Eleven dedicated educators who have been quietly changing the lives of city school kids for the better took center stage on Wednesday at the Daily News Hometown Heroes in Education awards.

Mayor de Blasio joined local luminaries and top education leaders for an emotional ceremony at the Edison Ballroom in Times Square and presented a special posthumous award to the daughter of Kevin O’Connor, the beloved 61-year-old Queens social studies teacher and dean who passed away in April.

“This kind of gathering puts things in a proper perspective and help us focus on what really matters,” de Blasio said. “We're going to take every opportunity to celebrate our educators and I'm so happy we're doing that today.”

The winners of the fourth annual awards included a big-hearted Brooklyn principal who makes sure homeless students and their families have everything they need to succeed in school, a Bronx teacher dedicated to improving communication between parents and teachers and a Queens school nurse who also teaches kids about good nutrition.

Stars from the world of music and television journalism shared the winners' inspirational stories and presented the awards, including hip-hop pioneer DMC and DJ Funkmaster Flex, and local news heavyweights Mary Calvi, David Ushery and Brenda Blackmon.

The educators were presented with Hometown Heroes in Education awards on Wednesday.

“To think about the tens of thousands of lives being shaped, guided and inspired every day in our city's schools is amazing,” said Daily News Editor-in-Chief Jim Rich. “Our educators are the most unsung heroes we have. Today's event is a well-deserved way of honoring them.”

The city’s public school system is the largest in the nation with 1.1 million students, over 76,000 teachers and 1,800 schools.

The News received more than 200 nominations from colleagues, students and others who wanted to recognize the hard work of teachers, principals and other school staffers.

A panel of judges comprised of education experts and parent advocates selected the winners in August.

Kevin O'Connor

Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, CUNY Chancellor James Milliken and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew served as judges and presenters at the ceremony, emphasizing the importance of recognizing top-notch educators.

“What binds us together as educators is that we know we make a difference,” said Fariña, a 50-year veteran of city schools.

“The difference you make, you will sometimes never know,” she added. “It's not the award you get today— it's the fact that because of you, someone's life is transformed.”

Delfina Cheung and DMC.

“How do they show up every September with the enthusiasm they had their first September on the job? That to me is remarkable,” Kiernan said. “They're thinking, 'I've got another fresh class in here and this is a class that once again I'm going to make a difference in their world.' And they're special people because of that.”

The winners of the fourth annual awards included Tammy Katan-Brown, a big-hearted Brooklyn principal who makes sure homeless students and their families have everything they need to succeed in school; Adrian Brooks, a Bronx teacher dedicated to improving communication between parents and teachers; and Sherry Branch, a Queens school nurse who also teaches kids about good nutrition.

O’Connor, a veteran educator, worked at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows and Campus Magnet High School in Cambria Heights. He was popular for his ability to connect with his students.

His daughter, Kristen Rajak, travelled from Florida for the awards ceremony.

She said she plans to follow in her father’s footsteps and pursue a career in education.

“I can’t even really describe how proud I am of him,” Rajak said after accepting the honor for her father. “I knew that he was special. But this really solidified it that people recognize that and made note of it.”