News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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A record-breaking performance by senior Lydia Bartlett highlighted results for the Sisters Outlaws in their first meet of 2020 held at the Madras Swim Center on Saturday, January 11. The Madras Invitational was missing some teams this year due to snowy weather, but seven squads, mostly from the 5A and 6A ranks, competed in the meet. Bartlett’s school record came in the 100-yard butterfly; she dominated the field, winning by over six seconds in 1:03.24. Bartlett holds school records in a number of other events, according to C... Full story
Sisters Middle School teacher Jeff Schiedler’s seventh- and eighth-grade technology class is one of two in Oregon to win the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, resulting in a prize worth $15,000 in technology supplies and equipment. Clear Creek Middle School in Gresham was the other Oregon winner. According to a press release from the contest organizers, the nationwide competition challenges students in grades 6-12 to creatively use STEM (science, technology, engineering a... Full story
It’s natural to look ahead at the start of a new year so I thought I’d help my fellow runners consider some Oregon-based running events to take part in for the first half of 2020. I have compiled a list of events held from January to June. I tend to favor low-key events in general, races that support good causes, and those that include the opportunity to see a part of Oregon that folks might not already be familiar with. Registration and other information about these rac... Full story
A heavy emphasis has been placed on mental health among youth nationally, and Sisters School District continues to focus on ways to support students from kindergarten through graduation. In order to best serve students and families, the district’s counselors are working to help define their roles as compared to other counseling-related resources — including professional therapists, psychologists, and mental-health support programs. Sisters School District employs a total of four school counselors. Kate Kuitert serves g... Full story
The 2019-20 swim season got off to a strong start for the Sisters High School squad at the Bend Invitational held Saturday, December 21. Competing against larger schools from Bend High, Summit, Redmond, Ridgeview, The Dalles and Mountain View, the Outlaws held their own according to Coach Bryn Singleton. “I was so impressed with how everyone swam, especially for the first meet of the season after a hard week of practice,” she said. In the first race of the day, the 200-yard medley relay team of Cambria Leaver, Iris Diez, Lau... Full story
A pair of Sisters High School graduates will fly south with the Oregon Ducks for the 2019 Rose Bowl against Wisconsin as workers for the U of O football program. Thomas Arends (2009) has worked with the Ducks program since his freshman year in college in 2009. His current job title is director of player personnel and pro liaison. Maggie Bidasolo, a junior at Oregon, was selected earlier this month as one of four interns with the program to assist during the Rose Bowl week.... Full story
A screening of the documentary “Angst” on Monday, December 9, at Sisters Middle School was part of an outreach to parents and community members by the Sisters School District. The focus in Angst, an IndieFlix Original, centers on defining anxiety and exploring its impact on youth while also providing practical information on how to learn to cope with and live with this sometimes debilitating condition. According to its website, the producers of Angst state their goal “is to help people identify and understand the sympt... Full story
Josh Nordell and his Life Skills students have a “can-do” attitude when it comes to helping raise money for their program at Sisters High School. He and his students have set up a trailer container at the school for donors to drop off returnable cans and bottles. Nordell explained, “The money raised goes right into programming for students in the Life Skills and the transition program that serves kids until they are 21. This funding supports day-to-day operations such as le... Full story
David Thorsett was officially sworn in to the Sisters School Board in the seat vacated last month by Nikki Gregg as the first order of business at the monthly board meeting held Wednesday, December 11, at the school district office. Board chair Jay Wilkins explained that Thorsett was selected to the board from among six “incredibly qualified” applicants for the opening. Since Gregg’s resignation, Amanda Clark also stepped down and the board will review applications for her rep... Full story
Sisters High School junior Jack Ogan has dedicated hours to his musical craft as a tuba player, resulting in many opportunities, including honor band selection. Recently his stock rose further when he was invited to travel to Australia in the summer of 2020 for the Pacific Honours Ensemble Program (PHEB). Ogan, who has been involved in the Sisters School District music program since middle school, is the band president. Ogan attended the Western International Band Clinic... Full story
The Sisters High School girls and boys swim teams have begun preparation for the first meet of the season, set for Saturday, December 21 at the Bend Invitational, and Head Coach Bryn Singleton feels excited and grateful for the upcoming campaign. The girls team lost some firepower to graduation, but senior Lydia Bartlett returns as one of the top freestyle swimmers in the state among 1A/2A/3A/4A classifications. Other returnees include Laura Clem, Iris Diez, and Cambrie Leaver, who are all working to improve on their times... Full story
Some might call it a “slice of heaven.” What could be better as a runner? Get up early on Thanksgiving morning, layer on your cold-weather athletic gear and go to a running event called “I Like Pie,” where after chugging around snowy trails in the Old Mill District you are offered a piece of freshly baked pie? That is what I and some family and friends did for the first time this year, and the event may very well become a new tradition. I Like Pie, sponsored by FootZon... Full story
