The ReMarker | December 2015 by St. Mark's School of Texas

MORE THAN A BEARD

DREW BAXLEY PHOTO

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS 10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TX. 75230

Diagnosed with testicular cancer as a high school senior, Elliot Chang-Tung ’10 tells his story and talks No-Shave November. PAGE 3

‘OUR SPC CHANCES

ARE LOOKING

G REAT

BECAUSE OF OUR

STRONG

TEAM BOND

ON AND OFF THE COURT’

DECEMBER 11, 2015 VOLUME 62 ISSUE 3

- Senior Jalen Lynch PAGE 29

Three candidates named in search for Upper School head

Break the mold

• See The ReMarker’s special section that discovers the lives and stories of Marksmen who took some of the most unusual career paths. Addendum, Pages 1A-4A

R R EMARKER

He owns an iPhone. He plays a sport. He’s been here for all of Middle and Upper School. His family has at least two cars. His name is Matthew.

INSIDE

PAGE 12

News Malecall Life Perspectives Buzz Commentary Sports Backpage

MXING IT UP

by James Hancock

rom a pool of 29 applicants, three candidates were finalized for the head of Upper School position. The position was left vacant after former Upper School head Wortie Ferrell resigned to move his family back to his home state of Virginia. The ReMarker is not revealing the names of the candidates due to confidentiality issues. The three each met with Headmaster David Dini, Associate Headmaster John Ashton, Director of Finance and Administration Suzanne Townsend and interim Upper School Head Scott Gonzalez, after initial interviews conducted via Skype. “What we were each looking for was depth of experience, potential to add to our teaching core and someone with vision,” Gonzalez said. Each of the applicants underwent interviews with faculty, staff and students where DECEMBER 11, 2015 skills were assessed. their communication VOLUME 62 ISSUE 3 “One of the things St. Mark’s really works on is to try to improve our pedagogical approaches, our communication with faculty and students and making sure the students are safe and are having a positive experience here,” Gonzalez said. “So we looked for someone who basically has great communication skills.” As one of the students who had lunch with the applicants during their visit, Student Council President JT Graass saw that each applicant could relate to the students well. “They all had a background and experience of working with boys ” Graass said. “They weren’t super formal, which isn’t a bad thing, but they were relaxed and having a good time. At the same time, they could talk about serious issues.” Once the selected candidate settles into the school’s community and values, Gonzalez hopes the person will give the school a new perspective. “These kinds of jobs take about three years for the person to become inculcated into our community and our Seeking a head philosophy,” Gonzalez who will be a solid said. “I think what we fit for the school will be looking for in and community terms of vision will be someone who can take a hard look and help us through the daily schedule.” Gonzalez also believes the next head of Upper School will have to make changes that allow students to thrive in search for their passions. “It is evident that with the number of extracurricular activities, along with the rigor of academics, something will have to give somewhere so our students have time to learn and process the information,” Gonzalez said. “I hope the students have their skills honed and their passions found during Upper School, and I believe a strong Upper School head will help students do so.” With the decision likely to be made before the new year, Graass hopes to see a leader as someone who has experience and passion. “I want someone who has good experience working with boys and has a passion for developing boys into men,” Graass said. “And also someone who can make the campus more enjoyable and fun.”

LUMBER-JOHN

As a finalist in the YoungArts competition, senior John Landry won a week-long trip for his Design Arts portfolio.

INSIDE

He owns an iPhone. He plays a sport. He’s been here for all of Middle and Upper School. His family has at least two cars. His name is Matthew.

