Rancho Cielo vocational students win big in an international sustainable building competition.

In a stunning win, construction students from Rancho Cielo in Salinas won the top prize at the Orange County Sustainability Decathlon on Saturday, Oct. 14, beating out students from top universities in the U.S. and England. Out of 10 categories, the team won first place in five categories and second place in three. The three weeks the vocational students were in Costa Mesa for the competition, they attended class everyday with a teacher who traveled with them. Unlike their competitors, Rancho Cielo students are still working toward graduating high school.

“Miraculous,” was Rancho Cielo Executive Director Chris Devers’ response when the overall prize was announced in a ceremony at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. After being told by some that they’d never be able to build a competitive entry on campus in Salinas in time – to then take apart and ship the 750-square-foot home in pieces by truck to Orange County and put it back together for the contest – “the first thought was, ‘We did it,’” Devers says.

Rancho Cielo’s home was the first to pass inspections and one of only three entries out of 17 that passed all three inspections for construction, electrical and plumbing, Devers says. The win was a lesson that Rancho Cielo emphasizes to its students, he says, that hard work, perseverance and teamwork pay off. The other lesson is that it “takes a community to be really successful” – the team was mentored over the last year by construction professionals and others who also offered donations of materials to complete the home.

An open house for the community to see the winning home is scheduled for 3-6pm Thursday, Nov. 9, at Rancho Cielo’s campus.