[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 17, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO JULIANA BELLINGER OF GRAND RAPIDS, MI, EXCEPTIONAL TEACHER

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                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, education is the key for our 
Nation's future prosperity and security. The formidable responsibility 
of molding and inspiring young minds to the avenues of hope, 
opportunity and achievement rests partly in the hands of our teachers. 
Today I would like to recognize a teacher from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
  Mrs. Juliana Bellinger teaches Theatre Arts and Literature at Forest 
Hills Northern and Central High Schools. She is credited for building 
ensembles and unity within classrooms and within casts. She is one of 
the most loved teachers on staff as evidenced by senior classes 
choosing her as their main speaker at Baccalaureate. Student enrollment 
in her classes increased every year in every school where she taught, 
further evidence of her skill and knowledge of her subjects.
  Her commitment to professionalism is well-known by students and 
faculty alike. She is described as loving, committed, dynamic, 
exceptional, inspiring, insightful, and extraordinary. One colleague 
writes, ``To watch her present and teach is truly a wonderful 
experience.'' In over twenty years of teaching she has directed 
numerous plays, coached young actors, and educated others on new 
technologies for the drama classroom. As a well-respected educator she 
has been invited to teach teachers at seminars and conferences on 
techniques and skills to increase student interest and performance in 
literature.
  Mrs. Bellinger's excellence in teaching both challenges and inspires 
students to move beyond the teen-age tendency toward surface study and 
encourage deeper thought and connections to the real world. No 
profession is more important in its influence and daily interaction 
with the future leaders of our community and our country, and Juliana 
Bellinger's impact on her students is certainly deserving of 
recognition.
  On behalf of the Congress of the United States of America, I am proud 
to extend our highest praise to Mrs. Juliana Bellinger as a master 
teacher. We thank her for her continuing dedication to teaching and her 
willingness and ability to challenge and inspire students.

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