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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.

School staffers mark retirement
By Jim Cornelius

(Left-right): Coleen Reiss, Judy Mason, Connie Holly, Tedi Shawver, Carol Dixon and Steve Swisher were honored in retirement last week. Photo by Jim Cornelius

Sisters High School students have graduated and are moving on. So are some of the folks who have served them through their school careers.

School staff and friends gathered at Sisters High School on Thursday, June 5, to celebrate the retirement of Carol Dixon, Colleen Reiss, Connie Holly, Judy Mason, Steve Swisher and Tedi Shawver.

As Steve Swisher noted in his remarks, most of the retirees -- including himself -- "don't know how to (retire) right."

All but Reiss, a Sisters Elementary School Physical Education teacher, will return to work next year on limited schedules.

Swisher will go back to work as well, as interim superintendent of the Brookings School District.

Carol Dixon is a well-regarded English teacher. She said she is not ready to give up teaching -- "it's my life; it's what I have to get up in the morning and do."

Connie Holly, SHS bookkeeper, will return, as will bus driver Judy Mason.

Tedi Shawver, a media and educational assistant, will return for one more year, helping to put the new SHS library in order.

All of the returning retirees will work under restricted hours based on the requirements of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).

According to district Human Resources Director Jan Martin, employees can work 1,039 hours in a calendar year under PERS.

School Board Chairman Jeff Smith gave a brief speech acknowledging the retirements and singing the praises of Superintendent Swisher.

Smith, a professor of public administration, said that he often uses Swisher as an example of what an administrator should be like.

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