Recommendation from Dot Keil, FLL Parent:
After 18 years of serving as the FIRST Lego League coordinator for Grandview Heights Schools, parent Jim Hamberg retired last month at the conclusion of the 2016 competition season. Through the years, Jim has consistently demonstrated the outstanding contributions of time, talent and effort that the Bobcat Award serves to recognize.
The responsibilities of the coordinator are thankless, but essential, to the success of the program and the teams. FIRST Lego League is a highly structured program and it requires someone extremely organized to manage and communicate all of the details to participants. Each year Jim recruits students, orients parents, trains coaches and mentors teams. He builds and manages the competition boards, maintains the robots and computer systems, and processes all paperwork and payment to make teams eligible to compete. He has been an advocate for FIRST and actively raised funds from the PTO to support the program. Additionally, he provides physical access to the school buildings to allow the teams to practice. In almost two decades of dedicated volunteering, Jim has personally introduced robot programming to well over a hundred Grandview Heights students. When Grandview expanded to include students in K-3 a few years ago with FIRST Lego League Jr., Jim didn’t hesitate to coordinate those teams, too. As if the behind-the-scenes work wasn’t enough, Jim also takes an active role in the Grandview Heights Schools Lego League Competition with teams from around the city.
During informational meetings, Jim stresses that FIRST Lego League is not just about building with Lego blocks, but rather a problem-solving, team-building competition where students do the work of addressing a real world challenge while the adults serve as guides. It’s clear that he is driven by providing students an opportunity to be successful by working in engineering and collaboration.
Jim has been extremely committed to FIRST Lego League in Grandview Heights Schools. He has given more hours than can be counted, ever patient and professional. There is no doubt that many, many students, and their families, have benefited greatly by the immeasurable impact Jim Hamberg has made through FIRST Lego League.
From Anastasia Yue, FLL Coach and Parent:
I have been a coach for my son’s Lego League team for the past four years. Jim Hamberg’s knowledge and dedication to the program is unparalleled. Jim was at every practice my team had (we are one team of many) and was always helpful, engaged and full of answers. During this year’s competition, I realized that many schools don’t have a program associated with the school and don’t have a “Jim Hamberg”. They work out of someone’s house and are responsible for navigating the complex requirements for the competition on their own.
The Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff community has been so extremely lucky that we have a school sponsored program and that we have had someone like Jim, who is dedicated to being the face of the program. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to succeed without Jim’s help.
From Janna Thompson-Chordas, FLL Parent and Former Coach:
Jim Hamberg is an exceptional teacher and champion for the development both of our children. Through 18 years of service, Jim has touched many minds and countless hearts with his ability to connect children with large scale problems affecting the world and help them carve solutions that can be served through their community and school levels. His patience abounds while he works with children from as young as third grade to high school students. I've watched him command respect while delivering tools to develop valuable problem-solving skills such as group participation and team problem solving, all while maintaining a healthy sense of humor and passion not only for programming, electronics and Lego building but for those children and young adults. He's an amazing asset for our community, and will be sorely missed upon his retirement from this position.