Mount Madonna School

My child has been at Mount Madonna School since 6th grade, after three years of homeschooling. They're now in 10th grade and will be here until graduation. Mount Madonna School is beyond description but I will do my best to list some of the reasons why we believe in this school and what it offers. 1) The pandemic hit mid-way through 7th grade. We left for spring break, thinking we would be back in two weeks but that never happened. MMS spent the whole time we were on lockdown planning for getting students back on the mountain as soon as possible. Even during the lockdown, no school days were missed, albeit the delivery was different. In a week, faculty were able to pivot from in-person to online learning seamlessly. Students were sent home last day of school with all their textbooks. The face of the classroom changed overnight and our faculty didn't miss a beat and carried on with the business of educating these young minds. It was amazing how quickly the school responded and made it possible for our kids to continue learning amid such great unknowns. September 2020 rolled around and school was back for a new school year and IN PERSON!! Big tents were set up and classroom learning moved outdoors! The school was moved to remote learning mostly due to the really bad air quality from the fires that fall and not because of any Covid outbreaks at school. For a whole year, students, teachers, staff, and administration worked and studied under all the new guidelines set by the state without any schoolwide Covid transmissions. It was not a miracle! It was about great planning and having an administration that believed in the science and trusted the experts, while they did what they do best...provide a caring environment where kids could thrive. Kids learned and teachers taught - IN PERSON!!! If we weren't convinced that our family was at the right school before, living through the covid pandemic with a brand new teenager WITHOUT A DOUBT cemented this belief in me and my husband, that Mount Madonna School cares about the humanity of our children while providing an excellent academic environment as well. WITHOUT A DOUBT! My child's mental well-being means more than anything else in the world to me!!2) The location of the school. It's literally on top of a mountain, far away from busy streets and distractions. There are hundreds of acres of nature to explore!! What an amazing place for children to run and play, and learn about the interconnectedness of all living and non-living beings. It is something that you can't just read about, you got to live it!! This is what kids experience at Mount Madonna School. 3) The best learning happens beyond conventional four-walled classrooms. At the beginning of the year, before they set foot in any classroom and open their textbooks, middle school students spend 3-4 days camping and getting to know each other and their teachers. While middle schoolers are camping, high school students are out white water rafting on the American River. The school's philosophy rooted in this tradition is that learning cannot happen unless you feel safe and secure among your peers and especially with the adults who are there to guide you. Every time they return from these trips, their faces say it all!! Everyone, new and returning students, looks and acts like they've known each other for years! It is truly priceless! There are other learning journeys that students participate in throughout their education at MMS. But my review has gone on long enough. I have barely scratched the surface of all that is offered at this school. If you believe in developing the whole child, one who will grow up to value diversity, equity and inclusion, and understand how they can effect positive change in their community and the world as a whole, then you should sign up for a tour and enroll your child here.

One of the best decisions and investments I have done for my kid is by sending my daughter to this school. EVERYONE involved with the school has been so helpful, proactive, responsive, thoughtful, and so on. It's a kind, safe, caring, peaceful, supportive environment for the kids, the classrooms are clean, well lit (the lighting faces the ceiling so its easy on the eyes), well organized, etc. The Dean sends out helpful links to parent education channels and the teachers always answer my questions in a very thoughtful way with their comprehensive answers. The admin team has been so incredible and the transportation department has been so responsive and caring for any extra curriculum that the students choose. The school equips the students with not just academic but also life lessons. Truly amazing school and I hope everyone who reads this can join us at MMS.

Our children have been at Mount Madonna School since 2016, when they were 3 and 5 - and are now in 1st and 3rd grade. Four years in, our daughter and son are thoroughly in love with their school and so are we. Not only are the children thriving with kind and stimulating friendships, but we also have met many wonderful families with whom our lives are now enmeshed. My husband and I are both educators working in our community in south county Santa Cruz, which is culturally and socio-economically diverse. We chose MMS because we care about equity and inclusivity, and we want to pace our children's' academic lives with character development. In our community, we found that graduates of MMS were very diverse young humans who were empowered, had self-recognizance, were exceptionally mature, grounded, and capable of having confident, natural interactions with adults, and we were like wow! What is this place all about? And we find from the earliest years that this path indeed happens, bio-dynamically, at Mount Madonna School. In these chaotic times, we are glad to see that the staff at MMS consistently participate in cultural competence trainings, and teachers create unique opportunities for the students to learn about and participate in social justice perspectives and to become protectors of the environment. Science, math, philosophy and literature all coincide with this immersive approach in a stunning natural setting. Students have the opportunity to balance classroom time with time outdoors taking in the earthly wisdom of the beautiful 380 acre campus in the redwoods. Families at Mount Madonna come from the "Oceanside" near Santa Cruz and also from Silicon Valley and adjacent areas like Morgan Hill and Gilroy. We have a very international community of families here, and heritage is celebrated through various events during the year like Cultural Awareness Assembly, Ramayana, the Winter Concert, and more. Here is a learning environment that is freer than most schools from competition, comparison, and undue stress and anxiety that can often waylay the natural appetite for learning. This is partially due to the grace of smaller student-teacher ratios and the more intimate community environment where students feel and look out for each other. We are so grateful to be immersed in a learning journey that is supported by the visions of the clearly talented, dedicated staff and administrators who steer the school, which is now in its 45th year.

My son has been at Mount Madonna since kindergarten. It has nourished him as a whole human each step of the way. The high school program is rigorous and fully prepares the students for whatever path they choose after high school. They're not only learning the academics but how to think through ideas and express themselves eloquently.

We are so happy we overcame the distance and sent our daughter to this amazing school. This is our daughter's fourth year at Mount Madonna and she doesn't want to miss a day. There are some fantastic teachers that really know how to engage and encourage the kids to learn. I wish I could go to school here.