Student Snapshot: Zoe Pottinger ’18

“Even though Zoe ’18 is now across the country at college, I still think about her and her lasting legacy at The Bush School every day as I step foot onto campus. Zoe has a magical way of linking together purpose and passion. She is able to recognize a problem, think it through in collaboration with others, and then get to business resolving it. For example, she noticed that Upper School students were lacking spaces to gather and sit in Wissner. At the same time, she saw that a lack of storage was contributing to the scattering of backpacks on the building floors which was unsafe for students, faculty, and staff alike. Her solution? Benches that would simultaneously serve as places to sit and vessels under which to stack bags—a thoughtful, practical, and incredibly Zoe resolution. People, physical spaces, and beauty are important to Zoe. For her Senior Project, she restored the garden on the Gracemont lawn, transforming it into a welcoming and safe space for all. The finishing touch was a rainbow colored sign in memory of her classmate Toby Faber ’18 that reads: “You are all wonderful people.” Scattered across the lawn surrounding the garden are new picnic tables designed for pockets of people to gather together in order to think, create, and simply be. Zoe is gracious and grateful, and we are so lucky to have had her as one of our students for thirteen years.”