MOUNT CHARLESTON (KTNV) — Today, Mount Charleston's only elementary school welcomes students back for the first time in nearly two years.
I spoke with students and parents about the journey this has been and what it took to finally get to this moment.
"I'm really excited to see my old school again, its been a long time," Felix said. "Some of my friends I haven't seen for a long time."
He's thrilled to return to Earl B. Lundy Elementary School this year for the fourth grade, and he's happy his best friend Darren is his classmate once again.
"Feels great to be honest. I've missed it. I don't like the other schools I've been to," Darren said.
The two have been through a lot over the last couple of years.
It's a story I've been following since 2023, when Earl B. Lundy Elementary School was damaged from the remnants of Hurricane Hilary, closing the small school. Parents on the mountain feared that temporary closure would become permanent, and at times, it seemed those fears were going to come true.
WATCH | I heard from parents and their concerns six months after Hilary moved through the area.
Darren's dad, Josh Bowers, said there were moments he had lost hope for his child's school.
"Definitely, when this all first took place, we really didn't think this school would be reopened," Bowers said.
"Yeah, that place I thought really was just done. Everyone was pretty much against us, but there was a lot of people that actually would fight back," Darren echoed.
The community has kept fighting for the school even as Clark County School District leaders went back and forth over what to do with it.
The school board initially considered closing it, citing high repair costs and low enrollment. Then, trustees voted not to repair it, but ultimately reversed that decision, and decided to repair the school after all, setting aside $7.8 million for the fixes.
Officials recently said they ended up spending less than that on the repairs, and those numbers will be shared at a future board meeting.
"Has this whole ordeal made you question, at times, the district's commitment to all of its students, even the ones in rural areas?" I asked Bowers.
"It definitely made us question that. It was a huge drive to get our child down the hill to school every day," Bowers said, referring to the drive he'd have to make daily during Lundy's closure to get his son to school.
CCSD rezoned Lundy kids to Indian Springs Elementary, but the hour-long bus rides led many families, including the Bowers, to get their school assignment changed.
Still, though, he said it was a hike to get his kid from the mountain to the valley every day to the next closest school.
Lundy is just a five-minute drive from their home, and he's excited for the short commutes again, but more importantly, for his young child to get his education close to home and in the close-knit environment he's used to.
"We can't wait for this next school year to begin," Bowers said. "It's been important to this whole mountain for a long time so I'm really glad it's coming back," he went on to say.
"Do you think your guys' successful fight to keep this school open shows the true power of communities, even small ones?" I asked Bowers.
"I hope so. Nowadays, it seems like local officials don't really listen, they have their own plan. But I'm really hoping this will take some steps toward changing that," Bowers said.
CCSD Superintendent Jhone Ebert recently addressed Lundy's reopening, reaffirming her commitment to all of the district's schools and communities.
"We see our rural communities, we hear, we listen," Ebert said.
WATCH | After a two-year battle, Mt. Charleston elementary school is set to reopen Monday
Now, Lundy is repaired and back on stable ground, also bringing stability back to the lives of students like Felix and Darren. While the first day of school often elicits some nerves, Felix said there's no anxiety — just anticipation as he returns to his beloved Lundy with his best pal.
"No, I'm not nervous, I'm excited," Felix said.
