Digging deep to our roots.

Our Mission. Our Vision. Our Purpose.

The Kingsley Folk School’s mission is to bring traditional, earthen crafts & skills back to the people. While skills like growing our own food, canning, natural building and herbalism are often seen as things of the past, they are also our future. To keep these timeless skills alive we connect community members with know-how with those eager to learn by creating accessible and approachable classes and workshops like glass blowing 101, soap making, tree grafting, sauerkraut making and natural fiber spinning.

Our vision is to create community around learning and sharing skills, bringing together people from all walks of life on common grounds. We hope to create collective resiliency in the face of a changing world and strengthen our relationships with nature, ourselves and each other.

We aim to build a yurt by 2025 for a year round classroom space on our farm location in Kingsley. Please help us establish our vision by donating to our GoFundMe Campaign here:

Dreaming

The Kingsley Folk School is one of those projects that has had a life of its own. When the spark ignited with founder Sierra LaRose, it wasn’t long before plans were in motion and, seemingly without much effort, the folk school had its home in downtown Kingsley, Michigan.

Building

With a small classroom space and a big vision, Sierra started promoting and hosting classes in the Fall of 2021. Courses, taught by many passionate community members and artists, have thus far included a kids music series, stamp making, knitting, cheese making, glass blowing and many others.

Growing

In the Fall of 2022, the Kingsley Folk School established its official, founding Board of Directors and continues to structure and expand the organization. We have moved our location to our farm site on Walton Road in Kingsley where we can expand and hope to build a yurt for year round classes by 2025.

A group of people sitting in a circle on grass in a sunny field surrounded by trees.

Current Kingsley Folk School Board Members

Person posing indoors with a shelf of rocks and crystals in the background, wearing a knitted sweater and necklace.
Woman in garden harvesting flowers with a wicker basket.
A person with long white hair standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree with lights and ornaments.
Person wearing a gray hat and glasses with red lipstick, smiling against a blue background.
Man in blue shirt and purple tie smiling outdoors by a river with greenery and a bridge in the background.

Sierra LaRose (President)

I am a mother, Kingsley business owner, farmer, community educator and manager of the Kingsley Farmers Market. I find passion in supporting community spaces where folks from all walks of life can come together and share over common grounds. I founded the Kingsley Folk School to be a platform for this type of work and a way to preserve traditional skills and the relationships they foster that are being lost in our technology driven world.

Jami Bigham (Treasurer)

I am the newly elected treasurer for Kingsley Folk School (KFS) board of directors. I am so excited to be on board for our visionary future that is a current plan in action (refer to our website for what we're up to). As we collectively continue toward our goals and curriculum, I am honored to be entrusted with this position. I uphold the mission of integrity and responsible, transparent financial commerce.

Christina LaMie (Secretary)

I am a local photographer who has been volunteering with the Kingsley Folk School since 2024.  I believe deeply in the value of building community, and am excited to help the Kingsley Folk School share their mission to help bring people together by sharing and learning new skills.  Coming together in this way creates the foundation for a future I can look forward to, and I am excited to share that vision with others.

Elaine Grehl

I was born and raised in Michigan. After residing in places such as Northern Delaware, Chicago, IL, Southeast Vermont, and Eastern Michigan, I am thrilled to call Northern Michigan my “Soul Home’ since 2011. As a native plant restoration technician and gardener, as well as an Instructor for Michigan State University Institute of Agricultural Technology, I enjoy being outdoors and communing with our plant, animal, and mineral kin. My deep passion in building capacity for feeling, appreciating, growing, and empowering fuels my interest in serving the Kingsley Folk School.

Josh Green

I have been a member of the Kingsley community my whole life. I moved away for about 10 years to get my Master's Degree in Wildlife Biology and Natural Resource Management from Grand Valley State University. During that time, I spent my summers in Kingsley and worked at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Now that I am out of college, I am excited to be able to move back to Kingsley and start getting actively involved in the community that has given me so much.