NCES students showcase ‘Power of Yet’ growth mindset at school board meeting

Here’s a thought experiment. How old were you when you began to understand what it means to have “grit” and determination?
According to a presentation made during the Feb. 16 meeting of the School District of Rhinelander board of education, they’re starting early at Northwoods Community Elementary School in Harshaw.
First-grader Margery Albee and fifth-grader Lyla Mueller joined Principal Kyle Barber at the school board meeting to showcase the school’s focus on building connections with students and families while cultivating perseverance and problem-solving skills.
As Barber explained it, the concept is to foster a culture that transforms “I can’t” into “I can’t do this yet.”
The school has implemented monthly assemblies grounded in a growth mindset book study (using “The Growth Mindset Coach: A Teacher’s Month-by-Month Handbook for Empowering Students to Achieve” by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley) that emphasizes adding a single, powerful word to students’ vocabulary: “yet.”

“By adding that one simple word, we shift our thinking from I can’t do this to I can’t do this yet, and it really helps us grow as we go through life,” Barber explained. “The small change creates hope, builds expectancy and encourages perseverance.”
The assemblies cover topics including the power of yet, grit, perseverance, and how feedback can be positive, Barber explained. Teachers reinforce these concepts in classrooms, helping students apply growth mindset thinking to academics, behavior and problem-solving.
In a soft but confident voice, Margery demonstrated this approach by confidently sharing her experience with a narrative writing assignment about a field trip to a planetarium in Wausau, explaining how her class invited other students and families to listen to their edited work.
Lyla represented the school’s “Hodag Helpers” program, explaining how fourth and fifth graders provide support throughout the building.
“Hodag Helpers consist of a group of fourth and fifth grade students that listen to our younger students read, lend an extra hand in the classroom and help out in physical education and art class,” she explained.
The helpers also put up and take down the American flag and lead portions of the monthly assemblies, teaching their peers about growth mindset concepts like not giving up and what perseverance means.
Burke praised both students for their poise. “To have the confidence to do that as a first grader, that’s fantastic,” he said to Margery, while commending Lyla’s leadership throughout her time at the school.
The school is also actively working to rebuild family and community connections, Barber reported. Nearly 70 parents and families have already signed up for a 100th Day of School Math Night scheduled for Thursday, marking a strong return to academic engagement events.
“When I first started last summer, one of the things I talked to (district superintendent) Eric (Burke) about was trying to build those connections,” Barber explained, noting that he made it a goal to connect with all families in the 110-student building. “I got about 80% and then made the rest of those connections later.”
The school is also continuing its popular Monster Mash event, but staff members are focused on bringing families into the building for academic-focused activities as well.
At the beginning of the school year, staff members challenged themselves to make positive phone calls to all families in the building, building on Barber’s initial outreach efforts.
Despite earning a four-star report card rating, Barber emphasized the staff’s commitment to continuous improvement. “It means that we have a lot of great things going on, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t want to go after that fifth star,” he said.
The school’s approach centers on building relationships and maintaining consistency over time rather than implementing single initiatives or dramatic shifts.
“When we think about that climate culture level, it’s not about a single initiative or a big shift. It’s about continuing to strengthen those relationships and that consistency over time,” Barber said.
“It’s something that, honestly, I wish someone had talked to me about when I was in middle school or earlier, because it’s not always ingrained in us,” Barber said, referring to the growth mindset philosophy. “We’re moving in a positive direction.”