Alumni News

by Rita Deurdulian

“You are a part of it now.” That statement of inclusion, made by a Calfee Community and Cultural Center board member and alumnus to Potomac Service Learning Director Joy Webster, captured a profound shift that happens through service. It isn’t just about a team of volunteers helping out; it’s also about becoming part of a connected community.

Joy, a former Potomac Lower School teacher, is entering her third year as director. She reflects on the “why” that drives this work, the moments that keep her going, and the profound impact service learning experiences have on our students.

IT STARTED WITH A SANDWICH

During Joy’s first year teaching at Potomac, a small, seemingly simple act of service revealed a deeper truth: Service is about more than just action; it’s also about connection and purpose.

Joy recalls, “During one of Potomac’s Sandwich Days, a fifth-grade student asked me, ‘Do you think we could ever go there and see?’” The student was asking about Martha’s Table, a local partner that Potomac has made sandwiches for for more than 35 years. This question, born from a desire to understand the where and who behind the student’s actions, led to a new initiative. The class took a field trip to Martha’s Table, where they met the staff, played with preschoolers, and saw the operation firsthand.

“That experience was kind of a foundational experience of what Sandwich Day is and the needs that this act of service meets,” Joy shares. This simple trip shifted the focus from a race to see who could make a sandwich the fastest to a meaningful connection with the community, setting a new standard of dignity donations for our program.

PURPOSE AND PLACE

For Joy and her team, the core purpose of service learning is to help students understand their place in a community. “Your well-being is my well-being, and my well-being is your well-being, and we’re all connected in that way,” she states. This philosophy is deeply aligned with Potomac’s mission of leading lives of purpose and generosity of spirit.

Joy’s greatest source of inspiration comes not only from the students but also from the community partners themselves. She speaks with admiration about people like Minnie Orozco from Cornerstones, who personally delivers emergency supplies to those in need, using her own resources. “She just cares for her neighbors in a very real way. That’s what keeps me going,” Joy says.

A SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE

Joy shares a powerful example of an Upper School history class reading Elie Wiesel’s Night. To deepen their understanding of what it means to witness history, students were connected with residents at Vinson Hall, a retirement community. The students sat for an hour, listening to the residents share their firsthand experiences of historical events. “It was such a beautiful connection—for our students to be an audience for them and their stories,” she says.

Another example involves a Spanish class studying nutrition. The students collaborated with Cornerstones to create a bilingual recipe book with healthy recipes. “It gave a real-world, meaningful, purposeful use of what they were learning that met a specific need in our community,” Joy says.

MOMENTS OF TRANSFORMATION

For Joy, a successful outcome is less about a project’s completion and more about the connections and personal growth it sparks. “For me, it is about connection, and it is about reflection,” she says. “These moments of transformation can be found everywhere.”

She recalled a second grader who developed a special bond with a Chesterbrook Residences assisted living facility resident, writing her letters and visiting every time the student returned. “For the second graders, [it was important] to see how much just that little act of going, their very presence there, made all the difference,” she says.

A recent Summer Break trip to Appalachia with Potomac’s Upper School students provided a powerful example of this transformative power. The program, built on the principle of reciprocity, immersed students in the geography and culture of the region. In addition to several partner initiatives students participated in, they also helped build a sandbox for the Calfee Community and Cultural Center and played with the children. “It just meant everything to them to be able to see the changes that they were making and see the impact that they were having,” Joy reflects. The experience was equally impactful for the adults, including her, who worked with the students. It reinforced her belief in the power of a “little bit of good.”

“Desmond Tutu said, ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.’ And that’s what motivates me,” says Joy.

As the program grows, her goal is to continue to enhance the curriculum and learning outcomes for students, ensuring that service learning remains a foundational part of a Potomac education and a powerful tool for inspiring a lifetime of purpose and connection.

Read more stories from The Term.