Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
With her genuinely good heart and a wealth of experience behind her, Susannah works to connect local business and non-profit leaders to their neighbors. In a community like ours in which so many have invested their lives, there are fantastic stories all around us that motivate and inspire, often right next door. She hopes to share some of those here, on the Good Neighbor Podcast. Book an interview today at GNPAuburn.com
Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika
Ep. #25: Shaping Leaders at Southern Prep Academy with Becca Nelson and Morgan Comolli
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For over 125 years, Southern Preparatory Academy has existed to educate and train future generations of leaders. We provide a unique structure for boys to learn about self-discipline and independence in a safe and structured environment.
As the Official Military Academy of the State of Alabama, we have one goal: to prepare our cadets for the responsibilities of life. Each boy who walks through these doors will leave with a heightened sense of respect, for not only himself but for friends and family too. He will hold his head higher, walk prouder, and be a man of integrity.
Join us for a conversation with Southern Prep Academy's Becca Nelson and Morgan Comolli as discuss a military boarding school experience in Camp Hill, AL. Our guests illustrate the school's nurturing impact and why parents entrust their sons to the rigors of this life-shaping academy.
Southern Preparatory Academy
(256) 790-9202
Southern Prep Academy
Speaker 1This is the Good Neighbor podcast , the place where local businesses and neighbors come together . Here's your host , Susanna Hodges .
Speaker 2Welcome to the Good Neighbor podcast . With me is Becca Nelson and Morgan Kamoli with the Southern Prep Academy . Welcome , it's a pleasure having you with me today .
Speaker 3It's great to be here . Yes , thank you .
Speaker 2Becca , tell us a little bit about Southern Prep Academy .
Speaker 4Absolutely so . Southern Preparatory Academy was founded in 1898 . It is Alabama's official military boarding school for boys , grades 6 through 12 . So we are located in Camp Hill , alabama , which is about 20 minutes from the Auburn-Opalaika area , so we're actually a little more local than you might think . Yeah , so , yeah , southern Prep , we really focus on preparing young men for the work of life . I think a lot of times when people hear military school they kind of get a little scared . You might see things in movies and on media that make it seem a little scary , but really our whole purpose here is to take young men and help them progress so they can be good citizens and so yeah , so that's a little bit . We are a private school with about 115 cadets who live here on campus from August to May . They can go home on the weekends and things like that . But our cadets do span from several states across the United States as well as a couple of international countries as well .
Speaker 2Okay , so tell me a little bit about you guys . How did y'all get into your positions at Southern Prep Academy ? What led you to the academy ?
Speaker 3So my journey is kind of different than most people . So I actually grew up at an all boys military school in Pennsylvania . I did not go there , but my dad was there , and so I actually grew up on the campus , born and raised , lived there my whole life . So I got to experience you know what it was like for the students there and talk to them , and I grew up with a bunch of brothers in that sense , and so then I went to college and over the summers and things like that I would work in admissions there on the campus and so I have that background . And then when I graduated college with my criminal justice degree , my neighbors from that school actually moved down here and started working at Southern Prepatory Academy and they told me about this opportunity and I figured you know well , let's move to Alabama from Pennsylvania . And so I came down here in 2019 and I worked , started in admissions as the admissions counselor in 2019 and was just promoted this past summer to admissions director . So this is my fifth school year here .
Speaker 2Okay , all right . So are you ? You growing up around these ? This type of school lens for a special , you know , unique type of experience that you have .
Speaker 3Yes .
Speaker 2What about you , Becca ?
Speaker 4My story is all as cool as Morgan's . I graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with my bachelor's in marketing . I stuck around in the area . My first year out of college I was doing outside sales cold calling , and that was not the job for me . So I loved that and I knew I wanted to work in education , but I didn't necessarily want to be a teacher . I just stumbled across Southern Prep on Indeed one day . I applied to be an admissions counselor , came in and interviewed and the president at the time liked my background in marketing . So I kind of came into a brand new position and I'm the director of marketing here at Southern Prep . I've also been here since 2019 . This is my fifth school year . Okay so , okay so , okay so , okay so , okay so , okay so .
Speaker 2Okay , so Okay , so Okay , so Okay , so Okay , so Okay , so Okay . Being a boarding school and I'm just thinking now how many . I don't really know of any other boarding schools in Alabama . Are there other schools that that that are like a legitimate boarding school ?
Speaker 4There's a couple . Yeah , okay , no other military boarding schools , no other boarding schools that are all boys .
