GRADE 7 SERVES ROCK CREEK CONSERVANCY

Grade 7 students participated in their first Community Action Day. This environmentally-focused event served Potomac's community partner Rock Creek Conservancy. Advisory groups volunteered in two sections of Rock Creek Park, gathering data and collecting trash to care for the Rock Creek watershed. After enjoying a picnic lunch in the park, the seventh graders returned to campus and worked in advisory groups using their data to identify ways to address environmental challenges and responsibly care for Potomac's campus.

Letter Writing

All second grade students wrote letters to over 70 older adults living at Chesterbrook Residences, as part of a grade-level service learning project connected to their writer's workshop. Upper School Service Learning Club members also wrote letters, ensuring that all 95 residents at Chesterbrook received personalized greetings.

Flower Arranging

Members of sixth grade Students for Environmental and Service Learning Action (SESLA) created 24 flower vase donations, reusing flowers from Potomac's May Day tradition and recycled vases donated by Potomac families, to spread joy among older adults living at Chesterbrook Residences.

JOYFUL FOOD MARKET

Each division hosts a Joyful Food Market to learn about food insecurity and food equity and to collect food donations for Potomac’s community partners. The Martha’s Table Joyful Food Markets provided inspiration through a program begun by our partner in 2016 to provide food access to fresh foods to neighbors in Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, DC who live in a food desert. Responding to the impact of the pandemic, the food collections continued Potomac’s 33+ year Sandwich Day tradition benefitting Martha’s Table and Cornerstones.

Third Grade Students Share a Love of Reading at Falls Church McLean Children’s Center

During Library class, the LS students learned about children attending preschool at FCMCC and the importance of access to books at school and at home to help build early reading skills.  Each third grade class received a FCMCC buddy class and Potomac students were invited to select a gift book for a young child in that class to build the preschooler's home library.

supportING Ukrainians in need

Gathering in the Spangler Center In April, members of the Potomac community worked together to support Ukrainians in need. The meal-packing event, attended by more than 100 people, was spearheaded by the Parent Association Service Learning Committee and Upper School students in Potomac’s Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC) program who were studying food insecurity around the world. With the events in Ukraine top of mind, the parents and students took action to organize the meaningful service initiative in partnership with The Outreach Program, a nonprofit organization.

Convey of Home, an international relief agency, picked up the more than 21,000 meals that were assembled at the event and delivered them to displaced Ukrainian families.

VALENTINES FROM THE HEART

Potomac families created more than 450 valentines to brighten the spirits of older adults served by our community partners Chesterbrook Residences, Culpepper Gardens, and The Washington Home Center. An additional thanks to student leaders in our MS and US service learning clubs for making more than 130 valentines for staff members at these organizations, to thank them for their caregiving throughout the pandemic. We are grateful to Parent Association Service Learning Committee (PASLC) leaders for organizing this family service opportunity.