouse F... Full story
With 10 brand-new scholarships added to the pool of awards managed by the Graduate Resource Organization (GRO), the total of available local scholarship money for the Sisters High School class of 2020 has grown to over $240,000. GRO scholarships are all locally based. High school counselor Rick Kroytz, along with some ASPIRE volunteers, will kick off the 2020 scholarship season with the seniors at the annual Scholarship Application and Pizza Night, Monday, February 3, starting at 6 p.m. All SHS seniors are encouraged to... Full story
Those of you who hit the local trails to hike, bike and run have probably experienced this: You are on a trail that you frequent, when, along the side of the path, you notice a green or blue “doggie bag,” or a recycled produce bag, used to contain poop from someone’s canine companion. On your way back, you notice it is still there. The next day, you use that same trail and there it sits. If this were a rare occurrence I would write it off as someone simply forgetting, but it h... Full story
As a long-time (now retired) school counselor I was often asked by parents: “Is this normal?” “Should I be worried?” In answer, I would often run through a basic checklist of what they were experiencing with their child to see if any notable “red flags” were waving. With anxiety and depression being reported among young people at a higher rate than ever, it is very important to help parents understand what to look for when it comes to their children’s emotional/men... Full story
Edie Jones was selected among three finalists for the open position on the Sisters School Board at the monthly meeting held Wednesday, January 8. Her appointment fills the vacancy of Amanda Clarke who left the Board in December. Jones will complete the remainder of Clarke’s term, which is set to expire in June 2021. Jones, who ran for the Board in 2013, is a strong advocate of early childhood education and authored a book on the subject called “Raising Kids with Love, Honor an... Full story
The Sisters swim team got a taste of a long weekend — one that will be replicated when it comes time for district competition— as they pulled off two meets in two days Friday-Saturday, January 17-18. The Friday meet at Philomath was a low-key three-team affair according to Coach Bryn Singleton. The Outlaws swam against the host Warriors and the team from The Dalles. Singleton indicated that the meet was more like a practice meet in a number of ways. “It was a low-key meet, which is great for the first meet of a... Full story
Prior to their energetic performance at the first concert of the Sisters Folk Festival Winter Concert Series on Wednesday, January 15, the musical group Las Cafeteras spent about an hour conducting an interactive workshop focused on the support of Latino families in the Sisters School District. Elementary Principal Joan Warburg welcomed the families in fluent Spanish and Sisters Folk Festival Creative Director Brad Tisdel introduced the band. Las Cafeteras hails from East Los... Full story
According to a state report released near the end of 2019, homelessness among school-aged children affects families in every school district in Oregon, including Sisters. By federal law under the McKinney-Vento Act, homeless children and youth are “those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.” Oregon has one of the highest rates in the nation for homelessness among students. Statewide, homelessness among school-aged children increased by 2 percent, while Sisters’ numbers dropped slightly. For the 2018-... Full story
Edie Jones became the newest member of the Sisters School Board following a unanimous vote at the monthly Board meeting held Wednesday, January 8. Jones got the nod over two other candidates who had applied for the position. She will take over the remainder of the term vacated by Amanda Clarke, which will run until June 30, 2021. Two other community members, Kirk Schlemlein and Jeff Stolasz, also applied to be considered for the position. Board Chairman Jay Wilkins said, “I am so grateful to all the talented and capable c... Full story
