Employee Directory

Matt Durando

• Special Subject Teacher, Physical Education; Baseball Coach
• 718-836-9800 x6021
• Email
• Park Slope
• Lower School

Physical education teacher Matt Durando ’96, P’30 is a Poly alum with a bachelor’s from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an M.B.A. from Long Island University Brooklyn, and a master’s from Touro College. Since 2006, he has taught young children that athletics is more than just winning or losing. Matt made a career change from business to teaching after 9/11. “As a P.E. teacher, each day touches upon gross motor development, fine motor skills, explosiveness, hand/eye coordination, and improving a skill set,” he says. “What can be neglected are the social-emotional topics that arise in a P.E. setting.” Matt focuses on instilling fair play and friendly competition, as well as identifying mistakes and ways to fix them. “So many life lessons are learned when this happens. Teammates talk, communicate, collaborate, support each other; it is an amazing sight to see.” Matt, who played baseball at Poly, is an assistant coach for the Varsity Baseball team. In 2020, he was awarded Poly’s Spirit Award. The Spirit Award is presented annually by the Alumni Board of Governors to a member of the faculty or staff who embodies the values and spirit that Poly seeks to represent as an institution and encourage in its students.