Mace-Kingsley Ranch School

Last updated
Mace-Kingsley Ranch School
Address
Mace-Kingsley Ranch School
9 miles North-East of Reserve along New Mexico State Road 12 [1]

Reserve
,
New Mexico
87830

United States
Coordinates 33°48′39″N108°40′59″W / 33.810833°N 108.683056°W / 33.810833; -108.683056
Information
Type Ranch school
Religious affiliation(s) Scientology
Opened1987
Closed2002
School district Reserve Independent School District
Gender Coeducational
Age8to 17 [2]
Language English
Campus size14,278 acres (5,778 ha)
Campus typeRural
Tuition US$30,000-75,000 [3]
Affiliation Applied Scholastics, Association for Better Living and Education, Religious Technology Center, Church of Scientology
Website Mace-Kingsley Ranch School

Mace-Kingsley Ranch School (later called The Ranch School, Inc., [4] and the New Mexico Ranch School [1] ) was a ranch school for children aged 8 to 17 affiliated with the Church of Scientology. The School opened in 1987 and based in Palmdale, California before moving to a property in the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico in the early 1990s. It closed in 2002 and its certificate of incorporation was revoked. The school's curriculum focused heavily on the teachings of Scientology. Students were subjected to pseudo-scientific processes such as the Purification Rundown and daily auditing. [5] A large portion of each day was dedicated to cleaning and general manual labor. The school received criticism over the years for the treatment of students under its care. Students have reported cases of being underfed as well as being beaten, whipped and publicly humiliated as forms of punishment. [3]

Contents

History

The Mace-Kingsley Ranch School was opened in 1987 in Palmdale, California by Scientologists Debra Mace and Carol Kingsley. [3] The school stated that its purpose was to help kids in trouble by creating a safe environment for them away from the influences that were causing them problems. [3] In the early 1990s, the school moved from its Palmdale location to a ranch in the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico. [3] The school was located approximately 9 miles north-east from the town of Reserve on New Mexico State Road 12. [1] The ranch was situated on 158 acres of land comprising two main areas, the upper ranch and the lower ranch. Attached to this was another 14,120 acres leased from the US Forest Service. [6]

The school was coeducational and was responsible for children as young as 8 years old. [2] The boys dormitories were located at the lower ranch where most of the daily activities took place and the girls dormitories were at the upper ranch, around 2 miles away. [3] The school was eventually shut down in 2002 [5] and its certificate of incorporation was revoked. [7] After the school closed, the property was re-branded as the Hacienda del Espirito and was advertised for sale in 2003 at $1,700,000 [8] , later that year the sale price was raised to $2,000,000 [9] before eventually being reduced to $1,499,000 in 2005. [10]

Scientology methodology

An E-Meter Scientology - The E-Meter.jpg
An E-Meter
L. Ron Hubbard conducting Dianetics seminar in Los Angeles in 1950 L. Ron Hubbard conducting Dianetics seminar in Los Angeles in 1950.jpg
L. Ron Hubbard conducting Dianetics seminar in Los Angeles in 1950

The school utilized the "Study Technology" methodology developed by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. [11] A copyright notice on the school's website gave "grateful acknowledgement" to the L. Ron Hubbard library for usage of works of the Scientology founder. [11] The website also acknowledged that the school was "licensed" to use educational methodology from Applied Scholastics, a "service mark" owned by Association for Better Living and Education. [11] The school's website also noted that terms including Dianetics, Scientology, Purification Rundown, and Oxford Capacity Analysis "are trademarks and service marks" of the Religious Technology Center. [11] The school was endorsed by actress and Scientologist Kelly Preston. [12]

Lon Woodbury of Woodbury Reports visited the school site in 2000, and evaluated it on his website in 2001. [13] He noted that many of the classes were based on techniques developed by L. Ron Hubbard, and commented: "For a parent considering Mace-Kingsley Ranch School for their child, I would recommend obtaining at least a basic knowledge of Scientology. Since that is so central to the school’s program, it would be vital for the parents to be comfortable with its major tenets." [13]

Upon arrival at the school students were first administered an IQ test before being subjected to the Purification Rundown. [5] Students were then given the Oxford Capacity Analysis, a pseudo-scientific Scientology personality test originally designed in the early 1950s. [5] [14] In order to graduate from the program, students were required to complete The 10 requirements which included steps such as "orientation and willingness", "changing past patterns" and "demonstrating lessons learned". [15] Daily auditing using E-Meters was also required of students. [5]

