News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Gary Thorson, co-coach of Sisters Outlaws wrestling team, provided an update to The Nugget about the team’s progress since holiday break. “The team has continued to make big strides the last two weeks of their season,” he said. The team took part in two big tournaments, one in Pendleton and the other in Pleasant Hill. Just before Christmas, on December 22, the Outlaws participated in the 16-team Rollin Schimmel Memorial Tournament in Pendleton. According to Thorson, the Outlaws more than held their own. “We had a great perfor... Full story
Sisters schools will be competing on a more level playing field next year. Last week, the Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA) executive board announced the realignment of the six classifications for high school sports in the state. The process to finalize a new plan had been a work in progress for months. There will still be six classifications for athletics and activities governed by the OSAA from 6A to 1A. In the new alignment, Sisters will move to the 3A classification, from the 4A ranks, starting in the fall of... Full story
The hiring process at Sisters Elementary School (SES) is quite comprehensive, according to Principal Joan Warburg. “We really want to be thorough in order to do the best we can to find the right fit,” she said. With six full-time-equivalent positions to fill as of last spring, Warburg and her team set out to find the right people to carry on the school’s mission to prepare, inspire, and nurture a sense of belonging in its students. “We wanted to hire people who were really... Full story
The Sisters School board gathered in person and via Zoom at its monthly meeting held December 8. All board members — Don Hedrick, David Thorsett, Jeff Smith, Edie Jones, and Jenica Cogdill — attended. •?Rodney Cooper, the only citizen to make a community comment, asked the board, “When will children be free from masks? Is there any plan or timeframe for them to be free of their masks?” Superintendent Curt Scholl responded that nothing had changed from the guidance provided by the Oregon Health Authority. &bu... Full story
In the two weeks following its home tournament, the Sisters Outlaw wrestling squad has remained quite busy on the mat, with a total of four contests. The team competed in a dual meet at Summit on December 7, and then on December 10-11 the team took part in the Culver Invitational which also included Chiloquin, Culver, Joseph, La Pine, Lowell, Mazama, and Caldera high schools. The latest results for the team came from Adrian Irwin Memorial Men’s Tournament, hosted by Caldera High School on December 17-18, that included Bend H... Full story
After months of restrictions on live audiences, Sisters High School (SHS) and Middle School choir director Rick Johnson desperately wanted to get back to some semblance of normalcy for his music students. The result was a “Holiday Showcase” featuring a variety of performances on Friday, December 10, in the high school auditorium. To limit crowd size for health safety, only students’ families, staff members, and a few special guests were invited to the performance, accor... Full story
Jason Chinchen needed a new project for his Sisters High School (SHS) construction class this term when the traditional job of creating walls for a Habitat for Humanity house had to be put on hold until new construction begins on the next house. Chinchen wanted the students to have a similar learning experience in wall-building so the idea of creating sturdy 8-by-10-foot storage/garden sheds took hold. “While we were waiting to price out and arrange for delivery of the materia... Full story
More than 400 high school wrestlers representing 16 teams descended upon Sisters High School for the GFP Central Oregon Officials Wrestling Tournament on Saturday, December 4. With mats covering the floors of both gyms as well as the commons, the meet included nonstop action from 10 a.m. to dinnertime. Mountain View won the team title with 193 points. Sisters placed 10th with 57.5. Top placers for the Outlaws included Ben Cooper (145 pounds) and Wyatt Maffey (160 pounds), who... Full story
The finest collection of ugly Christmas sweaters in the history of Sisters Country assembled Saturday, December 4, for the first annual Ugly Sweater Run and Walk, sponsored by RunSistersRun as a promotion for Circle of Friends. More than 200 participants donned sweaters adorned with Grinches, reindeer, Santas, and even flamingos, and traversed the 5k course on the north side of Sisters, finishing at The Barn for post-exercise refreshments. By all measures, the noncompetitive e... Full story
It’s not everyday that a helicopter lands on the playground at Sisters Elementary School, but thanks to being chosen as winner of the 2021 Central Oregon region Firebusters award, the school was treated to a visit by emergency personnel and their equipment and vehicles, on Thursday, December 2. The Central Oregon Fire Prevention Co-operative held its 35th annual Firebusters Fire and Life Safety Program earlier this year and Sisters Elementary School was drawn as the winning s... Full story
The resurgence of Sisters High School’s wrestling team continues into 2021-22, with a total of 18 athletes turning out for the team thus far according to Gary Thorson, co-head coach and athletic director. Tre Jarboe has been hired as the other head coach. Key returnees for the team include three with state meet experience. Wyatt Maffey, a returning district champion who placed fifth at state will be wrestling in the 152-pound class this year. Carson Brown also competed at state last year and will wrestle at 138 or 145 p... Full story
A new elementary school to replace the existing one in Sisters is scheduled to be completed to start the 2023 school year. That leaves the school district and the citizens of Sisters to answer the question: What should be done with the property and buildings on the current site? One of the first steps of the process took place on Monday, November 15, when the Citizens4Community (C4C) hosted a Zoom meeting to begin gathering input from interested members of the community. The 90-minute meeting was facilitated by C4C director... Full story
