Celebrating City Garden Montessori: DCSC 2025 Member of the Year!
Avela is proud to congratulate City Garden Montessori School on being named the 2025 Member of the Year by the Diverse Charter Schools Coalition (DCSC)! This prestigious award recognizes a DCSC member school that exemplifies inclusion, integration, and anti-racism in its mission and daily practices.
The 2025 theme—Choosing Diversity, Practicing Justice—perfectly reflects City Garden’s commitment to building an intentionally diverse school community and advancing educational equity. Their unwavering dedication to fostering an inclusive learning environment makes them a model for schools nationwide.
Honoring A Commitment To Equity
At the 2025 DCSC Annual Convening in Nashville, Christie Huck, CEO/Executive Director, and Mia Howard, Vice Chair of the Board, proudly accepted this well-deserved recognition on behalf of the City Garden community.
Huck highlighted the importance of equitable education, stating:
“Denying quality education for some has always been a way to keep inequity in place. School segregation has kept us apart. Creating diverse schools that provide excellent education for all children is an act of resistance.”
This award is a testament to the students, families, educators, and supporters who make City Garden Montessori a leading force in equity-driven public Montessori education.
Supporting Diverse-by-Design Enrollment
As a proud sponsor of DCSC, Avela is honored to support schools like City Garden in implementing equitable enrollment practices that empower families and create diverse learning environments. Fair, accessible, and inclusive enrollment solutions are key to building stronger school communities.
Avela CEO Greg ByBee commented on City Garden’s recognition: “We’re honored to partner with City Garden help realize their vision of equitable enrollment. Their commitment to diversity and inclusion sets an incredible example, and we’re proud that Avela’s technology plays a role in supporting their mission.”
City Garden’s leadership in equitable lottery design was highlighted during the award presentation. We’re proud that SchoolAppSTL, powered by Avela, helps make their vision a reality.
We celebrate City Garden Montessori for this remarkable achievement and look forward to continuing our shared mission of advancing educational equity.
About City Garden Montessori School
City Garden exists to redefine education by developing the whole child in an excellent, inclusive, Montessori school; to reimagine community by creating spaces and systems that help to restore our collective humanity; and to reinvigorate our world by creating a culture in which individuals and communities thrive without disparities or barriers to success.
In the process of nurturing our students to be competent, creative, lifelong learners who practice compassion, respect, nonviolence and sustainability, we will strengthen families, the neighborhoods we serve, and the City of St. Louis as a whole. Learn more here.