Criticism

Janet Reitman

Janet Reitman investigated the school before its closure. [5] Her article in Rolling Stone magazine, "Inside Scientology", was critical of the school's practices. [5] Reitman noted, "The school enforced a rigid Scientology focus that many former students now say served as both a mechanism of control and a form of religious indoctrination". [5] This Rolling Stone article was selected for inclusion in The Best American Magazine Writing 2007, published by Columbia University Press. [16]

Phoenix New Times

In an interview in 2009 with the Phoenix New Times regarding his time at the school, Charlie Brand of the Miniature Tigers said, "It was bizarre because my family's not Scientologists. My parents thought it was for troubled teens. [The camp] forced Scientology on you, and you had to go through the steps before you could leave. You had to use an E-Meter and study guides about all their beliefs. I fought it for a while but eventually was like, 'Yeah, this Scientology stuff is great,' and faked it". [17]

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath

The A&E program Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath aired an episode entirely dedicated to the ranch entitled "The Ranches". In the episode, former students Tara Reile and Nathan Rich make multiple accusations of child abuse and neglect, [3] [18] [19] including being required to perform heavy manual labor daily, being denied sufficient food and nutrition for the amount of physical activity, being kept from communicating with family members, and paddlings with a wooden board. They also described public humiliations including being paddled with underpants down and being scrubbed with a wire brush by an adult in front of the entire school. [20]

Just before the episode aired, the Church of Scientology added a "dead agenting" webpage about Rich and Reile which featured interviews from their relatives who either didn't know them personally or had long ago disconnected from them. [21]

Audio of Wally Hanks recorded in or around Sep. 1988 at the Mace/Kingsley ranch school on W. Ave R8 in Palmdale, California

The show featured an audio recording of Wally Hanks repeatedly whipping a child with a belt while yelling at him to "look at that picture of LRH (L Ron Hubbard)." [3] After his death in 2017, Hanks’ nephew, Brian Hanks was interviewed by Tony Ortega of The Underground Bunker [22] where it was noted that Hanks still kept the paddle he used on students at the ranch mounted on his wall. [22] [18]

Nathan Rich

In 2018, Nathan Rich published a book about his experiences in Scientology and at the ranch. [23] According to reviewer Tony Ortega, "Scythe Tleppo is a roller coaster ride between these moments of clarity and one shocking scene after another told in brutal detail about the ways Nathan was abused, the ways he abused himself, and his ever downward spiral to homelessness and near-suicidal drug use." [24]

Mace-Kingsley Family Center

Some time after opening the Mace-Kingsley Ranch School, Debra Mace and Carol Kingsley opened the Mace-Kingsley Family Center in Clearwater, Florida. [25] The center caters to Scientologist families and runs a number of programs for children based on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. These programs include auditing, the purification rundown and ethics handling. [25] Scientologists can bring their young children, even infants to be audited at the center. [26]

As of 2023, the business was still in operation as Mace Kingsley Family Center International, Inc. at 900 Grove St, Clearwater Florida. [27] [25]

According to Mike Rinder on an episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath , the Mace-Kingsley Family Center's website took credit for the ranch schools: "Over 30 years ago, Carol Kingsley and Debbie Mace started in the [Los Angeles] area what is now known as the Mace-Kingsley Family Center of Clearwater, Florida. ... Carol and Debbie went on to form several schools, start a ranch in New Mexico that handled kids in trouble and to work with families in many other ways. All this eventually developed into the current Family Center in Florida". [20] [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narconon</span> Scientology organization

Narconon International is a Scientology organization which promotes the theories of founder L. Ron Hubbard regarding substance abuse treatment and addiction. Its parent company is the Association for Better Living and Education (ABLE), which is owned and controlled by the Church of Scientology. Headquartered in Hollywood, California, United States, Narconon operates several dozen residential centers worldwide, chiefly in the U.S. and western Europe. The organization was formed in 1966 by Scientologist William Benitez with Hubbard's help, and was incorporated in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disconnection (Scientology)</span> Severance of all ties from someone deemed to be antagonistic towards Scientology

Disconnection is the severance of all ties between a Scientologist and a friend, colleague, or family member deemed to be antagonistic towards Scientology. The practice of disconnection is a form of shunning. Among Scientologists, disconnection is viewed as an important method of removing obstacles to one's spiritual growth. In some circumstances, disconnection has ended marriages and separated children from their parents. The Church of Scientology has repeatedly denied that such a policy exists, though as of February 2012 its website acknowledged the practice and described it as a human right. In the United States, the Church has tried to argue in court that disconnection is a constitutionally protected religious practice. However, this argument was rejected because the pressure put on individual Scientologists to disconnect means it is not voluntary.

