News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Sisters Middle School was a bastion of competitive energy last weekend as young readers ranging from grades 3-12 flexed their literary muscles in the annual Battle of the Books regional competition. Teams from as far away as Burns and Dayville arrived ready to go head-to-head with other foursomes in a competition which required contestants to recall specific details from an array of books read over the previous year. In the 3rd-5th grade category, students had to be familiar w... Full story
When it came to planning the celebration of his 50th birthday in February, Tate Metcalf and his wife Aimee put no limits to ideas when they began to brainstorm possibilities. Sharing ideas, their focus turned from warm, sandy beaches on an exotic island to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. "After a while we had so many ideas it got overwhelming," said Aimee. "Finally we asked 'What does Tate love?' "The answer was sport, any and all kind of sport, so then we... Full story
Practice for spring sports at Sisters High School got underway Monday, February 26, but the winter storm that hit the area last week is making it a challenge for coaches trying to get ready for the upcoming season. With practices forced largely indoors by the snow on the ground, teams are jockeying for space, according to Athletic Director Gary Thorson. "We have a good turnout for our spring teams and it is the season with the most sports offered, so it's definitely a challenge to take care of everyone's needs, but we are... Full story
By the narrowest of margins the Sisters High School girls swim team brought home some hardware at the 4A/3A/2A/1A OSAA State Championships held February 16 and 17 at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. The Outlaws' strong finish in the final event of the day, the 400-meter free relay, pushed them one point ahead of the Tillamook Cheesemakers to claim fourth place, good enough for a trophy. North Bend took top team honors with 66 points, followed by Sweet Home (57), and Catlin Gabel (52). Sisters scored 34 points for... Full story
When Jason Winebarger began telling his story to an audience of about 80 last Monday night, the lecture room at Sisters High School fell silent and remained so for the duration of his 26-minute talk, which chronicled the events surrounding his son Jacob's suicide two years ago at age 12, in Bend. Winebarger's main message to the parents in attendance: Talk to your kids directly about how they are doing. Ask them if they ever feel depressed. Ask them if they have ever thought... Full story
The Sisters High School girls swim team will be sending a solid contingent to the OSAA State Swimming Championships this weekend after finishing third at the District meet, which served as the qualifier for state. The meet was held February 9 and 10 at the Albany Swim Center. Event winners qualify automatically for the State Championships at District, but the remaining qualifiers are determined by top performances from all the special 4A/3A/2A/1A District meets from around... Full story
I am viewing this winter's mildness as a sort of an apology from Mother Nature for last year's historic and long-lasting snowfall. And though we all want the snowpack up in the mountains to build up soon for the sake of water supplies, I am hoping this spring-like winter is not going to turn into a winter-like spring. The lunar eclipse last week pulled me out of bed early in the hopes of a peek of the blue moon being overtaken by earth's shadow. When I headed out the back gate with my two dogs the sky was very dark and I... Full story
A distressed family member takes her own life, leaving the survivors to grapple with tormenting what-ifs, horrible guilt, paralyzing helplessness and incomprehensible grief. Family and friends ask, "Could I have done more? Did I miss some warning signs? Did they try to tell me and I dismissed their comments? Did they tell anyone their plans and no one spoke up?" Suicide, long an almost taboo subject, is the cause of death for approximately 38,000 Americans in a given year and rates among minors continues to grow, according... Full story
Sisters graduate Brandon Pollard started 2018's indoor track season with the second-fastest indoor mile ever run by a Gonzaga athlete. After redshirting last season due to injury, Pollard showed neither his speed or racing tactics had any signs of rust as he moved up steadily throughout his heat of the mile at the UW Indoor Preview at the Dempsey Center in Seattle, to win in 4:08.00. His time was the second fastest of the day by a collegian at the meet (James West of Oregon... Full story
In a week that saw the Sisters High School swim team swell to a total of 35 athletes, the Outlaws showed some strength to go with their depth in a triple dual held at Bend Swim Center on Tuesday, December 19 against Redmond and Ridgeview The Sisters girls beat Ridgeview 70 to 45, but the Panthers edged Sisters 73 to 72 in the team scoring. Top performances by the Outlaws included a big win by the 200-meter medley relay team of Meredith Mandal, Brook Robillard, Anna Bartlett and Hawley Harrer in a time of 2:33.43 to... Full story
The 2017-18 edition of Sisters High School's swim team includes a total of 30 athletes under the leadership of first-year Head Coach Bryn Singleton. That's one of the largest squads in school history. With the competitive season beginning on Saturday, December 2 at Madras, the 13 boys and 17 girls on the roster will take their first steps toward building on last year's success, which included a fourth-place finish at state by the girls team. Rosie Horton will be serving as an assistant for the team, taking the spot Singleton... Full story
Navigating the curvy and bumpy road of planning for life after high school is not something students are expected to do alone. For seniors, looking to "next year" is the first time they don't have a clear picture of the future. Fourth-graders go to fifth grade. Eighth-graders go to high school. But for seniors, the next step may be anything but clear. That is where the ASPIRE program comes into play at Sisters High School. Led by coordinator Rick Kroytz and his band of... Full story
