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Wednesday, March 29, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Developing young leaders in Sisters
By Erin Borla
Correspondent
Developing leaders in
young students is a theme
at both Sisters Elementary
School and Sisters Middle
School. Both schools have
leadership programs designed
for the older students within
their buildings.
It’s Becky Aylor’s fifth
year teaching leadership at
Sisters Middle School for 15
7th- and 8th-graders every
trimester.
“The students don’t have
to be a straight-A student,”
said Aylor. “It’s more about
their character. In fact, some-
times the kids that are most
successful in leadership don’t
fit into the academic class-
room well.”
The students participate in
purposeful activities during
the day and after school.
“At the beginning of every
year I ask the students ‘how
do we make sure that all stu-
dents (at SMS) feel and know
that we care about them?’”
Aylor said.
Leadership students at
Sisters Middle School work
on the yearbook, assemblies
like the Veteran’s Assembly,
Celebrate You, Pennies for
Patients, concessions, and
special events like the begin-
ning-of-the-year carnival and
year-end GIG (middle school
dance). In addition to all of
those items, students create
the video announcements for
the school.
“We are the glitter glue
that holds it all together,”
Aylor says.
The video announcements
can be difficult for some stu-
dents, but Aylor tries to make
everyone feel comfortable.
The first thing she says she
does is give all of the students
ridiculous names.
“We talk about labels,”
she said. “Did me giving
them a ridiculous nickname
change who they were as a
person? No matter how you
act on film it doesn’t change
how you are as a person.”
PHOTO PROVIDED
Sisters’ two junior schools have programs to develop leadership.
It’s important that the stu-
dents put their best self for-
ward during their announce-
ments — there are 350 stu-
dents watching.
“These students are held
accountable for their behav-
ior not only during leader-
ship hour,” Aylor said. “They
are also representatives in
other classes, in town, at the
grocery store and the skate
park.”
Students that participate
in leadership have seen posi-
tive changes in their personal
behavior.
One student came into the
class very shy, and left telling
Aylor how much she enjoyed
the class “because I am proud
of who I’ve become and I can
speak loud and proud.”
Sisters Elementary School
began their fourth-grade
leadership program this year
with school counselor Wendy
Von Seggern, music teacher
Shelly Hicks, and PE teacher
Ashleigh Thomas as their
advisors.
Ten fourth-grade students
per trimester serve as the
Leadership Team. Students at
SES lead activities, assist on
the playground with younger
students, tour new families
and help greet students at the
door in the mornings.
“Students really look for-
ward to their participation in
the program,” said fourth-
grade teacher Katie Parsons.
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“I think it helps them have
more buy-in here at school
… they then become excited
about being stewards of their
school.”
Students in both programs
also learn what student lead-
ers do, including ways to be
a good leader. Middle school
participants create their own
personal mission statement
and read books about strate-
gies to be a healthy teen.
“The new leadership
programs really fostered a
sense of inclusiveness at our
school,” said Clay Warburton,
another fourth-grade teacher
at SES. “It’s not all the same
kids; not a popularity contest.
I think it’s helped with school
unity.”
Both programs provide
similar service-learning
opportunities to their par-
ticipants They allow students
to serve as role-models and
showcase positive behav-
iors to other students. Most
importantly Aylor hopes stu-
dents leave her class more
aware of who they are and
who they want to be.
“I want them to be aware
of their own expectations and
path of life,” she said. “I hope
to give them tools to achieve
their goals and the ability to
find the resources they need
to accomplish their goals.”
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Man convicted of rape alleges
misconduct by former DA
BEND (AP) — An Oregon
man convicted of rape has
filed a complaint requesting
an investigation into allega-
tions of prosecutorial miscon-
duct by a former Deschutes
County district attorney and a
deputy district attorney.
Thomas Bray of Bend
was sentenced to 25 years in
prison for the 2011 rape of
a woman he met on a dating
website.
His complaint accuses for-
mer District Attorney Patrick
Flaherty and Deputy District
Attorney Brigid Turner of
intentionally ignoring court
orders to keep evidence
favorable to the defense from
being considered at his trial,
The Bend Bulletin reported.
The complaint was filed
with the Oregon State Bar on
February 23.
An Oregon Court of
Appeals ruling late last year
chastised the prosecutors’ dis-
regard for court orders, but
the appeals court determined
their actions did not warrant a
new trial.
Bray’s complaint is an
addendum to an existing com-
plaint filed by an anonymous
party on October 24, which
cites language used in the
appellate court decision.
In 2011, a judge ordered
the prosecution to issue a
subpoena to obtain Internet
searches on the rape victim’s
computer. Bray’s attorney
had repeatedly sought com-
puter evidence before trial
after learning the woman told
investigators she had gone
online to look for information
about Bray and the legal defi-
nition of rape.
In a response to the anony-
mous complaint, Flaherty said
the prosecution “did openly
refuse to comply with court
orders” and that he believed
he didn’t have the legal
authority to fulfill the order.
Bray’s complaint also
alleges photographs taken
of the victim’s facial injuries
after the attack were altered
and an expert witness for the
prosecution gave inaccurate
statements.
Flaherty and Turner did
not respond to requests for
comment by the newspaper.
They could face disciplin-
ary action if Bray’s claims are
substantiated but there would
be no direct impact on the
rape case.
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