32nd Impact Awards recognize excellent educators across Boulder Valley
Yesterday, nearly 500 educators, administrators, and community members attended our 32nd annual Impact Awards. We honored 58 educators from across the Boulder Valley School District for their exceptional impact on students and their education. In addition, we presented two special awards — the Blake Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award and the Imogene Maxon Early Educator Award.
Blake Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award winner
Elizabeth Evans, Music/Theater Director
Nederland Middle-Senior High School
Thank you to the Boulder Tec students who produced this video!
As a former student in the Boulder Valley School District, Elizabeth Evans has deep roots in our local education system, spanning most of her life. She began her impressive teaching career in 1985 at Nederland Middle-Senior High School and has been inspiring students there ever since. A firm believer in the power of the arts, she teaches choir, band, theater, and film literature courses.
To students, she’s known for building a safe and loving creative community. To parents, she’s recognized as someone who goes above and beyond to give kids exceptional experiences, like a choir performance at Carnegie Hall last year. And to school leadership, she’s regarded as the epitome of dedication and commitment. Elizabeth Evans is a one-of-a-kind educator who inspires her students to take risks, believe in themselves, and find their unique voices through art.
Please join us in thanking Elizabeth for 40 years of service to students and our public schools.
Imogene Maxon Early Educator Award winner
Shannon Boyle, Special Education Teacher
Alicia Sanchez Elementary
Shannon is a special education teacher at Alicia Sanchez Elementary who has made a memorable impact on the Boulder Valley School District in just two years. With a gift for connection, Shannon creates a classroom environment where every child is seen. Each morning begins with personal greetings, and each day is filled with meaningful conversations that make every child feel valued and understood.
Drawing from her background in enrichment teaching, Shannon infuses creativity into her work to expand the standard curriculum. Her classroom is often twinkling with patches of glitter, showing how she happily embraces the sometimes messy journey of learning. Her students build critical social-emotional skills and a love for learning at a young age, thanks to her dynamic teaching style.
But what makes Shannon truly exceptional is her remarkable ability to meet each of her students exactly where they are. Whether she’s engaging a precocious 5-year-old in deeper conversations about their interests or adapting activities for a neurodiverse learner, her approach is always personalized and compassionate. She’s a fearless champion for her students, advocating tirelessly for their unique needs with a level of dedication that inspires everyone around her.
2025 Impact Award honorees
Educators from schools across the Boulder Valley School District were nominated by their principals and honored at the Impact Awards.
Join us in congratulating and celebrating these everyday education superheroes! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the award ceremony, and to the generous sponsors who made the event possible: Premier Members Credit Union, the Boulder Valley Education Association, Google, Comcast, and the Daily Camera.
BEFORE YOU GO
Impact on Education is an independent non-profit supporting the Boulder Valley School District. We depend on the generosity of our community to put our mission into action.
Will you help us provide opportunities and resources to local students?
