Description: Michael
APA Company Description
Anderson Preparatory Academy was founded in August 2008 for 240 cadets in grades 68 by Robert Guillame and his colleague, Lt. Col. John Riley. Mr. Guillame, having over 35 years
of professional experience in education, is our school’s first and current Commandant. He
holds BS and MS degrees from North Carolina State University and Morehead State University.
Guillame has taught economics at Vincennes University and Oakland City University, among
other positions at local colleges.
APA was founded to be a public, military-style, charter school for grades K-12. We have
three buildings located in Anderson, Indiana, and because of our charter with Ball State, we are
tuition free. APA is also well-known for our college-style curriculum and instructors. Every
cadet is required to participate in our school’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
(AFJROTC) program during their high school years. Cadets in the middle school are required to
participate in our school’s Civil Air Patrol (CAP) program, and may carry on their participation in
the program into their high school years if they so choose.
The CAP and AFJROTC programs teach our cadets the leadership skills they need for
their future and everyday life. APA works hard to be as student-led as possible; cadets lead
uniform inspections, drill and ceremonies, and class opening/closing procedures, among other
things. Cadets that graduate from our academy are effectively prepared with the knowledge
and leadership skills they will need for college and beyond.
Craig Bodey
The Anderson Preparatory Academy Mission Statement
The Anderson Preparatory Academy educates today’s students to be tomorrow’s
leaders in a structured, college-style environment, while building respectful, patriotic citizens
that will find creative solutions to the world’s problems.
Cox
Goal Pool The overall goals of APA are. . .
1. To educate leaders in a structured, college-styled environment, and to build respectful,
patriotic citizens to find creative solutions to the nation’s problems.
2. To give students an edge in life by a structured environment, to enhance creative
thinking, and provide Air Force Core Values to help discipline young leaders for future
challenges.
3. To build character and good citizenship in a college-style environment with the
discipline and structure of a strong AFJROTC program, that trains leaders under the Air
Force Core Values.
4. Give students the tools of leadership, citizenship, and discipline to become active
citizens making a difference in the world.
5. Educating future citizens in a safe, college-styled learning environment; to nurture
creative thinking for complex problems; and to serve community, country, and self.
6. Prepare future leaders and active citizens in a structured, creative enhancing
environment, with a strong AFJROTC program.
Khori Morrow
Core Competencies
Academically the things Anderson Preparatory Academy is good at are, finding great teachers
who are available at certain times after school to help students who prefer one-on-one
tutoring. The teachers also go through development meetings as often as every month, that
help with their people skills, and how well they work with the students and the teacher-parent
relationship. The school also provides leadership training for those in middle school and high
school. Historically, the school has ha d really good test scores. Many of the students go to
college right after high school that shows we prepare our students for higher education. The
school also instills the core values of service before self, leadership, and integrity. The school
shows how academics, responsibility, hard work and teacher-parent relationships. The school
values the importance of staying in contact with the parents. The school as a whole values
education and gives the sources needed to succeed to those who wants and needs it.
SWOT INTERNAL ESTES
APA has a lot of internal strengths and weaknesses. People say that some of our attributes are
good and bad. For example, our school size is good because we have small class sizes, but that
also hurts our activities. Generally, if a student is a part of one activity, they are a part of all.
OPPORTUNITIES



Public School—People don’t need
THREATS

Public Perception:
money to attend
o “Place to ‘fix’ kids”
Our JROTC program is well
o “Military School”
received at public functions

