Great Hearts Monte Vista South Expands Fine Arts and Play with Koehler House
Great Hearts Monte Vista South celebrated the addition of the historic Koehler House property to its campus with a ribbon cutting, marking a significant expansion of fine arts and outdoor play for more than 800 elementary students in central San Antonio.
The new space includes two art classrooms, two dedicated music classrooms, a library, a large turfed play field and playground, giving students more room to create, sing, read, imagine and play as part of their Great Hearts classical education.
For Headmaster Kate Imber, the expansion reflects a conviction that the arts are not an extra at Great Hearts.
“At Great Hearts Monte Vista South, we believe that an excellent education develops the whole child,” Imber said. “We are deeply committed to helping our students grow academically while also ensuring they experience the transformative power of the arts.”
Students in kindergarten through second grade will create in the Carriage House art studio, while older elementary students will use new art spaces in the Koehler House, including its light-filled solarium. Two music classrooms on the lower level give every Monte Vista South student dedicated space for the study and practice of music.
The property also creates something increasingly important in the school day: more room to play.
The new turfed field and play areas allow students to run and play throughout the year—including after San Antonio rainstorms that once left the lawn unusable for days.
San Antonio Executive Director Monet Lessner, who previously served as headmaster at Monte Vista South, remembers watching students make the most of that same lawn years ago.
“It’s like we are playing on the grounds of a fairy tale castle,” Lessner recalled thinking. “What an incredible place for imaginative play. Look at all this space to run. It’s the perfect backdrop for a classical education.”
Years later, students are returning to that lawn—and this time, they are also stepping inside Koehler House.
“Our students are getting to experience art, music, and imaginative play in this historic space,” Lessner said. “I kept going out onto the patio and walking all over the house, picturing students checking out books, painting, singing Ríu Ríu Chíu.”
The expansion represents Great Hearts Texas continuing to invest in a vision of elementary education that pairs strong academics and the humanities with music, visual art and the spaces children need for wonder and play.
As Imber told families gathered for the ribbon cutting, “These beautiful new spaces reflect that commitment.”
For families looking for a classical elementary school in central San Antonio, Great Hearts Monte Vista South serves students in grades K–5 with a tuition-free classical liberal arts education. Learn more about Great Hearts Monte Vista South and enrollment →