News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 714 - 738 of 923
"Rocket Rod" Moorehead has been shooting off rockets for nearly 45 years, so when the traditional fifth grade rocket launch takes place each year at Sisters Middle School, he is definitely in his element. Friday morning, June 5, weather conditions were perfect for each fifth grader to send a rocket into the sky, up to 500 feet above the launch pad on the athletic field north of the gymnasium. The students combined science, design, and art in creating their missiles from scratch. "We provide a balsa nose cone, a cardboard tube... Full story
Nine-year-old Chelsea Bradley competed along with about 30 individuals and 10 teams, mostly locals, in the fifth annual Sisters Athletic Club "Try a Tri" mini-triathlon held Saturday, June 6. The event, designed to introduce people to the triathlon experience, included a 425-yard swim, 12-mile bike ride and three-mile run. Bradley, the youngest participant, competed solo, along with her grandmother, Terri Gallegly, who came up with the idea originally. "I had to talk her into... Full story
The fifth annual Sisters Athletic Club "Try a Tri" mini-triathlon is set for Saturday, June 6, and organizer Tate Metcalf invites any last-minute entrants who are wishing to take part to sign up right away. "It's perfect for a first-time triathlete," said Metcalf. "The distances are manageable and can even be shared as a team." The swim portion includes 425 yards indoors at the athletic club, followed by a 12-mile out-and-back bike section that heads south on Elm Street toward Three Creeks Lake and back. The three-mile run... Full story
An estimated 300 volunteers from throughout Sisters expressed their love for their neighbors in the first annual I Heart Sisters campaign, which took place Saturday in locations all around town. Local churches, along with Family Access Network, and other community service groups helped organize the day which was designed to offer practical help to individuals and families in the community. Lawns got mowed, weeds pulled, and dump runs made, not to mention bigger and smaller... Full story
In what coach Bob Johnson called the best track season ever for the Outlaws, all 17 state qualifiers scored at the OSAA 4A Track and Field Championships held May 22 and 23 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. "I have never had a 100 percent success rate like we had this year," said Johnson. "I am so proud of each of these kids for representing Sisters in the finals of their events." "Neither the boys nor girls teams racked up enough points to be in the trophy h... Full story
With "Athlete of the Meet" Benton Urquhart leading the way, the Outlaws boys track team won its first ever track and field district title at the Sky-Em Championships held Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16 at Junction City High School. Urquhart's victories in both the 3,000 meters (9:19.72) and the 1,500 (4:09.25) boosted Sisters to 147 points, 10 ahead of perennial power Marist, which finished second at 137. Cottage Grove placed a distant third with 97 points, followed by... Full story
The Sisters girls track team came up short of the district title at the Sky-Em League Track and Field Championships in a hotly contested battle with Cottage Grove and Marist. The Lady Outlaws still qualified a strong crew of athletes for the state meet. The Lions of Cottage Grove totaled 157.5 points to outduel Marist (153) and Sisters (148.5). Junction City was a distant fourth with 71, followed by La Pine (60), Elmira (54) and Pleasant Hill (11). "It was a great competition... Full story
The Wally Ciochetti Invitational at Cottage Grove Friday, May 8 served as the final tune-up before this week's two-day Sky-Em District Championships set for Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16 at Junction City High School. The Ciochetti meet attracted 13 4A schools along with two 5A schools, in what many coaches called a great preparation for the state meet. Indeed, a number of the top-ranked 4A athletes were on hand, providing a terrific challenge for the Outlaws. Coming of... Full story
A pair of University of Oregon track stars and potential Olympians visited Sisters last week to share their rise in the sport and talk about the re-emergence of Oregon's storied history in track and field before an audience of about 50 at Sisters Athletic Club on Thursday, April 30. Ashton Eaton, a graduate of Mountain View High School, and Brianne Theisen from Saskatchewan, Canada, are ranked at the top of the NCAA in the decathlon and heptathlon respectively. Eaton, the... Full story
Nathalie Tresseras will return to France in June, but her name will remain behind on the Sisters High School track and field record board after her stunning victory in the 1,500 meters at Saturday's Meet of Champions, held in Salem. Tresseras, who started her running career just this year with the cross country team, clocked 4:53.09, which eclipsed the previous record, set by Resa Hodson, of 4:57. Her mark is the second best among 4A runners behind reigning state champion Taylor Wallace of Henley, who has run 4:41.1, wh... Full story
Imagine a school in which every student could feel welcomed, cared for and celebrated. That is the mission of the founders of Challenge Day, a long established program that has flourished in schools in the United States, Canada and beyond. Challenge Day came to Sisters Middle and Sisters High School April 13-15, thanks to the generosity of Serendipity West and Trans-Canada, two non-profit groups that raised the funds to cover all the costs. Using Gandhi's quote, "Be the change you want to see in others," students plunged... Full story
The Outlaws track teams continued their winning ways with two meet victories apiece, including a soaking four-way meet at Marist on Thursday and the Elmira Relays on Saturday. In Thursday's contest against 1A McKenzie, along with Sky-Em foes Marist and Elmira, it was the Outlaws' depth that provided the victory. Team scores weren't sent out, in part due to the terrible weather, according to Johnson. Lee Elder dominated the sprints, winning the 400 (53.6) and the 200 (24.4) and... Full story
