New leadership to take reins at Sisters schools

Two new leaders will be in place for the 2018-19 school year in Sisters.

Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl announced that the district has hired a new principal for Sisters Elementary School and a new principal for Sisters Middle School.

"We started our search for our new Elementary School Principal with 22 applicants," Scholl reported. "On May 15, a panel of 14 stakeholders interviewed the five candidates. After deliberation and reference checks, we are excited to announce that Joan Warburg has accepted the position and will be the new SES Principal starting in the 2018-2019 school year."

Warburg has been a Sisters-area resident for the past two years and has served in educational communities for the last 34 years. She is currently serving as the assistant principal at Bear Creek Elementary School in Bend. Prior to her time in Bend, she worked for three years as principal of Hendrick Ranch Elementary School in Moreno Valley, California prior to moving to Sisters. During her tenure at Hendrick Ranch, the school received the California Gold Ribbon Award and Title I Achievement Award.

Prior to being a principal, Warburg served two years as an assistant principal and four years as an academic coach, where she focused on best-practice instruction in the classroom and targeted professional development to improve student learning. She spent her childhood in Ecuador, and brings with her a sense of cultural diversity as well as being bilingual.

Alison Baglien has accepted the position as the new Sisters Middle School principal starting in the 2018-2019 school year.

Baglien has been involved in education for 17 years. She is currently serving as a resident principal in Chicago Public Schools. Prior to her time at CPS she worked as a part of the administrative team as the RtI-MTSS Coordinator and Academic Interventionist at Acero Charter Schools. She spent a decade in the Archdiocese of Chicago as a K-4 teacher and inclusion specialist. In between her time at the archdiocese and charter school network, she spent a year abroad volunteering in various parts of the world.

"We are excited about the breadth and depth of experiences Ms. Baglien will bring with her to Sisters," Scholl said.

Baglien was to visit Sisters on June 5 to spend the day at Sisters Middle School and to be introduced to the school board that evening.