Palm Beach County School District Educators Earn Dwyer Awards in Every Category

Awards are given in seven categories, and all seven winners are employees of District schools. It was another year of a complete sweep of the awards, an expected but nonetheless exciting result, as all of the finalists for 2025 represented the District.

Congratulations to the 2025 Dwyer Award winners:
 

Amy Winsor – Dwight D. Eisenhower K-8: Grow Up Great: Early Learning Education
"Seeing children make small gains leading towards developmental achievement brings such joy to my heart."

Ashli Fischer – Beacon Cove Intermediate: Elementary Education
"From the moment my students step into our classroom, I want them to know how loved they are."

Maxwell Slakoff – John F. Kennedy Middle: Middle School Education
"My educational philosophy has always been to give as many students an opportunity to play an instrument and develop a lifelong interest in music."

Lisa Gilbert – Park Vista Community High: Senior High School Education
"Thirty-eight years teaching, and my enthusiasm remains as vibrant as ever.”

Rob Sweeten – Boca Raton Community High: STEM Education
“The rewards of teaching are many, including the gratitude and success of students.”

Jacqueline Hagan – Lake Worth Community High: Exceptional Student Education
"This award is for all of us."

Tiffany Wilkes – William T. Dwyer High: Student Support and Advancement
"We truly have the best job in the whole wide world. Every single day, we get to have a positive impact on the future.”

Each award recipient receives $3,500. Winners are selected based on their classroom accomplishments, personal education philosophy, leadership, and outside of the classroom school-related or community-based activities. 

The Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education is an annual program of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation to recognize teachers from public and private schools in Palm Beach County. The goal is to increase awareness of the outstanding teaching in the community, while supporting educators and schools with financial awards and encouraging residents to promote high standards of excellence in education.

The Dwyer Awards were established in honor of the late William T. Dwyer, a former vice president for Pratt & Whitney who led a variety of community education and business efforts. In addition to these annual awards, William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens is named in his honor.