News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 136
Fifth Grade 4.0 Bilderback, Weston; Crabtree, Zinnia; Davis, Riley; Durham, Noelle; Eigner, Caleb; Freeman, Madison; Miller, Ezekiel; Padilla, Phoenix; Planty, Bodhi; Rea, Wilson; Seaney, Reese; Velikonia, Evangeline; Waitley, Damon. 3.5 and above Morrow, Xavier; Bulloch William; Dickman, Gavin; Faldmo, Elin; Griffin, Ellis; Hay, Dawson; Horton, Luella; Johnson, Hudson; Kemp, Blake; Knutzen, Emerson; Moffat, Bailey; Orange, Avery; Poulos, Brecken; Rude, Hudson; Scott, Louella; White, Layla; Morzov, Kaia; Georger, Luke; Hansen... Full story
Travel is a luxury that not all can afford. Education Tours is an organization that aids in the funding and organization of student travel programs worldwide. At Sisters High School, these tours used to be a tradition, but when COVID-19 shut down travel, the school had to put their plans on hold. This coming spring of 2024, introduces the first official EF Educational Tours trip Sisters High School students have been involved in since 2020. This tight-knit group of eight are... Full story
The Sisters School District will be appointing three community members to fill vacancies on the Budget Committee. The people appointed will serve on the committee for three budget terms: 2023-2024, 2024-2025, and 2025-2026. The term will expire June 30, 2026. To be eligible, a candidate must live in the school district, not be an officer or employee of the district, and be a qualified voter in the district. Candidates should participate in school activities, be a positive problem solver and commit time to review materials... Full story
Whychus Creek runs 41 miles down off the Cascade glaciers, right through Sisters, and joins up with the Deschutes River as it flows to the Columbia. Over the past two decades, the creek has been the recipient of extensive restoration projects by the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC) and the Deschutes Land Trust (DLT). This winter the UDWC is partnering with Central Oregon Community College to present a six-part informational speaker series about Whychus Creek and its... Full story
Since early September, the Broken Top Builders Lego robotics team has been working every week with their innovation project, programming their robot, building challenges, and more - all in preparation for competition with FIRST Lego League. The program nurtures students' interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) through hands-on learning. Last year, the Sisters-area team came close to going to the state tournament with a team of nine. This year, with a smaller... Full story
High Desert Education Service District (ESD) Superintendent Paul Andrews announced that he will retire at the end of June 2024. Andrews has been with the region's Education Service District for 25 years, first teaching, then innovating and growing programs, and ultimately leading the organization as superintendent beginning in 2017. High Desert ESD provides administrative, information, and special education support services to the region's schools, including Sisters School... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) has always been known for its creative and hands-on classes. As the world quickly advances in technology, the high school is following in stride. Just a few weeks ago a well-equipped media center was set up at the heart of the school. Junior Jack Turpen was at the helm of this project, which spanned the week-long Thanksgiving break. Turpen initially developed an interest in technology during his time as a sixth grader at Sisters Middle School. This... Full story
Black Butte School students in Camp Sherman enjoyed activities with Buster the Fire Dog and fire service personnel last week as the winner of an event through the Central Oregon Fire Prevention Cooperative (Co-Op) and their 37th Annual Firebusters Fire & Life Safety program. The program includes five 30-second fire-and-life safety videos targeted for students kindergarten to fifth grade. Videos are available by watching the morning or evening news on KTVZ, on YouTube, or on... Full story
Writing is a device that can help convey ideas that couldn’t otherwise be spoken out loud. At Sisters High School (SHS), the Poetry Club is a community that strives toward this goal of growing an inner artist and learning from those around them. The release of the book “Musings” earlier this year showcased the students’ hard work through a collection of poetry. “I’m so proud of everybody in the club. This book just gives them all their well-deserved recognition,” said co-founder Devan Hepburn. Devan Hepburn is a recently gr... Full story
The High Desert Museum recently welcomed a new animal who happens to be an expert engineer, a keystone ecosystem species, and the largest rodent in North America. A baby beaver, called a kit, arrived at the Museum in May. Found in John Day alone in a parking lot, people had searched the area for her family but failed. The kit was then placed into the care of Museum wildlife staff by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Veterinarians estimated at the time that the... Full story
How does your brain learn and retain information? As the field of neuroscience continues to uncover the neural mechanisms of memory, can we employ some of these findings to help boost recall? Dr. Mark Pitzer is an award-winning neuroscientist at the University of Portland who weaves together stories with scientific findings to help explain complicated concepts. Dr. Pitzer has worked for the last 25 years to better understand and treat disorders of the brain, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. Last February, he... Full story
The American Legion High School Oratorical Contest is open. Sisters American Legion Post 86 is sponsoring the contest in the Sisters area. The contest is an opportunity for students from Sisters High School (and home- school students) to earn scholarships that can be used in any college or university in the USA. Students can earn scholarships totaling more than $25,000, and over $200,000 can be awarded each year. For more information, go to https://www.legion.org/oratorical/ where you can learn the details and watch orations... Full story
