Laurelwood Academy
Encyclopedia
Laurelwood Academy is a private secondary school
affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church
near Jasper, Oregon
, United States
. Founded in 1904 in Laurelwood, Oregon
, the boarding school
moved to a new 20 acres (8.1 ha) campus in rural Lane County
outside of Eugene
in 2007. The school has grades 9 through 12 and focuses on agriculture in addition to academics.
, and in 1904 established the Laurelwood Academy at Laurelwood near Gaston
. The school was built on the former Donation Land Claim of R. D. Walker with the first building on campus a one-story dining hall. When it opened it had grades one through ten under the direction of principal Robert Arye and an enrollment of 16 students – four girls and 12 boys. The first graduate of the academy was Henry Dirkson in 1906.
Initially built on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²), the academy purchased more land from Walker in later years. The institution was expanded with the addition of a chapel in 1908 that was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1919. Principal Arye left the school in 1907 and J. L. Kay became the principal, expanding the curriculum to twelve grades. The academy added a building for teaching manual labor in 1925 followed by an new administration structure in 1943. In 1950, the unaffiliated but adjacent Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School opened. Adventist owned Harris Pine Mills had a furniture making plant across the street that provided some employment to students after it opened in 1965.
By 1976 the four-year academy grew to as large as 350 students. In 1976, Charles Hanson was the principal and the school had dormitories, a science building, gymnasium, and an administration building. The companion elementary school had an enrollment of around 115 students at this same time. Laurelwood Academy was closed in 1985 after enrollment had declined at the schools of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
In 1988, the Oregon Conference sold the 430 acres (1.7 km²) academy to a private group run by alumni of the school for $1.5 million. The school also owned stands of timber and other agricultural property, as well as a furniture production facility leased to Harris Pine Mills that closed in 1986. When sold, the school had more than a dozen private residences, three academic buildings, two residence halls, and the gymnasium. In September 1988, the company that bought the campus re-opened Laurelwood Academy with 40 students under the direction of principal Harold Clark.
Enrollment increased to around 90 students by 1996, and was around 80 in 2001. In 2007, the school re-located to the Eugene, Oregon
, area after enrollment was at 90 students. The new campus on Jasper-Lowell Road opened that year on a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) piece of property with 19 students. The land was donated to the academy by the McDougal Foundation. Laurelwood Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School still operates in Laurelwood, and now has enrollment of about 20, in grades 1 through 8 while the former academy buildings there housed the Mission College of Evangelism for a few years. The former grounds in Laurelwood were sold to the religious group Ananda
in May 2011.
The Academy closed after the 2010-2011 school year, due to financial issues. They have decided to run a "small school" for the 2011-2012 school year, and they hope to regain financial footing for the 2012-2013 year. The campus will still be used for a yearly camp-meeting by Light Bearers Ministries.
.
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
near Jasper, Oregon
Jasper, Oregon
Jasper is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located southeast of Springfield on Oregon Route 222, at the confluence of Hills Creek and the Middle Fork Willamette River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1904 in Laurelwood, Oregon
Laurelwood, Oregon
Laurelwood is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The community is located southwest of the Portland metropolitan area near Oregon Route 47 along Laurelwood Road, to the east of the city of Gaston and Wapato Lake. Laurelwood, a farming community, has a...
, the boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
moved to a new 20 acres (8.1 ha) campus in rural Lane County
Lane County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge *Siuslaw National Forest *Umpqua National Forest *Willamette National Forest -Government:...
outside of Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in 2007. The school has grades 9 through 12 and focuses on agriculture in addition to academics.
History
In 1877, the Seventh-day Adventist Church established a Conference in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and in 1904 established the Laurelwood Academy at Laurelwood near Gaston
Gaston, Oregon
Gaston is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 600 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 630 residents.-Early history:...
. The school was built on the former Donation Land Claim of R. D. Walker with the first building on campus a one-story dining hall. When it opened it had grades one through ten under the direction of principal Robert Arye and an enrollment of 16 students – four girls and 12 boys. The first graduate of the academy was Henry Dirkson in 1906.
Initially built on 5 acres (20,234.3 m²), the academy purchased more land from Walker in later years. The institution was expanded with the addition of a chapel in 1908 that was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1919. Principal Arye left the school in 1907 and J. L. Kay became the principal, expanding the curriculum to twelve grades. The academy added a building for teaching manual labor in 1925 followed by an new administration structure in 1943. In 1950, the unaffiliated but adjacent Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School opened. Adventist owned Harris Pine Mills had a furniture making plant across the street that provided some employment to students after it opened in 1965.
By 1976 the four-year academy grew to as large as 350 students. In 1976, Charles Hanson was the principal and the school had dormitories, a science building, gymnasium, and an administration building. The companion elementary school had an enrollment of around 115 students at this same time. Laurelwood Academy was closed in 1985 after enrollment had declined at the schools of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
In 1988, the Oregon Conference sold the 430 acres (1.7 km²) academy to a private group run by alumni of the school for $1.5 million. The school also owned stands of timber and other agricultural property, as well as a furniture production facility leased to Harris Pine Mills that closed in 1986. When sold, the school had more than a dozen private residences, three academic buildings, two residence halls, and the gymnasium. In September 1988, the company that bought the campus re-opened Laurelwood Academy with 40 students under the direction of principal Harold Clark.
Enrollment increased to around 90 students by 1996, and was around 80 in 2001. In 2007, the school re-located to the Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, area after enrollment was at 90 students. The new campus on Jasper-Lowell Road opened that year on a 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) piece of property with 19 students. The land was donated to the academy by the McDougal Foundation. Laurelwood Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School still operates in Laurelwood, and now has enrollment of about 20, in grades 1 through 8 while the former academy buildings there housed the Mission College of Evangelism for a few years. The former grounds in Laurelwood were sold to the religious group Ananda
Swami Kriyananda
Swami Kriyananda , born J. Donald Walters , is a direct disciple of the yogi Paramhansa Yogananda and founder of Ananda, a worldwide movement of spiritual intentional communities based on Yogananda's World Brotherhood Colonies ideal...
in May 2011.
The Academy closed after the 2010-2011 school year, due to financial issues. They have decided to run a "small school" for the 2011-2012 school year, and they hope to regain financial footing for the 2012-2013 year. The campus will still be used for a yearly camp-meeting by Light Bearers Ministries.
Academics
The academy enrolled students in grades 9 through 12 at the boarding school. Laurelwood was provisionally accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. In addition to academics, students also learned manual labor by farming on the campus. Agriculture and business were the primary educational focuses of Laurelwood Academy. Laurelwood is an affiliate of Outpost Centers InternationalOutpost Centers International
Outpost Centers International is a non-profit umbrella organization for lay ministries supporting the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
.
See also
- Seventh-day Adventist educationSeventh-day Adventist educationThe Seventh-day Adventist educational system is the second-largest Christian school system in the world, after the Roman Catholic system ....
- List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary and elementary schools