Welcome to the winter issue of Mosaic, Potomac's CommUNITY Newsletter! Here, you will find news, information, and resources related to our school's goals of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion and fostering an engaged, connected community. To learn more about The Potomac School's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please read our DEI Statement. We invite you to submit comments, questions, and story ideas to mosaicnewsletter@potomacschool.org.
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| Black History Month Highlights |
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February was Black History Month, and the Potomac community took full advantage of this opportunity to commemorate the achievements of Black/African Americans. Read more to see the highlights of how each division celebrated. |
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James Hightower III Reflects on the MLK Assembly |
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| “Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political, and economic change.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Friday, January 13, Potomac hosted its second annual MLK Assembly. Director of Community Engagement James Hightower III not only experienced this assembly for the first time but was also tasked with organizing it. Read more for his reflections on this assembly. |
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Welcoming New DEI-focused Divisional Leaders |
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Over the past few years, we have shared our belief that a distributed leadership model is the most effective means of advancing Potomac's work in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. As we have onboarded leaders who are embedded in our divisions, we have seen terrific progress. Our focus now is to ensure that the DEI leaders are effectively supporting their divisional administrative teams and programming. These leaders are working not only within their divisions but also as a team to ensure consistency and continuity along the K-12 spectrum.
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As of February 2023, Alisha McClain has assumed the role of Middle School DEI coordinator, joining Nadia Pardesi (LS), Paul Singleton (IS), and Charaun Wills (US).
Jasmine Jackson (LS), Adam McNeil (MS), and Precious Singson (US) have joined Scott Clark (IS) as members of the cultural competence curriculum leadership team, taking over these positions from the DEI coordinators.
Starting in the 2023-24 school year, Charaun Wills will become our lead DEI lead coordinator, while continuing to provide the Upper School with DEI support. Because the US is the school's largest division, Suzanne Bailey will join Charaun as an Upper School DEI co-coordinator.
Please join us in congratulating our newest divisional leaders, who will continue to teach as they support our DEI work to ensure that Potomac is delivering the best educational experience for all students.
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SDLC Student Participants Lead Faculty Meetings |
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Every year, six juniors are chosen to represent Potomac at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Leila Bodner, Daelyn Dimps, Auden Easter, Selma Elrefai, Sasha Karpova, and Natalia Vilela represented Potomac at the most recent conference in December 2023.
Since returning to campus, these students have partnered with the current seniors who attended SDLC last year to lead divisional faculty meetings centered around activities and topics they encountered at the conference. Leila reflects, "Following my experience at SDLC, I arrived back at Potomac inspired and determined to enact change in our school for future generations." Natalia says, "At faculty meetings I have emphasized the importance of affinity groups and incorporating diversity work earlier in the curriculum." In the K-6 divisional meetings, faculty members noted how impressed they were with the students' facilitation skills, and the students remarked at how far the K-6 curriculum has come since they were in the Lower and Middle Schools.
The juniors and seniors will also collaborate with administrators to support Intermediate and Upper School programming that will lead students through these crucial conversations. Natalia adds, "I have newfound confidence in my own identity and my ability to help other students understand the importance of DEI work." |
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NAIS PoCC Conference Promotes Equity, Racial Literacy, and Collaboration |
The National Association of Independent Schools' annual People of Color Conference typically draws more than 7,000 educators from around the world. The conference offers professional learning opportunities, as well as opportunities to network and build community. Potomac sends a delegation of faculty and staff each year, along with the students who attend the concurrent Student Diversity Leadership Conference, and these individuals come back to campus with increased passion for creating a more equitable and inclusive community. This year's participants are already implementing what they learned from such keynote speakers as Amanda Nguyen, Nikki Giovanni, and J. Luke Wood and during numerous workshop sessions.
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Curriculum Review Process Opens Opportunities
for Increasing Culturally Responsive Classrooms |
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In the 2019-20 school year, Potomac launched a new curriculum review process created by the K-12 Academic Council. The Science Department was the first to use this new process to review their curriculum, and History and Social Studies recently completed their process, finalized with a presentation to K-12 faculty and staff on October 12. The World Languages department is currently completing their review and the Math Department is preparing to start theirs. The reviews thus far have revealed that we have strong departments, staffed by high-achieving faculty who want to examine their curricula with fresh eyes to ensure an excellent academic program for students. These comprehensive curriculum reviews have included a focus on ways to offer more culturally responsive curricula and ensure equity and inclusion within the Potomac educational experience.
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Employee Book Group Promotes Cross-Divisional Conversations |
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The fall employee book group read Admissions by Kendra James. While the memoir is about James' experiences at an independent boarding school, Potomac's faculty and staff found her story a useful springboard for discussions about how some of our students may be experiencing their own school. One faculty member said he appreciated the author's attention to the importance of building strong relationships. Potomac has been focusing on creating a culture and climate that honors the authenticity of all community members, and this memoir has broadened our conversations and perspectives. The spring employee book group will read Braving The Wilderness by Brené Brown.
