Lauren K. Denney is an educator, environmentalist, and advocate for social justice in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. She is an Outdoor Education Specialist at City Garden Montessori School, serving students first through eighth grade, where she also manages the school garden. She believes in transformative education related to critical race theory, anti-bias, and anti-racism teachings. Her role is to provide place-based lessons outdoors, which includes, but is not limited to, nature play and discovery, gardening practices, biology, and environmental science. She is passionate about helping children form deep connections to nature, especially in the city. Born and raised in a rural town south of St. Louis, Lauren grew up playing outside, spending summers along the river tributaries which has contributed to her deep admiration for nature. Lauren received her undergraduate degree in elementary education at Southeast Missouri State University. She participated in professional development programs helping her develop strategies for integrating STEM, and best practices in nature education into her curriculum, including Litzsinger Road Ecology Center’s Effective Outdoor Learning Teacher Workshop, STEMpact Teacher Quality Institute, Elementary Science Academy at the Dana Brown Overnight Education Center and The Voyage of Learning Teachers Academy in Forest Park.