Sisters High School senior Lydia Bartlett has signed a letter of intent to swim for the NCAA Division 1 California Baptist Lancers. California Baptist University, located in Riverside, has an undergraduate population of about 7,000 students. Bartlett has had an accomplished career through three seasons of swimming for the Outlaws and is considered one of the top 4A/3A/2A/1A swimmers returning for the 2019-20 high school season. Bartlett placed second in last year’s OSAA S... Full story
A matinee performance Sunday, November 17 concluded the four-performance run of the Sisters High School musical “Freaky Friday,” and by all accounts the show was a great success. Directed by Rick Johnson, the musical included a large cast made up of Sisters High School’s choir students and included live music from the high school band as well as set design from students in the art program. In all, Johnson estimated nearly 70 students had some hand in the play’s product... Full story
As students enter the final year or so of high school they are often peppered with the same questions: “What are you going to do after you graduate?” “Where are you going to college?” “Do you plan to apply for scholarships?” Rick Kroytz works daily at Sisters High School to help make sure students have answers to those questions. As the coordinator for ASPIRE (Access to Student Assistance Programs in Reach of Everyone) he helps match students to mentors, oversees college cou... Full story
The OSAA Cross Country State Championships turned out to be historic for Sisters High School runners Ella Thorsett and John Peckham — and for the boys’ team. Before the day was done the Outlaws had two individual champions and a second-place team trophy for the boys team. No Outlaws runner had ever claimed the individual title in cross-country, but freshman Ella Thorsett changed that with a record-breaking run in a blistering time of 17:43. About an hour later, John P... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) senior Toma Prichard has been named a National Merit Semi-Finalist by the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSC), in conjunction with the College Board. Prichard is among approximately 160 Oregon students to earn this distinction based on his Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) scores from last year. Prichard’s scores on the PSAT rank him within the top 1 percent of over 1.5 million juniors who took the PSAT in 2018. His score on the SAT w... Full story
After a number of close calls this season, the Outlaws boys cross-country team finally got the best of the Philomath Warriors as the two teams battled hammer and tongs at the Oregon West District Cross-Country Championships held on Saturday, November 2 at Stayton. Sisters edged Philomath behind the 1-2 punch of John Peckham and Will Thorsett and a timely season-best by Ethan Hosang. “All seven of our guys ran great, but we really got a boost in particular from Ethan t... Full story
Ella Thorsett and Kate Bowen have punched their tickets to run at this Saturday’s OSAA Oregon State Cross-Country Championships. The full Outlaws team fell just short of qualifying after placing third at the Oregon West District meet held November 2 at Stayton. Philomath’s Hannah Hernandez dictated the pace of the race, biding her time to move away from Thorsett and Bowen for the win in 18:54. The victory made it four in a row for the Philomath senior. Thorsett placed sec... Full story
The Sisters High School music and fine arts departments will present the musical rendition of “Freaky Friday,” set for performances November 14-17 at the Sisters High School auditorium. According to choir director Rick Johnson, more than 70 different high school students are involved in the production and have been working since last May to prepare for the stage version of Disney’s Freaky Friday. Film productions of Freaky Friday were released in both 1976 and 2003 and are b... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws girls cross-country team tuned up for the Oregon West District Championships with a meet on the beautiful Creekside Golf Course in Salem on Wednesday, October 23. Ella Thorsett and Kate Bowen each had breakout races. Thorsett, fellow freshman Olive Nye of Bend High and senior Hannah Hernandez of Philomath broke away from the field early and battled throughout the hilly, tree-lined course. Nye got the win in 18:15.9 with Thorsett on her heels in 18:19.1.... Full story
Young Life, a non-denominational organization for youth, returned to Sisters last fall under the direction of Shannon and Doug Miller with the help of many volunteers. A year in, Shannon Miller says the group has gained name recognition and support, high school kids are coming to the weekly meetings and a number have been to Young Life camps. On its website, Young Life, which was founded in the 1940s and has grown into an international organization, states its mission as... Full story
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released state assessment scores last month with little fanfare, and Sisters School District once again scored above the state average overall. However Oregon, as a whole, did not have a particularly good showing compared to other states that use the Smarter Balanced assessment.... Full story
The Sisters High School jazz choir plans to be singing at Disneyland again this spring — and a local quilter has offered up a quilt for raffle as part of the fundraising effort. According to choir director Rick Johnson, the jazz choir is traveling to Disneyland next March 12-16. While at Disneyland the students will get a rare backstage glimpse of the park, they will take classes from Disney cast members that deal with how music is used in the park, and they will... Full story
With high school runners in bright pink shorts acting as “rabbits,” middle school runners from around Central Oregon raced around the grounds of Sisters Middle School in the final meet ahead of next week’s district championships. The meet got off to a strong start for Sisters as Outlaws took the top two spots in the girls race. Taylin Bowen won the race convincingly in a time of 10:16 over the 2,850-meter course. Brooke Duey edged Colby Thompson of Crook County by just over... Full story
