The Potomac School

  • Potomac Places Second in Top Robotics Tourney

    Competing against the top robotics teams from across the country, The Potomac School placed second at the VEX Robotics Championships in Omaha, Nebraska last weekend. Potomac’s finalist team was part of an “alliance” headed by the only all-girls Potomac team of Kylie White, Grace Young, Emma Regan and Nicole Huang, who also secured the prestigious “Think Award” given to the team whose robot best exemplifies excellence in programming and engineering. Their alliance-mate was also one of Potomac's teams, consisting of Trevor Rocks, Willie DeButts and John Backus. All of the Potomac robots have qualified for the Worlds Championship in Dallas later this month.

    In addition to the head-to-head competition, last year's FTC Worlds finalist team of Potomac students James Power, Erik Schluntz and Brian Goldman won the Programming Skills Champion award, in which robots compete without driver controls.

    The other two Potomac teams managed to secure two of the top alliance captain positions. The 4th alliance captain team consisted of Conrad Stansbury, Tom Mullins and Philip. The 8th alliance captain team consisted of Max Lipkin, Mihir Kochhar and John Spidi.

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  • Day School Green Challenge Begins

    The Potomac School is teaming with 16 area independent schools in the Day School Green Challenge, a three week awareness-raising initiative beginning April 1 that challenges schools to reduce, reuse and recycle. Focusing on energy reduction, students will monitor electricity meters, using lights only when necessary. Students will also continue efforts to reduce trash and improve recycling.

    Led by Potomac’s Students for Environmental Action (SEA), the school’s Green Challenge will include a Campus Stewardship Day, e-waste collection and recycling, outdoor service projects, speakers and an Environmental Art Show focused on water resources. The Challenge will culminate with Earth Day on April 22. The school will host a farmers’ market bake sale and all students and faculty will participate in outdoor environmental projects.

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  • Potomac Debate Team Takes State Championship for the Second Year in a Row

    At the University of Virginia The Potomac School successfully defended its title as state champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the National Forensic League's Virginia Tournament.

    This year, Esfandyar "Yar" Batmanghelidj (who was state champion last year) and Adam Gerchick (who was third last year) closed out the final round. Batmanghelidj was undefeated at this year's tournament. By virtue of their victories, both debaters will attend the National Forensic League's national championship tournament in Birmingham, Alabama in June.

    James McElwain and Madhu Rhamankutty of the varsity squad also won rounds at the tournament for Potomac. Thus, Potomac easily captured the "Jefferson Award for Excellence" as the best LD debate school at the state tournament. (We tied for it last year.) We also won the "Dogwood Cup" for outstanding mid-sized school. The team is pictured with the several trophies they brought home.

    For more information about the team please click here for the story that appeared in the February 24 Washington Post Metro section.