Wellington’s Suzanne Reddoch Honored With Prestigious William T. Dwyer Award
By Fiona Slusarev
Wellington High School’s Suzanne Reddoch, an AP statistics teacher who exudes warmth and genuine care, was honored at this year’s prestigious William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education. Reddoch won the Senior High Education category at the awards, presented May 4 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
The Dwyer Awards are an annual program that celebrates the hard work and commitment of accomplished educators in Palm Beach County. Established more than 40 years ago, the program starts with hundreds of nominations, which are narrowed down to 28 finalists from across the county. Then, one winner is selected for each of seven award categories.
The awards, created and run by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation, a nonprofit organization that strives to bolster collaboration between private and public sectors in the county, are decided by a panel of judges made up of almost 100 local business leaders.
Reddoch was completely shocked by her win. It was both her first nomination for and first win of a Dwyer Award — an uncommon combination. She described the awards as the teaching equivalent of winning an Oscar or Emmy.
She was nominated by her fellow faculty at WHS and then made it to the final four contenders for Senior High Education after an extensive screening process by the judges.
“It’s one of the most prestigious awards you can receive in my career. To even be nominated by my staff, and to make it to the final four, was unbelievable,” Reddoch said.
After she was nominated, Reddoch had to write a series of essays and obtain a letter of recommendation from WHS Principal Cara Gorham. She went a step further by including another optional letter of recommendation from the 2025 valedictorian.
Reddoch wrote a total of three essays that explained her personal teaching philosophy, her leadership roles within the school, and her involvement in the community in and out of the classroom.
Then, Reddoch had to be interviewed by the judges’ panel. They were particularly impressed that she records every lesson she teaches and posts the videos online for students to access. For students who are absent or simply need a rewatch to better understand a topic, these recordings are invaluable.
“I’ll record it. You can see my notes, everything — everything I project, my graphing calculator, how to do certain keystrokes,” Reddoch detailed.
The judges also admired how willing she was to step up and help the school community. From being an extra hand at lunch and chaperoning prom to helping a new basketball coach with behind-the-scenes work, Reddoch continuously goes the extra mile to support the WHS faculty, staff and, of course, the students.
“At the end, one of the judges just thanked me for how much I care about the kids,” Reddoch said. “I don’t remember his exact words because I got a little emotional, but I guess they could tell how much I care about [the students].”
You only need to listen to Reddoch speak about her students for a few minutes to understand why she won the award. From the thank-you notes her graduating seniors leave for her to the stories of the students she is still in contact with 14 years after graduation, her compassion for and dedication to her students is easy to see.
Before her current 22-year-long career as a math teacher, Reddoch was a seven-year-old who caught the teaching bug from her second-grade teacher. After her seventh-grade math teacher’s suggestion that she help her classmates with their work, Reddoch focused on a goal to teach math.
The relationship with her students is what keeps Reddoch coming back every year. Her classroom walls are lined with photos of each class she has taught since she began in 2004. She makes every student a personalized birthday sign and highlights the highest-scoring students with her Stars of the Week.
“They see how much I care,” Reddoch said of her students. “I get that a lot in notes they’ll write me at the end of the year on how much I truly care about them — and I care about them as a person, not just doing well in the class. I actually care who they are.”
She aims to be a safe adult that students can trust and come to in times of need, not just for academic guidance. Reddoch has an endless list of stories about how her students not only rely on her but also simply want to share good news with her. She’s heard everything from a student excitedly telling her how they went skydiving for their 18th birthday, to students crediting her for unknowingly convincing them not to drop out.
As much as Reddoch impacts her students, the experiences with her students also stay with her. “It’s always hard saying goodbye,” Reddoch explained. “You create these relationships with these kids, and you’re with them all year long. I’ve always gotten to know them, and they always talk about all different things with me — and the last day you’ve got to say goodbye.”
When Reddoch is not giving her all to her students, this lifelong Wellington resident unwinds by doing some yard work or photography, supporting her eldest son, a student at WHS, in travel baseball, and cheering-on her youngest son in soccer.
To learn more about the Dwyer Awards, visit www.economiccouncilpbc.org/dwyer-awards.
