News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 136
Sisters Middle School (SMS) is modifying its Outdoor School program, which runs October 16-18 at Camp Tamarack west of Sisters. In response to a variety of parent concerns, the school is offering an option for students to attend only during the day rather than staying overnight, and the opportunity for parent volunteers to stay overnight at the camp, according to SMS Principal Tim Roth. Last year, the Outdoor School experience became a focus of controversy when the Culver Scho... Full story
The new Sisters Elementary School will (SES) open on time, and come in on budget - despite the pressures of inflation. Curt Scholl and the Sisters School District (SSD) team offered a tour of the construction of the new elementary school located across McKinney Butte Road from the high school. The new elementary will be 80,000 square feet, including the mechanical areas, with an additional 7,000 square feet, including the ball fields. Scholl offered a tour to elementary... Full story
A new environmental program for youth, launched in early 2023, is coming to Sisters this fall, thanks to a partnership between Camp Fire Central Oregon and Sisters Middle School. Registration opened on August 6 and spots are still available. The Sisters-based program, called “ExplOregon: Project Good Earth,” is open to kids in grades 6-8 and features five fabulous Fridays of afterschool outdoor exploration, enrichment, and learning. According to James DiRosa, Camp Fire Central Oregon’s outdoor and environmental coord... Full story
The Sisters Astronomy Club will host an evening under the stars on Saturday, August 19. Local amateur astronomers will bring their telescopes, eager to share with visitors many showpiece objects of the summer night sky. Known as the Stars over Sisters Starwatch, the event will take place at the Sisters Park & Recreation District (SPRD) Coffield Center building and adjacent parking lot. The proceedings begin at 8 p.m. with a brief presentation. There is no charge for this... Full story
An international story detailing Chinese funding in American public schools raised eyebrows in the Sisters community last week. The Daily Mail, a British daily tabloid, ran a story on July 30 reporting that “China is funding America’s public schools to the tune of $17 million dollars, it has been revealed, with Republicans now probing the disturbing donations. “The report by Parents Defending Education states that the close coordination between the Chinese Communist Party... Full story
"I love it," said Programs Director Hannah Joseph on a sunny day at Seed to Table farm. Peacocks shrilled and Highland cattle mooed. She and Farm Manager Jenn Gardner sought shade after an intense several hours leading kids in activities and education on the farm (see related article, page 7). "I love connecting everything through food," said Joseph. "I think we can all relate to food, so it's a great focal point to then talk about all kinds of subjects." Teaching kids... Full story
The upcoming May election will decide who is filling two open positions on the Sisters School Board. Five candidates are running for the two open positions on the Board. Jeff Smith is running for Position 3 and has been on the School Board since 1999, with a break of 2-1/2 years. Smith believes his experience and passion for education set him apart from the other candidates. "I have a passion for education. I believe in good schools and am lucky enough to end up in a... Full story
The Shadow Project is an organization dedicated to making school more accessible and engaging for children with learning challenges so they can achieve their full potential in school and beyond. The organization is looking to partner with Sisters students and Sisters schools and get the word out about their programming. The Shadow Project was created by a mother who advocated for her special needs son's learning. She ultimately built a business around helping other kids who... Full story
This spring, 32 Sisters High School (SHS) chemistry students worked with Steven Peterzen of The ISTAR Group and SHS science teacher Rima Givot to build the OARS program, in which students explore Suttle Lake ecology through chemical analysis of the water column and benthic sampling of the lake bottom. Canoes made for a non-polluting vessel to access the deeper waters of Suttle Lake, which is a glacial carved, spring-fed mountain lake west of Sisters. The student scientists... Full story
On a recent day at Seed to Table's farm in Sisters, long-haired Highland cattle ambled through their pasture. The sun shone brightly. The shrieking of peacocks pealed over the landscape. Then came the students, with wheelbarrows full of treats. Student Stefani Kampert mused, "I feel like it's really nice out here." She and other LifeSkills students plucked lettuce out of the soil in a greenhouse, dropping them into buckets. Then, along with their adult helpers, they heaped... Full story
Students gathered in a circle with educator and Programs Director Hannah Joseph at Seed to Table farm. Around the circle, each child announced their name and a vegetable. "My name is Lachlan, and I like carrots," said a boy in a plaid shirt. "My name is Mysie and I like green onions," said a girl dressed in a red shirt and cap. Together with others from Sisters Elementary School, they named their group Team Greens. Students examined vegetables they'd planted on previous field... Full story
Every July 4 Sisters Eagle Airport Rumble on the Runway is also the occasion to fundraise for the aviation program at Sisters High School. Interested students can get a head start on a piloting career. For many years the school’s aviation curriculum has included the opportunity for hands-on flying in partnership with Outlaw Aviation located at Eagle Airport. The outfit is owned by Sam Monte and Walt Lasecki, both veteran military pilots. Founded in 2013, Outlaw A... Full story
The 90 Sisters High School seniors who received diplomas at Friday's 75th commencement had plenty to celebrate as they moved from students to alumni. There was little sign and barely a mention of the pandemic that disrupted nearly half of their four-year journey, but challenges of those years are undeniable. Rather than dwelling on the difficulties, this resilient bunch focused on the positive, as evidenced by the speeches and songs shared by the graduates. After the graduates... Full story
