06/26/25
Celebrating Progress: Spring Awards Showcase Tangible Gains in St. Louis Education
On May 8, The Opportunity Trust brought together over 150 education leaders, community partners, and stakeholders at the historic Muny Theatre in Forest Park for the third annual Spring Celebration and Awards. It was a night designed to honor excellence in education from the board level, in the classroom, transformational parent engagement, to actualized student success. Twelve schools and individuals were honored for gains in academic achievement, growth, culture, and leadership.
Awardees included schools like Maplewood-Richmond Heights Elementary, where 35% of Black students and 36% of students receiving free and reduced lunch scored proficient or advanced in ELA, outpacing the state by 14 and 12 percentage points, respectively. Also, St. Louis Voices Academy, where they received a perfect 10 on the nationally-normed TNTP Instructional Culture Index survey, with 100% staff participation, indicating their strong teacher and staff culture. That kind of instructional trust and alignment is foundational to sustained academic gains.
This wasn’t just a celebration—it was a strategic moment to deepen coalition, highlight the results of a data-driven culture, and align stakeholders around a shared vision: a St. Louis where every child has access to a quality public school.
Impactful Philanthropic Investing
The Opportunity Trust’s investment approach rests on a few simple principles: invest in values-aligned leaders, support the development of strong instructional and management systems, and hold a high bar for results. The schools and leaders honored at this year’s event are proof that this approach works. In the five dimensions of school quality that guide our work with schools, which include Child Wellness and Engagement, Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Growth, Adult Wellness and Development, Community and Family Partnership, and Effective and Sustainable Operations, these schools have shown that a focused effort to move the needle in these areas produce real results for children.
- Momentum Academy Fox Park, winner of the Most Improved Instructional Culture Award, nearly doubled its survey score from 4.6 to 9.0—with over 80% staff participation—surpassing the national average and signaling stronger staff satisfaction in key areas like feedback, compensation, and engagement.
- KIPP Wonder Academy, winner of the Reading Growth Award, posted the highest MAP ELA growth in the portfolio. 80% of students met or exceeded their projected gains—a signal that teachers are reaching students with targeted, responsive instruction.
- Momentum Academy Tower Grove East, awarded for Math Growth, not only earned the top MAP math score, but saw over 60% of students exceed their growth projections—evidence of strong systems and a school-wide focus on data.
- Gateway Science Academy Middle, awarded for Math Proficiency, where Black students and students receiving free and reduced lunch exceeded state math proficiency benchmarks by 18 and 11 percentage points.
These outcomes are the result of aligned and accountable leadership and a relentless commitment to continuous improvement. And they are only possible because of the strategic investments that power this work.
Building An Aligned Coalition
The Spring Celebration and Awards are designed to do more than provide recognition. It’s an anchor point in the rhythm of the year—a space for our grantees and partners to step back from the grind of daily school and community work and reconnect to the larger movement they’re building.
Throughout the evening, leaders networked, trading strategies and sharing challenges. Principals from different parts of the city met for the first time. Nonprofit partners heard how their work intersected with the schools they support. These aren’t casual moments—they’re moments of coalition-building.
The celebration also reinforces the value of a data-driven culture. Every award was grounded in outcomes, not anecdotes. Whether it was growth scores, equity benchmarks, or climate indicators, the message was consistent: what gets measured gets improved. When we highlight those results, we build momentum across our entire network.
Finally, this event helps every person in the room understand their place in the broader work. Whether you’re a teacher, a funder, or a parent advocate, the Spring Celebration and Awards connect your role to a larger strategy for regional transformation – more access to quality schools for ALL children.
Celebrating Progress
At the heart of this event are the people.
We honored Christian Ketchum, a parent leader with Bridge 2 Hope, for her advocacy and vision. We recognized Joe Blomker from Premier Charter School for board leadership that drives real accountability.
With the support of our generous sponsor, First Bank, we celebrated culture shifts at Barbara Jordan Elementary in the School District of University City, growth milestones at KIPP St. Louis and Momentum Academies, and equity wins at MRH Elementary and GSA Middle. These aren’t just awards. They’re signals that the strategy is working—and that the ecosystem is aligning around what matters most: outcomes for kids.
Click here to view the full list of awardees and their data highlights.