Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Sisters School Board spotlight
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
The Sisters School Board
held its monthly meet-
ing on Wednesday, April 7,
at Sisters Middle School.
Board members Edie Jones,
Jeff Smith, Don Hedrick, and
Jay Wilkins were in atten-
dance. Dr. David Thorsett
was absent.
" Revenue showed a
slight downturn due to
adjustments the state made
on enrollment, due to ques-
tions about total number of
students in attendance. It is
expected to be adjusted due
to information on actual
attendance being impacted
by COVID-19. Scholl
reported that overall enroll-
ment stands at 1,159 stu-
dents, which is up four stu-
dents from last month.
" Superintendent Curt
Scholl spoke on behalf of the
high school as Joe Hosang
recuperates from some
health issues, and updated
the Board on the move made
April 12 to all students being
in attendance four days a
week from the <hybrid= of
two days in person and two
days comprehensive distance
learning. Fridays will remain
planning and development
days for teachers and staff.
" Scholl explained that the
school metrics for the county
are based on 200 cases per
100,000 population which
is what has allowed Sisters
to lower the social distanc-
ing of desks and students to
three feet from six, meaning
that more students can be in
classrooms at a time now. If
the numbers bump up again,
the district would have to
reinstitute the six-foot spac-
ing rules.
" Sisters Elementary
School (SES) Principal
Joan Warburg reported that
five more students will be
returning to the elemen-
tary school from full-time
Comprehensive Distance
Learning and homeschool-
ing. Kindergarten Roundup
started earlier this year to
help ensure that SES knows
as accurately as possible
how many students will be
coming in order to make
proper staffing and space
adjustments.
" The current count for
next year is 80, which is a
record number. Some of that
stems from parents holding
out kindergarteners this year
due to COVID. All current
and future kindergarten par-
ents have a chance to come
in person to the school to see
the facilities and make con-
nections in order to build
community.
" The preschool enroll-
ment is 11 students and
Warburg plans to work
closely with the other pre-
school providers in the
weeks ahead to help ensure
that students get the oppor-
tunity to be in preschool
in Sisters next year as part
of the continuing Oregon
Preschool Promise grant.
New hires at the elemen-
tary school include music,
STEAM, and third grade.
Finally, Warburg reported
that the school is hoping to
keep as many spring tradi-
tions as possible as the year
comes to a close.
" Alison Haney, whose
resignation as Sisters Middle
School (SMS) principal was
accepted later in the meet-
ing, started her report saying
she feels humble, thankful,
and fortunate for the three
years she got to spend in
the district. Her first child,
which will be her main
focus in the years ahead, is
due in late May, meaning
her school year will be end-
ing about three weeks early.
She expressed a desire to
be involved in the district
in the future. Staff members
are planning some day-trip
outdoor school experiences
for grades six and seven this
spring.
Haney concluded saying
that the <iReady= assess-
ments will be used to mea-
sure student success since
state assessments, which are
still mandated in a limited
fashion this year, will not be
able to supply meaningful,
comprehensive information.
" The district has hired a
new director of student ser-
vices, Lorna Van Geem.
" Sisters Middle School
will begin screening appli-
cations for its new principal
and arranging interviews
over the next two weeks.
" Scholl reported that the
vote for the school bond
to build a new elementary
school is coming up on May
18 and the citizen committee
is working toward getting
information out over the next
weeks. The Bulletin9s edito-
rial board has endorsed the
approval of the bond.
" The school calendar
for 2021-22 was adopted
unanimously and features a
start date of September 7, a
five-days-a-week schedule, a
one-week spring break (3/28-
4/1), and an ending date of
June 15 for SES and SMS
and June 16 (half-day finals)
for Sisters High School.
Future discussion is planned
about whether to go back to
a late start on Wednesdays
as has been done for many
years for teacher develop-
ment, or to move to an early
release one day a week.
" Budget committee
members were approved and
appointed and will be led by
former superintendent Steve
Swisher.
The next School Board
meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, May 5 at 6 p.m.
at Sisters Middle School.
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7
Battling hunger with
fresh vegetables
According to Susannah
Morgan, director of the
Oregon Food Banks, <our
state is in the 100-year flood
of hunger.= Confirmed data
from Neighborhood Impact
and Feeding America show
the number of our neighbors
in Deschutes, Jefferson, and
Crook county who worry
about feeding their families
has increased by nearly 30
percent since the onset of the
pandemic. Many were already
struggling to get food on the
table before the pandemic hit.
The numbers have sky-
rocketed to nearly 40,000
families in our area who
have relied on food pantries
on a monthly basis in 2021.
In comparison, 28,000 indi-
viduals were utilizing food
pantry resources each month
pre-COVID-19. Many dimen-
sions and factors overlap and
contribute to hunger; in the
face of this complex issue,
the nonprofit, Seed to Table
Oregon (S2T), is increasing
efforts to ensure that a lack of
fresh foods is not a symptom
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When funds get tight,
often one of the first things
cut is low-calorie items, such
as fresh veggies. Nutritious,
organic and local produce not
only contains a vast array of
vitamins and minerals, but
also brings a sense of commu-
nity connection. Decreasing
consumption of these foods
can impact overall health and
vitality. Local food banks and
the community have done an
amazing job of stepping up
to support increased demands
at the two local food pan-
tries. However, local produce
offerings still face various
challenges due to the need for
refrigeration, weekly deliver-
ies, and quicker expiration.
The food pantries can-
not simply receive a month9s
worth of lettuce in one go,
unlike other staple items.
Seed to Table Oregon
believes access to fresh food
See HUNGER on page 22