The Sisters High School music program completed its successful four-show run of Cinderella Sunday afternoon, November 5. After months of preparation, cast members were left satisfied, reflective - and a bit worn out. Director Rick Johnson had nothing but praise for the 50-plus students involved in the production, from the actors to the chorus, the artists to the light and sound crew. "It's definitely a group effort," he said. The Rogers and Hammerstein musical, written in... Full story
A zany relay meet in Bend served as a final tune-up for the Sisters Outlaws cross-country team Wednesday, October 18, as the squad faces the Sky-Em District meet this week. That meet is the qualifier for the OSAA State Championships. The Central Oregon Relays, hosted by Mountain View High School -which attracted all of the Central Oregon schools - gave teams the chance to have a little fun before the biggest meets of the season. Relay teams comprised of four runners who run... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) art teacher Bethany Gunnarson has been named the secondary Art Educator of the Year for 2017 by the Oregon Art Education Association. She learned of the honor in September, but the official ceremony was held Saturday, October 14, in Portland. Gunnarson, herself a graduate of SHS, is in her ninth year working for Sisters School District. A press release by the Oregon Art Association said, "The Oregon Art Education Association recognizes Bethany... Full story
With two weeks to go before the state qualifying Sky-Em District meet, the Sisters Outlaws cross-country teams needed a high-quality meet on a fast course to reveal their racing condition, and the George Fox Invitational provided just that as nearly every member of the team ran either a personal or season best. The meet, held at Willamette Mission State Park north of Salem, featured dozens of schools of all classifications from throughout Oregon, giving each of the three divis... Full story
I certainly believe that running is good for the body, but the mind and soul as well. As a high schooler, running was training for racing and I gave little thought to its other benefits. I believe that I was a senior on the onset of adulthood when I first began to recognize that running provided much more than the ability to run a fast 3K or complete a marathon. Between seasons of cross-country and track most of my running was done solo since there were no organized practices... Full story
After a tough week of workouts that included training for Friday's Oxford Classic in Bend, the Outlaws cross-country team enters what Head Coach Josh Nordell considers the heart of the racing season. This is not to say the Outlaws did not compete hard at the Oxford meet, according to Nordell. "We knew the kids would be racing a little tired and sore, but they pushed themselves nonetheless," he said. The course at Drake Park is very spectator-friendly, but notoriously slow compared to other courses the team will see the rest... Full story
The hazy days of the early season have cleared to brilliant fall skies, and with the change has come a quickening in the pace and competitiveness of the Outlaws cross-country team. That is evidenced by a flurry of season and personal bests by the team at the Nike Portland XC meet held at Portland Meadows horse track on Saturday, September 30. The meet attracted teams from throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California and included four divisions, making it the largest... Full story
In a busy week of racing, the Outlaws cross-country boys gained some attention among 4A schools with two solid performances within four days, indicating that the young team is more than ready to compete. On Wednesday, September 20, the team traveled to the Stayton Invitational, a meet scheduled late after the Outlaws were smoked out of two consecutive meets. In early season polls, the Stayton team ranked first among 4A boys, so the meet gave Sisters a chance to get an... Full story
After two meets lost to poor air quality, the Outlaw girls cross-country team finally got to toe the line in a pair of meets, helping the team members to take stock of their conditioning. The Stayton Invitational on Wednesday, October 20, brought the team together for the first time this season, and the squad came out on top of the eight-team field, with 32 points. Stayton finished second with 42 and 3A Central Linn placed third with 52 points. Rain abated before race time,... Full story
Guests at the third annual Sisters High School Hall of Fame banquet heard first-hand tales of early Outlaws history as well as reflections of more recent times as nine individuals, teams, and organizations were honored for contributions to the spirit and culture of Sisters. The event, held in the high school commons Saturday, September 16, was catered by Tate and Tate. Dennis Dempsey served as the emcee for the evening. Following introductions by Athletic Director Gary... Full story
Halfway to the Northwest Classic Saturday morning, head cross-country Coach Josh Nordell got the message that the meet had been cancelled due to poor air quality in Eugene due to forest fires. The Outlaws were forced to cancel their own meet a week earlier. Most of the team has not competed yet this season. Within minutes of the news that the bus would have to head back home, Nordell and his assistant coaches developed a different plan for the day to give the team a good worko... Full story
The only home meet of the season was among the cancellations due to smoke in Sisters last week, but the Outlaws made arrangements for some of the team to travel to Monmouth for the Ash Creek Invitational on Saturday, getting the competitive season underway. The last-minute addition to the schedule didn't allow some of the team members to attend the meet, leaving Anna Bartlett as the lone girl to compete. She started strong, but slowed in the second half to finish 81st in 22:47 among 190 finishers. "It was good for Anna to get... Full story
The Outlaws cross-country teams have consistently sent teams to the state meet for most of the last two decades. They look to continue that trend during the 2017 campaign. For the boys team, that will mean a big turnaround from last year, while the girls appear to be the favorites to win the Sky-Em title once again. Returning from last year's trophy team is senior Anna Bartlett, who won the district race and went on to finish 10th at the state meet where the team finished... Full story