We brag about having 46 percent ‘students of color.’ We hear the word diversity thrown around all the time. But what exactly is diversity? It’s not just black or white. It’s not just rich or poor. It’s not just Christian or Jewish. It’s all of them and much more. But we rarely look beyond what’s

SKIN DEEP

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because of the subject matter, the student in this story who is on financial aid will not be identified.

or him, having his own closet was “the height of luxury.” Joe’s new room was way better than sharing a bunk bed with his brother — in the same room with his parents. Even though his family didn’t have a lot, Joe always knew where the next meal would come from. The clothes he would wear the next day. The plan for him to go to the next public school. He had what he needed, but it wasn’t easy. Especially when his mom got laid off and his dad searched for another job at Domino’s. But now he’s at 10600 Preston Road with the help of financial aid. Now he knows the next meal is in the Great Hall. The next pair of clothes are gray shorts and an oxford shirt. The next plan is to be the first person with his last name to go to college. He hears all the other kids talking about the colleges where their parents have legacy — a concept completely foreign to him. That’s what makes Joe different. Diverse. Not just the color of his skin or his religious beliefs or his socioeconomic status. Continued, page 16 Because diversity is more than that. STORY PHILIP SMART, WILL CLARK PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

2 10 11 16 21 22 25 32

N new s

CREATIVE COMMONS

BETWEEN THE LINES As this year’s Literary Festival approaches, Hampton Sides (left) and four others prepare to visit campus.

NO SHAVE, NO PROBLEM

Students grew breads to support a worthy cause

A FRIENDLY FACE

Campus police officers tell their stories.

CERTIFICATIONS OR EXPERIENCE? What does the school look for in prospective teachers?

CRIME ON CAMPUS

Two incidents of serious theft recently occurred on campus.

page 4

5 6 7 8

PAGE 2 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 I REMARKER

QUICKhits

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR?

• EUGENE YELICHIN VISITS CAMPUS Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholar Eugene Yelchin visited with students Oct. 28-29. Coming from Russia, Yelchin was able to provide his unique viewpoint to many different groups of students, according to Marjorie Curry, program director “For each group of students, there was something unique to be gained from Yelchin’s visit,” Curry said.

important life skills, such as how to make a sales pitch, while also helping UNICEF,” UNICEF Club President Henry Goldberg said. • OPEN HOUSE HOSTS 800 VISITORS The annual St. Mark’s Open House hosted over 800 potential Marksmen and their parents, a record number, Nov. 5. Upon arrival, guests received talks from a variety of speakers, including Headmaster David Dini

and Student Council President JT Graass, before being released to explore the campus and participate in a variety of different programs. “One of the things that is distinct about open house is that it’s a self-directed program,” Lion and Sword Society President Jackson Cole said. “We had a chemistry show, a planetarium demonstration, history lectures and all sorts of other cool stuff. We wanted to create

a fun, family-friendly experience for everyone.” • CANDY DRIVE NETS 780 POUNDS The annual Candy Drive, held Nov. 2 to Nov. 6, collected 780 pounds of leftover Halloween candy to be distributed across the metroplex. Organizations such as the Salvation Army, West Dallas Community Center and Martin Luther King Community Center benefit from the donations collected during the week.

— James Hancock, Rett Daugbjerg, Austin Montgomery and Noah Koecher

in the

MOMENT events on campus told through photos

DECORATING Seniors along with faculty sponsors JT Sutcliffe and Steve Balog follow senior Sam Eichenwald’s feet (top) as he places a wreath on the commons as the senior class decorated the campus on the last Sunday of Thanksgiving break.

Say what?

the

Around corner what you need to know in the coming week

TODAY What A Christmas Carol When 7:30 p.m. Where Wyly Theatre, 2400 Flora Street

WEEKEND

What Dallas Marathon When Sunday 8:00 a.m. Where Downtown Dallas, Young St.

