Ruch Outdoor Community School has a 104 year-old history that holds within its arms, a deeply-rooted attitude of relationship building, mutual care and sustainable community. What began as a roughhewn wood-built original schoolhouse that accommodated 51 students, is now a modern school that holds 225 students—preschool through 8th-grade. Internationally known for being one of the TOP 100 Place-Based Community Schools, Medford School District’s Premier Outdoor School, Southern Oregon University’s Environmental Education Program’s Field School and the first to operate on solar energy, Ruch School has a story to tell!
While some may consider Ruch an isolated community and the school to be just another small, rural school, in reality, what the school and community offer is an inspiring, engaging educational approach that is proving very successful. And while we can celebrate all the exciting things going on, we realize that we are who we are because of those pioneers that established this community school and all others that came after them. We pay tribute to them.
Please, we are looking for Ruch alumni! If you or someone you know attended Ruch School, please call the office and provide contact information. For Ruch School’s 105th birthday next year, we are hoping to host an alumni party so stories can be shared, recorded and published into an anthology available to all! Thank you to ALL RUCHIANS!
Contact: Ruch Outdoor Community School, 156 Upper Applegate Rd, Jacksonville, OR 97530, 541-842-3850, https://www.medford.k12.or.us/Domain/19.