The Potomac Term Spring 2024

PotomacThe

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MCLEAN CAMPUS

1968

The school purchases the Kellogg property (6 acres).

1997

1948

Potomac purchases 55 acres in McLean, VA, from Ward T. Kirby.

2000

The Engelhard Performing Arts Center (EPAC) opens with music rooms, an art gallery, and a 470-seat auditorium.

Potomac launches a school-wide campaign for the construction of a performing arts center and reconfiguration of the campus road system.

1961

The school purchases the “church property” (9 acres) from the Presbytery of Washington City.

1999

Potomac purchases the Lee property (13 acres).

1986

The addition of an Upper School begins, including the construction of a separate building for the new division, a gymnasium, and a track.

2010

Potomac dedicates a new Turf Field.

2006

Potomac’s new Upper School building opens, providing significantly increased space for the growing division.

2004

The school purchases the Shapiro property, adding another 4.5 acres to campus.

2009

The new Lower School building opens its doors.

2019

The Spangler Center for Athletics and Community opens, housing a competition gym, fitness center, weights and conditioning room, meeting and event spaces, and a multipurpose studio.

2013

The Intermediate School renovation is completed.

2012

The Flag Circle Building opens, with a dining room for Lower and Middle School students and administrative offices.

Coming Soon!

The Campus Master Plan is completed, with the modernization of the Middle School, renovation of the East Building complex around the Chester Gym, and enhanced outdoor athletic spaces.

from the head of school

DEAR FRIENDS,

The theme of Potomac’s 2024 Scholarship Auction, held in early March, was Bloom! and everywhere you look on campus this spring, that theme is coming to vibrant life. Like our beautiful 90 acres, Potomac’s students are blossoming.

Our school’s story began in Washington, DC, in 1904, when Potomac’s three founders embarked on their educational mission with just 47 students in a rented building on Dupont Circle. The school moved twice in its early years, ultimately settling in a larger facility on California Street.

Seeking more space, Potomac purchased its first 55 acres in McLean in the late 1940s. The new campus, with its emphasis on natural light and easy access to the outdoors, opened in 1951. While leaving the city was hard, the beauty and vastness of McLean quickly won hearts.

Over the next seven decades, our school flourished, continuously evolving to meet the needs of a growing enrollment. Programs expanded, and we extended our mission by adding an Upper School in the late 1980s. The early 2000s saw the creation of a comprehensive Campus Master Plan that envisioned modern facilities to meet an array of academic and student-life needs. Guided by that plan, we have steadily expanded and improved our facilities, including the new Upper, Lower, and Intermediate Schools. The most recent addition to campus, the Spangler Center for Athletics and Community, opened in 2019. Only our Middle School, built in 1954, remains to be modernized.

We are now poised to complete our ambitious Campus Master Plan. The final phase will see the modernization of the Middle School, reimagined spaces in the East Building and areas adjacent to the Chester Gym, enhanced spectator viewing at the Turf Field, and upgraded athletic fields.

The rebuilt Middle School will be a hub for learning and connection. Classrooms will be optimized for modern teaching methods, and upgraded science labs, music rooms, and a robotics lab will offer new opportunities for student exploration. Community spaces will foster grade and division gatherings. Additionally, a state-of-the-art health services suite will bolster Potomac’s focus on student wellness.

In the Upper School, a modern and spacious student-life commons will be created adjacent to the Chester Gym. Spaces on the second floor will be designed for Potomac’s public speaking and financial literacy programs and connect to the East Building. We will also create enhanced indoor and outdoor community areas for events and athletics.

Finally, the Lee Field will become a premier athletic space with the proposed installation of a new turf surface. This multipurpose field will boast a baseball diamond along with an area for field hockey. We will also relocate and upgrade the softball field to Gum Tree, returning the Tundra to an open green space that supports the Upper School and promotes community engagement.

These ambitious plans can only be realized with the generous investment of the Potomac community. With your philanthropic support, we hope to be positioned to begin preconstruction projects for the Middle School this summer and officially break ground in the coming year. We will keep you updated on the progress of this exciting initiative and share ways you can support it through Potomac’s Growing Ever Greater campaign.

I hope you enjoy this issue of The Term, perhaps while sitting outside, soaking in the beauty of the spring season!

All my best,

John Kowalik

Head of School

TermPotomacThe

1301 Potomac School Road

McLean, VA 22101

Tel: (703) 356-4100 • Fax: (703) 749-6308

www.potomacschool.org

HEAD OF SCHOOL

John Kowalik

DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

Barbara Overstreet

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

Laura Miller

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Megan Corey

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Shelley Dutton

MANAGING EDITOR

Rita Deurdulian

DESIGNER

Martha Madrid

PHOTO EDITOR

Loretta Sevier

WRITERS

Rita Deurdulian

Shelley Dutton

Lori Ferguson

Laura Miller

Sarah Valente

ATHLETICS NEWS EDITOR

Meredith Valmon

CLASS NOTES EDITORS

Alexis Ellis

Alex Thomas

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rita Deurdulian

Michael Edwards

Laura Miller

Cory F. Royster

Loretta Sevier

Susan Shaffer

The Potomac Term is published twice a year. Contact the managing editor at rdeurdulian@potomacschool.org with questions, comments, or story ideas. Class notes should be directed to term@potomacschool.org Please submit changes of address (including for college students or adult children who have left home) or notice of missing or duplicate copies to alumni@potomacschool.org so that we may update our records.

THE COVER:

ON

Alyson Cambridge ‘97 photo: David White Studio NYC

FEATURES

16 Honoring Faculty and Staff Excellence

The campus community honors faculty and staff members Cort Morgan, Barb Mays, and Marc Lucas, whose character and contributions exemplify the best of Potomac.

18 An Artist Who Refuses to “Stay in Her Lane”

From the great opera houses of the world to the Broadway stage, Alyson Cambridge ’97 has blazed a path of impressive creativity, versatility, and resilience.

22

Crafting Policy and Diplomacy for the Cyber Age

Cybersecurity and responsible use of technology are among the 21st century’s most critical international issues. Teddy Nemeroff ’97 works to ensure that the U.S. and its allies are positioned to reap the tremendous benefits of technology while mitigating the harms that arise from its misuse.

26 Changing the Calculus… on Climate Change

At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Libby Jewett ’78 spearheads programs to protect and restore the health of marine ecosystems and address the challenges of climate change.

30 A Celebration of Growth and Beauty

Potomac’s 2024 Scholarship Auction, Bloom!, brought the community together to celebrate and support our school, where students are blossoming every day.

DEPARTMENTS

TURNING PASSION into Purpose

by Rita Deurdulian

OMARI PEARSON, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF PASSION TO PURPOSE , received Potomac’s 2024 Award for Exemplary Service this January, at a school-wide assembly honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The award recognizes individuals in the wider community who are making an important difference through service. Omari is the third recipient of this annual honor, which reflects Potomac’s emphasis on using one’s skills, knowledge, time, and talents in the service of others.

Omari attended the University of NevadaLas Vegas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, played basketball, and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board. He was named to the Academic All-Conference team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Academic Honor Roll.

In 2010, after several years as a professional athlete, Omari started Passion to Purpose, a company focused on inspiring and empowering students through career counseling and mentoring. Over the last 14 years, he has partnered with high schools, colleges, and universities across the U.S. and internationally. It is estimated that Passion to Purpose has worked with more than 300,000 students, helping them plan for their futures by making informed, research-based decisions.

“Am I blazing a trail only for myself to follow? If we do that, we miss the whole opportunity of service. To serve means that I am willing to let others stand on my shoulders.”

– Omari Pearson

Upon receiving Potomac’s Exemplary Service Award, Omari reflected, “Often, we start with a dream, and we never really think about how the legacy of what we chase will position those that come after us. Am I blazing a trail only for myself to follow? If we do that, we miss the whole opportunity of service. To serve means that I am willing to let others stand on my shoulders.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”

– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Path to a Career of Service

When Omari realized that his time playing professional basketball was coming to an end, he felt he was at an impasse. He recalls, “When I transitioned from athletics, I had to figure out what to do with myself, and honestly, I was very lost.” It took a candid conversation with his grandmother to put things into perspective. Omari recalls her saying, “If you can’t inspire others through the experiences you’ve been through, then what was the purpose of going through those in the first place?” That observation became the impetus for his next chapter.

Believing that he had the power to make a difference in the lives of young people, Omari put his thoughts about success into a book, Keys to Rebuilding Your Foundation. Through hard work and relationship building, he turned that book into his life’s work; it has grown into a curriculum used by students across the United States.

Potomac’s director of community engagement, James Hightower III, notes, “Omari’s story and his dedication to helping youth are inspiring. As he would tell you, statistically, he was not supposed to have become an author, entrepreneur, professional athlete, proud father, or mentor. But he did all those things – and he wants to help others do the same.” James continues, “As Omari says, ‘A dream must be attached to a plan of action to prevent it from becoming a fantasy.’”

Based in the Washington, DC, area, Omari works directly with Montgomery County Public Schools, Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools, and a variety of colleges, while also serving as a consultant and trainer for the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Robert E. Faulkens, assistant commissioner at the Indiana High School Athletic Association says, “Omari has grown into a must when it comes to student leadership. His approach, demeanor, and interaction with students are unparalleled. Students are easily able to access his content and, more importantly, apply it immediately.” Faulkens continues, “He gets this age group, and they get him. He has a background that appeals to students. He knows both failure and success. And he knows how to relay those extremes in a manner that allows students to see themselves.”

Inspired by Omari Pearson’s story, Patricia Potts, a Potomac trustee and past parent, nominated him for the Exemplary Service Award. Patricia was moved by Omari’s commitment to service, as well as his personal humility. She notes, “He could have pursued various career paths, but instead chose to dedicate himself to empowering youth, guiding them toward their fullest potential. Omari demonstrates that we all can turn our passion into purpose.”

w At schools around the country, Omari helps students develop the skills and confidence they need to make good decisions about their futures.

q Candace Pearson, Board Chair Norma Ramsey, Omari Pearson, Trustee Noha Abdalla, and Head of School John Kowalik

VPAC Celebrates a Decade of Success

by Megan Corey

IN THE 2010s, POTOMAC began offering specialized curriculum experiences for students seeking a deeper dive in certain disciplines. These targeted concentration programs enable passionate, motivated learners to benefit from an intensive experience in their area of interest.

Today, Potomac’s Upper School offers four such programs: Entrepreneurship, Finance, and Business (EFEB), Global Perspectives and Citizenship (GPAC), the Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC), and the Visual and Performing Arts Concentration (VPAC). Admission to the programs is limited and selective. Students are admitted based on a strong academic record and demonstrated desire to take on extra challenges in their chosen discipline.

Alex Davis ’25

Langston Chambliss ’25

Jack Morgan ’24

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the VPAC program has given nearly 100 students exciting opportunities to explore their potential and develop their talents in one of three tracks: fine art, music, and theatre. Cort Morgan, K-12 Art Department chair and a founding faculty member of VPAC, says, “By providing the gift of time for independent study and practice, this program encourages students to explore more fully in their disciplines.”

VPAC supports young artists through a combination of focused coursework and dedicated time for hands-on practice. Cort observes, “The students who benefit most from participation in VPAC are self-starters who take full advantage of the coursework and dedicate time outside the classroom to build a strong foundation in their craft.”

Music student Alex Davis ’25 was drawn to the program long before she joined the Upper School. She says, “I wanted to apply to VPAC since I first looked at the course options in seventh grade. Music has always been an important part of my life, and I knew that being able to focus on it at school would help strengthen my abilities and give me opportunities to collaborate with others who have similar interests.”

Whether creating works of art, playing an instrument, or helping to bring a production to life on stage, VPAC students have exciting opportunities to develop the skills, techniques, and confidence to thrive in their artistic journey.

And sometimes, students’ interests and initiative can shape the course of their VPAC studies. Sofya Donets ’24, says, “In my freshman year, my advisor, Mr. Morgan, and my art teacher, Ms. Cannell-Boone, recognized my growing passion for art and production design. Potomac supported me in creating a new production design concentration within the VPAC program. My teachers have helped me develop the skills and confidence to design sets, lighting, and multimedia projections for eight school productions.”

Hugh Kanner-Bitetti ’25 is similarly enthusiastic about the opportunities VPAC offers. He says, “This program has had a

“The spirit of creation and connection instilled during my time in VPAC continues to shape my everyday life. Like those hours spent in the studio, I approach my life, career, and education with ever-expanding curiosity, resulting in a journey that has led me to so many unexpected avenues.”

– Ash Samuels ’17, designer and muralist at Capital Murals

big impact on my experience because it has allowed me to explore something I love in greater depth. I now view many of my projects, classes, and other activities through that lens, recognizing that if you commit and give your best effort, you are more likely to feel excited about what you’re doing and achieve success.”

Mike DiCuirci, chair of Potomac’s K-12 Music Department, emphasizes that any student seeking to develop their talents will need to put in extra work – often at home, after school and on weekends. But VPAC supports the “practice, practice, practice” ethic by providing students with dedicated time to focus on their art during the school day. Mike says, “It’s a unique opportunity for students to have practice time built into their school experience. The more time you play an instrument, for example, the better you get. I see impressive growth in the students who participate in this immersive threeyear program. I wish I’d had the same experience at their age.”

While individual practice is a key part of VPAC, collaboration, relationship building, and benefiting from feedback are equally important. Students in the program’s music track complete two studio classes where they perform for faculty and their peers – an experience, Mike says, that mimics the structure of college-level courses. He observes, “In

this private, intimate setting, students perform college-level repertoire and get meaningful feedback from their teachers and fellow students. They also learn proper performance etiquette.”

Alex Davis agrees, noting, “Being able to gain new perspectives from fellow musicians, as well as learning about aspects of performance that are less well known outside professional circles, has greatly improved my musicianship.”

While not all VPAC students plan to study their discipline in college or become professional artists, the passion and skills they develop stay with them throughout their lives. Now in his final year of medical school at Georgetown University, Peter Abdow ’15 shares, “Painting was an outlet from the stress of school back in the day, and it still serves this role for me in medical school. I have even painted a few portraits for patients and their families dealing with difficult medical problems.”

Peter reflects, “Being able to practice art alongside medicine has helped me find peace and a sense of closure in some situations. I see the emotional outlet that art provides becoming even more important as I take on more responsibility for my patients as a resident and, in the future, as an independent physician.”

Invention Convention Inspires

Potomac fifth graders showed their entrepreneurial chops during the Invention Convention in December. This annual event challenges students to brainstorm ideas for useful and innovative items, build prototypes of their concepts on a limited budget, then present their work to classmates, parents, and faculty. The presentation must include information about their invention’s purpose and how it was developed. Creative project titles and enthusiastic “sales pitches” emphasize the products’ utility and appeal. With this year’s inventions including such marvels as the Musical Organizer 3000, Kneespenders, Scrocs, Rebound-o-Matic, and The Book Hook, it’s clear that our future is in great hands, thanks to these young inventors!

The Lion King, Jr. Was a Success

This February, Intermediate School students presented Disney’s The Lion King, Jr., under the direction of faculty member Blake Green. Colorful costumes and creative choreography transformed the talented cast into hyenas, lions, meerkats, and warthogs who sang such familiar tunes as “I Just Can’t Wait To Be King,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” and “Hakuna Matata.” Cast and crew alike did a great job!

Fourth Graders Visit Martha’s Table

Each year, as part of Potomac’s comprehensive service learning program, fourth grade classes visit Martha’s Table, one of the school’s longtime community partners. For more than 40 years, Martha’s Table has worked to “support strong children, strong families, and strong communities by increasing access to quality education, health and wellness, and family resources” in the nation’s capital. Each year, Potomac supports this mission with Sandwich Days, where students, faculty, parents, and – most recently – alumni come together to make sandwiches that Martha’s Table distributes to people in need through its McKenna’s Wagon initiative. This year, the Potomac community made and donated more than 12,000 sandwiches. While visiting Martha’s Table, the fourth graders played with preschoolers in the daycare center; helped prepare shopping bags for the Lobby Market; and toured the facility, noting the beautiful murals created by local artists from DC’s Ward 8. Visits to organizations like Martha’s Table provide context for students’ service learning efforts, helping them to more fully understand the needs of individuals and families in the local community and the ways that nonprofits are helping to address those needs.

ASIA Club Welcomes NBC4 News Anchor

In February, the Upper School’s ASIA (Asian Students In America) Club hosted its annual assembly, with NBC4 news anchor Eun Yang as the guest speaker. Yang spoke about her childhood growing up as an immigrant in Prince George’s County, the college experiences that led her to a career in broadcasting, and some of the professional challenges she has faced. Eun Yang’s story is one of determination and resilience. She urged the students to work hard and believe that they are more than the grades on their transcripts. Her presentation was inspiring and very much appreciated.

SERC Students’ Research Shines

Five students from Potomac’s Science and Engineering Research Center (SERC) program have been selected as regional finalists for the 2024 Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. The students began their projects during their sophomore or junior years and worked on them throughout the summer of 2023.

Ben Runde ’24’s research focused on using AI for early Alzheimer’s detection; he co-authored an article on this work, published in the journal MDPI Brain Sciences this February. Arav Bhargava ’24 developed a universal socket for prosthetic limbs that can be produced using a 3D printer, potentially reducing the cost significantly. Max Zeldes ’24 explored improvements to electroencephalography-based imagined speech brain-computer interfaces. Kate Choi ’25 investigated ways to improve racial equity in skin cancer detection. Natalia Vilela ’24’s work explored how a drug typically used for cancer treatment could help to prevent allergy-related anaphylaxis; she co-authored an article in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology this February. Additionally, Natalia presented her research to allergists from around the world at the 2024 American Association of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting.

Speech and Debate Sweeps States

Potomac’s Speech and Debate team swept the Virginia State Qualifying Tournament, winning their sixth consecutive speech championship and third consecutive congressional debate championship, leading to an overall team state championship. Potomac also produced four individual state champions, three runners-up, and four third-place finishers. Twelve students qualified for NSDA Nationals this June. Congratulations to the entire team and its coaches!

Emirati Astronauts Land at Potomac!

On March 7, Emirati astronauts Hazzaa AlMansoori and Sultan Al Neyadi visited The Potomac School, sharing first-hand accounts of their space missions with students in grades K-8. AlMansoori 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 the students how space unites us, noting, “The UAE has been collaborating with NASA for years, gaining valuable experience, building strong friendships, and working toward common goals.” Both astronauts responded to student questions, shared personal videos taken in space, and offered detailed accounts of their experiences.

Robotics Teams Excel at State Tournament

Several Potomac Middle, Intermediate, and Upper School robotics teams competed in the Virginia State Robotics Tournament in early March. Team 12C Chips ’N’ Fish (US) and 13D Danger Ducks (IS –pictured above) emerged as Virginia state champions, earning spots at the VEX World Robotics Championship Tournament, to be held in Dallas later this spring. Three other Potomac teams (12X Tropics and 12Y Yuun – US) and (13C Chaos – IS) also qualified for Worlds.

athletics highlights

FALL 2023 WRAP-UP

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY followed an exceptional 2022 season by repeating as MAC and VISAA State champions. Sasha Minsky ’24 ran first for the Panthers all season, earning the individual MAC championship title, as well as VISAA state championship runner-up, and leading a team that also won the Mark Ferris Invitational at Landon and the Emerging Elite division of the MileStat Invitational.

At the MAC championship, Potomac secured five of the top 10 spots: Minsky (first place), Luke Carter ’26 (second), Trip Moser ’26 (fourth), Alex Mathews ’24 (seventh), and Eli Levine ’26 (ninth), while Noah Altschuler ’25 dominated in the B race, winning it by nearly 30 seconds. At the VISAA state championship, Potomac again dominated the results table, securing more top-20 All-State team berths than any other school.

Potomac’s GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY team continued to set a new standard of excellence this season, defending their third-place position at the ISL championship and rising in the VISAA rankings, placing second in the Division I State Meet. This second-place finish was the team’s highest since moving to Division I in 2007.

The team, which welcomed 11 new runners this year, demonstrated tremendous depth throughout the season, as athletes from each class scored points at all major meets, including the State Meet. One of those newcomers, Audrey Rentzepis ’24, ran #1 for the Panthers in every race at the forefront of a strong pack that set 20 new personal records over the course of the season, often under less than ideal conditions.

The FIELD HOCKEY team concluded a challenging season with a 6-13 record. Welcoming numerous new members, the Panthers underwent an initial adjustment period and engaged in several tightly contested one-goal and overtime matches through the middle of the season. A notable moment was their triumph over St. Stephens and St. Agnes on the latter’s home turf. A standout feature for the Panthers this season was the strong performance of Bella Kim ’25, who shattered the single-season scoring record with an impressive 24 goals. She consistently posed a threat during penalty corners and achieved multiple-goal games on numerous occasions. India Cairncross ’25 joined Kim in the limelight, with both earning selection to participate in the inaugural ISL All-Star Game.

Potomac’s FOOTBALL team posted a 1-8 record against a historically challenging schedule. The Panthers sole win came against the Kiski School from Pittsburgh. The team also played in Potomac’s second annual Friday Night Lights game, which has quickly become a wonderful tradition. In spite of the tough season, a number of scholar-athletes achieved standout performances. Bryce Hall ’24, Richard Perry ’25, and Akim Iscandari ’26 earned All-Conference honors. Hall also earned first team All-State honors for the second year in a row, while Perry and Iscandari were named to the second team All-State. Other key performers for the squad included Cam Boykin ’25, Laith Weimer ’24, and Jack Winslow ’24. Weimer earned Potomac football’s O4P Senior Leadership Award, presented annually to the graduating player who most exemplifies the “Onward for Potomac” ideal.

Cam Boykin ’25 catches a pass.

Ava Moazzez ’25

The GOLF team set its sights on bringing the MAC banner back to Potomac, after coming in second last year. Winning the Pre-Season MAC Tournament in decisive fashion put the league on notice that the Panthers would be the team to beat during the regular season.

The team had strong returning players, while adding Michael Dillow ’27 and seeing the return of Connor Wood ’25. The Panthers breezed through the regular season, finishing undefeated (9-0). They fulfilled their goal of winning the MAC championship by beating second-place St. Andrews by two strokes. Jackson Wiley ’24, Jack Smith ’26, Katie Lee ’26, and Annabel Widdifield ’26 turned in the four low scores contributing to the win. Wiley, Smith, and Lee were named to the All-MAC team for their performance during the tournament.

