Science Club receives a major gift

The Sisters Science Club has put science education front-and-center in Sisters schools, providing unprecedented hands-on learning opportunities for children of all ages.

Their work just got a major boost from Harry Lonsdale, former owner of Bend Research, who endowed SSC with a gift of $25,000.

Lonsdale told The Nugget that he connected with Bob Collins over lunch a while back and was impressed by his enthusiasm.

"He never asks for money at all," Londsdale said. "He just tells you what he's doing. In my case, I was just kind of swept up."

Lonsdale has made contributions before, but he decided to make a more substantial gift.

"I came into some dough, frankly, with the sale of Bend Research, my old company," he said. "I'm looking for ways to give it away and I couldn't think of a better thing than what's going on at Sisters (School District)."

Collins expressed his gratitude in an email to Lonsdale that he shared with The Nugget.

"I cherish our growing friendship and am grateful for the trust you put in the club and our partnership with the school district to enhance science and math education for all our kids, pre-K-12," he said.

Lonsdale noted that the work the club is doing is more important now than ever. A recent study showed mediocre performance by American students, especially in the areas of math and science, falling below such countries as Poland and Vietnam.

Given the need for improved education, Lonsdale saluted Collins and SSC co-founder Cal Allen for taking matters in hand.

"Hats off to them!" he said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

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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