NEXT WEEK What Author Event with Karl Rove When Monday 6:30 p.m. Where The Bush Library, 2943 SMU Boulevard

CREATIVE COMMONS

• UNICEF TRICK OR TREAT A SUCCESS This past October, UNICEF club members asked various stores in the Dallas area to participate in Trick or Treat for UNICEF by placing collection boxes on checkout counters. Customers could leave candy in the boxes to help provide underprivileged children with money for Halloween. “The event was great because it helped teach our members

PHILIP SMART PHOTO

n Nov. 13, six jihadi militants committed acts of violence that both pervert and undermine the fundamental values of the Islamic faith. Within the week, in response to the attacks in Paris, our own Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement that I believe violates the fundamental values of the Christian faith that he claims: “…the State of Texas will not accept any refugees from Syria…” I’m usually not the kind of person to discuss religion publicly, but I feel like this situation warrants an exception. I’m a Christian, and I feel that to turn away people who need refuge the most goes against the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith. When Jesus instructed his followers to “love thy neighbor,” he didn’t mean “love thy Christian neighbor” or “love thy neighbor, if it’s not too much trouble.” When Jesus told us to “love thy neighbor,” it was with the understanding that loving thy neighbor is not always an easy thing to do. I’m not going to say that accepting refugees from Syria comes DAVIS MARSH without any sort of security risk. But I do think that it is not as dangerous as our governor would have us believe. The refugee screening process is very grueling and takes months, if not years, to obtain clearance to be resettled in the United States. If, heaven forbid, a Syrian national wished to attack the United States, the refugee channels would not be the way to gain passage through our borders. I am further horrified by comments from presidential candidates, like Texas Senator Ted Cruz, suggesting we only admit Christian Syrian refugees into the U.S. enator Cruz’s comments once again demonstrate a perversion of the Christian faith he so passionately claims. As Christians, we are called to help all of God’s children, not just our fellow Christians. In this country, we have come to a point where we have to decide, in the face of great evil abroad, how we can be the best country we can be here at home away from the chaos. I strongly believe that how we handle the refugee crisis will show the world what values our country stands for. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses.” That’s the America I know and love. Because our character and our values are not measured when times are easy. We are defined by how we act in the face of danger and external threats. Because character is about doing the right thing when it would be easier to ignore injustice. Come on, America. Show the world what we’re made of.

stories around campus in brief

What A Season of Stories When All-day Where The Bush Library, 2943 SMU Boulevard

comments made by faculty, staff and students around campus My favorite childhood memory is not paying bills. — History instructor Myles Teasley Japan is like Atlantis but less mythical. — Sophomore Ryan Norman

What Macy’s Tree Lighting When Saturday 6 p.m. Where The Galleria Mall, 13350 Dallas Pkwy.

What Food Bites! Dallas Tour When Friday Where Krispy Kreme, 5118 Greenville Ave. THROUGH THE HEART OF THE CITY The Dallas Marathon is on Sunday morning, starting on Young Street in the heart of downtown. The 26.2 mile race runs through several parts of downtown as thousands of runners will race through the streets.

Don’t test me. I know what color cyan is. It’s UNICEF blue. — UNICEF Club President Henry Goldberg I have to say, two thirds of my Snapchat friends are girls. — Freshman Trevor Burke There’s no dabbing in my class. — Math Department Chair Joe Milliet

Do y’all have a sponsor for vest day yet? Can it be me? — Science instructor Jon Valasek

PAGE 3 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

NEWS

DALLAS CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE

A tale of two cities CREATIVE COMMONS

With the citizens of Houston voting against their Equal Rights Ordinance at the same time the Dallas City Council approved their change, controversy and misunderstanding arose regarding the re-wording of the Dallas ordinance. CHANGING IT UP Downtown Dallas, the economical and governmental heart of the city, has evolved through many changes and modernizations to its city code. Once deserted after business hours, downtown now bustles with street life vibrancy.

t was little more than a tune-up. A refinement of some legislative language. It didn’t really change the laws; it just made them clearer. But when Dallas City Councilman Lee Kleinman ‘77 voted Nov. 10 to update the language concerning protection from discrimination in Chapter 46 of the Dallas City Code, he had a suspicion that this would be treated as more than just an update. “People look for opportunities to hate other people,” Kleinman said. “And this just gave some folks an opportunity to do that.” The ordinance, first enacted 13 years ago, offers protection from discrimination in three key areas: employment, housing and public accommodations. This update makes a clearer distinction in its application between sexual orientation and gender identity. While Kleinman was not a huge proponent to getting this bill to a vote, he feels that it fits in with his efforts to raise equality in all forms throughout the city. LEE KLEINMAN ‘77 Thinks backlash stemmed from misinterpretation