The Purification Rundown, also known as the Purif or the Hubbard Method, is a detoxification program which involves heat exposure for up to 5 hours a day and can exceed 4 weeks in length. It was developed by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard and used by the Church of Scientology as an introductory service. Scientologists consider it the only effective way to deal with the long-term effects of drug abuse or toxic exposure. It forms the basis for drug rehabilitation and detoxification programs operated by church-affiliated groups such as Narconon, Criminon, Second Chance, and the International Academy of Detoxification Specialists. The program combines exercise, dietary supplements and long stays in a sauna. It is promoted variously as religious or secular, medical or purely spiritual, depending on context.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leah Remini</span> American actress (born 1970)

Leah Marie Remini is an American actress. She starred as Carrie Heffernan on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens (1998–2007) and as Vanessa Celluci in the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait (2017–2018), both alongside Kevin James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operating Thetan</span> In Scientology, an ostensibly spiritual status above Clear

In Scientology, Operating Thetan (OT) is a notional spiritual status above Clear. It is defined as "knowing and willing cause over life, thought, matter, energy, space and time (MEST)". According to religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, "It’s basically a variation of the Gnostic myth about souls falling into matter and the encumbrances that come with that" with the exception in that instead of Divine intervention, there is Alien intervention. The Church teaches Operating Thetan doctrine in eight separate stages, or Levels; however, the Church claims there are actually fifteen Levels, and critics argue the Church uses the missing Levels to incentivize believers into giving more money to the Church in order to be able to experience them once they are finally released. Sometimes the Church requires believers to retake, and therefore pay again for, previous courses in the meantime as they await the missing Levels. Each course costs a considerable amount of money, often thousands of US dollars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Miscavige</span> Leader of the Church of Scientology (born 1960)

David Miscavige is the leader of the Church of Scientology. His official title within the organization is Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), a corporation that controls the trademarks and copyrights of Dianetics and Scientology. He is also referred to within the Scientology organization as "Captain of the Sea Org".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Study Technology</span> Teaching method by L. Ron Hubbard

Study Technology, also referred to as study tech, is a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. Study Technology is used by Scientologists as part of their training, and is also promoted outside the church by the affiliated corporation Applied Scholastics, which presents Study Tech as a secular, universally applicable method to enhance the comprehension of any student, studying any topic. However, the method has many critics, including former teachers, claiming that the "technology" and associated schools are intrinsically linked with religious aspects of Scientology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Spiritual Technology</span> Scientology organization

The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, incorporated in 1982, which owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard and licenses their use. CST does business as L. Ron Hubbard Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Rinder</span> Australian-American former Scientologist

Michael John Rinder is an Australian-American former senior executive of the Church of Scientology International (CSI) and the Sea Organization based in the United States. From 1982 to 2007, Rinder served on the board of directors of CSI and also held the post of executive director of its Office of Special Affairs, overseeing the corporate, legal and public relations matters of Scientology at the international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Scientology</span>

This is a Timeline of Scientology, particularly its foundation and development by author L. Ron Hubbard as well as general publications, articles, books and other milestones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Bunker</span> Critic of Scientology and Clearwater Council member

Mark Bunker, is an American politician, broadcast journalist, videographer and documentary filmmaker. He won a Regional Emmy Award in 2006 from the Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards division of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 2020, Bunker was elected city councilman for Clearwater Florida's 2nd district, and was selected as vice-mayor on April 4, 2023.

<i>Clear Body, Clear Mind</i>

Clear Body, Clear Mind is a book published in 1990 by the Church of Scientology's publishing house Bridge Publications. It is credited to L. Ron Hubbard who died four years earlier, and is largely a compilation of material he wrote in the 1960s. It is one of the canonical texts of Scientology and mainly deals with the Purification Rundown ("Purif"). Scientologists believe this "detoxification" program, created by Hubbard, has unique medical and spiritual benefits, but has been criticized by medical professionals as "dangerous", "quackery," and "in some cases lethal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Village Leadership Academy</span> Private school in the United States

New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA), also known as New Village Academy, was a private elementary school located in Calabasas, California, USA. Indian Hills High School previously used the campus, and in 2008 actor Will Smith funded New Village Academy and leased the Calabasas facilities for three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project</span> American organization found in 2003

The New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project was founded in New York City in 2003 with the stated purpose of treating rescue workers for toxins inhaled from the smoke of the September 11 attacks. It has two clinics: Downtown Medical on Fulton Street, two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, and another at Williston Park, Long Island. The project's co-founder and top fundraiser is actor Tom Cruise. It uses the Purification Rundown, a "detoxification" program invented by L. Ron Hubbard as part of Scientology's Bridge to Total Freedom. This rundown has been criticized by many doctors as pseudoscientific and medically dangerous. It was reported in October 2007 that 838 people had completed the program.

