News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 78 - 102 of 917
The class of 2023 at Sisters High School is sitting on a gold mine of local scholarship opportunities, with over $300,000 of aid available to help fund post-high school education and training through Sisters Graduate Resource Organization (Sisters GRO). Applications opened Monday, January 23, and will close on February 28, according to Laura Kloss, program director for GRO. All seniors and their families received emails last week outlining the scholarship program and application process. According to Kloss, students... Full story
The Outlaws’ Nordic ski team helped host the “Hoodoo Night Sprints” race on Monday, January 16, which employed a new spin on racing format. Each individual competitor took part in three rounds of skiing on a set course of about 800 meters against a mix of competition. Points were awarded in each round based on place, according to Coach Jeff Husmann. “During the course of the race we discovered a flaw in the plan in that some kids, including two of our own, Spencer Tisdel and Corbin Fredland, ended up being in the last he... Full story
The Oregon Classic drew dozens of schools from throughout the state, including Sisters, for a full weekend of wrestling action. Friday’s action included dual meet matchups among teams split up in pools by classification size. In the 3A classification, eight teams (two from each of the four pools) advanced from pool competition to wrestle in the championship team bracket. Sisters finished fourth in Pool C against Burns, Scio, and Glide. Carter Van Meter competed at 122 pounds and finished the competition 4-1, winning with t... Full story
The Sisters High School Nordic ski team returned to action on Saturday, January 14 for the Diamond Lake 5k Skate race, and the young team came away with strong results. Ella Eby cracked the top half of the field on the way to 11th place in a time of 20:20 in the girls race, which was won by Kinsey Olarrea of Mountain View in a fast time of 16:35. Olarrea’s efforts helped the Cougars win the team title over La Pine, Caldera, and Ashland. With Eby as the only racer for S... Full story
The Outlaws wrestling team traveled west Saturday, January 7 for the 19-team “King of the Hill” tournament hosted by the Billies of Pleasant Hill. The event gave the Sisters squad a look at some of the competition from the Willamette Valley after competing mostly against Central and Eastern Oregon teams. Schools large and small took part in the tournament. Senior Ben Cooper got his first championship of the season after being the runner-up in all the previous tournaments of the season, raising his record to 21-4. After win... Full story
The Outlaws wrestling team hit the road twice during the holiday break, with tournaments in Pendleton and Burns. The Red Lion Invitational in Pendleton on December 21 included 19 squads from throughout Central and Eastern Oregon. The Outlaws ended up placing 11th, with 61 points. Scorers at the tournament included Tyson Kemp, who came through with a fifth-place finish in the 132-pound weight class. Hayden Kunz went 3-1 to place third in the 145-pound division and Ben Cooper... Full story
After a number of years without local coaches, the Sisters Outlaws Nordic ski team has been reignited under the leadership of Sisters Middle School teachers Jeff Husmann and Tiffany Tisdel. With 16 skiers on the roster, virtually all of them having no Nordic racing experience, Husmann has broad goals for the team. “Our goal for this year is to help skiers gain experience in a lifelong sport, grow the culture of Nordic skiing in our community, and have fun!” he said. “Th... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws wrestling team hosted 13 teams at the annual GFP Tournament, held Saturday, December 17. The tournament marked the third competition of the season under new head coach David Kemp. The tournament included varsity boys and girls brackets, as well as a full slate of junior varsity matches. Despite injuries to three key wrestlers, the Outlaws held their own Saturday, according to Kemp. “We have had a strong start overall to the season, led by our senior c... Full story
Nine Sisters High School students got an early and unexpected Christmas present when they arrived at the Circle of Friends clubhouse on Thursday, December 8. Awaiting them were brand-new MacBook laptops provided through a federal grant obtained by Circle of Friends last year, which was partially earmarked for providing technology opportunities for young people in the program. According to Program Director Kellie Scholl, the funds became accessible earlier this fall and the... Full story
More than 400 runners and walkers, decked out in tremendously ugly sweaters and garish garb, turned out for the second annual Ugly Sweater Run on Saturday, December 3. The event, sponsored by Run Sisters Run, is a benefit for the Circle of Friends program. Participants needed their sweaters this year, with temperatures at the start hovering below freezing — as opposed to last year’s event held under balmy conditions in the 60s. Participants had the option of a five-kilom... Full story
Sisters-area military veterans and their friends and families are invited to Sisters High School on Wednesday, November 9, for the annual Veterans Appreciation Assembly organized by the student leadership and the local VFW Post to mark Veterans Day, which is celebrated November 11. Sisters High School has held Veterans Day celebrations for two decades. This year’s event will include a social time hosted by the student leadership students, with coffee and donuts from 8 to 9:15 before the assembly begins at 9:40 a.m. The S... Full story
The Paul Mariman Invitational hosted by Philomath High School included many of the top 4A and 3A teams in Oregon on Saturday, October 8. The competition was top-notch, but an unseasonably hot day combined with a long course made it impossible for personal records to be set. The varsity girls race featured three of the four top-ranked 4A runners and two of the top six 3A/2A/1A girls. Second ranked Adele Beckstead of Philomath led from start to finish, but was challenged throughout the race by Molalla’s Anika Jenson, ranked thi... Full story
