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The official #DreyfoosDay is Aug. 27, but the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the school a day earlier by hosting a luncheon for staff members who were vital to the founding of the school. It was an intimate gathering that allowed staff members, past and current, to reminisce about what makes Dreyfoos such a unique school.
“It’s the 25th anniversary of the school,” Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation administrative assistant Cole Lozier said. “We’re doing something for the students but we also wanted to give a thank you to the teachers who are still here and the ones who wanted to come back and share their memories.”
The road that led to Dreyfoos, which was known as Palm Beach County School of the Arts in its early stages, becoming a nationally ranked high school was rocky at first.
“Some of the difficulties we faced when we first started were introducing the magnet school as a concept. We were one of the first two magnet schools in the county and other schools would lose their top talented students to our school,” said Christie Ragsdale, one of first guidance counselors at Dreyfoos. “The other big thing was once students got here they missed their friends. They had to travel a long way and a lot of them wanted to leave. I really had to work with the kids and help them see what a wonderful opportunity this was.”
In addition to setting up one of the first magnet programs in the county, the audition process was innovative as well.
“We [the administration] had to set up the audition process and market ourselves. That way we would get the best quality students that could continue after the school. When you get in the real professional world of art, it’s about who’s the best,” founding principal Ed Duhy said.
His logic clearly worked. Dreyfoos alumni have gone on to do great things, such as winning an Emmy and starring in a television series. In addition to alumni success, the general success of the school is worth celebrating.
“The school has developed and matured into one of the best in the country and it was due to the help of everyone here,” Duhy said.
