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Wednesday, July 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Editorial…
Wear your mask
Sisters, like the rest of Oregon, is under a
mandate for everyone to wear a face covering
in indoor public spaces, like the bank or the
grocery store.
The mandate comes in response to a surge
in cases of COVID-19 across much of the
state 4 including here in Central Oregon.
Sisters has recorded its first confirmed cases
since the pandemic began, and St. Charles
reported nearly doubling its hospitalizations
in a 24-hour period last Friday.
None of this is a cause for panic 4
increased cases were an inevitable develop-
ment with the reopening of economic and
social activity, and the caseload reflects both
actual increased community spread and bet-
ter diagnosis through significantly increased
testing. Cases will continue to climb along
with contact tracing and the number of tests
performed. That9s expected and a cause for
reasonable precaution, but not for undue fear.
There9s some good news 4 the mortality
rate is not increasing. The total daily number
of deaths hovers between 500 and 1,000 cur-
rently. That9s a thousand losses to a thousand
families and should not be treated cavalierly.
But the threat of COVID-19 as a killer scourge
seems to be gradually receding.
We are learning to live with COVID-19,
and that means adapting our behaviors.
Wearing a mask won9t prevent the spread
of COVID-19, but it has been shown to reduce
the radius of dispersion of the respiratory
droplets that carry the virus. Health officials
believe that, in combination with physical
distancing and thorough and frequent hand-
washing, wearing the mask can slow the
spread of COVID-19 4 while still allowing
for something resembling a <normal= eco-
nomic and social life.
The need for such measures may last
until there is a vaccine or until we reach herd
immunity.
Sisters businesses need for all of us to com-
ply with the mandate. Like it or not, believe in
it or not, they9re responsible for enforcing the
mandate, and they need our support, not com-
plaints or belligerence.
Nobody likes wearing a mask, and being
ordered to do so raises the hackles on folks
who prize individual liberty and the right to
make our own choices. But the inconvenience
of donning a face covering to go to the gro-
cery store pales in comparison to the impact
of shutting bars and restaurants down again,
as the governors of Texas and California
recently did in response to significant surges
in those state.
The survival of many of our local busi-
nesses could be at stake here.
Do it as a reasonable precaution; do it
because you9re a good neighbor and want to
help local businesses and their employees
make it through these strange and turbulent
times.
Wear your mask.
Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief
Letters to the Editor…
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer9s name, address and
phone number. Letters to the Editor is an open forum for the community and contains unsolicited opinions
not necessarily shared by the Editor. The Nugget reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a
response to letters submitted to the Editor. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Unpublished items
are not acknowledged or returned. The deadline for all letters is 10 a.m. Monday.
To the Editor:
I9m writing to express thanks to Craig
Eisenbeis for his article <Oregon9s History
Steeped in Racism= in the July 1 issue of The
Nugget. It was painful to be reminded that
laws in force in Oregon in my lifetime dis-
criminated against African Americans. I grew
up in Medford in the 1950s. I don9t think any
Blacks lived there then.
I heard later that <sunset laws= meant
that Blacks were not welcome overnight.
Recognizing historical events we might pre-
fer to ignore is the important first step toward
equality for all. Now we need to rededicate
ourselves to making it so.
Carolyn Gabrielson
See LETTERS on page 30
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The Nugget Newspaper, LLC
Website: www.nuggetnews.com
442 E. Main Ave., P.O. Box 698, Sisters, Oregon 97759
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The Nugget Newspaper,
P.O. Box 698, Sisters, OR 97759.
Third Class Postage Paid at Sisters, Oregon.
Editor in Chief: Jim Cornelius
Production Manager: Leith Easterling
Creative Director: Jess Draper
Community Marketing
Partner: Vicki Curlett
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Owner: J. Louis Mullen
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N
What Sisters High
School has given me
By Ashlynn Moffat
Guest Columnist
We all know the last
three months have not been
ideal 4 they have changed
plans, and shifted learning
methods. We went from one
week without a care in the
world, dreading school, to
the next, sitting in our bed-
rooms wishing the people
on our screen were with us
in person.
I cannot deny that those
nine weeks were hard.
Sisters High School is
a welcoming place where
teachers not only teach you,
but become close friends.
The support shown through
these times of online learn-
ing was so incredible.
Teachers spent their time
giving to us. They worked
longer hours than a normal
school day. They created
online platforms and figured
out how to teach us best. I
never experienced a teacher
who got upset or impatient.
Even when my attitude
was negative and selfish,
they remained patient and
kind and gave so much time
to us.
I look back and wish I
could have been more grate-
ful for school. My freshman
year brought not only learn-
ing of material, but the way
the teachers poured into me
was something so unlike
any school experience I
have had.
Not only did I experi-
ence support and love from
teachers during the online
learning phase, but every
time I walked into those
Sisters High School doors,
the staff were right there
with me. They serve the stu-
dents with joy and genuine
passion.
I would also like to
share about how I felt sup-
ported this year with my
first high school basket-
ball team. The team was a
place where I was pushed
to be better and I was chal-
lenged. I was surrounded
by people who genuinely
radiated joy, integrity, and
care for those around him.
Brittaney Brown was a huge
aspect of that team and I had
a very positive experience
with my first high school
team this year. Thank you,
Brittaney!
I believe that I am unde-
serving of the forgiveness
I am shown daily. I was
shown so much grace at
Sisters High School. I also
believe that grace had to be
given in order to succeed in
the phase of online learning.
I believe that this year and
everything that has come
with it (COVID-19, racial
tension, canceled events
etc.) were very hard, yet
extremely unifying.
I see now that my enti-
tled behavior blinded me
from everything Sisters
High School has done for
me. I was a part of classes
that I will remember the
material for forever.
I believe it is necessary
to go through a dark time.
It slowly unblinded me. My
eyes adjusted to the dark
and therefore, I could see
again. My heart became
filled with gratitude just
to see my teachers again. I
longed to be back in Global
Studies watching BBC one-
minute world news.
So I write this to let
everyone reading know that,
by no means was my first
of high school perfect. Did
it humble me? Heck yes!
I got my first D in a class.
It reminded me that I need
other people. I need my
teachers. I longed to be back
at school. My heart was
filled with more gratitude
than it9s ever been. In the
midst of disappointing and
humbling experiences, I was
being molded and shaped.
I was being challenged to
leave my cozy corner of
entitlement, and be vulner-
able to reality. It allowed me
to see again. To see that the
people at school really do
love their job. They give so
much to the students.
The idea of Independence
puts us in a box of selfish-
ness and entitlement. We
start to believe that we
deserve others to serve us.
Independence and entitle-
ment bury gratitude. When
we dismiss the idea of
depending on other people.
It blinds us. Truth is: WE
NEED OTHER PEOPLE!
I thank every staff mem-
ber at not only Sisters High
School, but also the elemen-
tary and middle schools. I
thank coaches who lost their
spring season. I want to live
with a grateful heart, and
I want to build people up
and encourage. This year
has taught me so much and
it began to help me see my
entitlement. Thank you,
Sisters High School, for giv-
ing everything!
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.