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March 9, 2023

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Featured News

Around the World
Around the World Is Coming in April!

Let's come together on Friday, April 14, for a celebration of heritage, culture, and community. Around the World is a treasured Potomac event where all families are encouraged to participate in a global experience that includes exhibits, a parade of flags, cultural performances, and an international tasting menu. Interested in helping to make the celebration a success? Please complete this form by March 30. Around the World 2023 will take place in the Spangler Center for Athletics and Community, beginning at 5:00 pm on April 14. Learn more!

Cultural exhibits will include representation from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England/UK, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, and Ukraine.

If you have questions, or would like to get involved, please contact Around the World chair Haneez Amr or co-chair Janet Manu.

Book Talk with Jonathan Darman ’99 

Please join us for an evening with Jonathan Darman '99, author of BECOMING FDR: The Personal Crisis That Made a President, on Thursday, March 30, in the Langstaff Auditorium. The event will begin with a reception at 6:30 pm, followed by a discussion with Jonathan moderated by US history teacher Becca Mahoney. Dessert, coffee, and a book signing will be available at the end of the program. Purchase your copy here or wherever you buy your books. Kindly RSVP if you’re planning to attend. 

"Franklin D. Roosevelt…comes vividly to life in Jonathan Darman's moving and insightful portrait. A gifted historian and writer, Darman has given us a parable of redemption through suffering, a sensitive portrait of a marriage, and a fascinating study of the acquisition of power. This is the gripping story of how a lightweight playboy became a great world leader." – Evan Thomas, journalist and author

Spotlight Program: Dr. Lisa Damour

New York Times bestselling author and clinical psychologist Lisa Damour, Ph.D., will speak to the Potomac community on April 12, 6:30 pm, in the Langstaff Auditorium. Dr. Damour, whose new book The Emotional Lives of Teenagers is already a NYT bestseller, will share guidance to help parents understand their children's and teens' emotions and how best to support them. Dr. Damour’s previous books are Untangled and Under Pressure, and she hosts a podcast titled Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting. After the presentation, Dr. Damour will be available to sign copies of The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. Learn more and register for this event.

State Champs…Again!
State Champs…Again!

Potomac’s Speech and Debate team swept the Virginia NSDA State Qualifying Tournament this past weekend, winning their fifth consecutive state speech championship. Twelve students qualified for the June national tournament in Phoenix, AZ, and 17 of 25 Potomac entries were place winners. State individual championships went to Hannah de Souza ’25 in Program Oral Interpretation, Isabella Sequar ’24 in Original Oratory, Taylor Burris ’25 in International Extemp, and Meredith Vorndran ’25 in U.S. Extemp. This was a repeat championship for Meredith. The team also scored four runner-up placements. View the full results. Congratulations to the entire team and our Speech and Debate program!

Announcements

Bring in Your Nearly New Items Before the Year Ends

Nearly New is seeking clothing, shoes, and accessories in good condition to be sold at the 2023 Fall Frolics carnival. Clothing can be dropped off in the Fisher Family Dining Room or the Middle School Square. All Fall Frolics proceeds support student scholarships and faculty professional development.

Supporting Your Family’s Well-being

A recent column in the Washington Post discusses common misconceptions about the effects of peer pressure on children and teens and offers suggestions for how parents can talk to their kids about resisting pressure and making good choices.

Earth Month Activities

Join the Parents for Environmental Action Committee (PEA) in celebrating Earth Month this April! There are so many ways to get involved. Kick off the month by signing up for a nature walk tomorrow (March 31). Help maintain the natural beauty of Potomac's campus by volunteering at Spring Stewardship Day on Saturday, April 15. Support our annual Farmers Market on Friday, April 21, by signing up to be a volunteer. We hope to see you at these great events!

Blood Drive on April 13 

The INOVA Bloodmobile will be on campus for Potomac's semi-annual Blood Drive on Thursday, April 13, 11:00 am-4:00 pm. Parents, faculty and staff, and students 16 years and older are welcome to donate blood. Students must have written parental consent to participate. The registration and sign-in will be in the East Building lobby on the day of the drive. Please contact Ellen Grass for an appointment.

