PALM BEACH DAY ACADEMY is considered one of the finest private educational institutions in the Palm Beach area. Founded in 1921, it is the oldest incorporated independent school in Florida. This old tradition has left a remarkable legacy of excellence. The Academy is a coeducational day school with two campuses located in central West Palm Beach and in historic central Palm Beach with an enrollment of more than 500 students in pre-kindergarten to ninth grade. This non-sectarian, not-for-profit school recognizes each student’s unique talents, abilities and learning styles and strives to reinforce their strengths, while working to develop individual strategies to overcome their challenges. Their primary purpose is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, habits and attitude that will allow them to pursue their goals in excellent secondary schools, colleges and beyond through providing a learning environment in which achievement is highly valued and where students gain confidence from the realization that their accomplishments, reached by meeting high standards, have real worth.
The faculty’s personal involvement and universally held goal of finding for each child the proper balance of nurturing support and challenging demands is the school’s greatest strength. The school administration is under the supervision of Dr. Becky van der Bogert, head of school. In such an environment, students are free to take risks and learn from mistakes. But mostly, they learn the value of sustained effort, focused thinking, open mindedness, concern for others and the possibility to adapt to challenges in a rapidly changing world. The academic program is organized around a simple formula – superior teachers, involved parents, excellent facilities and an environment oriented toward achievement, supported by clearly articulated programs, input from specialists and ongoing professional development. Many of the faculty members have been at the school for decades providing a family atmosphere and the continuation of the school core principles.
Prominent athletics and arts programs complement the curriculum and contribute to the overall development and well-being of the student body. During the early years, students participate in regular physical education. After the fifth grade there is flag football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, lacrose and field hockey. At the junior high levels, students are placed in either junior varsity or varsity teams. The arts program challenges students to showcase their creative sensibility as an essential part of a well rounded education. Drawing, painting, pottery, photography, music, drama and the production of a student newspaper and television program are at the center of the educational life at Palm Beach Day. Annual music and drama productions discover previously untapped talents in upper classmen each year.
Community service is a proud tradition at the Academy. Students are involved in service projects at every level and participate in school-wide service drives and grade level initiatives. Every project is designed to strengthen the understanding of the genuine needs of others. Palm Beach Day students are encouraged to make a donation of their time in direct service to others. Emphasis in community service through instruction and example teaches the importance of character, truthfulness, personal responsibility, generosity and compassion. SA

HIGH SCHOOL IS A DEFINING TIME IN AN ADOLESCENT’S LIFE. It is a time to explore intellectual needs and discover talents. It also marks the beginning of the planning stage for a life of success and well-being. High school students are still at a vulnerable age, but placing them in a caring, challenging environment can assist them in making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach is such a place. Since 1961, when a core faculty of Adrian Dominicans and lay men and women decided to create this new learning center, the school has offered a challenging curriculum intended to educate the whole person—spirit, mind and body—according to the Gospel values of Jesus Christ.
The academic program at Cardinal Newman includes courses in the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, as well as 26 athletic teams and three National Honor Societies. The 800-strong Crusader Country is a community of dedicated students who enjoy multiple opportunities for personal growth. Additionally, on campus ministry and religion departments offer a solid Catholic education and provide a profound moral foundation for an ever-challenging world.
The school provides a Catholic-Christian community where students learn self-fulfillment through Catholic teachings, retreats, liturgies and para-liturgical experiences that allow each of them to discover their unique talents and prepares them intellectually to make mature decisions about their future. The school’s well-rounded curriculum provides academic, religious, extracurricular, athletic and community service programs to shape individuals who accept leadership and are academically inquisitive, spiritually alert and physically sound while committing to the highest academic standards.
The faculty at Cardinal Newman under the direction of John F. Clarke, principal is made up of teachers who understand and respect individual learning styles, teach the fundamental values of loyalty, responsibility, mutual respect, integrity, honesty and common sense, and who find appropriate ways to motivate each student to do their best. The 55-acre campus includes two academic buildings, a chapel, a media center, computer and science labs, a multi-purpose stadium with fully equipped track, baseball, softball and practice fields, a fitness center and gymnasium, all protected by a campus-wide security system.
Students are required to complete 100 hours of community service prior to graduation. This stimulates their desire to be involved in their community and enhances their knowledge and love of philanthropy. SA

THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL is one of the most prominent educational institutions in Palm Beach County. The school provides a challenging college preparatory curriculum to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment. Their main achievement is the motivation of students to master the skills of learning, communicating and evaluating choices, encouraging them to grow intellectually, socially, morally and physically to their full potential, and instilling a coherent set of values including love of learning, personal responsibility, self-motivation, concern for others and commitment to serve society. The programs—both curricular and cocurricular—enforced at Benjamin are enriching and sophisticated, and geared toward encouraging an atmosphere where the value of learning is highly enhanced.
The Benjamin school provides students with an outstanding academic preparation for college that develops intellectual discipline and moral integrity, inspires them to strive toward ethical and intellectual leadership and helps them to be resourceful, independent and collaborative learners in order to realize their talents as individuals, scholars, artists and athletes. “The magic of the Benjamin school is exhilarating. Every day brings new and fascinating adventures. Everyone seems strangely familiar. I travel wide-eyed between campuses, while seeing and learning things that I yearn to tell my friends and family back home,” says Robert Goldberg, Head of School. Mr. Goldberg focuses significant attention on the development of teacher/parent relationships that he calls symbiotic. “More interaction with our parents at home brings tranquility and productivity to our students at school,” states the Head of School.
One of the commitments that the Benjamin School offers is a diverse representation of the community it serves. Their belief is that a diverse school community broadens awareness and appreciation of the many ethnic, cultural and religious values and traditions informing our world and that differences enrich and strengthen our communities. Following the school’s motto “Nulli Secundus” (Second to None) the school prepares ambassadors for diversity both within and outside school grounds guided by the following principles: recruitment and retention of students, faculty, staff and administrators from diverse backgrounds, creation of a multi-cultural and reflecting curriculum and consistent use of quantitative, qualitative and anecdotal assessments to make sure that the above criteria is met.
The rigorous curriculum offers 18 Advanced Placement courses and a dozen Honors courses challenging the brightest thinkers in all academic subject areas. Faculty members believe in the premise that success happens in different ways for different students, and they focus their efforts individually to ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. The highest level of technology, an amazing arts program and award winning athletics highlight the level of excellence of this Palm Beach County powerhouse. The Benjamin School accepts students from pre-k, kindergarten, elementary, middle and upper school. SA