The Class Correspondent is one of the most visible and critical of all alumni volunteer roles and plays a vital role in helping classmates maintain a lifelong affiliation with Potomac. Alumni consider The Term to be a key source of information about the school, and the Class Notes section as their best source of news about one another. As a Class Correspondent, you will:
- Gather news from your classmates and report it accurately
- Gather class news and photos and prepare class notes for both fall and spring issues of The Term
- Submit columns in a timely fashion
- Attempt to make personal contact with and publish at least one news item about every member of your class.
- Provide updated contact information for your classmates throughout the year.
Everything you need to know about collecting your Class Notes column for the The Term:
The Potomac School
Alumni Office
1301 Potomac School Road
McLean, VA 22101
1. Connect with your Classmates
- There is no single right way to get in touch with your classmates. Class Correspondents have traditionally used a number of means in order to get news from their classmates. Methods including phone calls, email, social media and/or postcards (please save your receipts for reimbursement!) have been employed to contact classmates. We have found that email and social media are increasingly popular methods because of their efficiency and availability.
- No matter what method one chooses, persistence is the most important aspect to good news-gathering. A great column can be the catalyst for more classmates to provide information about themselves. Regardless of your method, please ask your classmates to submit photographs or digital media!
2. Update Contact Information
- As a key correspondent to many alumni, you can help play a vital role in keeping our alumni records up-to-date. We share your class list through Google Docs to make it easier to contact your classmates. When reaching out to your classmates, please confirm their contact information.
- If there is a change of email, address, or phone number, please update the shared document and highlight your changes, so that the next time you are collecting class notes, we can provide you with the most up-to-date information. You can also email changes to term@potomacschool.org.
3. Compile Notes and Photos
Notes:
- Please compile all notes in Microsoft Word or within the body of your email. Send to term@potomacschool.org
- Consider time lag. Notes will run a couple of months after you submit them, so be mindful of tense.
Photos:
- Please tell your classmates that photos taken from a traditional camera are preferred. Phone cameras typically do not provide a resolution high enough for publication printing.
- Photos must be submitted in a JPEG file format, with a minimum of 300 DPI. If the photo is not of print quality, we will not be able to include it in The Term.
- Caption photos with names, dates, locations, and any other pertinent information.
4. Edit Notes
Before submitting your notes, please verify spelling, particularly of names of classmates, spouses, partners, children, etc.
Thank you again for your leadership. These guidelines are designed to assist you with your important role as a Class Correspondent. And continue to have fun with your position – it’s a great way to keep in touch with your classmates. Should you have any questions about your role or these guidelines, please feel free to call Laura Miller at 703-749.6356.
