Skip To Main Content

Life Skills at Potomac

Seniors Share Financial Literacy Lessons

The Upper School's Financial Literacy Student Leaders – seniors under the direction of faculty member Dr. Giorgio Secondi – held financial literacy assemblies for their classmates. Topics included budgeting and cost of living, credit and debit cards, credit scores, saving and investing, debt, and taxes. In addition to covering basic principles, the presenters shared real-world examples and informative charts. At the end of the assemblies, the sophomores tested their knowledge with a quiz, while the seniors participated in a number of games with prizes.

  • academics
  • academics-us
  • financial-literacy
  • life-skills

STORIES

ASIA Club Hosts NBC4 News Anchor
ASIA Club Hosts NBC4 News Anchor

Last week, the US ASIA (Asian Students In America) Club hosted its annual assembly and invited guest speaker Ms. Eun Yang to Potomac. Ms. Yang is the primetime news anchor at NBC4 Washington. She shared about her childhood growing up as an immigrant in PG County, her experiences in college that led her to broadcasting, and some of the challenges she has faced throughout her career, including the time that she was fired! Ms. Yang encouraged students to work hard and believe they are more than their grades and transcript. We thank Ms. Yang for coming to Potomac. 

Impactful Visit to the Holocaust Museum

Sophomores recently had an opportunity for a meaningful visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Students were invited to learn about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust but also to bear witness to resilience and resistance despite the unspeakable horrors of World War 2. Our students engaged with artifacts with the utmost respect, and some even had the chance to speak with survivors after a tour of the exhibits. Beyond the connections to lessons in their history and English classes, our sophomores had the opportunity to reflect on human suffering along with a persistent spirit of hope. After returning from the trip, students joined small groups to share what they learned and experienced in the museum, ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust continue to resonate and inform our understanding of history and humanity. 

Grade 9 History Explores World Religions
Grade 9 History Explores World Religions

The grade 9 history class, Early Civilization and Global Contact, completed their annual unit on major world religions with a panel featuring Potomac faculty members Shveta Khullar, Nadia Pardesi, Antonietta Pilkerton, and Sharon Stein. The panel spoke to the entire grade about what religion looks like in each of their lives and the benefits and challenges of living and working in a religiously diverse community. The panel was a great way to bring to life the work ninth graders have been doing in class over the past few weeks, and we're thankful for our faculty members who enthusiastically jumped at this opportunity to share a part of their lives with our community. 

Student Leaders Speak at Affinity/Alliance Groups Special Assembly
Student Leaders Speak at Affinity/Alliance Groups Special Assembly

On Monday afternoon, eighth grade student leaders and members of the IS’s affinity and alliance groups spoke at an IS assembly. Matthew Bodi, Winn Chamberlain, Sarah Cheney, Esther Choi, Ismail Karim, Alya Khan, Alex Runde, and Jenna Zee recalled memorable moments, described what their groups mean to them, and shared what their groups are looking forward to this winter and spring. In addition, the IS community learned about upcoming related events: an opt-in pizza lunch for IS students who identify as mixed-race, a new affinity group for boys interested in joining a new affinity group, and Upper School affinity groups that will join the IS groups for cross-divisional gatherings.

Holocaust Field Trip Explores Human Behavior

The Holocaust and Human Behavior class visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum before the break. During the semester, they began by studying the roots of antisemitism and scientific racism before the Weimar Republic and the eventual rise of the Nazi party. They then considered how the gradual build-up of Nazi policies against Jews led to the Final Solution and the destruction of Jewish communities across Europe. They also examined Nazi policies against other groups of people in Europe at the time. Understanding these ideas helped students explore the museum in depth as they pondered the choices that individuals made during this era. They will continue using their new understanding as they work on their final projects for the semester. 

Speech and Debate Shine at Patriot Games

This year's George Mason University Patriot Games Speech and Debate tournament was an excellent event for Potomac’s speech and debate team. The event featured students from 14 states. Potomac claimed third place in team sweeps. The team was led by Meredith Vorndran '25, who placed fourth in individual sweeps, and Alex Bauer '25, who placed tenth overall. His efforts were backed by several final-round appearances by the team, including three final rounds by Vorndran. Taylor Burris '24 also finished the tournament strongly with two final rounds. Potomac dominated in congressional debate, extemporaneous speaking, and impromptu speaking. A list of the final results can be found here. Congrats to all!