In 1977, Clifford E. Ripley, then Palm Beach County Schools’ Assistant Superintendent, called together several key administrators from public, private and parochial schools, and proposed the idea of a dinner to recognize outstanding scholastic achievement in high school seniors throughout the county. The Scholastic Achievement Foundation was born!
The recognition took the form of an elegant dinner held in the Venetian Ballroom of the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, meant to give each student a memory to last a lifetime.
The Foundation began presenting sponsored scholarships, in the amount of $1000 to selected students who attended the dinner 17 years ago. Despite the cancellation of the dinner, in 2020 and 2021 we still presented a four-year, full tuition scholarship to a student to each of the following universities: Lynn University, Florida Atlantic University, and Palm Beach State College.
For over 46 years the achievements of more than 5500 students have been recognized at our dinners with over 400 of these students receiving scholarships. Our continuing mission is to honor these outstanding scholars. We need your help to support these students as they attend the finest colleges and universities in the country, pursuing careers as leaders in fields as diverse and exciting as biomedical engineering and instrumental performance.