Madison Academy Mustangs

This is Spiritual Retreat. ❤️

Praying together. Playing hard. Laughing until it hurts. Listening as teachers and classmates courageously share their stories of faith. Opening God’s Word. And experiencing the kind of fellowship that brings us closer to one another—and closer to Him.

It’s a day our students look forward to every year, but its purpose goes far beyond the fun. One day. Countless memories. And moments we pray God uses for a lifetime.

Bow ties mean business in Upper School!

Three guys. Three bow ties. One seriously sharp crew. Check out Mr. Mincher, Coach Bell, and Mr. Privett! We’re calling this Mustang style at its finest. 🐴✨

Hard work has a way of bringing you back to where it all began. 💛

This weekend, two Madison Academy graduates, Matt Farhat (Class of 2021) and Sam Fulkerson (Class of 2022) received their white coats as they begin medical school at UAB. 🥼🩺 They are seen pictured below with Mrs. Farhat.

Years ago, they were sitting in MA classrooms, taking biology and pre-health courses, putting in the work and building the foundation for what was ahead. Today, that hard work became something they could actually wear.

For Matt, a former Mr. Madison Academy and Homecoming King, and Sam Fulkerson this moment is another reminder that the lessons, discipline, and dreams developed here can carry our Mustangs far beyond graduation.

From maroon and gold to white coats. 🥹
We couldn’t be prouder to watch these two Mustangs take the next step toward becoming physicians.

Hard work pays off. Dreams are worth chasing. And once a Mustang, always a Mustang. 💛🥼

Congratulations, Matt and Sam!

Milestones worth celebrating. 🤍🏆

5 years. 10 years. 15 years. 20+ years. 30+ years. Each milestone represents so much more than time, it represents years of investing in students, building relationships, shaping lives, and choosing to make Madison Academy home.

We are incredibly grateful for the faculty and staff who continue to pour their gifts, talents, faith, and hearts into MA year after year. Their longevity speaks volumes about the strength of our community and the people who make it so special.

At opening ceremonies, each honoree was surprised with a financial gift in recognition of their years of dedicated service to MA—a small way to say a very big thank you for the lasting investment they have made in generations of Mustangs.

Great schools are built by great people who choose to stay, serve, and invest. Congratulations to these aMAzing teachers! 💛

**Check out the comments to see what staff were recognized this year.**

Four kids. Four schools. Five generations of Mustang roots. 🤎💛

This year, Abbe and Josh Gulledge get to experience just about every corner of Madison Academy, with each of their four kiddos representing a different school! 🐴

🎓 Judd — Freshman | High School
📚 Camp — 7th Grade | Middle School
✏️ Georgia Kate — 3rd Grade | Elementary
🍎 Eliza Jane — Kindergarten | Little MA Primary

For Abbe, this school year is especially meaningful. Now in her fourth year serving as MA’s Medical Director, she’s not only caring for our Mustang community—she and Josh are raising the next generation of a family whose MA story stretches back decades.

Abbe graduated from Madison Academy in 2006. Her parents, Maryanne (Hicks) Chesser ’83 and Ron Chesser ’84, are MA graduates, as was her grandmother, Patsy Ogle ’64. Even Abbe’s great-grandparents poured into this school—Vel Ogle taught kindergarten and Lloyd Ogle served as Maintenance Director.

That makes Judd, Camp, Georgia Kate, and Eliza Jane fourth-generation Mustangs—and part of a five-generation MA legacy when you include those who have served here. 🤎💛

Now, Abbe and Josh get a front-row seat as that legacy continues—from kindergarten classrooms to high school hallways, all on one campus.

Four schools. One family. Five generations. One incredible Mustang legacy. 🐴✨

Before backpacks were unpacked.
Before lessons were taught.
Before the first bell rang...

Our community paused to pray.

There is something powerful about beginning a school year with hearts surrendered to God—entrusting every student, every teacher, every classroom, and every moment to the One who goes before us.

This is who we are.

MA is a community rooted in faith, united in prayer, and expectant for all God will do this year. 💛

With balloons in hand and the sunrise on the horizon, the Class of 2027 gathered for the first page of their final chapter at Madison Academy. As those balloons drifted toward the sky, so did the dreams, prayers, and possibilities waiting for the year ahead.

One last first day.
One incredible journey still to be written.