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Mindset Matters
Corrine Szarkowicz

Growth. It’s one of Pomfret’s core values — a driving force behind decisions, challenges, and triumphs on the Hilltop. For our freshmen, the journey toward growth took center stage during a January QUEST session.

Students build a tower using spaghetti to support the weight of a marshmallow. 

Through engaging hands-on challenges, students explored the power of growth and the importance of having a growth mindset. Some activities required them to work independently to solve tricky brainteasers before collaborating with members of their group for a fresh perspective. In others, teams built a tower out of cards and competed to create the tallest spaghetti structure capable of holding a marshmallow. Between each challenge, students paused to reflect on how they approached the activity and how having growth or fixed mindsets influenced their progress.

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through hard work, good strategies, and collaboration. This mindset transforms obstacles into opportunities and learning into a lifelong endeavor. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset — the belief that skills and intelligence are predetermined — can lead to limited growth and make learning difficult.

“With a growth mindset, I can excel at one thing and continue to improve on another skill,” says Zahir Williams ’28. “I learned during the QUEST session that even when there are challenges in front of you, there is a way to overcome them with time and effort.”

These activities weren’t just about towers or puzzles — they were about reframing setbacks and embracing the process of learning. “This QUEST session helped remind me that my mind is strong,” said Jayda Ngibuini ’28. “The games we played showed me the importance of problem-solving and thinking outside the box.”

On the Hilltop, the value of growth isn’t just taught. It’s lived.
 

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