Michele "Shelly" Diane Miscavige is a member of the Church of Scientology's Sea Org who married Scientology leader David Miscavige, and a notable missing person; she was last seen in public in August 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Ortega</span> American author and journalist monitoring Scientology

Anthony "Tony" Ortega is an American journalist and editor who is best known for his coverage of the Church of Scientology and his blog The Underground Bunker. He was executive editor of Raw Story from 2013 until 2015. Previously, he had been a journalist at the New Times LA, the editor-in-chief of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times from 2005 to 2007, and the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice from 2007 to 2012. In 2015, he was executive editor of the YouTube channel TheLipTV. He is author of the non-fiction book The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, about journalist Paulette Cooper and the Church of Scientology's attempts to silence her after her own book was published.

<i>Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath</i> American documentary series

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is an American documentary series that investigates the Church of Scientology through the experiences of American actress Leah Remini and other former members. She was a follower of Scientology between 1979, when she joined at the age of nine alongside her parents, and 2013, when she left under acrimonious circumstances. She subsequently became an outspoken critic of Scientology and published a bestselling memoir, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, in 2015.

Nathan Rich is an American author, Scientology critic and content creator. He appeared on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath alongside classmate Tara Reile about their experiences at the Scientology boarding school, the Mace-Kingsley Ranch School.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NEW MEXICO RANCH SCHOOL, INC". New Mexico Companies. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 Porter Sargent staff; Daniel P. McKeever (2001). The Directory for Exceptional Children, 14th Edition. Porter Sargent Publishers. p. 262. ISBN   978-0-87558-141-5. Edition: 14 - Item notes: v. 5.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Remini, Leah. "Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath S2 E7 "The Ranches"". A & E. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "THE RANCH SCHOOL, INC". Nevada Register. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Reitman, Janet (23 February 2006). "Inside Scientology". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Espirito". Centerfire Property. Archived from the original on 18 June 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "MACE-KINGSLEY RANCH SCHOOL, INC". New Mexico Companies. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "NM Ranch June 2003". Hacienda Del Espirito. Archived from the original on 2 June 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "NM Ranch October 2003". Hacienda Del Espirito. Archived from the original on 4 October 2003. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  10. ↑ "NM Ranch March 2005". Hacienda Del Espirito. Archived from the original on 4 March 2005. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Adventure at its Best!". Mace-Kingsley Ranch School. Archived from the original on 8 February 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Endorsements". Mace-Kingsley Ranch School. Archived from the original on 8 August 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  13. 1 2 Woodbury, Lon. "MACE-KINGSLEY RANCH SCHOOL". Woodbury Reports. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  14. ↑ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1957). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Books and Pamphlets, including Serials and Contributions to Periodicals : January-June 1955. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 354. Copyright 1955 for "Manual of the American Personality Analysis" by Julia M. Lewis
  15. ↑ "The Ten Requirements for Graduation". Mace-Kingsley Ranch School. Archived from the original on 14 April 2001. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  16. ↑ American Society of Magazine Editors (2007). The Best American Magazine Writing 2007. Columbia University Press. p. 339. ISBN   978-0-231-14391-2.
  17. ↑ Leatherman, Benjamin (12 March 2009). "Miniature Tigers: Almost Everyone Loves Charlie Brand". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  18. 1 2 Bentley, Jean (October 10, 2017). "'Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath' Investigates Church's Treatment of Children". The Hollywood Reporter.
  19. ↑ Sanders, Ash (June 24, 2019). "Children of Scientology: Life After Growing Up in an Alleged Cult". Rolling Stone.
  20. 1 2 Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (Documentary series). Season 2, Episode 6, "The Ranches". October 10, 2017.
  21. ↑ Ortega, Tony (11 October 2017). "Tara and Nathan — subjects of last night's 'Leah Remini' — respond to Scientology's smears". The Underground Bunker. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  22. 1 2 Ortega, Tony (22 October 2017). "Wally Hanks, Scientology ranch terror recently portrayed on 'Leah Remini,' dies at 70". The Underground Bunker. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  23. ↑ Rich, Nathan (2018). Scythe Tleppo: My Survival of a Cult, Abandonment, Addiction and Homelessness. Dynasty Systems. ISBN   9781949629996.
  24. ↑ Ortega, Tony. "Sharp new memoir digs into Scientology's toxic cruelty experienced by those who grow up in it". The Underground Bunker. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 "About Us". Mace-Kingsley Family Center. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  26. ↑ Ortega, Tony (16 February 2018). "Purification Rundown at Mace-Kinglsey Family Center". The Underground Bunker. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  27. ↑ Florida Dept of State, Division of Corporations
  28. ↑ Mace-Kingsley Family Center website, October 16, 2017 version.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.