As the school year comes to an end, so does time for the graduating seniors of 2023 to attend Sisters High School. After going through COVID-19, distance learning, and hybrid classes, these students are well equipped for facing future adversities. This year, there are about 89 graduating seniors, each with their own ambitions for the future. Around 51 of these students college tuition were supported by the scholarships distributed through the nonprofit organization,... Full story
The Sisters School Board adopted the 2023-2024 operating budget in a public hearing at the final School Board meeting of the school year. Every year, the School Board adopts the new operating budget based on the money allotted to the Sisters School District (SSD) from the state school fund. The state school fund amount is decided in the state legislature. The general fund budget, including $9,619,008 for instruction and nearly $8 million for support service,s, comes to... Full story
A lifetime of dancing and a Presidential Scholarship offer from the University of Oregon led Sidney Linn to decide to try out for the Ducks cheer team, and on May 9 she signed a letter of intent formalizing her as a member of the 2023-24 squad along with three other incoming freshmen who made the team. Leading up to the final selection, Linn attended some clinics in Eugene and then did an initial audition, which landed her in the actual tryouts that included a total of 32... Full story
Sisters High School artist Miliani Spencer recently won the Hayden Homes Scholarship. Hayden Homes has donated money to sponsor Sisters High School art students for five years now. This year's winner was awarded $2,500 dollars for her art piece known as "The Skies Field of View." A committee comprised of Hayden Homes, Paul Allen Bennett with the Sisters Arts Association, community member Kit Stafford, and Sisters High School art teacher Bethany Gunnarson chose Spencer's... Full story
On a sunny spring day in Sisters, Tuesday, May 16, Sisters High School (SHS) chemistry students launched two stratospheric balloons from Sisters Eagle Airport, loaded with students' experiments. The experiments are attached to what is known as a payload - items that will help students determine what happened while the balloon was floating in the atmosphere at over 80,000 feet. The chemistry classes have been launching weather balloons every year since 2015. This year, 37... Full story
Timber Bionda of Sisters has received a unique full-scholarship opportunity for flight training, thanks to EAA Chapter 1345 of Bend and the Ray Aviation Scholarship program administered by the Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, WI. The Ray Aviation Scholarship program provides up to $11,000 scholarships to young people who are seeking to learn to fly. The Ray Foundation has provided $1.8 million to fund the scholarship program, which seeks to improve the flight... Full story
The Sisters Elementary School paved playground was a beehive of activity last Friday morning, as four classes of first-graders - about 80 students - worked with their Sisters Middle School seventh grade mentors to construct-a bird house/nesting box. The project came about when middle school math and STEAM teacher Jeff Schiedler mentioned a bird house building project his seventh-graders were undertaking to Sisters Elementary School first-grade teacher Erika Valikonia. The... Full story
Mary Flande, who spent 20 years working for the Sisters School District as a teacher, coach, and athletic director, was inducted into the Oregon Athletic Directors Hall of Fame at the group's 54th Annual Conference and Banquet held at Sunriver Resort Saturday, April 17. Flande has spent a lifetime associated with athletics. She was a three-sport athlete at Scio High School, where she graduated in 1975, in a year in which she won the state shot put title and played on the... Full story
When Howard Hughes' giant Spruce Goose took off on November 2, 1947, it stayed in the air for all of 26 seconds. When the Outlaw RC Plane Club at Sisters High School (SHS) sent their model of the Spruce Goose into the air on Thursday, May 11, they had much greater success: The first flight lasted for two minutes, and the second lasted four minutes. The club of remote-controlled aircraft enthusiasts built a 10-foot-wingspan replica of the legendary plane in a one-day build in... Full story
For the first time in 13 years, the Sisters High School Wind Ensemble qualified to attend the OSAA (Oregon State Activities Association) annual state competition for bands. The group left on May 10 with 20 musicians, and first-year band director Kayla Golka. The band left promptly at 6 a.m. to make it to their destination in Corvallis at 9 a.m. As they set off on their journey, the students conversed in nervous chatter, knowing that being able to participate in this competition was a huge honor. “I remember being tired on the... Full story
Educators know that visual arts are highly beneficial to students of all ages. Sisters School District honors this by offering a variety of artistic programs - including the 24th annual ARTifacts program held at Sisters High School Tuesday, April 18. This event allowed high school students of all ages to showcase their hard work to their friends and family. Sisters High School hosted multiple observational art booths and hands-on art stations for community members to try.... Full story
Sister High School’s Wind Ensemble is made up of some extremely hardworking musicians. Their determination shines through in their qualification to compete at Oregon State University for the OSAA State Championship. This is the first time the band has attended the competition in 13 years. The band is made up of 20 participants, most of whom have been playing their instruments for over three years. The age of these students range from 14 to 18. Some of the upper classmen remember qualifying for State in 2020 but not attending... Full story