Additionally, Lee and Widdifield played in the first-ever WCAC/ISL Women’s Tournament, tying for second out of 44 players. Smith and Wiley were two of four players to compete in the Tournament of Champions as a result of their top-four finish in the MAC tournament. Wood was named to the Washington Post All-Met second team for golf, while Smith received honorable mention.

The Potomac School BOYS SOCCER program had an excellent 2023 season, finishing with an overall record of 12-5-2. The Panthers were MAC co-champions and made it to the semifinals of the VISAA State Tournament as the second-ranked team in Virginia. With the leadership of captains Eli Butler ’24, Walker Lyall ’24, Patrick Ritter ’25, and Mac Wilson ’25, the Panthers scored 43 goals by 13 different players, including five seniors.

The top scorers this season were Ritter (10), Ben Scharf ’26 (8), Ege Kirgiz ’27 (4), and Chase Edwards ’24 (4). The most assists were provided by Ritter (7), Colin Cordell ’25 (4), and Scharf (4). Senior goalkeeper Lyall allowed only 20 goals over 19 games. The Panthers will be returning 14 players and look forward to building on this year’s success as they face another competitive season in fall 2024.

The GIRLS SOCCER team had a phenomenal season, completing the triple crown for the first time in school history by sharing the ISL AA regular season title, winning the ISL Tournament championship, and claiming the NoVa State Invitational. They accomplished this by defeating Holton-Arms 1-0 in the ISL championship match and dethroning Bishop O’Connell 3-1 in the NoVa finale. The team finished the season with a record of 14-2-3, losing only one of their last 13 matches.

The girls had a potent attack and a well-balanced defensive core, with valuable contributions from all classes. Captain Reagan Exley ’24 led the way from the midfield, collecting All-ISL honors and being selected to the Washington Post AllMet first team. Abby Collis ’24, Chloe Lee ’25, and Alden Marin ’26 were named to the All-ISL team and received All-Met honorable mentions. Though the team will graduate 11 seniors, they return a core group of talented players and look forward to another successful season next fall.

Potomac’s GIRLS TENNIS program had a strong season, finishing with an 11-6 record. The team finished in fourth place in the competitive ISL AA division. Under the leadership of captains Daelyn Dimps ’24, Hope Dennis ’24, and Gigi Giebel ’24, the Panthers showed great effort and resilience, overcoming an early season-ending injury to one of the team’s top singles players. The girls made it to the semifinals of the VISAA State Tournament, where they fell to Collegiate, the eventual champion.

The team had impressive contributions from the singles lineup, led by Riley Williams ’26 and Riece Grimes-Thomas ’26 in the top two spots. The doubles teams saw numerous clutch wins that helped to secure key matches. Despite the Panthers’ loss in the Final Four of the State Tournament, it was an excellent season. The team returns 11 players next fall and will build on this year’s success.

Boys soccer players celebrate a goal.

Megan Rowe ’24

With the exceptional leadership of captains Campbell Hughes ’24 and Adalena Rodgers ’25, the VOLLEYBALL Panthers delivered an outstanding season, finishing with a 10-6 record and clinching fourth place in the competitive ISL AA division. Throughout the season, the players showcased resilience, skill, and teamwork.

Rodgers’ All-Conference season included a team-leading 40 serving aces and a phenomenal performance in the Holy Child match in which she served 24 consecutive points, propelling the team to a 25-1 victory in that set. Her versatility shone through as she topped the charts with 230 assists and 114 digs. Additionally, Alexis Vaughan ’25 played a crucial role as the libero, amassing 104 digs throughout the season. Skylar Giuliani ’25 emerged as a consistent offensive threat, securing 130 kills with an impressive hitting percentage of .300, while Zora Burrell ’25 demonstrated her prowess all around the court, leading the team with 143 kills. Freshman Sophia Grimm tallied 125 set assists and 12 aces, while senior Abby Rebhan led the team with 22 blocks.

fall honors

ALL-MET

Sasha Minsky ’24 (honorable mention boys cross country), Bella Kim ’25 (honorable mention field hockey), Jack Smith ‘26 (honorable mention golf), Connor Wood ’25 (second team golf), Abby Collis ’24 (honorable mention girls soccer), Reagan Exley ’24 (first team girls soccer), Chloe Lee ’25 (honorable mention girls soccer), Alden Marin ’26 (honorable mention girls soccer), Patrick Ritter ’25 (honorable mention boys soccer)

ALL-STATE

Luke Carter ’26 (boys cross country), Zach Dalva-Baird ’25 (boys cross country), Eli Levine ’26 (boys cross country), Alex Mathews ’24 (boys cross country), Sasha Minsky ’24 (boys cross country), Trip Moser ’26 (boys cross country), Rose Barabanov ’27 (girls cross country), Emmy Holland ’24 (girls cross country), Audrey Rentzepis ’24 (girls cross country), Bella Kim ’25 (second team field hockey), Bryce Hall ’24 (first team football), Akim Iscandari ’26 (second team football), Richard Perry ’25 (second team football), Walker Lyall ’24 (first team boys soccer), Patrick Ritter ’25 (first team boys soccer), Riece Grimes-Thomas ’26 (first team girls tennis), Riley Williams ’26 (first team girls tennis)

ALL-ISL

Rose Barabanov ’27 (girls cross country), Emmy Holland ’24 (girls cross country), Audrey Rentzepis ’24 (girls cross country), Kate Tuttle ’24 (girls cross country), Bella Kim ’25 (field hockey), Abby Collis ’24 (girls soccer), Reagan Exley ’24 (girls soccer), Chloe Lee ’25 (girls soccer), Alden Marin ’26 (girls soccer), Riece Grimes-Thomas ’26 (girls tennis), Riley Williams ’26 (girls tennis), Adalena Rodgers ’25 (honorable mention volleyball)

ALL-MAC

Luke Carter ’26 (boys cross country), Eli Levine ’26 (boys cross country), Alex Mathews ’24 (boys cross country), Sasha Minsky ’24 (boys cross country), Trip Moser ’26 (boys cross country), Bryce Hall ’24 (football), Akim Iscandari ’26 (football), Richard Perry ’25 (football), Katie Lee ’26 (golf), Jack Smith ’26 (golf), Jackson Wiley ‘24 (golf), Colin Cordell ’25 (boys soccer), Marshall Lloyd ’25 (boys soccer), Walker Lyall ’24 (boys soccer), Patrick Ritter ’25 (boys soccer), Mac Wilson ’25 (boys soccer)

Congratulations,

Potomac Panthers!

Skylar Giuliani ’25 goes up for a kill.

WINTER 2024 WRAP-UP

The Potomac School BOYS BASKETBALL season proved to be an emotional rollercoaster, characterized by a series of challenges including injuries, youthfulness, and adversity, but culminating in significant growth and triumph. The season began with a setback, as a key player suffered a season-ending knee injury, while another player continued to recover from a pre-season ankle injury – immediately testing the depth and resilience of the Panthers roster.

Despite these early obstacles, the team displayed unwavering determination and unity, rallying together throughout the season. Notable victories were secured over such formidable opponents as Episcopal and Rock Creek Academy on the road, as well as HD Woodson (DC) at home during Potomac’s “Annual Throwback Night @ Chester Gymnasium.” The season’s pinnacle came during the MAC Tournament, where the Panthers achieved a thrilling victory over crosstown rival Flint Hill, after having suffered two narrow defeats to them earlier in the season.

Individual Potomac players garnered accolades, with Elijah Flowers ’24 earning recognition as a 2024 McDonald’s All-American Nominee, and Flowers, Grey Chamberlain ’26, Akim Iscandari ’26, EJ Schneeberg ’25, and Jack Winslow ’24 being selected to participate in the 2024 Buffalo Wild Wings Roundball Classic All-Star Showcase.

In a season filled with determination, skill, and teamwork, the Potomac GIRLS BASKETBALL team’s overall record was 21-9, with a stellar 10-4 performance in conference play.

Notably, the squad secured an impressive third-place finish in the ISL AA Tournament, narrowly missing the chance to advance to the finals with a heart-wrenching two-point loss in the semifinals. On the state level, Potomac was ranked at #3 for the full season but was seeded as #4 going into the State Tournament. For the first time in program history, the team made it to the state semifinals. The Panthers secured the lead at the end of the first three quarters but ran into foul trouble in the fourth, resulting in a loss by a mere six points to the 16-time defending champions.

Sabrina Anderson ’27 broke the Potomac record for most points scored in a single season with 545. Catherine LeTendre ’25 was another key performer; with a current career point tally of 848, LeTendre is on track to exceed the coveted 1,000-point milestone before she graduates. Zora Burrell ’25 led the team in all defensive stats and rebounding. And senior Zoe Myslewicz achieved a memorable milestone, surpassing 500 rebounds to finish her three-season career with an impressive 600 rebounds.

Jack Winslow ’24

Kerri Greene ’24

INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD had a strong season, culminating in two top-10 finishes at the VISAA State Indoor Championships – third place for the girls team and eighth place for the boys team – as well as several event state champions and medals.

Individual champions for the girls team were Ally Griswold ’26 (300m), repeating as state champion in that event; Mackenzie Fulgham ’24 (500m); and the girls 4x400m relay of Tenley Overdeck ’24, Griswold, Kate Tuttle ’24, and Fulgham.

Alex Mathews ’24 was the top individual finisher on the boys side, finishing third in the 1000m event. Mathews doubled up on All-State honors, teaming with Cole Griswold ’24, Zach DalvaBaird ’25, and Ve Lee ’24 to capture third place in the 4x400m.

Overall, Potomac track and field had more than 30 athletes who exceeded the state qualifying standards. Rose Barabanov ’27, Matt Brow ’24, Fulgham, Mathews, and Tuttle went on to conclude their season at the Nike Indoor Nationals, where Mathews set a school record of 2:00.60 in the 800m event.

The GIRLS SQUASH team had an outstanding season, posting a 15-1 record. Highlights included winning the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference team championship and finishing third in Division 3 at nationals.

The team finished the season testing themselves against the best high schools from around the nation. The Panthers rose to the occasion by marching to the semifinals and ultimately claiming third place. Anya Aggarwal ’25 played her heart out in an epic five-gamer to end the tournament with a win for Potomac.

Haley Coon ’24 led the way all season, posting 15 wins playing at either #2 or #3. Meera Vadlamani ’24, Harper Kelly ’25, and Isabella Song ’27 also had more than 10 wins each, while Kathryn Bennett ’27 and Caroline Kaleda ’25 clinched key victories for the Panthers over the course of the season.

The BOYS SQUASH team finished with a 9-9 record. The whole roster contributed enormously, both on and off the court, to ensure that every member of the team had a positive and successful experience.

Ben Levy ’25 led the squad admirably in the #1 spot, securing an 11-6 record on the season. Lance Weimer ’27, Cliff Kanner-Bietti ’25, and Nikhil Bhargava ’26 also finished the year with winning records. Highlights of the regular season included five-game triumphs for Aidan Corwin ’24 and Graham La Force ’25 over St. Anne’s Belfield, and a clean sweep in the match versus Episcopal.

At Nationals in February, the team surpassed expectations, entering as the 16th seed but ultimately securing 10th place.

Michele Horton ’26

Neik Shariati ‘26

Girls squash players share a cheer.

The Potomac SWIM team had another historic season with high placements at a number of competitions. The girls team placed seventh at ISLs, sixth at WMPSSDLs, and seventh at States. Kate Douglas ’26 was named WMPSSDL’s Female Swimmer of the Year, and she and Cecelia Russell ’27 were named to the WMPSSDL All-League team. Meanwhile, the boys team placed second at MACs, 12th at WMPSSDLs, and 15th at States.

Some notable swims: Kate Douglas ’26 won the 50 and 100 free at ISLs, WMPSSDLs, and States (where she secured second place in the 100 free). The girls 200 medley relay, composed of Madeleine Steves ’26, Maren Schwarz ’25, Russell, and Douglas, achieved a first-place finish at WMPSSDLs. Russell won the 100 butterfly as a freshman! At States, Schwarz had a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. Impressively, senior captain Arav Bhargava secured the double crown in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the MAC Championships. At States, the boys also had a great sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay with the team of Bhargava, Clay Turner ’24, Luka Beslic ’27, and Will Walters ’24. Finally, this season saw new school records set in the girls 200 medley relay (Steves, Schwarz, Russell, and Douglas), 50 freestyle (Douglas), 100 butterfly (Russell), 100 freestyle (Douglas), and the girls 200 freestyle relay (Schwarz, Alijah Majeed-Hall ’26, Paige Schedler ’25, and Douglas).

Potomac’s WRESTLING team reached new heights this season, posting a 17-10 dual record and finishing second in both the MAC Individual Tournament and the MAC Duals.

At the MAC Individual Tournament, the team hauled in an array of medals and place finishes. Adar Weinman ’25, Robbie Pence ’27, Richard Perry ’25, and Jason Seeber ’25 all earned first place. Evan McNamara ’27, JD Bulford ’27, and Jeremy DeLaVille ’24 earned second-place finishes. Laith Weimer ’24 took third place, while Anthony Cipriani ’25 and Lucas Boulter ’25 tied for fifth.

In the MAC Duals event, Potomac outpaced GDS 51-24, wrestled near flawlessly against St. Andrews 72-6, and notched a strong win against Sidwell 48-33. Fourteen Panthers achieved at least one win.

Capping off the season, for the first time in school history, Potomac hosted the 2024 VISAA State Wrestling Tournament. Held in the Spangler Center for Athletics and Community, the event drew 31 teams and 247 wrestlers. The Panthers finished 12th overall in the standings and were honored with the tournament’s Sportsmanship Award. Thank you to the Potomac community for helping to make this event a huge success!

Congratulations, Potomac Panthers! winter honors

ALL-MET

Sabrina Anderson ’27 (honorable mention girls basketball), Kate Douglas ’26 (second team girls swimming), Cecelia Russell ’27 (honorable mention girls swimming)

ALL-STATE

Sabrina Anderson ’27 (first team girls basketball), Catherine LeTendre ’25 (second team girls basketball), Kate Douglas ’26 (first and second teams girls swimming), Maren Schwarz ’25 (second team girls swimming), Alex Mathews ’24 (honorable mention boys track), 4x400m Relay: Alex Mathews ’24, Cole Griswold ’24, Zach Dalva-Baird ’25, Ve Lee ’24 (honorable mention boys track), Mackenzie Fulgham ’24 (first and second teams girls track), Ally Griswold ’26 (first team girls track), Kate Tuttle ’24 (honorable mention girls track), 4x400m Relay: Tenley Overdeck ’24, Ally Griswold ’26, Kate Tuttle ’24, Mackenzie Fulgham ’24 (first team girls track), Adar Weinman ’25 (first team wrestling), Robbie Pence ’27 (first team wrestling), Richard Perry ’25 (first team wrestling), Jason Seeber ’25 (first team wrestling), Jeremy DeLaVille ’24 (first team wrestling), Evan McNamara ’27 (first team wrestling)

ALL-ISL

Sabrina Anderson ’27 (girls basketball), Catherine LeTendre ’25 (girls basketball), Kate Douglas ’26 (girls swimming)

ALL-MAC

Elijah Flowers ’24 (boys basketball), Akim Iscandari ’26 (boys basketball), Luka Beslic ’27 (boys swimming), Arav Bhargava ’24 (boys swimming), Adar Weinman ’25 (wrestling), Robbie Pence ’27 (wrestling), Richard Perry ’25 (wrestling), Jason Seeber ’25 (wrestling), Jeremy DeLaVille ’24 (wrestling)

WMPSSDL

Kate Douglas ’26 (girls swimming - Female Swimmer of the Year/All-League), Cecelia Russell ’27 (girls swimming All-League)

Luka Beslic ’27

Aidan Corwin ’24

by Rita Deurdulian

Community gatherings offer opportunities to highlight Potomac’s core values and commitment to excellence. Two K-12 gatherings this fall, the Opening Assembly and the Thanksgiving Assembly, included the presentation of awards to faculty and staff who personify the Potomac School spirit.

Presented at the start of each academic year, the Bill Cook Excellent Teaching Award reminds the K-12 community of Potomac’s focus on excellence in teaching and learning. Introducing this year’s honoree, Head of School John Kowalik observed, “This award is a testament to the dedication and compassion that Cort Morgan has for his students. His teaching goes beyond the topical focus of his courses; he encourages students to dig deeper and discover ways to think critically about everything.”

The Bill Cook Excellent Teaching Award honors faculty members who exemplify the commitment to excellence and love of learning that are at the heart of a Potomac School education. At the Opening Assembly for the 2023-24 school year, this honor was presented to K-12 Art Department Chair Cort Morgan.

CORT

MORGAN

Cort Morgan, who holds a bachelor’s degree in visual and environmental studies from Harvard University, is now in his 40th year as a member of Potomac’s faculty. In addition to serving as Art Department chair for the past 15 years, he has taught in the Intermediate and Upper Schools and served as an outdoor education leader, technical director, advisor, and coach. Known for

his creativity, breadth of knowledge, and deep concern for students, Cort exemplifies Potomac’s mission of educational excellence.

Matt Brow ’24, a student in Cort’s architecture class, observes, “Mr. Morgan pushes us to challenge what we know and the way things are, in search of the way things should be. He claims to teach us good design – but in his classroom, ultimately, we learn to be good people.”

During a community event last year, Cort spoke about the value the arts bring to a well-rounded education and the human experience at large. He said, “If you wonder whether we really need time and space for the arts, consider how much our whole species depends on imagination and innovation; and consider that all facts begin as fictions, and all deeds begin as dreams.”

The Generosity of Spirit Award is presented to faculty and staff members who consistently exemplify Potomac’s core values and whose character and contributions to the life of the school inspire the campus community. At this year’s Thanksgiving Assembly, coach and physical education teacher Barb Mays and security guard Marc Lucas received this honor.

BARB MAYS

A Potomac employee for 28 years, Barb Mays has dedicated her career to empowering young people through physical education and athletics. A former dual-sport college athlete at George Mason University, Barb has played an integral role in Potomac’s field hockey, girls basketball, and girls lacrosse programs. She also created and runs the Girl Power Sports & Leadership Camp, which helps young girls develop self confidence and encourages them to express themselves through sports.

q Cort Morgan, recipient of the Bill Cook Excellent Teaching Award, with Head of School John Kowalik at the Opening Assembly for the 2023-24 school year

w Generosity of Spirit Award recipients Marc Lucas and Barb Mays with John Kowalik at Potomac’s 2023 Thanksgiving Assembly

Fellow Potomac PE teacher and coach Glenn Adamec says, “Barb is the consummate professional. She is dedicated to every aspect of her craft –from teaching physical education classes to coaching Intermediate and Upper School athletics. She has an ‘all-in’ attitude and a positive mindset, and she cares deeply about the students she works with.”

Known for setting high standards and encouraging her students to do their best, Barb Mays is also noted for her kindness, patience, and genuine concern for others. As a result, she is loved and respected by students and colleagues alike. Glenn observes, “Barb really is one of a kind. We’re fortunate to have a person of her caliber as a member of our school community.”

MARC LUCAS

Security guard Marc Lucas might be the first face you see when coming to Potomac’s campus. He greets visitors with a smile, provides directions and

helpful information, and – above all – works to ensure the safety and security of the school community.

Marc joined Potomac in 2013 after a three-decade career in law enforcement, including nine years as an FBI police officer. He is one of the first people to arrive on campus each morning, and during the remote-work days of COVID, he was still at his post every day.

CJ Remmo, Potomac’s deputy chief operating officer, says, “Marc

Lucas is a tremendous ambassador for our school – a shining example of dedication and excellence. He is a warm and friendly, yet strong, presence for the community, someone we know we can depend on. Wherever you see him on campus, he is always quick to lend a hand or offer support.”

CJ concludes, “Marc puts Potomac’s values into action every day. He’s an important member of our community and a terrific role model for our students.”

an Artist who refuses to“Stay in Her Lane”

by Sarah Valente

Whether it’s defying the naysayers

who try to pigeonhole her into a single musical genre or swerving off a country road to save her life, Alyson Cambridge ’97 has found that following a prescribed path will never be part of her story.

Last July, Alyson took a break from her busy performing and producing schedule to celebrate her brother Daryn ’99’s birthday with an extended bike trip through the mountainous back roads of West Virginia. Approaching a dicey pass, Alyson realized that her bike was moving too fast to navigate an upcoming blind turn. She had three options: risk running head-on into unseen oncoming traffic, slam into the wall of a mountain, or barrel off the road altogether. She assessed the options in an instant…and ended up yards off the roadway, hidden from sight by a culvert.

“I don’t really remember the accident,” she says, “but I remember thinking that staying on the road could mean death.”

As a result of that split-second decision, Alyson says, she’s now “full of metal.” Her shoulder and arms took the brunt of the impact; after several surgeries, she has two plates and 14 screws in her left arm and three plates and eight screws in her right. She will never have 100% use of her left shoulder and arm again – a challenge for a vocalist known for her expressive gestures in the title roles of operas, such as the castanetclicking, habanera-dancing Carmen.

Like every project she undertakes, Alyson tackled recovery with laser focus and fierce determination. “Physical therapy was my main job for months,” she muses. Remarkably, Alyson was able to return to the stage in mid-October,

performing as Baroness von Schraeder in The Sound of Music at Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Just one week out of her cast and sling, still unable to manage much of the show’s choreography, Alyson collaborated with the creative team to find workable modifications for her part. She says, “Thankfully, the rest of my body is fine, and the role allowed me to sing boldly with just a simple cocktail glass as a prop.”

A Modern-Day Renaissance Woman

Operatic soprano, Broadway singer, model, actor, producer of musical extravaganzas, and avid athlete, Alyson Cambridge has always pushed back against boundaries. She reflects, “My deep-seated desire not to be ‘just one thing’ began to emerge about the time I was in middle school.” A gifted pianist from an early age, Alyson talked her parents into letting her set aside the demanding hours of keyboard practice to pursue other talents and hobbies, such as soccer and dabbling in “all things fashion” with her friends.

She did not, however, sideline music completely. A fan of multiple musical styles, Alyson began to “fake opera sing” to get laughs out of her classmates. One of her mother’s friends heard something beyond the comedic and encouraged Alyson to explore her range more seriously; she began formal voice training at DC’s Levine School of Music at age 12. Alyson recalls, “My coach told me, ‘You are not going to sing like Madonna or Whitney Houston. You have a classical operatic voice.’”