After-School Activities

Kids’ Day Off Spring Workshops

Join us for a fun-filled day of ETC Workshops on Wednesday, May 3 (a Professional Development Day for faculty and staff). Students will exchange, explore, and extrapolate as they travel to the seven wonders of the world. Participants will learn how to apply exchange rates and take an adventurous scavenger hunt to explore treasures from around the globe with the Currency Crusade Workshop (grades K-4). Others will take time to smell the flowers with La Boulangerie Florale Cake Decorating and Craft Workshop (grades 3-6), where students can learn new skills in custom cake decorating and creating crafts. This workshop includes creating a special celebration Cupcake Flower Bouquet and complementing artful stationery. Register now, as space for these programs is limited!

Grade 5 Speech Explores Hope
Grade 5 Speech Explores Hope

This season in our ETC speech class, fifth graders wrote and delivered a speech that answered the question "What makes you hopeful?" On Monday, as a culmination of their work throughout the season, they delivered their speeches in a showcase. Thank you to our audience of family members and our judging panel of Middle School faculty. Everyone's excitement made the showcase a memorable experience. Congratulations to all!

Pawz Corner

Spring BreakHave a wonderful Spring Break! Classes will resume on Monday, March 27, and Paw Prints will return on Thursday, March 30.

Week Ahead

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NO MARCH FAPS MEETING

Due to Spring Break, the Fathers Association of The Potomac School (FAPS) will not host their monthly meeting in March.

Potomac Social

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    Lower School News

    Lower School

    Grade 2 Takes the Stage 

    Tomorrow kicks off our Lower School play season! Second grade students will perform three stories that highlight the essence of service learning on March 10, 11:00 am, in Ramsey Assembly. We hope you will enjoy Verdi, The Quiltmaker's Gift, and Wanda's Roses. A cast party for second grade students and their guests will take place on the LS Science Deck following the performance.

    Grade 3 SEA Committee Builds Squirrel Houses
    Grade 3 SEA Committee Builds Squirrel Houses

    The third grade Student Environmental Action (SEA) Committee was charged with choosing a project that would benefit the environment and also be their legacy gift to Potomac. After brainstorming various ideas, including pollinator gardens and fish habitats, they decided to build two squirrel houses! The SEA members have sanded the houses and are in the process of finishing up the painting. They will place the squirrel houses on trees – at least 10 feet off the ground and facing either east or south. The students were nuts about this project!

    Learning About Buoyancy 
    Learning About Buoyancy 

    Why does a heavy boat float while a small rock sinks? Our kindergarten scientists are beginning to learn about buoyancy. After making observations, they experimented and found that their results were similar to their predictions!

    Upcoming LS Plays Replace Sharing Assemblies

    Please note that we will not have LS Sharing Assemblies on Friday, March 31, and Friday, April 7. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 13, for our grade 3 play and also on Thursday, April 20, for our grade 1 play. More details will be provided in Paw Prints after Spring Break.

    Lower School Dates

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    Middle School News

    Middle School

    “The Real Me” Club for Boys
    “The Real Me” Club for Boys

    This winter we celebrated the return of a well-loved lunchtime club, “The Real Me” for grade 6 boys. The club provided a space for the boys to hear from IS and US role models who shared their experiences at Potomac. Each week a different speaker joined the students for a pizza lunch in the Arundel Library and talked about the opportunities available to them in Potomac’s upper divisions. The students also heard from faculty members who reflected on their own experience as students, teachers, or administrators. The sixth graders asked good questions, providing a fruitful discussion for all. We look forward to another installment of this club next year!

    CTP Results to Be Sent Home Friday

    Our Middle School students took three standardized tests in early February – quantitative reasoning, writing mechanics, and reading comprehension. We will mail home each student's printed individual subscore report tomorrow afternoon. This guide from the ERB Comprehensive Testing Program explains the printed report. Parents can also reach out to Ms. Sardar with any questions regarding their child’s report.

