Schools, Chamber Name Teachers of the Year

To some onlookers, it’s a small glass Granny Smith apple on a platform, but to the teachers who took one home Thursday night, receiving that apple was like winning an Oscar.

The 2011 Alberta Muirhead Teacher of the Year event took place at the , and after all of the 225 nominees for the award were named, Laura Polidori, a third-grade teacher at , Leila Sloan, a French teacher at , and Melissa Renko, a science teacher at , walked away with the coveted award.

The awards–which are given to teachers by the chamber’s education committee who continually make the grade in terms of inspiring students–were selected from a group of essays submitted by students.

“The main purpose of the chamber is to connect business,” said Peggy Richard, the events director for the Dearborn Chamber. “But this is a chance for us to reach out to the community.”

Polidori, who won this year’s elementary school award, was chosen after a student wrote that she spent several hours with him during and after school to teach him how to read and write English.

Polidori was floored after her name was announced.

“I didn’t expect it at all,” she said. “But I’m really honored.”

Another student wrote an essay that praised Sloan for teaching her the finer points of French for all three years of middle school.

“I was also really thrilled," said Sloan, who has spent her entire 16-year teaching career at Stout School.

Renko, who has taught at Dearborn Schools for 19 years–the last nine of those at Dearborn High–said she’s happy about the award because she knows how hard the other nominated teachers work to help ensure students are prepared.

“These teachers are the best of the best,” she said. “I’m so honored, and humbled, to be nominated alongside these teachers.”

Teachers have had a tough road in Michigan, with state and local budget cuts thinning their ranks, and unprecedented scrutiny from multiple groups. Superintendent Brian Whiston said events like this help energize teachers amid a difficult environment.

“This helps us recognize the teachers and show them that we do appreciate them,” he said. “It’s not easy being a teacher right now–they’re getting attacked on all fronts; and they’re working very hard for our children.”

Dearborn School Board Trustee Hussein Berry echoed that sentiment. “This is my favorite event of the year because we get to show the teachers how much we appreciate the teachers.”

The teachers, in addition the apple, were given a bag of gifts from the Henry Ford, a Henry Ford membership, and tickets to the Dearborn Symphony, courtesy of the Chamber. Additionally, the principals of the winning teachers were given checks for $1,650 to use on behalf of their school.

The main sponsors of the event, LaFontaine Import Center Toyota Motor Sales, also provided grants of $2,500 and $5,000.

Additional sponsors include Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, the Dearborn Federation of Teachers, Global E, Health Alliance Plan, the Henry Ford medical Center-Fairlane, LaPita Mediterranean, Allegra Marketing, Fairlane Town Center, Henry Ford Community College, Hype Athletics, Sylvan Learning Center, The Glass Academy, Habib’s Restaurant, Key Bank, Moose’s Martini Pub, Park Place, Salad Wrappers, Rugenski Chiropractic, School Life, Spring Arbor University, and West Village Academy.