Our Product is Education. Our Purpose is Community.
School of Ranch helps people discover common ground across politics, age, background, and beliefs. Learning together bridges divides.
In a world shaped by busy schedules and digital spaces, we have fewer chances to connect beyond our usual circles. Learning new skills together creates those chances.
What grows out of this is simple and powerful: familiarity, respect, and belonging. When people learn together, they to see each other as neighbors, and communities grow stronger—one shared experience at a time.
Mission
Education
We promise you a different type of learning experience. You deserve workshops that are collaborative, interactive, that help you build skills you use, that meet your where you are, and that are fun.
Culture
Our local culture is rooted in the heritage skills it took to make it here, from weaving basket made of reeds growing on a river’s edge, to coaxing life from our moondust soil, to welding a broken fence. These are the skills we teach.
Community
A community shares more than a common zip code. They are rooted in common hopes, concerns, and values. To thrive when people do things together, help each other, and teach each other their skills.
History
Chainsaws and YouTube Don’t Mix
I’m Mark Gross, founder of School of Ranch. After a life in cities and the burbs, I found myself living on a ranch in Central Oregon. First thing I did…bought a chainsaw and went to YouTube to learn how to use it. Mistake! Chainsaw + Video = Major Potential of Missing limb!
School of Ranch is Born
I ran an ad on Craigslist, “Idiot Needs Help with Chainsaw.” Kaleb Watson showed up at my door, and despite having zero in common, we bonded over the experience. I said, hey, let’s start School of Ranch! We can hire people like you to teach people like me. And better, we can help everyone discover common ground. After all, we’re not going to fight while working together to learn to use a chainsaw.
Building Bridges While Mending Fences
While our product is education, and our purpose is to keep heritage skills alive, our passion is for community. We help people discover common ground regardless of politics, age, background or beliefs by getting them together around a topic like carpentry, or canning, and putting them in a collaborative learning environment. It’s hard to fight when everyone is having fun carving spoons!
A Volunteer-Led, Student-Run 501c3 Nonprofit
Today, School of Ranch serves thousands of people each year in Central Oregon with its workshops and programs like School of Ranch Extend. We are a volunteer-led nonprofit. There is no paid staff. We do pay our high school interns, who run all our marketing. Thanks for all your support.
Oregon cultural trust
School of Ranch is Recognized by the Oregon Cultural Trust
The Oregon Cultural Trust supports organizations recognized as preserving and contributing to our local culture. Matching donations to the Trust can earn a 100% tax credit.
School of Ranch is proud to be recognized as part of the set of fantastic arts and culture organizations in Oregon. Please support the arts!
PRESs
Bend Magazine Feature
Bend Magazine did a great piece on School of Ranch. Worth a read.
Download the PDF or read the article online.