The Sisters High School Hall of Fame inducted four individuals, one team, and an organization on Saturday, October 8, at the high school. The Hall of Fame is supported by the Outlaw Booster Club, which also raises funds annually for cocurricular activities associated with the school district. Following introductions by emcee Tim Roth and athletic director Gary Thorson, the Sisters High jazz choir sang the national anthem. Miki McFadden, former Olympian and past volleyball... Full story
Thirty years ago this week, Sisters School District welcomed high school students into a brand-new building, marking the first time since 1967 that grades 9-12 did not have to be bussed to Redmond to go to school. Not only did the school opening change the lives of Sisters teenagers, it transformed the town in many ways. A dozen original staff members from the 1992 opening gathered recently at The Barn to reconnect and to celebrate what was created in essentially a grassroots... Full story
The Pole Creek Ranch property has a history of running cattle, elk, llamas, and even a camel, but for the first time Saturday, August 20 it was 120 people of all ages that had run of the place, at the inaugural Giddy-Up Ranch Run sponsored by Run Sisters Run. The Cole family, owners of the ranch, are moving toward allowing a limited number of events on the property in the future and opened the place up for race director Kelly Bither as a way to foster community connections.... Full story
In response to a noticeable uptick in poor behavior among fans and athletes alike, the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) has established higher expectations for everyone involved in high school athletics in Oregon. Step one in this change process requires that all coaches, athletic directors, and game officials take part in a training to stop racist and other discriminatory incidents from taking place during high school sporting events. The training program, dubbed “Interrupting and Preventing Discriminatory A... Full story
Gary Thorson, athletic director for Sisters High School (SHS), is looking forward to the start of the fall sports season. “We are super excited to get fall sports rolling again for both SHS and SMS (Sisters Middle School),” he said. “As we started to come out of the pandemic last year we had a good bump in participation numbers and we are hoping to see that again this year,” he said. And the best part for families is that once again there are no pay to play fees for being involved in sports and activities at either school.... Full story
The Guerilla Shakespeare group is no ordinary troupe of actors and actresses. The “guerilla” concept of sweeping into town with few encumbrances and then heading to the next venue sets the acting company apart. The group staged “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Saturday evening, July 30, at the Fir Street Park under perfect midsummer conditions. It’s the fifth time the group has played in Sisters over the years under producer and artistic director Clinton K. Clark, a Bend native... Full story
The first time I saw Sydney McLaughlin compete, she was about to start her senior year of high school as a 16 year old. I was covering the 2016 Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field and wondered if this teenage phenom was for real. She had established herself as an up-and-coming track star in the 400-meter hurdles. The question on everyone’s mind was: Can this whippersnapper possibly make the Olympics by placing in the top three at the Trials? The answer turned out to be y... Full story
Eugene cannot be described as cosmopolitan, or even really urban, but during the World Athletics (track-and-field) Championships, which have attracted hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans from over 200 countries for the meet that runs July 15-24, “Track Town, USA” has certainly taken on a distinctive international flavor. As I parked near Mac Court on the University of Oregon campus Thursday evening to pick up my media credentials, I looked across the street to the pio... Full story
Track-and-field fans are in for a 10-day treat as the World Athletics Championships begin on Friday, July 15, at Hayward Field in Eugene.... Full story
The Sisters School Board selected Asa Sarver to fill the vacancy created by Don Hedrick’s resignation, at a special meeting held Thursday, June 23. The result came a week after the Board deadlocked on the initial vote due to board member David Thorsett’s absence. At the initial meeting last week Sarver and Josette Johnson each received two votes. The third applicant, Rodney Cooper, received no votes. At the outset of the meeting, Hedrick asked to say a few words for the rec... Full story
A special meeting of the Sisters School Board held Thursday, June 16, to vote on a replacement for the position vacated by Don Hedrick, resulted in a tie, delaying the decision for another week. Three applicants, Rodney Cooper, Asa Sarver, and Josette Johnson, were briefly interviewed at the public meeting before the vote took place. The board had nearly a week prior to the meeting to review the applicants’ comprehensive applications, according to board member Jeff Smith. The information within the applications was not s... Full story
The Sisters Eagle Airport of July tradition this year with a variety of events for all ages. The day begins early Monday, July 4 with the Sisters Rotary Club Pancake Breakfast at 7 a.m., which is offered for a $5 donation. Registration for the Rumble on the Runway 5-kilometer run and walk also opens at 7 a.m., and the race itself commences at 8 a.m. with the “Plane versus Hot Rod” challenge as the starting gun. All registration for the 5k will be done in person, with a cost of $20 per person or $40 for a family. All pro... Full story
One by one, as the four student speakers delivered their addresses Friday, June 10 at the 74th Sisters High School commencement, a clear theme emerged: gratitude. Perhaps having the final months of senior year return largely to normal following nearly two years of pandemic tumult gave the class of 2022 enough breathing room to allow them to reflect on the good in their lives. From start to finish, thankfulness, joy, and celebration marked the ceremony, which was held in a... Full story
