The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters School District will have two new building principals for the 2021-22 year, now that Sisters Middle School Principal Alison Haney announced her resignation after three years in the position.

Her departure follows in the heels of the announcement of Sisters High School Principal Joe Hosang taking on a new role at the district office.

Haney is expecting her first child in early June and has decided to put her focus on her family.

“Stemming from my knowledge of early childhood education and my love for children, my only plan for the immediate future is to enjoy the first year of being a mom,” she said. “In today’s day and age, it is a rarity to be afforded the opportunity of being truly and fully present with something or someone, and I feel incredibly fortunate to do so with our expected baby boy.”

She and her husband, Jesse, plan to stay in Central Oregon.

“I’m thankful to my incredible husband, Jesse, for his support and shared vision for this time with our child.”

Sisters Schools Superintendent Curt Scholl told The Nugget: “Alison will certainly be missed and we have big shoes to fill with her departure. We really appreciated her student-centered approach and all of the energy and effort she has put in, particularly over the past year, but throughout her three years with us. We wish her and her family the very best.”

Originally from Salem, Haney returned to the state in the fall of 2018 for the position in Sisters, after spending almost 20 years working in Chicago.

She has degrees from both DePaul University and the University of Notre Dame in early childhood education, educational leadership, and teaching exceptional children.

In reflecting on her time in Sisters, Haney says she feels most proud of her “connections with students, the collaborative efforts of the middle school and district staff, and the pleasure of having both a short- and long-term impact on a unique and wonderful community.

“The students have always been my ‘why’ in education,” she said. “Each day I see our students exhibit the fruits of our labors via teaching analytical thinking, complex problem solving, leadership, resilience, collaboration and self-management.”

As she moves on, Haney has absolute confidence in her staff, who she calls “champions of education.”

“It has been an honor and a great source of pride to work alongside the staff to jointly push for the best possible education for our students,” she said. “The rewards of our work are seen on a daily basis and the greatest example of this has been our school’s ability to maintain high levels of engagement and academic progress in the middle of the pandemic.”

Haney acknowledged a deep appreciation for the sense of community prevalent in Sisters and the affection she has for the students of Sisters Middle School.

“I’ve worked in five schools in the last 20 years,” she said. “While my heart has a place for each one of those thousands of students, the students at Sisters Middle School are absolutely second to none and I will miss them dearly.”

She added, “I will also miss the myriad of advantages that come along with working in a small school district, including the close working relationships, the ability to be flexible and change to meet the needs of all schools within a district, the opportunity to build connections between schools, the dynamic district administrative team that I’ve been blessed to be a part of; and from whom I’ve learned so much, the community partnerships, the collaboration amongst neighboring districts for the betterment of the broader educational and Central Oregon area, and so much more.”

While Haney looks forward to her career change, she envisions future involvement in education in Central Oregon.

“I am so excited for this next chapter, but I don’t see this as a permanent goodbye,” she said. “Life has so much to offer and I’m always looking forward to the next adventure.”

According to superintendent Curt Scholl, the job posting for Haney’s replacement is now open and will close Friday, April 9. He and high school principal Joe Hosang, who is moving into the human resources position for the distinct, will work with the middle school staff to put the application, screening, and interviewing dates in place.