    Spelling Bee Club Finishes S-T-R-O-N-G!
    Spelling Bee Club Finishes S-T-R-O-N-G!

    The MS Spelling Bee Club held its long-awaited spelling competition last Friday in the Arundel Library. Six fourth graders and two fifth graders quelled their nerves as they stood up to spell some tough words in front of family members and classmates. All of the students did an amazing job; however, there can be only one winner. We are happy to announce that fifth grader Regan Kim will represent Potomac at the annual Fairfax County Spelling Bee on March 19. We wish Regan the very best!

    Congratulations to all of our spellers: fourth graders Drayden Baker, Lazuli Bunting, Caroline Ebert, Lily Harper, Brooke Hodge, Emma McDonnell and fifth graders Julia Brandus and Regan Kim. We extend a special thank you to our Spelling Bee judges, Ginny Ramos and Esther Yu.

    “Ferdinand, The Bull” Comes to the MS

    This Friday, March 10, Ms. White's fourth grade class will present Ferdinand, The Bull. We are happy to share this performance, based on the classic book by Munro Leaf, with the MS community. It’s a perfect play to send us into Spring Break! Parents are welcome to join us for the show at 9:30 am in the Langstaff Auditorium or enjoy it via livestream.

    Geared For Success!
    Geared For Success!
    All four of our fourth and fifth grade robotics teams turned in impressive performances at last week's State Championship. Three teams had top performances in the Skills Challenges, with Team W finishing fifth, Team X finishing eighth, and Team V finishing tenth. Team Y had an impressive run throughout the day, reaching the finals in the Teamwork Challenge. Team X also brought home the Think Award, which recognizes excellence in developing, documenting, and implementing effective code for the Autonomous Skills Challenge. Congratulations Panthers!
     
    Team V: Liam Marwell, Sophia Saltiel (grade 4)
    Team W: Will Cilizza, Drew Gudenberg, Ben Levin, Sina Mirali (grade 5), Kayan Gajendragadkar (grade 4)
    Team X: Erik Eggers, Veer Mathur (grade 5)
    Team Y: Arman Aggarwal, Henry Lettow, Gates Marwell (grade 4)
     
    In the state tournament, grades 6-8 compete in the middle school VEX IQ Division. Congratulations to our sixth grade team for an impressive season!
     
    10227G: CJ Lee, Jayden Yoo (grade 6)

    Middle School Dates

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    Intermediate School News

    Intermediate School

    Together Again at Community Night
    Together Again at Community Night

    Last Friday, 17 IS students hosted 12 young people from Second Story's Culmore Family Resource Center for Community Night, bringing back a meaningful event after a three-year hiatus. The activities included a scavenger hunt, board games, bracelet making, and more. Members of the IS Service Learning Committee planned the activities, using information gathered from our Second Story guests to help personalize the event. Student leaders from the US Game Changers also joined the Community Night festivities. Thank you to all of our student and faculty participants for helping to make this event a great success!

    Save the Date: Class of 2027 Overnight Trip

    Due to COVID, the Class of 2027 was not able to enjoy the usual seventh grade overnight trip to Caroline Furnace. To provide this class with an overnight bonding experience and celebrate their time in the IS, our eighth graders will spend two days and one night in Richmond, VA. on June 1 and 2. The trip will include rafting, time at Kings Dominion, evening activities, and more. Details will be shared with students and parents after Spring Break.

    Grade 8 Sexual Health and Wellness Unit

    As indicated in a previous letter sent to IS parents in December, our eighth grade sexual health and wellness unit will take place March 27- April 2 in Seminar class. More information about the program and related resources can be found on the IS section of CampusNET.

    A Musical Joint Affair
    A Musical Joint Affair

    Congratulations to the Intermediate and Upper School choruses and bands for last Thursday's joint concert! The IS singers sang Pastime with Good Company, Confitemini Domino, You’ll Be Back, Babethandaza, and Defying Gravity. The combined choruses concluded the evening with Seasons of Love from Rent. The audience also heard selections by our IS/US percussion ensembles and IS/US concert bands. The IS Band performed a rousing version of Steven Reineke’s Fate of the Gods, a programmatic work based on dark tales of Norse mythology. Congratulations to all our student performers on a superior display of musicianship! View the gallery of photos.

