Schools

Dearborn Chamber Names Teacher of the Year Award Recipients

Three teachers were recognized on May 15 for their commitment to education in Dearborn.

Editor's note: This press release was submitted by the Dearborn Area Chamber Commerce.

Gary Kearns, chairman-elect of the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce Board, welcomed a crowd of more than 500 to the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center for the annual Alberta Muirhead Teacher of the Year Award Ceremony held on May 15.

Brian Whiston, superintendent of Dearborn Public Schools, spoke about how teachers make a difference in the life of students. He also acknowledged the dedication Dearborn educators have to their profession and thanked them for choosing to share those talents with the students in Dearborn.

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The chamber’s Education Committee, chaired by Stephanie Stover, had the tough job of selecting three winners from a field of more than 900 nominated teachers.  Nominations received by the chamber are first screened and all names and references to schools are removed.

The first set of judges read and sort through each nomination. The top three from each grade level are then sent on to final judging before the winners are named.

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The winning teachers for 2013 are Celia Tynan from McCollough Elementary, Sharifah Ahmed of Salina Intermediate, and Michael Dicks of Fordson High School.

Tynan has been working at McCollough Elementary since 2005 but has also spent time in the classrooms at River Oaks and William Ford. The fifth grade student who nominated Tynan wrote these words to describe how he felt about his teacher:

“My teacher is like a moon in the solar system. When you look up at her she is always there. She glows and is always smiling at you.”

Joining the DPS team as a teacher in the fall of 2012, Ahmed is proof that it doesn’t take a long time to make a difference. This Salina Intermediate Language Arts teacher is engaging her students by making subject matter relevant to the real world and current events. The nomination essay for Ahmed included comments such as:

“We usually read articles about things that happened in the past and things that are happening in the present. We learn things that connect with every-day life every single day.”

With his own children accompanying him to the podium, Dicks, a Fordson teacher since 2008, acknowledged the great work that all teachers do to make sure students are successful in the classroom. His comments were filled with emotion as he thanked his students for nominating him. However, the words of his nominator truly captured the soul of Dicks:

“He makes it his goal to work with each and every student and assure them a successful future. He’s been known to spend hours after school assisting not only his own students but any student that walks through his classroom door.” 

The three honorees received a $1,000 cash prize, a hand-made glass apple award, and are now part of a select group of Dearborn teachers who have been recognized by the community for their ability to make a difference.  In addition, the school where the teacher of the year works received a cash prize.  


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