FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Mountain State Montessori (formerly New River Gorge Learning Cooperative) programs grew so much they were awarded an Appalachian Regional Commission Planning Grant. You can find them at their new 40 Heritage Road location.
The child-centered school prepares indoor-outdoor environments to meet all the developmental needs of the children.
“We are nature-based. We spend a large portion of our time outside. We have beautiful land that we get to develop. We’re going to turn it back into a farm. We will have livestock at one point, and we will have permaculture programs,” said Head of School Spencer Martel.
According to Martel, there is a plan to build out orchards and a pump track for biking to ensure our children and community members have access to outdoor gear so they can go on adventures and use the natural resources.
“We have plans to build treehouse classrooms in the woods,” Martel said. “We spend a lot of time on our trail systems that we’re working on right now. In the creek, all of our cultural learning, our biology, our science has to do with what’s happening in our natural environment.”
