The Origins of Forge
Forge was launched in 2020 as the founders held a different educational vision for their sons' middle and high school experiences. They wanted to create the conditions and experiences that would unlock their boys individual genius, passions and talents.
​
Not only would their genius be unlocked, but custom curated educational experiences would nurture and expand that genius. ​When an individual is able to explore and delve into their individual passions and talent, an inner confidence is developed that is unmatched in traditional settings.
​
To date, the vision has held true as both of their teen boys are thriving, happy, and exploring numerous experiences they would not otherwise have regular exposure to. Each is immersed in different areas of study and these run the gamut of welding, blacksmithing, construction, boat building, Adobe Creative, filmmaking, storyboarding, outdoor leadership and photography.
Forge Learning Guides
ZACK HENRY
Outdoor Leadership & Storytelling
Zack joined Forge in 2023 after teaching middle school for four years in Crook County and Redmond schools. Zack had been seeking an environment where the constraints of the public school system were removed so that he could pursue his passion of creating exceptional real-world learning experiences for his students. He thrives in building and maintaining deep and meaningful relationships with his students and their families.
Zack graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Literature and History. After graduation, he became a Senior Field Instructor for Evoke Wilderness Therapy Programs.
From the wilderness therapy experience, Zack went on to guide and teach in various outdoor environments including whitewater rafting, snowboard instructing, and downhill mountain biking. Through these guiding and teaching experiences, Zack decided to level up his instruction and attended OSU Cascades in order to obtain his MA in Secondary Education and Teaching. He successfully graduated with an MA in 2019.
Zack’s emotional intelligence, coupled with his kind and humane manner, make him an excellent resource for our students. His energy for guiding and mentoring youth, and his ability to shape amazing young humans through his own love of learning and the great outdoors is his reason for being, and make him a great fit as a guide for the young men at Forge.
ERICH SIMON
Technology & Mathematics
Erich joined Forge in 2023 and has specialties in mathematics education, environmental engineering, information design, project-based learning, mechanical design, 3D modeling (Fusion360, Sketchup, OpenSCAD) and 3D printing, programming (python, javascript, P5, OpenSCAD)
Erich spent 9 years teaching Math and Engineering at the high school level in Portland and locally at Bend High. Erich is a licensed environmental engineer and worked as a Water Resource Control Engineer and Environmental Engineering Consultant prior to teaching.
Erich holds a Masters in Education from Portland State University with a an advanced Mathematics endorsement. In addition, he holds an MS in Environmental Engineering from University of Colorado Boulder and a BS in Environmental Toxicology from University of California, Davis.
Erich’s love and curiosity for how things work and his ability to connect with young minds is his “why”. He brings an authentic energy and passion to the classroom and is always finding ways to integrate his studio topics and projects with the other Forge studios.
PAUL RUIZ
Multimedia & Traditional Art
Paul joined Forge in the fall of 2023. He has a professional background in Art, Digital Art and Media, is a certified Adobe Creative (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects and Dreamweaver) and professional Compositor. He worked in the entertainment industry for 10 years doing digital media. He also taught Adobe Creative skills to autistic and brain injured adults while working in Los Angeles.
​
Paul received his BS in Psychology from Saint Mary’s College of California and he received a Media Arts and Animation degree for the Art Institute of San Diego, California.
​
In his off-time, Paul loves being a soccer coach for Bend FC where he is a Junior Development Academy Coach. He has a passion for the game as well as coaching and has coached young players all the way up to young adults.
​
Paul’s ability to engage the learners in trying technologies is a gift and he brings his soccer coach disciplines to the classroom and studio. He eagerly integrates his curriculum with the other 4 Forge studios.
SEAN DRONIA
Build Studio and Auto Mechanics
Sean is the definition of a true renaissance man and found his way to Bend after growing up inVermont. Vermont seems to spawn many a craftsman, artist and outdoor enthusiast. He epitomizes the Forge ethos as he has a number of passions and talents and has immersed himself in those domains, thus acquiring proficiency in each.
It was in Vermont that Sean first experienced the joy of sparking young people to explore, discover and grow; for several summers, he ran a resort marina and was responsible for managing the team that taught 8-to-18 year olds how to ski, wakeboard and wake surf, while honing their leadership skills.
Since relocating to Bend 10 years ago, Sean has developed extensive skills in photography, carpentry, construction, auto mechanics and he is a published author (Mitaca - his book about his 1,000 mile journey on a fully loaded bicycle and the fascinating culture of coffee in Columbia).
He is skilled at general construction and finish carpentry. He believes the build process - being able to take something from an idea all the way through to a final product - is a crucial skill for both young men and women to possess.
Sean’s passion for classic vehicles is what opened the door to his auto mechanic expertise and he has deep experience working on both modern and classic vehicle.
Through Sean’s photography, construction, carpentry, mechanics and writing projects, he has developed deep experience in all things Adobe Creative Suite, Fusion 360 and SketchUp.
