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Cup of Conversation With Graland’s Gates Coaches

Behind every great invention is a coach who guides, challenges, and inspires. In this feature, we take a lighthearted yet insightful look into the coaching styles, memorable moments, inventive minds, and even the favorite coffee orders of Graland’s dedicated Gates Coaches. Whether they’re helping students overcome roadblocks or celebrating their successes at the annual Expo, these coaches play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of innovators. So, pour yourself a cup and enjoy the wisdom and inspiration they have to share.
What’s your favorite part of the Gates Invention & Innovation Expo?
“The energy and enthusiasm of it all! Kids are no longer just students; they are experts in their craft - nobody knows their invention like they do. It’s as genuine and authentic a process that I can think of. Parents, coaches, and judges truly marvel at what students have been working on all year, and there is an incredible buzz of excitement on both days around campus. I can’t think of a greater celebration of student accomplishment.”
- Jorge Chavez

“My favorite part of the Expo is seeing all the hard work the kids have done over the year come together. Each student presents themselves and their invention with such pride, confidence, and joy. The energy of the Expo is so inspiring and fulfilling!”
- Meggan Dodge

“The Gates Expo is a uniquely powerful experience because the inventors get to passionately share their ideas and processes with dozens of people. The inventors undergo nervousness, confidence, and exhaustion all in one afternoon.” 
- Justin Miera

If your coaching style were a type of coffee, what kind would it be?
“Bold.” - Dana Rankin

“I would be a French Press coffee. Like the French Press, my coaching style is one that values patience and believes in the process of learning rather than rushing to results.”
 - Ashleigh Stepanian

How do you keep students motivated when they hit roadblocks during the invention process?
“Encouraging them that they are pioneering new ground for any human and that I have faith that they will ultimately figure it out.”
- Andy Dodge

“I coach students to stay open-minded and encourage them to seek connections that offer different perspectives, which helps broaden their thinking.”
- Elizabeth Leddy

What’s one of the most important skills you think students gain through the Gates Invention & Innovation Program?
“Perseverance. The innovation process guarantees setbacks and failures.”
- Steve Collins

“Belief in the power of their own  ideas and imagination.”
- Andy Dodge

“From coming up with an idea, to planning and presenting at a green- light meeting, to figuring out the materials they’ll need to build their prototype, students gain a great deal of patience and endurance.”
-  Meggan Dodge

“The ability to work through a problem on their own.” 
- Dan O’Neill

If you could bring any fictional invention or gadget to life, which one would you choose? 
“A protective force field for homes against natural disasters.”
- Andrea Crane

“Any of Inspector Gadget’s designs!”
- Elizabeth Leddy

“The transporter device from Star Trek. ‘Beam me up, Scotty!’”
- Mitch Masters

“I love hotdogs. I would love a machine that could cook up a hot dog as quickly as a microwave but doesn’t taste like it was cooked in a microwave.” 
- Martin Twarogowski

If you could have any superpower to help with your coaching, what would it be?
“Photographic memory.”
- Dan O’Neill

“I want laser vision. Imagine the potential to weld things together or to cut things apart with a glance!”
- Mitch Masters

What’s the most rewarding part of being a Gates Coach?
“It’s a nice way to get to know students outside the classroom.”
- Steve Collins 

“It is rewarding to be invited into the student’s creative process. Rather than me, the teacher, providing instructions and direction, I help the inventor realize their vision.”
- Justin Miera

“Inspiring students and showing them they can achieve anything is incredibly fulfilling. At the same time, I learn from them every day. A simple ‘thank you’ is the most rewarding part of it all.”
-  Dana Rankin

If you could have coffee with any inventor or innovator, past or present, who would it be and why? 
“Leonardo da Vinci. He was a busy person, always inventing and painting! Is that all he ever did with his time? How did he stay so motivated and inspired?”
- Andrea Crane

“Nikola Tesla. I believe he modeled the inventive process in a way similar to our students. Did you know he held over 300 patents? At his core, he was a visionary who believed that he could invent for the betterment of society, not just for profit. That said, Tesla was a vegetarian who really didn’t believe in coffee, so maybe we would share some bites at City O’ City.”
- Jorge Chavez

“Louis Braille. His revolutionary invention of the Braille system for reading and writing encompasses all that we try to instill in our Graland inventors: empathy for others, solving problems that will help people in their everyday lives, and developing creative solutions that can give others access and opportunity.”
 - Ashleigh Stepanian

“Temple Grandin. She is a remarkable innovator who transformed the livestock industry with her unique approach. Her autism gives her the ability to perceive the world differently and has inspired so many people to see that their differences can be seen as strengths. Plus, Temple just lives up the road in Fort Collins where she is a Professor at CSU.”
- Martin Twarogowski
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Graland Country Day School

55 Clermont Street    |    Denver, CO 80220    |    303-399-0390
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.