Spring 2009 Potomac Term - Potomac School

News On Campus
Potomac Alums Lead
Campus Stewardship Initiatives
Our students, alumni, faculty and parents all
share a close and treasured connection with our
beautiful 90-acre campus. The school’s mission,
curriculum and the very design of its buildings,
old and new, reflect Potomac’s reverence for
nature and our belief in its important contribution
to our children’s education. We recognize
our campus as a gift as well as a responsibility
shared by all of us who enjoy this land.
Through a generous grant from a Potomac
family, Bern Hoffmann ‘86 and Albert Pingree
‘00 are carrying on this great tradition, instilling
a respect among our students for our woodlands,
creeks, streams and open spaces. Hoffmann and
Pingree form a stewardship team that is working
with faculty and parents to integrate the many
ongoing environmental initiatives at school, from
reducing our environmental footprint to responsible
stewardship of our campus to enriching the
outdoor education program.
“The most important step in becoming a good
steward is for each child to learn to love the land,”
says Hoffmann. “One of our first big goals has
been to support teachers in engaging students in
the natural environment and to nurture a desire to
care for it.”
The new program includes an environmental
science curriculum and focuses on creating sound
environmental practices, building on Potomac’s
tradition of hands-on interaction with nature. After
completing a survey of how the environment
is already integrated in our K-12 curriculum and
surveying university offerings in environmental
sciences, Hoffmann and Pingree will work with
faculty and Division Heads to design and expand
curricular offerings.
“I, like numerous Potomac graduates, can trace part of my passion
for the environment to Potomac teachers who often took
us outside. For some it was Dur Morton, who not only laid the
[ facing page ] As part of its campus-wide stewardship
programs, Potomac reclaims downed trees from its
wooded 90-acre campus.
[ top ] Potomac converted its entire bus fleet to more
environmentally friendly biodiesel fuel.
[ bottom ] Students read during a class held outside at
the fire circle.
foundation for the hands-on study of sciences at Potomac
but also created many of the trails that are still used by students
today. For others, Peter Munroe, through his work as a teacher
and naturalist, exemplified dynamic learning at its best. Today,
Cort Morgan, Mary Cahill, Greg Mueller and Cathie Kaplan,
among others, carry on this legacy.”
– Bern Hoffmann ‘86
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Spring 2009 19