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Pensacola Teen Embraces Military School – Calls it “Home”

After spending years bouncing around from school to school following his father’s career in the Navy, Pensacola teen Kaylen Sampson says he has finally found a school to call home in Camp Hill, Alabama-based Lyman Ward Military Academy (LWMA).

“Folks would think that the decision to come to Lyman Ward Military Academy was one made solely by my parents, but I was actively involved in the decision-making process,” says Sampson.  “My parents and I looked at several military boarding schools across the country, and Lyman Ward was a good fit,” says the Junior Cadet.

Sampson admits that his grades were suffering before he joined Lyman Ward, but his desire to obtain a good college education, and to pursue a career as a pilot in the military, is what drives him to study hard.  

“It’s nice to finally have a school to call home,” says Sampson, whose adjustment to a military boarding school was made easy as the son of a Naval Officer.  “Adjustment and transition are two words that I have lived by during my father’s 25-year Naval career,” says the Cadet. 

Cadets are encouraged to pursue their interests, and Lyman Ward Cadets are fortunate to have a 300-acre campus, complete with hiking/biking trails, fishing ponds and shooting range.  Sports, such as football, soccer and basketball are also offered, and the Academy competes on the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) level.  Additionally, the Academy’s JROTC program is ranked among the top 5 percent in the nation, and has done so for the past 35 years.