MORENO VALLEY – Dwight Taylor has served in multiple campus security roles in the Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD). In 2017, he was named the MVUSD Classified Employee of the Year, and was ultimately selected as the 2017 Riverside County Classified Employee of the Year.
Six years later, Dwight now serves as a District Lead Officer (Campus Security Officer II), and was recently selected as MVUSD’s 2023 Site Support Employee of the Year. On Wednesday, he was surprised with the news that he is being recognized again at the county level—this time as the 2023 Riverside County Site Support Employee of the Year.
“Thank you to everybody in this room, and for always helping me to be positive,” said Dwight Taylor to the gathered crowd of family, colleagues, and board members, immediately after receiving the award. “For all those we serve in this district, we know what they face, and I try to be somebody who does something.”
In his position, Dwight Taylor supports the educational efforts of the students and staff by providing a safe and secure place for teachers to teach, and for students to learn. Dwight’s personalized approach includes serving as a coach and a mentor who advocates, de-escalates, and collaborates, while building his own skills as an empathic listener, restorative justice supporter, and a servant leader. He is also involved as a 2nd Vice President for CSEA Chapter 410 in MVUSD and serves as a Freedom Writer teacher.
The Riverside County Educators of the Year are selected from the more than 36,000 educational employees in the county. The rigorous application process starts with nominations by teachers, classified employees, and school district administrators throughout the county. Applications are then submitted to the Riverside County Office of Education, where an outside selection committee selects the honorees before the county superintendent announcement.
Along with the 2023 Riverside County Teachers of the Year named previously, all 2023 Riverside County Educators of the Year will be honored at the Celebrating Educators Luncheon, set for Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the Riverside Convention Center.
The full list of honorees and categories for the 2023 Riverside County Educators of the Year:
The Riverside County Educators of the Year are selected from the more than 36,000 educational employees in the county. The rigorous application process starts with nominations by teachers, classified employees, and school district administrators throughout the county. Applications are then submitted to the Riverside County Office of Education, where an outside selection committee selects the honorees before the county superintendent announcement.
Along with the 2023 Riverside County Teachers of the Year named previously, all 2023 Riverside County Educators of the Year will be honored at the Celebrating Educators Luncheon, set for Tuesday, May 2, at the Riverside Convention Center.
Clarification: The 2023 Riverside County Teachers of the Year were named in mid-2022 to align with the 2023 California State Teacher of the Year competition. The 2024 Riverside County Teachers of the Year will be announced in May/June of 2023 and will vie for the 2024 California State Teacher of the Year award that will be named in the fall of 2023 by the California Department of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond.
2023 Riverside County Teachers of the Year (named in mid-2022)
Autumn Lundblad
1st Grade Teacher
Sundance Elementary School
Beaumont USD
Heather Hanlon
Dance Teacher
Dorothy McElhinney Middle School
Murrieta Valley USD
Anthony Gomez
Dual Language Immersion World/U.S.
History Teacher
Jurupa Middle School
Jurupa USD
Beth Schwandt
Music Teacher
Lake Hills Elementary School
Alvord USD
# # #