The list of superlatives associated with American Heritage School in Plantation is long. Really long.
The school has the most National Merit Scholars in Florida. Its math, mock trial, robotics, and speech and debate teams often achieve national rankings.
It has powerhouse athletic programs in football, baseball, and soccer and more.
“In high school alone we have 300 different course offerings, so there’s really something for everyone, if someone has a particular interest, chances are we have a class in it,” said Dr. Douglas Laurie, the school’s vice president.
How about architecture? They’ve got it, with students designing buildings on the same computer platforms architects actually use. American Heritage goes from pre-K through 12 grade, so it provides an opportunity for high school kids to mentor the youngsters and set examples for them, academically or by winning the national math team championship, which the Patriots did last year.
“The skill set of how to solve problems and apply the quadratic equation or any other math formula, it transfers over to life and solving problems,” said Rick Rovere, the math team coach.
American Heritage isn’t all STEM-intensive. The school has a major commitment to the arts, from choir to drum line to band and orchestra to musical theatre, drama, photography, painting and drawing.
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The school tries to have something for every student, even if the students don’t yet know what they want.
“And what I think it so amazing is they can then figure out what they’re passionate about and when they figure out their passions this school gives them all the opportunities and resources to take that to the highest level, our students become leaders, when they get to college they’re able to hit the ground running,” said principal Elise Blum.
It is a private college prep school, after all, and it’s expensive. Depending on grade level, tuition can run between $20,000 and $30,000. However, the school offers financial aid and a variety of scholarships to make American Heritage more affordable.