    Grade 7 and 8 Robotics

    Grade 8 teams 13B and 13C recently competed against 48 teams in the middle school VEX Robotics Competition. It was a battle of the bots throughout the day, as each of our teams used the strength of a six-motor base to push some other teams around the field and throw them off of their shots. The game of scoring discs in elevated baskets proved challenging, but our teams succeeded in scoring through turning rollers, end-game robot expansion, and great defense. In the end, Team 13C finished fifth in Virginia in Skills Challenges, which qualified them for Worlds. Way to go! 

    13B: Jacob Jackson, Nikhil Kothari, Advay Sharma, and Sophia Sultan
    13C: Shlok Kuchangi, Julian Mankovsky, Tristan Mankovsky, and Kate Myslewicz

    Three seventh grade teams represented Potomac well in the grades 6-8 competition. Team 10227B finished second in the Teamwork Challenge, earning an invitation to the Worlds Robotics Event. Team 10227E finished third in the Teamwork Challenge. Congratulations to all of our robotics teams for an impressive season!

    10227B: Ronnie Bandi, Woodley Bohannon, Matthew Bodi, Marissa McEwen (grade 7)
    10227C: Esther Choi, Jasper Majeed-Hall, Alex Runde, Imani Nzekwe (grade 7)
    10227E: Michael McIntire, Robert Murtaugh, Sawyer Pearce, Matthew Seeber (grade 7)

    Intermediate School Dates

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    Upper School News

    Upper School

    US/IS Joint Band and Chorus Concert 
    US/IS Joint Band and Chorus Concert 

    Congratulations to the Upper and Intermediate School choruses and bands for last Thursday's joint concert! The US singers performed music by Copland, Hogan, Mendelssohn, Robertson, and Victoria before concluding with a US/IS rendition of “Seasons of Love” from Rent. The audience also heard from our IS/US percussion ensembles, IS/US concert bands, and the US Jazz Band who performed songs with exciting percussion, delicate woodwind passages, and 1940s swing! The Upper School Band performed “Nobles of the Mystic Shrine” by John Philip Sousa and “The Light Eternal,” a moving piece commemorating the four interfaith army chaplains who gave up their lives in the sinking of the USS Dorchester in World War II. The concert concluded with the US Jazz Band performing Trombone Shorty’s “Backatown” and Count Basie’s “Lester Leaps In,” featuring Charlie Ortmans ‘23 on tenor saxophone. Congratulations to all of our student performers on a superior display of musicianship! View the gallery of photos.

    Read More about US/IS Joint Band and Chorus Concert 
    Upper School Robotics Heads to Worlds

    Our Upper School roboticists recently competed against a field of 55 teams in the VEX Robotics Competition high school division. They played the same game as the VRC MS division, just at a more competitive level. Teams 12A, 12B, 12E, 12H, and 12X made it into the elimination bracket. 12H, the Happy Haystacks, progressed to the semifinals, which qualified them for the World Championship; this team also won the Innovate Award for their engineering design process. Team 12A, through their dedication to placing high in the skills challenge, also qualified for the World Championship. Both teams will travel to Dallas, Texas in late April to compete against the best teams from around the globe. 

    12A - Max Zeldes, Alex Mathews, Karl Syriani, Jeffrey Wiley (’24)
    12B - Arav Bhargava, Ben Runde, Daniel Overdeck, David Gardner, Devin Gaines (’24)
    12E - Nik Bhargava, Tony Diller, Matthew Gardner, Charlie Holtman, Quentin Toner, Sam Rubin (’26)
    12H - Ben Bartlett, Claire Coker, Rohan Iyer (2023), Elaina Sona (’25)
    12X - Ben Muhlendorf, Ava Moazzez, Ben Levy, Ritvik Bandi, Andrew Mu, Erim Ozcan, Michael Giuliano (’25)

    Read More about Upper School Robotics Heads to Worlds
    Seniors Receive Top Band Awards

    At last week’s band concert, seniors Ben Schirmeier and Maya Davis were recognized with national awards.

