Potomac High School 3DE Students Make History by bringing home National Title
Washington, D.C. — JA of Greater Washington is proud to announce that five of the 3DE Student Founders from Potomac High School in Oxon, Maryland, won first place in the Arby’s National Case Competition with their innovative presentation and pitch to Arby’s executives.
The Potomac High School team, made up of 9th graders Isaiah Harris, Mekhi Lewis, Raymon Lewis, Trevon Moore and Duvon Palme, competed against top students from DeKalb County, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. The competition took place virtually on February 17, 2021.
The Arby’s 3DE Case Challenge asked students to develop business solutions to better meet the needs or interests of young adults aged 13-17. Students focused on cultural agility as they worked to inform the customer experience and utilized original survey data to drive their decision-making.
3DE by Junior Achievement launched Fall 2020 in partnership with JA of Greater Washington, Prince George’s County Public Schools and Potomac High School. 3DE’s mission is to re-engineer the high school experience to better reflect the complexities of the real world. By integrating relevant content, interdisciplinary pedagogy, entrepreneurial thinking, project/problem-based learning, and authentic workplace experiences, 3DE schools empower students to achieve greater economic opportunity.
Highlight from the Potomac High School Presentation
“3DE to me is a teaching and learning model in which teachers collaborate to deliver the 3DE competencies in their core content areas, and students collaborate to provide solutions to case challenges,” said Dr. Nathaniel Laney, principal of Potomac High School.
Since 3DE at Potomac High School’s inception, the 3DE cohort has decreased chronic absenteeism by 17%; have logged almost 100 hours of corporate engagement with more than 30 industry partners from global, national and local businesses; have logged innumerable hours of coaching and mentorship provided by faculty and staff; and, were featured at JA of Greater Washington’s Washington Business Hall of Fame.
The 3DE Student Founders expressed what the experience taught them:
“I hope to become a better teammate every day as I work in my group with other 3DE Founders. We learn something new every day and have become a stronger group together. I have learned that it takes time and dedication in order to succeed.”
“Communication is key to be a successful 3DE student”
“My goal is to be able to express myself effectively in my experience as a 3DE Founder.”
For more information, please contact Grace Foster, Senior Director of Development, at Grace.Foster@JA.org or 202-777-4485.
About Junior Achievement of Greater Washington
Junior Achievement of Greater Washington is a non-profit organization that is changing the game for D.C. Metro area youth with relevant experiential education in financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. We bring together school systems, business leaders and trained mentor volunteers to provide equal access to the tools, people and experiences all youth need to be 100% prepared for real life in the real world. That means students gain what matters most: control over their own lives, futures, and careers.
About 3DE National
3DE by Junior Achievement is dedicated to expanding economic opportunity and economic mobility by re-engineering high school education to improve student engagement, accelerate academic outcomes, and develop competencies to excel in the future of work. 3DE schools are developed and sustained through joint venture partnerships with school districts, 3DE by Junior Achievement and the broader business community. 3DE launched in Atlanta in 2015 and by 2024 aims to expand to 55 schools serving nearly 20,000 students.
About Prince George’s County Public Schools
Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS), one of the nation's 25 largest school districts, has 206 schools and centers, more than 134,000 students and 22,000 employees. Under the leadership of Dr. Monica Goldson, the school system serves a diverse student population from urban, suburban and rural communities located in the Washington, DC suburbs. PGCPS is nationally recognized for college and career-readiness programs that provide students with unique learning opportunities, including dual enrollment and language immersion.
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