St. Lucie schools' newest high school in Tradition gets a name to create its legacy

Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·1 min read

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The district's new high school — still a year away from opening — now has a name.

Legacy High School was selected unanimously by the School Board Tuesday.

"Now you have something to build on and make a new legacy," board Chair Debbie Hawley told Todd Smith, who has been named principal of the school. Smith was previously at Treasure Coast High School.

An artist's rendering of the planned high school in Tradition in St. Lucie County.
An artist's rendering of the planned high school in Tradition in St. Lucie County.

Construction of the $80 million, 2,000-student high school began in June at 14505 SW Crosstown Parkway. The school, expected to open August 2025, has long been needed to accommodate rapid growth in the Tradition area of the county. The district moved up construction last year to handle the thousands of families expected to move into Tradition and surrounding areas.

St. Lucie County's population has exploded between 2010 and 2020, jumping 18% from nearly 278,000 to 329,000.

A naming committee of local residents, students and community leaders narrowed the 37 suggested names to three — Legacy, Sunset Ridge High School and Crosstown High School.

Bursting at the seams: St. Lucie schools accelerates construction to keep up with growth

The School Board ranked each of the finalists, with the top-ranked name selected. Board members' rankings were not announced during the meeting.

"I liked all three of the names," said Vice Chair Jack Kelly. "All three of them would be great to me."

Jon Prince (From Left) Superintendent of St. Lucie Schools, Terence O'Leary COO of St. Lucie Schools, and Ted Cava, Vice President with Core Construction, overlook the progress on land clearing for the new high school, known as Tradition DDD along Range Line Road, south of Glades Cutoff Road, during a tour with the schoolboard members and associates on Wednesday, May 31, in southern Port St. Lucie. "The project is staying on schedule, 250, 000 square feet, 2000 student stations, and it's on 50 acres," Cava said.

More: St. Lucie County schools planning building boom in Tradition to handle enrollment growth

Legacy High School is expected to offer five medical-themed programs — dental lab, biomedical, exercise science, nursing and occupational/physical therapy — a hospitality program; and advanced courses such as dual enrollment and Advanced Placement.

Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: St. Lucie schools' newest high school in Tradition gets a name

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next