By Stephen Floyd Former Silverton High School Principal Sione Thompson has resigned from his position as of April 2 to take the helm of a struggling charter school in Nevada. The Silver Falls School District confirmed Thompson’s departure in a media release that day and said Assistant Principal Patrick Mulligan has stepped in as interim principal. Mulligan is expected to […]
By Melissa Wagoner It’s Best Fox Ever season at Silverton High School, a time when six members of the senior class go head-to-head in a competition to discover, not only who is the best fox but who can raise the most money for two important nonprofits, Silverton Area Community Aid and Medical Teams International – a nonprofit providing life-saving medical […]
Silverton High School (SHS) Principal Sione Thompson has resigned from his position as of today to take the helm of a struggling charter school in Nevada. In a media release Tuesday, the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) confirmed Thompson resigned effective April 2 and Assistant Principal Patrick Mulligan has become interim principal. Mulligan is expected to serve through the remainder […]
The Silver Fall School District Board has unanimously voted to remove a $73 million bond measure Silver Fall School District Boardfrom the May 21 ballot amid broader financial and administrative challenges. The decision was made during a special meeting held virtually the afternoon of March 21, as the district had a deadline of 5 p.m. that day to pull the […]
By Melissa Wagoner Every time a member of the Asphalt Pavement Association (APA) of Oregon is killed in a work zone related accident, executive director John Hickey hand-delivers a check for $5,000 to the deceased person’s family. “The idea is that most of the time the worker is the primary breadwinner,” Hickey explained. “Very often these people are just getting […]
The Silverton High girls basketball squad’s Class 5A title last month capped 10 years of staggering success by the boys and girls programs, both in terms of league accomplishments and statewide achievement. Consider: In the ten-year span from 2015-2024 the girls team has won or shared seven Mid-Willamette Conference titles, won two state Class 5A titles (2016 and 2024) and took […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) Board has approved a $73 million bond measure for the May 21 ballot with hopes of wooing voters who rejected a $138 million bond last November. In a 6-1 vote Feb. 12, the board agreed to ask voters to consider a bond that would replace Silverton Middle School and provide critical […]
By Melissa Wagoner It’s been 40 years, nearly to the day, since Laura Wanker became a part of the Silverton community, initially working as an educator and volunteer tutor, mentor and educational advocate for students at Silverton High School before joining the Silverton Area Community Aid’s (SACA) board. “Laura Wanker’s impact on the Silverton community is broad and substantial,” former superintendent […]
By Stephen Floyd Officials in the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) had their first serious talk about the possibility of closing Silverton Middle School as they moved forward with a bond to replace the facility. During the Jan. 29 meeting of the SFSD Board, Superintendent Scott Drue proposed a deadline of June of 2027 to close the campus and sought […]
By Melissa Wagoner “If you could have any superpower, what superpower would you choose?” That was the question students in Doug Ousterhout’s theater program asked a group of fourth graders in 2010. “One kid said, ‘to find the remote control,’” Ousterhout said, recalling how that answer went on to influence that year’s Children’s Theater Show titled, Captain Remote, which toured […]
The Silverton High football program will be facing some new league opponents starting this fall. The Foxes will remain in Class 5A but will be moving out of the Mid-Willamette Conference and into a new league that will include four MWC teams and two from the Northwest Oregon Conference, including perennial state power Wilsonville. The new football-only league, part of […]
By James Day Silverton High has returned to competitive cheerleading. The Foxes took second at a meet at Lakeridge, the first such participation by the school in approximately a decade. Stacey Spears, who has more than a decade of experience with the Future Foxes, is coaching the squad, which continues to have a cheer presence on the sidelines at football […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) is discussing a possible $73 million facilities bond for the May 21 election to rebuild Silverton Middle School (SMS) and improve Silverton High School (SHS). During the district board’s Jan. 18 meeting, officials said this proposal would keep property tax rates on par with current rates for a construction bond for […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) plans to put another facilities bond on the May Primary Election ballot, though the dollar amount and scope of the bond may not be set until February. On Dec. 11, the SFSD Board unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a bond program for the May 21, 2024, election after having discussed the […]
By James Day Four Silverton High students teamed up to take fourth in ag sales team at the 96th National FFA Convention and Expo held in November in Indianapolis. Silverton’s David Tribbett, Jenna Schurter and sisters Rebecca and Joanne Noordam, who earlier captured the Oregon title, came away with fourth at nationals. Rebecca Noordam finished 10th as an individual. The […]
By Brenna Wiegand Michael Husser is approaching 60 years as a professional bass guitar player, but he’s been entertaining as long as he can remember. For his high school graduation in 1964, Husser asked for an electric guitar to accompany himself and better his odds with the opposite sex. Yet, upon starting guitar lessons, he discovered that, due to an […]
By Stephen Floyd A May 2024 bond proposal seems less likely – but has not been ruled out – after the first meeting of the Silver Falls School District Board since the defeat of Measure 24-486 on Nov. 7. The measure would have raised $138 million for school improvements including $75 million to replace Silverton Middle School. At the latest […]
By Stephen Floyd A $138 million bond measure for the Silver Falls School District failed by a wide margin in the Nov. 7 election. Results published Nov. 8 by the Oregon Secretary of State showed Measure 24-486 failing by 55.37% out of 6,782 ballots cast by voters in Marion and Clackamas counties. The SFSD bond would have funded improvements to […]
By Melissa Wagoner She Kills Monsters, by playwright Qui Nguyen. has been “extremely popular in high schools nation-wide” since its debut in 2011, according to Silverton High School theater instructor Doug Ousterhout. The play opens in the SHS auditorium on Nov. 16. “The show is particularly aimed at teenagers but will appeal to adults as well, especially those who remember the […]
By Stephen Floyd When Silverton High School (SHS) was completed in 2009, the campus benefited from modern design and tailor-made classrooms. Students could learn to cook in a commercial kitchen, learn the basics of firefighting in full gear, and learn car maintenance in a multi-bay auto shop. SHS teachers interviewed by Our Town said a custom learning space helps students […]
By James Day Kennedy High and Silverton both have received lofty rankings in the annual ratings of American high schools by U.S. News & World Report. Kennedy came in at No. 26 in the rankings, while Silverton took 41st. The U.S. News high school rankings include data on nearly 25,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on […]
By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District Board has started discussing potential outcomes if a $138 million facilities bond does not pass during the Nov. 7 election. At the board’s Oct. 9 meeting, possibilities ranged from a followup bond in May of 2024 to moving middle schoolers to the high school or outlying K-8 schools. The board said there […]
By Stephen Floyd There aren’t a lot of mild opinions about plans to rebuild Silverton Middle School through a proposed facilities bond for the Silver Falls School District. Supporters of the $138 million bond describe the 1938 wing of the middle school as beyond saving and say it could have collapsed in on itself years ago. Opponents argue the $75 […]
By James Day The Silverton High volleyball program is off to a strong start under “new” coach Kirsten Barnes, who is back leading the program after guiding the Foxes to eight league titles during her first stint with the team from 1996-2010. Silverton was 7-4 overall at Our Town presstime and 4-2 in the pressure cooker that is the Mid-Willamette […]
By Melissa Wagoner Growing up, Marta Hazekamp performed nearly every role in the Unger Academy of Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker – and she loved it. “Then as a teenager, the Salem Ballet Association [now disbanded] partnered with Eugene Ballet Co. and hosted the children’s roles so that kids from all over the valley could dance with professionals on […]