“I have been pretty involved in equality in the city, including making sure that our pension systems provided benefits for all of our employees as well,” Kleinman said. “So equality and benefits for our employees and equality across the city has always been an issue for me.” Shortly before the Dallas City Council’s vote, the citizens of Houston voted

against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), an ordinance similar to the one in Dallas. For Kleinman, however, whether this referendum will hold or not is dubious at best. “First of all, just because there is a referendum or vote does not mean that something that is unconstitutional is no longer unconstitutional,” Kleinman said. “So it is questionable whether the referendum will even hold, especially if there becomes constitutional protection for transgender people. I don’t think that the community there will sit back and just let that referendum further dictate discrimination in the city of Houston.” Kleinman suspected misinterpretations were also a factor in the backlash the ordinance faced; he believes misinformation, over the bathroom rights controversy in Houston was enough to turn people against the ordinance. “Because the ordinance did so many things to ensure equality in the city in housing, public accommodation, employment, but some folks just try to reduce it to bathroom activity, which is ridiculous,” Kleinman said. “So a few people who seem to be hysterical about what happened in bathrooms are interested in dismembering an ordinance that protects people from discrimination.” Even considering the backlash, Student Council President JT Graass feels Dallas is taking a step in the right direction with the modification of this bill. “I think it’s good that we are progressing in that direction,” Graass said. “I think it’s really really good that we’re becoming more [accepting] socially in that way. I do think that a lot of people are going to be for

STAYING THEIR COURSE Voting against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), Houstonians rejected the bill that would have banned discrimination on the basis of race, age, military status, disability and 11 other categories.

it, and a lot of people are going to be against it, of course. But I definitely think that this is the direction that this needs to go.” Though the ordinance has received some criticism for being a vote made by the City Council instead of by the people, Graass feels it is the responsibility of the council to make these kinds of controversial decisions. “I think that the council would have a better grasp of the direction it needs to have,” Graass said, “almost better than the people, because they are representative of the people, and this is just one thing that the council takes care of. I think it’s alright that the council passed that, as long as it’s

Chapter 46 of the Dallas City Code SEC. 46-4 Sexual orientation

means an individual’s real or perceived orientation as heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual or an individual’s real or perceived gender identity.

Discrimination

means any direct or indirect exclusion, distinction, segregation, limitation, refusal, denial or other differentiation in the treatment of a person or persons because of sexual orientation.

SOURCE American Legal Publishing

not harming anyone who would try to veto it.” Graass feels the best way to combat discrimination is through education. “I think it’s a good idea to make sure everyone’s on the same page on those LGBT ideas,” Graass said. “Because I know people who are against it. I’m not, but I know people who are. It just seems like they don’t know the science of it, and they don’t fully understand why that scientifically makes sense.” For Kleinman, the backlash to the Dallas ordinance points to a disturbing trend for the future. “We may be a few years from having to write protections for people with black hair, because all of the sudden, someone decides that all people with black hair are evil,” Kleinman said. “Maybe because witches have black hair, and now they’re going to start discriminating, and we’re going to have to write and ordinance to say you can’t discriminate against people with black hair.” Kleinman feels that is ridiculous. “The Constitution protects all citizens, protects all people and the Constitution protects all people from being discriminated against, but not based on some characteristic,” the councilman said. In the long run, Kleinman hopes the modification will foster an inclusive atmosphere in Dallas. “In the respect that it’s clear that Dallas does not tolerate discrimination, I hope that it has a positive effect,” Kleinman said. “I hope that it attracts corporations that are enlightened as well in how they treat their employees and their customers.”

