Local teachers among the 28 finalists include: Elizabeth Grimes of Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School for Early Education, Deborah Hansen of Panther Run Elementary School for Elementary Education, Gail Marshall of Palm Beach Central High School for High School Education, Joan Joselyn of Palm Beach Central for STEM Education and Steve Gordon of Western Pines Middle School for Special Programs.
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 business to prosper.
“The Economic Council of Palm Beach County has had the unique opportunity to honor remarkable teachers in our community for the past 36 years,” said Michele Jacobs, president and CEO of Economic Council of Palm Beach County. “Now more than ever, our teachers need to be recognized and celebrated for their passion, perseverance and resilience.”
The seven categories for the 2020 Dwyer Awards include: Early Education, Elementary Education, Middle School Education, Senior High School Education, STEM Education, Career Education, and Special Programs.
2020 Dwyer Award Finalists
EARLY EDUCATION
| Molly | Daniels | Early Education | Good Shepherd Episcopal School |
| Tracey | Dickerson | Early Education | Berkshire Elementary School |
| Cindy | Fakhoury | Early Education | Lake Worth Community High School |
| Elizabeth | Grimes | Early Education | Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School |
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
| Deborah | Hansen | Elementary School | Panther Run Elementary School |
| Nikki | Magnetico | Elementary School | The Weiss School |
| Susan | McGill | Elementary School | Forest Park Elementary School |
| Lori | Paquette | Elementary School | Del Prado Elementary School |
MIDDLE SCHOOL
| Shawna | Christenson | Middle School | The Weiss School |
| Christina | Donnelly | Middle School | Bak Middle School of the Arts |
| Stephanie | Lapinskas | Middle School | Don Estridge High Tech Middle School |
| Sarah | Nouis | Middle School | Jupiter Middle School |
HIGH SCHOOL
| Toshimi | Abe-Janiga | High School | Riviera Beach Prep |
| Gail | Marshall | High School | Palm Beach Central High School |
| Alison | Moe | High School | Santaluces High School |
| Meghan | Shamdasani | High School | SouthTech Academy |
STEM EDUCATION
| Joan | Joselyn | STEM Education | Palm Beach Central High School |
| Mary | Fish | STEM Education | Spanish River High School |
| Heather | Magill | STEM Education | Palm Springs Middle School |
| Nicole | McGaw | STEM Education | Frontier Elementary School |
CAREER EDUCATION
| Cheryl | Shimmel | Career Education | Olympic Heights High School |
| Chris | White | Career Education | SouthTech Academy |
| Nicole | Childs | Career Education | Watson B. Duncan Middle School |
| Mari | Orsenigo | Career Education | Glades Central High School |
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
| Sandra | English | Special Programs | Riviera Beach Prep |
| Shari | Farenga | Special Programs | Pine Grove Elementary School |
| Steve | Gordon | Special Programs | Western Pines Middle School |
| Marsia | Tucci | Special Programs | Jupiter Elementary School |
The 2020 Dwyer Awards will be a virtual experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The award recipients will be announced and honored along with all finalists, nominees and past recipients at the Dwyer Awards ceremony, presented by the Hanley Foundation, on Tuesday, May 5 at 6 p.m. via Facebook @DwyerAwards.
The 2020 Dwyer Awards would like to thank Presenting Sponsor Hanley Foundation; Excellence Sponsors FPL and Pratt & Whitney; Award Presentation Sponsors Comcast, Gunster, PNC Bank, and UnitedHealthcare; Finalist Reception Sponsor SBA Communications Corporation; Staging Sponsor the Elmore Family Foundation; Knowledge Sponsors Blue Ocean Capital, Keiser University and Vecellio Group, Inc., Shutts & Bowen LLP, The Weitz Company; Creativity Sponsors CareerSource Palm Beach County, Oxbow Carbon, Palm Beach State College Foundation, Perry & Taylor, P.A., PNC, The Breakers, Eastwind Development, LLC, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties; Teacher Student Sponsors Bank of America, Jones Lowry, Dr. Dennis Gallon, Urban Design Kilday Studios; and Media Sponsors WPBF 25 and South Florida Business and Wealth.
Established in 1975, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that supports an open and collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors in Palm Beach County. Learn more about the Economic Council at www.economiccouncilpbc.org The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation serves as the philanthropic arm of the Council. For more information visit www.economiccouncilpbc.org/dwyerawards or contact ncarron@ec-pbc.org
