Situation
A vision for an historic boarding school for missionary children.
Located in Watsonville, California, Monte Vista Christian School is nestled in the beauty of God’s creation. Despite its proximity to Silicon Valley, the campus is remote and picturesque, complete with rolling mountains, hillside terrain, and horses grazing in its pastures.
Historically, Monte Vista was a boarding school for missionary kids. While their parents were out in the mission field—many of whom worked out of the country—students could live on campus in a faith-filled environment. An airstrip once connected to the school allowed missionary parents to fly in to visit their kids, then easily return to the mission field.
Solution
The Big Idea: Sky Ranch
When Monte Vista’s leadership team approached PlainJoe, A Storyland Studio, they were looking to update and expand their existing campus in preparation for its centennial anniversary. During our BlueSky strategy session, we dreamed up the Big Idea: Sky Ranch — a concept inspired by Monte Vista’s aviation history and its historic working horse ranch, where students can take equestrian classes as part of their school curriculum.
“Amidst the interconnected BEAUTY of the redwoods, sycamores, and foothills between the Silicon Valley and the Sea, an historic ranch and airstrip has been CARED for and stewarded into a HOLISTIC learning village, where we know and become KNOWN by growing ROOTS and wings.”
The Big Idea explored updates to Monte Vista’s existing campus, including a new master plan. PlainJoe Architecture dove into helping solve problems on campus, including thinking through the potential demolition of aging structures. Monte Vista needed new, strategically placed buildings, as well as workforce housing for staff.
Transformation
Endless spatial and creative possibilities for a campus rich in heritage.
Monte Vista’s new master plan features building facades reminiscent of vintage airplane hangars, reflecting the campus’s history. We recommended remodeling the daycare and elementary facilities, planned for a new middle school complex, maker space, and sand volleyball courts, and designed apartments for staff. A new entry gate was also factored into the updates.
Since the school was approaching its 100th anniversary, the PlainJoe team noticed that the campus lacked a central spine. Our architects suggested closing off an existing roadway and converting it into a pedestrian walkway, transforming it into a central walkway connecting the entire campus. We renamed it Centennial Way to celebrate the school’s anniversary.
As an added creative touch, we recommended painting the pavement on this walkway to look like a runway, with historical markers to commemorate the school’s long history. Each marker would denote a milestone in the school’s history, accompanied by a descriptive plaque. These markers could be sponsored through local fundraising efforts.
