Administration
Glenn Grizzard has served as the Director of Mountain Pathways since January of 2007. Glenn holds a B.S. in Social Science Education, and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). He taught public school at a rural Georgia middle school before moving to Boone when his wife began teaching psychology at Appalachian State in 1996. He served as the publisher of The Avery Journal newspaper and the Executive Director of the Avery/Banner Elk Chamber of Commerce before earning his Montessori certification in adolescent education and starting as the 12-15 teacher at Mountain Pathways in 2004. Since Glenn was elevated to administration, the school has steadily grown into the premiere educational alternative in the High Country.
Matt Alexander received a degree in Sustainable Development from Appalachian State University in 2007. He decided to focus his studies on the social injustice that indigenous people face with regards to environmental degradation. After graduation Matt took a job with Mountain Pathways in the After School program. He substituted in most of the classrooms and became fascinated by the Montessori approach in pedagogy. Since then, Mountain Pathways has helped to form his philosophy of social change through education. Matt now serves as the director of the Before and After School programs, as well as the Montessori Summer Sessions, while also serving as the assistant in the upper elementary program. It is his strong belief that an education with the Montessori approach can lead to a more sustainable future for the coming generations.