Our History

The Campus from the Beginning

     After months of looking for a location that met the many requirements for establishing a school, on May 14, 2001 we purchased 3.47 acres that included a 100 year old farmhouse that had been converted to a daycare about 12 years earlier and a large barn.
     The original daycare had operated for ten years before it closed. The building was then rented by another daycare that occupied the building for one year. The structure then sat vacant for a year before we discovered it.
     The building was in a terrible state of disrepair and would need extensive alterations and remodeling in order to use the second story space as a third classroom. We started work on the building in the evening of the day of the closing and for three and a half months we worked a lot and slept little in a race to finish by opening day.
     On August 29, 2001, classes began at Pathfinder Academy. We operated at near full capacity for the next three years and found that our most pressing need was a large common area for group activities.

In April of 2004 we began construction on a 4000 sq. ft. building that would contain a 2000 sq. ft. common area, a large classroom and kitchen. The new building was completed on March 4, 2005.

The structure is equipped with central air conditioning in anticipation of a summer program and the Common Room has a cathedral ceiling and a 1600 sq. ft. hardwood dance floor.
As we began the 2005-2006 school year an increased interest in our preschool program compelled us to open a second preschool classroom two months after the school year began. Even though we had just finished the new building we were crowded again, so we began looking into modular buildings.

     We found the building we wanted and began the site work in the spring of 2006. The barn was given to a neighbor who carefully disassembled it and then rebuilt it at his residence down the road from the school. The modular was then permanently installed on a foundation where the barn had previously stood.
     By opening day in the Fall of 2006 the modular containing two preschool classrooms was ready for students.
     Our next project began in the spring of 2007. It began with the installation of a new drainage system and the site work required to pave our now large parking area. Then approximately 220 ft. of retaining walls were installed and the paving was completed.
     In the fall of 2007 a fourth building was started and at the time that this site is being created it is still under construction. When the fourth building is complete a tour of the campus will be available on this page.

The Safety and Security of the Pathfinder Campus

1. Before we purchased the property we conducted a Phase I Environmental Assessment which defined the site as "low risk".
2. The campus is located directly across the street from the Epsom Police Station and the Epsom Fire and Rescue Station is one mile away.
3. Pathfinder is diligent in maintaining compliance with all DOE, DES and EPA mandates.
3. We have installed in all the buildings on campus a state of the art fire alarm system that links us directly to the fire station.
4. All buildings on campus have been inspected and have met the U.S. EPA requirements of the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act.
5. A water filtration system has been installed assuring superior quality drinking water.
6. Mosquito vacuums have been strategically placed on the campus to help eliminate concerns about mosquito born diseases.
7. All staff are required to hold current American Red Cross first aid and CPR certifications.