Public School: “Must Accept Anybody.”
“Room” to expand offerings and

Academic Programs Offered At Other
community involvement.
Schools

Unhappy parents can spread a negative
perception of the school
This is similar for a lot of our strengths and weaknesses. One of our biggest strengths is our
safety. Current and past cadets have told our instructors that safety is the main reason why
they came to our school. JROTC is also a big strength and big weakness. Some people would not
want to come to APA because they would have to participate in JROTC. Our main weakness is
that we do not receive any local taxes. This hurts us by not having money to do many of the
upgrades we need, or things we want to do to improve our school. These are some of our main
weakness and strengths.
SWOT EXTERNAL MAYNARD
Opportunities are the possibilities that are attainable but are not being utilized, or are not being
utilized to the extent of their potential. The opportunities that are available to our school
include the following: Advertising that it is a public school that requires no additional tuition
than any other public school; Taking advantage of how well our JROTC program and cadets are
received in public; and looking into the expansion of APA’s involvement in the community.
The external factors that could be having, or eventually could have, a negative effect on our
school is the way the public perceives APA as a place to send troubled kids, this perception
results in students being sent to APA that cause conflict or damage the school’s image.
Additional threats that could have a negative effect on APA include, that other schools in the
area have a wider variety of academic programs on offer compared to APA, and that parents
who may not be satisfied with their child’s education could spread a negative perception of
APA.
Industry Analysis: CAPSHAW
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
A look at our competition
ACS, Anderson christen, liberty christen, St. Marie, Erskine, Elwood Community schools,
Pendleton community schools, Frankton community schools, and south Madison community
schools. Why are they competition, because they are in the education industry with APA
Schools. In Madison county APA holds about 7% of student population in Madison County
compared to the 93% that do not.
A look at the industry
APA was established in 2008 by Robert Guillaume. APA was located in the 25 th street
school building with grades 6-8 and an attendance of 250 schools. The students participated in
the Civil Air Patrol program as part of their curriculum. In 2010 APA bought another school on
22nd street where it housed the beginning high school grades and had an attendance of about
400 students. Once a cadet would enter high school they would be required to participate in
the AFJROTC program, and they could also continue their CAP progress if they wished. The
following year APA bought the 29th street School and moved both the high school, with grades
9-12, and the middle school, with grades 6-8, and opened up k-2 at the 25th street School and 3-
5 at the 22nd street School. As of now APA has stayed in their locations and now has an
attendance of about 1100 students in attendance.
A look at our customers
Now that APA has opened their school up to all grades K-12 we can focus on a wider
group of customers for our school system. Looking at a target market I would say that most of
our customers are concerned parent and bullied students. In order to market to them we need
to not only provide a broader variety of classes and activities, to take from our competition, but
also market to the public more. In order to do this we would need to have more afterschool
sports teams like lacrosse, MENS VOLLYBALL, powder puff football, rugby, and some sort of
swimming or water polo. As for the marketing and advertising portion it would be beneficial to
have a virtual tour on a more cleaned up website, advertise posters in the Cats bus stops, and
post billboards around the 53rd street area of town..
Competition: WIRE
School
Anderson
Christian
School
Accredited Things we
offer that
they don't
No
10th grade,
JROTC
program
Liberty
Yes
Christian
School
Anderson
Yes
High School
JROTC
program,
Lapel High
School
JROTC
program
Yes
JROTC
requirement
Things we don't offer that they do
State
grade
Population Type
creative writing, Chinese- Mandarin,
Pre-K, Math club, Chess club, Golf,
early education program, religious
teachings
religious teachings, computer lab
classes, zoology classes, some
college classes
shop classes, various science
classes, clubs, sports, more
students, home economics,
marching band, sign language,
French, buses
some sports (not listed) and science
classes (not listed), marching band,
sign language, French, buses
""
NA
208
Private
B
558
Private
C
1884
Public
A
445
Public
B
709
Public
golf, marching band, shop classes,
Fine arts classes (not listed), buses
French, Spanish club, French club,
various science classes (not listed),
some history classes (not listed),
buses
NA
A
1316
Public
A
809
Public
B
471
Public
Frankton
Yes
High School
Pendleton
Yes
High School
Delta High Yes
School
""
Elwood
Yes
High School
Daleville
Yes
High School
""
""
golf, French, buses, other classes
not listed
A
380
Public
Carmel
Yes
High School
Marion
Yes
High School
""
French, other classes not listed
A
4685
Public
JROTC
requirements
NA
A
1159
Public
""
""
Target Market: Clark
Target Market
The Anderson Preparatory Academy strives to find children and young adults with a strong
desire and will to learn and actively participate in their studies. Students must also be willing to
do well on tests. We are looking for tomorrow’s leaders today.
Here at APA, we desire for parents play a large role in their child’s education by
attending school functions and meetings (financial, club, etc.).
Students cannot have any serious disciplinary issues from previous schools. We accept
most students; however, here at APA, we do not tolerate poor behavior. The AFJROTC program
teaches leadership and the Air Force Core Values: Integrity, Service before Self, and Excellence
in All We Do. We prepare cadets for college and the world of tomorrow.
Points of Difference: Pascal
Anderson Preparatory Academy separates itself from other public schools in the area in many
ways, with the most substantial difference being the collegiate curriculum being followed by
the Academy. Children and young adults grades K-12 are given the opportunity to be taught by
teachers who genuinely care about their students; on a teacher/student basis as well as one
human being to another. A child can enroll in kindergarten and work his/her way through every
grade and building. Even though students are taught at different buildings based on grade level,
