About Us

Ascension School is A Place Apart to connect with God’s sacred mystery, celebrating the dignity, diversity, and oneness of all creation.

Our core values are human dignity, creation care and spiritual formation.

Our History and Ministry Today

Ascension School rests on the ancestral lands of the Umatilla, Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Nez Perce peoples. The Native people of this region nurture and harvest first foods, camp as part of their seasonal rounds, and gently care for the eco-systems of this region today, as they have done for thousands of years. Habitat restoration and Indigenous cultural revitalization is central to our mission today.

In the late 1800s, Samuel French settled the land and later established an Episcopal girls’ school. After a tragic fire, the land lay fallow until 1924 when Bishop Remington opened a summer camp. Since that time, Ascension School has offered a robust summer camp program and has expanded to offer retreat programming and conference facilities.

Our facilities and grounds are available for guest retreats, social gatherings, meetings, and celebrations. We welcome people from all traditions with our Radical Hospitality.

The Spiritual Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon

Ascension School is a ministry of the Diocese and the central gathering place for leaders and lay people. We provide programming and space for Diocesan Council, various commissions, the Cursillo Community, collegium, and vestry retreats.

The Diocesan Office and Archives are located onsite at Ascension School. To directly contact the Diocese, please contact Lisa Boquist at lboquist@edeo.org

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Welcome and Inclusion

We believe in the dignity and the intrinsic worth of every human being. We welcome, affirm, support, and seek to adapt for ability and disability, experience, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, national origin, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

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Community Partners

Naknuwithlama Tiiachamna – Caretakers of the Land

Learn more about this partnership and our habitat restoration efforts here.

Cove Community Association

Ascension School partners with the Cove Community Association (CCA) on a variety of events and programs. This includes Cherry Fair! Cove Cherry Fair, “The Best Little Fest”, is proudly hosted and sponsored by Ascension School. Always occurring on the third Saturday of August, this fair includes vendors, live music, games, delicious food, a pancake breakfast, fun run, and a parade. For more information about the Cove Cherry Fair, visit here. For details about CCA click here.

Cove Senior Citizens

Call Judy for more Info – #541-910-5909

Senior Meals @ Founders Hall – First & Third Tuesdays (Sept-May)

Senior Fitness @ the Coe-Kerr Building – Tuesdays & Thursdays; 8:30-9:30 (Sept-May)

Cove School District

We welcome our local students to campus for the drone program, science education, cross country meets and practices, and a variety of events.

Cove Preschool

The Cove Preschool is a non-profit organization established for the education of Cove’s 3-5 year olds. The Cove Preschool is located on the Ascension grounds just behind Morris Hall at 1101 1/2 Church Street. They provide an opportunity for cooperative play, social interaction, experiential activities, and literacy development while engaging in all learning modalities in a safe environment. For more information click here.

Contact Us

Get in touch with us

(541) 568-4514

1104 Church Street
Cove, OR 97824

Ascension School
PO Box 278
Cove OR 97824

nathan@coveascensionschool.com