The Potomac School

The Potomac School is an independent school in McLean, Virginia, USA that serves grades K-12.

History

Founded in 1904 at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. The Potomac School was located for many years on California Street, N.W. Since 1951, Potomac has been situated in McLean, Virginia. The Potomac School has had a high school since 1987, and many of its graduates have gone on to prominence. In October 2004, the school celebrated its centennial. The newly renovated high school was completed in September 2006 after a year of construction; this was one of the first renovations in the school's extensive plan for the re-development of most of its existing facilities.

Divisions

*Lower School (Grades K-3): 3 sections per grade, casual dress
*Middle School (Grades 4-6): 4 sections per grade, uniform
*Intermediate School (Grades 7-8): average class size 16 students, uniform
*Upper School (Grades 9-12): average class size 14 students, dress code

The current freshman class (class of 2012) has 110 students, the largest class size in Potomac history.

Facilities

The Potomac School's campus covers 90 acres, including nature trails, a pond, athletic fields, tennis courts, two gyms, squash courts, a wrestling room, the Engelhard Performing Arts Center (commonly known as the EPAC in the Potomac community, it also holds the Langstaff Auditorium, named after John Langstaff), a black box theatre, a lecture hall, three libraries, five art studios, a photography lab, eleven science labs, six dedicated computer labs besides the 7th and 8th which both have a Tablet laptop for each student, a fitness center, eight music rooms, and five playgrounds.

Potomac is one of the few private schools in the D.C. metropolitan area to have a school bus system. In addition to the standard morning and afternoon buses, the school operates "late bus" routes and a local shuttle system, designed to reduce traffic through the Evermay neighborhood. In fact, the Evermay neighborhood has imposed upon Potomac a strict maximum number of cars entering the campus due to the large amount of traffic. Therefore, the school bus system is mandatory for students from grades 1-10.

Arts

The Potomac School is well known for its excellent curriculum and offerings in the Visual and Performing Arts.

Students are required to participate in visual arts from K-8. Upon reaching high school, students have the choice of several disciplines which include (but are not limited to): drawing, photography, ceramics, and sculpture.

The Dramatic and Theatre Arts are an integral part of a students growth at Potomac. During K-4, students participate in class performances and productions for weekly assemblies. Each class in the 5th and 6th grades provide a play during their semesters as well. During the 7th-12th grades, theatrical and musical productions are highly anticipated with Potomac's yearly schedule. Students and teachers alike are all willing and eager participants for these performances.

Potomac is well known for its excellent music programs, which are among the best in the area. General music classes are a part of the schedule for K-6 students. Besides the general music classes during the 5th and 6th grades, these students also become involved with their chosen instrumental class. Their choices include Band, Handbells, or Strings. Students stay with their chosen discipline through the 7th and 8th grade years, unless they choose to participate in chorus. Although students have the choice on how to complete their arts requirement upon reaching High School, most stay committed to their chosen music class (Band, Handbells, Strings, or Chorus - chorus includes Madrigals, a smaller division of the chorus). Beyond the music curriculum, high school students also have the options of auditioning for one of four student-formed and student-led a capella groups, or participating in Jazz Band, and Chamber Ensembles. The a cappella groups include two mix-gender groups (Mixed Company and Rhapsody), one all-female (the 5 member Quintessence), and one all-male (the 7 member Magnificent Seven - or, simply, "Mag 7").

Athletics

Even though academics come first at Potomac, athletics play an important role in the student's lives. The students start physical education in kindergarten, and continue until sixth grade. In grades 7-12 the students can compete in interscholastic sports, including soccer, football, field hockey, cross country running, The Great Hunt, basketball, wrestling, squash, winter track, swimming, track, lacrosse, tennis, baseball, and softball. The Potomac School's main rivals in sports include Maret School, Flint Hill School, and Sidwell Friends School.

In addition, Potomac offers non-competitive sports each season, including P.E., weights and conditioning, outdoor education, and lifetime sports. Potomac boys teams compete in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC), while the girls participate in the ISL. Potomac has succeeded in these conferences, winning many titles, and Potomac has produced several All Americans. Recently, the Potomac Girls Cross Country team won the Virginia State Championship, while the boys team placed third, and the Potomac Girls Varsity Lacrosse team won the Division II Virginia State Championship in 2006 and 2008. Also, the boys basketball team won the Division II Virginia State Championship in the 2003-2004 and 2007-2008 seasons. The boys Tennis team has also had success, winning the MAC in 2007 and reaching the state final in 2007 and 2008.

Notable Students

Many notable families.

Jonathan Darman - Senior writer for Newsweek
Rostam Batmanglij - Member of the band Vampire Weekend

Dwaune Jones - Scout for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL

Keshia Knight Pulliam - Remembered for her role as Bill Cosby's youngest daughter and child, Rudy Huxtable]
Peter Prowitt - A basketball player for Stanford University

Davis Guggenheim- Director of Inconvenient Truth

Michael Arndt- Writer of Little Miss Sunshine

Chris Ayer- Solo guitar artist

External links

* [http://www.potomacschool.org/ The Potomac School's official website]

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Members
Flint Hill School • Georgetown Day School • Maret School • The Potomac School • Sidwell Friends School • St. Andrew's Episcopal School • St. James School