American Heritage in Delray Beach celebrates 60th anniversary with new naming of football stadium

School names stadium after its CEO/founder William R. Laurie

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks in Davie on Thursday, April 4, 2024. (Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participated in a ceremony and held a press conference at American Heritage School in Palm Beach County Monday morning.

The press conference was held to unveil the ceremonial naming football stadium by honoring American Heritage’s Delray Beach Campus, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

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The stadium, William R. Laurie Field, is named after the school’s founder and CEO of American Heritage School.

The school has been recognized as “the top private school in the nation for its academic excellence,” according to DeSantis.

Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney spoke at the press conference and said the school has produced an impressive number of President’s Scholars and students there have logged a combined 257,000 hours of community service in the 2023-2024 school year.

DeSantis also said that American Heritage in Delray Beach “has been recognized as being number one among all private schools for producing national merit scholars, including 15 among the class of 2024.”

American Heritage’s Plantation campus is the top school in Florida with the highest number of Presidential Scholar candidates, according to its website.

The school is also ranked in the top one percent in speech and debate teams throughout the entire United States. They also achieved a 93 percent pass rate on advanced placement exams, according to DeSantis.

Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Sachs also attended the press conference and shared her gratitude for Laurie and his impact on the South Florida community.

“We honor your legacy and all of your students who attend this school are better people because of you,” Sachs said. “May the stadium stand as a testament to your ability and care for the growth of your students.”

Watch the press conference here:


About the Author

Ryan Mackey is a Digital Journalist at WPLG. He was born in Long Island, New York, and has lived in Sunrise, Florida since 1994.

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