Our History
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, John G. Bennett, philosopher, scientist, and educator, founded the International Academy for Continuous Education (IACE) at Sherborne House in Gloucestshire, England, dedicated to teaching practical ways to bring balance to human life and spiritual development. Bennett taught from his understanding realized from his work with G. I. Gurdjieff and others; providing the know-how for preparing ordinary people for spiritual work and transformation, in order to serve the future.
Many Americans attended Sherborne and returned to the United States after completing the program, with a large group settling in Massachusetts. Some attended a similar program at Claymont Court in Charles Town, West Virginia and relocated to the Boston area after the program. Bill Bleak, together with other Sherborne graduates, began a group on Pearl Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, and was the first to move out to the Athol-Royalston area. Over the years, many from the Somerville group relocated to the area, creating an “invisible village”, and choosing a rural life with opportunities for a deeper connection to nature as a setting for group work.
In the spring of 1989, this group incorporated as Millers River Educational Cooperative, Inc., and founded the Village School, an independent elementary school.
In 1998, Millers River Educational Cooperative purchased the Camp Caravan property in Royalston, Massachusetts for use as the site for the future home of the Village School, and as an ideal campus for practical adult education.