SNAPPED: Seven Park City educators surprised with Excellent Educator Awards

Members of the Doilney and Louis families pause outside a Park City school after surprising educators with the 2025 Excellent Educator Awards on April 25. Photo: PCEF/Amber Schiavone Photography

PARK CITY, Utah — Seven teachers across the Park City School District got an early‑morning shock April 25 when marching brass and drumlines poured through their hallways and the Park City Education Foundation announced this year’s Excellent Educator Award recipients.

Each school’s faculty, staff, and administrators vote on the honor, which comes with a $3,000 cash award funded by the Doilney and Louis families. The PC Bands’ New Orleans‑style jazz ensemble led the surprise procession into every campus, where entire student bodies gathered to watch the reveal.

After a member of the Doilney family thanked “every educator in the building,” the winning names were read to cheers, tears, and hugs. Hidden family members then stepped forward to join the celebration.

For the first time in the award’s 29‑year history, one teacher collected two top honors in the same year. Park City High School social studies instructor Joanna Andres earned both the Excellent Educator title for PCHS and the Sarah and Stephen Doilney Award, which the graduating senior class bestows on the educator who most shaped their K‑12 journey.

The Excellent Educator Awards recognize the district’s top teachers, founded in 1996 by former educator Jim Doilney and PCEF. Since 2019, the Louis family has co‑sponsored the program, which continues to spotlight the educators shaping Park City’s next generation of leaders.