Potomac Stories

Just before Spring Break, Emirati astronauts Hazzaa Al Mansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi visited The Potomac School ahead of meetings in Washington, D.C. Students in grades K-8 heard firsthand accounts of their space missions. Al Mansoori was the first Emirati to go to space, traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019, while Al Neyadi took part in the UAE’s second mission to the ISS in 2023. Al Neyadi was the first Arab to serve on the ISS for a long-duration mission. Al Neyadi told students how space unites us to give us new knowledge, sharing that “the UAE has been collaborating with NASA for years, gaining valuable experience, building strong friendships, and working towards common goals together." Read the story.

With the Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) concentration program in its second year, we’re checking in to learn about highlights from the pilot year – which connected participants to various members of our community. Through coursework, hands-on experiences, and individual research, EFEB students can gain a profound understanding of the business world while preparing themselves for future success. Learn how year one went, read student reflections, and if you would be interested in sponsoring a four-week internship in the summer of 2024, please email Dyana Conroy to discuss further.

On Wednesday, students participated in Potomac’s final Sandwich Day of the school year, bookending our October kick-off to resume Potomac's 33-year Service Learning initiative. Each month, K-12 students took responsibility for learning about local food insecurity and achieving food equity in preparation for Sandwich Day. In total, LS, MS, IS, and US students prepared 8,056 sandwiches with respect for long-standing partners, Martha's Table and Cornerstones, to benefit community members in need. Each sandwich donation was packaged in compostable bags accomplishing our goal of creating a more environmentally sustainable Sandwich Day. Thank you to the support of our Potomac community for relaunching our school's long-standing tradition with renewed importance. A special thanks to PASLC leaders Gretchen Speigel and Tiffany Butler and parent volunteers in each division for spearheading logistics to count and deliver the K-12 sandwich donations.

The Potomac community packed 20,000 meals last weekend for families impacted by the crisis in Ukraine.  Dozens of Potomac families joined the meal-packing effort organized by The Fathers Association of The Potomac School and the Parent Cultural Competence Committee. Students from the Upper School’s Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC) program also were important partners in this great service event.

Yesterday, our K-12 students relaunched Potomac's 33-year Sandwich Day tradition to support Martha’s Table and Cornerstones, by making 1,058 sandwiches. Our school-wide tradition returns with a focus on learning about and addressing food insecurity and achieving food equity in our local community.

New this year, our students will use compostable sandwich bags, eliminating up to 18,000 plastic bags used for packaging donations each year. This environmental initiative was inspired by a project by Matt Brow '24. This year’s compostable bags were generously provided through a Green Grant from Potomac’s Office of Stewardship, Sustainability, and Outdoor Education.

Watch the kick off video that our K-12 student leaders created and view the schedules for the divisional Sandwich Days from October through May. Thank you to Parent Association Service Learning Committee Co-chairs Gretchen Speigel and Tiffany Butler and our K-12 parent volunteers for spearheading yearlong Sandwich Day logistics, and to Potomac families for donating sandwich-making supplies. We will share more information, including Potomac’s Sandwich Day history, throughout the school year. Enjoy photos!