Adding to the wonderful faculty here at the Out-of-Door Academy is a new arts teacher, his name? Joseph Madres. Mr. Madres is a young and enthusiastic teacher coming to us from New York, New York. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Arts from Colgate University. Funny thing is that he had begun at Colgate with a Major in Bio and a Minor in Arts but ended up switching around to Major in Arts and Minor in Bio.

Mr. Madres although says he has been interested in art since he was a little kid, he said “I always liked to push the boundaries and see if I could create something nobody else could.” Madras says he’s liked teaching ever since he was the assistant swimming coach for his team at age 16. This experience influenced his decision to start teaching. He likes to see the improvement of the kids.

Mr. Madres said that he likes “weird projects” stuff that nobody else would do. He says he chose ODA because he feels we have a very strong arts program which would allow his students to excel, and he also loves Sarasota.

Welcome, Mr. Madres. We’re glad to have you at ODA!