UFH: Marian Passmore

[CD47-Bot]

Thread created automatically to discuss UFH Honoree: Marian Passmore.



Name: Marian Passmore
Date Honored: 08-31-2005
Years involved w/FIRST: 8
FIRST Team(s): NASA @Kennedy Space Center/Bradley Investments, LLC &, Rockledge High School &, Cocoa Beach High School &, Viera High School &, School Board of Brevard County (0233)
Role: Educator
Quote: The best way to predict the future is to help create it!
Bio: Marian Passmore was honored as the second Indiana Robotics Invitational Unsung FIRST Hero. Hailing from Cocoa Beach, Florida, "Mrs. P" helped make Team #233's visit to the IRI possible.

Marian describes her team involvement as "...the only teacher representing 2 local high schools. I serve as the main organizer for fundraising and other promotional events. I teach a robotics course at one of the high schools and work out at NASA during second semester with the robotic design and build team." She described FIRST as "...an awesome program that inspires science, technology, time management, team work and thinking outside the box. It’s an event that you just have see and talk to the kids to appreciate."

Working with #233, the Pink Team, for 8 years, Marian had a list of FIRST accomplishments: "Rookie all- star, Delphi’s Driving Tomorrow’s Technology – regional and championship, Team Spirit, GM Industrial Design – regional (2) and championship, Chairmans award, Website Design, Imagery – regional (4), Motorola Quality, Leadership in Controls (3), Archimedes Division Champion, Regional Finalist – 3 times, Regional Champ – 4 times, IRI Champion, 7 students with scholarships.

"Personally, we’ve started the Florida Sunshine State Lego League Competition and have funded it for the past 3 years. We have started and mentor at least 30 lego teams including some from out of state. We have also started 3 high school teams and continue to mentor 4 other teams from out of the country. This year we held our first girls only lego robotics camp and will continue to run this next summer."

Marian's couldn't narrow down one favorite FIRST memory, but she did name a number of great experiences she's had with the team. "There are too many memories to have only 1 favorite. This team has traveled to many venues including: UCF, UTC, Philadelphia, Toronto, Seattle, Denver, NYC, Houston, Epcot and Atlanta. We’ve also attended off-season competitions in Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Indiana. There is at least one favorite memory from each event including meeting new teams, new people, and seeing my students help re-build and re-program other robots. One of the best memories from last year was our students picking our “arch cross-town rival” as our alliance partner at UCF. This year, the students have impressed me by “taking over the team”. This summer they worked out the restructuring of the team, planned the community service for this year and wrote the team’s charter/constitution."

Lastly, Marian gave her fellow FIRSTers a bit of advice: "Manage your time. Don’t try to do it all – pick an area and focus but pick something different the next year."

Congratulations to Marian Passmore, our second Indiana Robotics Invitational Unsung FIRST Hero.


Nominated By: confidential

[Barry Bonzack]

If Mrs. Passmore isn't the most dedicated teacher I have ever met, then she is for sure in the top five. She is an outstanding mentor to an outstanding team of students. Some members of her team were telling me that she had tailbone surgery before the Championship event. Did she miss it? Nooooooo. She came with 233, unable to sit on the bus trip all the way to Atlanta. NOW THAT'S DEDICATION!

My first memory of Mrs. Passmore was at the UCF regional in 2004. I was still a team member of 1390 for our rookie year. Our robot did not work the entire regional, barely even moved out of its corner. It spent most of its time in the pits being worked on even when our match was up. At the end of the last day I was tired, frustrated, and a bit down from an anticlimactic end to all the work put in from the 6 weeks. My mom told me she wanted to meet some one, she had been talking to the leader of the awesome Pink team. At first I replied I'd rather just sit down, but went anyway. Mrs. Passmore told me that our team isn't doing so bad for being able to show up, and that many teams their first year end up without even a bot to sit in the corner. She continued to tell me that Pink's first year, they also had a robot that didn't function. This small peptalk lifted my spirits enough to keep at it. My team may never be quite the caliber of 233, but when it has 8 years of experience, I bet they will be far from sitting in the corner during a regional.

Thanks you Mrs. P for everything, and congrats for this award that you very much deserve.

[Amanda Morrison]

Congratulations to Marian Passmore, the second Indiana Robotics Invitational Unsung FIRST Hero.

[tiffany34990]

Congrats to Ms. Passmore. I've heard sooo many wonderful things about you. You are such a great dedicated mentor. Pink and the FIRST community is grateful to have you.

Congrats again and thank you for all that you do.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Marian,
Congratulations on your UFH recognition. It is great to see a PINK UFH. Keep up the good work.

[Arefin Bari]

I can't explain my thoughts or whatever I want to say in word. I have met Mrs. Passmore back in 2003 Florida Regional. Oh boy, did she show her dedication there. I had a very good conversation with her. Since then, I have been seeing her around with the PINK team. She is truly an example of a person who is dedicated and a hard worker. She is someone we all look up to.

Congratulation Mrs. Passmore. You deserve this honor. I hope to see you soon. Please take care of yourself.

[Kyle Love]

Ya know something I heard, UFH always look beter in PINK! Anywho, CONGRATS!

[Winged Wonder]

Congratulations "Grandma" ( kidding), you certainly deserve it!

Thank you for taking us out-of-state because you believe that seeing new places is a good experience for us. Thank you for believing in us and sparking our imaginations and our drive to succeed. Thank you for sacrificing so much of your leisure time for us.

Our team would be absolutely nothing if it weren't for you. You are the glue that sticks this team together; we all love you so much. None of what i've just said does you justice; rather than writing a 10 page essay on why you're so awesome, i'd figure i'd just leave it to this: you're the best! And i'm glad you've finally been recognized for your efforts.

[Kit Gerhart]

I've been with Team 233 for two years, and I have little doubt that without Mrs. P., the Pink Team would be in deep trouble. Basically, she is the organizing force who makes us a team.

There are students from two schools, but Mrs. P. is the only teacher from either school who is involved in a serious way with the team, and is she ever involved. She does nearly everything required in the way of adult leadership except leading the building of the robot, and the competition strategy and coaching. She organizes the travel including sightseeing and "fun things" at the regionals. She organizes the (very effective) fund raising, helps recruit students, keeps people "in line" when necessary, signs us up for the competitions, etc. There are many others who help make our team what it is, but without Mrs. P. to keep us in line, we would not even be close to the successful team that we are.