Swisher is back in the office again

Sisters School Superintendent Steve Swisher resumed regular work hours at the district office on January 8.

Swisher, who had been recuperating and working from home since a devastating vehicular collision this fall, was warmly greeted by his staff as he walked through the door. Though the many injuries to his hip, leg, and knee made his progress deliberate, the noticeably slimmer superintendent moved independently of any aid except a cane.

Swisher said that the accident may have been a blessing in disguise.

"It may have saved my life," he said. "I had time to reflect about what was truly important in life. It also forced me to become completely aware of my bodily condition -- and it's led me to a healthier lifestyle."

He said the long hours of daily physical therapy have mandated a change in his managerial style.

"(My schedule) has meant I have to prioritize better. I just can't do everything," he said.

The "new" superintendent won't delegate one task, however.

"For the next two weeks, I am going to visit the schools and make lots of classroom visits...to personally interact -- reconnect -- with students and staff."

Looking back on his stay in the hospital, Swisher said one of his first clear memories after the collision was that of a television commercial airing on the set in his hospital room.

"It's the one where it shows the test Mercedes smashing into the wall -- I just couldn't stand to watch it."

However, the second memory was a definite improvement, he said.

"The Oregon State-Washington football game was easier to watch... "

In discussing his serious injuries, it became clear Swisher's sense of humor was undamaged.

"When I was hesitating over the part of the hospital questionnaire asking to list scars, the doctor said to just put down the letters "t m t c" -- too many to count, he explained, chuckling.

In several weeks, Swisher said, he will undergo his fourth accident-related surgery, this one on his knee.

Swisher was injured September 22 after his pickup truck collided head-on with a semi-trailer truck fully loaded with hay on Highway 20 just east of Sisters.

His vehicle was totally destroyed. Swisher suffered life-threatening injuries encompassing the entire right side of his body.

"If I hadn't been wearing my seat belt, I wouldn't be here," he said.