News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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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
The Sisters School Board at their Wednesday, June 2, meeting honored Ethan Hosang as a double state champion following his wins at the 4A cross country meet and in the 3,000 meters at the 4A track and field meet. The board met at the district office for its regular meeting along with an executive session to review the evaluation of Superintendent Curt Scholl. Members present included Edie Jones, Jeff Smith, Don Hedrick and chair Jay Wilkins who conducted his final meeting as a member of the board. David Thorsett was not able... Full story
Following a flurry of meets over the past two weeks, the Sisters Outlaws wrestling squad is headed to the District meet on Saturday, June 12, in La Grande. The Outlaws competed in five meets since May 25 in the run-up to the District meet. The season has continued for the program in a whirlwind of wrestling meets the last two weeks. Sisters hosted a meet against Mountain View’s junior varsity team on May 25, traveled to Sheldon on May 27, Culver on May 29, Ridgeview on June 2... Full story
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