Speaker 2Yeah , very unique opportunity you guys are offering , offering there Camp Hill . I know exactly where it is . If you're , you know , driving up 280 going up to Lake Martin , you can't miss Camp Hill . It's got good history there too and the campus there is Really really nice . I've actually seen that campus up there , becca . Well , are there any misconceptions about the boarding military schools or boarding schools in general ?
Speaker 4Um , so , as far as military boarding schools go , yes , and I would say , for us , the number one myth or misconception that we hear Is that we are a reform school for bad kids or for juvenile delinquents , or that we are a boot camp or a military feeder program , and we are none of those things . Okay , yeah , we are a tuition-based college preparatory school , but we have the Military component to provide structure and discipline to our students . So that's where the military comes in , but we don't force kids into the military . Yeah , yeah , so yeah .
Speaker 2Well , that sounds awesome . So , generally , when someone calls you looking for information about the school , what is it that has brought them to you ? What kind of Situations or what are they looking for when they when they pick it up the phone and saying , hey , tell me about your school , what is it you find that they're looking for ?
Speaker 3so it kind of varies . Definitely more Some structure . We have a very structured schedule . So every day , monday through Friday , the students are waking up at 6 30 in the morning . You know it's the same schedule every day , so it's something that they've come to expect . So definitely the structure . Accountability so , like Becca said , you know we're not a military feeder program but we are going to hold the young men accountable . Something that is not common in a lot of Public schools or other schools is the leadership that we have here . So our students have the ability to be leaders and get leadership roles and positions . And so that you know , we have seventh or eighth graders that are leading Sixth , another seventh and eighth graders , and that's not something that you see in most places .
Speaker 3So , definitely the accountability , the smaller size . We're able to , you know , really work with the young men on a more individual level and we really know the students . It's not , you know , just sitting in a class of 30 plus kids . We have classes , you know , eight to ten students at the maximum . We're gonna know every student , their strengths , their , all of those things that you might not get at a bigger school .
Speaker 2So a day in the life of a cadet . There you're starting your day at 6 30 . What happens after that ?
Speaker 3Yes , so wake up at 6 30 . They will get their uniforms on , they'll make their beds , get ready for the day . We have formations when they go to anything , so formation , and then they go to breakfast . Then after that they'll come back , get their backpacks , go to school from about 8 30 to 3 30 and then of course they go to lunch in the middle of that and then after school then we have activity time . So if students are in any sports they will plug into those . If not , we do have afternoon activities that they can plug into and then after the activity time and sport practice time , then they will go to dinner . After dinner , sunday through Thursday , we have study hall and that looks like the cadets are in their rooms with sitting at their desks working on homework from 7 to 8 pm and then after that they get a little bit of free time . So that's when cell phones . They'll get access to those and then they will go to bed at 9 30 All right excellent .
Speaker 2You talk about structure . That is definitely very structured .
Speaker 3Yeah , yes .
Speaker 2So tell me what's the one thing you wish people knew about Southern Prep Academy that they may not realize .
Speaker 4Yeah , yeah . We are an opportunity for young men to reach their full potential . They are able to come here and gain knowledge and experience that they might not get in their current school . Morgan just kind of touched on that with the cadet leadership roles that we offer . You know they have to earn those , they . They learn how to be a person of integrity , how to be a good leader , how to put others above themselves . So they , they come here , and it's not just you know , wake up and shine your shoes and things like that .
Speaker 4Yeah , actually learn how to , I guess you know , just have integrity and it's a good character . Yeah , yeah , yeah , you know things that I think a lot of Kids nowadays they need exactly . They're not , they're not getting it you know . So that's , that's what we're here for .
Speaker 2Well , how
Southern Prep Academy Admissions and Contact
Speaker 2can ? How can someone get in touch with you if they're interested in learning more about the academy ?
Speaker 3Yeah , so you can reach out to me personally . I am the director of admissions here and again , morgan Kamoli , and you can call my cell phone at two , five , six , seven , nine zero , nine two zero two . You can also go to our website , which is southern prep Academy org . All of our information is on there as well . We even have a chat feature there that you can contact admissions at any point with a little chat , and we're always available . We do also have rolling admissions , so we're kind of always accepting students and if there , if any families interested in coming to tour campus , just give us a call and we can schedule something . So we're very flexible and accommodating in having you come see campus and answer any questions that you have .
Speaker 2Well , it's been a pleasure talking with you guys , becca and Morgan . I really appreciate you being with me today . Thanks so much .
Speaker 4Yeah , absolutely , thank you .
Speaker 1Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast Auburn . To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show , go to GNP Auburn dot com . That's GNP Auburn dot com , or call 334-429-7404 .