Lifetime of education

In 1924, Out-of-Door founders Fanneal Harrison and Catherine Gavin set out to create a school that would incorporate high academic standards with the natural surroundings of Siesta Key. Classes ranging from marine sciences to music and physical education would center on the scenery and the 650 feet of Gulf-front access. The first class to test the curriculum was composed of 10 boarding school students who called the more than 20-acre campus home during the school year.

Students who boarded on campus were even encouraged to keep pets to learn responsibility. The most famous pet was a monkey named King Tut. Although students no longer live on campus — nor does the king — a tradition of self-sufficiency is still a part of Out-of-Door Academy’s mission.

Now serving more than 670 students at two campuses, Head of School David Mahler reflected on how the school has evolved at a special performance for grandparents and family and friends of students Friday.

“This year marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of Out-of-Door on what was quite a rustic Siesta Key in the year 1924,” Mahler said. “A yearlong celebration for the 90th commenced on the first day of classes.”

Students teamed up with staff from Florida Studio Theatre to put together a three-act performance featuring original songs and a screenplay. The play covered the founding of Sarasota and Out-of-Door Academy and the core mission of the 90-year-old school.

“The future could not be brighter as we embark on the next phase of our journey to build a truly exceptional and unique college preparatory experience for our students,” Mahler said.

Timeline
1924
Fanneal Harrison and Catherine Gavin start the Out-of-Door School.

1938
Eleanor Roosevelt visits The Out-of-Door School and spends the day with the students.

1977
The Out-of-Door School becomes a nonprofit organization and is renamed The Out-of-Door Academy.

1996
The 85-acre Uihlein Campus Upper School opens in Lakewood Ranch.

1999
The first class graduates from the Upper School.

2000
Seventh- and eighth-grade students move to the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

2006
The Out-of-Door Academy is inducted into the Cum Laude Society, national honor society.

2012
The sixth grade moves to the Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch.