Congratulations, John. This award is well deserved. Besides being a mainstay and inspiration to your own team, you’ve gone way above and beyond the call of duty to help hundreds of FIRSTers, many hundreds of miles from Mountain Home. The FIRST community is stronger for your efforts.
Very well deserved, John! I loved listening to the entirety of the announcement and marveling at what you do for your team, community, and beyond.
Many congrats to John! Very well deserved!
You most definitely deserve this award.
Thanks for all you’ve done to make FIRST a great experience for the students of Bomb Squad and the rest of the FIRST community.
You are truly a “mentor’s mentor”.
Congratulations!
Congratulations, John!
I was also amazed to hear all you have done by your Woodie Flowers write up. Your award was very well deserved.
Thanks for inspiring us all!
John,
Congratulations to you! Awesome!
John, it has been a pleasure to get to know you. Congratulations! This is obviously VERY well deserved. 
-John
John,
Congrats, you know how I feel, I am so happy for you. For those who don’t know John, you should put him on your list of must meet people. I have known John for many years now and his inspiration to the Bomb Squad in a little town in Arkansas is an inspiration for me. From the students on the team, to the excellent robots they build, to the team dynamics overall, one can see how special individuals can and do make a difference. Whenever I see 16 on the team list for a regional we attend, I know there will be stiff competition and a nice visit with old friends. I hope you had a nice trip home and I hope the pictures came out.
Congrats John, this was very well deserved. I can honestly say that you and the rest of the Bomb Squad, really made our season very special. From our interactions in St.Louis and the championship I can tell that the things you bring to the team go well beyond what was mentioned in your WFA essay. Thanks for all that you do and congrats again for what is a well deserved honor.
Congratulations on a well deserved win John! Team 1098 (Rockwood Robotics)was one of those who benefited greatly from the programming seminar you brought to St. Louis. I’ve seen the results of your dedication and hard work on many occasions. Thanks you for all you do.
Tim Emerson
Team 1098 Mentor
Congratulations to John, The Novak Family and the entire Bomb Squad. These past two years I’ve gotten to know a few of the Bomb Squad students and mentors fairly well, and they impress me more and more each time. John’s impact on his team is unmistakable. This is a completely well deserved award.
This award is truly well-deserved. Since the beginning the Bomb Squad has always been a “class act,” and John Novak is an excellent example of why. Congratulations - you are an inspiring example for the rest of us.
-dave
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John,
Congratulations - Very much deserved.
You and Meredith are the model FIRST couple. I did not realize just how much you have done for your team. You and your family are an inspiration to not just your team, but to the whole FIRST community. I am so glad to know you.
Raul
All I can say from my knowledge is that you’ve taught your students very well. Any questions I had when I visited BBS’s pit were answered almost instantly by the students in a very respectable and intelligent fashion. I was thoroughly impressed.
Congratulations!
This goes to show that there are so many great people in FIRST that I have yet to meet, and even learn their names. Congratulations on joining a truly awesome panel of WFA’s.
John,
Congratulations!! You and your family are an inspiration to all of us involved in FIRST.
Congratulations, Mr. Novak.
One of the marvelous aspects of FRC 16 is the team’s eagerness. It is an eagerness to continue to grow, to improve, to develop. I learned this first hand at IRI when talking with the mentors and the students in the pits and it is a special memory for me. When I heard that you had been awarded the 2009 Championship WFA, it reminded me again of the joy and eagerness that can be found in Bomb Squad, alongside the depth of experience and expertise.
All the best to you and your family, team, and community in celebrating this achievement.
Jane
I am still overwhelmed by the selection for the WFA. Although I have been a part of every Bomb Squad team and at almost every event since 1996, five years ago when a few of us determined to carry on our team with whatever support we could muster started a whole different journey. I’ll never forget the inaugural Boilermaker regional where I won the original WFFA. I owe so much to the school sponsors, an alumni that drove hours to help, and the kids who worked so hard to make it there. Now the sponsors are retired and most of the kids are nearing graduation with engineering degrees but they are all still so special to me.
Without my family I would never have been able to be there for the team. Meredith’s tireless efforts to keep everything organized and push everyone to do their best and most of all to give up so much of our time to be able to get everything done has been absolutely vital. Raul summed it up pretty well with the FIRST family comment. Hardly a day goes by throughout the year without some FIRST interaction. It’s such a blessing to have partners in the venture.
Some of our Science and Technology group members and a few of my colleagues have put a lot time and effort into leading the team back to competitiveness and I thank them so much for their support.
I want to thank the many people that stopped to congratulate me throughout last weekend in Atlanta. Many of you I have known of over the years but never have talked with. So many of you are just as deserving and so vital to to your teams and to FIRST.
Thank you also for the kind comments above. You guys and your teams have been a big part of my inspiration and we have so many memories of events and contests together.
As I finally realized that it was my name that Dr Murphy uttered and I stumbled up onto the stage and looked back at the stands full of awesome teams and mentors, my wife said I looked like I was standing before a firing squad. I just remember feeling that I couldn’t measure up to the row of champions behind me and all the potential before me. I pray that I will be able to be more of an inspiration to the FIRST community and still draw kids to do more than they think they can for all of us.
John, Base on what I have seen of your influence and inspiration, its easy, just be yourself and you will be amazing.
John congratulations to the both of you. Well deserved
Bob 107