Monte del Sol Charter School

Monte del Sol Charter School is a diverse, independent public school serving grades 6-12 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It prides itself on its small enrollment and strong relationships with each student, as well as an extensive arts education, community involvement, technology/sustainability practices and education, and a global perspective. The school currently operates out of a single classroom building that no longer meets all of their needs. RMKM’s campus master plan attempts to meet them; the first being a gymnasium and performing arts building. This building also includes an outdoor amphitheater so that the black-box stage can be used as both an indoor and outdoor stage. The roof is shaped so that it can collect rainwater in two large cisterns, and the south façade is faceted to improve acoustics in the gymnasium. Several meeting rooms for the school’s mentorship program and four science labs will be added in a separate wing.

Renovations to the existing building include relocating the administrative offices to the school’s main entrance and moving wellness offices in their place, turning the existing science labs into visual art classrooms, and adding a mezzanine level to the existing cafeteria/gathering space that will house a media center. A new concourse will connect the existing building to the new building, and lastly, a large, terraced garden area will be added where portables currently sit. Monte del Sol brings gardening into almost all areas of academic curriculum and after-school programs. This new garden area will allow them to expand this program and allow for an outdoor classroom immersed within the garden.