On behalf of Kaoshiung County, TKU Chemical and Materials Engineering Alumnus, Zhi-hua Zhong led the teachers of Kaoshiung County Maolin Junior High School to compete for the 2008 Outstanding Team Awards by the Ministry of Education in September. With their team work theme of “ ‘(Ab)originally’ It Should Be This Excellent: Carry on the Torch Relay and Pass on the Latest,” they made the “miracle in the mountains” by winning the Gold Award of NT$600,000 in addition to a trophy for the team and a certificate for each of the 8 individual teachers.

While doing his M.S. at the Department of Chemical Engineering (Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering now), Zhi-hua Zhong was also doing a secondary education program. After he graduated in 1999, he passed the teacher selection test by the Kaoshiung County Government that signed him to teach at Maolin Junior High School. Now he is the director of academic affairs of that school while teaching science courses. He organized a team of teachers and some indigenous Lukai students and led them to display the many awards and achievements obtained from science exhibitions, English song contests, research and development of indigenous Lukai language teaching material. He hoped to inherit and pass on the indigenous Lukai language to the new generation and let the young students appreciate the beauty of the language so that education in science, English and technical information in the remote mountain area could be strengthened. He said, “I believe the sky is the limit to the indigenous Lukai students’ potentials. They can not only sing and dance but also do numerous things. We hope to help them to tap their latent potentials.” As for the award money, he explained, “We will use it to assist poor students and purchase some teaching facility.”

Besides, he expressed that TKU had helped him with a lot of resources. He indicated that both in curricular development and science exhibitions, he would come back to TKU once or twice a year to ask teachers for help. TKU actually became his strong prop. He said with gratitude, “I am really grateful to both Professors Chih-en Ko and Huey-fang Ju at TKU’s Center for Teacher Education and Professor Yu-Chi Chang at the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering. Prof. Chih-en Ko remarked that Zhi-hua Zhong had high enthusiasm in education while studying here. Whenever he had frustration, he always faced it humorously and actively. Although he went to a remote area, he grasped the opportunity to broaden the horizon for the local students. She said, “I am really happy for his award. Hard working yields in success.” ( ~ Dean X. Wang )