Community bids farewell to Thonstad

Superintendent Ted Thonstad is leaving the Sisters School District a much better place than when he arrived. That consensus rang loud and clear as parents, staff, board members, community officials and friends offered their farewells at a reception in Thonstad's honor at the district's administration building last Thursday afternoon.

The district presented Thonstad with an engraved, crystal plaque that reads: "In honor of your dedication to our school district's students and staff. You do make a difference. ... Care - Commit - Connect."

Community members then one-by-one highlighted what Thonstad has done for the district and remarked about the type of person he is.

"We are in better shape now than when he arrived here," said Sisters school board member Jeff Smith. "We have a better staff. We have improved the staff that we have. ... Our buildings are in much better shape. We're just better in so many ways, and, as you would expect from Ted, he has been working his tail off the last two or three months getting everything set up for the new superintendent."

Paul Patton, President of the Sisters Education Association, expressed appreciation on behalf of all of the district's teachers for Thonstad's dedication to the district.

Mary Clark, Thonstad's secretary, reflected about how Thonstad has served as a mentor to her son.

"I am so appreciative of that. I think that's a real expression of the kind of person that Ted is and always has been," she said.

"I've never met a man more dedicated to his kids and to his staff, and he has such a great heart. I'm really going to miss him," said Family Access Network advocate and newly appointed city councilor Shawna Bell.

"Ted's done an incredible job," said Tim Comfort, the district's human resources and special education director.

Noting that Thonstad joined the district amidst the controversy over the disallowed homeschool program at Sonrise Christian School (now Sisters Christian Academy), problems with the renovation of the administration building and without a business manager, Comfort added: "He had to do a lot of hard work, as well as pass the local option, within the first few months of being on the job. He has shown that he has integrity, courage, discipline and has really taken the district into a better place than what he inherited."

According to Comfort, the district's new superintendent Elaine Drakulich is privileged to be entering the district in a climate of positive staff relations, building projects well underway and collective bargaining issues resolved, all of which can be attributed to Thonstad's effective leadership.

For personnel specialist Shirleen Cundiff, Thonstad's departure is "a sad day for the Sisters School District. He has given his heart and soul, and I think the community knows that," she said.

At the same time Cundiff sees the move as positive for Thonstad. "He is going to be operations manager in Oregon City. That is where his true strengths are. I think he's going to make a huge difference over there," she said.

In response to the well-spring of expressions of appreciation, a beaming Thonstad said: "This district works as a team. The words care, commit and connect are what we stand for. I remember walking into the high school the first time, into the middle school the first time and just feeling that... Don't let that go. Keep it. Keep that spirit in this school district and in this community because that's what makes Sisters the unique place that it is."