DAV Montessori School Scaling New Heights

HOUSTON: Sunday, May 22, was the 16th Annual Day of the , run by Arya Samaj Greater Houston. As the first and only DAV school in North America, the school has grown from a Montessori only program to include traditional elementary classrooms with teacher to student ratios of under 1 to 10.

DAVM students and teachers wowed the overflowing audience with performances starting with the children as young as 2-1/2 reciting Vedic mantras flawlessly by heart.

As the audience wondered if they had been transported to an ancient gurukul in India, the school director Arti Khanna attributed the successes of her school to her teachers, staff, and 50 parent volunteers.  That the founding members and two original teachers are still involved in the school, speaks to both its success as well as the strength of conviction of those affiliated with the school.

Qualified teachers cater to the needs of pre-school, kindergarten, first grade, and elementary school students, also offering after-school care. A parent whose son has attended since he was four years old shared his perspective. “DAV children are performing much beyond their current grades on a nation-wide set of standardized testing for private schools, as demonstrated by their “Iowa Tests of Basic Skills” scores. Their participation in competitions like Private Schools Interscholastic Association (PSIA) and North South Foundation (NSF) has been very encouraging and enriching.” Lamenting the prevailing environment in public schools, he continued: “Unlike public schools, you must have observed that in DAV, there is zero bullying and zero-bad language usage among students.”

Parents and teachers of DAVM work in true and close partnership for the common goal of OUR Hindu children’s holistic development, as was demonstrated by a video documenting the school’s all-round activities including Havan, Vedic recitation, Indian history and customs, Yoga, Hindi conversation, Indian music, dance, etc. The school leaves no opportunity to inculcate positive human values, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or Diwali, and India Republic Day. The children hone their public-speaking skills. The “chamak” and fun of the dances relayed the confidence and lack of stage-fear of the children.  Consul R. D. Joshi from the Indian consulate and the school director ushered the graduating kindergartners to the next phase of their education.

When children 2-1/2 years to 10 years light up the stage radiating self-confidence to the delight of the audience, the return on investment of time and money is evident.

For more information on this indeed unique school, you may visit their website www.davmschool.com or call the school at (281) 759-3286.