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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2020)
16 Wednesday, August 5, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon SCHOOL: Metrics pose a challenge for in-person return Continued from page 1 PHOTO BY JAY MATHER Sisters Folk Festival staff laid out “pods” for concert-goers and strictly limited attendance to produce a COVID-safe event. Masks were required to move through the venue on the back lawn at Sisters Art Works. CONCERT: Event was designed to be Covid-safe Continued from page 3 The six-person SFF staff worked diligently to make sure that rules were being followed and that the event could be possible and safe for everyone. <I think it went really well overall, everyone was super compliant,= said Executive Director, Crista Munro. <We were all so happy to be there, no one minded the extra precautions; it made everyone feel safer. Our biggest concern was peo- ple wouldn9t comply, but everyone complied with the rules. All of the feedback I heard from the audience to the musicians was that they were grateful to be there and doing this. We now have this opportunity to explore local talent as well, which is exciting,= Creative Director Brad Tisdel was also pleased with how the event was received. <I felt like we were thoughtful in the re-imagin- ing of what an event could be amidst COVID protocols for the audience and art- ist experience. We worked on the details of an evening that felt comfortable, safe and exciting. It was really an experience true to what we have done as an organiza- tion. The livestreaming, the pods, we had to re-imagine a new model 4 I felt we did really well,= he said. <It was exhilarating to hear live music again, as well,= said Tisdel. The event was also live- streamed on Facebook, so those who couldn9t make it could still enjoy the show. The livestream was made possible with Alpine Internet and Grange Recordings. Comments flooded in on the livestream from people across the nation tuning in and stating how grateful they were to be able to watch the show from a distance. Diane Kowalski, who was tuning in on the livestream said: <Thanks for the music. I am from Western NY and vol- unteer at the festival every year. I have had such a hard year am missing this year very much, it is renewing my spirit!= The effort put into the event was greatly appreci- ated by everyone in atten- dance, including Sisters High School graduate and Americana Project alumni, Kendra Kemp. <While it was weird not being able to sit close and hug and dance with friends and family like normal, you could still feel the love and togetherness that is always a staple at SFF events. I was sure appreciative to be back in my community sur- rounded by music, even if it was only for one night,= she said. Sisters Folk Festival is hoping to put another event on in September, similar to this one. <I think we can do this and have music again if we are all safe,= said Munro. To see the live stream of the event, visit the Sisters Folk Festival9s Facebook or their YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=UxtAMx8OpAE. staff more time to prepare for online instruction. The Redmond School District announced CDL will be implemented until November 2 at a minimum and will start two days later than originally planned. Sisters has not announced any plans to change its Tuesday, September 1 start date. The current metrics to hold classes in person require the county in which the school exists to achieve a level of 10 or fewer cases per 100,000 residents per week and five percent or fewer positive tests per week. Additionally the state must have five percent or fewer positive tests as a whole. For reference, according to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), there were 108 cases of COVID-19 the week end- ing July 26. With a popula- tion of close to 200,000 for Deschutes County, this calcu- lates to a rate of well over 50 per 100,000. Infection rates have steadily risen in the county since late June. The county was well under the metric threshold from mid- March to mid-June. The 97759 zip code that encompasses most of Sisters Country has had a total of 12 reported cases. Scholl9s announcement came as a blow to students, families, and teachers alike, who spent the entire spring under a less-developed distance-learning model. Quality Truck-mounted CARPET CLEANING Quality Cleaning 16 years in Reasonable Prices Sisters! NEW CHEF NEW MENU — Credit Cards Accepted — 391 W. Cascade Ave. | 541-549-2675 corkcellarswinebistro.com Under the CDL model stu- dents will be graded, atten- dance will be recorded, and direct contact with teachers will be increased. There is some hope that grades K-3 could get started in person sooner than the higher grade levels because the threshold of infection rates of 30 new cases per 100,000 applies to that age group. The rationale behind this difference is that younger children reportedly not only show lower infection rates, but appear less likely to trans- mit the disease. Sisters School District received a state <Preschool Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 SistersForestProducts.com OUR DINING ROOM IS NOW OPEN! Sun-Thurs 11-9 • Fri-Sat 11-9:30 Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS | 190 E. Cascade Ave. Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL DAVIS TIRE Our family can take care of your family of autos & trailers Brakes • Axles • Ball Joints • Suspension • Shocks • Struts TIRE INSTALLATION, ALIGNMENT, REPAIR, BALANCING, ROTATION 188 W. Sisters Park Dr. If and when the metrics improve we want to make sure we have a seamless re-entry. — Curtiss Scholl Promise= grant of around $200,000 to be used starting this school year and is in the process of hiring staff, but Scholl is not certain what the safety guidelines will be for this younger age group. <Preschool guidelines are up in the air for now. We are waiting for more information from the State on that,= he said. <This is a very impor- tant issue for our families given that there is such a need for child care for kids, which is why we are moving ahead to be prepared to serve this age group.= Governor Brown also announced she would release an additional $28 mil- lion under the Emergency Education Relief Fund in order to help schools cover additional costs related to access to technology, WiFi hotspots, online curriculum and teacher training. Scholl acknowledged that much work remains for school district employees. <We are looking to cre- ate structures to support all of our students as well as possible,= he said. <We hope that we can provide in-person small-group opportunities, including from our counsel- ors. It is our desire to keep our students and families as well connected as any district in Oregon.= Detailed information regarding K-12 education issues in Oregon, including Comprehensive Distance Learning, can be found at the ODE website, www.oregon. gov/ode. ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 Outdoor Seating! 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