Academics
Durable learning
Stepping into the Challenge
We help students thrive by tapping into their interests and passions, meeting them where they are, building relationships first, infusing joy, and piquing their interest so they want to step into the challenge. Potomac students challenge teachers, respectfully and positively, probing into the why?
Joyful GROWTH
Each day, our students engage in the joyful work of learning and personal growth – building their self-efficacy along the way. In collaboration with their classmates, teachers, advisors, and coaches, they expand their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and discover how they can make a positive difference within our school community and in the wider world.
The Learning Edge
Learning is about improvement, growth, risk-taking, and being comfortable in your learning edge. Students thrive when they are challenged and have a willingness to try new things – and to understand that they won’t be perfect at everything. Potomac students are driven and strive to be more self aware about their educational journey. Here, students can take to the stage for the first time, try out for a new sport, start and lead a club, or build bots and compete with friends.
Durable learning that prepares students for the future.
At Potomac, we teach students how to think, not what to think. We believe that intellectual growth, love of learning, and strength of character are equally important educational goals. We achieve this through both a challenging and enriching curriculum – that is K-12 aligned – and a supportive learning environment.
The Potomac Difference
Weekly classes in life skills teach students how to collaborate, resolve conflicts, respect divergent perspectives and opinions, and contribute to their learning community.
Service Learning
Redefining what traditional means, Potomac offers ways to learn, build, and grow in different ways. Our aim is for students to recognize they have the power to make a difference, to show their civic responsibility, and to embody a generosity of spirit.
Highlights of the K-12 Academic Experience
At Potomac, we believe education should be something more than the mere accumulation of knowledge and skills. Learning is a process of discovery and transformation, achieved through pursuing individual passions and unearthing new ways of viewing the world. We also know that we are responsible for cultivating resilience in our students, in order to prepare them to lead lives of purpose, achievement, and generosity of spirit.
11 ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANs NAMED
Congratulations to 11 of our students for being named Academic All-Americans by the National Speech and Debate Association – a new school record. The five juniors and six seniors were recognized during a large crowd at the annual debate banquet in May.
For Potomac to have so many Speech and Debate Academic All-Americans is an impressive achievement: only about 1.5% of the 150,000 student members of the National Speech and Debate Association are named Academic All-Americans during their high school careers.
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
Teacher and student - one of the most important first relationships and connections kids will ever have. Potomac teachers engage with their students to build confidence, foster autonomy, challenge them, and earn their trust. At Potomac, education is a shared journey.
SUSTAINABILITY AND STEM
Students in honors biology are gearing up for their culminating project of the year – the Sustainable Potomac Project. To generate ideas for their proposals about improving Potomac's carbon footprint, they joined biology students to monitor the water quality at Pimmit Run using Virginia Save Our Streams protocol. Then, they were visited by either Marvin Muhat, director of facilities; CJ Remmo, deputy COO; or Dyana Conroy, CFO and COO, to learn about Potomac's sustainable practices – such as our central plant that efficiently transports cooling and heating throughout the campus. Students were given the opportunity to tour the central plant and learn how the system works.
GETTING ROBOTIC
The grades 4-6 teams competed in the ES/MS Division of VEX IQ at Potomac’s tournament in January They had some tough competition as they battled against seventh and eighth graders from other teams. The tournament had several components including interviews with judges, design notebook evaluations, teamwork challenges, and individual skills (both driving and autonomous). For some of our younger teams, this was their second tournament and their experience proved to give them an edge over other schools. Team 10227G finished in fourth for skills which ranked highest amongst all of the Potomac teams. Team 10227X finished as part of the second place alliance. Congratulations on a job well done.
ASSEMBLIES BUILD COMMUNITY
IS celebrates AAPI Heritage Month by having an assembly at the beginning of the month, where students from the AAPI affinity group share their AAPI backgrounds and present about the cultures of those countries. Later in the month, AAPI students worked in Conference blocks to prepare for an AAPI Culture Expo, providing an opportunity for students to further explore and learn about different aspects of AAPI history. The posters displayed in the Commons of the IS showcased various topics such as history, traditions, cuisine, art, and significant figures within the AAPI community. This kind of exposition encourages cultural awareness and can be educational for students who may not have been exposed to these cultures before. By celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, IS students have taken a proactive step in fostering an inclusive environment and promoting cultural appreciation.
SUPERHERO FUN WITH TECHNOLOGY
Superheroes and Star Wars figures filled the hallways and classrooms of the Middle School in celebration of the third annual "Super Hero/Star Wars Day"! Activities in tech classes were superhero-related, and students were able to have their photos taken in front of a green screen, which made it seem as though they were flying through the air, traipsing around Tatooine, or saving the Earth from evil forces.