Alyson made her professional debut with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra while earning a double degree in sociology/ pre-law and vocal performance as an undergraduate at Oberlin College and

Conservatory of Music. Her next move was to Philadelphia, where she studied with the legendary Marlena Malas at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Having already won numerous national and international vocal awards, Alyson got her big break in 2003, when she was named the National Winner, Grand Finals, of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She was the youngest-ever winner of that prestigious honor, which gave her entrée to the stage of the Met, where she debuted as Frasquita in Carmen the following year.

Today, Alyson Cambridge is regarded as one of the most compelling vocalists of her generation. Praise for her talent has been effusive. The New York Times noted her “powerful, clear voice”; the Washington Post called her “radiant, vocally assured, dramatically subtle and artistically imaginative”; and the industry bible, Opera News, applauded her “sultry and seductive” stage presence. Over the past two decades, Alyson has built an impressive professional reputation, performing at The Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Vienna Konzerthaus. In addition to her signature roles of Carmen, Tosca, and Mimi, Alyson is admired for the life and beauty she brings to the beloved operatic heroines of Verdi, Mozart, and Gershwin

Despite being repeatedly advised by opera purists to “stay in your lane,” Alyson has also made acclaimed forays into the worlds of musical theater and jazz. She says, “I never stopped loving music of all genres. Limiting myself exclusively to the operatic repertoire felt like wearing a straitjacket; it was terribly confining.”

photo: DAVID WHITE STUDIO NYC

Alyson branched out with award-winning, critically praised performances as Julie in Show Boat and Vi in Gershwin’s rarely performed jazz-opera Blue Monday. She has also released three albums: From the Diary of Sally Hemings, a classical song-cycle; the jazz-based Until Now; and Sisters in Song, a compilation of opera and spiritual duets with fellow soprano Nicole Cabell.

From Smash-up to Mashup

While working to recover from her summer smash-up and preparing for her return to the stage in The Sound of Music, Alyson also continued to focus on her most ambitious project to date – a bold new musical called Rock Me AmadeusLive, for which she serves as co-creator, co-producer, and headline performer. The show fuses opera and classical music with rousing rock, pop, and soul numbers. It’s just one more exciting example of how Alyson refuses to “stay in her lane.”

The backstory: In 2019, Alyson landed the role of the Opera Singer in an innovative Broadway musical, Rocktopia. She says, “Though my focus had largely been on opera performance, I’d never abandoned my love for rock and pop music. So when the opportunity came to be in show that fused the genres, I jumped at the chance.”

Rocktopia aimed to present opera in a way that was accessible to new and younger audiences, but Alyson’s peers in the classical world were skeptical, some going so far as to accuse her of selling out. “I told them, ‘No, no, NO!’” Alyson exclaims. “I was singing traditional operatic arias. They just happened to be mashed up with, say, Led Zeppelin or Guns N’ Roses.”

Alyson’s instinct to push boundaries proved spot on; fans waited at the stage

door, clamoring for her autograph. She recalls, “I kept hearing kids say, ‘I never thought I’d like opera, but when you opened your mouth, I couldn’t believe what came out.’” She adds proudly, “Without question, people who never would have come to a straight-up opera were now ready to take that plunge.” Rocktopia’s run was limited, but the experience stuck with Alyson. She felt that she had been part of something with real potential.

In early 2020, she joined forces with a former castmate – a rock guitarist and musical arranger – to create and produce an all-new musical fusion show, Rock Me Amadeus - Live, which blends “greatest hits” from a surprising range of centuries and genres. From the grandeur of symphonic classical music to the opulence of opera and the hip-shaking rhythms of rock and pop standards, Rock Me Amadeus - Live combines the unexpected in one electrifying performance. Taking a show of this magnitude from concept to premiere is a lengthy project under the best of circumstances; toss a pandemic, busy work schedules, and a terrifying accident into the mix, and you come to appreciate Alyson’s astonishing perseverance.

The show, which had its world premiere at The Straz in Tampa, Florida, this January, boasts an all-star cast with vocalists from the worlds of rock, pop, and opera, accompanied by a full rock band and a symphony orchestra. Iconic songs from bands like Journey, The Police, and Nirvana are paired with works from such “rock stars” of earlier days as Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky.

Alyson says, “As co-creator and coproducer, I’ve learned what it takes to build

photo: DAVID WHITE STUDIO NYC

I never stopped loving music of all genres. Limiting myself exclusively to the operatic repertoire felt like wearing a straitjacket; it was terribly confining.”

a show from concept to full production. Fitting all the pieces together has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life…it’s a dream come true!” Future performance dates for the production are in the works, and Alyson is excited to see how far it will go.

Feeling Grateful and Giving Back

Alyson, who attended The Potomac School through eighth grade, still maintains Potomac friendships and is grateful that former classmates and teachers always turn out when she performs at her “hometown stage,” the Kennedy Center. Asked what advice she would give young people who aspire to singing careers, Alyson is quick to answer: “You run into trouble when your passion ceases to be fun. So, practice moderation. Your voice is a muscle; don’t overuse it. Sing for 30 to 45 minutes a day, then focus on something else. Cultivate other interests, hobbies, and friends. Stay balanced and enjoy the ride!”

Busy as she has been building her career, Alyson has never shied away from encouraging the next generation and supporting important causes. She has performed, produced events, and taught master classes for a range of nonprofits, including Sing for Hope, the Fresh Air Fund, Daniel’s Music Foundation, the Humane Society, K9s for Warriors, Hope for Hearts Foundation, and the American Red

Cross. She says, “If you have been blessed with a platform, as I have, you have a responsibility to pay it forward.”

Alyson emphasizes that she doesn’t take anything for granted. As she reflects on this challenging year, she marvels that she still enjoys a full and multifaceted career. There’s a story she likes to tell that underscores how close she came to losing it all: “The surgeons probably thought I was crazy, because as injured as I was, as physically and emotionally shattered, I was adamant: ‘Do NOT stick a tube of any kind down my throat during surgery!’ At first, they didn’t take me seriously. But I persisted – no intubation and no internal interventions that could damage my vocal cords.”

Fortunately, a female anesthesiologist intervened on Alyson’s behalf, defining how they could make such complex surgery work without intubation. Alyson says, “She, along with my brother, convinced the medical team that I was a professional soprano, that my livelihood and my identity were at stake.”

Alyson is grateful for the medical professionals who put her broken body back together, for the love and support of her family and friends, and for a career that has allowed her to spread her wings and try the unexpected. Perhaps most of all, she is grateful for the generations of performers, composers, and artistic innovators on whose shoulders she stands each time the spotlight shines on her and she begins to sing.

photos courtesy of Alyson Cambridge

Crafting Policy and Diplomacy for the CYBER AGE

by Shelley Dutton

portraits by Valerie Plesch Photography

Teddy Nemeroff ’97 is a leader in the complex world of international cybersecurity and technology policy. A career government official who has served in the State Department and at the White House as a member of the National Security Council staff, Teddy grapples with issues that have profound security, legal, political, and economic implications.

He defines the essential questions that shape his work this way: “How do we safeguard technology so that we can reap the tremendous benefits it offers? How do we respond when countries, or actors within those countries, leverage cyber capabilities to pose a serious threat – and how do we get others to join us in responding?”

The answers lie in a combination of policy and diplomacy, and Teddy has a hand in both arenas.

A NEW DOMAIN OF STATECRAFT

To understand the significance of Teddy’s work, one must recognize that cyber capabilities are a new tool that states use to advance their goals both in peacetime and in conflict.

Teddy notes, “Cyber attacks are silent compared to bombs. They are less visible than the physical damage that war brings. But they have the potential to be just as destructive.” He adds, “Cyber capabilities have also been used by governments to enable human rights abuses and by criminals to coerce and steal.”

“From a global perspective,” Teddy observes, “technology has brought us all closer, but it has also made us all more vulnerable.”

A few publicly reported cyber incidents reveal the seriousness of the threat:

Over a two-year period culminating in 2015, hackers infiltrated computer systems at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, gaining access to confidential background information about individuals seeking security clearances, as well as millions of people’s fingerprints. While the attacks could not definitively be linked to a specific perpetrator, evidence suggested that they were conducted by state-sponsored hackers working for the Chinese government.

In May 2021, the Colonial Pipeline, which originates in Texas and carries gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to the southeastern U.S., experienced a ransomware attack that forced a temporary shutdown of its operations. Within days, fuel shortages and panic buying were occurring from South Carolina to Virginia. Evidence indicated that the attack originated in Russia.

In February 2022, before beginning its war on Ukraine, Russia launched cyber attacks against commercial satellite communication networks with the intention of disrupting Ukraine’s ability to respond to the invasion. This attack had secondary consequences across Europe, affecting internet access and power generation facilities in some areas.

In 2022, a group calling itself “HomeLand Justice” conducted destructive cyber attacks against the government of Albania, rendering key services unavailable. The hackers, identified by U.S. intelligence as “Iranian state cyber actors” subsequently released confidential Albanian government information online. These incidents led Albania to terminate diplomatic relations with Iran.

In a May 2023 follow-up report to the Colonial Pipeline breach, Jen Easterly, director of the U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, wrote, “…since that event, the Biden-Harris Administration has made significant strides in our collective cyber defense.” After enumerating a variety of initiatives now in place, she cautioned, “While we should welcome this progress, much work remains to ensure the security and resilience of our critical infrastructure in light of complex threats and increasing geopolitical tension. The U.S. Intelligence Community issued a stark warning of a potential future threat in its recent Annual Assessment, noting, ‘If Beijing feared that a major conflict with the United States were imminent, it almost certainly would consider undertaking aggressive cyber operations against U.S. homeland critical infrastructure.’”

THE PATH TO CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP

One might assume that averting and responding to cyber attacks on the world stage would require tremendous technical expertise, but Teddy Nemeroff – a self-described “policy wonk” – freely admits, “I didn’t start with a technology background.”

How does a person without a tech background become one of the nation’s leading cyber policy experts? That’s an interesting story, which, Teddy says, has its roots in his early education.

He recalls, “Growing up in DC and attending Potomac, I had lots of exposure to kids whose parents worked in government. We visited Congress several times, and I developed an interest in public service early on. Then, in Upper School, I studied Chinese and took courses in Chinese and Japanese history from Dan Paradis. Those experiences sparked my interest in international relations.”

He adds, “There was a strong sense of community at Potomac, and the idea of community – of being part of something larger than myself and having both the opportunity and the responsibility to contribute to it –became an important piece of who I am.”

After high school, Teddy attended Princeton, majoring in public policy and international affairs and continuing his study of Chinese. He enjoyed college life but was struck by the challenges the campus community was having around race relations and diversity. So, as a member of student government, Teddy began focusing on dialogue as a tool for conflict resolution and improved race relations.

He started a campus group that has now grown into a nationwide organization – the Sustained Dialogue Campus Network. Teddy says, “SDCN provides a structured approach

that can help campus communities tackle race relations, broader issues of diversity and difference, even political diversity. Respectful, ongoing dialogue is key.”

During his college years, Teddy visited China twice – once to study, and once to do a summer internship at the American Embassy in Beijing. In his third college summer, he worked with a refugee organization in the country of Georgia. Teddy says, “This appealed to the do-gooder side of me…but it also gave me the opportunity to see how basic business and organizational principles empower people to do good.”

Teddy considered law school as his next step but instead joined the management consulting firm Bain after graduation. He recalls, “The idea was to learn how real businesses work, how to take a business approach to problem solving.”

Teddy did eventually apply to law school and was accepted, but he again deferred that step when one of his mentors invited him to come to South Africa and work for a well-known democracy NGO. In 2003, Teddy started a program in Pretoria using dialogue to help resolve conflicts within townships; he later worked in Zimbabwe, promoting dialogue as a means of addressing political tensions. What was to have been a two-year commitment expanded to three, and before he left South Africa, Teddy had met his future wife, Shani.

Back in the U.S., Teddy attended Columbia Law School, clerked for a federal appellate judge in Boston, then returned to the DC area to practice with Steptoe and Johnson, “a firm with good government connections.” He says, “One day, out of the blue, Stewart Baker, a former Potomac dad, contacted me about an opportunity. Stewart had been the general counsel at the National Security Agency and run the policy shop at DHS. He was starting a new practice within Steptoe, focused on technology law, and he invited me to join it.”

Teddy reflects, “I knew very little about technology law and cybersecurity. My interests had been in international relations and public service. But this sounded like a great opportunity.”

Teddy’s new job enabled him to explore cyber – a cross-cutting field with significant political, economic, and security implications –in all its complexity. He observes, “Technology

evolves with incredible speed. A lot of our work focused on how old laws can be applied to, or adapted for, new technology. We had to think imaginatively about our clients’ needs.”

Teddy continues, “After three years in that role, it was suggested to me that if I wanted to get into government, a Fellowship with the Council on Foreign Relations would be a good avenue to pursue. I applied in 2013 and got the Fellowship. The following year, I started work at the State Department, initially in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues. That office had been established only three years previously; we were just beginning the process of crafting diplomacy around cybersecurity and related challenges.”

One of the first major international cyber incidents during Teddy’s tenure at State happened in response to the impending release of a movie. The Interview, a satiric actioncomedy produced and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, included a depiction of North Korean President Kim Jung Un being assassinated. In June 2014, the North Korean government threatened action against the United States if Sony Pictures released the film. Sony pushed back the release date and made edits to the movie in an attempt to make it more acceptable to North Korea.

A month before the film’s new release date, Sony Pictures’ computer systems were hacked by a group identifying itself as the “Guardians of Peace.” The hackers leaked internal emails, employee records, and film content that had not yet been released. Even more alarming, the group threatened terrorist attacks against theaters showing The Interview. This led to major theater chains deciding not to run the film.

The North Korean government denied involvement in the hacking and threats, but U.S. intelligence officials believed the country played a central role in the cyber attacks. In a press conference, President Obama noted the serious implications of this form of coercion, asserting, “We cannot have a society in which some dictator in some place can start imposing censorship in the United States.”

Teddy recounts, “That incident got me hooked. Working on the diplomatic side of the situation, I saw the pressing need for our government not only to put all possible safeguards in place but also to work with our partners around the world to respond appropriately when cyber incursions happen. I knew that I wanted to be part of that.”

CRAFTER OF POLICIES AND CREATOR OF CONSENSUS

As senior advisor for cyber policy at the State Department from 2014 through 2021, Teddy had a two-fold focus: developing policies to bolster cybersecurity for America and its allies, and handling “the day-to-day diplomacy on cybersecurity issues.”

He notes, “The two efforts are closely intertwined; our domestic approaches to various issues should inform how we engage with other countries.”

While developing policies and advising his colleagues at State on relevant issues, Teddy also worked with other

government agencies, including DHS, DOJ, and DOD. He asserts, “Cybersecurity is a team sport.”

Teddy also served as a key liaison to counterparts in foreign governments. He notes, “I wrote policy papers and talking points for others, but I was often the one delivering the message to our allies. Establishing trust with other countries’ cyber ambassadors was key to building the foundation for a coordinated threat response.” The job “required not only a thorough understanding of the issues but also an understanding of how different bureaucracies function.”

Teddy’s work also took him to the United Nations, where he participated in negotiating a framework for responsible behavior in cyberspace. This effort, spearheaded by the United States, was an important means of building consensus; the framework affirms that international law applies in cyberspace and articulates nonbinding norms of state behavior.

Teddy says, “Our focus now should be on getting the ‘good guys’ to work together to call out and impose costs on countries that act contrary to this framework.”

In 2021, Teddy moved to the White House as director of international cyber policy for the National Security Council. In this role, he advised senior decision makers on cyber-related foreign policy matters. He says the focus of such discussions tended to be on “anticipating cyber threats based on reliable intelligence, considering how to deter them, and ensuring that the U.S. and our international partners present an effective united front when serious incidents occur.”

This past December, Teddy transitioned to a new role at the State Department, working as a member of the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff. He says, “This is a step back from my laser-focus on cybersecurity, a chance to be strategic as we consider a broad array of technology issues. For example, how do we encourage countries to adopt policies that promote and reinforce human rights in a tech-driven world, and how do we help our partner nations create secure technology environments so they don’t become vulnerable to coercion?”

Teddy reflects, “Cyber statecraft will continue to gain importance. In the future, every diplomat is going to need a working knowledge of cybersecurity and issues related to the responsible use of technology on the world stage. It’s exciting to be on the cutting edge of this work.”

The views expressed in this article are Teddy Nemeroff’s own and do not necessarily represent those of the United States government.

by Lori Ferguson portraits by Danielle Pease Photography

As a program director at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for more than 12 years and the first female to occupy a leadership position in her division, Libby Jewett ’78 has made it clear: She’s committed to moving the needle on climate change.

Libby is the founder of NOAA’S Ocean Acidification Program and the 2021 recipient of the Integrated Ocean Observing System’s CARAID award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to observing and understanding our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. She has made a career of protecting and restoring the health of marine ecosystems – a cause to which she remains committed.

Last June, Libby accepted a new position, becoming research program manager for the Offshore Wind Team at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Rhode Island. The job offered the opportunity to help develop viable solutions to the pressing concerns she has spent nearly two decades of her professional life identifying.

It’s a big lift, but as always, Libby is game. She says, “Climate change is the most serious challenge of our time, and my primary focus is how I can help to address the issue. The climate is changing in ways that are not good for ecosystems and people. We’ve got to move fast, and we must focus on solutions.”

Discovering Her Path

Libby has long been passionate about protecting the natural world, a calling she traces back to her student days at Potomac. “We had really great outdoor education; I still remember excursions on the nature trails,” she says with a smile. “In retrospect, I think those experiences planted the seeds of my career.”

She admits, however, that professional currents carried her to a variety of positions before bringing the opportunity to become a change agent at NOAA. Libby recounts, “I took AP science classes in high school and enjoyed them very much, then went to college and got excited about other things.” After completing a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies at Yale, she went on to earn a master’s in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School. “I was always focused on human services and ways to make things better,” she reflects.

After completing her master’s, working for several years in Boston, and having two children, Libby moved to Buffalo for her husband’s job and found herself fundraising for an environmental group focused on conservation initiatives for the Great Lakes. She says, “I was surrounded by people doing important conservation work, but I didn’t feel I had the educational background to engage fully with their mission.”

A field trip with her kindergarten-age son offered fresh perspective: “We were doing a little experiment in a stream, and I suddenly realized, ‘I love working in nature and educating people about the natural world. This is what I want to do.’”

Despite possessing none of the prerequisites for doctoral study in the sciences, Libby decided to follow her heart. She and her husband moved to the DC area, where she enrolled in a graduate program in marine science at the University of Maryland, earning her Ph.D. in 2005. She says, “It was never clear to me if I could juggle raising small children and pursuing a degree that would involve extensive fieldwork, but I jumped in – a decision made easier by knowing that my husband supported my crazy plan.”

Soon after completing her doctoral studies, Libby landed a position at NOAA. “It’s a very important agency for anyone doing marine science,” she observes. And the new job turned out to be just the kind of opportunity she relishes. Libby says, “I love science, and having the opportunity to apply it in a policy setting is ideal for me.”

Defining the Challenge

Libby’s initial years at NOAA were spent in the National Ocean Service division, enabling research of low oxygen, or hypoxia, issues in coastal waters around the U.S. She soon recognized that ocean acidification (OA) was an area of growing concern. She recalls, “Acidification was just getting noticed. We realized that the oceans’ chemistry was changing due to rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, so I helped spearhead a group to figure out how to address the issue. In 2010, I convened a team from across NOAA to write the agency’s first research plan on the topic. I was subsequently offered the opportunity to build NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program as its first director.”

Libby and her team quickly embarked on a three-part mission – to study how the oceans’ chemistry was changing, determine what marine life and human life were vulnerable to harm, and formulate strategies to adapt. Thirteen years later, the program is flourishing, with a budget of approximately $17 million, a dedicated staff of 15, and hundreds of scientists around the nation whose work it helps to fund. This past September, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced that they would dedicate $24 million for projects designed to address the climate crisis by researching marine carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies, a move spearheaded by Libby and made possible under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

Libby is delighted by such commitment and hopeful that the funds will enable researchers to understand the pros and cons of marine CDR and give them opportunities to weigh in on the regulatory processes that must be developed to ensure that the mitigation is done in a way that protects our oceans. With this milestone reached, Libby felt that the time had come to turn over

“I appreciate the gravity of what’s happening more profoundly than a lay person might, but I also know that humans are really good at innovating our way out of problems.”

the reins of the Ocean Acidification Program and direct her attention toward new challenges. Her recent job transition involved switching divisions within NOAA, moving from Research to Fisheries, and she is now helping to build a new research effort focused on offshore wind.

“We’ve identified the issues, now we need to strategize solutions,” she explains. “I hired a competent team of leaders in the OA program and have every confidence that they will continue to shepherd it effectively. Meanwhile, I’ve done climate assessments and have a broader understanding of the impacts of climate change beyond acidification, so I want to use that knowledge to make a difference.”

Libby and her husband are relocating to New England to be nearer to her work off the northern seaboard, and she has begun to think about next steps. “I’ve just turned 60, and I want to dedicate the remaining years of my career to changing the trajectory we’re on with respect to climate change,” she asserts.

Focusing on Solutions

From her new office in Rhode Island, Libby explains that the Northeast is a natural place to focus on strategies for addressing the carbon dioxide emissions that drive climate change: “The first

wind turbines placed in U.S. waters are in the Northeast, and there are many active, centuries-old fisheries here. Our team is developing a program to identify the research NOAA should pursue to assess the impact of wind turbines on marine ecosystems and fishing in those ecosystems.”

But arresting climate change goes beyond the rapid development of renewable energy. Libby notes that effecting meaningful change will require a two-part approach. She says, “Offshore wind is an important renewable energy solution for limiting the production of carbon dioxide, but we also need to formulate strategies for removing existing CO2 from the atmosphere if we want to limit rising global temperatures.”

So Libby’s work includes advising on marine carbon dioxide removal. She says, “We need to determine what research questions to ask, explore how marine CDR might impact ecosystems, and consider our potential role in permitting these initiatives.”

Asked what marine CDR might entail, Libby quickly ticks off two examples. “One idea is to use plants like sea kelp to capture CO2 and push it into deep water,” she says. “The kelp would be grown in a controlled way in surface waters, then when the plants reached a certain size, they would be sunk into the deep ocean,

where they would degrade and be taken up by sediments, trapping the CO2.”

