Leadership
Director, Lindsay Galileo
Lindsay Galileo has been with Mountain Pathways since joining the Pre-Primary class in 2022.
She is a Boone native, but left to pursue her degree in Middle Grades Education from UNCG, followed by her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of William and Mary.
She loves traveling, and moved to Hangzhou, China for the next 8 years, where she found a love for teaching younger students, met her husband, and began her family. She joined the MPS community when she returned to America and has been amazed by everything that the school the Montessori philosophy is able to offer our students and community. She is currently pursuing her Early Childhood Admin license at Caldwell and can’t wait for the new year!
Administrative Support, Emma Willlard
Emma Willard comes to us from a public school background. After teaching middle school for Watauga County Schools since 2017, she is transitioning into a new position as our office administrator! A Watauga native, she loves getting outside and working in the community. She has her degree in Middle Grades Education from Appalachian State University and spent her career teaching English and History at Green Valley School in Meat Camp.
She took on a leadership role for her team and spearheaded professional learning communities during her time in the public school system. She is driven by a growth mindset, always striving to learn more and advocate for quality education for children of all ages. She’s excited to bring her leadership experience to the MPS office and help Lindsay create an organized, welcoming environment for all families and staff!
ASU Masters in Social Work Intern, Kyleigh Whitney
Kyleigh Whitney is originally from Hayesville, North Carolina, which is a small town tucked in the mountains of Appalachia. She moved to Boone in 2020, attended Appalachian State University, and graduated in 2024 with a Bachelor’s in psychology. She is now earning a Master’s in Social Work and is excited to put her knowledge to practice.
The core principles of Montessori education aligns with the core values of social work. When picking an internship, she wanted a place that valued age appropriate child development, fostered independence, and provided a safe, educational environment. MPS is that place! Kyleigh really enjoys working with the 3-5 year olds, she loves how absorbent their brains are, and how quickly they catch on to new concepts. Helping kids understand their own feelings and the feelings of others is her goal in the classroom.
When Kyleigh isn’t busy with school, you can find her snowboarding, kayaking, or crafting the night away!
Faculty
PRE-PRIMARY MAGNOLIA (12 MONTHs – 2 Years)
Shannon Yates is excited to be working with our youngest group of children in the Magnolia Classroom. Her undergraduate degree is in art education and she was fortunate to get to teach elementary art in Western North Carolina for three years. She has worked with directing and coordinating children's programs in non-profit, university, and behavioral health settings.
She is currently studying clinical mental health counseling at Lenoir-Rhyne University and her goal is to cultivate empathy and social emotional learning in our Magnolia Community. She loves the conscientious approach of Montessori education to integrate holistic learning through compassion for self, others, and the environment.
Reid Pond is a Boone, NC native who just so happens to have attended Mountain Pathways herself! She is a graduate of the Students with Diverse Abilities Program at ASU where she studied Early Childhood Education. Working with young students is one of Reid’s passions and it fills her spirit with love and joy. Her favorite things to do at school are art and reading with the children.
She lives in Downtown Boone and enjoys visiting coffee shops, hiking, and watching movies with her family!
PRE-PRIMARY Maple (2 Years — 3 Years)
Alli Kogoy is originally from Canton Georgia but moved to Boone in 2019 after she graduated high school. She graduated from Brevard College with a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and also played 4 years of college tennis.
She chose Montessori because of the independence and it also encourages a love for learning.
She loves our Maple classroom with 2-3 year olds because she gets to see their language develop and help them grow!
Sarah Gummo completed an enlistment in the US Coast Guard and finished her undergraduate degree in Geography at Southern Connecticut State University, she then joined the US Peace Corps as a TEFL volunteer. Sarah spent 2 years in a small Kyrgyz village, teaching English as a foreign language for 4th -11th grade students. After finishing her time overseas, Sarah settled in Boone and finished her graduate degree in Sustainable Technology at Appalachian State University. Most recently Sarah has completed an EMT-B course through Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute." She’s looking forward to working with our community!
