Southern Preparatory Academy announced Thursday that former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, will be the keynote speaker at the first annual Southern Prep Board of Trustees banquet on Friday, April 23.
Southern Prep, formerly known as Lyman Ward Military Academy, in Camp Hill was founded in 1898 and currently has an enrollment of 103 students. Southern Preparatory Academy is a private military school for boys in grades 6 through 12. The Academy emphasizes academic achievement, leadership and character development.
“We are excited to bring together cadets, alumni, faculty, families, and friends of the academy for a night of sharing experiences, stories, and a wonderful evening,” the school said in a statement.
The banquet raises money for cadet scholarships. Each year, around 5 to 8 cadets receive scholarships to attend the academy. These scholarships can make all the difference in a cadet’s life. They enable promising cadets to pursue a quality education and experience opportunities that otherwise would not have been available.
Sessions was Senator from 1997 to 2017. From 2017 to 2018 he was U.S. Attorney General. Prior to his Senate service, Sessions was Alabama Attorney General, Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, and former U.S. Attorney from Alabama for Presidents Ronald W. Reagan (R) and George H.W. Bush (R). Sessions grew up in Wilcox County and now lives in Mobile.
The banquet will start at 6:30 p.m. and end around 8:00 p.m. CST.
The event will be held at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort and Spa at Grand National. Rooms are blocked off at the hotel for guests traveling from out of town. Hotel guests can take advantage of the beautiful golf course and spa during your stay in beautiful Lee County!
Tickets are just $125 each and you can sponsor a whole table for just $1,000. To purchase individual seats, sponsor a table, or make a donation to the scholarship fund, visit here. After purchasing your spots, register by clicking here.
The school was founded by Dr. Lyman Ward, a Universalist minister from New York, who was heavily influenced by his friend and mentor, Booker T. Washington. While Southern Prep is a private school, it does get a very modest annual appropriation from the state of Alabama at $367,290 in 2021.