Another idea is to run seawater through equipment that uses chemicals and membranes to remove carbon dioxide, then return the water to the ocean. “This process is called direct ocean capture,” Libby notes. “Questions remain as to what we do with the CO2 once it has been pulled from the sea water, so clearly there is work still to be done.”

Leveraging Innovation, Embracing Optimism

Libby’s enthusiasm for tackling the big challenges of climate change is palpable, and her entrepreneurial approach to developing solutions is compelling. “I’m always trying to think outside the box,” she admits. “Before I created the Ocean Acidification Program, I was thinking about what was needed; then when I got the green light to move forward, I realized that there was no agency playbook. So I had to figure things out for myself. As I formulated the plan, I talked to agency colleagues, expanded on concepts used in other programs, and explored ways to better collaborate with private industry and universities.”

The work was time consuming, but Libby discovered that she had a knack for getting things done despite the challenges of bureaucracy. “I found it incredibly exciting to innovate within the confines of government – I just determined what needed to be done and found ways to do it,” she says.

Libby’s enthusiasm also extends to increasing the representation of women in STEM leadership roles. She notes, “Only 30% of the senior leadership at NOAA is female – and the number was far lower when I was first hired as a director. Initially, I didn’t think too much about it, but I soon became aware of the lack of female camaraderie at that level.”

Consequently, Libby has consciously increased her efforts to encourage other women scientists. She says, “I have a cadre of women that I’ve mentored through the years. When I see an appropriate job opening at NOAA or elsewhere, I reach out to qualified women I know and encourage them to apply.”

She reflects, “Women tend to secondguess themselves when it comes to competing for leadership positions, so I do my best to counter that impulse.”

Indeed, encouraging others to act is something Libby does every day, as one more step toward changing the calculus on climate change. As a scientist, she understands that the stakes are high, and as a mother and grandmother, she knows that inaction is an option we can ill afford.

Happily, Libby remains optimistic. She observes, “I appreciate the gravity of what’s happening more profoundly than a lay person might, but I also know that humans are really good at innovating our way out of problems.”

And she is confident that the scientific community is up to the challenge, with NOAA helping to lead the way. “I love it here,” she says. “My colleagues are smart, driven, and committed to their mission of understanding our natural world and protecting its resources.”

Libby also draws comfort from her personal history. “I have five siblings, all of whom attended Potomac – Lucy ’68, Garrett ’70, Sanford ’72, Edward ’75, and Hope ’81. We were a force!” she recalls with a chuckle. “And many in my family have pursued careers in education or environmental fields.”

In fact, Libby’s two adult children now work in renewable energy. “They spend their days thinking creatively about their impact on the world,” she notes with pride. “The next generation is taking climate change seriously. So I remain hopeful.”

A Celebration of Growth and Beauty

otomac was in full bloom on March 2, when nearly 500 members of the school community gathered in the Spangler Center for our 2024 Scholarship Auction. The evening’s theme, Bloom!, was reflected in the beautiful floral décor and the warm spirit of friendship, as guests shared handshakes and hugs, lively conversation, and some goodnatured competition when the bidding began.

Thanks to the support of many generous individuals, The Potomac School continues to thrive, offering the excellent teaching and quality programs that bring our mission of educational excellence to life. Most importantly, Potomac’s students continue to thrive! Each day, as students in all four divisions explore their interests, expand their abilities, and build strong friendships, they are blooming – becoming their best selves. It is a privilege to play a part in their growth, and everyone at Potomac is grateful for the generous support that makes our work possible.

This year’s auction set a new fundraising record, garnering more than $1.68 million in gross revenue. In an incredible show of generosity, $937,000 of that total came in the form of outright contributions to the event’s centerpiece initiative, Fund a Scholar!

We thank our auction co-chairs – Kiley Ohly, Priscilla Stanzel, and Christine Wang – for their tremendous creativity, dedication, and leadership. Thanks also go to the many volunteers who helped to plan and organize the celebration, and to all who served as event sponsors, donated auction items, or placed a bid. Potomac’s 2024 Scholarship Auction was an evening to remember – a celebration of the growth and beauty we see all around us, particularly as we watch our students bloom.

children of alumni

KINDERGARTEN | CLASS OF 2036

Thomas Amann | Michael Amann ’04, Alison Amann

Rhys Cohen | Ainsley Cohen ’06, Duncan Cohen

Beatrice Collins | Abby Sullivan ’97, Mike Collins

Harrison Farrell | Jay Farrell ’92, Jessica Farrell

Zibby Flanagan | Doug Flanagan ’03, Lauren Flanagan

Emery Kim | Margot Kabalkin ’04, Arthur Kim

Virginia Kapsis | Stephanie Amann Kapsis ’01, Jim Kapsis

Tenley Kilberg | Andrew Kilberg ’06, Julie Kilberg

Kevin Kimmitt | William Kimmitt ’02, Heather Kimmitt

Wren Millar | Wes Millar ’07, Megan Millar

Charlotte Ohly | John Ohly ’01, Kiley Ohly

Jack Richardson | Scott Richardson ’03, Nicole Richardson

George Yiannarakis | Christine Varoutsos ’01, Ted Yiannarakis

1ST GRADE | CLASS OF 2035

Cameron Clyburn | Shannon Gopaul Balser ’01

Wilder Coyne | Michael Coyne ’00, Ellinor Coyne

Katherine Crosby | Caroline Kettler Crosby ’05, Kyle Crosby

Henry Dick | Katherine Pingree ’01, Andrew Dick

Lawson Doty | Brady Millar Doty ’00, Dan Doty ’00

Zane Hoffman | Cara Schantz ’96, Christopher Hoffman

Olivia Rosenthal | Pamela Barris Rosenthal ’03, Eric Rosenthal ’03

Madeleine Ryan | Jason Ryan ’92, Catherine Hunt Ryan

2ND GRADE | CLASS OF 2034

Avery Blatt | Meagan Guerzon ’01, Eric Blatt

Everly Craven | Meredith Murphy Craven ’02, Eric Craven

Charlie Dick | Katherine Pingree ’01, Andrew Dick

Etta Doty | Brady Millar Doty ’00, Dan Doty ’00

Thomas Flanagan | Doug Flanagan ’03, Lauren Flanagan

Sadie Kapsis | Stephanie Amann Kapsis ’01, Jim Kapsis

Charlotte Kettler | Annie Harris Kettler ’05, Taylor Kettler ’02

Alice Kilberg | Andrew Kilberg ’06, Julie Kilberg

Payton Landry | Reed Landry ‘99, Julie Landry

Jack Ohly | John Ohly ’01, Kiley Ohly

Will Shure | Perry Aldige Shure ’94, Brian Shure

Charlie Sparkman | Charles Sparkman ’05, Meaghan Kiernan Sparkman ’05

Brenna Starr | Sarah Murphy Starr ’99, Shooter Starr

3RD GRADE | CLASS OF 2033

Amelia Barton | Bill Barton ’91, Shailini Jariwala

Livy Blatt | Meagan Guerzon ’01, Eric Blatt

Elizabeth Fairbank | Victoria Chapman Fairbank ’98, Carl Fairbank ’00

Neelie Hoffmann | Bern Hoffmann ’86, Jenni Hoffmann

Abby Kimmitt | William Kimmitt ’02, Heather Kimmitt

Kaitlyn Kimmitt | William Kimmitt ’02, Heather Kimmitt

Beckam Martin | Ashley Walde ’94, Jesse Martin

Mina Nasr | Sima Jaafar Nasr ’00, Nadim Nasr

Greyson Weed | Kristin Carlucci Weed ’98, Josh Weed

4TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2032

James Collins | Abby Sullivan ’97, Mike Collins

Claire Craven | Meredith Murphy Craven ’02, Eric Craven

Caroline Fairbank | Victoria Chapman Fairbank ’98, Carl Fairbank ’00

Ella Faltas | Mina Faltas ’96, Kristin Jensen

Brooks Landry | Reed Landry ’99, Julie Landry

Dylan Long | Nicole Long ’06

Harrison Meenan | Emily Duncan ’00, Matt Meenan ’00

Alexander Redway | Jon Redway ’75, Nicole Redway

Tuck Wiltshire | Ashley Gerstenfeld Wiltshire ’90, Ashton Wiltshire

5TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2031

Beckett Doty | Brady Millar Doty ’00, Dan Doty ’00

Caroline Ebert | Catherine Smith Ebert ’99, William Ebert

Graeme Ebert | Catherine Smith Ebert ’99, William Ebert

Savannah Harnden | Kathleen Kiernan Harnden ’00, Ivan Harnden

Brooke Hodge | Gillian Kilberg Hodge ’97, Yuctan Hodge

Park Hoffmann | Bern Hoffmann ’86, Jenni Hoffmann

Henry Lettow | Paul Lettow ’95, Kristen Silverberg

Allegra Malawer | Eric Malawer ’92, Erin Malawer

Ronan Malone | Patrick Malone ’97, Cynthia Malone

Finley Martin | Ashley Walde ’94, Jesse Martin

Margaret Murtagh | Erin Cleary Murtagh ’93, Paul Murtagh

Thomas Ryan | Jason Ryan ’92, Catherine Hunt Ryan

Parker Starr | Sarah Murphy Starr ’99, Shooter Starr

Charlotte Weed | Kristin Carlucci Weed ’98, Josh Weed

6TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2030

Wells Black | Adria de Leonibus Black ’83, William Black

Cora Kapsis | Stephanie Amann Kapsis ’01, Jim Kapsis

Benjamin Levin | Michelle O’Hara Levin ’93, Jeremy Levin

Vincent Nasr | Sima Jaafar Nasr ’00, Nadim Nasr

Caitlyn Pence | Brian Pence ’95, Leigh Pence

James Shure | Perry Aldige Shure ’94, Brian Shure

7TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2029

Austin Byrnes | Carter Byrnes ’95, Lindsay Byrnes

Charlotte Faltas | Mina Faltas ’96, Kristin Jensen

Jack Fischer | Alexandra Bullock Fischer ’96, Matthew Fischer

Mackenzie Hodge | Gillian Kilberg Hodge ’97, Yuctan Hodge

Jack Lettow | Paul Lettow ’95, Kristen Silverberg

Benjamin Shure | Perry Aldige Shure ’94, Brian Shure

Jon Wiltshire | Ashley Gerstenfeld Wiltshire ’90, Ashton Wiltshire

8TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2028

Sibyl Craine | Abigail Whitehead Craine ’94, Clarke Craine ’92

Caroline Farrell | Scott Farrell ’95, Maura Farrell

Farrah Gardner | Darryl Gardner ’94, Alison Gardner

David Murtagh | Erin Cleary Murtagh ’93, Paul Murtagh

Robert Murtagh | Erin Cleary Murtagh ’93, Paul Murtagh

Amelia Weed | Kristin Carlucci Weed ’98, Josh Weed

Gillian Young | Peter Young ‘96, Leah Young

9TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2027

Lucia Black | Adria de Leonibus Black ’83, William Black

Ayden Hodge | Gillian Kilberg Hodge ’97, Yuctan Hodge

Grace Jenkins | Annie Lovejoy Jenkins ’85, John Jenkins

Caden Levin | Michelle O’Hara Levin ’93, Jeremy Levin

Robert Pence | Brian Pence ’96, Leigh Pence

Hailey Quigley | James Quigley ’84, Kristen Quigley

Mary Parker Stump | Jamie Stump ’91, Sarah Stump

Brody Wiltshire | Ashley Gerstenfeld Wiltshire ’90, Ashton Wiltshire

10TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2026

Avery Byrnes | Carter Byrnes ’95, Lindsay Byrnes

Caroline Craine | Abigail CraineWhitehead ’94, Clarke Craine ’92

Matthew Gardner | Darryl Gardner ’94, Alison Gardner

Tyler Langman | Nick Langman ’94, Jennifer Langman

Maria Lerner | Renee Lettow Lerner ’83, Craig Lerner

Sebi Malawer | Eric Malawer ’92, Erin Malawer

Gus Tierney | Drew Tierney ’80, Laurel Tierney

11TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2025

Langston Chambliss | Marque Chambliss ’76, Sheryll Cashin

Wyatt Pence | Brian Pence ’97, Leigh Pence

Patrick Ritter | Andrew Ritter ’86, Lee Anne Ritter

12TH GRADE | CLASS OF 2024

David Gardner | Darryl Gardner ’94, Alison Gardner

Josephine Stump | Jamie Stump ’91, Sarah Stump

alumni activities

Once a Panther, Always a Panther

The Friday after Thanksgiving was a picture-perfect day for Potomac’s Alumni Fall Games. This annual event brings alums, students, current and past parents, and faculty to campus for friendly competition and fellowship.

The day started with the Hale Stevenson Ross ’14 Memorial Run, hosted by classmates Adam Moses ’14 and Hunter Heflin ’14. Then, alumni and students had the chance to face off on the squash court, lacrosse field, soccer

pitch, and basketball court. A big thank you goes to coaches Glenn Adamec, Precious Barnes, Levi Franklin, Steve Hufford, Matt Marriott, and Ross McEwen for helping to create such a memorable day for everyone.

For the 21+ crowd, the fun continued with the annual After-Thanksgiving Alumni Bash at The Admiral in Dupont Circle, DC. Thanks to Reed Landry ’99 for hosting the event!

Scan this QR code for more photos of alumni events.

Taking the Lead with Sasha DiGiulian ’11

Speaking to a packed room in Potomac’s Upper School this past September, Sasha DiGiulian ’11, a world-class rock climber and author of the newly released book Take the Lead, shared her story – from coming of age under the scrutiny of social media to navigating a male-dominated sport and tackling her most heart-stopping climbs. Through it all, she emphasized, perseverance and positivity were key.

Sasha reflected, “This visit to campus during the DC stop on my book tour represents a full circle moment. I attended Potomac from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and I credit so much of my early trajectory within sport, business, and writing to my education. In my memoir, I talk about my experiences here – navigating the feeling of ‘otherness’ that was an innate part of my early days in climbing while I was still in school. Balancing the rigor of academics with a fervor to compete internationally at a young age was challenging, but ultimately rewarding.” She adds, “My experience at Potomac catalyzed my interest in serving on the boards of wonderful organizations like Ascend, which promotes girls and young women as agents of peace and positive change.” To learn more about Sasha, follow her @sashadigiulian

DEAR FRIENDS,

from the alumni director

Happy spring, and welcome once again to The Potomac Term! Each issue of our magazine highlights the important and inspiring work that Potomac alumni are doing. From the feature stories to the class notes, this publication reflects a vibrant community of individuals who are committed to making a positive difference.

We at Potomac are proud of your many accomplishments, and we are committed to serving and supporting you. The Alumni Office and Alumni Governing Council (AGC) work together to develop programs that address the needs and interests of a diverse alumni community, while fostering the warm interpersonal connections that make the Potomac experience so special. Each year, we host events on campus and in cities around the country to bring alumni together, keep you informed about what’s happening on campus, and support your continued growth. Whether it’s an industry-specific networking event; an opportunity to hear from an artist, author, or expert; or simply a chance to connect with old and new friends, there’s something for everyone!

I am grateful for the partnership of the AGC in this important work. These dedicated leaders give their time and energy to ensure that The Potomac School continues to be a place you can depend on to provide opportunities for connection, education, inspiration – and fun!

I hope that you will take advantage of some of the many events and programs Potomac offers you. Read our publications and watch your mailbox for event invitations. Your participation is valued, and it’s our hope that your connections with Potomac and your fellow alumni will continue to enrich your lives.

All the best,

Laura Miller Director of Alumni Relations lmiller@potomacschool.org

Singer/songwriter Natalie Spears ’07 was back on campus to play, sing, and share stories with Potomac’s Middle and Intermediate School students in September. Inspired by her father’s English folk heritage and talents as a jazz pianist, Natalie has a deep love for “porch-picking” music and music that swings. She uses a variety of instruments – piano, banjo, bass, guitar –along with her singular vocals to share her appreciation for a variety of musical styles. In her program at Potomac, she emphasized the banjo, which the students really enjoyed.

Natalie recently finished recording her first solo album, The Hymn of Wild Things. She says, “This album feels like a true artistic expression of the last five years of my life, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Think electronic soul meets folksy roots.” Visit nataliespears.com to learn more about Natalie’s new album and see her touring schedule.

Daelyn Dimps ’24, Sasha DiGiulian ’11, Kerri Greene ’24, and Abigail Woldgebriel ’24

FUN UNDER THE LIGHTS

On November 3, Potomac hosted its second annual Friday Night Lights celebration. The Panthers took on the North Cross Raiders on the beautifully renovated Turf Field, under lights rented especially for the occasion. Alumni joined parents, grandparents, students, faculty, and staff to form an enthusiastic crowd in support of the Panthers, and a great time was had by all!

q Ready to cheer for the Panthers at the Friday Nights Lights game! w Past parents and current grandparents Bobbie and Bill Kilberg enjoy the pre-game festivities. e Jack Overstreet ’10, Ellen Overstreet ’11, and Walker Halvey r Michael Amann ’04

A Real Estate Update from the Experts

On a crisp sunlit morning in January, alumni with an interest in real estate convened at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, DC, for an informative breakfast program. Experts Ray Ritchey, senior executive vice president of BXP; David Cheek, co-founder of The Meridian Group (TMG); and Dave Ritchey, chief commercial officer at JBG Smith, shared their insights on the present state of the commercial real estate sector in a discussion moderated by Eric Rosenthal ’03, managing partner and co-founder of Machine Investment Group. Ray is a Potomac grandparent, while David and Dave are parents of alumni, and Eric is a current Potomac parent.

We thank the Alumni Governing Council Host Committee – Michael Amann ’04, Stephanie Croghan ’07, Brendan Dwyer ’15, Stephen Garibaldi ’13, and Gabriel Miller ’16 – for organizing this event. Special appreciation goes to Ray Ritchey and Sean Sullivan ’01, vice president at Boston Properties, for their generosity in hosting the event and providing a tour of 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Past parent David Cheek, parent Eric Rosenthal ’03, past parent Dave Ritchey, and grandparent Ray Ritchey

Net@Night is Back!

Net@Night is a series of networking events to help build professional connections, increase job opportunities, and provide career education. This February, Potomac collaborated with Flint Hill School and Georgetown Day School, bringing together alumni for an evening of networking focused on a variety of industries. The event, held at Venture X in Arlington, was an opportunity to exchange insights and build meaningful professional connections; plus, everyone had a great time!

q Gabriel Miller ’16, Rafael DeLaVille ’20, and Tyler Francis ’20 w Taylor Brockman ’17 and Bridgett Hyde ’19 e Anne Krohn Gasho ’98, Valerie Plesch ’98, and Potomac staff member

Alexis Ellis

Love in Every Bite

Alumni rolled up their sleeves to take part in a special Potomac School Sandwich Day on February 14 –Valentine’s Day! A celebration of a cherished Potomac tradition, the event brought alumni together with Lower School students and faculty to make sandwiches for community partner Martha’s Table.

Monthly Sandwich Days in each academic division are just one part of Potomac’s K-12 Service Learning Program – an integrated curricular effort that prompts students to ask such critical – and critically important – questions as ”How can

I be a changemaker?,” What are the needs, injustices, and inequities in our community?,” and “What matters to me?” When students begin to explore the “why,” they develop an understanding of the importance of building habits of service. Their thinking evolves from questions to statements like “I have a responsibility to know about and address community issues.”

The cheerful partnership of alumni and students enriched this Valentine’s Day service program for everyone. Thank you to Potomac School alum and third grade teacher Tessa Smalley ’15 for hosting the event in her classroom!

Potomac Represents at

Participating in, or attending, the Washington Revels’ Christmas Revels production is a longstanding tradition for many Potomac families. This isn’t surprising, given that the program has Potomac roots: Revels founder Jack Langstaff was a much-loved faculty member for more than two decades.

This year’s show, titled The Magical Medieval Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, was a memorable evening of song and dance. The cast included several members of the Potomac community: students Journey Jackson ’31, Liezel Phillips ’30, Genevieve Privitera ’32, Millie Stanzel ’31, and Jocey Wallace ’32; faculty member Bill Hoffmann ’79; alumni Chris Lewis ’98, Patrick Malone ’98, and Maud Taber-Thomas ’05; and past parent Greg Lewis. Congratulations to all the performers!

w

Ellen Overstreet ’11 and Catherine Kahl Linskey ’09 with third grade students.

EXPLORING CAREERS AND BUILDING CONNECTIONS

EXPLORING CAREERS AND BUILDING CONNECTIONS

The Alumni Office is proud to share the highlights of Career Lab 2023-24, a program organized in collaboration with the Upper School’s Career and Professional Skills Committee. This year’s program provided exciting opportunities for Potomac juniors and seniors to engage in meaningful conversations with alumni, gaining insights into diverse career paths and essential skill sets for success in the modern workplace.

The focus of this year’s Career Lab was “work and the future of work.” The fall session featured an inspiring presentation by Erik Schluntz ’11, co-founder and CTO of Cobalt Robotics. Erik shared his professional journey, explaining how he developed the company, which builds cutting-edge safety and security robots. Cobalt Robotics now employs 160 people and has been valued at over $300 million by investors.

The winter session treated students to an informative panel discussion featuring three accomplished alumni from different industries. Naki Franklin ’17, a Los Angeles-based comedy writer and television writing fellow at Hillman Grad, shared her experiences working for YouTube. Jack Moore ’11, a producer at Bethesda Game Studios – the creative force behind Skyrim and Fallout – provided insights into the gaming industry. And Bria Peace ’16, an assistant vice president at Bank of America working in wealth management on the Hedge Fund Origination Team, offered perspectives from the financial sector.

This spring’s final installment of Career Lab brought the Upper School community an insightful discussion with Derek Thompson ’04, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of the Work in Progress newsletter, and host of the podcast Plain English. Derek’s expertise in the future of work and his engaging presentation style left students with a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape and challenges of the modern workplace.

