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Celebrating veterans at SMS

By Melissa Wagoner In honor of Veterans Day, Silverton Middle School will open its doors to veterans and members of the community on Friday, Nov. 8, 1:40 p.m. “We will have various displays located in the back towards the track and district office,” student leadership advisor Jackie Renoud said. The celebration kicks off with a self-guided tour of military equipment […]

SHS homecoming – Events aim to bring the community together

By Melissa Wagoner “It’s to bring the school and the community together,”  Alyssa Ogle, the Associated Student Body advisor helping organize Silverton High School’s events, explained.  “We, as the high school, are putting on something for every school in the district to participate in and connect. As ASB, it’s our job to really bring the spirit and sense of community […]

Silverton Middle School social studies teacher, Samantha Cross, in front of the newly renovated greenhouse. Melissa Wagoner

Back in the greenhouse: Ag education comes to Silverton Middle School

By Melissa Wagoner When Samantha Cross began teaching social studies at Silverton Middle School in December 2021 she noticed there was a large permanent greenhouse adjacent to the track that was largely unused. “I think the last time anyone used it was when the high school was here,” she said. “And up until last week, it was storage for Maintenance.” Saddened […]

Silverton High band leader Erik Nelson conducting. Courtesy Jackie Renoud

Joining forces: SHS teachers unite to retain performing arts

By Melissa Wagoner There will be a lot of changes in the performing arts department of Silverton High School starting this fall. “As of now, there are still a lot of unknowns about what the schedule will look like, especially as we move away from block schedule and back to the seven-period day,” said Katie Kantrowitz, SHS’s world languages and […]

Corey Christensen of SoundStream Music, right, at the Veritas Instrument Rental repair shop.

High fidelity – Students have new option to source quality instruments

By Melissa Wagoner When it comes to learning to play an instrument, the quality of the instrument itself is of the utmost importance, according to Erik Nelson, the band teacher at Silverton Middle School and Silverton High School. “A good instrument in good repair,” Nelson explained. “It doesn’t have to be new, but it helps if you have someone who […]

Silver Falls School District

Number crunching: SFSD talks layoffs, school closures, schedule changes

By Stephen Floyd The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has started mapping out options to cut $8.8 million from next year’s budget, including layoffs in all departments and temporary school closures. During a special meeting May 8 of the SFSD Board, Interim Superintendent Joe Morelock presented options based on feedback from principals, employees and community members. Proposed reductions These included […]

Memorial Day

Sacrifice honored: Silverton, Mount Angel events

By James Day Memorial Day, which honors those Americans who died in the service of their country, will include observances in both Silverton and Mount Angel. The Silverton events, sponsored by Post 7 of the American Legion, begin Friday, May 24, with an 8 a.m. uncovering of the six service flags at Town Square Park. Included will be the Space […]

Silverton High Car Show returns May 25

The longest running high school car show in Oregon will be making its return thanks to Silverton High School’s mechanical technology instructor, Daniel Rofelty. “The car show was always a great showcase of students planning, organizing, and hosting the event, bringing in community and getting to interact with other like-minded adults…”  Rofelty said.  “Due to COVID, and a change in […]

Silver Falls School District

Admins cuts favored, K-8s and esports opposed in survey

By Stephen Floyd Respondents overwhelmingly supported cuts to administration in a survey by the Silver Falls School District (SFSD), while opposition emerged against preserving all K-8 schools and esports programs. As of Monday afternoon, 1,347 people had participated in a survey on ThoughtExchange asking what they believe should be preserved as the district plans steep budget cuts for next year. […]

Local robot whizzes Zane Davis and Derek Schaefer 

Robotics team heads to Texas  

Local robot whizzes Zane Davis and Derek Schaefer  Robotics team heads to Texas   The two members of the Thunderbolt Robotics Club have been invited to an international competition and are currently raising money to pay their expenses. Middle-schoolers Zane Davis and Derek Schaefer received a design award at the Oregon state tournament, while also pulling down several awards at […]

SFSD Board pulls $73M bond off May ballot

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 […]

Round two: Silver Falls School District proposes scaled-down $73M bond

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 […]

Silver Falls School District

Closure deadline: Middle school planning

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 […]

Legal Matters: School district settles student injury suit

The Silver Falls School District (SFSD) has settled a personal injury lawsuit with a former Silverton Middle School student who slipped and broke a leg on a wet floor in 2017. On Dec. 21, 2023, Cramer vs. SFSD was dismissed in Marion County Circuit Court at the request of both parties after the district agreed to settle for $42,500. The […]

Bond issues: SFSD floats $73 million bond for May ballot

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 […]

City of Silverton

Parks planning – Pickleball courts, lake trails to come before city soon

By James Day The City of Silverton’s work on a master plan for its parks is yielding immediate fruit. Two of its major pieces, a trail system at Pettit Lake and new pickleball courts near the skate park, could see design and construction contracts come before the city as early as next month. The funds for both facilities have been […]

Bond redux – Silver Falls aims to put new bond measure on May ballot

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 […]

Next steps? May school bond seems less likely after SFSD Board meeting

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 […]

Bond fails – Silver Falls School District discusses next steps

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 […]

Update: Silverton High – Teachers link modern design to student success

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 […]

What if? Board contemplates bond alternatives

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 […]

Update: Bid to replace Middle School hopes to aim higher than ‘good enough’

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 […]

Update: Failing pieces – Unexpected repairs impact budget, emergencies threaten safety

Editor’s note: Our Town is presenting a school-by-school review of the facility challenges at each building covered by the Silver Falls School District bond proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot. For previous stories go to ourtownlive.com.  By Stephen Floyd Mark Twain and Robert Frost elementary schools both recently had extreme examples of building failures during the start of a school […]

Needs assessment – Prioritizing space, safety for Butte Creek, Scotts Mills

Editor’s note:  Our Town has been providing a school-by-school review of the facility challenges at each building covered by the Silver Falls School District bond proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot. Missed one? Stories are available at ourtownlive.com.  By Stephen Floyd Butte Creek and Scotts Mills schools are in a unique place in the Silver Falls School District’s plan for […]

Aging out – 1947 HVAC systems, plumbing, cement failing schools, students

Editor’s note: Our Town is presenting a school-by-school review of the facility challenges at buildings covered by the Silver Falls School District bond proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot.  By Stephen Floyd A number of schools in the Silver Falls School District (SFSD) are relics of the baby boom, including Silver Crest, Evergreen and Victor Point schools all constructed in […]