The Out-of-Door Academy Celebrates Opening of Riley Welcome Center at Siesta Key Campus
New Welcome Center creates a distinctive front door for ODA’s historic Siesta Key Campus and reflects the generosity of the school community
SARASOTA, Fla. – September 2026 – The Out-of-Door Academy (ODA) celebrated the opening of the reimagined Riley Welcome Center at its historic Siesta Key Campus with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 19, held just before the campus’s Back-to-School Night.
Members of the ODA community gathered to mark the completion of the new facility, including school leadership, educators, families and the generous donors whose philanthropy helped bring the project to life. Among those in attendance were Jim and Heather Riley (parents of Isabel ‘28 and Mason ‘27), Sheri Riley (grandmother of Tristan ‘38 and Isla Harless ‘40) and Katie (SK ‘70) and Peter Hayes (parents of Susannah ‘01, Kent ‘03, and Kelsey ‘09) whose support played an important role in making the Riley Welcome Center possible.
Designed to serve as a welcoming and functional front door to the Siesta Key Campus, the Riley Welcome Center provides a dedicated space to greet current and prospective families, visitors and members of the broader community. The project represents ODA’s continued investment in its historic Siesta Key home while creating spaces that meet the needs of today’s students, families and educators.
“The Riley Welcome Center is much more than a reimagined building — it is a reflection of who we are as a community,” said Dr. Deb Otey, Head of School at The Out-of-Door Academy. “For generations, our Siesta Key Campus has been a special place where children begin their ODA journey. This beautiful new entrance honors that history while creating a warm, welcoming first impression for the families who will become part of our story in the years ahead. We are incredibly grateful to the Riley and Hayes families and to every donor whose generosity made this vision a reality.”
The Welcome Center is part of a series of enhancements to ODA’s Siesta Key Campus designed to preserve the character and history of the campus while thoughtfully preparing it for the future. Recent improvements also include enhancements to the Cabin deck and refreshed multipurpose spaces, supporting both the academic program and the strong sense of community that has long defined the Siesta Key experience.
The August 19 ribbon cutting offered an especially fitting moment to celebrate the project, as families arrived on campus for Back-to-School Night and the start of the 2026–27 school year.
The completion of the Riley Welcome Center underscores ODA’s commitment to investing in learning environments across its campuses while remaining grounded in the relationships, traditions and sense of belonging that have shaped the school for more than a century.
