The Gathering Place

The Gathering Place is a new school opening in San Antonio in 2020 with grades K – 2. The idea was born from Ryan and Joanna’s belief that kids, especially in historically underserved neighborhoods, don’t get a complete education. We spent 10 years teaching, leading, and seeing glimmers of what could be when teachers are trusted, kids are loved for who they are, and administrators don’t measure students by just test scores — but we never saw those pieces fully come together. Inspired by what could be and disappointed by what was, we quit our jobs, pooled our savings, and traveled the country searching for schools where creativity flourished and every student and teacher was valued. On our journey, we found ourselves in San Antonio, fell in love with the people, and decided never to leave. We have seen and learned from the best– but we have yet to find what we know can be. So we’ve decided to build it. We are creating a new network of schools – schools we wish were around when we were kids, schools we wished existed when we were teachers, schools that all children deserve.