Suwannee Elementary School (SES) held its second annual “The Power of Yet” dinner at RIVEROAK Technical College on November 16.

“The Power of Yet,” is a mentorship program ran by SES Academic Coach Becky Carter and SES Guidance Counselor Tammy Williams. According to Carter, “The name of the program came about because the word ‘yet’ maybe small, but there is a lot of power in these three letters when changing growth mindset.”

When speaking about the program, Carter says, “This program is designed to build mentoring relationships for our third grade retained students who need to grow into the mindset that they have the power to make or change their future. Students that have experienced academic success have always had a positive role model in their life.”

At the dinner, Carter spoke about the success the mentorship program had in their first year. Carter said every student’s grade improved in reading while 88% of students saw an increase on their math scores.

Carter said they are looking for mentors to spend a half hour, to an hour a week with an individual or a small group of students. During this time, the mentors can take their student(s) out for lunch, check on grades, or a number of other things to show the student that their mentor truly does care for the student. Carter says, “Our main goal is to motivate these students through positive interactions with adults at school.”

SES Principal, Amy Boggus, says, "Our teachers and support staff are always trying to think outside of the box to help students succeed. I applaud the vision of Becky Carter and Tammy Williams. They knew we had to try something very different to help students understand that they are loved and supported. We are so blessed to have community members that will partner with us to encourage and motivate students and give them hope."

If anyone is interested in being a mentor, please call SES at (386) 647-4400.