Arlene Kolber -2008 Woodie Flowers Nomination
“The Woman with the Keys”
Written By Haley Valletta
Edited by Locke Alexander, Steven Rhodes, and Alex Waschura
Team 100, Woodside/Carlmont/Sequoia Robotics
I'm hardly a senior officer on Team 100, having only been here for two years. Even so, during these years I've seen a robot built from a bunch of wires to a fully functional machine, which made it all the way to Atlanta. 
However, I have no delusions that our success was based on team effort alone. In fact, if it weren't for mentor prodding,our robot wouldn't have gotten further than the design stage. While we have many wonderful mentors, one stands up above the rest: Arlene Kolber, the woman with the keys, here from the early morning into the late evening.
At first, all she was to me was a teacher advisor, opening the robot room doors and giving us the occasional advice. 
It wasn't until that first Saturday in January that she showed her true colors as a robotics evangelist and our team's driving force. Right from the get go, Mrs. Kolber came to life, as if the kickoff video turned on a hidden switch inside her. 
Gone was the quiet specter that always sat in the back of the room during our meetings, replaced by an outspoken mentor who kept us on the right path. She is devoted to not just the robot, nor just the electronics, nor just the programming, but to the ideals of FIRST. If our team is a machine, a long line of gears that each depend upon one another, she is the motor that turns the first cog and kick−starts everything. If our mechanics team needs to buy a part, Mrs. Kolber fronts the money. If we need the district's support, she donates her evenings to lobby them. When the M−A team needed animation help, she offered our team's resources. 
But most importantly, she provides guidance allowing us to develop and practice leadership skills and to think independently
If there has been any specific instance where her dedication to the team really showed, it was at the 2007 WRRF Northern California Robot Games (Cal Games). Directly because of her efforts and lobbying of the WRRF as well as our school board, it was decided that Cal Games 2007 would be hosted at Woodside High School, our home turf. The day before the games, we all came after school to set up the carpets and the field. What we didn't realize was that behind the scenes, Mrs. Kolber had been working for months to make sure that everything ran without a hitch. When the school was very worried about the floor of their new gym being ruined by the games, Mrs. Kolber assured the administration that with carpet and under–layment in place, there would be no way for the robots to scratch the floor. She persuaded the janitors to help with setup, cleanup, and storage space, and convinced the school district electrician to provide adequate electrical service to the arena and the pit areas. Without her help, Cal Games would have been very dark indeed!
But the best thing about her is that she's always there. “She's the driving force to keep robots on the minds of the school administration, from the school principals through the district superintendent and school board,” says Laura Rhodes, a mentor on the team. Mrs. Kolber is the mother of our robotics family who, since 1996, has been the one who tries to get the best from us. For such an altruistic soul, this award nomination is long overdue.
is an award given out at each competition to one mentor put forth by his or her team for dedication and service to the team and to FIRST. Submissions are written by the students and judged by FIRST judges against the criteria set down at the beginning of each season. Winners from regionals around the world go on to be judged at finals in Atlanta.
