News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
For over two decades, the Sisters community has enhanced the educational experience of Sisters students through donations to the Sisters Schools Foundation (SSF).
Currently SSF is in the midst of its fall donation campaign to fund a range of educational needs in all three Sisters schools that fall outside the school district’s regular budget. Teachers make requests for high-priority items and programs, which are reviewed and acted upon by the Foundation.
Such needs include COVID-related tools for individualized classroom spaces, an outside PE system, and more at Sisters Elementary School. Sisters Middle School is seeking support for the Student Leadership Outlaw Spirit Program and the Scholastic Scope Reading Comprehension Program. Sisters High School needs art supplies for distance learning, woodshop building materials, biology bird-study guide books, and more (visit http://ssd6.org/ssf for more information).
Teacher salaries and other compensation are not funded by SSF.
The Foundation’s work provides a significant boost to programs.
“This year we gave a total of just over $35,000,” said SSF President Ross Kennedy.
The Foundation has funded Battle of the Books; farm field trips; Sisters Middle School band equipment; STEAM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Mathematics) materials; materials for a fiddle club; art supplies; materials to support the Sisters High School athletic trainer’s work; and equipment and materials for Sisters High School’s renowned IEE (Interdisciplinary Environmental Education) program.
The Foundation is also supporting a student-led effort to expand the Sisters Skate Park.
“To have a kid design a skate park, designed from scratch, and have it pretty much student-led is pretty awesome,” Kennedy said.
The amount distributed increased this year, as teachers asked for more support. And the community has continued to be generous.
“We’ve been able to increase our contributions to the schools because of the giving campaign and the community helping fund this so we can do it,” said Kennedy.
Donations can be made to Sisters Schools Foundation either as an undesignated contribution or targeted to a specific program (specify in the notes section of the online donation form or on the memo line of your check. Donate online at http://ssd6.org/ssf/donatenow or by check payable to Sisters Schools Foundation, PO Box 2155, Sisters, OR 97759.
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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