The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Sisters School Board failed to approve an alternative school calendar Monday night. The delay probably kills the idea for the next school year. Instead, the board sent a proposal back to the administration for further work, with... — Updated 2/25/1997 Full story

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners has approved a land exchange that could give the Sisters School District 80 acres adjacent to the middle/high school -- provided a plan is drafted to protect the rare Peck's penstemon flower that... — Updated 2/4/1997 Full story

A package of "alternative calendar" models received a somewhat cool reception by the Sisters School Board Monday night. Some board members claimed the proposed schedules were not substantially different from the traditional calendar now in... — Updated 1/28/1997 Full story

Sisters schools work hard to keep students in school, and numbers seem to indicate that the district does pretty well. A couple of years ago the district had nearly twice as many dropouts as it did during the 1995-96 school year -- the rate... — Updated 1/28/1997 Full story

In a society that cannot agree on abortion, capital punishment, marijuana use, censorship, religion, the environment and a host of other issues, what are educators supposed to do about teaching the country's children values? It's often a... — Updated 1/21/1997 Full story

Every school in the state must have a program for talented and gifted students. It's the law. Behind that simple statement, however, is a complex, sometimes emotional, process of identifying students with exceptional abilities and tailoring... — Updated 12/31/1996 Full story

A bus carrying the Sisters wrestling team was in a traffic accident Saturday morning in Bend. Sisters School Superintendent Steve Swisher said there were no injuries among the 25 people on the bus. The bus was in a collision with an... — Updated 12/24/1996 Full story

Sisters Middle/High School principal Dennis Dempsey has been elected president of the Oregon Association of Secondary School Administrators. The selection adds to a growing number of honors for Dempsey. As president-elect of OASSA, Dempsey... — Updated 12/24/1996 Full story

In virtually every school district in the state there are youngsters with mental or physical traits that set them apart from others. In Sisters there are more than 100 of these students, a little less than 10 percent. Keeping these kids... — Updated 12/17/1996 Full story

It was one of those occasions when people look at a point in history to find out how much things have changed and learn things haven't changed that much. Some friends got together Saturday, December 7 for a little party for Mayor Dave Moyer... — Updated 12/10/1996 Full story

Two "year round education" plans were presented to the Sisters School Board Monday night and were both praised and criticized by an audience of parents and teachers who filled virtually every chair in the meeting room. The plans were... — Updated 12/10/1996 Full story

When heavy snow and rain fell last week on Sisters, some of it didn't stop at the roof of the Sisters Elementary School. It went right on through the flat roof of the gym, serving only to remind school officials again of the district's... — Updated 11/26/1996 Full story

No plan will be adopted on year-round education in the Sisters School District until the district has heard from parents and the community. The school board decided Monday night to present plans and hear comments from parents in at least two... — Updated 11/19/1996 Full story

A request to construct a $1.1 million interchange on the Sisters-Redmond Highway (Highway 126) just west of its present intersection with Cline Falls Highway is being considered by a Deschutes County hearings officer. The request was made... — Updated 11/5/1996 Full story

A contract with the county sheriff for police services in Sisters is an idea favored by both candidates for Deschutes County sheriff. During a candidate's forum last week at Sisters Elementary School, candidates Greg Brown and Larry Blanton... — Updated 10/29/1996 Full story

The study of year-round education for kindergarten through eighth grade in Sisters has been assigned to a task force of educators and parents by Superintendent Steve Swisher. Swisher said the Elementary Site Council, comprised mainly of... — Updated 10/8/1996 Full story

It's official. Sisters School District enrollment for the beginning of the 1996-97 school year stands at 1,133 students - an increase of 33 students over last year - all in the middle and high school grades. Elementary school grades... — Updated 10/8/1996 Full story

Year round education for Sisters schools is on the front burner again and may be headed toward implementation in one year. Superintendent Steve Swisher, referring to a 1994 study by the Sisters School District Long Range Planning Committee... — Updated 9/24/1996 Full story

More school financial woes loom if two ballot proposals coming up in the November general election pass, according to Sisters School Superintendent Steve Swisher. Measure 47, often called the "cut and cap" measure, would reduce the Sisters... — Updated 9/17/1996 Full story

When new school facilities were built east of Sisters four years ago, the new building absorbed students from grades 7-12 without making any real distinction between middle school and high school. Now school officials are trying to deal... — Updated 9/17/1996 Full story

Teachers are changing the way "'Rithmetic" is taught in Sisters schools. The changes come as educators statewide call for strengthening Oregon students' math skills. Last month Sisters teachers won approval from the school board to change... — Updated 9/10/1996 Full story

Sisters students continue to score higher than state average in the Oregon Statewide Assessment tests. The test scores were released last week by the Oregon Department of Education. They are the result of the sixth battery of tests given sin... — Updated 8/27/1996 Full story

Sisters school officials face the coming few weeks and student registration with mixed emotions: No growth would be easier to manage, but additional students would bring more revenue from the state. Growth also got the district into trouble... — Updated 8/20/1996 Full story

As the fiscal noose tightens on Sisters schools, the school board is searching for ways to save co-curricular programs. The Sisters School Board approved the funding of coaches for wrestling programs in the middle and high schools August 8,... — Updated 8/13/1996 Full story

Pine Meadow Ranch developers have won a zoning change from the county and a commitment from the City of Sisters for water service. The Deschutes Board of County Commissioners declined an appeal July 29 and adopted two ordinances changing the... — Updated 7/30/1996 Full story