We extend heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated seniors of the Career and Professional Skills Committee, who worked with the Alumni Office to ensure the success of this yearlong program: Leila Bodner, Daelyn Dimps, Sofya Donets, Auden Easter, Nuna Endale, Nathanial Estes, Kerri Greene, Emmy Holland, Campbell Hughes, Madeleine Magielnicki, Will Mellis, Zoe Myslewicz, Paige Ramsey, Laith Weimer, and Abigail Woldgebriel.

q The Upper School Career Lab Committee w Erik Schluntz ’11, featured speaker at this year’s first Career Lab

As we look forward to future programs, we remain committed to fostering connections, providing mentorship, and preparing our students for the dynamic challenges of the professional world. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of Career Lab!

Renée Lettow Lerner ’83 on the Evolution of Juries

In February, the Potomac community stepped into the riveting world of legal history with the brilliant Renée Lettow Lerner ’83, author of The Jury: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2023). In her presentation, Renée touched on many of the book’s themes, including the global use of juries throughout history and the advantages and drawbacks of jury trials. Her deep knowledge of the evolution of juries and her gift for storytelling combined to create an informative and fascinating program.

A tip of the hat also goes to Renée’s distinguished brother, Dr. Paul Lettow ’95, who moderated the thought-provoking Q&A session that followed her presentation.

Renée Lettow Lerner is the Donald Phillip Rothschild Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School. She teaches criminal procedure, legal history, and comparative law. Her previous book, History of the Common Law: The Development of Anglo-American Legal Institutions, was co-authored with John H. Langbein and Bruce P. Smith, with the second edition published in 2009.

Renée Lettow Lerner ’83 and her brother, Dr. Paul Lettow ’95

In March, the Alumni Office collaborated with Loftie’s founder and CEO, Matt Hassett ’04, and chief marketing officer, Liz Fabiani Rooney ’03, to host a program focused on the intersection of innovation, leadership, and community. Held at the company’s NYC headquarters, the event was an opportunity to network and engage in thoughtful conversation while enjoying refreshing cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres.

Discussion topics ranged from “Concept to Creation” –exploring how entrepreneurs nurture an idea into reality – to “Selling to Storytelling” – examining the art of persuading investors and customers to get on board. We thank all who helped make the evening a great success, especially our amazing panelists, Layla Alexander ’17, Isabelle Conner ’09, Hunter Craighill ’05, Summer Delaney ’11, Matt Hassett ’04, Charlie Tansill Shearer-Collie ’04, and Matt Stinchcomb ’93, and our moderator, Liz Fabiani Rooney ’03.

q Panelists Isabelle Conner ’09, Matt Stinchcomb ’93, Hunter Craighill ’05, Summer Delaney ’11, Matt Hassett ’04, and moderator Liz Fabiani Rooney ’03 (not pictured: panelists Layla Alexander ’17 and Charlie Tansill Shearer-Collie ’04) w Ramses Rubio ’18 and Grant Robinson ’16 e The panelists take questions from the audience.

w

A Daughter Reflects on Her Father’s Life of Service

In March, author Kristin Carlucci Weed ’98 spent a day at Potomac, sharing the story of her late father’s life and legacy with students, faculty, alumni, and parents.

Frank C. Carlucci III was a career government official whose work spanned more than three decades under seven presidents, from Eisenhower to Reagan. He began his career of public service at the State Department, working as a foreign service officer in hot spots around the world. Carlucci subsequently served as assistant director, and then director, of the Office of Economic Opportunity. His next role was deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, after which he served as undersecretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. In the mid-1970s, Carlucci was United States Ambassador to Portugal, where he played a key role in supporting that country’s transition to democracy. He was later named deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, then served as deputy Secretary of Defense, National Security Advisor, and ultimately Secretary of Defense.

Kristin’s book, Get Me Carlucci, published this January, offers a detailed account of her father’s life of patriotism, courage, and commitment to public service. She says, “I wanted to highlight the magnitude of the challenges that our country and the world faced during my father’s long career and his contributions to addressing those challenges. It’s my hope that his story of nonpartisan service will inspire leaders today, across the political spectrum, to work together for the good of our country.”

Eighth grader Amelia Weed, Kristin Carlucci Weed ’98, and Marcia Carlucci

Reunion…Homecoming…Fall Frolics

P Potomac’s Reunion Weekend in October was a spectacular gathering, uniting classmates from across the globe who returned to campus to reconnect with friends, fellow alumni, and faculty. The program offered a variety of activities, including opportunities to visit Upper School classes, enjoy campus tours, and explore Potomac’s nature trails. The highlight of the weekend was the Friday Night Cocktail Party, which featured food, fun, and music on the beautiful Spangler Center for Athletics and Community promenade.

Despite Saturday’s rain, alumni celebrating milestone years seized the chance to reunite with friends and classmates, joining the festivities at Potomac’s Fall Frolics carnival and cheering for the school’s student-athletes as they braved the weather to play their Homecoming games. The highlight of the afternoon for many alums was a sing-along with beloved faculty member Jerry Rich. Thanks to Chris Lewis ‘98 and all alumni who took the lead and made beautiful music! This special weekend, infused with tradition and fun, is always a memorable time. Potomac was overjoyed to welcome so many alumni back home, and we thank the Class Chairs, listed below, as well as those who hosted the Saturday Night Class Parties.

2018

5th Hamilton Brooks

Amelia Mazloom

2013

10th Max Ausbrook

Soraya Batmanghelidj

Claire Figel

2008

15th Kat Blackwood Blair

Cate Rooney Schrimsher

2003

20th Ki Christmas Bullock

Michael Kirkman

Maya Jaafar Lena

Eric Rosenthal

1998

25th Chris Lewis

Elena Sylos-Labini

30th Nayan Bhula

Leah Quadrino

40th Victoria Frankhauser Esposito

Renée Lettow Lerner

Eric McGuire

45th Robert McDowell

Lola Singletary

50th Keith Ausbrook

Liza Gookin Hodskins

60th Marisa Knowlton Domeyko

q James Hawthorn ’03 w Liza Gookin Hodskins ’73, Albert Pingree ’00, Maya Jaafar Lena ’03, Victoria Kasonde ’13, Doug Flanagan ‘03, Melissa Deland ’98, Clara Labadie Jurczak ’08, Tom Jurczak, and Jessica Andrus ’98 e Mike Banks ’99 shows off his MAC Champions Soccer T-shirt. r Jessica Andrus ’98 t Colton Haney ’13 y Leah Lipsky ’96, Scott Mader ’92, and Jay Farrell ’92 with his sons, Harrison (Potomac school kindergartner) and Walker u Clara Labadie Jurczak ’08 and husband Tom Jurczak i Dorsey Davidge ’73, Liza Gookin Hodskins ’73, and Diana Gustafson Morgan ’73

q Reunion Trail Walk w Faculty member Jerry Rich e Valerie Plesch ’98, staff member Jeanette Bolton, Kate Coyne Coyle ’98, faculty member Alex Thomas, Chris Lewis ’98, and Elena Sylos-Labini ’98 r Members of the Class of 2003 mug for the camera at the Saturday Night Class Party. t Truman Morrison ’03, Andrew Warin ’03, and Forest Kettler ’03 y Staff member Jeanette Bolton and Maya Jaafar Lena ‘03 u Colton Haney ’13, Kate Coyne Coyle ’98 and daughter, Chris Lewis ’98 and son, and Michael Coyne ’00 i The Potomac songbook guides alumni through favorite songs. o Members of the Class of 1963 looking at their yearbook: Delia O’Connor, Zan Smith Thomas, Maria Franco Granquist, Diane Kefauver, and Marisa Knowlton Domeyko a Shannon Gopaul Balser ’01 and son s Panther Power at the Pep Rally! d Members of the Class of 2013 enjoy their Saturday Night Class Party. f Lizzie Copson ’01 and Mike Banks ’99

class notes

Be Connected

Class Notes is the most popular and widely read section of The Term. It provides a forum for alumni to share their news, from professional accomplishments and accolades to marriages, births, and anything else that fellow alums might find interesting. Thank you for sharing your updates!

This section would not be possible without the leadership of our class correspondents, who play a vital role in helping their classmates maintain a lifelong connection with Potomac. Throughout the year, they gather news and photos for the fall and spring issues of The Term. So when you get an email calling for news, please make it a priority! You can send your notes directly to your class correspondent, whose contact information is listed at the top of your class year. If no class correspondent is listed, please send your information to term@potomacschool.org. If your class does not have a class correspondent and you would like to fill that role, please contact Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at (703) 749-6356 or lmiller@potomacschool.org

Class Notes come from many sources. We do our best to edit for accuracy and clarity.

1946

Class Correspondents

Rose Kean Lansbury rkl211@aol.com

Nancy Hamilton Shepherd nhshepherd31@gmail.com

Betsy Silver Alexander writes, “I’m still volunteering as treasurer of my homeowners association but not planning to run again when my term is up in July. I handed off my parish treasurer job in December, just before I suffered a nasty fall on the sidewalk in front of my condo high-rise. That put me in the ER twice and then for two weeks in a rehab center over Christmas and New Year’s, but I’m home now and getting back in shape. I’ve been a volunteer nursing home visitor ever since my mother lived in one for sixand-a-half years with Alzheimer’s and have always tried to cheer up those who have no visitors or family. But for the first time, I was a recipient – I had so many friends visiting and bringing me food that I’ve learned just how valuable this is from the other side of the bed. It really makes you feel humble and grateful. Happy New Year to all!”

Jerrie Kohlmeier Bartlett shares, “With the constant support of my husband Allen and monthly visits from our ‘kids,’ I continue to struggle with Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, and hearing loss. The wheelchair and loss of finger skills are frustrating! To keep mind and spirit going, I have been learning folk songs, and we enjoy dining each night with friends in Cathedral Village, our fine retirement community.

Both of us are deeply disturbed about the catastrophic situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East. We continue to work with Christian-Jewish Allies, a local interfaith group strongly committed to working for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. Hope abides, but my fingernails are getting shredded.”

Judith Blair Green reports, “I attended Potomac K-5, then during the war was in California for sixth through eighth grades and came back in ’45 to finish up with my class. Two of my great-grandgirls will be 14 this spring: Nora Ammerman in Nashville and Sophia Wilson in Memphis. They are both presently in grade 8 at private schools. I’m sure you can all imagine the few moments of terror I felt when I heard there had been a shooting at a private school in Nashville; in fact, the

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principal who was killed was a colleague of my granddaughter, Sarah Wilson. I hope that everyone who reads this will do what they can to keep dangerous guns and people out of our schools.

Otherwise, my husband, Tom McDonough, and I frequently express our astonishment that we are still around at 92. Our families total eight kids, 13 grands, and seven great-grands – wonderful people in our lives. I hope to connect with some classmates via Zoom in the spring.”

Audrey Hadow Michie and Nancy Hamilton Shepherd had a great time talking about Audrey’s life and, in particular, her Potomac memories. Her father, Robert Henry Hadow, was in the British Foreign Service, and her mother lived in Virginia, where they met and married. Audrey lived in many different places with her family but eventually moved to California Street in Washington near Potomac, which she attended for two years.

Audrey has many memories of Potomac. “I used to walk to school from my house each day,” she remembers, “and then walk home for lunch.” She recalls one Father’s Day at Potomac when her father was able to be there with her. Audrey thought she

was holding his hand but was startled to look down and see that she was holding the hand of another girl’s father! Later, there was a father-daughter dance at the school. Audrey danced with her father, who was a wonderful waltzer, and all was well.

In another memory, Audrey says, “I was in the Christmas play as the angel. I had only one line, which was ‘Hail, thou who are highly favored,’ but I got it wrong, and said instead ‘Hail, thou who are highly flavored!’ which caused a lot of laughter.” (P.S. from Nancy, I remember the laughter but had forgotten that Audrey was the angel.) She continues, “One year, we studied Beowulf, and we made pictures of the creatures in the story on pieces of brown paper, which we glued to the wall of the room. Potomac was fun for me. I liked the blue uniforms and, as I walked on the sidewalk, was often recognized as ‘a Potomac girl.’ There was a nearby store where we went after school. I would go in and get something to eat without my mother knowing it!” She continues, “I was at Potomac for two years, and then moved on to Madeira, where we had green uniforms. I had one year as a day student and then persuaded Dad to let me be a boarder. I liked both schools and thought school was fun.”

Nancy Hamilton Shepherd writes, “Dear Friends, I have talked to several of you recently who were classmates of mine at Potomac ‘Way Back When’ (that would have been 78 years ago if I am counting right). How amazing that the sense of friendship can have lasted for all those years!

At this time in my life, I am aware of how important having communities is to me. There is the community of those I have come to know and care for through my church, and also the community of those I know through the town I live in – Stow, MA. I have known these individuals through the years when we brought our children up together and went to town meetings together; and now, once a month, are the ‘Ladies who Lunch’ together. Then there is the community of family. Mine includes four children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-granddaughters!

These days, as I talk to those of you who are former classmates or read your letters, I realize that we are part of a community too. We share memories of our past or our present as ‘elders’ in a world very different from the one we grew up in. Perhaps if some of us meet in April on Zoom (which we had never imagined in 1946), we can share some of our past memories, present observations, and future hopes. Blessings to you all.”

Anstiss McCormick-Goodhart Smithers still lives in New Hampshire with various “helpers” because she has trouble walking. Nancy Hamilton Shepherd and Anstiss recently enjoyed talking and reminiscing about the people they knew from Potomac. They remembered the old school, with the up-and-down way you had to go from one class to another. They thought of various friends – some in this world and some who’ve gone on to “larger life.” They went over their current list of Potomac classmates and thought of others not on that list, such as Betty Mae Hamilton Madden, whom Anstiss went to camp with in New Hampshire.

1948

Anne Clark Diller writes, “I celebrated my 90th Birthday last July in Hawaii. My husband and I live in a retirement community in southern Oregon and travel as often as we can. Christmas this year was in Asia, and this coming summer we will be in Europe. I belong to two book clubs and keep as fit as possible via Pilates. I have not seen my classmates in many, many years, much to my regret. I have so many fond memories of Potomac!”

1949 75th

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

1954 70th

Class Correspondent Tina Knox Radigan elizabethradigan3@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

John Herren wrote to share the passing of his wife, Sally Hand Herren. He noted, “Potomac was a constant throughout her personal and professional life – as a K through ninth grade student, then as a third grade teacher, and then as director of alumni affairs, working with her good friend Chris Hauptman. All three of our children, Lisa Herren Foster ’84, Michael Herren ’96, and Allison Herren ’97, who passed away in 2021, were products of Potomac. Those 10 years working in Potomac’s Alumni Office connected Sally to the community she cherished.

From Potomac came her lifelong pals, including Polly Graham Coreth –they called each other ‘Purp,’ the origin stemming from Sally on the red team and Polly on the blue...thus purple.”

1955

Help keep your classmates connected! Interested in being a Class Correspondent? Email lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Ann Bradley Vehslage shares, “Carrying on, having moved to a retirement home just outside Princeton a few years ago. Ramsay died in 2015, and it was getting lonely and too quiet in my house. My children are Ramsay Jr., who lives an hour away in Madison, where he teaches at the Pingry School, and Murray, who lives with her family of five in Denver. All is well, all things considered, and I feel fortunate. I actually AM fortunate! Sending fond greetings to my classmates.”

1959 65th

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

1960

Class Correspondent

Stephanie deSibour stephaniedesibour@gmail.com

Becky McCandlish Burckmyer went to Iceland for a very long weekend at the beginning of November: “It was my daughter Sarah’s (who graduated from Wellesley in 1996) idea – a motherdaughter trip organized by Wellesley! Lolly

MacMurray-Cooper and her husband, David, were on the trip as well, which added much to our enjoyment. Iceland is a wonder: huge long waterfalls, beautiful beaches, fabulous restaurants, and gorgeous and friendly people. I highly recommend it – when it stops erupting.”

Constance Casey shares, “I’ve just completed a book called Cultivating: an Appreciation of Some Common Plants (self-published, 100 copies for family and friends). It includes some of the things I’ve learned from 20 years of growing trees, shrubs, plants, and vegetables on a few tamed acres, surrounded by wilder acres, in Old Chatham, NY. These are observations rather than advice – no fertilizer formulas or pruning guidance. If I had to give advice to a beginning gardener, it would be: Pay attention. (Also, don’t believe catalogs that say something is low maintenance. Nothing is low maintenance.)

The book has a dedication: To Duryea Morton and Harold Varmus, two good science teachers.”

Laura Fisher Chandler reports, “Jimmy and I have been in Saco, ME, for almost 20 years. I’m working on some projects that bring various tools and materials together

(such as saws, plywood, canvas, paint, and metal leaf). I continue with regular Bible reading and study; it feeds my heart. And at last, I’ve started doing something I find difficult and have succeeded in avoiding for years – planning meals for the week. It’s an adventure!”

Steph deSibour writes, “I am slowly moving away from full-time employment, including 33 years at Ivymount School. I am still consulting for the school and have a few other ‘gigs’ that keep me engaged and mostly out of trouble. It’s both liberating and enriching to have more time for family and friends, travel, reading, and exploring some new activities, in both DC and Vermont.

Inspired by Connie Casey, Becky McCandlish Burckmyer, Lolly MacMurryCooper, and Deborah Shapley Cortesi, I have set a goal to write a short story or essay, for very limited distribution, that will seek to capture some of the funny/ odd/life-changing events of seven decades, assuming I can remember back that far. Most importantly, I thank those of you who have sent in news – it seems that our classmates truly enjoy reading whatever you have to say.”

Eve Auchincloss Lilley shares, “All good here in DC. I am learning the ropes of life without my dear husband, Bill, but enjoying the presence of family and friends. I am still testing children for learning deficits/ ADHD and love my work and my colleagues. I make it to ballet class as best I can these days and, lastly, I love the comfort of my four King Charles Cavalier Spaniels. Yes, four! Perhaps one too many, but I just couldn’t resist. Greetings to all classmates!”

Lolly MacMurray-Cooper writes, “Greetings from New Hampshire, where we often come when our CCRC (continuing care retirement community, for those who don’t yet know) becomes too busy and exciting. Brookhaven, our new home, is just outside Cambridge, so we have a stream of professors to give lectures and musicians to perform concerts. Our new neighbors are very interesting and congenial. I am just getting over a combination of pneumonia and flu (!), so we already appreciate the care that is offered when we need it.

We now have an adorable greatgranddaughter, Felicity, in London, and we delight in visiting her at least twice a year. She is the granddaughter of David’s son, Laurence. As part of his dowry, David brought along two nice sons and four new grandkids! My son, James, lives with his wife, Sara, and their kids, Gabe (15), Gus (13), and Colette (9) in Mountain Lakes, NJ; my older son, Alex, is in Denver with his wife, Naomi, and their kids, Maxwell (16), Gavin (15), and Emily (12). I thought I’d miss the cuddly stage of grandkids greatly, and I do, but it’s wonderful to see and talk to these thoughtful and talented older kids.

I see Becky McCandlish Burckmyer regularly. I keep in touch with Anne Rickert Shields, Helena Holmes Morrison, and Sharon Smith via Facebook.”

Louisa Parker Young says, “Hi, everyone! I got to have a fun catch-up with Steph deSibour over brunch this week in New York. That’s my best news. Cold days with brisk winds have kept me happily inside with no end to pleasurable activities. A book I am enjoying on many levels is Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes From Five Generations of Black Country Cooks, by Crystal Wilkinson. It’s a joy to read the lyrically written memories and stories of this Appalachian family. Many of the descriptions of place and recipes are similar to my own times with my grandmother in our country kitchen. We still have her book of recipes, written in her hand. As children, we too picked

3 Stephanie deSibour ’60, Daphne vom Baur ’60, Louisa Parker Young ’60, and Amy Neel Muzzin ’60 gathered at Oak Hill Cemetery for a tribute to classmate Edie Kauffmann ’60.

’60

blackberries for pies. The summer was a time of canning and lining the cellar shelves with jars for later use. There was jam-making too, using the grapes from the arbor. The author even mentions perfecting the consistency of one relative’s original effort by cooking it longer to thicken it. It’s all in the drip from the spoon, as my mother would demonstrate, proud when she got it just right, which was not every year. I’d forgotten about the wonderful homemade bread with its unique aroma, consistency, and flavor.

I’ll be trying the Chicken and Dumplings from this book, the Hot Milk Cake, and the Skillet Cornbread, as well as the Hearty Sandwich Bread. Plenty to do while it’s still cold outside.

A fortune cookie I just got: ‘Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.’ Good wishes to all.”

1962

Class Correspondent

Deborah Johansen Harris debjohansenharris@gmail.com

Eldie Acheson writes that she went to her house in Bass River on Cape Cod last winter, where she visited with her younger brother, Peter, and his family. Otherwise, she lives in Washington, DC, with her spouse, Emily Hewitt, and continues to be very busy at Amtrak.

Antonia Caccia reports, “I’ve just put three of my old films on YouTube: one on Apartheid in South Africa (1970), one on Gaza (1989), and another one about a Palestinian village (1982).” You can watch the films online at www.youtube.com/@AntoniaCaccia

Elizabeth Burke Dale shares, “The latest member of our family is our oldest granddaughter, from Latvia. She was adopted at age nine by my son, Alex, and his wife, who just got married this past June. He is in the U.S. Army and stationed in Poland.

We continue to do well living in Belleair, FL. We just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. Golf and tennis are our fun sports. I’m active in our Episcopal church, where I just got off the vestry board. I love reading about others from Potomac and wish that we could have a reunion here on the west side of Florida.” Elizabeth saw the Philadelphia Eleven documentary together with her bishop and other clergy and declared it “profound.”

Elizabeth (Betsy) Davison has a studio in an arts complex, Artists and Makers, near North Bethesda that keeps her busy creating her fiber art hangings. About 25 artists share the space, which also offers galleries for exhibitions. She says, “In Barcelona last October, I took a ceramic mosaic class (Mosaiccos), which I loved. My next trip in September, to a medieval Italian town that no one has heard of – Ischia Di Costa – should be fun. The program includes a morning art class and afternoon outings to nearby sites. We will stay in renovated medieval houses and eat in local restaurants, the idea being to support revitalizing formerly abandoned villages. A big part of my urban planning career was revitalizing older communities, so this trip continues that effort!”

Carol Eakin-Burdette reports, “I spend my time visiting kids and grandkids, serving on some boards and committees, reading, enjoying lectures, gardening, hiking, and golfing; also still skiing, but on intermediate slopes these days. Life is good right now.”

