News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Heather Wester and Glen Lasken have joined the Sisters School Board. Each will serve the last two years of unexpired terms left by members who moved out of the school district.
Wester was appointed to replace Karen Lee; Lasken replaces Guy Gleason. Both will serve through June 2001.
"Being on the school board was something I always wanted to do," Wester told The Nugget. "All the stuff I did before was sort of preparation for that."
Wester, whose son Hayden entered kindergarten last year, serves on the Sisters Elementary School site council and volunteers in the classroom. She also served on the board of Little Cloverdale Preschool, where her daughter Jessica is currently enrolled.
Wester had planned to wait until her children were older before serving, but changed her mind when the appointment came up.
"I thought, especially with Steve Swisher as superintendent, that it was a real good opportunity to be on the board," Wester said.
She plans to run for a full term after her current appointment expires.
Wester believes the school district is running smoothly and she has no agenda for change. One of the issues she is particularly interested in is the linking of statewide standards to local diplomas.
"I support that, so I will continue to watch that and do everything I can on the board to help get that accomplished," she said.
Wester believes that having young children in the schools means she will bring a different perspective regarding students' needs to the board.
Lasken, an attorney, also has young children in the district. One of his boys is entering second grade and the other will be a first-grader.
"I've had a lot of involvement in the schools in town already and I was very impressed with the people I met," Lasken said.
Lasken brings extensive experience in committee work to the board and has also served as a judge for the local Teen Court.
"I guess I would consider myself a team player," Lasken said. "Most important, I have a strong interest in helping the kids in this district."
Like Wester, Lasken said it is likely that he will run for a board position after his appointment expires.
"We're in this community to stay," he said. "Our family is settled in here and we love this town."
Wester and Lasken join Steve Keeton and Jeff Smith, who were both elected to the board and appointed in the interim to fill vacant seats.
Bill Reed is the continuing and senior member of the board.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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