March 11, 2004

A room with a view
Valley Christian School—king of the hill

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Anchored deep into the hillside atop Skyway Drive lies an impressive state-of-the-art campus with a breathtaking 360-degree panoramic view of the Silicon Valley. The school is filled to near capacity with approximately 1,500 junior high and high school students— 55 to 60 percent who are Almaden residents. The newness of the 5-year-old facility still shines in its polished floors, fresh walls, and neatly manicured landscapes.

During his tenure, Claude Fletcher, chancellor for Valley Christian Schools (VCS), has seen a dramatic change from its humble beginnings 40 years ago in a rented facility on Branham and Meridian. Owned by the Campbell School District, VCS was forced to find an alternate location when told it would be reopened in 2000 as Branham High School. Having purchased the property on Skyway Drive some 17 years ago, the board decided to build a new facility rather that rent again. “At the time we were told to move out, we did not have a place to go,” Fletcher says. “We immediately decided to start the process of getting the facility built here so we could move.”

To say that the school is anchored is an understatement. Part of an $85 million project, the 350,000-square-foot campus houses a four-story main building that is quite literally bolted to the hillside on which it was built. In a unique move toward safety, 20-foot by 20-foot pits were dug 15 feet into the hillside and filled with concrete and rebar, then attached to the building. For added reinforcement, 20-foot holes were drilled deep into the hill to insert concrete and steel supports that served to bolt the foundation to the cliff. “The geologist told us this is the safest place in the valley in the event of an earthquake,” Fletcher explains. “The hill is entirely rock, so it doesn't have a lot of give. We're very pleased with that.”

The timely construction of the campus, although not complete, enabled the school to relocate to the new facility 18 months later. “We did move in earlier than we probably should have because we were not completely finished at the time,” adds Fletcher. “But we had no choice, other than a shutdown, and we didn't want to do that.”

VCS offers rigorous academic training, along with a wide range of extracurricular and athletic opportunities. In addition to its myriad of classrooms, the school houses band rooms, a 200-seat theater, science and technology labs, a dance studio, and a communications center—hailed as one of the best in the valley—with a television studio and a 24-hour Internet radio station. “The kids can literally do everything with the newscast,” says Fletcher. “They're reporters, anchors, cameramen. They're into the whole process.”

Sports

Rivaling many colleges, VCS's athletic facilities are arguably among the most impressive in the Bay Area, including a $6 million football stadium, complete with an all-weather track and artificial turf that mirrors actual grass. An additional $5 million was spent on the neighboring baseball field. Fletcher admits the plans weren't always that elaborate, but interest was high among constituents and donations came in earmarked specifically for those projects.

To compliment the state-of-the art facilities, the football and baseball teams have garnered league championship titles for two years running and the basketball team captured their division title on March 6. VCS prides itself on producing quality athletes, including pre-season All-American and fourth ranked college freshman defensive end Jeff Schweiger. Currently a senior, he plans to attend USC in the fall and was just named Player of the Year by the Mercury News.

“We're very competitive,” Fletcher asserts. “We moved into the West Catholic League last year and that has made competition much tougher for us. But we know that's where we should be. It's been very good for the kids to be in a higher competitive area.”

Additionally, a 53-meter outdoor swimming pool sits at the opposite end of the campus, with the capacity to divide into three sections to accommodate multiple water polo games. It also doubles as a million-gallon reservoir as required by the fire department.

The school also offers a full compliment of girls sports, including soccer, basketball, track, softball, and swimming. In a Stanford/Washington style match, the girls basketball team recently lost their division title in the final seconds of the game. Additionally, their softball team is ranked fourth in the state. “We've tried to put as much effort into the girl's programs as we have the boys,” Fletcher exclaims. “It's really very strong.”

The arts

In addition to its athletic programs, VCS boasts equally strong offerings in the arts, including dance, art and music. “We've been very emphatic on maintaining those programs as well,” explains Fletcher. “It is a tremendous attraction to kids who are interested in music, arts and sports.”

Security is tight on the hilltop campus, with 50 hidden cameras that continuously monitor activity and promote school safety. “They can view practically anything at any time,” Fletcher says. “Frankly, it's good for discipline and the kids know if they mess up, they could be on camera.”

Dually accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Association of Christian Schools International, Fletcher says VCS is dedicated toward providing quality education with strong Christian values, enrolling students from literally every faith in the area and offering a broad-based approach in its teachings.

“We do accept kids who are not of the Christian faith, as long as their families agree and understand that they will hear the Christian faith and they're comfortable with that,” says Fletcher. “We're not here to ram legend down their throat. We're here to offer a very comprehensive academic program as well as the spiritual and social side of life. We try to make sure we cover those three areas and I think we do a fairly good job overall.”

Tuition

As a private school, VCS receives no public or government funding and relies strictly on tuition income and donations to maintain the school and pay its 200 staff and faculty members. Additional contributions enabled the school to dole out 107 scholarships totaling over $500,000 last year alone, stressing financial need as a priority for consideration. “It's not a guarantee that it will happen every year,” warns Fletcher. “But we've been able to increase it every year. We're very comprehensive in our approach and several kids would simply not be here without those funds.”

Typical tuition at VCS runs upwards of $9,000, depending on the grade level, and parent involvement is mandatory. “We feel that the parents are the primary educators of the kids,” says Fletcher. “We're simply here to supplement and give the basics in the educational process. Parents are a key element and we do require that they be involved to some degree.”

Kids with learning disabilities

As an added benefit, counselors are also on site to work one-on-one with special needs students in the VCS Discovery Center, a supplementary program under the direction of the National Institute for Learning Disabilities established to assist students with learning disabilities by providing private therapy sessions with trained learning specialists . “We can give more attention to these kids than they might get at other locations,” explains Fletcher. “Some have greater needs and we pay particular attention to those kids.”

Valley Christian School operates its K-5 programs at their Leigh Avenue, or “Trinity” campus, while the junior high and high schools remain [for now] at the Skyway facility. Fletcher admits that growing interest in the near capacity school has prompted the need to explore the option of a separate facility to house the junior high students in an effort to convert the Skyway campus to an autonomous high school in the future.

Although largely responsible for the management end of Valley Christian's success, Fletcher credits Superintendent Dr. Clifford Daugherty with making it what it is today. “He's a wonderful guy and one of the finest educators I've ever known,” says Fletcher. “He's the one who had the vision for what this school could be. And we've been a good combination so far. There's always room for improvement,” he adds humbly. “Our motto is Quest for Excellence. That's not a goal. It's a continual quest.”

Valley Christian Elementary School is located at 1450 Leigh Avenue. The junior high and high school campus is located at 100 Skyway Drive. For more information on enrollment, call (408) 559-4400 [Leigh] or (408) 513-2466 [Skyway] or log on to www.valleychristian.net