The Potomac School - Spill the Beans Please

[Anonymous]

Oh, geez, for once can't we compare schools without parents of either school trying to make their school out to be perfect, not to mention top dog?

Bottom line: there are lots of great schools out there. A great fit somewhere for every family. Each school has unique qualities. Please don't try to say your school is the best!

[Anonymous]

Saying you're happy some place isn't saying your school is the best. Even if you express your happiness with a little gooey affection. When you have a school that works for your child, as it seems the earlier poster has, and your child is graduating, it's natural to try and get a handle on other schools, and whether they too might be a good placement for your child.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Ultimately, there just is no other school quite like Burgundy, which makes choosing an appropriate high school kind of scary!! [/quote]


I gotta agree with the "geez" poster that some parents are just a little too "rah-rah" about their school. Case in point, as seen above. A little too thick. Along with the many readers here, I'd like to see more substance, less flash (more steak, less sizzle) in these posts. We're here to share information, not battle it out about which school is better or do battle in the PR wars.

It would be great if someone else from Potomac could get us back to this most recent direction - and that is, talking more about the Potomac culture.

[Anonymous]

I am a senior at The Potomac School. I am what Potomac calls a "Lifer" (a student who has been there since Kindergarten). If any of you have any questions I'll happily answer them truthfully. I honestly love Potomac and I am so glad that I stayed for 13 years.

[Anonymous]

Was Potomac a "big 3" school when it was in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I honestly love Potomac and I am so glad that I stayed for 13 years.

You have not known anything else. do you not want to say that it is so wonderful to be done with school and just graduate?

[Anonymous]

Holy crap people. Give it a rest.

[Anonymous]

No one commented on the sports programs at Potomac. For most sports -- they're subpar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one commented on the sports programs at Potomac. For most sports -- they're subpar.

Don't they have the #1 football team in their division and state?

They have excellent sports programs. Just because they're not "the best" at everything doesn't make them subpar. These are kids, afterall. As long as they have diverse options and the chance to play, that's superb in my book.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry pp -- you must not know much about the sports programs at Potomac. Most are not good -- there may be a few exceptions from year-to-year. But, if someone is looking to be recruited in a sport and they want to stay in VA --- SSSA is a better choice -- check out the records for the last 5 years. In fact, name 5 athletes in the past 5 years who have been recruited from Potomac...you'll be working a long time to come up with that list. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry pp -- you must not know much about the sports programs at Potomac. Most are not good -- there may be a few exceptions from year-to-year. But, if someone is looking to be recruited in a sport and they want to stay in VA --- SSSA is a better choice -- check out the records for the last 5 years. In fact, name 5 athletes in the past 5 years who have been recruited from Potomac...you'll be working a long time to come up with that list. Sorry.

FWIW, I am not the Potomac student (but thanks to the student for having the guts to chime in on this thread).

Potomac plays in the MAC conference (same conference as Sidwell, GDS, Maret, etc). The football team is currently #1 with a 7-1 record, boys varsity soccer is currently 11-3 heading into the MAC & State Tournaments, girls varsity soccer is 9-1-2, Potomac won both the 2008 MAC and State Championships in boys Basketball, boys won 2009 Lacrosse MAC championship, girls Lacrosse won 2008 State Championship, etc, etc. For a list of all State and All American individual athletes, see here http://www.potomacschool.org/athletics/all-americanall-state/index.aspx

Potomac has a very strong athletics program, and has been getting even better in recent years.

Better get your facts straight next time PP, or risk looking rather uninformed.

By the way, Potomac does not play in the same conference as SSSA so hard to directly compare the schools, but I'd say on balance SSSA probably has the edge in terms of team sports. Might be fair to say that SSSA puts more emphasis on athletics than Potomac, while Potomac strives to balance top academics with strong athletics and a strong arts programs. Potomac is probably better compared with Sidwell Friends as a peer school.

[Anonymous]

PP -- you still haven't named 5 recruits or any for that matter from Potomac

[Anonymous]

13:30 also needs to check facts. SSSAS does play in the same league as Potomac. In fact, boys soccer playing Potomac today. SSSA also plays against St. Albans, Landon, GDS, Sidwell and Maret among others.

Having experience with both schools, SSSAS and Potomac share very similar philosophies and emphasis on academics and sports. Same set-up with the sports programs. Potomac might have a slight edge with performing arts in terms of emphasis.

[Anonymous]

13:30 -- Potomac is a nice school for sure. However, it is no Sidwell Friends. I can't believe you would even make that comparison. Potomac is more like Maret.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP -- you still haven't named 5 recruits or any for that matter from Potomac

Not sure of your point. I can't name 5 starters on the Yankees - that doesn't mean they don't have any great players. I have better things to do with my day than keep up with local high school athletic recruiting patterns... I guess the question is WHY WOULD YOU have any idea of, or care, what players get recruited from other schools??? Are you a coach at SSSA or something??? Your previous post, rather than being a positive reflection on the sports programs at SSSA, seems focused on trying to discredit Potomac's. Makes you look defensive. What are you defensive about? Did your kid not get into Potomac?

I would guess that any of those athletes who are listed as an All American or All State in their sport are likely going to have options to play somewhere, even if it's at a smaller liberal arts or ivy league school. Potomac seems to have their fair share of athletic honorees - especially for a school that's been so highly ranked nationally for its academics.