    Ben received the John Philip Sousa Band Award, the highest nationally-recognized award for high school band students. It honors superior musicianship and outstanding dedication to the band program. In addition to participating in every ensemble the Potomac band program has to offer, Ben has been a dedicated percussionist in the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and Percussion Ensembles, is a member of our VPAC music program, has placed in VBODA All-District Band and Wind Ensemble the last two years, was the first-ever Potomac student to represent our school in the All-Virginia Jazz Ensemble, and just last week placed in the Virginia All-State Concert Band. Ben has made an incredible impact during his high school band career.

    Maya was recognized with the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, given in recognition of outstanding musical achievement by a high school student in the field of jazz, as demonstrated through superior musicianship, character, individual creativity, and dedication to the program. Maya has played trumpet in our band program since the fifth grade. In addition to being a reliable soloist and leader in the ensembles, she has performed with our jazz combo at admission events and all over campus.

    Congratulations, Ben and Maya!

    Read More about Seniors Receive Top Band Awards
    Junior Honored by Scholastic

    Junior Jaye Huff was a Silver Key award winner in the 2023 Regional Scholastic Art Awards Program. Her artwork was displayed this week at the opening reception and awards ceremony at the Ernst Cultural Center Gallery at Northern Virginia Community College. The exhibition featured art by the Gold and Silver Key winners, whose work was selected by a panel of distinguished judges from 3,500 submissions. Jaye’s winning piece, painted on a wood-paneled door, is titled My Closet Door.

    Read More about Junior Honored by Scholastic

    Upper School Dates

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    US T208 Tiered Classroom

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    Athletics

    Athletics

    Words from Our IS and JV Coaches

    Congratulations to all of our winter IS and JV teams for completing a competitive season! Enjoy some words from a few of our IS and JV coaches:

    “It is with great pleasure that I offer my heartfelt congratulations to the 10 boys who were part of the Intermediate School's A Basketball Team this season. You all worked and grew together as a team, and you made your school and families proud. This season was a great success and each of you had a part to play in it. Your 8-win, 5-loss record is a testament to your hard work and dedication.

    The best part of the season was when we won against Landon School at home. The win was unbelievable, but my strongest memory was the comment that Landon's coach (former Potomac School Athletic Director Rob Lee) made to me after the game: ‘Your guys genuinely love each other and they play together. It is no surprise that this combination beat us.’

    Coach Mainor and I have been honored to be part of the team's journey and are excited to watch your futures both on and off the court.” - Coach Paul McKay

    “The IS Boys B Basketball Team had a terrific year. Our attitude all season was toughness and never giving up. The B Team embodied what it means to play as a team: Play Hard, Play Together, and Have Fun. It was a slam dunk on all three. Congratulations to the B-Team...Mad Respect.” - Coach David Grant

    “[JV girls squash] were combined with varsity in each competition. We played many of the matches in a very unorthodox manner, [with] many of the girls playing twice in the lineup. All our matches were victorious. We beat Stone Ridge, National Cathedral (H&A), St Catherine’s, and Episcopal. I want to thank the parents for their support. Congratulations to all the JV players for their hard work and contributing to a very successful season. Honors go to all of the girls… Cecilia Woods ’25 (Captain), Jane Naegele ’26, Caroline Kaleda ’25, Alex Bond ’26, and Caroline Craine ’26.” - Coach Anne Monahan 

    Upper School Fall Preseason

    It’s never too early to start thinking about fall preseason! Upper School fall sports will begin with tryouts prior to the start of the 2023-24 academic year. Football will begin on Sunday, August 13, and all other fall sports will begin on Monday, August 21. More details will be available in June. Students playing a fall sport should plan to attend these preseason practice days.

    Athletics Dates