Sisters High School Hall of Fame inducts new members

The Sisters High School Hall of Fame inducted four individuals, one team, and an organization on Saturday, October 8, at the high school.

The Hall of Fame is supported by the Outlaw Booster Club, which also raises funds annually for cocurricular activities associated with the school district.

Following introductions by emcee Tim Roth and athletic director Gary Thorson, the Sisters High jazz choir sang the national anthem. Miki McFadden, former Olympian and past volleyball coach for the Outlaws, took the microphone as the guest speaker. She was introduced by Hall of Fame co-chairs Don Pollard and Kris Kristovich.

The first inductees of the night were the 2007 volleyball team and its coaches Diane Bremer and Don Minson, who entered the state tournament ranked fourth but battled through match after match to win the state title. Members of the team included Sam Stoneback, Rachael Tenneson, Kali Ulmer, Aria Garau, Brooke Goins, Felicia Pledger, Haylee Schaab, Shea Kotal, Emily Douglass, Lanie Milroy, Dani Thompson, Jessie Snow, and Jenny Kaiser.

Sara Small, class of 2012, is one of the most decorated athletes in Sisters High School history as a three-sport athlete: soccer, basketball, and track- and-field. Small, who still plays soccer professionally overseas, was a first-team All-State selection as goalkeeper on a team that made the state finals two years in a row. Small also won the state pole vault title her junior and senior years. Small competed for both Wake Forest and the University of Arkansas-Little Rock as a collegian.

The next inductee, 2007 grad Audrey Tehan, is a well-known figure in the community for her leadership of the nonprofit Seed to Table, but she was also recognized for her athletic contributions and involvement with the Integrated Environmental Expedition (IEE) program at Sisters High School.

While in high school Tehan earned first-team league honors as a soccer player and was a member of the Nordic ski relay team that won a state title.

She played soccer at Whitman College before transferring to Southern Oregon University.

She returned to Sisters and served as the girls’ soccer coach, volunteered with the IEE program, and ultimately launched the Seed to Table program, which produces volumes of fresh produce for the community and provides educational opportunities for local students.

Dusty Macauley, already a member of the Hall of Fame as a team member of the 1998-99 state champion football teams, was recognized for his individual accomplishments as a quarterback for the Outlaws. During his time on the team, Macaulay compiled a record of 34-2. In the two state championship games he threw for 522 yards and five touchdowns. Macauley went on to play for Pacific Lutheran University, where he started at quarterback for his final two years. In his acceptance speech, Macauley emphasized repeatedly the tremendous support he and his teammates experienced from the entire community.

“We played harder because we didn’t want to let the community down,” he said. “That’s how much we felt the backing of the whole community and is why I will always consider Sisters home.”

Julia Rahm, from the class of 2010, was inducted for her deep involvement in the performing arts at Sisters High School and her leadership in diversity education and the human dignity coalition.

During her high school years, Rahm performed in the jazz choir, concert choir, musical theater, and the Americana Project and even directed a one-act play.

Following graduation she attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she continued her studies in music and theater.

She obtained a master’s degree in vocal performance from Roosevelt University in Chicago and studied for a year in Paris.

Rahm recently published her first book of poetry, is working on a vocal album, and continues her work in social justice with the Valkyrie Ensemble, a vocal/opera group based in Chicago who seeks to promote women and women’s stories through music.

Rahm expressed tremendous gratitude for the teachers at Sisters High School that helped her develop as a performer, including Gary Bowne and Michelle Summers.

“It feels really invigorating to be back here. There is a place inside me that reawakens each time I return to Sisters, to the land, to the community, to my own countless memories that are etched into the fabric of this town,” she said. “I have to admit that during much of my youth I imagined my life outside of Sisters. Since graduating from high school I have had lots of amazing adventures, and met a lot of wonderful people, but every time I come back I realize how lucky I was to have grown up here.”

The final inductee of the night was Family Access Network (FAN) as a special community contributor. FAN got its start back in 1996 with Theresa Slavkovsky as one of the initial employees as an advocate. She was joined by Dawn Cooper about ten years later and the pair have served an estimated 800 families per year with basic needs, including food, heat, medical, dental, and eye care, school supplies, clothing, obtaining health insurance, and more.

As one nominator put it, “Theresa and Dawn have worked to open doors to hope, help, and new possibilities for Sisters students and their families.”

Nominations are open for the next class of inductees. Categories for recognition include athletes, coaches, special contributors, and teams or organizations. According to its website (www.shshalloffame.org) the Outlaw Hall of Fame is designed to honor those who have contributed to the rich heritage and traditions of the schools.