American Heritage Schools, the top-ranked Private K-12 School in Florida according to Niche, is pleased to announce that 15 students from the Class of 2024 (eight from the Broward Campus and seven from the Palm Beach Campus) have been nominated for the Presidential Scholars award. The U.S. Presidential Scholars program is the nation’s most prestigious recognition for distinguished graduating high school seniors.
The two campuses of American Heritage Schools account for 12% of all Presidential Scholar Candidates in the state of Florida. The Broward campus is the No. 1 school in Florida with the highest number of Presidential Scholar candidates. The Palm Beach Campus is the No. 1 school in Palm Beach County and the No. 2 school in Florida with the highest number of Presidential Scholar candidates.
“Being a presidential scholar is an extraordinary academic achievement, and we are immensely proud of our students who have earned this prestigious honor,” said Dr. Doug Laurie, president of American Heritage Schools. “It reflects their dedication, intellect, and commitment to excellence and serves as a testament to their hard work and determination.”
The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize and honor some of our Nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.
Approximately 500 students will be named semifinalists and forwarded to the Commission for further review. In April, the Commission on Presidential Scholars will review the applications and select 161 outstanding students to receive the nation’s highest scholastic honor. Students are selected based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations, and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
The students from American Heritage Schools who have been named candidates include:
Broward Campus:
- Ethan Brady, Weston resident
- Yana Danzig, Davie resident
- Cayden Forman, Weston resident
- Ellaheh Gohari, Pembroke Pines resident
- Taeyoung Kim, Davie resident
- Rithvik Marri, Weston resident
- Kaushal Vedula, Pembroke Pines resident
- Aaron Zhang, Weston resident
Palm Beach Campus:
- Drake Austin, Boca Raton resident
- Jesse Brodtman, Wellington resident
- Daniel Crum, Boca Raton resident
- Bradley Frishman, Boca Raton resident
- Isidoro Lapidot, Royal Palm Beach resident
- Rayan Rahmani, Boca Raton resident
- Ryan Rao, Boca Raton resident
U.S. Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program in Washington D.C. each June. To commemorate their achievement, the Scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion during a White House-sponsored ceremony.
For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and American Heritage Schools, please visit: https://www.ahschool.com/presidential-scholars-2024
About American Heritage Schools: American Heritage Schools, founded in 1965, is a nationally ranked private, nonsectarian, and co-educational college preparatory day school with two 40-acre campuses: the Broward Campus is located in Plantation, Florida, and the Palm Beach Campus is located in Delray Beach, Florida. Its campuses serve approximately 4,800 students in PK3 through 12th grades, and the student body represents over 60 different countries throughout the world. Approximately 70 percent of the faculty hold postgraduate degrees. American Heritage Schools is nationally and internationally accredited by the following associations: Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF), Middle States Association (MSA-CESS), and National Council for Private Schools. The Lower School includes advanced classes and 15 electives, and the Upper School offers over 300 courses with 138 honors classes, 28 Advanced Placement classes, and 75 fine arts classes. Pre-professional programs are offered in pre-med, pre-law, pre-engineering, biomedical engineering, business & entrepreneurship, and computer science with classes taught daily by doctors, surgeons, lawyers, judges, engineers, and computer scientists currently practicing in their fields. American Heritage Schools was named No. 1 Private K-12 School in Florida, according to Niche.com, ranks as the No. 1 high school in Florida for the highest number of National Merit Scholars for 14 years, and the No. 1 school in Florida for the most Presidential Scholars. The Math Competition team is No. 1 out of all private schools in the nation, Model UN team is top 3 in the nation, and the Speech and Debate team is in the top 1% in the nation. In their recent “Book of Lists” rankings, South Florida Business Journal (SFBJ) recognized American Heritage Schools as the No. 1 Private School, No. 16 in Corporate Philanthropy in South Florida, and No. 22 Largest Employer in South Florida.
For more information about American Heritage Schools, visit its website at www.ahschool.com
