How Yellowstone Academy’s Vo-Tech Program Took Root

Knowledge that sticks. Work that matters.

In Yellowstone Academy’s Vo-Tech program (Vocational Technologies), students don’t just learn skills—they build purpose. Many kids who come to the Ranch arrive discouraged, behind in school, or unsure of their own abilities. Vo-Tech gives them a way to reconnect with learning in a way that feels real.

A Program Rooted in Hands-On Learning

The Vo-Tech program began taking shape in 1972, when Yellowstone Academy launched its first vocational curriculum. Just two years later, the Academy earned state accreditation, marking a turning point. For the first time, students were gaining hands-on experience connected to life, work, and a future they could build for themselves.

That vision grew again in 2005, when Bob McFarlane—long-standing member of the YBGR family and Yellowstone’s first superintendent—led students and volunteers in rebuilding a donated greenhouse. Their efforts created the 13,000-square-foot Poetzl Horticultural Center, a space designed for learning through doing.

Today, the Poetzl Horticultural Center is central to the Vo-Tech experience. The greenhouse operates as a pheasant hatchery, with birds later moving to flight pens built by students. Kids raise bees for honey, grow fruit for jams and pies, and tend to chickens, corn, pumpkins, beans, and squash.

The land is a living classroom—one where confidence grows alongside the crops.

Building Skills That Last

Yellowstone Academy’s Vo-Tech program is more than a set of classes. It’s an opportunity for students to build something that lasts—on the land, in the shop, and within themselves.

Students also learn trades such as small engine repair, welding, and woodworking. These hands-on skills introduce new strengths, build vocational confidence, and help students experience the pride that comes from meaningful work.

What they build stays with them.

Learn More About Our History

Visit our History page to explore the story—and the caring people—who gave birth to this mission. Their vision continues to touch the lives of thousands of youth across Montana and beyond each year.

Want to dive deeper? You can also find A Legacy of Caring, written by founder Franklin Robbie, available on Amazon.