On August 27, 1990 at 8:00 AM 350 students began their first day of class at the Palm Beach County School of the Arts. Ed Duhy, the founding principal, was unsure if the students would show up - they did. By train, by bus, by car, by bike, and by foot - from all corners of Palm Beach County our dedicated students have continued to show up for the past 25 years.

In the fall of 1997, thanks to the support of community members and a historic donation from Alex Dreyfoos, the fledgling school moved to its current home in downtown West Palm Beach and was officially renamed the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the School of the Arts and its dedicated students and staff, West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio proclaimed August 27, 2015 officially Alexander W Dreyfoos School of the Arts Day. #DreyfoosDay was a day of giving back - the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation continues to receive donations from community members, parents, faculty, and from alumni far and wide showing their support to a school that gave them so much. A wonderful example of this is Arlene Sparks. As the head of the Vocal Program for the past 25 years, she has consistently supported the work of the Foundation. In addition to the generous scholarship she established this past spring, she has also made a legacy gift to continue that support in her estate plan.

#DreyfoosDay was also a day to commemorate this amazing milestone. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and Board Members celebrated with music and ice cream in the cafeteria. Online newsfeeds were flooded with #DreyfoosDay images celebrating the past 25 years of this amazing school.

Class of 2005 alumna Carynn Jackson posted “I am so grateful that my high school experience was not a traditional one. My time at Dreyfoos was one of the happiest periods of my life and I feel lucky to have studied, collaborated, goofed off with and befriended such an incredible group of creative individuals who continue to inspire me to this day. I'm a big fan of all of you! ‪#‎DreyfoosDay‬ ‪#‎DreyfoosTBT‬ ‪#‎DreyfoosForever‬”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Antoine Haywood class of 1997 alum shared, “People always ask me how I got my start in production and this is visual evidence that goes back to '91. You're right Ken Capers, I need to start showing this more to my students. There's a lot to be said for making a commitment to your passion. ‪#‎dreyfoosday‬ ‪#‎tbt‬ ‪#‎startedfromthebottom‬”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Through the years Dreyfoos has become one of the top-ranked public high schools in the Nation. We have graduated 5,569 students from six dynamic art programs. We have graduates working on the cure for cancer, anchoring newscasts, performing nightly on Broadway, teaching, authoring novels, dancing with renowned companies, exhibiting in galleries, singing in the opera, producing film and television, performing in orchestras, traveling the world with bands, and founding their own businesses.

To read more about how Dreyfoos has shaped the lives of its students and graduates search #DreyfoosDay on social media. Be sure to share your stories as we continue to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this amazing school.