The Outlaws girls track team won its own home invitational, overwhelming the 16-team meet with 116 points. Nathalie Tresseras won both the 1,500 (5:06) and the 3,000 (11:46) to lead the Outlaws. Courtney Satko was the only other first-place winner, capturing the 400 (1:01.83), but her teammates racked up a lot of points by placing in 15 of the 17 events. "It was a great day for track and field," said Bob Johnson. "The kids definitely wanted to do well in front of the home... Full story
The seventh annual Peterson Ridge Rumble 60 kilometer and 30 kilometer trail races attracted over 250 runners who traversed much of the Sisters Trail System south of town on Sunday, April 5. A total of 87 runners braved rough trail conditions on the 60 kilometer course that was actually cut back to about 35 miles due to low-lying snow near upper Whychus Creek, according to race director Sean Meissner. Andy Martin of Bend had no trouble negotiating the course, winning in four hours, two minutes and one second (4:02:01).... Full story
Carol Oxenrider has a vision and a hope for teenagers in America. The 67-year-old Bend resident was inspired by a program, called Challenge Day, that she learned about on a television program. Challenge Day, she discovered, was a way for schools, and the students within them, to address the challenges faced by young people today. Through her efforts, and others who have joined her, Sisters High School and Middle School will host three challenge days, April 13, 14 and 15.... Full story
Going up against two of the top programs in the league in the first scoring meet of the season, the Sisters track teams vanquished both Cottage Grove and Marist on Thursday, March 19. The boys' team won seven of 10 running events and scored heavily in the field events to win the meet with 96 points. Marist was second with 46 and Cottage Grove finished third with 39. The team of Levi Rowe, Lee Elder, Jared Nelson and Hayden Stein got things started right away with a clear... Full story
In an effort to make Sisters a "suicide-safer" community, a number of staff members from the school district took part in an "Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training" (ASIST) March 10-11 at the Sisters School District office. Education and health professionals from Bend, Madras, and Redmond also took part. Statistics show that 32,657 Americans died of suicide in 2008, and it is estimated that for every reported suicide there are five percent to 25 percent more deaths by... Full story
The Sisters High School Mock Trial team staged a surprising upset over Summit to win the 2009 Central Oregon Mock Trial competition held at the Deschutes County Courthouse in Bend on Saturday, February 28. After competing against both the Summit "A" and "B" teams, Sisters faced Summit "A" a final time to clinch the competition. The mock trial is sponsored by the Classroom Law Project and includes regional competitions throughout Oregon that culminate with a state competition... Full story
The annual eighth-grade winter retreat, a tradition started more than 10 years ago at Sisters Middle School, took place at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Thursday, February 5. Originally designed to focus mainly on leadership skills, the retreats have become a key element in the transition from middle school to high school, according to Brad Tisdel, who helps coordinate the event along with middle school staff. "The eighth-grade retreat actually began as a three-day retreat in the... Full story
Molly Blust held off a state champion runner to win the girls division at the Skadi Cup 5 kilometer freestyle race at the Tea Cup Nordic Center near Mt. Hood Saturday, January 31. Blust defeated runner-up Alyssa O'Connor of Summit, who has won track and cross country titles during her running career at the Bend school. Blust had a 10-second margin. "Molly expected more of a challenge from Bev Schlegel of Redmond, but it was Alyssa, who hadn't raced yet this year, who we had... Full story
Band leader Jody Henderson took a busload of middle and high school students to the annual Oregon Jazz Festival in Eugene for a chance to perform, learn and listen. The group came away from the two days at Lane Community College feeling "totally jazzed" over the experience. Three groups took part in the festival, two from the high school and a large group of nearly 40 from the middle school. The festival brings together high school music students from throughout Oregon and... Full story
Molly Blust came from behind to claim first place in the Oregon High School Nordic Organization Pursuit race at Hoodoo Mountain Resort on Saturday to lead all Outlaw skiers in their first league competition. In pursuit racing, skiers compete in two separate events, The first race is typically conducted in classic style and the second using the skating technique. It's a bit like the fox and the hounds as the starting order of the second race follows in the order of the finish... Full story
A number of local runners had notable performances in races this fall, including the high school boys cross country team which placed third at the state meet. A few middle and high school runners continued racing into November through the USATF Junior Olympic State and Regional Championships. Parker Bennett placed 11th at the regional meet in Seattle in his age group, and sixth grader Elizabeth Stewart placed 20th, which qualified both for the national meet, if they choose to enter. Sisters High School graduate Stefan... Full story
The Adidas Classic lived up to its billing, attracting some of the most elite high school runners in the west. Being pushed by elite competition helped the Sisters Outlaws cross country team to achieve some season-best times at the race. The meet brought together most of the top-ranked teams from Oregon's 6A, 5A and 4A ranks, along with top-notch teams from California, Washington and Alaska. The boys' elite race featured the Alaskan State Champion, Trevor Dunbar, who shot... Full story
Sean Meissner of Sisters and his running partner Matt Hart of Seattle placed eighth in the second annual Trans-Rockies Stage Race in Colorado last week. The race includes six stages ranging from 10 to 24 miles over six days of competition. As the name indicates, the race traverses 100 miles in the Rocky Mountains. "On a number of the days we started at elevations higher than the South Sister," said Meissner. The highest point of the course was over 13,000 feet and the "lowest" was in the mid 8,000-foot range, according to Mei... Full story
