Mountain Pathways is a teacher-led, non-profit school serving families with children aged 15 months to 6 years old in Boone, NC. Our school brings together the best of the Montessori approach to child development and North Carolina’s state curriculum and regulations. We have been serving families in the High Country since 1987. On September 27th, 2024 the school closed its campus due to the damage sustained by Hurricane Helene

Recovering from Hurricane Helene

Norwood House in the Hurricane Helene flood

The Impact of Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene was called 'the worst natural disaster' in Watauga County's modern history by local officials and caused the unprecedented rise of the normally toddler-friendly Howards Creek that borders the school's property. This rise caused extensive flood damage and destruction to both the interior and exterior of the campus facilities. 

Mountain Pathway’s students and staff were displaced for several months while the Children’s House was being restored, operating out of rental spaces in town, posing both financial and educational strains. However, due to the efforts of staff, parents, and community members, the Children’s House finally reopened its doors on February 3rd, 2025.

The Norwood House campus does not have the same happy ending, as it will likely not open its doors again. Efforts are underway to reinvision this part of our campus that traditionally housed our elementary and summer camp programs. 

Building Back Better

While the Children’s House has reopened, many classroom and campus projects remain. Fundraising efforts are underway to “build back better”. We are reaching out to our community across the world. Please join us on this journey of rebuilding through different giving and volunteering opportunities.

Mountain Pathways is a 501(c)3 organization registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State, Tax ID# 56-1580678. All donations are tax-deductible.

A backyard area with dirt and grass, surrounded by trees with autumn-colored leaves. Two wooden sheds with gray shingled roofs, one with a red door. There is a white canopy and various tires and playground equipment scattered around.

Donate Today

For individuals and groups who want to give a donation to our Go Fund Me Recovery Fund to help with the overall needs of the school.

A young boy in a yellow t-shirt and shorts sitting on the carpeted floor in a classroom, posing with educational materials such as number charts in front of him.

MPS Wish List

For those willing to purchase new learning materials for our classrooms when we are ready to move back into the school.

Recounting Hurricane Helene & Recovery

Oct 12th, 2024

A message from our board chair on the school’s clean up process two weeks post-helene.

Oct 11th, 2024

A message from our Co-Directors about the extensive flooding and damage to Mountain Pathways School from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27th, 2024.

Wooden cubbies filled with colorful jackets and shoes in a hallway.

Packing up the children’s belongings before the restoration crew begins their work.

October 4th-October 5th

The Clean-Up and SuperSaturday:

We were fortunate enough to get ahold of a restoration crew that could put us on their schedule immediately. In order for them to begin, we had the heavy work (emotionally and physically) of removing all of the items in our building and moving to them to storage containers. It was an emotionally taxing time for everyone involved. We had past and current families, past and current teachers, and volunteers arrive to help. The monumental task of removing everything from a building was daunting and devastating, but the help of our community members made it possible. On Saturday, October 5th we had our “SuperSaturday” event of grading our ….

Room filled with debris and furniture, including a tipped-over wooden cabinet, a wooden chair, a fallen kitchen counter, and a large black object with labels, suggesting recent damage or a disaster.

Our Norwood building suffered flooding up to the second floor.

October 1st - October 3rd

Assessing the Damages:

The first week of October brought with it the heartbreaking realization of how much we had lost. Our Norwood building, which in the past housed our elementary and middle students, was inaccessible due to the foundational damage from the storm. Our greenhouse collapsed in on itself. Our propane tank floated all the way down to the end of the creek. Our Children’s House, which currently holds our 18mo-6 year olds, was going to need a lot of work to restore it to it’s former glory. We spent the first day cleaning out all of the mud from the classroom floors, hooking up donated generators because we had lost power, and starting the process of making claims. We spent the second day tearing out all of the carpets that were holding moisture, getting a porta-potty on site for our volunteers, and obtaining a dumpster so that we could have a space to throw away the materials and furniture that had been damaged.

Aerial view of a backyard with damage. The ground near the house is eroded, with scattered tires, debris, and fenced areas. There is a small wooden shed with a red door and a green roof, and a larger shed with a rusted metal roof. The yard has trees with some leaves fallen, and a blue shade sail over part of the yard.

September 26th - September 30th

The Start of the Storm:

We closed school early on Thursday night and all day on Friday in anticipation for the oncoming storm. Late Thursday night was when the flooding starting in the Norwood basement. Tori and Jenny, along with their partners, spent hours trying to wet-vac out the water and prepare the basement door against flooding. Thursday evening and Friday morning brought relentless rain and wind. The majority of Boone, NC and surrounding areas lost power, water, and cell reception which left everyone in the dark and unknown. After finally getting a small amount of cell reception late Friday night, we learned that both of our school buildings suffered significant flooding and damage from a parent in our community. We were unable to get to the school until Saturday, and that was when we saw firsthand how our once beautiful and peaceful creek had risen up and fundamentally changed Howard’s Creek Road, the homes of so many around us, and our beloved school.