[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 24, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S3302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S3302]]
                       HONORING STEPHEN H.T. LIN

 Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, I rise today to honor and 
congratulate Mr. Stephen H.T. Lin, a choral music teacher at Atherton 
High School in Louisville, KY, for being named the 2002 Teacher of the 
Year for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
  Stephen Lin conducted his first rehearsal and performance at the age 
of 10. From that moment on, he knew the joyous sounds of music would 
determine the direction his life would take. During his junior and 
senior years of high school, Stephen was named the director of the 
school choir and discovered that he had a special gift when it came to 
teaching music to others. Not only did he find that his fellow students 
responded to his methods, but he also realized how good it felt to 
share in the learning process with others. Although his father, a music 
professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary-School of Church 
Music, tried to discourage him from pursuing a career teaching music 
because of the lack of financial reward, Stephen could not rightly deny 
his calling in life. For 26 years now, Stephen Lin has helped students 
of all ages appreciate the joys of music. He has excelled in his innate 
ability to make the learning process an enjoyable and exciting 
experience for all involved. His choirs, through active involvement 
with parents, students, fundraising and grants, have traveled and 
performed in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, 
Greece, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, 
Russia and Switzerland. They have sung pieces in several African 
dialects, Chinese, Czech, French, Icelandic, German, Hebrew, Latin, 
Japanese, Krao, Maori, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Somoan, Spanish 
and Swedish. Under Lin's direction, Atherton's music department was 
designated a Grammy Signature School, one of only a hundred high school 
choral programs in the Nation chosen for this distinction. Throughout 
his teaching career, Lin has introduced his students not only to music 
but also to the world and all that it has to offer.
  Winning this year's Teacher of the Year Award for the Commonwealth of 
Kentucky was not the first time Stephen Lin has been recognized for his 
diligent work in and outside of the classroom. He has been included in 
``Who's Who Among American Teachers'' three times and has been listed 
in ``Who's Who in the South and Southwest.'' He has also been 
designated ``Music Teacher of the Year'' by Kentucky District 12 and an 
``Outstanding Young Man of America.'' Lin is a recipient of the Ashland 
Inc. Golden Apple Achiever Award; the Governor's Scholars Program's 
Outstanding Educator Award; Atherton High School's Excellence in 
Teaching Award; the Jefferson County Sisterhood/Brotherhood Martin 
Luther King Award; and the WHAS-TV Golden Apple Award. To say the 
least, Stephen Lin has taken full advantage of his opportunities in 
teaching. He has been a teacher, mentor, and friend to all of his 
students throughout his career.
  I would like to once more congratulate Stephen Lin on winning such a 
prestigious and important award. His work shapes the future leaders of 
Kentucky. I applaud his commitment to the educational community and 
thank him for not listening to his father so many years ago.

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