Letters to the Editor 07/17/2019

To the Editor:

Motoring through downtown Sisters on Cascade Avenue is somewhat frustrating. Traffic moves slowly with frequent stops due to pedestrians crossing the roadway. With further population growth in Sisters, the drive through downtown would be a nightmare.

One solution is to build a highway around the Sisters downtown area. I know the truckers and the motoring population to destinations beyond Sisters would be delighted. However, highway construction would be costly and the local vendors would be dismayed by the potential drop in revenue.

An alternative to this dilemma is to build three or four pedestrian bridgeways over Cascade Avenue. I suspect the local vendors would be pleased and the motoring public with a special interest in Sisters would be satisfied. The cost would be somewhat modest relative to building a new highway.

Scott Hawke

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To the Editor:

My June letter missed The Nugget, so let’s get caught up. The Board adopted a budget for next year, they approved the new staff that we are hiring and we celebrated some student success.

We had several state champions to celebrate. In track, Skyler Larson won the high jump and Brody Anderson placed first in the 400-meter. Our equestrian, or “OHSET,” team had a great year that concluded with Savanna Salisbury, Bailey Knirk, and Sidney Sillers taking first in Team Penning. And last, but not least, our Jazz Band were named state champs after a great performance at the 4A Festival.

I would also like to remind families that we are moving our start time for school back by 30 minutes. This move more closely matches the sleep patterns of teens and has been seen to have a positive impact on their physical and mental health. Our high school students will start at 8:30 a.m. and get out at 3:20 p.m.; our middle school will start at 8:30 a.m. and finish at 3:15 p.m.; and our elementary school will start at 8:35 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.

I want to thank our staff for all of their hard work supporting our students. As we continue into next school year, I look forward to building on the strong relationships that make Sisters such a great community.

June was the last meeting for our out-going Board Member Stephen King. I would like to thank Stephen for his service to the Sisters School District — he will be missed.

In this month’s meeting, we welcomed Don Hedrick back to the School Board. Don has a long history of working in and supporting public education — welcome aboard, Don. Additionally, Jay Wilkins was voted in as Sisters School Board Chair during the July organizational meeting.

I wish everyone a great summer as we prepare for the 2019-2020 school year.

Curt Scholl,

Superintendent, SSD