Sisters High School (SHS) students brought months of preparation to the stage for four performances of a musical earlier this month. The SHS auditorium was filled with audience members, the overhead lights were dimmed, and voices were hushed as The SpongeBob Musical began. The cast members delivered a spectacular performance that both exceeded expectations and delighted audience members. “I didn’t expect it to be so funny; it was amazing,” stated one attendee as they were leaving the performance. The SHS choral program had b... Full story
Sisters VFW Post 8138 presented the Patriot’s Pen Award to student Olivia Newton on November 9. Newton received a letter of recognition, two flag pins for her parents, a Patriot’s Pen medal, and a check for $400 for her essay, “How Are You Inspired by America?” Her essay follows: Inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. What does inspiration mean to you? What historic events of our country have inspired others? Which historical people have inspire... Full story
Applications for the OSU Master Gardener Program in Central Oregon are now available. The program targets individuals interested in becoming a trained volunteer who wants to learn and share research-based gardening information. Program will be a hybrid training with both online and in-person learning. Once an applicant has been accepted, they will be considered an OSU Master Gardener trainee. Trainees will participate in weekly hybrid (in person and online) training conducted by qualified OSU Extension faculty, specialists,... Full story
The three Sisters public schools will honor local military veterans at each school in observance of Veterans Day, having the students assembled to say ‘Thank you for your service.” Veterans Day is observed on November 11, marking the date of the armistice that ended World War I in Europe in 1918. However, this year, because it’s a Saturday, Sisters Middle School and Sisters High School are holding their veterans recognition events on Thursday, November 9. All veterans and their spouses are welcome to attend. Sisters Middl... Full story
The word avanza in Spanish means to move forward, progress, or to advance. The Sisters School District celebrated that forward progress at the monthly school board meeting on Wednesday, November 1, honoring Olivia Trotter and Mariana Luna for their demonstration of high levels of proficiency in English listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The students are also successful in their core content classes. Trotter and Luna each received a certificate and a $100 gift... Full story
Five young drivers from Sisters High School ran through a driving course set up by Deschutes County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) personnel in the high school parking lot on Friday, October 27. Under the supervision of deputies, they sped through a lane of cones, then braked, getting a feel for just how long it takes to bring a vehicle to a stop. Deputies went over fundamentals of winter driving. They also worked on backing skills. "Backing is the number-one situation where we... Full story
Homeschooling is on the rise nationally and in Oregon, and thus one might assume that to be true for Sisters Country children. In fact, the numbers of homeschooled kids within the Sisters School District has been nearly impossible to determine, according to those with a vested interest in knowing the number. Curt Scholl, Sisters schools superintendent, is frustrated, as his team is currently trying to count the number. Homeschooling in Sisters is regulated by High Desert... Full story
"I found an invertebrate!" a sixth-grade girl cried out, bringing her net dipper to the lake-shore at Camp Tamarack, west of Sisters near Suttle Lake. She dropped her find into an ice cube tray where specimens from the water were collected. Meanwhile, on the ridge above the camp, other students were gathering pine cones and observing their state of decomposition, learning how forest materials live, die, and cycle back into the soil. This was Outdoor School (ODS) 2023, the... Full story
The Sisters High School (SHS) has been without a functioning library for over 10 years, making it the only facility in the Sisters School District without this resource. While elementary and middle school students enjoy having a library at their disposal, many high schoolers wondered why there wasn't such a resource available for them. Seniors Presley Adelt and Molly Greaney recognized this absent space and brought forth the idea in their AP Government class led by Gail Greane... Full story
Have you ever looked up into the starry night sky and wondered what’s out there — and how it all works? Former Sisters resident Dr. Bob Collins moved to a desert town near the Mexican border five years ago. After a successful career in neuroscience and neurology at various institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, Harvard University, and UCLA, he has finally found the time and the ideal location to pursue his interest in astronomy. Armed with two telescopes, a camera, and his background in research, he too... Full story
The Oktoberfest tradition continues this fall as the parents of the graduating class of 2024 host an evening of festing and fun for those 21 and over on Sunday, October 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Sisters High School. According to organizers, this fun community event’s sole purpose is to help raise all the funds needed to offer the Sisters High graduates a safe and sober graduation party in June. The cost per person is $40, which includes a dinner of grilled bratwurst, salad, dessert, along with beer and wine. There will be b... Full story
Addie Laird is a senior here at Sisters High School - one of the "new kids" that are coming into Sisters schools as the community grows. Laird moved here her junior year. She claimed to have a challenging experience first moving to Sisters because everyone seemed very "cliquey," and didn't want to welcome new students into their friend group. Laird also explained that her classmates and teachers did an "alright" job of helping her feel welcomed. She explained that some of her... Full story
As the Sisters community continues to grow, new students are transferring to Sisters School District every year. Joining an entirely new school system can be intimidating. Roselynn Smith is a seventh-grader at Sisters Middle School (SMS). She moved here as a sixth-grader. Smith explained one challenge she faced adjusting to a new school is trying to choose the “right friends.” Smith found she connected more within the community when she joined the volleyball team her seventh-grade year. She experienced a “very encou... Full story
