Ada Harris School student inventors Quinn Gates, Caden Newsham and Kaden Lain (left to right), pictured May 1 at the Cardiff campus, are heading to the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2026. (Cardiff School District photo)
Ada Harris School in Cardiff announced Wednesday, May 20, that two student invention teams earned top honors at the California Invention Convention State Competition and will advance to the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals 2026 this summer at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, placing the students among the top young inventors in the country.
The award-winning inventions are Session Savor by Quinn Gates and Mission Fire Safety by Caden Newsham and Kaden Lain.
“The Invention Convention program at Ada Harris encourages fifth-grade students to identify everyday challenges and develop original solutions. Students gain hands-on experience in STEM, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and public speaking while learning how innovation can create meaningful impact,” said Janelle Scheftner, principal of Ada Harris School. “Advancing to Nationals is an extraordinary achievement and reflects the creativity and perseverance of these young inventors.”
The California Invention Convention brought together hundreds of young innovators from across the state, showcasing student-created inventions designed to solve real-world problems through creativity, research, engineering and entrepreneurship. Ada Harris students competed among the top elementary inventors in California after first qualifying through the school’s local Invention Convention program earlier this year. Out of the 10 Ada Harris inventions that advanced to the state level, these two projects were selected to continue on to Nationals.
Gates, a local surfer whose favorite breaks are Pipes and Brown House, saw a need for those who surf often.
“Hanging a wetsuit often results in only the outside drying,” said Gates, an Ada Harris fifth-grade inventor. “No one likes to get into a cold, wet suit. Use the Session Savor, and the electric fans will dry your wetsuit much faster than hanging it out overnight.”
The Session Savor resembles a regular hanger and pushes air through the wetsuit using two small fans on each side of the hanger so the inside dries as well as the outside.
Newsham and Lain were inspired by their fathers’ firefighting careers and stories about how kids often panic in fires, causing at least one child death per day, according to the National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Fire Administration.
“Our Mission Fire Safety Kit invention encourages regular practice of fire safety with the entire family, and we hope that will save lives,” Newsham said. “The best part of our kit is Blaze, a stuffed dog that helps children feel safe. There are also playing cards that help create a safety plan in case of a home fire, as well as a flashlight, whistle, firefighter badge, and reflective sticker.”
“We have learned lots of lessons in the development of the Mission Fire Safety Kit,” Lain added. “It’s been like a roller coaster, with lots of ideas we had to research and test. Eventually, we were on a straight line, and now I don’t want it to end.”
The Session Savor and Mission Fire Safety Kit will compete June 5-7 against more than 500 top student inventions from across the U.S. at the National Invention Convention for awards, scholarships and national recognition. Feeling both nervous and excited about the upcoming event, the Ada Harris students hope to bring home another win for their school and community.
“I’m also really excited about going to The Henry Ford Museum and riding the Model T,” Gates said.
For more information about Invention Convention Worldwide, inhub.thehenryford.org/icw/.
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