News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 76 - 89 of 89
"Skip" the bear and her cub made her triumphant return to the Sisters Elementary School foyer last week. More than 25 years ago, as part of a class project for his daughter's first-grade class, J. Chester "Skip" Armstrong, a world-renowned chainsaw sculptor from Sisters, made the bear on the playground during a recess with members of his daughter's class. Made of Mt. St. Helens Spirit Lake cedar, "Skip" has been a mainstay in the foyer ever since the day she was created.... Full story
It is of utmost importance to everyone in the Sisters School District to keep the students and staff safe at all times. There are a variety of factors that must be considered when talking about safety at the District. Director of Operations Leland Bliss recently had a walk-through of all three schools with Chris Dorn, the Regional School Safety Specialist from High Desert Education Service District (ESD). Dorn's first priority was to review safety services and provide additional feedback and perspective. "Schools cannot... Full story
For the past several years the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District and their staff have worked alongside the Sisters Kiwanis Food Bank and the Family Access Network (FAN) to ensure all families have a happy holiday. The Tree of Giving provides over 100 kids, aged newborn to senior in high school, with packages to open on the Christmas holiday including needed clothing items and a new toy. This, coupled with the Spirit of Christmas Foodshare program, allows for families that may have fallen on hard times to... Full story
The maintenance staff for the Sisters School District always seems to be hard at work on one project or another. It's their job through the direction of the Director of Operations Leland Bliss to keep Sisters students safe and the District's buildings in the best repair possible. The three maintenance men on staff include Tony Adair, Guy Selig, and Gary Pepperling. These three men work 245 days a year, 8 hours a day - unless there is an after-hours emergency, snowstorm, or... Full story
A 2013 Oregon Arts Commission report says arts education plays a vital role in developing students who become innovators and engaged citizens. Yet many Oregon communities are still struggling to integrate arts programming into the school day. In 2012, one in five elementary-aged students in Oregon attended a school with no access to arts curriculum. Sisters Elementary School is not one of those schools. In 2014, through a community partnership with Sisters Folk Festival (SFF)... Full story
In a world and a generation so connected to electronics, the Great American Mail Race helps keep the art of letter-writing alive in the spirit of young people. The Great American Mail Race has students from across the country researching schools and sending out letters - like an old-fashioned pen pal. Sixth-grade language-arts students in Mrs. Becky Aylor's classes have written to over 180 different schools across the country this year alone - and some students even as far... Full story
Sisters Middle School students had the opportunity to hone their engineering skills in a unique way this past month. Every fall for the past five years Carol Packard's sixth-grade science class has a chance to build an enrichment project for the animals of Chimps, Inc. to interact with. "The biggest challenge for the student groups is to come up with something that can entertain an animal with the mind of a 4-year-old and the strength that is eight times stronger than a grown... Full story
Every fall and winter for the last several years, families in need were kept warm with donated coats, shirts, pants and boots from Columbia Sportswear Company and the dedication of two Sisters-area volunteers - Wayne and Luann Danforth. Luann and her husband, Wayne, originally from the Portland area moved to Sisters in 2001. A physical education teacher from Centennial Middle School in east Multnomah County, Luann saw first-hand children coming to school without rain gear or... Full story
They are the first school employees to see children of Sisters Country in the morning and the last to see them in the afternoon: The unsung heroes of the Sisters School District - the bus drivers. Of the 10 full-time bus drivers employed by the Sisters School District, three have been there over 20 years. All Sisters School District bus drivers are committed to the safety of Sisters Country children, but for these drivers, the job is much more. The students and fellow drivers are like a second family. "We do this for the... Full story
The story of poverty has been told in many different ways throughout Sisters Country and Central Oregon. It's hard to imagine in a community like Sisters that there are families who struggle with basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing. The numbers are telling: 19 students in Sisters School District are homeless. "This is one of the highest number of homeless students to start the school year with," says Dawn Cooper, McKinney Vento Homeless Liaison and one of two advocates for the Family Access Network (FAN) here in Sist... Full story
Every afternoon 21 students in the Sisters High School (SHS) Life Skills program head out into the community for some hard work. The program serves students from special education along with student mentors from the general education track. Students vary in age from fifth grade to those that have graduated but are not yet 21. "If someone were to look into the classroom they wouldn't be able to easily identify the mentors from the special education students," says advisor Josh... Full story
Every Wednesday morning, after the first bell rings at Sisters Elementary School, students stay outside on the playground. They're not there to play - they're there to walk. And they love it. Staff and administrators at Sisters Elementary School are working to build community within their school. "Walking Wednesdays" allow students a chance to burn their energy and be outside in the fresh air for the first 10 minutes of the school day. It's not just for students. Staff and... Full story
Used to be, Sisters Country businesses and parents were hit hard several times a year with fundraising requests from sports teams across the district. That was before Sisters High School hired co-curricular director Tim Roth four years ago. Roth, as a new hire, was charged with uniting the fundraising efforts of all athletics at Sisters High School. Outlaws Together, the campaign championed by Roth, is celebrating its fourth year this fall. "The program is really a philosophy - encouraging all of our sports teams to work... Full story
I was asked to assume the Executive Director position at the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce, and I agreed to accept the role because it's my civic duty to ensure the best for my community. Just like many of you, I love Sisters. I went to high school here, my family is here and most recently I started my own family here. The Chamber is a catalyst for change. With the driven members on the board, positive leadership, and creative and task-oriented staff members - we can accomplish great things through the Chamber for... Full story
