April 2 Election Winners
On April 2, 2024, two school board representatives were elected to serve a three-year term on the Riverview Gardens School District. Monica Williams received 33% of the vote and Veronica Morrow-Reel received 24.2% of the vote.
Williams and Morrow-Reel will be sworn in following the April 9 Special Administrative Board meeting. Please see their biographies below. Congratulations!
Veronica Morrow-Reel
I have been a resident of the Riverview Gardens School District Community since 2000. I began volunteering within the district in 2001 at Lemasters Elementary School. I helped successfully draft a grant proposal, which was used to provide food and childcare to increase parental participation at meetings and events at the school.
Later in years, I served as a parent volunteer and member of the Parent Teacher Organization while my oldest child attended Central Middle School and well into her time at Riverview Gardens Senior High school. At the high school, I also served as a parent volunteer for my daughters' Speech, Drama and Debate team. I used my personal finances for students' meals and purchased professional attire to support students who traveled out of town to represent Riverview Gardens in speech and debate competitions.
In the year 2002, I was selected to serve on the then Superintendent’s Advisory Council, and I along with other members of the Council toured the old East Middle school and saw the poor conditions our teachers had to work in, and our students had to learn in. I made it a point to canvas the entire City of Dellwood asking voters to support the purchase of the land and then the building of Westview Middle School.
I also began representing Riverview as a member of the Parent Advisory Council of the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD), serving on various committees to assure our disabled students were receiving fair, equitable treatment, and inclusion within Riverview. I also served as a Parent Mentor through SSD for those parents whose children received disability diagnoses resulting in their children needing the services of the Special School District. In 2010, I began representing Riverview Gardens on the Governing Council of the Special School District. I currently serve as Vice President of the Governing Council. This is my second term.
Monica Williams
Monica Williams was born and grew up in St. Louis Missouri. She has been a resident of the Riverview Gardens School District for over 30 years. She resided in Glasgow Village, Dellwood, and currently resides in Bellefontaine Neighbors.
Monica retired from the Riverview Gardens School District after 30 years in the field of education. The positions held include the following: teacher, manager of the substitute teacher office, instructional coordinator, elementary principal, director of Human Resources, and assistant superintendent of Human Resources.
Monica received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Harris-Stowe State College, a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University, an Educational Specialist Degree in Educational Administration from The University of Missouri St. Louis, an Associate of Arts Degree in Practical Theology from Metropolitan Christian Bible Institute, and a Human Resource Management Certificate from Washington University. She also holds the following certifications: Elementary Teacher, Principal, Superintendent, Professional Human Resources, Society of Human Resources, and 360 Leadership Coach.
She was the recipient of several educational honors. These honors were: Board of Regents Scholarship, Bertha Black Rhoda Scholarship, Teacher’s Union Local 420 Scholarship, Leslie Scholarship, Harris-Stowe State College Vice President’s List, Alpha Chi (National Honor Society), Kappa Delta Pi (Educational Honor Society), Governor’s Special Student Recognition Award, E. Desmond Lee Scholarship, and Magna Cum Laude.
She believes that education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today. In the same spirit, she believes a quality educational experience requires everyone to work together to create and support a school district that prepares students for whatever (college, career, military service, etc.) path they choose after high school. In other words, it takes a whole village to improve the school district. She hopes that students and employees will have positive educational opportunities/experiences no matter their race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc.