Our Preferred Builder in His "Free" Time - THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

I thought you might enjoy seeing how an important part of the team at THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN  - our Preferred Builder, Randy Banks - spends his "free" time mentoring young people in Yancey County.

Mountain Heritage High School is the sole high school in Yancey County, NC.  Its beautiful campus is approached on a winding, wooded drive after passing the gated, manned entrance.  It resembles a well-funded community college in one of our nation's larger cities more than a small town in rural Appalachia.

Its programs equal or best those of some of the nation's top public or private schools.  Its Performing Arts programs consistently win top awards at the state level.  The Drama Departments of both the high school and middle school have received top honors.  Photos below:  State's top award-wining drama by the high school; bottom - State's best actor and actress - Middle School. The Music Department, led by beloved teacher (soon to retire), Dr. Tim Babb, almost defies written accolades.  I was hoping to have a recording of the Choir presentation I attended Thursday night (perhaps a future blog post) - 17 members strong.  One talented member is a gifted operatic soprano!  This is SMALL-town RURAL America.
Their Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble are excellent as well.  Their art department is exceptional,

reflecting the character of our counties - more artists, per capita, than anywhere else in America.  The school excels academically - even has achieved notoriety on occasion in athletics.  But, the following is my absolute favorite.  This should be the fodder of national news.

Randy Banks, the Preferred Builder for THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN, was the Vice-Chair of the Yancey-Mitchell Pillars, a collaborative effort of these sister counties of Yancey and Mitchell in mentoring young people in the building trades. A Habitat for Humanity home was built ON CAMPUS by students and  mentors from the community working side-by-side in North Carolina's largest classroom - almost 10,000 square feet built at a cost of over $800,000 raised through grants and gifts.  Here is Randy telling the story on the exciting day this first Habitat for Humanity home left our Mountain Heritage High School.


Come meet these remarkable people - both our builder and our young people.  Randy will meet you on-site to discuss ideas and ball-park figures for building your dream home within THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN.  Enjoy our talented young people in performances at the high school or at our acclaimed Parkway Playhouse.  Call about special visit packages for enjoying our hometowns at a historic B&B and at the nationally-acclaimed 10-table farm-to-table Knife and Fork restaurant.  For accommodations or to receive our view book and other information, call 828-675-4869.

It's a Big Deal - Another Collaborative Effort Between Teens and Community

If you have read this blog, you know that we highly regard the community/high school liason that is so strong here. Our beautiful Mountain Heritage High School campus, which resembles a metropolitan community college, is approached on a winding, wooded drive past an old tobacco barn proudly displaying one of the Western North Carolina Quilt Trails Quilt Blocks, past a guard house and on through to what is considered the largest on-campus Habitat for Humanity Warehouse in North Carolina - and surely one of the largest on any public high school campus in America. It is here where community volunteers work alongside our teenagers to build a home for a deserving local family. In the art classes, our young people throw bowls for the Empty Bowl Benefit, whose founders call Burnsville, NC home now. They also paint Quilt Blocks for the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina, also headquartered here. The ecology class invites the community (and visitors) on yearly river tours to learn about our local eco system in this Blue Ridge Mountain area. The thespian teens act right along with very accomplished adults from Western North Carolina in our historic and acclaimed Parkway Playhouse.

The most recent collaborative effort between the community and school is building manicured hiking trails along the campus property. In the photo above, Tim Johnson of NC State Parks teaches "Sustainable Trails" to trail building volunteers (both students and adults) at Mountain Heritage High School. Best of all, this beautiful trail will be available to the community as a whole to enjoy.

It is this same concept of protecting, enhancing, and utilizing natural talent and beauty to share with others that was the genesis of The Cove at Celo Mountain. With our own 3 miles of manicured hiking trails along a rushing creek, beautiful waterfalls, and relaxing trout ponds, lean-to's for contemplation, reading, or photographing, 4 park areas with handcrafted furniture, fire pits and cooking areas, an art-commisioned, hand-forged front entrance gate, and one-of-a-kind Quilt Block (our owners underwrite this award-winning non-profit), The Cove at Celo Mountain brings the tranquility and beauty of nature to your front door - with the luxury and carefree superintendence of gated-community living. This leaves you time for enjoying the great outdoors around us, traveling, or joining in this remarkable cross-age collaborative communal work we do so well here in Burnsville, NC.

Experience our lifestyle and tour The Cove at Celo Mountain - compliments of the owners - during May and June. Call us about our Special Discovery Package. 866-378-4769.

SCHOOLS NEAR THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN

We are often asked about the schools in our area. Without question, North Carolina has some of the nation’s top-ranked colleges and universities such as The University of North Carolina, Duke University, Wake Forest University, Davidson College, and others.

THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN is surrounded by award-winning public schools as well and an exceptional, unique private school located in the Celo community near the property. Our children can begin with a great pre-school experience such as the one offered by the Church Street Preschool. Micaville Elementary has received the honor of “School of Distinction”, East Yancey Middle School is an “Honor School of Excellence” – ranking Seventh in state testing with 93.7 % passing the tests and an unprecedented 99% making passing scores on the math tests. East Yancey has also been named a “”School to Watch” since 2005 for innovative, successful instructional programs when compared to other schools in the nation. Mountain Heritage High School has garnered many awards and recognitions ranging from a top state drama department to on-site campus programs where students and community volunteers come together to build a Habitat for Humanity house and paint Quilt Blocks in art classes for the award-winning non-profit, the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina (which The Cove at Celo Mountain underwrites). The Yancey County students recently aced the Annual Yearly Progress testing with a perfect score of 100%. (As a comparison, Avery County was the only other system in the region to have all of its schools meet AYP requirements. Mitchell got 50%, Madison 71.1%, Asheville 33.3% and McDowell 83.3%. Only 4 school systems in the entire western part of the state scored 100%, and Yancey was one of those.)

Just up the road from THE COVE AT CELO MOUNTAIN is the Arthur Morgan School, “an experiential boarding and day middle school (grades 7-9) based on Quaker values.” It is a cutting edge school experience that is an extension of the Montessori method – a farm school with meaningful work and academics. For more information watch the AMS documentaries at the link listed below.

The Cove at Celo Mountain is a half-day trip or less from the state’s (and nation’s) top-ranked universities and colleges – making this private gated community near Asheville, N.C. a perfect getaway for parents, collegians, professors, coaches, and academic researchers – a respite from the rigors of academia and some of the most competitive sports conferences in America. Our
mountain properties and mountain homes Cabins and Mountain Properties for sale with dramatic mountain views are perfect for relaxing, re-energizing, and re-invigorating. The long-range and short-range mountain views, 3 miles of manicured hiking trails, numerous streams, creeks, trout ponds, and waterfalls are ideal for stimulating creative thinking and writing. After all, our many nationally and internationally renowned artists (more, per capita, than anywhere else in America) must be on to something that inspires them in these ancient mountains.

All ages, from youth to the emeritus population, will find the lifestyle in and around The Cove at Celo Mountain a transforming experience. Visit us at http://www.celoliving.com/, and then experience this beautiful sanctuary setting on one of our Special Discovery Packages.


For more information on the Arthur Morgan School: AMS