Judges

3rd Grade

• Alia Jaber - Acting assistant principal at Salina Intermediate School

4th Grade

• Eman Ahmed - Principal at Salina Intermediate School, Executive Director of the United Humanitarian Foundation

5th Grade

• David Higgins - Principal at William Ford Elementary School

Middle School - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026

• 4 pm - 6th graders

• 5:30 pm - 7th graders

• 7 pm - 8th graders

Judges

6th Grade

• Nasri Sobh - Nasri Sobh was appointed to the Dearborn Board of Education in September 2025 and is currently serving as the Vice President. Nasri earned his J.D./MBA from Wayne State University and is currently practicing as an attorney at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.

• Amer Zahr - Amer Zahr is a Palestinian Arab American comedian, speaker, writer, academic, and adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. He draws on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian refugees, performing and lecturing on topics like politics, society, culture, identity, Palestine, Islam, and more.

7th Grade

• Mike Ayoub - Mike Ayoub is a longtime real estate professional and community advocate in Dearborn with nearly 30 years of experience serving local families and businesses. Mike is a proud graduate of Fordson High School (class of 1988) and makes sure he’s always showing that Tractors’ Pride!

8th Grade

• Sarah Sanders - Sarah Sanders is an educator of 15 years, first serving as a teacher in New York City and then joining CIS of Michigan in 2019. Sarah earned her BA at Northwestern University and Masters Degrees in Education at Hunter College and Harvard University. Sarah now serves as CIS's Chief Program Officer and is a proud advocate and fan of the annual Dearborn District Spelling Bee.

Location

Fordson High School

13800 Ford Rd.

Dearborn, MI 48126

Spelling Bee Finalists

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