Honoring 2022 Graland Master Teachers
Each spring, faculty and staff members who have dedicated 20 years of their career to Graland are celebrated by being inducted into the school’s Master Teacher program. This year’s inductees, including Head of School Josh Cobb, Purchasing Officer and Safety Manager Dana Rankin, and Director of Extended Day Program Anita Humeyumptewa, were honored at an assembly in March by their colleagues, students, friends, and family. Since the beginning of the program, which was started in 1998, 70 faculty and staff members have been given the honor of Master Teacher. Sixteen Master Teachers are still current faculty and staff members at Graland.
Anita Humeyumptewa
Director of Extended Day Program
After volunteering in the Graland Library since the early 1990s, Director of Extended Day Program Mrs. Humeyumptewa (lovingly known by many as Mrs. H.) officially joined Graland as staff in 2002. Since then, she has been employed as aftercare staff, as the after-school enrichment coordinator, and as a Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten support teacher. During her time in each of these roles, Mrs. Humeyumptewa looked to Edie Buchanan (former after-school program director), Di Nestel (former director of programs), and Parthenia Williams (current Associate Head of Lower School) as her mentors. What some might not know is that the Humeyumptewas have a long family history at Graland. According to Mrs. H., Graland has had a Humeyumptewa on campus for 52 consecutive years: her husband started as a student in 1970, Mrs. H. began teaching here in 2002, and her two children, Vilnis ‘09 and Zile ‘11, also attended Graland. Mrs. Humeyumptewa is grateful to have been a Graland family for so long, and has been honored to provide students with a safe, enriching, and happy place to be after school each day. For Mrs. Humeyumptewa, being an educator means understanding and finding a way to meet the needs of each student, whether those needs are intellectual, creative, or social-emotional. In the future, she is looking forward to continuing to share in the natural joy, discovery, and wonder that Graland students bring to aftercare every single day.
After volunteering in the Graland Library since the early 1990s, Director of Extended Day Program Mrs. Humeyumptewa (lovingly known by many as Mrs. H.) officially joined Graland as staff in 2002. Since then, she has been employed as aftercare staff, as the after-school enrichment coordinator, and as a Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten support teacher. During her time in each of these roles, Mrs. Humeyumptewa looked to Edie Buchanan (former after-school program director), Di Nestel (former director of programs), and Parthenia Williams (current Associate Head of Lower School) as her mentors. What some might not know is that the Humeyumptewas have a long family history at Graland. According to Mrs. H., Graland has had a Humeyumptewa on campus for 52 consecutive years: her husband started as a student in 1970, Mrs. H. began teaching here in 2002, and her two children, Vilnis ‘09 and Zile ‘11, also attended Graland. Mrs. Humeyumptewa is grateful to have been a Graland family for so long, and has been honored to provide students with a safe, enriching, and happy place to be after school each day. For Mrs. Humeyumptewa, being an educator means understanding and finding a way to meet the needs of each student, whether those needs are intellectual, creative, or social-emotional. In the future, she is looking forward to continuing to share in the natural joy, discovery, and wonder that Graland students bring to aftercare every single day.
Dana Rankin
Purchasing Officer and Safety Manager
Purchasing Officer and Safety Manager Dana Rankin started her career at Graland in the business office. Throughout the years, Mrs. Rankin has not only made sure that Graland is safe and operational on a daily basis but that every student, teacher, staff member, and volunteer at Graland is cared for. This can be seen especially during Mrs. Rankin’s time as a former Lower School reading support teacher and in her current role as a Gates Invention and Innovation coach. According to Mrs. Rankin, the best part of being a Gates coach is watching students light up or become interested in skills that she can teach them, such as sewing or using a power tool. In addition to her time in the Gates program, Mrs. Rankin is also most proud of the safety improvements she has made at Graland over the years, including traffic enforcement, installation of the speed signs, and her positive relationships with the Denver police officers who return to campus year after year to keep the school safe. When looking back at the professional connections that have shaped her the most during her career, Mrs. Rankin would like to thank Juan Botello (current director of finance and operations), Andy Dodge (current Grade 5 teacher and Gates coach), and Di Nestel (former director of programs).
Josh Cobb
Head of School
Head of School Josh Cobb originally started as a Grade 9 English teacher when he came to Graland in 2002. After serving as the Grade 9 team co-leader, English department chair, history department chair, and eventually Head of Middle School, Mr. Cobb was named Graland’s Head of School in 2017. When asked who his biggest mentors were during his time at Graland, Mr. Cobb shared that the late John Threlkeld (former Grade 9 team leader), Tony Catanese (former Grade 9 team leader), Di Nestel (former director of programs), and Ronni McCaffrey (former Head of School), all taught him incredibly valuable lessons that helped shaped him into the leader he is today. Of all his favorite moments at Graland, school trips tend to be at the top for Mr. Cobb. A memory that particularly stands out was the time that his bus broke down during the Grade 9 Taos Trip, leaving himself, his fellow teachers, and 30-plus ninth graders stranded until they were rescued. Mr. Cobb is also very fond of the years that his two children, James ‘17 and Ella ‘19, were students at Graland. Up to this point, throughout his five years as Head of School, Mr. Cobb’s legacies at Graland include spearheading the faculty compensation redesign program (otherwise known as the Sphere Compensation System), his leadership in guiding the school community through a pandemic, as well as his joy, sense of humor, and deep love and appreciation for children, educators, and those who support teachers.
Graland Country Day School
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.
