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!
Faculty
PRE-PRIMARY Magnolia (12 Months – 2 Years)
Bailey Cook, Lead Teacher is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana! She is an Appalachian State student in her junior year and is studying Child Development. Bailey started as an MPS afterschool teacher in August and has learned so much since then. We are thrilled that she was able to transition to becoming our full time Lead Teacher for the 2026-2027 school year. 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!
Sarah Gummo, Asst. Teacher 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!
Leslie Taylor, Asst. Teacher After many years serving as a police officer in South Carolina, I retired and began a new chapter of life when I moved to North Carolina in 2019.
Life has brought its share of challenges, but I’m a survivor. I live with Lyme Disease and Alpha-gal syndrome, and I use my experience to advocate for awareness and support others who are walking a similar path. My journey has also led me to begin learning herbalism as I continue exploring natural ways to support health and healing.
Integrity is something I believe in deeply—it guides how I live and how I treat others.
I’ve always had a big heart for animals and nature. As a child, my love for animals earned me the nickname “Ellie Mae,” and that connection to the natural world has stayed with me my whole life. Whether it’s caring for animals, spending time outdoors, or learning about plants and herbs, nature is where I feel most at home.
I’m grateful for this life, for the lessons it’s taught me, and for the opportunity to keep growing, helping others, and appreciating the beauty around me every day.
PRE-PRIMARY Maple (2 Years — 3 Years)
Xander Landers, Lead Teacher 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 his 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.
PRIMARY Willow (3-6 YEARS)
Liz Henderson, Asst. Teacher 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!
AFTERSCHOOL
Emerson Leach
Support Staff
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!