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Another Successful Diversity Hiring Fair at Potomac |
In collaboration with the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW) and East Ed, Potomac leads a Diversity Hiring Fair each February. This year’s event drew representatives from 35 independent schools and more than 100 job candidates. It was a great opportunity for candidates with diverse backgrounds and identities to learn about the culture and educational philosophy of independent schools and explore opportunities for employment at these institutions. Panelists included Potomac trustee and parent Michael Davis, IS science teacher Matt Scharf, teaching fellow Kayla Williamson, and US math teacher and grade 11 dean Julie Wong. At the fair, Potomac administrators met many talented educators, some of whom are now part of our hiring pipeline. The success of this annual event is due to the thoughtful planning and execution of Danyel O'Farrell, director of human resources and DEI board committee member, and Potomac's Human Resources Team.
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Advancing Potomac's Affinity Group Culture |
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Potomac has been providing student affinity spaces for many years. Our focus now is to ensure that affinity groups thrive under the leadership of trained adults. Potomac will be using Dr. Beverly Tatum’s A-B-C approach to implement affinity groups that A-ffirm identity, B-uild community, and C-ultivate leadership. Leila Bodner '24 reflects on her experiences with affinity groups: "We (the students who went to SDLC) have been championing an effort to create more affinity group spaces/time so that Potomac students can partake in the validating, incredible experience that SDLC affinity groups gave us. It is very easy to feel alone and isolated, especially if you do not visibly or emotionally fit the majority of a population. To help students feel comfortable, validated, and seen within our community, I hope that we can establish permanently assigned affinity group time during the Upper School day, possibly on a bi-monthly basis, to foster stronger relationships between individuals who identify similarly." The IS and US recently held their first cross-divisional affinity groups to great success, allowing students to share experiences and build mentoring relationships.
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Additionally, K-12 faculty and staff participated in their Anti-Bias/Anti-Racism (ABAR) training module #2 this February. The training allowed faculty and staff to experience affinity groups for themselves and focus on the path forward to establishing consistent affinity groups for Potomac students. |
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Meet Potomac Trustee Patricia Potts |
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Committed to giving back to her communities to effect positive change, Patricia Potts personifies generosity of spirit. When she was a Potomac parent, she co-founded the Parents of Black Students family network and helped to launch this newsletter. Now as an alum parent, she serves as a trustee and member of the board's DEI committee. When she is not working at the National Association of Home Builders, Patricia is helping to lead CONNECTdmv, a nonprofit that she co-founded, which helps to close opportunity gaps for students and families of color at independent schools by empowering students, creating opportunity, building community, and activating change. Patricia is also the proud publisher of The House That She Built, a children's book that inspires and empowers young readers. Read more
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Cecilia Coale Van Hollen '80 Publishes Cancer and the Kali Yuga |
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Dr. Cecilia Coale Van Hollen '80 is a medical anthropologist and teaching professor in the Asian Studies Program of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She recently launched her book, Cancer and the Kali Yuga: Gender, Inequality, and Health in South India. Van Hollen's "critical feminist ethnography centers and amplifies the voices of Dalit Tamil women who situate cancer within the nexus of their class, caste, and gender positions. Dalit women's narratives about their experiences with cancer present a powerful and poignant critique of the sociocultural and political-economic conditions that marginalize them and jeopardize their health and well-being in twenty-first-century India." To read more about the book, check out this Dot-Mom Column on the New Security Beat blog. Van Hollen is also the author of Birth on the Threshold: Childbirth and Modernity in South India and Birth in the Age of AIDS: Women, Reproduction, and HIV/AIDS in India. We congratulate her on the launch of her new book and thank her for amplifying the voices of Dalit Tamil women and shedding light on a disparity that needs attention.
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Parent Cultural Competence Committee (PCCC)
and Parents of Black Students (PBS) Host Panel |
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The Parent Cultural Competence Committee (PCCC) and Parents of Black Students (PBS) hosted a virtual Black History Month event on February 28. The program featured a wide-ranging, interactive discussion with Lisa Franklin (PBS co-chair) and Stephen Wicker (US English teacher), moderated by Tanika de Souza (PBS co-chair). The participants also heard the perspectives of recent Potomac graduates Atiba de Souza '22, Hannah Gilliard '22, and Brian McNeil Jr. '22.
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Around the World Family Event on April 14 |
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Get your "passports" ready! Around the World, which will be held on Friday, April 14, is a Potomac tradition that celebrates our diverse community and encourages everyone to partake in enriching cultural experiences. We are a thriving community enlivened by diverse backgrounds, cultures, languages, and heritages, and this event is one of the many ways we share our stories. |
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College Counseling and Parents of Black Students
to Host Authors on April 20 |
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Potomac's College Counseling Office and the Parents of Black Students family network are thrilled to host Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown, authors of The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions. Please save the date for this in-person presentation that will take place on Thursday, April 20. More details will follow closer to the event.
About the book: The higher education landscape is evolving, and in this guide Fields and Herndon-Brown discuss topics relevant for Black families. Having worked as both high school counselors and college admission officers, they share firsthand knowledge of how to successfully navigate the college admissions. Fields and Herndon-Brown cover everything from athletic recruitment and artistic talents to financial aid and getting through the application process. The guide also includes a list of the best colleges for Black students, a glossary of terms, a list of notable Black college graduates, a suggested reading list, and an FAQ.
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