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Dearborn schools recognize teachers and students; four teachers named Chamber's winners
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Summary
At the May 12 meeting the board honored student contest winners and multiple teachers, naming winners in elementary, middle, high school and pre-K categories; several teachers spoke about inclusion and student-centered practice.
The Dearborn Public Schools Board of Education used part of its May 12 meeting to recognize student contest winners and to present Teacher of the Year honors supported by the Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and local sponsors.
Student recognitions included PTA Art Reflections winners (first-place Nada Mahdi, fourth grade at Howard; second-place Grama Driz, seventh grade at Woodworth; and third-place Karia Ali, eighth grade at Woodworth) and multiple honorable mentions. The board also noted student media awards: Dearborn High students won "best of show" at the Michigan Student Film Festival for a public-service announcement titled Speak Up, Stay Together, Stay Safe; the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded the students four regional student production awards. The district's Pioneer Press students won 27 awards at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association spring awards.
Teacher awards and remarks The board announced winners in multiple categories for the Chamber's Teacher of the Year program and invited winners to speak. Noaf Abudib introduced himself as an Arabic teacher at Dearborn High School. Deanne Jones, a fifth-grade teacher at Long Elementary, and Cathy Loris, a GSRP teacher at Snow Elementary, also spoke. Loris described her classroom approach to equity and inclusion, saying, "Fair is not always equal," and explained how she tailors supports to meet each child's needs.
The board and superintendent also acknowledged winners from other categories, including the adult-education winner Andrew Wirtz and multiple administrators and staff recognized for certifications and accomplishments.
Why it matters Administrators said the Teacher of the Year awards are student-nominated and provide recognition from the community and business partners; the superintendent noted the Chamber-sponsored awards attract thousands of student nominations (the district received close to 2,000 nominations this year). Board members and staff emphasized the role of teachers and school staff in student success and highlighted recent events — including superintendent honors night and district arts and media achievements — as examples of student work.
Ending Board members invited attendees to district and school-level events, including a Dearborn High film festival where submitted videos will be shown. The board thanked the Chamber, sponsors and the many staff who organized events and supported students.
