[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E736]]
                    IN HONOR OF MRS. LINDA STEIGLER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2000

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Mrs. Linda Steigler, 
a teacher at Welch Middle School in the 25th Congressional District, 
who this Thursday will be honored at the last concert of the school 
year by her eighth-grade band students.
  Mrs. Steigler's dedication to her band students has been boundless. 
Parents of the members of the Welch Middle School band will tell you 
that her positive influence on her students' futures are immeasurable. 
Mrs. Steigler's instruction and passion for music bring education to 
life for her students, and her outstanding efforts deserve recognition.
  Mrs. Steigler inspires her students with the power of music. Her 
instruction taps into music's potential to enhance human development 
and speed up the learning process. She gives the Welch Middle School 
band students a leg-up in their education through musical instruction 
that will last their entire lives. The diversity and talent of her band 
students is an admirable sight to behold.
  Mrs. Steigler has had students compete and place in various music 
competitions. She has worked to get music scholarships at Mars Music 
Store for students, awarding them with free music lessons and 
instruments for those who could not afford them. She has held various 
fundraisers to support the students on field trips, allowing them to 
broaden their experiences through travel that they could not otherwise 
afford. She inspires them to go to music camps during the summer, and 
to work hard at their music--some students arrive at school early just 
for additional practice. She often works single-handed and tirelessly 
to spread the gift of music.
  It is the involvement and support of dedicated teachers such as Mrs. 
Steigler at Welch Middle School that reaps ever-lasting rewards for 
these young people on their paths to adulthood. Studies have shown that 
children who take music score higher on standardized tests than 
students who are never taught an instrument. When students learn music, 
there is an overlap that occurs in nearly all subjects.
  I, along with the Eighth-grade members of the Welch Middle School 
Band, salute Mrs. Linda Steigler for her accomplishments and her 
commitment to teaching. She is an outstanding role model for her 
students, parents, and other teachers.

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