Potomac Stories

The Potomac Upper School celebrated our Hispanic heritage on Wednesday with an assembly led by the members of the Hispanic Student Alliance. The assembly touched on the broad range of areas of the collective Latino experience. Alliance members Sebastian Chumpitaz '26, Alex Runde '28, David Chumpitaz '29, Emilia Tamayo '29, spoke about the importance of different dimensions of their individual heritage that mattered to them, from the World Cup and current events, to food and music, and how those dimensions captured the spirit of their cultural experience and identity. HSA leader Alejandra Villafuerte '26, shared important reflections on our names, their sounds in the voice of others, and our identity. We celebrated the wonderful language of dance, as all of the US students learned and practiced the core Bachata moves led by Spanish teacher Ms. Azul Torres Velducea. Then eight students participated in a Bachata dance contest with the senior team coming out as most impressive. The assembly concluded with personal reflections by Santi Cangahuala '27, and HSA leader Sophia Vilela '26 ¡¡Excelente!!

Over Spring Break, three of our SERC students were busy presenting their research at the Fairfax County Regional Science & Engineering Fair. Sophomore Misa Hikawa earned first place in the Biomedical & Health Science field for her work entitled, "Molecular Docking Screenings of FDA-Approved Drugs Against Frequently Mutated PI3Kα and PTEN Variants to Identify Potential Endometrial Cancer Therapies." While seniors Charlie Holtman and Avery Miller aptly presented their research, they answered questions from judges and networked with scientists. 

On Tuesday, Dr. Doug Schmidt and Dr. Michael Speight from William & Mary’s brand new School of Computing, Data Science & Physics spoke with students during a lunchtime conversation about the use of AI in college and beyond, and how it can be incorporated into research to augment it. They also discussed how students can be successful in a data-driven world.

On March 4, the band program delivered an unforgettable performance at our annual Bands Concert, themed “Rhythm, Roots, and Blues.” The evening took the audience on a cultural journey from the songs of North American tribes to the folk tunes of the Appalachian Mountains, the vibrant rhythms of the Caribbean, and the streets of New York—proving that music is indeed a universal language.

The program featured stellar performances by our Intermediate and Upper School bands, the Jazz Band, and a combined percussion ensemble. One highlight of the night was the world premiere of "River of Blues," an original work by guest conductor and composer Mr. Carl Holmquist. This driving, traditional blues piece traces the music's historical journey up the Mississippi River and was performed by our Intermediate School Band alongside guest soloist Mr. Herb Scott.

Our students were incredibly fortunate to collaborate with such high-caliber artists. Mr. Holmquist, an award-winning composer and educator at H-B Woodlawn, not only conducted but also dedicated his time to composing "River of Blues" specifically for Potomac students. The featured soloist was Mr. Herb Scott, a renowned DC-area saxophonist and Blues Alley headliner, who recently received the Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award for his music advocacy. His virtuosic solo was a masterclass for our young musicians, all of whom did a fabulous job bringing this complex program to life. Congratulations to your children on a wonderful performance!

Relive the evening by watching the performance and enjoying photos. 

Over Spring Break, six Potomac teams competed in the VEX Virginia State Championship. All the teams represented Potomac well, and each of the six made it to the eliminations, with 12Z finishing ranked first with an impressive 8-0 record. Team 12S made it to the quarterfinals, Team 12C lost a hard-fought semifinal match, and Team 12Z won two out of three in the finals to earn them the tournament championship.

Two of the teams qualified to compete in the VEX World Championships in St. Louis in late April. Team 12S Syndicate earned their place in the Worlds by winning the Skills Championship. They posted a remarkably high score on the first day, and despite many challenges, they remained at the top at the conclusion of the tournament. Finally, Team 12Z Zap is a Virginia State Champion. In addition to the team's competitive success, 12Z Zap earned the Excellence Award for overall distinction in match performance, robot design, engineering documentation, and team interview. 

12C: juniors Santiago Cangahuala, Nikhil Kothari, Julian Mankovsky, Trevor Nelson, Cole Peterson
12S: sophomores David Hallam, Zane Amr, Jacob Cordero, Hank Kelly, and Shlok Kuchangi
12Z: seniors Tony Diller, Aidan Kaminski, Sam Kim, Quentin Toner, Deven Tuladhar, Sophia Vilela, Alejandra Villafuerte

On Wednesday, the Fem 'n Stem club challenged its attendees with an egg drop competition. Working in groups, the members built innovative contraptions to store their egg in. They dropped them from the window of the US bridge, and two out of three eggs successfully survived the long fall!