Laurelwood Academy

Laurelwood Academy

In 1877, the Seventh-day Adventist Church established a Conference in Oregon, and in 1904 established the Laurelwood Academy at Laurelwood near Gaston.[7] 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.[8] 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.[8][9] The first graduate of the academy was Henry Dirkson in 1906.[8]

Initially built on 5 acres (20,000 m²), the academy purchased more land from Walker in later years.[8] The institution was expanded with the addition of a chapel in 1908 that was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1919.[8] Principal Arye left the school in 1907 and J. L. Kay became the principal, expanding the curriculum to twelve grades.[8] The academy added a building for teaching manual labor in 1925 followed by a new administration structure in 1943.[8] In 1950, the unaffiliated but adjacent Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School opened.[10] Adventist owned Harris Pine Mills had a furniture making plant across the street that provided some employment to students after it opened in 1965.[11]

By 1976 the four-year academy grew to as large as 350 students.[8] In 1976, Charles Hanson was the principal and the school had dormitories, a science building, gymnasium, and an administration building.[8] The companion elementary school had an enrollment of around 115 students at this same time.[8] Laurelwood Academy was closed in 1985 after enrollment had declined at the schools of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.[9]

In 1988, the Oregon Conference sold the 430-acre (1.7 km²) academy to a private group run by alumni of the school for $1.5 million.[9] 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.[9][11] When sold, the school had more than a dozen private residences, three academic buildings, two residence halls, and the gymnasium.[9] In September 1988, the company that bought the campus re-opened Laurelwood Academy with 40 students under the direction of principal Harold Clark.[11]

Former campus

Enrollment increased to around 90 students by 1996,[12] and was around 80 in 2001.[13] In 2007, the school re-located to the Eugene, Oregon, area after enrollment was at 90 students.[14] The new campus on Jasper-Lowell Road opened that year on a 20-acre (81,000 m²) piece of property with 19 students.[14] The land was donated to the academy by the McDougal Foundation.[14] 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.[15] The former grounds in Laurelwood were sold to the religious group Ananda in May 2011.[16]

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.

The academy enrolled students in grades 9 through 12 at the boarding school.[17] Laurelwood was provisionally accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.[2][17] In addition to academics, students also learned manual labor by farming on the campus.[14] Agriculture and business were the primary educational focuses of Laurelwood Academy.[14] Laurelwood is an affiliate of Outpost Centers International.[14]

• List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools
• Seventh-day Adventist education

• Alumni association
• Outpost Centers International