Runners and walkers are invited to don their ugliest sweaters for a new event to benefit Circle of Friends dubbed the Ugly Sweater Fun Run. The five-kilometer event, set for Saturday, December 4 at 10:15 a.m., will be staged from the Circle of Friends Clubhouse in downtown Sisters at 164 Elm St. While the cost of the race is on a donation basis, all participants must register at www.runsignup.com ($25 is recommended). Race director Kelly Bither said the idea for the run grew from a gathering she and friends enjoyed in their... Full story
When Harmony Thomas was a fourth-grader at Sisters Elementary School in the 1980s, life was rough. But a teacher, Julie Gravely, took Thomas under her wing and helped her develop a love for art, which brought some positive results in the young girl’s life almost immediately — and which has inspired Thomas to establish a scholarship through Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (GRO). The organization distributes local scholarships to Sisters High School students to supp... Full story
The Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler football team won the state 1A six-man football title over the Triangle Lake Lakers 30-0 on Saturday, November 13 at Reed Stadium in Sisters. Six-man football, you ask? There’s a history of the six-man game in Sisters. Old-timers and history buffs in Sisters Country know that the Sisters Outlaws won the six-man State title, played in Sisters, all the way back in 1959, their second title in two years. In the smallest rural schools in Oregon, high s... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) counselor Rick Kroytz is a fervent believer in the impact the ASPIRE mentoring program can have in the lives of high school students as they explore their post-graduation options. Kroytz is the ASPIRE coordinator for the school district and he’s in search of a new crop of mentors to help juniors and seniors at SHS. Sisters High School has long been considered a leader among ASPIRE programs in Oregon, but the impact of COVID-19 has taken a big toll o... Full story
The Sisters School District (SSD) Board of Directors met on Wednesday, November 3, 2021 via Zoom. All board members including Edie Jones, Don Hedrick, David Thorsett, Jeff Smith, and Jenica Cogdill were in attendance. •?Steve Swisher, the budget committee chair and former SSD superintendent, spoke during the community comments, once again sharing his position that the school district proceed thoughtfully when it comes to the use of the current elementary school and district office after the new elementary is completed... Full story
According to the latest timeline published by the Sisters School District, the new elementary school building will be completed for the opening of the 2023-24 school year. Last May, voters approved a $33.8 million bond for the construction of the new school and other district projects. The current elementary school is pressed to capacity, and remodeling the facility was not a viable option, according to Superintendent Curt Scholl. Additionally, Scholl said that the concept of... Full story
Qualification for entry to the OSAA State Championships is on the line for teams in the Oregon West Conference at Thursday’s District meet. The Sisters Outlaws cross-country teams hope to make some noise at the showdown at Lane Community College. The top two teams and top five individuals will advance to the State meet, scheduled for Saturday, November 6, also at Lane. On the boys’ side there is no dominant team favorite, although Philomath appears to be in the driver’s seat b... Full story
A local, a couple, a world traveler, and a Pacific Crest Trail through-hike completer are among the seven new certified staff members at Sisters Middle School for the 2021-22 school year The new staff come as a result of retirement, maternity leave, adds, and moves, according to first year principal Tim Roth. All of the new hires mentioned the draw to Sisters including the sense of community, the support of education here, and the love of the outdoors. One name familiar to the... Full story
The Sisters School Board met for its monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 6 via Zoom. Board members present included Edie Jones, David Thorsett, Jenica Cogdill, and Jeff Smith. Vice-chair Thorsett conducted the meeting in Don Hedrick’s absence. •?Thorsett opened the meeting and the evening’s agenda was amended to move community comments to the end of the meeting. •?Building administrators Steve Stancliff, Tim Roth, and Joan Warburg reported through powerpoint and video on each school’s building-based goals regar... Full story
It’s a year of change at Sisters High School (SHS), with the addition of six new certified staff members along with a new principal. Steve Stancliff, most recently the principal at Pilot Butte Middle School in Bend, took over the helm at SHS this fall, replacing longtime principal Joe Hosang who is doing administrative work at the District office. Stancliff welcomes six new teachers to the building for the 2021-22 school year. Liz DeFranco is working as one of two c... Full story
With seven venues and nearly 100 separate performances over a two-and-a-half-day span, the Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) is a beehive of activity. Considering the logistics required to ensure things run smoothly and safely, it should come as no surprise that it takes nearly 400 volunteers to help pull it off. The Nugget spoke to a few members of this army of volunteers, including a veteran and some newbies. Roger Cole, a first-time volunteer from Portland, decided to help out... Full story
The life of a traveling musician can mean weeks on the road, away from the comforts of home and the support of family. Sisters Folk Festival has been very intentional all the way back to the birth of the event about making the stay for the artists not only easy, but enjoyable. Creative Director Brad Tisdel said, “When it’s all said and done, this community of artists is relatively small, and festivals take on a certain reputation. I think if we treat artists with the res... Full story
The Sisters High School Hall of Fame committee inducted 10 individuals and two teams at a banquet ceremony Saturday, October 2, held in the high school commons. Honorees included seven outstanding athletes, two athletic teams, a musician/athlete, and two special contributors. The inductees represented two “classes” since the event was not able to be held last year due to COVID shutdowns. Hall of Fame cochair Don Pollard explained that the Hall is intended to honor the con... Full story