every single student is continuing to be taught character, leadership skills, and self-discipline.
Another major point of difference is the brotherhood and camaraderie throughout the student
body. Academy cadets bond together throughout the years and are always there for each
other. The Pre-academy cadets are younger, but the bonds they have are just as strong. The
elementary building is the exact same way, and we Jets are one big family of silver, blue, and
white. Ask any student in the Academy about the bond that APA has, and the response will
always be about how close of a school we are.
Technology is another differentiating factor that APA has over other surrounding schools. Wifi
hotspots are in every other classroom and every student in the Academy receives a notebook
to complete school work, study for tests, do research, and type papers. The computers are a
tremendously useful asset for cadets in higher grades because of the amount of research
papers and school work they have to complete. Some cadets don’t have a computer at home so
it’s a great way for cadets to complete assignments and study.
APA’s class sizes are extremely different than other public schools. Surrounding schools may
have classes pushing forty students, but the Academy rarely ever has more than twenty. The
smaller classes give students more one on one time with the instructor, more time to ask
questions, and more time being spent on learning since the instructor doesn’t have to worry
about “babysitting” a large class. Courses are taught with extreme passion, full of many
opportunities for tutoring or other extra help for students who don’t fully understand the
subject matter.
The course selection for elective classes at the Academy is not the biggest, but colleges still love
to see a diploma from Anderson Preparatory Academy. The difference between APA and other
public schools and their JROTC programs is that AFJROTC is required here at the Academy. Even
though the Academy requires JROTC for every cadet, the Academy is not run like a “military
school” or a place for “troubled youth.”
The school has a happy, warm, and inviting environment and the students who are enrolled
love coming to school every day. Cadets don’t have to worry about looking over their shoulder
and feeling scared of coming to school. All the teachers are bright and cheery and ease the
“morning feeling” of getting out of bed and coming to school.
Positioning: Keller
In traditional schools you either have public schools or private schools, and the
education that you receive—more often than less—are determined by how much you pay for
the school. But at APA you receive a private school education at a public school cost. With no
tuition it encourages students from all social backgrounds to get the best education possible.
Promotional Strategy: Coburn
Promotional Strategy
Key promotion strategies feature; spirit wear sold in stores, APA flyers on pizza boxes,
Community Service with other organizations, a LED sign, a trailer, a truck (donated), Frisbees,
utility bill flyers, posters in restaurants, and stress balls.
Spirit Wear. Spirit wear will be sold in local stores around Anderson and possibly around
Muncie. We can talk to owners of “Mom and Pop” stores. There is a possibility we could talk to
bigger businesses about having our school logo in their store. We have contacts for the
following businesses; Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, and possible contacts for Bulldog Creative
Tees, Second Time Around Ladies Apparel, and Sears.
APA Flyers on Pizza Boxes. Our APA flyers could be placed with Greek’s pizza boxes. Our
local Greek’s Pizzeria owner agreed to cooperate with us as long as we do the following; give
him a sample to approve of, email him the sample, call him to tell when it is sent (to keep him
up-to-date), then bring and post the flyers.
Community Service with Other Organizations. APA has connections and connection
possibilities in our community. We can send groups of students to the local Anderson Animal
Protection League. They, AAPL, has a spot in the Herald Bulletin. AAPL also mentions all the
groups that help support or volunteer with their staff. The AAPL always needs volunteers who
can walk, feed, and give attention to the hundreds of animals who are housed there. By helping
them we also promote our core values. We also have connections with the Red Cross inside and
outside of the school, which can bring opportunities to promote us and our values. There are
more possible connections with the Anderson Christian Center, who also needs volunteers year
round.
A LED Sign. A LED outdoor sign has been proposed to help promote ourselves around
Anderson and to update the community on our events. We would use a colored sign and would
be updated constantly by a faculty member. It would be an outdoor 4x8 double sided full color
LED sign. Some sites we used were Sign Plus, EMP Visual Solutions, and Stewart Signs.
A Trailer. This trailer will be a part of the AFROTC program. This will be provided for us.
There are many ways to decorate and design the trailer. We could put magnets and decals on it
to promote the school/ ROTC program. With this trailer we could add two 32in flat screen TVs
and a DVD player. The AFROTC program will get a miniature drive able fighter- like plane.
A Donated Truck. The truck can be painted or we could add decals to it. It will promote
our school anywhere it goes. We customize it and use it for school function. We could use it to
move things around for different events like community service or regular school events.
Frisbees or Flying Discs. We could use Frisbees to help spread the word and logo of APA.
Multiple companies and businesses use Frisbees as a cheap way to get their logo out into the
world. We could use them as a small give away prize. Some places we used were Absorbent and
Blue Soda Promo.
Utility Bill Flyers. Schools like Anderson High School have used flyers to reach new
students. We will put a simple flyer with the school colors and logo in local resident’s utility
bills. The flyers fit right into the envelopes with the bills.
Posters in Restaurants. We would have posters in restaurants and the size would be 20”
by 28”. There are many customizable poster websites. Subway has given us positive feedback
on whether or not we could place one inside their store.
Stress Balls. There are many places where we can customize our own stress balls. Many
businesses use stress balls in and out of the work place. Selling or giving them away helps take
the APA logo out of our school and into new areas. There are any shapes, sizes, colors, and
designs we could choose from. Many websites have different quantity to quality ratios. Some
websites we contacted were happyworker.com, promosontime.com, and vistaprint.com.