Deborah (Deb) Johansen Harris hosted a Zoom reunion for 10 classmates last February and loved hearing everyone’s news. She still cares for her husband, Ted, at home, where he receives hospice nursing. Deb says, “We enjoy listening to streaming classical concerts after meals, which he loves as much as his chocolate ice cream. I am enjoying my art classes, where I paint watercolors in the company of a dozen or so other women artists. Speaking of artwork, I am the proud owner of two of Betsy Davison’s fabulous fiber art wall hangings.”

Rachel Kitzinger says, “The only thing I can think of to share is the success of our local Democratic effort to win a majority on the town board and the position of town supervisor in Poughkeepsie for the first time in about 20 years. For once, I felt that knocking on doors and driving people to the polls actually made a difference; all the Democratic candidates won by very slim margins (and one lost by only three votes!) Farther afield, Eamon and I went for a two-week trip last January to Ireland, where we have a house on the Renvyle peninsula in County Galway. We’d never done that before and probably won’t do it again, as we were barely able to set foot outside our cottage without being washed or blown away by storms!”

3 Elizabeth Burke Dale ’62 and Lewis Dale on their 50th wedding anniversary

3 Quilt by Elizabeth Davison ’62, titled So It Begins ’62

’62

Eleanor (Bobbie) Lanahan reports, “I am going to take some workshops at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center this summer and couldn’t be more excited. One workshop is ‘Writing for Witches’ – most up my alley! I am having such fun writing and illustrating books for friends and family.”

Deena Breed Larlee and her husband, Howard, still run Orange Cycle in Orlando, and she notes that there have been lots of changes. She says, “The bike business is not very predictable, as there is always a different group of customers we cater to. A recent high point was Orlando hosting the first-ever Olympic Team Trials Marathon, with the top runners going to Paris on the USA Olympic team. It was very cool. Also, we have two nieces staying in our guest house while they attend college in Orlando. We are counting on them to teach me the new technology,” she says with a laugh. And we always loved that famous laugh! Additionally, Deena traveled to Morocco last fall. She visited the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara (where she rode a camel), and toured Casablanca.

Katherine Marshall sent this news: “It’s wonderful having my two children and their families now living in Silver Spring. I am still teaching at Georgetown University, and I’m also co-directing a United Nations Association Graduate Fellows Program focused on the challenges facing the UN. I remain immersed in the G20 Interfaith process, with Brazil the 2024 host of the G20 Interfaith Forum. Georgetown is about to embark on a two-year program that is centered on Catholic Sisters from Africa and their roles in women’s empowerment, and I will be deeply involved.”

Carol Mattusch went to southern Italy last February to conduct research for her book on the earliest (18th century) finds of ancient frescoes, marbles, and bronzes from Herculaneum on the Bay of Naples. Her study will be about the first illustrated publication of these discoveries, commissioned by their owner, King Charles VII of Naples and Sicily; only three copies were printed. Carol, who chairs the International Committee on Ancient Bronzes, will also attend the 2024 International Congress of Ancient Bronzes this fall in Athens.

Louise McVickar Marx reports, “We were in Florida until mid-May, waiting for the nice weather up north!”

Rosemary Merriam shares, “We plan to move to New Mexico but are still in Austin. The real estate market shut down when we originally put our house on the market, but it is now showing some activity. We have had one unacceptable offer and are waiting for a better one.”

Nina Nitze Moriarty writes, “My only tidbit of news is that Marshall and I are enjoying the time we have with our children and 12 grandchildren, who range in age from 9 to 19. They try to keep us abreast of the modern world by exposing us to new technologies, new music, new pedagogy, new science, new slang, etc., in hopes that we do not ossify.”

Elizabeth (Liz) Murray Platts writes, “I did a little work for Maret School admissions last winter and enjoyed Zoom art classes and lectures. It’s all about good books, engaging streaming series, and comfortable shoes, so feel free to send me recommendations. I hope to start traveling again – and I love seeing Potomac friends.”

Marianna (Mimi) Merrill Russell continues to teach at the Renaissance Institute, a collegial community of lifelong learners over the age of 50, at Notre Dame University of Maryland in Baltimore. Last winter she taught a class on the Bloomsbury Group, partly by Zoom and partly in person. She also joined a group of five members who meet monthly to discuss articles of their choosing from The New Yorker magazine.

Anne Darneille Snodgrass spent three weeks after Christmas in Buenos Aires, visiting her oldest daughter, son-in-law, and two grandchildren. The family moved to Argentina when her son-in-law was employed as a civil engineer at a lithium mine. Anne notes, “I’d never been there before and loved it. The food was great.”

Anne and her husband were in Vero Beach on the east coast of Florida during the winter, enjoying lots of tennis and bridge. They are in Washington, DC, in the fall and spring and in Naples, ME, during the summer.

Rhea Topping writes, “John Wathen was one of my favorite classmates, as was Sandy Hawes. When I submitted this news note, I was busy watching daffodils popping up and a pair of returning Canada geese setting up housekeeping on my pond. I hoped to get to Patagonia before May 1, when the fishing season ends!”

John Wathen recently joined his classmates on Zoom for the first time. Deena remembered John from Mr. Seely’s thirdgrade class! Living near Washington, DC, John works for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water, where he focuses on water technology to prevent contamination of fish populations.

John shares, “There have been lots of Potomac friends in my life and there still are. The fortunes of life keep me in touch with my cordially separated spouse, Axie Noyes ’64, and my friend Barbara Franklin ’63. Barbara resides in a healthcare facility in Silver Spring,

3 Katherine Marshall ’62 with her family

0 An illustration by Bobbie Lanahan ’62 from her ever-evolving book about witches

and I try to keep her stocked with ham sandwiches and the like. On a sadder note, I am still feeling the loss of my oldest friend in life, Sandy Hawes (brother of Harriet ’50, Sue ’52, and Matthew ’56), whom I believe I met at Hilltop Nursery School (before Potomac) in DC, where Betsy Davison was also enrolled. I attended Sandy’s funeral in Rhode Island last November and renewed acquaintance with his older sister, Harriet Hawes Savage ’50, and the legion members of my late friend’s extended family, including his son, Alex, and daughter, Ellen. What a lovely and robust family!”

John adds, “My sister, Vee Wathen Sheehan ’59, is well and will celebrate her 80th birthday this year. I have five kids and 10 grandchildren, about half of whom met a few weeks ago in Florida as part of a U.S. visit from Germany by my daughter, Diane, her two-year-old son, Henry, and husband, Jan Vogelpohl. That Henry is something else.”

1963

Class Correspondents

Marisa Knowlton Domeyko mdomeyko@comcast.net

Anne Williams annegw200@yahoo.com

We express our deepest gratitude to Marisa Knowlton Domeyko for her steadfast leadership and dedication to the class of 1963, especially in her role as Class Reunion Chair, leading classmates through a remarkable 60th reunion journey. Marisa’s continued commitment has been instrumental in keeping the class connected and thriving. Thank you, Marisa!

I am sad to report that our dear classmate Louise Sellon died of complications from COVID and pneumonia on November 24, 2023. She was affectionately known by many of us as Kim, Kimmie, and Weezie. We remember her as a smiling “sprite” with a passion for the theatre and a love of guinea pigs! Linda Stillman compiled comments and memories from several of us classmates and sent them to Weezie’s husband, Chase Newhart. She will be missed.

Our class celebrated its 60th Reunion last October. In attendance were Delia O’Connor, Diane Kefauver, Leni Chapman Preston, Maria Franco Granquist, Marisa Knowlton Domeyko, Sharon Collins Park, Wiley Jarman Grosvenor, and Zan Smith Thomas

In other news, Wendy Neel Ellsworth writes, “I traveled back to Kenya in January/February leading a team from Morning Star Rotary Club of Bethlehem, PA, to check on the status of our Global and District Grants located in two areas of Kenya. I also got to visit with the two girls whose education I’m currently sponsoring and a few of the young women who have already graduated from university, whom I sponsored in the past. We did service projects while there, which made the trip even more fulfilling. I am so impressed with the work of Rotary Clubs on both the local and international levels.”

Wendy Neel Ellsworth ’63 in Kenya 7

0 Maria Franco Granquist ’63, Leni Chapman Preston ’63, Zan Smith Thomas ’63, Sharon Collins Park ’63, Marisa Knowlton Domeyko ’63, Delia (Dedi) O'Connor ’63, Diane Kefauver ’63 at their 60th Reunion in October 2023

0 Members of the Class of 1963 at their 60th Reunion in October 2023

Louise Sellon ’63 and Amanda Kreglow ’63, circa 2016; Louise passed away on November 24, 2023. 7

Delia (Dedi) O’Connor loves being back in touch with the class through the reunion this year, the recent Zoom call, and the periodic emails. She is married to a retired emergency physician, and they live in Newburyport, MA, where Delia goes birdwatching with Audubon groups. From May to October, they play golf and live in the summer community at New Seabury in Mashpee, MA (Cape Cod). Dedi retired about nine years ago from a challenging and satisfying career as a senior executive in several community hospitals in Massachusetts, retiring as CEO of Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, where she worked to help turn the hospital around over a 10-year period. She and her husband went to the Galapagos in April with National Geographic/Lindblad. Her husband, Tom O’Neil, has one daughter.

Anne Williams shares, “I still live in northwestern Connecticut, serve on the board of a little company dedicated to land preservation, grow vegetables, volunteer at church, and play a lot of mah-jongg. It’s a delight to see my newest granddaughter (6 months) explore her ever-expanding world, observe the antics of her sister (2), and cheer on the basketball prowess of her brother (10). During a recent visit to DC, I was able to attend a play reading with Harriet Sweeney Fraunfelter and her husband, Eric, and have coffee with Leni Chapman Preston and Marisa Knowlton Domeyko Thank you, Leni and Marisa, for organizing a Zoom ‘reunion’ with old friends.

On Sunday, February 25, just in time for the spring Term, 16 members of the Class of 1963 gathered for a Zoom meeting! We caught up on one another’s activities and agreed what a gift it is that Potomac has somehow managed to keep us connected through all these years.”

1964 60th

Class Correspondent

Alison Peake alidee1@aol.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Katherine (Kiki) Farquhar writes, “What a busy time of life this is! Like many ’64s, I’m enjoying family (three daughters, six

3 Class of 1963 Zoom on February 25, 2024: (top row, l to r) Leni Chapman Preston, Marisa Knowlton Domeyko, Dede Fryer Hacking, and Anne Williams; (second row, l to r) Diane Kefauver, Margit Sanne Leger, Wendy Millar Phillips, and Delia (Dedi) O'Connor; (third row, l to r) Wendy Neel Ellsworth, Elly Lindsay, Elizabeth Jessup, Edie Warner; (bottom row, l to r) Carol O'Neill, Maria Franco Granquist, Sandra Cuneo, and Linda Stillman

Anne Williams ’63, Marisa Knowlton Domeyko ’63, and Leni Chapman Preston ’63 7

grands); taking a quilting course; living life with my partner, Jeff; and serving on Olney, MD, area committees and community groups. Currently, I am wrapping up Blankets for Babies – a project that shipped around 600 handmade blankets and quilts to Ukraine over the past two years. Best to my fellow ’64s!”

1965

Class Correspondent

Sallie Ayers Barker s2barkers@yahoo.com

Interested in helping your classmate

Sallie collect class notes? Email her at s2barkers@yahoo.com or Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

The Class of ’65 was saddened to learn that Peter Douglas died unexpectedly at his home in Lakeville, CT, in February 2023. Peter left Potomac after eighth grade to attend Deerfield Academy, so he did not graduate with us, but he was fondly remembered in a wonderful class exchange last winter. We all send our best to his wife, Ulrika, and his three children, Matthew, Alexander, and Anna.

Sallie Ayers Barker and Emily Train Rowan are both lucky to have homes on the Maine Coast, which took a serious beating in mid-January. Says Sallie, “Emily’s house on the mainland managed well but our nearby island was not so lucky; we lost our 150-foot wharf that services 22 houses. Much of it was found washed up not far from Emily’s house!

Houses that were built on the island over 130 years ago have never before witnessed such a ferocious tide and our perimeter is much altered, with boulders tossed like pebbles. Thankfully no one lives on the island in winter but access is near to impossible for now. Much to be done, come spring weather, to salvage a spot that has brought great joy to our family for many, many years.

We all know that rising tides and ferocious storms are no longer a rarity for anyone who lives along any U.S. coast. Ours was a minor glitch in the big world picture, but a harsh one nonetheless. Steve and I are ‘paying attention’! We are doing our part to preserve this beautiful world for our four young grandchildren, for the birds, and for our pristine New Hampshire lakes. I am also doing what I can to make sure people have access to ALL the books they want in our local library.

We had a fun musical trip to Nashville last spring with Molly Scoville Fitzmaurice ’64 and her husband, Frank.”

Rick King went to Vietnam and Cambodia for three weeks. He is looking forward to working to elect Democrats across the board in November. He hopes all are well. Rick and Sallie Ayers Barker’s husband, Steve, played many sports together at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire.

Betty Lindsten Mulrey says hello to everyone! Still in New Hampshire, she loves her visits with family in Virginia. She is currently working with students at High Mowing School in Wilton, NH. This school connects students with nature and the outside as much as possible, and they have many traditions reminiscent of Potomac, including plays and May Day celebrations! Betty is also on the board of Wild Rose Farm in Wilton, NH, connecting children to the Earth and to one another with education through farm and forest. She continues her research on social problem-solving and the power of solving problems in groups. Betty’s daughter Katie is an astrophysics university professor in the Netherlands and researches cosmic rays and neutrinos. Her daughter Clare teaches seventh grade science in New Hampshire, and her son, Jack, is a software engineer for the U.S. Government. Betty remains a long-time member of The Boston Revels, which carries on to this day the great legacy and work of its founder and former Potomac faculty member Jack Langstaff She looks forward to plans for the next class reunion, saying, “Our Potomac days were so special! Best wishes to all of you and your families!”

Tim Fisher ’66 with his granddaughter in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, washing a ceramic mural he made there 7

Caroline Killefer Thayer is busy as the grandmother of two-year-old twins, a boy and a girl!

Emily Train Rowan is enjoying retirement and splitting her time between family (including three adorable grandchildren), art classes at Glen Echo, gardening, and travel.

1966

Timothy Fisher writes, “After 58 years, I am tardy getting back in touch. You were, after all, a really good group of people. I have lived in Vermont since leaving Potomac, always working as an artist along with other occupations, including farming, teaching, writing, building, and parenting. We are of an age where we impose photos of our grandchildren; that’s me with my granddaughter in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. We are washing a ceramic mural I made there. Belatedly, I realized that Vermont winters are cold. I now spend the winter in Isla Mujeres. I have become something of a curiosity there with large ceramic murals, benches, and sculptures. Those of you who do Instagram can see some of my work @#timothyfisherstudio. I would be happy to hear from any of you!”

1967

Class Correspondent Tom Macy potomac67@gmail.com

Keep your classmates connected! Interested in being a Class Correspondent? Email lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Ben Fitt writes, “After a long legal career in New York State, my wife, Sherry, and I have retired to North Palm Beach to be near her 92-year-old mother. Last summer, we trekked 150 miles from Siena to Rome, following the Via Francigena pilgrimage pathway. We trained for several months to be able to walk that far over 15 days. It was hard work but with glorious results as we walked through Tuscany. Plus, the food and wine we had along the way were divine!”

David Harvey shares, “I retired early this year after a long and rewarding career as an engineer working in solar energy. I’m 22 years into my second marriage and have one daughter from my first marriage, who is a doctor in Providence. Now I’m trying to shape the remainder of my years while the world around me deteriorates. I send my greetings to friends and classmates from those years long ago when we were kids.”

3 Ben Fitt ’67 and his wife, Sherry Chase, on their walk in Tuscany

1968

Class Correspondent

Kim Holdsworth kimsworth4@gmail.com

Kate Holmes Caldwell shares, “Harry and I welcomed our third grandchild, Ezra, in June 2023, born to our daughter, Alexandra, and her husband, Mike, who live in Minneapolis, MN. To celebrate, I wrote a song ‘Welcome Ezra,’ which I have recorded on my latest CD entitled Blue Jean Day. It’s available through my website, katecaldwell.org. Please take a listen and remember back to those Jack Langstaff music days! Harry and I will head to Ireland this spring to walk the 100-mile Dingle Way; we are looking forward to the beautiful vistas and lively music. Keep singing and stay well!”

1969 55th

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Christopher King writes, “A shout-out to my forever young (in my mind) school chums! As a happily retired therapist, I find it daunting and amusing to have abundant time for attempting to fine-tune my own psyche. Despite never having been eligible for witness protection, I am privileged to enjoy a rather obscure life in Albuquerque, NM, with my spirited wife, Maureen. In October, I had the privilege of spending a night in the lovely home of Steven Wolf and his wife, Lisa. We toasted to our collective health while sharing the peaks, warps, and wefts of our post-adolescent lives. I hope to have a few fresh adventure tales by the time mid-October rolls around.”

1970

Class Correspondent

Jane McAllister McAllister.Jane@outlook.com

Kristin Rose Jaffe writes, “My middle child, Rosalind, is expecting a baby girl this spring, which will make FIVE granddaughters for me. I am teaching away – all Shakespeare this winter, which is just fine with me. I find it funny that I, who found Shakespeare’s plays impenetrable as a student, am now in

Rock ’70, now an

0 Peggy Moorhead Williams ’70, affectionately known as Poppy, and granddaughter, Margot, chilling in the hammock

the business of helping students see that his plays are worth the struggle if they can just persevere. I hope to see our gang sometime soon. ‘We grow old, we grow old.’”

Bobby Rock writes, “All’s well. Spring training is upon us. Dusting off my old scorecard. I’ve been keeping score since first following my beloved Washington Senators at DC Stadium in 1967. I was headed for The Potomac School later that year, thanks to former Potomac teacher Bill Craig, who was my camp counselor at Camp Kabeyun in New Hampshire. Mr. Craig recommended Potomac to my parents, and me to Potomac, and I entered the school in seventh grade. Bill McElwain and I used to enjoy that special brand of Washington Senators baseball; glad we can now say, ‘Go Nats’”!

Peggy Moorhead Williams shares, “Hi Class! I hope everyone is healthy and well. I’m happy to report that I became a grandmother to Margot Palmer Williams on July 18. I finally understand all the fuss about what it means to be a grandparent. I’m trying to find all kinds of excuses to go down and visit with her in New York City. We still live in Cape Elizabeth, ME,

and are currently enjoying traveling/hiking vacations off and on throughout the year. In my 70th year, one thing that is really ringing true is the desire to connect with friends/acquaintances from my past. Please let me know if/when you are in Maine; I’d love to connect!”

1971

Nick Lowery writes, “Very excited to announce that my first book, Naked and Alone with 80,000 People, was published this past March! It honors the Potomac tradition of inspiration to use our God-given gifts and adversity to find our unique purpose. Grateful to The Potomac School for its truly superb learning environment and for my own wonderful mentors and teachers like Mrs. King in ninth grade, who taught us Plato, Socrates, and the Classics – as well as to ask the better question; to transform the world one person at a time; and to bring us together in wisdom, connection, love and gratitude. PS: Go Chiefs! I was able to attend a crazy week in Las Vegas supporting my team, who are becoming a dynasty with their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons!”

0 Kate Holmes Caldwell ’68’s new album, Blue Jean Day

3 Bobby

avid Nationals fan, on his 12th birthday, watching the Washington Senators with his grandfather

’70

Members of the Class of 1973 at their

1973

Class Correspondent

Liza Gookin Hodskins lhodskins@yahoo.com

We are grateful to Liza for being an amazing Class Correspondent for a number of years. She has helped the class of 1973 stay connected and engaged with one another and with Potomac. Liza is passing the torch, so we are looking for a classmate(s) to carry on her good work. Email lmiller@potomacschool.org to continue the tradition. Thank you, Liza!

Heartfelt appreciation goes to our dedicated and committed Class Reunion Co-Chairs, Liza Gookin Hodskins and Keith Ausbrook, for helping to make the Class of 1973’s Golden Reunion a tremendous success. Liza’s

Friends from the Class of 1971 gather for classmate Tom Quiggle’s memorial service on September 30, 2023. (back row, l to r) Anne McClelland Sullivan, Terry May, John Benziger, Mark Tucker, Cary Cochran, and Roxana Day Oppenheimer (front row, l to r) Eugenie Anderson, Kim Shorb, and Steve Freligh 4

and Keith’s unwavering dedication and strong connections to their classmates shone brightly as they worked to create a meaningful and memorable celebration!

John Chester wins my award as an all-time best participant – he has always responded quickly to my Term requests, regularly donates to Potomac, helped contact people for the reunion, and sent us a great Christmas card. Thank you, John! He writes, “So great to reconnect with classmates last fall at the home of Keith Ausbrook and his wife, Kate! I’m still in retirement novelty

wonderland, even though it’s been almost two years. Time with our grandkids, lots of travel, tons of outdoor activity. My goal this winter is to ski every mountain in Vermont, having lived in the state for 35 years without visiting most of them. Embracing the senior discounts!”

Nini Redway writes, “Last year saw lots of travel and family visits. A highlight: a week-long river trip down the Middle Fork Salmon River in Idaho with my brother, Jon Redway ’75, his wife, Nicole, and their son, Alex ’32, who is a current Potomac student.”

50th Reunion in October 2023

Nick Lowery ’71 published his first book, Naked and Alone with 80,000 People, in March. 7

3 Members of the Class of 1973 gathered at the home of Keith ’73 and Kate Ausbrook to celebrate their 50th Reunion in October 2023.

3 Members of the Class of 1973 who could not join their 50th Reunion in person were able to Zoom in to their class party!

As for me, Liza Gookin Hodskins, I’m also enjoying those discounts and free time; how I ever got anything done AND worked full time+ puzzles me. Duncan (13) and Cooper (14.5) are still with us, but we’re trying to prepare ourselves for days without dogs. Steve and I hope to do more traveling now that his health issues are more in check. Dad still enjoys reading each edition of the Washington Post and The Potomac Term as he works on a book about his family and his days in Protocol at the State Department. I love visiting my sister in New York and hitting the shows, piano and karaoke bars, and swing dance clubs, and wondering if I should have gone to a school for the performing arts after all! We hit three more state fairs (we just need another five to make all 50), and we’re enjoying our time in Rehoboth when we’re not fixing up the house.