PRIMARY (3-6 YEARS)
Brittany Delia began working at Mountain Pathways in January 2024 as a teacher in the pre-primary classroom. Originally from New York, Brittany graduated from SUNY New Paltz in 2019 with a BA in Communication Disorders and a minor in Deaf Studies. Brittany has a passion for helping people communicate and the self-advocacy and independence that a Montessori environment provides is what brought her to Mountain Pathways. In her free time, Brittany enjoys painting, hiking and visiting local coffee shops.
We are so excited that after completing her ASL internship, she has decided to stay with us at MPS to be our After School Teacher and make sure those last hours at the end of the day are as engaging as the rest!
Liz Henderson has lived in Boone for most of her life & absolutely loves it here. She graduated from CCC&TI with an Associates in Early Childhood Education & then continued on to WCU, earning a Bachelor’s in Birth-Kindergarten. She lives with her mischievous cats, amazing daughter, wonderful husband, and lovely mother in their cozy home. Liz enjoys reading, music, nature, creating artwork, and spending as much time with her family as possible.
Montessori is such an amazing approach to education. She has always gravitated towards hands-on, child-centered learning. Fostering independence, natural curiosity & respecting the whole child, as both a parent & a teacher, feels instinctive to her. A few things that Liz loves most about her classroom are the children’s curiosity, their love of art & books, being involved in their learning journey, incorporating nature into as much as possible, observing them help each other & building meaningful relationships with each of them.
Some of her favorites are crescent moons, strawberries, Autumn & books of all sorts. Being part of the MPS community is such a joy!
Learning and Curriculum Support:
Isabelle Flack joins our community with a background in education, instructional design, and Montessori teaching. She holds a Master’s in Education with a focus on Montessori methods, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science. Isabelle has spent years working as a Montessori teacher, educational mentor, and curriculum designer.
Isabelle is passionate about the Montessori methodology and its focus on nurturing each child’s independence, curiosity, and love of learning. She especially enjoys blending Montessori practices with mindfulness, nature-based learning, and holistic practices.
Isabelle enjoys practicing yoga, reading, biking, and other outdoor activities in Boone. She is so looking forward to joining the team and sharing her energy with the community!
Afterschool
Xander Landers
Before moving to Boone, Xander worked at a non-profit in Winston-Salem as a special ed. preschool teacher and an elementary and middle grades reading tutor. He moved to Boone to transfer his associate’s degree into a 4-year degree. Now that he has graduated, he lives here with my fiancee and their cat. Xander has worked with toddlers all the way up to seniors in high school and can honestly say there are things he loves about each age group. What’s great about working with the 2-5 year olds in afterschool is they get to be in new environments and social groups that they aren’t necessarily in during the morning, which leads to really fun observations and interactions with their classmates. Xander’s favorite book is easily Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and his favorite hobby is cooking.
Bailey Cook
Bailey is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana! She is an Appalachian State student in her junior year and is studying Child Development. Bailey started as a MPS afterschool teacher in August, and has learned so much since then. She found her love of working with children in babysitting and volunteer work, but having the opportunity to work in a school has been such a privilege! Bailey plans to continue working with children after she graduates in May of 2027!
Support Staff
Yuhang Zhang
Yuhang moved to the United States last September. Since settling in North Carolina, she is grateful to join our community, where each day brings new discoveries and quiet moments of joy. Before coming to the U.S., Yuhang taught in two very different places: she first worked in Cambodia, teaching Chinese to elementary students. Later, she returned to China, where she taught English to young learners. Teaching in both countries helped her understand that children—no matter where they grow up—share the same curiosity, warmth, and natural desire to explore. These experiences shaped her gentle, patient approach to early childhood education. Yuhang was drawn to Montessori because it feels both peaceful and purposeful. She appreciates how the environment encourages children to follow their own rhythm, make choices with confidence, and discover the joy of learning through hands-on experiences. It aligns beautifully with her belief that children grow best when adults trust and respect their abilities.
Preschoolers have a wonderfully honest way of seeing the world. She loves their small questions, big imagination, and the pride they feel when they master something new. Creating a calm, welcoming space where they feel seen and supported is her favorite part of teaching. Yuhang’s favorite season is Autumn and enjoys food that reminds her of home.