Mentor Recognition Week

[wendymom]

This is the submission for Exploding Bacons Woodie Flowers

Our Grand Pooobah.....Doug Leppard

Every kid needs a role model- someone to look up to, to teach them about the world, to teach them how to make a positive impact in society. These days, young people find their role models in all sorts of different people- politicians, athletes, celebrities. One of the best places to find a role model is in a mentor who works with students on a daily basis. We here on Team 1902 believe that we have found our role model in Mr. Doug Leppard. Although he never was a student in FIRST, he still takes the principles of the program to heart and has worked alongside of our students to instill a love of science and technology.

Mr. Leppard has been an enthusiastic, active member of the FIRST community for six years now, two of which as a mentor for team 1902. He is currently employed by Campus Crusade for Christ, a program dedicated to bringing the virtues of Christianity to all corners of the world. While not pursuing his beliefs, Mr. Leppard spends an extraordinary amount of his free time working to better our team, both as a general mentor, as well as in his role as head programming advisor.

While accomplishments and statistics serve well to convey a person’s dedication to an organization, I believe that it is the personal aspect that really defines a person’s character and provides a holistic sense of a person’s true impact. As this is the case, I would like to communicate my sense of gratitude as the programming team student co-lead, as a person who has worked alongside, shoulder-to-shoulder with many great people, for the dedication that Mr. Leppard displays.

This past year, team 1902 has grown tremendously, and as a result of our sudden doubling of size, we have been faced with an increase in our programming team. What has amazed me, in particular, is the ability to coordinate the tasks among our many student programmers and keep all of us actively involved that Mr. Leppard has exhibited. While I will not deny that we have had our disagreements within the programming sub-team (something that is neither uncommon nor surprising in the stressful conditions of build-season), Mr. Leppard has personally been an example of calm compassion in the face of such disagreements. One such example that has left a personal impression was a speech that Mr. Leppard made during the midst of the final two weeks. In it, he quoted Vince Lombardi saying: “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” I believe he both captured the spirit of team 1902 and is a living testament of this belief.

Team 1902 has a reputation for being among the premier FRC teams, with a very sophisticated and reliable autonomous mode. This is a direct result of our planning, and the endless hours of hard work put in by the student programmers under Mr. Leppard’s direction. Being that he is the main mentor for the programming sub-team, Mr. Leppard’s advice and mentorship have been critical in the programming of our robot. Without his help, we wouldn’t have the effective hybrid mode that we developed this season.

We owe a lot on our team to Mr. Leppard. Without him, we wouldn’t have our tightly-knit organization, we wouldn’t have had such a good autonomous for the last two years, and we wouldn’t have the same sense of inspiration. His dedication to our cause is astounding and nothing short of respectable. Truly, he can be called a role model not only for our team, but also for the community in general.

[KathieK]

I would like to thank Jenny Beatty. Jenny has been a mentor to me for several years. She had the inspiration to start NEMO while mentoring her son's FRC team. She is one of the original FIRST Senior Mentors. She has been instrumental in the organizing of the FRC Chesapeake Regional and several off-season events in the Baltimore area.

I appreciate being able to bounce ideas off her, to have someone just listen to me rant, to offer suggestions when I am undecided. Thank you, Jenny. You may think you're taking a sabbatical from FIRST but we won't let you go that easily!

[Akash Rastogi]

As tomorrow is father's day, I just wanted to bring this thread up again to thank all the mentors out there who act as role models and father figures to many students. There's some great mentors out there who just take their roles to the next level and act as second fathers, and I just wanted to say thank you to them.

I was reading through Andre Agassi's final speech after his last match and this made me think of my mentors:

Andre Agassi-
"You have given me your shoulders to stand on to reach for my dreams, dreams I could have never reached without you."

Thank you all for all that you do.

[Katie_UPS]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

As tomorrow is father's day, I just wanted to bring this thread up again to thank all the mentors out there who act as role models and father figures to many students. There's some great mentors out there who just take their roles to the next level and act as second fathers, and I just wanted to say thank you to them.

I'm a person that loves to read FIRST stories. Does this mean that people should still share their mentor stories? *hope*

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

I'm a person that loves to read FIRST stories. Does this mean that people should still share their mentor stories? *hope*

Of course!

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

I'm a person that loves to read FIRST stories. Does this mean that people should still share their mentor stories? *hope*

I have a thank your mentor story. My story is a thank your mentors story.

Very recently, I re-joined my favorite FRC team, FRC 418, LASA Robotics. I was absent from the team for the 2008/2009 season. Our team competes in BEST and in FIRST, so I missed a lot. Yesterday was one of the camp days of our annual SMART Camp and I attended. It was my first opportunity to spend a day with the team and with the parents in the Parent Association. It was a beautiful time watching the campers partner with members of the team to learn about building, programming, and about our team. I also had fun helping with the shop tours for the parents that hung around. It was a good day.

What that triggered though, was the thankfulness that I have for the interactions and mentoring that I have received from mentors involved with FRC, FTC, and FLL teams throughout the country. The mentoring has come from travels to off seasons, regionals, the Championship, and through private messages and e-mails. Technical mentors and non-technical mentors have taken the time to share their wisdom, positive attitudes, and team histories with me. In doing so, it has allowed me to be on the receiving end, able to bring that inspiration back to my region and to my team. Mentoring is very humbling and very real and it helps create change.

My list is very very long but I would like to acknowledge and thank a few that have been patient, kind, selfless, and filled with humor in teaching and mentoring me: Andy Baker, Sarah Plemmons, Al Skierkiewicz, Heidi Foster, Mark McLeod, Chris Fultz, Wayne Cokeley, Wayne Penn, Kathie Kentfield, and Jenny Beatty.Their generosity and sharing of knowledge and experience is empowering, energizing, and earnest, and I am a better person for it.

I'd also like to thank Tony Bertucci and Danny Diaz for the promise of adventure, excitement, and life-changing experiences that they continue to offer as lead mentors for FRC 418.

With respect,
Jane Young