The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) is honoring 19 educational support professionals for their outstanding work supporting their students and school communities.

Now in its sixth year, the Delaware State Educational Support Professional of the Year (ESPOY) program recognizes outstanding service by school employees who provide direct or indirect services to students and their families. Employees considered for the award include:

• Paraprofessionals
• Custodial staff
• Secretaries
• Nutritional staff
• Information technology staff
• School- and district-employed bus drivers
• School- and district-employed bus aides

From those nominated at a building level, one educational support professional of the year moves forward to represent each district or the charter school community in the state program. Each district/charter network winner receives a $2,000 personal award from the winner’s district or charter school. The state program then chooses one person annually to serve as Delaware’s Educational Support Professional of the Year. The state honoree receives an additional $3,000 personal award from DDOE as well as $5,000 to be used for the educational benefit of his or her students.

The 2026 state honoree will take over the title from 2025 Delaware Educational Support Professional of the Year Melissa Wilson, a registration administrative assistant at Smyrna Elementary School in the Smyrna School District.

A selection committee made up of DDOE and non-DDOE judges reviews the applications, and the state honoree will be announced at Delaware’s statewide ESPOY celebration the evening of Monday, Dec. 1 in Dover. The event will be live-streamed following the dinner portion of the evening; likely this will begin around 7:10 p.m.

DDOE is excited to recognize these outstanding professionals whose work is vital to students’ success.

The 2026 honorees* are:

• Appoquinimink: Melody Unruh, paraprofessional (Rise program), Bunker Hill Elementary School
• Brandywine: Patricia Werley, special education paraprofessional, Mount Pleasant Elementary School
• Caesar Rodney: Sherron Lewis, paraprofessional, Postlethwait Middle School
• Cape Henlopen: Pamela L. Elliott, paraprofessional, Cape Henlopen High School
• Capital: Dominique Dixon, senior secretary, Booker T. Washington Elementary School
• Charter Network: Iliana Gonzalez, food service manager, Sussex Academy
• Christina: Elizabeth Willis, bus driver, Transportation Office
• Delmar: Amy Evans, child nutrition manager, Delmar Middle & Senior High School
• Indian River: Coleen Paul, administrative assistant, Lord Baltimore Elementary School
• Lake Forest: Henry C. Wilson IV, instructional support paraprofessional, WT Chipman Middle School
• Laurel: Donna Ward, guidance secretary, Laurel Middle School
• Milford: Melissa Schmidt, paraprofessional librarian, Evelyn Morris Early Childhood Center
• New Castle County Vo-Tech: Katie Napolin, instructional paraprofessional, St. Georges Technical High School
• POLYTECH: Joy Bohn, paraprofessional librarian, POLYTECH High School
• Red Clay Consolidated: Norine P. Seth, paraprofessional, Joseph Johnson Elementary School
• Seaford: Kira Bryan, special education paraprofessional, Blades Elementary School
• Smyrna: Angela Ringgold, paraprofessional, Sunnyside Elementary School
• Sussex Tech: Daphne Kamin, paraprofessional (construction trades), Sussex Technical High School
• Woodbridge: David W. Taulbee, constable, Phillis Wheatley Elementary School

*Colonial does not have a state program participant for 2026.

Find photos of the nominees and learn more about the program here.

Media contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

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