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The Nugget Newspaper
Sisters, Oregon
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The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Letters, letters, letters
The Nugget welcomes contributions from its readers, which must include the writer's 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 Unpublished items are not acknowledged or returned.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 noon Monday.

To the Editor:

This dead horse is starting to stink. Why not bury it and let the rest of the world go on in peace?

While flipping through the newspaper I came across a letter to the editor written by Mel Bryan, which infuriated me into writing this letter (The Nugget, September 4).

I dare anyone that is still beating around the subject of building the new high school to come and experience our lives first hand.

I am a junior at Sisters High School and have long been out of the middle school, and yet the thought of being stuck in those terrible buildings again terrifies me.

Just getting through the halls in time for your next class is to go against the full throttle of a stampede. That is what I remember three years ago with my class of under 100 students, compared to the now day classes which enter the high school at way over 100.

I wince at just imagining how much worse things must be.

As the classes keep getting bigger and bigger, teachers have to modify the way their classrooms work. This has been pushed to such an extent that students are no longer allowed to carry backpacks in the halls or in class; they must be put away in lockers or hung on hooks in the crowded hallway.

The side Mel Bryan is taking just doesn't make any sense. Obviously we need a new middle school, but why build a new middle school when we'll be growing out of our high school soon too?

I'm so grateful voters addressed and acted upon this crisis before it happened.

Anyone who disagrees with me is invited to go through our schools. Come see what school life is really like. In just a week of being immersed in each of our three schools, I'm sure anybody would agree that building a new high school is the smartest way of dealing with our problems.

Respectfully,

Gretchen Addison

* * *

To the Editor:

Once again Mel Bryan is using a handful of carefully selected statistics to justify holding on to a few dollars.

It's never a matter of Mr. Bryan saying, "Here's a way for us to educate the children effectively and still save some money." The only line we ever get from him is, "No money spent in taxes is justified." There's no balance to his message. It's always and only about his money.

Apparently they didn't teach civics classes where he went to school.

There is a social contract that exists among members of a community. It requires many things of us, not the least of which is a shared commitment to spend a few dollars given by every citizen to achieve certain things that result in a more stable community, a more prosperous community and a better protected community. We collect in communities, partly, so we may pool our resources to achieve a greater good.

There is a kind of patriotism that stems from an understanding that commitment to civic health requires spending a few dollars. Only a fool jumps up and says, "Let me pay more taxes in hopes that my representatives will throw it away!" But it is an equally big fool who says, "No money spent on my community is justified. It's mine and mine alone!"

Now I may be a bit old fashioned, but I was raised to believe the willingness to do or say anything for a dollar was simple venality. It isn't that I wasn't brought up to be thrifty or to be careful, it's just that any virtue taken too far (particularly for a bankrupt political philosophy) is just greediness.

Think of it this way: if you don't want to spend the money now to educate the children of this community and this state just wait a while and spend it on the prisons to house them later.

Micheal Partridge

* * *

To the Editor:

I sincerely hope the driving forces behind the high school's private restaurant venture will reconsider their project.

Due to the economic crunch of the education system and possible loss of teachers it seems absurd to open up such a commercially volatile outside business.

Keep it in the school if the demand to teach children the restaurant business is there and strengthen community ties by development of student placement in local food service businesses.

These are the same businesses who are continually asked to donate to the schools and now you will be competing for the same dollar which you will probably be asking for back!

Please reconsider and spend that grant money on something else.

Shirley McBride

* * *

To the Editor:

I am so thankful to be an American in Sisters where our community, parents, students and staff have a shared goal of educational excellence.

Our school is safe, encouraging and a great place to be. We do very well in our state testing. Even during budget cuts with the loss of personnel, resources, etc. our staff, parents and community find creative ways to pick up the ball and put our best foot forward for our students. Thanks so much for the passage of our Local Option!

We are going to observe the newly proclaimed, Patriot's Day this Wednesday.

We respect all those that were lost, served, sacrificed and committed to do their best for our country and the world during this challenging time. We will observe the day with our flag at half mast, join in saying our pledge, and take a united school picture of us in red, white and blue.

We should fight ruthless terror and crime. How can we also use this recent event/days to improve our America and our world with some perspective? What can we do to fight poverty and hate in our world?

Many of us, if not all are suffering some form of relationship loss, economic loss, threats and unknowns. Yet we all have blessings too... We have each other and an attitude that we will succeed.

In Sisters, we know the values of family, hard work, courage, honesty, caring, community and persistence. We have the ability and commitment to believe spiritually and dream, to do the right thing to make life better.

When we need to compromise for the overall good, let's respect each other and our sacrifices. Let's all do our part and do the work. Let's play. Let's dialogue. Let's vote.

There have been many hard and even much harder times before. Let's show our forefathers and mothers that we also can do our part for a better world. Let's strive for a world where all can succeed.

I will do my best so that every student in our school can learn and grow. I look forward to our future.

Tim Comfort

Editor's note: Tim Comfort is the principal of Sisters Elementary School.

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