The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation hosted the 38th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education presented by The Hanley Foundation on May 10. Hundreds gathered for the 2022 Dwyer Awards ceremony at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach that celebrated local educators. Seven award recipients were announced and honored, along with all 28 finalists, nominees, and past recipients. WPBF 25 anchor, Mark Kelly, served as emcee of the event.
The Dwyer Awards, an annual program developed in 1984 and supported by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, honors outstanding educators from public and private schools in Palm Beach County, increases awareness of the exemplary teaching in our community, supports educators with financial awards and encourages all residents to promote high standards for excellence in education. The Economic Council of Palm Beach County is comprised of business leaders who are committed to educational excellence as a key tenet for creating an environment for businesses to prosper.
The 2022 Dwyer Award winners for Excellence in Education included: Grow Up Great-Early Education: Barbara Boehringer, pre-kindergarten teacher at Palm Beach Gardens Elementary; Elementary Education: Katherine Kovalsky, music teacher at Royal Palm Beach Elementary School; Middle School Education: Annette Johnson, music teacher at Palm Beach Day Academy; Senior High Education: Geri Grocki, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher at Boynton Beach High School; STEM Education: Scott Lehman, Crosspointe Elementary; Student Advancement and Career Education: Jill Williams, speech-language pathologist for students K-12 at Royal Palm School; and Special Programs: John Miller, teacher for students with autism at Watson B. Duncan Middle School in Palm Beach Gardens. John draws on his diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder to relate and acknowledge how learning is different for his students from their neurotypical peers. John received a standing ovation during the event as he accepted his award.
“We were so excited to honor and celebrate these remarkable teachers in our community with an in-person event this year,” said Michele Jacobs, President, and CEO of Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Inc. “The Economic Council of Palm Beach County has had the privilege of honoring outstanding teachers in our community for the past 38 years. This awards event was also an opportunity to highlight our 2020 and 2021 winners in person, as we are continually grateful for our teachers and their commitment to our students during these most challenging of years.”
Dwyer Awards Chair was Sergio Mariaco and Dwyer Awards Vice-Chair was Erica Palmisano.
The 2022 Dwyer Awards would like to thank Presenting Sponsor Hanley Foundation; Excellence Sponsor Pratt & Whitney; Award Presentation Sponsors Comcast, FPL, PNC Bank, and UnitedHealthcare; Stage Sponsor The Elmore Family Foundation; Kick-Off Sponsor Rybovich; Reception Sponsors Mariaca Wealth Management and Gunster; Teacher Sponsors Vecellio Group, Inc. and Bank of America; Knowledge Sponsors Blue Ocean Capital, The Breakers, Nova Southeastern University, Kitson & Partners, Keiser University Shutts & Bowen LLP, Oxbow Carbon, The Weitz Company, GL Homes, and Linda & Al Adelson; Creativity Sponsors CareerSource Palm Beach County, Jones Lowry, Palm Beach State College Foundation, Perry & Taylor, P.A., The Gardens Mall, Eastwind Development, LLC and Philanthropy Tank Palm Beach County; Teacher Ticket Sponsors Dr. Dennis Gallon, Urban Design Studios; and Media Sponsors The Palm Beach Post and WPBF 25.
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