Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
7
Michele Hammer wraps up teaching career in Sisters
By Charlie Kanzig
Correspondent
When Michele Hammer
started working for the
Sisters School District in
2005, she couldn9t really pic-
ture the varied positions she
would hold over the next 16
years. Now, after officially
retiring in June, she looks
back with a feeling of satis-
faction as an educator who
served where needed, and as
an advocate for students.
Hammer came to Sisters
well equipped to handle the
variety of roles she ultimately
took on. After spending her
youth in San Francisco, she
attended the University of
Puget Sound, where she
earned a degree in American
Studies/secondary education
and followed up with law
school in San Diego. The
antitrust work Hammer did
as an attorney did not hold
her passion, so she turned to
the love she held for <work-
ing with kids and being out-
side,= leading her to enter
a master9s program at the
University of Oregon in ther-
apeutic recreation.
Though family obliga-
tions kept her from com-
pleting that degree, she had
enough training and experi-
ence to be hired as a recre-
ational therapist operating
an animal therapy program
and day camps in the Lake
Oswego area, where she
stayed for 10 years. Hammer
spent another 10 years at a
day-treatment facility, where
she got her first experience in
a classroom.
<I found that I really
enjoyed working with kids in
an educational environment,=
she said, <so I went back to
school once again, attending
Concordia University during
the evenings, and earned my
master9s degree in teaching
in order to have the option
of moving into the public
school system.=
I found that I really
enjoyed working with
kids in an educational
environment.
— Michele Hammer
Hammer had gotten a
taste of Central Oregon ear-
lier in her life after spending
eight summers from 1974
to 1982 working at Camp
Tamarack west of Sisters,
and she wanted to reside in
the area. She moved to Bend
in 1998 and actually com-
muted to Portland for over
five years.
<I would leave Bend at the
crack of dawn on Monday
mornings and return Friday
evenings, while also working
to complete my master9s in
teaching,= she said.
An end to the crazy com-
muting schedule came in
2005 when Hammer, thanks
to all of her experience
and education, got hired in
Sisters to develop the alter-
native education program for
Sisters School District.
In the ensuing years,
Hammer found herself in a
variety of roles and also con-
tinued her own education.
<My jobs for the Sisters
School District have been
many and varied,= she said.
In 10 years with the high
school, Hammer served as
the alternative education
director and teacher, taught
special education, worked as
the leadership teacher, and
held the titles of activities
director and dean of students.
<And, in the midst of all
that, I also completed my
administrative license,= she
said.
Hammer moved to Sisters
Middle School in 2015 where
she taught U.S. History and
held the position of dean of
students. In 2017, she served
as temporary principal for
more than half the year when
the principal had to step
down. Hammer served out-
side the regular school day as
well.
<I had the privilege of
helping to coach the high
school swim team with Isolde
Hedemark and working with
Bill Rexford to develop a
girls lacrosse program in
Sisters, which led to coach-
ing the high school program
for seven years,= she said.
<Those were activities I loved
doing, along with putting on
the Mr. SHS Pageants, help-
ing students organize fund-
raisers, and other activities.
I hold fond memories for all
those things.=
As someone who cared
deeply about her fellow staff
members and worked to
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PHOTO BY CHARLIE KANZIG
Michele Hammer spent the final 16 years of her career in education in
Sisters, and she is now ready for some summer fun.
advocate for them, Hammer
served as the president of the
teacher9s union for the past
three years.
Hammer spent much
of her long career work-
ing with young people who
faced particular hardships or
challenges.
<I think the most memo-
rable and satisfying moments
are those where I am still
See HAMMER on page 16