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New retreat center has education roots Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Poppie Beveridge retained the exterior look of the schoolhouse, above, which closed in 1951 when Wagner Creek School merged with Phoenix. SchoolHouse focus will be on total well-being By TONY BOOM TALENT � The historic Wagner Creek School will begin a new educational career this month as a retreat center for well-being workshops and cultural activities. Now called simply The SchoolHouse, the 1929 structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings and sits on 1.3 acres at 8445 Wagner Creek Road. A pavilion and cottage, added later, provide space for retreats and special events. "The main focus is education and nurturing toward well-being," says owner and director Poppie Beveridge. Beveridge�s focus grew, in part, from her experience as a dance instructor in the 1980s at then-Southern Oregon State College, where she worked with students of all ages. She discovered that much of her teaching was related to "enhancing the shell we walk around in." Two events SchoolHouse will host two public events to herald its rejuvenation: "100 Years of Women and Dress," an exhibit and presentation by the Talent Historical Society with costumes by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, on March 18; and an improvisational performance by Playback Theatre on March 25. Both events start at 2 p.m. and will be followed by tea and a tour of the site. Beveridge says SchoolHouse retreats will emphasize "strengthening and stretching to be supple, strong and serene in mind, body and spirit" and will include workshops by guest presenters. The instructor bases her teaching on a variety of techniques and studies, among them yoga, breathing and her own studies at ballet studios in the United States and Europe. "I�ve become aware of the fact that I�m a diagnostician," says Beveridge. "I began to see how someone can use their body more efficiently and effectively." Besides focusing on body movement and dance, the retreats also will explore finances, careers, arts, music and culture in relation to well-being, says marketing consultant Joan VanAntwerp. Tools such as the Myers-Briggs personality assessment will be used in some workshops. A five-week series of weekend morning classes will begin March 31. They will include 90 minutes of movement and relaxation instruction, followed by a half-hour tea. One-day sessions for women, "Recess at the School House," will offer workshops, spa time and lunch and dinner. The retreats take place the second and fourth Saturday of each month beginning in April. A five-day residential retreat in early May will include three days for women only and a two-day tango workshop with Argentine dancers Fernanda Gia and Guillermo Merlo. The two-day workshop is open to the public. Beveridge and her family purchased the Wagner Creek School in 1975 after it had been a community center and had gone through several other owners. She gave dance lessons at the schoolhouse for several years while it also served as the family home. Renovations to the cottage conclude 10 years of remodeling. The school building now includes a studio, library room, salon, garden room and redesigned kitchen and dining space. The school�s former downstairs gym area now has five guest rooms and spa facilities. The building also has updated heating and ventilation equipment and is handicapped accessible. Talent Historical Society named Beveridge as one of its "women who make a difference" for her efforts to preserve the schoolhouse. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.