The Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation is honored to announce the winners for the 39th Annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education presented by Hanley Foundation. Over 500 guests gathered at the 2023 Dwyer Awards ceremony on Monday, May 1, at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach to celebrate the nominees and winners who were judged on their classroom accomplishments, personal education philosophy, leadership, and outside of the classroom school-related or community-based activities. 
 
The winners in the seven categories for the 2023 Dwyer Awards include Magaly Hodgkiss from South Olive Elementary for the Grow Up Great: Early Learning Education Award; Will Rhymes from Northmore Elementary School for the Elementary School Education Award; Rebecca Patterson from The Conservatory School for the Middle School Education Award; Monica Russell from Suncoast High School for the Senior High School Education Award; Kristin DeLaTorre from The Conservatory School for the STEM Education Award; Thomas Hrebin from Pioneer Park Elementary School for the Student Advancement & Career Education Award; Ashraf Abdelsayed from Discovery Key Elementary School for the Special Programs Award.
 
“It was an honor to celebrate these gifted educators in our community who give tirelessly to the youth in Palm Beach County,” said President and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, Michele Jacobs. “It was a night to remember, and excitement filled the air as community leaders, school board members, and educators recognized the finalists’ achievements. We appreciate the generous support from our sponsors, committee, and judges who helped make the event memorable.”
 
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. The program seeks to increase awareness of the exemplary teaching in our community and promote high standards of excellence in education. The Awards recognize educators and provide financial awards.
 
The Economic Council of Palm Beach County comprises business leaders committed to educational excellence as a key tenet for creating a prosperous business environment. Nearly 450 nominations of educators from public, private, and charter schools were considered for the 2023 Dwyer Awards. The nominees completed a comprehensive application process carefully evaluated by Palm Beach County business leaders. The judging took place over a multi-round process to identify the top applicants in each of the seven categories.
 
For more information, visit https://www.economiccouncilpbc.org/dwyerawards/.
 
The 2023 Dwyer Awards would like to thank Presenting Sponsor Hanley Foundation; Excellence Sponsor Pratt & Whitney; Award Presentation Sponsors Comcast, FPL, PNC Foundation, and UnitedHealthcare; Kravis Reception Sponsors Gunster and Mariaca Wealth; Finalist Reception Sponsor Moss Construction; Staging Sponsor The Elmore Family Foundation; Teacher Sponsor Bank of America; Knowledge Sponsors Blue Ocean Capital, The Breakers, Eastwind Development, I.T. Solutions of South Florida, Kitson & Partners, Oxbow Carbon, Shutts & Bowen, and Vecellio Group; Creativity Sponsors Career Source PBC, Gast Construction, Jones Foster, Keiser University, Lesser, Lesser Landy & Smith, Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience, Palm Beach State College Foundation, Philanthropy Tank, SBA Communications, The Weitz Company, United Way of Palm Beach County, and Urban Design Studio; Teacher Ticket Sponsors 2GHO, Akerman, LLP, Bank of America, Engineered Design Services, Dr. Dennis Gallon,  M&T Bank, Plastridge Insurance, Dr. Debra Schwinn, Sugar Cane Growers of Florida, Tortoise Properties, USPA Global Licensing Inc., and Wellington Regional Medical Center; and Media Sponsors The Palm Beach Post and WPBF 25. 
 
About Economic Council of Palm Beach County:
Established in 1975, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that supports an open and collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors in Palm Beach County. Membership of the Council is comprised of a diverse mix of different industries of varying sizes in the area whose leaders have an active and influential role in the community. 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 https://www.economiccouncilpbc.org/dwyerawards/ or contact ncarron@ec-pbc.org.