Our History

Out Teach used to be called REAL School Gardens, and before that, we were the REAL Schools Initiative.

When Texas-based philanthropist Richard Rainwater started brainstorming with his high-school friend Suzy Peacock on ways to help children in urban communities live a better life, they were determined to find a way to make a lasting difference. Together, they worked for more than a decade on a wide-range of projects involving children, education and the environment. With the help of Suzy’s friend Stacey Hodge, from 1995-2003, they built a series of learning gardens, including the ones at Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center and Morningside Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Then in 2003, Suzy began working with teachers, principals, volunteers and a small staff to build learning gardens and develop teacher training and a support program to ensure their long-term success. During that time period, the organization worked with 34 partner schools, almost all of which are still a part of our growing network. In 2007, after seeing impressive results, Richard and Suzy decided to create a nonprofit designed to capitalize on the power of hands-on lessons and outdoor classrooms.

To help launch this new nonprofit, they hired Jeanne McCarty of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program, and she began working to expand the program and increase its impact. Jeanne and her team worked closely with seasoned educators to create our experiential outdoor curriculum and our extensive teacher training program. She also worked to create our “Big Dig” events, done-in-a-day learning garden installation projects perfect for corporate and community volunteers. Sadly, Suzy died in October of 2009, and Richard died in October of 2015, but both supported the organization right until the end, helping to ensure that the children we serve were getting excited and engaged in learning outdoors.

Our accomplishments have also been made possible by the amazing staff members, educators and organizations who’ve helped us come so far. We’d like to take a moment to recognize:

Our first staff members and founding volunteers:

• Kelly Garrett, founding and current member of our board;
• Pat Harrison, VP and Director of Education at BRIT;
• Stacey Hodge, who proposed the founding of the organization after designing the garden at Sam Rosen Elementary;
• Terri McGuire, who did all the heavy lifting getting us organized for growth;
• Sandy Neumann, an organizational consultant who helped us grow as a team;
• Charlotte Sassman, a former teacher who helped us find our voice;
• Eric Vanderbeck, a.k.a the incredible Mr. V, one of our first Instructional Coaches, who thrilled children with the wonders of nature and the outdoors.
• The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) – A founding organizational partner, BRIT has been a supporter for years and currently provides our North Texas region with rent-free space in their new Platinum LEED Certified building in Fort Worth, Texas.