Now that we’ve had our 50th reunion, I’m saying goodbye to my many years as the Class of ’73 correspondent and reunion chair. I’m proud that our class has had the most submissions in most years (albeit with not a small amount of nudging), and that those who made it to our reunions have been happy that they came. I’ve enjoyed keeping in touch with classmates and hope to continue doing so as the years pass. We’ve also created a movement to donate in the names of our deceased classmates who don’t get to have their updates published in the Term each year. We miss them; they are a piece of our continent, a part of our main. I’ll also miss doing Class Notes but am sure that there will be an able replacement to keep all this going. My best to all of you, Liza

Have You Moved?

Please send your updated mailing address to alumni@potomacschool.org.

1974 50th

Class Correspondent

Ann Brown annanna.brown@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 – more details to come. Help lead the revelry! We are looking for volunteers to help Carroll Carter as Co-Chairs for the Class Reunion. Volunteer to help plan your 50th Reunion by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Julie Baldwin writes, “I’m enjoying connecting often with Hilary Stewart, who lives about a mile away from me. We are collaborating around the development of a Healing Center here in Southern Oregon. Amazing how these Potomac connections from so long ago have stood the test of time!”

Nina Chapin de Rochefort shares, “We had quite the gap while living in Switzerland for 28 years, but since we came back in 2021, we’ve had fun reconnecting. We (my husband and I) are currently renting in Folly Beach, SC, for a couple of months; Blake Gardner Cook and her husband have a home here. While we were never

good friends (not sure why!) all those years at Potomac, the common bond has now led us to get to know each other (and our husbands get along too!) so it’s great fun!”

Sarah Holmes notes, “Like North Sturtevant (and not far from him), our new family house in Downeast Maine is near completion. This also means I get to see more of my cousin Nina Bohlen, now in Thomaston, ME. And I’m enjoying being board chair of the Cathedral Choral Society. Come to our concerts!”

Polly Pittman reports, “My (second) husband and I have been living on the family farm in Davidsonville, MD, for almost 20 years, where we are having a blast diving deeper and deeper into issues of agricultural policy and learning about regenerative farming. We run a little vineyard and winery (Dodon) that has expanded to lamb, chickens, and guinea hens, apples, native edible trees, and lots of native pollinator meadows. This year we plan to add veggies.

Competing with my day job as a professor of health policy at GW, I do lots of babysitting for four grandchildren, three of whom live within a half mile of us. With four generations on the farm, and lots of siblings and cousins around, we do worry about becoming too insular. Visits from Potomac friends are thrilling!”

Garrett Randolph writes, “Base-camped in Maine for good, I guess. Been here 30 years or so. Have a farm near Belfast and a cabin by a lake; the last house on a deadend road. I’ve been a stepfather to two kids for 11 years. My daughter is a freshman at

3 Nini Redway ’73 on a trip down the Middle Fork Salmon River with her brother, Jon Redway ’75; his wife, Nicole; and their son, Alex ’32

3 Blake Gardner Cook ’74 and Nina Chapin de Rochefort ’74 enjoying winter life on Folly Beach, SC

Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and my son is in seventh grade. Watching him play soccer reminds me of all the great athletes at Potomac. I met my life partner in grad school. We are opening a counseling center in a month. We sometimes call it ‘The Old Bailey Building and Loan.’ We do lots of outdoor stuff and go to all of the UMaine hockey games. Still super close with all of my siblings. Feel blessed; miss my pals.”

Jane Day Rich reports, “I completed the 520-mile northern route of the Camino de Santiago with my sister Isabel Day ’79 in midOctober 2023, and we’re still talking! I went to a yoga retreat at the end of April in Cusco, Peru. It was my first time doing a yoga retreat and my first time in Peru. Other than that, I’m hunting for a part-time job and volunteering with a literacy program and an adoption grant-awarding program. I hope to see many of you at our 50th reunion in October!”

Sadly, Betsy Harper Danello’s beloved eldest son, Christopher, died last September. We send Betsy and her family our love.

1975

Class Correspondent

Peggy Griffin Begor pbegor@gmail.com

Hugo Blankingship shares, “I live in Great Falls, not far from the old Alma Mater, and sometimes will see Peter Arundel at Gold Cup. I’m ‘working’ on becoming an empty nester with two out of school and one finishing up her third year. Professionally, I started my own firm 30 years ago; it focuses on representing consumers who have credit reporting issues and errors including identity theft.”

Brandon Griggs writes that four decades after college, he’s still plugging away as a journalist – “an endangered occupation that has somehow sustained my entire career.” He is now an assistant managing editor at CNN Digital, where he edits online stories about race, immigration, and culture and tries to find something insightful to say about our increasingly troubled planet. For almost 16 years now, he’s been in Atlanta, which is no DC, but it’s got mild winters, a lively cultural scene, and direct flights on Delta to almost anywhere you’d want to go. In the last few years, Brandon has taken exhilarating trips to Portugal, Spain, Norway, and Morocco, to name a few. He would love to reconnect with anyone who is passing through Atlanta or just feels like reaching out.

Alessandra Humpstone shares that she doesn’t really have anything to report but loves reading what everyone else has to say. She wrote that there have only been a couple of mild snowstorms in New York City in the last 700+ days, so Dickie Saltonstall’s Facebook videos from Alaska look like an “ode to snow.”

Dee Kerr Beshouri writes, “I’m happily married to Joe. He is a DC Superior Court magistrate judge, and I spent my career working as an attorney with NASA Goddard Space Center.” They hope to retire in early 2025! Their daughter, Halle, is currently pursuing a graduate degree in urban planning at University College London.

Dickie Saltonstall shared a reminiscence, “While some folks carefully assembled sculptures of plexiglass, there were a few boys at the back of Mr. Hebeler’s art class building model airplanes. It is captivating to recall the days spent building gliders in art class. Now I am designing wings for hand-held wing sailing, which reduces the aging process.”

Greg Scott shared a photo of himself paragliding off of Signal Hill over Cape Town, South Africa, during a muchneeded vacation with his partner, Julie, in November. He didn’t run into any Potomac folks in (or over) Cape Town but

does recommend a visit for the history, the beauty of the land, and perhaps the sampling of some fine wine and food.

As for me, Peggy Griffin Begor, I was back in Virginia in July, where I ran into Lizzie Edgeworth Cantacuzene and her mom at a memorial service in Middleburg. It was quite a day for me as, despite living in Maryland all my life, I saw classmates from Potomac, Madeira, and Hollins all in one day!

’74

3 Jane Day Rich ’74 and Isabel Day ’79 make it to Santiago de Compostela after 38 days of walking!

3 Greg Scott ’75 paragliding off of Signal Hill over Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2023

Brandon Griggs ’75 at Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah in May 2023 4

Members of the Class of 1978 at their 45th Reunion in October 2023 7

3 The Class of 1978 at their 45th Reunion at Libby Jewett ’78's home in October 2023: (back row, l to r:)

David Greenewalt ’78, Byron Hope ’78, Nat Abeles ’78, Robert McDowell ’78, Gerry Holmes ’78, and Rolf Grimsted ’78; (middler row): Sally Anne Epstein ’78, Mittie Brooks Rooney ’78, Alex Clyde ’78, Susannah Humpstone Michalson ’78, Chris Ross ’78, Julie Twiname Warder ’78, Libby Jewett ’78, Tim Gould ’78, and Wendell Miles ’78; (on floor) Alice MacKenzie ’78, Jane Sommers-Kelly ’78, Sarah Willens Kass ’78, Ann Addison ’78, Julie Campbell ’78, and Lola Singletary ’78. A good time was had by all!

1976

Class Correspondent

Brad MacKenzie bmackb@gmail.com

1977

Class Correspondent

Four Hewes fourhewes@zoho.com

Wendy Arundel writes, “Boston keeps me busy and fulfilled, organizing homes and families. My tiny house is an easy launch pad for action-packed vacations. Last year, Paris; this year, Yellowstone in June and The Hideout Ranch in September. Much love always to my 1977 class!”

1978

Class Correspondent

Julie Twiname Warder batwarder@cox.net

The Class of 1978 is truly exceptional, and what made their reunion even more remarkable was the incredible leadership of Reunion Co-Chairs Robert McDowell and Lola Singletary. We extend our sincerest gratitude for their invaluable guidance in organizing the class’s 45th celebration, setting the stage for an even more unforgettable 50th reunion in five years. Thank you, Robert and Lola, for your dedication and leadership, which helped create a memorable experience for all.

0 Tony Evans ’78, Suzanne Kelley Doswell (LS art teacher), Bill Doswell (science teacher), and Tim Gould ’78. Tim and Tony joined the Doswells in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, in February to celebrate Bill’s 91st birthday.

Tim Gould ’78, Tony Evans ’78 and Josh Rosenthal ’78 in the summer of 1978 near Algonquin Park, Canada 4

3 Brian Homet ’78, his wife, Caryn, and their dog, Clover

Brian Homet writes, “Caryn and I have been living in Northern Virginia (near Dulles Airport) for the past 15 years. The nest has cycled through the empty stage a couple of times in recent years and now serves reliably as a home station for our various travels and adventures. We spend several months

a year in Europe, primarily Eastern Europe, doing leadership and team development for our family of churches. This is a full-circle experience for us, having served in Romania, Hungary, and the Netherlands in the mid1990s and mid-2000s. We feel deeply fulfilled by this work, although our little dog, Clover, finds it annoying that we leave so much. Alas, it was sad to be out of the country for our class reunion. I did run into all-smiles Wendell Miles at July 4 festivities in DC, however, which was a hoot.

I continue to do public speaking, story, and presentation coaching with global clients, which is a lot of fun (except less fun than before. since much of it is virtual these days). I am looking to write more. You can find a couple of short pieces via LinkedIn or Facebook if you’re interested in what’s swimming around in my head these days. All the best to the Potomac community from the Homet clan!”

Jane Sommers-Kelly shares, “My fall 2023 highlight was seeing many of you at Libby Jewett’s house. Catching up on our lives and next steps was rich, including Libby moving her Wind Energy expertise to Vermont and

Tim Gould managing portfolio companies. Yes, business-geek Jane liked talking about the world we work in!

My CEO Peer Group remains a passion project, as I get to see and experience each member’s steps to improve their company and team leadership, be it by integrating a new business and its leadership or focusing on a specific repeat client segment. My two sons have made new career steps: the eldest into D1 tennis coaching (leaving his corporate NYC job), and my second son to play football/soccer in England at Crawley Town FC (same league as Wrexham).”

1979 45th

Class Correspondent

Anita Winsor

anwinsor@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Co-Class Reunion Chair with Bill Hoffmann by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org

Marcia Brown, Damaris Abeles, Barbara Greenewalt, and Kathy Cox have been in touch for the past few years. Marcia and Kathy ran two 5k races together in 2023, Damaris and Kathy visited each other with some frequency, and the three of them enjoyed brunch together post-races. Marcia visited Barbara in Vermont last summer, and Barbara has been cheering on the running and sharing in the company from afar. They keep up a text thread, and love being connected with dear Potomac friends!

Isabel Day and her sister Jane Day Rich ’74 completed the 520-mile northern route of the Camino de Santiago together in midOctober 2023.

Congratulations to Chris Kennedy, who welcomed his second grandbaby, Atticus “Ace” Christopher Kennedy on February 5 in Alexandria, VA! Father and mother (Chris Kennedy Jr. and Erin Kennedy) are doing great, as is Ace’s big sister, Lenny Kennedy.

Anne Metcalf writes, “Dear Classmates, How did it get to be 2024? 2023 was a great year on all fronts. It included a spring trip to Egypt –

Tim Gould ’78 and his wife, Deanna, with Ian McIlvaine ’78 and his wife, Victoria, near Paso Robles on February 13 where they were wine tasting

0 Jane Sommers-Kelly ’78 with her husband, Robert, and two sons, Robert and Jeremy

3 Chris Kennedy ’79 and his grandchild Atticus "Ace" Christopher Kennedy

3 Damaris Abeles ’79, Barbara Greenewalt ’79 and Marcia Brown ’79 in Bethesda, MD, in April 2022

3 Kathy Cox ’79 and Damaris Abeles ’79 at Long Branch Historic House in Virginia in December 2023

which, as some of you may remember, was for a time my childhood home – with sons Jack Stoody ’20 (currently at Wake Forest) and George Stoody (formerly Potomac Class of 2024, currently at Andover). My boys are doing really well. Last summer, Jack interned at Ball Aerospace, and George rowed and interned at the Swedish Embassy. Hard to believe they both will be graduating this year, George moving on to Cornell and Jack into the working world.

As for me, I’m grateful for longtime and new nonprofit clients, as well as writing and local advocacy projects. Happy to have had longtime Potomac friends Sandra Blinoff Sassow ’76, Lola Singletary ’78, and Sally Anne Epstein ’78 here for my 60th, and Cindy Ewing here for our New Year’s celebration. I hope you’ll read my ‘interview’ with beloved former secondgrade teacher Wendy Paulson in the winter Llama Notes (you can find it on the alumni page of Potomac’s website) and join me for a reunion with her when she’s next in the DC area.”

Anita (Dede) Winsor reports, “I went to Buenos Aires in December for the inauguration of Javier Milei, the world’s first libertarian president. It is a rough road ahead, but the Argentines seem hopeful. As an empty nester with both kids in college (USC and Hampden-Sydney), I have channeled my maternal instincts by fostering dogs from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue.”

3 Patrick Hewes ’80 and Ming Siu ’80 were very happy to catch up, briefly, in Cabin John over the holidays.

1980

Class Correspondent

Rylan Harris

rylan.r.harris@gmail.com

1983

Class Correspondent

Eric McGuire

emcg.dcfd@gmail.com

David Bryant is back in California, spending lots of time lost on the coast chasing sunsets.

Nick Goldfarb enjoyed catching up with Douglas Kennedy at a New Year’s Eve party that Nick hosted.

Share with us!

Send your news to your class correspondent; their contact information can be found at the top of your class year. If no correspondent is listed, email your updates to term@potomacschool.org or mail them to Alumni Office, The Potomac School, 1301 Potomac School Road, McLean, VA 22101.

We want to hear from you!

A heartfelt thank you goes to our exceptional Class of 1983 Reunion Co-Chairs, Victoria Frankhauser Esposito, Renée Lettow Lerner, and Eric McGuire. Their hard work and dedication were outstanding, bringing many classmates together for both the activities on campus and the Saturday night class party. We are grateful for their tremendous enthusiasm and effort, which helped to create unforgettable moments for the Class of 1983!

Ken Berlack writes, “It was really great seeing the Class of ’83 group at Reunion! I am enjoying life with family in Ellicott City, MD. My wife, Kathryn, and I have two boys – one in college and the other a high school junior. Come visit the historic Ellicott City downtown!”

Than Christie is currently living in Lima, Peru, with his spouse, Danielle, and kids Paramo (8) and Anita (6). He works remotely for a USAID office that engages in countries undergoing fast-paced political changes, advising on Latin America and the Caribbean. The family arrived in Peru in 2021 and will be moving again in summer 2025 because of Danielle’s USAID foreign service career. Than spent 23 wonderful years with the US Embassy in Colombia, and despite his time abroad and “deep-seated communicative failures,” carries his Potomac ’83 classmates closely in his heart while far from home. He cherishes the Gum Tree Field and countless other pre-Panther memories.

In 2023, Valerie de Liedekerke relocated from Sweden to Portugal, just outside of Lisbon. She is working for the Atlantic International Research Centre, helping to discover marketable marine restoration solutions. She organizes weekly webinars on lots of diverse ocean and water topics; they can be found on the YouTube channels for AIRCentre and BlueMissionAA-CSA.

In February, the Potomac community stepped into the riveting world of legal history with the brilliant Renée Lettow Lerner, author of The Jury: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2023). In her presentation, Renée touched on many of the book’s themes, including the global use of juries throughout history and the advantages and drawbacks of jury trials. Her deep knowledge of the evolution of juries and her gift for storytelling combined to create an informative and fascinating program.

A tip of the hat also goes to Renée’s distinguished brother, Dr. Paul Lettow ’95, who moderated the thought-provoking Q&A session that followed her presentation.

Than Christie ’83’s children, Paramo and Anita 4

3 The Class of 1983 at their 40th Reunion in October 2023

3 The Class of 1984 is gearing up for their 40th Reunion this fall!

James Quigley ’84 scouring the Shenandoah for “where are they now?” lost classmates. 7

Mary Day Fitzgibbon ’84 and Megan Willems ’84 are excited to see all of you this fall! 4

1984 40th

Class Correspondent

Mary Day Fitzgibbon mdfitz13@gmail.com

James Quigley jspquigley@gmail.com

Jennifer Sergent jensergent630@gmail.com

Remember that time back in ’84? That’s okay, we don’t either, but that won’t stop us from celebrating the Class of 1984’s 40th this October 18-19! Come one, come all, and let’s make it memorably entertaining.

Logistical questions? Activity ideas? Venue suggestions? By all means contact James Quigley or Mary Day Fitzgibbon, we’d love to speak with you. Or email your thoughts to Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org

In November, Ali Shapiro Cudby received the University of Pennsylvania’s Alumni Award of Merit, which is the highest honor the university confers upon its alumni. Fellow alum Teddy Shapiro ’86 crossed the country to support his sister’s achievement.

Congratulations to Dodi Wexler on her brilliant show in Boston. When not featured in a gallery, Dodi’s unique and exceptional work can be admired on her gorgeous website, dodiewexler.com

1985

Russ Gebhard shares, “I was a member of a championship-winning adult baseball team in January at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, FL! I enjoy playing baseball three to four weekends a year at

various baseball stadiums along the East Coast, including nearby Aberdeen and Salisbury, MD.”

Matthew Jackson writes, “I am wishing everyone a lot of blessings and joy for ’24 and more! I have been working as a pharmacy technician inventory specialist for CVS Health; this March, I will have been with the company for 7 years. I hope everyone is enjoying life and making a positive difference when they are able. Take care!”

1986

Class Correspondent

Robert Cheek rmbcheek@gmail.com

Do you want to help Rob collect class notes? Contact Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org to learn more.

Holly Green Gordon shares, “I am living on the Upper West Side of NYC with Pete, my husband of 25 years(!), and our dog, Maisy. Both our kids are at St. Andrews University in Scotland and love it. I get to see them often because my work for the Sean Connery Foundation takes me to Scotland, which is an added bonus.

Ali Shapiro Cudby ’84 at the UPenn Alumni Award of Merit Gala

3 Dodi Wexler ’84 and Chrissy Coughlin ’85

3 Russ Gebhard ’85 was a member of a championship-winning adult baseball team in January at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, FL.

Sadly, my amazing mother passed away in November, so Dominic Green ’84 and I have been sorting through her affairs together. We are lucky that my dad is still with us – going strong at 101 years old, and living in the same house in McLean.”

Alexandra Howar writes, “I work remotely for a great company, travel a lot for work, and spend my time between DC, Florida (to visit my mom), and Puerto Rico. It’s great fun, but I miss our happy times at Potomac. Love to all of my classmates!”

1990

Carrie Willwerth Brogden writes, “Would you ever guess that we would own a thoroughbred racehorse breeding farm in Kentucky? Craig, my husband, is Australian, and I have three great kids. Reece is 21 and a junior at the University of Kentucky studying computer science. Isabelle is 19 and a freshman pre-med student at Auburn. Layne, our youngest, is 17 and showing jumpers all over the East Coast, hoping to one day become a Grand Prix rider. We have three Pomeranians, a Samoyed, and a cat and live in downtown Lexington, KY. It’s nice to catch up with many of my classmates through their Facebook posts, and we will always welcome visitors to the horse farm!”

1991

Class Correspondent

Thea Lehming Brandt thea.lehming.brandt@gmail.com

1992

Class Correspondent

Ama Amoako Adams ama.a.adams@gmail.com

Do you have new digs or a new email address?

Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events. Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

1993

A heartfelt thank you to Nayan Bhula and Leah Quadrino, Reunion Co-Chairs, for their invaluable assistance in organizing a memorable celebration for the Class of ’93’s 30th milestone. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, many classmates came together to reminisce, reconnect, and have fun. Thank you, Nayan and Leah, for your outstanding efforts!

1994 30th

Class Correspondents

Will Lamb wlamb76@gmail.com

Ashley Walde agwalde@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

0 Classmates Tim Wisecarver ’91, Ryan Smith ’91, Tallman Johnson ’91, Masud Khan ’91 and Bill Barton ’91 gathered in Arlington for a late 1990s movie night. Hardy laughs and fond memories of Potomac were shared.

Barclay Saul shares, “I co-founded Kyrgies with Steven Anderson ’98 in 2017. Kyrgies imports and sells the finest felt slippers in the world, made by a women’s art collective in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. You may have seen us in Forbes, or AFAR, or on Good Morning America. We are now based in Richmond, VA, so if anyone is in Richmond, please say hello.”

Sandy Gentles writes, “We celebrated our third New Year’s in Baltimore! Started this year opening Innisfree Consulting, an HR consulting firm focused on hospitality staffing and retention. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion!”

Erin Ricker Ansell reports, “After four-anda-half years in Senegal, we are swapping our French for Arabic and moving to Egypt as of July. We will miss Dakar but are quite excited for our next adventure. When I’m not coaching soccer (amusing given, as many will remember, I played field hockey), I am working as the Africa regional renewable energy adviser for the UN Office of Project Services. Come visit us in Cairo!”

3 Members of the Class of 1993 at their 30th Reunion in October 2023

James, Sandy ’94, Kate, and Laura Gentles at home in Baltimore on New Year's Eve 2023 4

1995

Class Correspondent

Erin Vagley esv5a@yahoo.com

Erin Vagley wants a partner to help her collect class notes! Contact Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org to learn more about this great way to support your class.

1996

Do you have new digs or a new email address?

Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events! Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

1997

Class Correspondent

Elizabeth Race Terborgh elizabethrace@gmail.com

Next spring, Alyson Cambridge will return to the Washington National Opera as Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Performances will be at the Kennedy Center on May 24, 25, 26, 30, and 31, 2025. Alyson hopes the Potomac community will come out and enjoy the show! Visit kennedycenter.org for more information and tickets, and read our feature about Alyson on page 18 of this issue of The Term

In February, Potomac’s third grade celebrated the completion of its Science Fair with an on-campus STEM “field trip.” Abby Sullivan brought her invention, WunderNook, to Potomac and led the students in a building challenge. WunderNook is a large-scale building system that encourages the development of STEM and social-emotional skills for older students, but it can also be used to build a wide range of pretend play structures, like a lemonade stand, puppet theater, and play kitchen. The students had a blast, and Abby was incredibly impressed with the creativity, teamwork, and communication skills the third graders put to work!

