Gates Invention & Innovation Program
Boys who are doing are boys who are learning, and there is no better example of that idea at Cardigan than the Gates Invention & Innovation Program and Competition.
Gates is a year-long class that teaches creative thinking, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial spirit while developing an appreciation for hard work and accomplishment. Beginning each fall, each student or student team is charged with designing and building a prototype of an invention that performs a practical function, makes life easier or safer, entertains, or solves an everyday problem.
A record 51 inventions were showcased in this year's competition. With so many creative and innovative solutions to everyday problems, it was a tough year to be a judge!
Video Highlights: 2023 Gates Competition
Cross-curricular connections are critical to true experiential learning. It is in these moments of academic cross-pollination that a student’s world expands.
ERIC ESCALANTE P’20,’22, FORMER DIRECTOR OF GATES
The Gates Program in the News
![Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1714582801/cardiganorg/pc4oe6ob39cbzvldcosn/0C5A9169-4K.jpg","width":2200}])
The 16th annual competition showcased 49 inventions from 66 inventors in grades 6-8.
![Director of Gates Jenny Sabados works with three students in Cardigan's Gates Lab]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1710946607/cardiganorg/iengyxa230ub1actsrzw/Gates_Sabados_Words_to_live_by.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1710946607/cardiganorg/iengyxa230ub1actsrzw/Gates_Sabados_Words_to_live_by.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1710946607/cardiganorg/iengyxa230ub1actsrzw/Gates_Sabados_Words_to_live_by.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1710946607/cardiganorg/iengyxa230ub1actsrzw/Gates_Sabados_Words_to_live_by.jpg","width":1000}])
Director of Gates Jenny Sabados arrived at Cardigan last August. She was new to New Hampshire, new to the boarding school lifestyle, and new to the all-boys education model.
![Exterior view of Cardigan's Wallach building]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1705518616/cardiganorg/ab5wileagd84avxnjo4y/wallach-forum-1.jpg","width":2200}])
Wallach, the school’s hub of innovative design, applied engineering, and creative arts, was recently featured as the cover story.
![Cardigan students in the Gates Lab]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1695832662/cardiganorg/fyjpcpjqdnuqffim5txz/DSC09535.jpg","width":2200}])
We know it’s hands-on, engaging, and, if done right, has implications far beyond the classroom.
![Ms. Clark teaching in Gates]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1698160206/cardiganorg/zan23eb1enkdjmefgvnd/0C5A6862-X3.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1698160206/cardiganorg/zan23eb1enkdjmefgvnd/0C5A6862-X3.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1698160206/cardiganorg/zan23eb1enkdjmefgvnd/0C5A6862-X3.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1698160206/cardiganorg/zan23eb1enkdjmefgvnd/0C5A6862-X3.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1698160206/cardiganorg/zan23eb1enkdjmefgvnd/0C5A6862-X3.jpg","width":1600}])
There is a degree of uncertainty that isn’t always comfortable for the Gates teachers but is necessary in this student-centered classroom.
![Cardigan Inventors Compete in 15th Annual Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1920}])
A record 51 student inventions were showcased in this year’s Gates Invention and Innovation Competition!
![Cardigan's Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":1200}])
It’s just before 9:00 a.m. on the Friday of Spring Family Weekend. The sixth and seventh graders in the Gates Program have been working toward this moment for five months––researching their ideas, developing prototypes, and refining their marketing plans.
The Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition is an academic and afternoon program offering at Cardigan made possible by the Gates Frontiers Fund.
Interested to learn more about Cardigan for your son? The first step is to click the button below.
Cardigan Mountain School is a boarding and day school for boys in 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th grade in Canaan, New Hampshire.