0 The Class of 1998 at their 25th Reunion in October 2023

1998

Class Correspondent

Jessica Ohly jessicaohly@gmail.com

Deep gratitude goes to Reunion Co-Chairs Elena Sylos-Labini and Chris Lewis for their invaluable efforts in bringing the Class of 1998 together to celebrate its 25th reunion. Thanks to their dedication, many classmates came together on campus to share cherished memories and catch up on all the news! Elena and Chris worked hard, demonstrating outstanding commitment to making this reunion a meaningful and memorable event for all. A highlight of the weekend was the sing-along with Jerry Rich, under Chris’s able direction!

Elizabeth Stewart lives in NYC, as she has since 1998. She works as a real estate agent with Compass and has a 10-year-old daughter, Paloma. Elizabeth and Paloma recently traveled to Belize and to Guatemala to see Tikal. Elizabeth had a wonderful time singing with faculty member Jerry Rich and fellow alums at Reunion and sends her best to all of her classmates.

1999 25th

Class Correspondents

Sahar Batmanghelidj saharbatman@gmail.com

Christian Gomez christian.gomez@gmail.com

Get ready to join in on the excitement! Join Reunion Co-Chair Reed Landry to help make the Class of ’99’s 25th milestone Reunion in 2024 the most memorable yet. Mark your calendars for October 18-19 for on-campus events, and stay tuned for more details! Interested in becoming a Reunion Co-Chair? Reach out to Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

3 Potomac faculty member

Sharyn Sten incorporated a toy bus into Lizzie Copson ’01 and Mike Banks ’99’s wedding ceremony, as they met on the Potomac school bus as kids!

0 Abby Sullivan ’97 brought her invention, WunderNook, to Potomac's campus to lead third grade students in a building challenge.

2000

Class Correspondents

Maura Myers Bisogni maura.bisogni@gmail.com

Jonathan Haworth haworth.jonathan@gmail.com

Jonathan Haworth, a London news editor with ABC News, received the Edward R. Murrow Award – one of journalism’s most prestigious honors – for Best Digital News Nationally in 2023. The Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise, and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.

Over his 11-year career, Jon has produced hundreds of stories, written thousands more, and commissioned and edited exponentially more than that, working for almost all of the major news outlets in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Jon thanked his mentors and colleagues for their help, support, and guidance in making him a better journalist. Have a look at the Spring 2022 issue of The Term Magazine to read more about Jon’s journey.

2001

Class Correspondent

Stirling Kelso Neff stirlingkelso@gmail.com

Skip Calvert returned to Potomac to assist the chief operating officer of Five Guys, Potomac parent Sam Chamberlain, in a talk with high school students in the Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) Concentration.

On November 2, 2023, Lizzie Copson married Mike Banks ’99 at Sky Meadow State Park in Delaplane, VA. Potomac faculty member Sharyn Stein officiated the wedding and brought fellow faculty member Brian Parry with her as a surprise guest. Brian was both Lizzie and Mike’s fifth grade teacher. Mike and Lizzie met on Potomac’s Reston Bus, which they rode to school every day from the fourth grade for Lizzie and the sixth grade for Mike until they graduated.

Caroline Leith DeLancey and her husband, Billy, welcomed their fourth child, Eugene “Leith” DeLancey, on February 9, 2024. Leith is already getting tons of love and attention from his three adoring sisters!

David Hawkins was invited back to campus by faculty members Cort Morgan and Amanda Cannell-Boone to visit with and teach a painting class and a drawing class. Amanda shared, “He was so thoughtful, insightful, and generous with his knowledge and ideas. David is a practicing painter and printmaker and lives with his family in Charlottesville. It was also special for me because he was a classmate of my oldest son, Tom Cannell.” To see David’s work go to

0 Kathleen Kiernan Harnden ’00 shared, "We had an incredible time at the 2024 Potomac Scholarship Auction, Bloom! It was a lovely evening with classmates, alums, and fellow Potomac parents!" She was joined by her husband, Ivan Harnden; parents, Joe and Sharon Kiernan; and sister and brother-in-law and fellow Potomac parents, Meaghan Kiernan Sparkman ’05 and Charles Sparkman ’05. It was a family affair!

Copson

4

3

Lizzie

’01 married Mike Banks ’99 at Sky Meadow State Park in Delaplane, VA. Potomac faculty member Sharyn Stein officiated.

3 Skip Calvert ’01 and Potomac parent Sam Chamberlain recently spoke with students in Potomac's Economics, Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Business (EFEB) concentration.

David Hawkins ’01 with Potomac faculty member Amanda Cannell-Boone when he was on Potomac's campus to visit with art classes this winter; he is a practicing painter and printmaker.

Olivia (3), Ella (5), Leith (2 weeks), and Annie (2) DeLancey, children of Callie Leith DeLancey ’01 and Billy DeLancey 4

www.davidwilsonhawkins.com. Additionally, David is currently the director of philanthropy at Generation180, a nonprofit promoting sustainable energy.

John Ohly was proud to support his wife, Kiley, in her hard work as a co-chair and leader of the acquisitions and donations effort for Potomac’s 2024 Scholarship Auction. The event brought together more than 450 parents and alumni – including a strong contingent from the Class of 2001 –to raise important funds for needs-based scholarships and support for the school’s amazing faculty.

Laura Smith shares, “At the end of February, I gave a virtual talk to Potomac seventh graders about how one would plan for an Antarctic expedition at the time when Ernest Shackleton explored the continent in the late 19th century as well as now. The students had all read a book about Shackleton, and I tried to tie in my own experiences sailing in Antarctica with his.”

2002

Class Correspondent

Victoria Sylos-Labini victoriavsl@gmail.com

Do you have new digs or a new email address?

Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events! Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

0 John Ohly ’01 and Kiley Ohly at Potomac's 2024 Scholarship Auction; Kiley was one of the co-chairs of this year's extraordinary event. Congratulations!

Laura Smith ’01, expedition leader, on board her vessel, Hans Hansson, in Antartica in early February 4

2003

Class Correspondents

Aleem Ahmed aleemhahmed@gmail.com

Elizabeth Fabiani Rooney elizabethfabiani@gmail.com

The remarkable Class of 2003 team of Ki Christmas Bullock, Michael Kirkman, Maya Jaafar Lena, and Eric Rosenthal showed exceptional leadership as Class Reunion Chairs. Their dedication brought classmates together to enjoy one another’s company while celebrating this significant milestone. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for their outstanding efforts, which made Reunion an unforgettable experience. Thank you, Ki, Michael, Maya, and Eric!

Maclean Andrew Richardson was born on December 21, 2023, to Nicole and Scott Richardson. Maclean joins big brother Jack, who is in Mrs. Harper’s kindergarten class at Potomac.

Liz Fabiani Rooney has joined Matt Hassett ’04’s company Loftie as chief marketing officer. Liz and Matt partnered with the Alumni Office in March to host an incredible evening program at Loftie’s office in NYC, focused on “Channeling Your Intrapreneur or Entrepreneur Spirit.”

0 Maclean and Jack Richardson, sons of Scott Richardson ’03 and Nicole Richardson

Mayaan Zik ’03 was featured in a billboard campaign by the Orthodox Union fighting antisemitism and promoting the diversity of the Jewish people. This billboard was seen in Times Square in New York City. 4

3 Members of the Class of 2003 at their 20th Reunion in October 2023

2004 20th

Class Correspondents

Claire Robertson robertsonaclaire@gmail.com

Regina Lee Fechter reginablairlee@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Join Mike Amann and Chris McNerney as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

2006

Class Correspondents

Virginia O’Connell Fowler oconnell.virginia@gmail.com Trevor Lewis talewis10@gmail.com

Lizzie Nelson has been busy with her holistic nutrition coaching practice, working with clients on their dietary and lifestyle choices. She works one-on-one with adults and teens, supporting them to better health via nutrition, stress management, sleep routines, and daily movement. Since her work is remote, she recently decided to pick up and work from London for a few months and has been spending time with Trevor Lewis there. Hard to believe they hadn’t seen each other since the eighth grade!

2007

Class Correspondent

Malcolm Dilley malcolmdilley@gmail.com

Want to help Malcolm collect class notes? Contact Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org to learn more.

Stephanie Croghan shares, “I have worked at JLL as a commercial real estate broker for the last decade. I’m relocating to our London office to work on the JP Morgan Chase portfolio for all of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East! I am very excited for my next chapter.

Otherwise, you can usually find me fostering dogs from local shelters or at my favorite boxing studio. I also joined the Potomac Alumni Governing Council and look forward to connecting with alumni in London!”

Briana Evans married Brian Vail in July 2023 in Seattle, WA. They currently live in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood with their dog, Reagan National.

2008

Class Correspondents

Rosalind Fennell rfennell12@gmail.com

Anne Lenrow Kobylarczyk aklenrow@gmail.com

Thank you to Class Reunion Co-Chairs Kat Blackwood Blair and Cate Rooney Schrimsher. The reunion was incredible thanks to your tireless efforts and amazing leadership. Deepest gratitude for helping to make it such a memorable event!

Rebecca Lindner Clarkson and her family recently welcomed baby girl Palmer Huger Clarkson, born on September 11, 2023, in Atlantic Beach, FL, where they now live.

Christopher Ewing is currently working as an assistant professor in the History Department at Purdue University and just published his first book, The Color of Desire: The Queer Politics of Race in the Federal Republic of Germany, with Cornell University Press. He married his partner of 12 years in a Charlottesville parking lot last fall.

Keep in Touch!

Do you miss seeing your Potomac classmates, teachers, and friends? Do you want to know what they’re up to, where they’re living now, and how they spend their time? If you said yes, you are the perfect person to be a Class Correspondent. This volunteer role is a great way to stay in touch with classmates and help others stay connected too. Interested? Reach out to Laura Miller at lmiller@potomacschool.org to see if this role is right for you!

Briana Evans ’07 married Brian Vail in July 2023 in Seattle, WA. Also pictured are Briana's parents and her brother, Brendan Evans ’10. 4

Rosalind Fennell is currently in the process of transitioning back to Washington, DC, after living abroad for most of the past eight years. She has spent the past six years primarily based in Istanbul, where she was deputy head of programs for Northeast Syria, Iraq, and Yemen at RMTeam International, a humanitarian research and third-party monitoring company. Rosalind looks forward to reconnecting with friends and fellow alumni as she settles back into life in DC.

0 Palmer Huger Clarkson, daughter of Rebecca Lindner Clarkson ’08

3 Members of the Class of 2008 at their 15th Reunion in October 2023

’08 ’08

Sinan Karasapan is finishing his MPH at The George Washington University. He is currently in an internship at the World Bank, conducting health finance research for a project working toward implementing universal health coverage in Tanzania.

Cate Rooney Schrimsher writes, “All is good in Huntsville, AL. I really enjoyed traveling to DC last fall for our class Reunion and am planning a trip to the beach with Molly Jaffe, Katherine Mullins, and Robin Nichols Bradley in the spring!”

2009 15th

Class Correspondents

Isabelle Conner isabelleconner22@gmail.com

Phillips Mitchell phibitz@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

2010

Class Correspondents

Tori McCaffrey tori.mccaffrey@gmail.com

Maggie Nelsen carrington.nelsen@gmail.com

Do you have new digs or a new email address?

Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events! Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

Maggie Nelsen reports, “I am currently the assistant director for Global Executive Programs at the Darden School of Business, based in Rosslyn. I recently traveled with Darden to Vietnam for an Executive MBA global residency program, and I am looking forward to traveling to Germany this June to manage another business engagement program.”

2011

Class Correspondent

Marie Henneberg

marie.henneburg@gmail.com

Charlotte Morris

charlottelaurie93@gmail.com

Pato Solutions, founded by Alex Alvarez, is a Vermont-based consultancy that builds software and data solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. The company supports businesses across a variety of sectors and looks for opportunities to grow their solutions into products serving the needs of multiple customers in an industry segment.

Pato Solutions is currently doing active software development for a salvage yard in Vermont and is looking for business partners and industry experts to help them form a balanced picture of market needs. The current application under development will facilitate the vehicle dismantling process by allowing technicians to digitally log the existence and damage of parts they are dismantling into a tablet. This data will then be viewable by inventory managers who can update inventory levels in a streamlined manner. Upon successful completion of the project, Pato Solutions will likely continue to digitize and streamline more aspects of this customer’s business while striving to develop broadly desirable solutions.

Sasha DiGiulian, a world-class rock climber and author of the newly released book Take the Lead, spoke to a packed room in Potomac’s Upper School this past September. In March, Sasha completed her first Ironman 70.3.

Grace Young spoke at SXSW in March about her background as an ocean engineer

at Tidal and the work that organization is doing to protect and preserve our oceans for generations to come.

Grace discussed how the New Blue Economy is emerging as a global movement for ocean-based industries, such as aquaculture and maritime shipping, to shift toward practices that can improve ocean health. She shared how the Tidal team is helping with this transition by developing technology that combines AI with an underwater perception rig that offers unprecedented visibility into aquatic relationships and ecosystems.

Grace built her career as an ocean engineer, has sailed across the Atlantic, and even lived and worked in an underwater lab, studying the effects of climate change on the sea. In her talk, she shared how Tidal’s technology is benefiting the people who work with the ocean every day, including helping aquaculture farmers at Norway’s largest salmon farm, MOWI, make informed decisions about how to care for their fish and the surrounding ecosystem.

2012

Class Correspondent

Jamie Lovegrove lovegrovejs@gmail.com

Mariah Chappell runs development for the film and television production company Story Force Entertainment. She most recently “associate-produced” the docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, which premiered on Amazon in June 2023. Mariah works remotely and has been loving living in Dupont Circle. One of her favorite memories from the end of 2023 was celebrating Lauren Wackerle Hardison’s wedding with so many Panthers!

0 Friends from the Class of 2012 – Charlotte Gerchick Alton, Lily Biggar, Mariah Chappell, Willie Crittenberger, Maggie Duff, and Eliza Warner –celebrated the marriage of Lauren Wackerle Hardison ’12 and Shep Hardison in Sea Island. ’12

0 Lauren Wackerle Hardison ’12 married Shep Hardison in Sea Island, GA, on December 9, 2023.

Members of the Class of 2013 at their 10th Reunion in October 2023 4

Lauren Wackerle Hardison married Shep Hardison in Sea Island, GA, on December 9, 2023.

Jamie Lovegrove married Ali Robertson in Columbia, SC, on November 11, 2023.

Patrick Morris married Tess Castro in Indio, CA, on October 28, 2023.

Kate Perry is gearing up for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris! In her current role in Brand Strategy at the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Kate is preparing for the April launch of Team USA’s newest brand campaign, aimed at promoting Team USA athletes and inspiring Americans to support them on their journey to the games. Once on the ground in Paris, Kate will serve as part of the “team behind the team,” supporting athletes in telling their stories to the world as they compete. Keep an eye out in April for the new commercial and be sure to watch and support Team USA this summer!

Andres Rodlauer married Mary Claire Ecclesine in Kilkenny, Ireland, on October 7, 2023.

2013

Class Correspondents

Soraya Batmanghelidj sorayabatman94@gmail.com

Ellie Gilbert elliegilbert13@gmail.com

A heartfelt thank you to the Class of 2013 Reunion Chairs, Max Ausbrook, Soraya Batmanghelidj, and Claire Figel, for their exceptional leadership and unwavering dedication. We are grateful for their tireless efforts to organize such a memorable reunion. Their guidance and commitment made the gathering a resounding success!

Do you have new digs or a new email address? Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events! Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

2014 10th

Class Correspondent Vanessa Luehrs Hwang vanessaluehrs@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Adam Moses began his legal career at the Georgetown University Law Center in August. He is enjoying school and living in Washington, DC. Outside of school, you can find him hiking with his dog, Lilly, or training with the Northeast Track Club.

2015

Class Correspondent

Tabitha Huff Taylor tabihuff9@gmail.com

2016

Class Correspondents

Arjun Fischer arjunmfischer@gmail.com

Danielle Grae

daniellegrae2022@gmail.com

Gabriel Miller gabriel@millerwalker.com

Do you have new digs or a new email address?

Potomac wants to stay in touch with you, help you stay connected to your classmates, and make sure you get invitations to events! Please help us by making sure your information is up to date. Email your updates to alumni@potomacschool.org.

3 Samantha Stacey Wood ’17 married Carey Wood on August 5, 2023, in Washington, DC.

Potomac faculty member Stephen Wicker at Justine Thoma Snape ’18 and Alex Snape ’17’s wedding with members of the Class of 2017 4

Justine Thoma Snape ’18 and Alex Snape ’17 were married by Potomac faculty member

Stephen Wicker. 4

2017

Samantha Stacey Wood got married on August 5, 2023, in Washington, DC. Samantha’s husband, Carey, is the older brother of one of her dearest college friends. They live in Alexandria and will be getting a black lab puppy this spring!

Evan Jackson spoke with Potomac Upper School students in early March as part of an extended Black History Month program. Evan works as a loan administrator for Capital One in Bethesda, MD, He’s a music fan and loves collecting vinyls.

2018

Emma Lee ’18 hosted an advisory reunion over the holidays in celebration of the Class of 2018's fifth reunion. The alums said it was great catching up and wanted to thank Potomac faculty member Anne Nightingale for being such an amazing advisor! (top row, l to r) Jasmine Terrones, Caroline Hullman, Laila Germanis, Seyoung Hong, and Catherine Burke; (bottom row, l to r) Anika Fischer, Sophia Li, Anne Nightingale, Emma Lee, and Caroline Jackson 4

Class Correspondents

Connor Havermann

cwhavermann1016@gmail.com

Sara Kowalik

sarakowalik2018@gmail.com

Ryan Lovallo ryanlovallo@gmail.com

Jacqueline Olson jaolson423@gmail.com

Gabriela Williams

gabrielaewilliams@gmail.com

A heartfelt thank you to the Class of 2018’s incredible Class Reunion Chairs, Hamilton

Brooks and Amelia Mazloom, for their outstanding leadership and dedication. We are truly grateful for their hard work to bring the class together to reminisce and reconnect!

Connor Havermann moved back to the DC area from Atlanta and is now working as a development analyst at D.R. Horton.

Justine Thoma Snape and Alex Snape ’17 were married in September 2023. Potomac faculty member Stephen Wicker officiated the wedding. Stephen said officiating “was one of the most important and moving experiences of my life.”

3 Members of the Class of 2018 at their fifth reunion in October 2023

’18

’18

2019 5th

Class Correspondents

Margot Labrecque

margot.m.labrecque@gmail.com

Plan to be part of the fun. Reunion 2024 will be held on campus next October 18-19 –more details to come. Help lead the revelry! Volunteer to serve as a Class Reunion Chair by emailing Laura Miller, director of alumni relations, at lmiller@potomacschool.org.

Bayan Mostaghim was awarded a Fulbright Study/Research Grant to conduct research in the Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology (LNB) at EPFL under Professor Ardemis Boghossian. Bayan has been in Lausanne, Switzerland, since this past September, working on his project, which focuses on developing protein-based nanobiosensors.

Sara Fairbank writes, “I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I have officially accepted a position as a new graduate RN for the Medical Intermediate Care Unit at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, beginning in July! I have loved working on this unit as a tech, and I can’t wait to continue my professional journey alongside such amazing coworkers. Thank you to my family, friends, professors, and coworkers for supporting me through the last four years.”

2020

Class Correspondents

Amelia Cook

amelia.cook630739@tufts.edu

Caroline Lay cklay2001@gmail.com

Caroline Otteni caroline.otteni@tcu.edu

Caroline Otteni has accepted a job as a pediatric nurse resident at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, TX.

2021

Class Correspondents

Lucy Goldberg

Lucy.Goldberg.25@cmc.edu

Will Fearey feareyw25@mail.wlu.edu

Rachael Fields rmfields19@gmail.com

Maya Sardar mayasardar1515@gmail.com

Christian Herald shares, “In April 2023, I was awarded the Uplifting Force Award at the University of Richmond’s fifth annual Black Excellence Gala. I would like to sincerely thank the university’s Student Center for Equity and Inclusion for selecting me as the winner of this phenomenal award. The Uplifting Force Award recognizes a student leader who has committed themselves to one or more student organizations on campus, serving as a trailblazer for institutional change while also supporting and guiding other students. I am honored to be recognized for my contributions to the Black Student Alliance and Counterculture Magazine and am excited to continue my service as I approach the end of my junior year!”

Helen Otteni has accepted an offer to join the Project and Development Services team with JLL in DC as an intern for summer 2024.

Emily Raman is finishing her second year at Tufts University, double majoring in biopsychology and human development. She is taking advantage of all that college and Boston have to offer, from ringing in a handbell ensemble to participating in clubs such as the Quidditch team and improv comedy. This summer, Emily will be working as an intern at In-Tune Developmental Therapies, a multidisciplinary therapy practice for children – and she is looking forward to studying abroad in Sweden next year!

2023

Class Correspondents

Mika Dewar msdewar23@gmail.com

Shelby Willcox shelbswillcox16@gmail.com

in memoriam

Peter Douglas ’65

Son of Mary Douglas, trustee emeritus; brother of Kate Douglas Torrey ’62

Christopher Dove ’64

Brother of Peter Dove ’60 and Guy Dove

Laura “Bunny” Burnett Gowen ’48

Katherine “Terry” Graham ’61

’21

3 In April 2023, Christian Herald ’21 (right) received the Uplifting Force Award at the University of Richmond's fifth annual Black Excellence Gala.

2022

Class Correspondents

Bunny Cameron Fcameron@colgate.edu

Emily Raman

Emily.Raman@tufts.edu

Clay Socas robert.d.socas.26@dartmouth.edu

Daughter of Elizabeth Graham, trustee emeritus; sister of Susan Graham ’68, Polly Graham Coreth ’54, and Louise Graham ’52; aunt of Betsy Coreth Bowden ’79, Louise Hayes-Snow ’79, and Charles Hayes ’77

Sally Hand Herren ’54

Former faculty and staff member; sister of William Hand ’51; mother of Allison Herren ’97, Michael Herren ’96, and Lisa Herren Foster ’84

Carol Franklin Holliday ’37

Catherine Yerkes Kulski ’59

Louise “Kim” Sellon ’63

Frances Sternhagen ’44

www.potomacschool.org