STORY CORDAY CRUZ, AIDAN MAURSTAD PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, CORBIN WALP, GRAHAM KIRSTEIN

THE PATH FOR CHANGE key stats for the ordinance

11 out of 17 Number of council members in Houston who voted in favor of the non-discrimination vote before the vote by citizens.

Number of Dallas City Council members who voted against the modification of the ordinance to include gender identity.

2002

61 %

225

The year the original ordinance,

not including gender identity protections, was passed in Dallas. SOURCE The Dallas Morning News and HRC.org

Percentage of people who voted against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

The number of cities in Texas that have protection ordinances in place.

Number of cities and counties in the United States that include sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination ordinances.

NEWS

PAGE 4 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER LITERARY FESTIVAL

Kurt Eichenwald ’79

Graeme Wood ’97

Genre of Writing • Journalist and novelist Notable Books • Serpent on the Rock • The Informant (also a movie) • A Conspiracy of Fools • 500 Days Awards Won • Two-time George Polk Award for Excellence in Journalism • Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Notable Jobs • Contributing editor for Vanity Fair • Investigative reporter for The New York Times Recommendation • “Kurt Eichenwald is an accomplished alumnus, and [senior] Sam Eichenwald’s dad, so we reached out to him to come to the festival. He has written several books that tell amazing stories, like The Informant, which was turned into a really popular movie.” -Literary Festival Vice-chair Davis Bailey said. Interesting Facts • St. Mark’s Alumnus ’79 • Two other sons graduated from St. Mark’s

Genre of Writing • Journalist Notable Articles • “What ISIS Really Wants” • “Hell is an Understatement” • “How Gangs Took Over Prisons” • “Scrubbed: The World of Black-Ops Reputation Management” Awards Won • Canadian Community Newspaper Awards’ Best Agricultural Story Notable Jobs • Contributing editor at The Atlantic • Contributing editor at the New Republic Recommendation • “The idea for Graeme Wood came after I read his article in The Atlantic and recognized his name from one of the boards outside the publications suite, so after talking it over with the sponsor, we invited him. He wrote an important and powerful article titled “What ISIS really wants.” -Bailey Interesting Facts • St. Mark’s Alumnus ’97 • Editor of The ReMarker ’97

AN ALL STAR LINE UP Five distinguished writers from various backgrounds will gather to share their experiences in the literary world in panel discussions and classroom visits at the 9th annual Literary Festival, set for Jan. 8

Ana Castillo

Lisa Loeb

Hampton Sides

Genre of Writing • Novelist, poet, essayist Notable Works • So Far from God • “I Ask the Impossible” • Sapogonia • The Guardians Awards Won • American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation • Carl Sandburg Award Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award • 1998 Sor Juana Achievement Award by the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Chicago. • Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in literature Recommendation • “Ana Castillo writes poetry, short stories and essays that explore important social issues in our world today, and I’m sure she will offer an new perspective at our festival.” -Bailey Interesting Facts • Her work centers on issues of identity, racism and classism. • Popularized Chicana feminism

Genre of Writing • Songwriter Notable Songs and Albums • “Tails” • “Firecracker” • “Stay (I Miss You)” Awards Won • Grammy nomination for “Firecracker” • “Stay (I Miss You)” sold at the platinum level • Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act Recommendation • “Our performance artist this year, singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, went to Hockaday. I’m excited to see her perform some of her big hits and talk about her songwriting process.” -Bailey Interesting Facts • Graduate from Hockaday • Had a passion for writing lyrics since she was at Hockaday • Wrote a kids book after getting an opportunity to do so from Barnes and Noble • Only artist to have a #1 single (“Stay” 1994) without a recording contract • Appeared in the movie Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Genre of Writing • Historical nonfiction writer, journalist Notable Works • Blood and Thunder • Hellhound on his Trail • Ghost Soldiers • In the Kingdom of Ice Notable Jobs • National Geographic • Outside Magazine • The New Yorker • Doubleday Publishing Awards Won • Two-time nominee for the National Magazine Award Blood and Thunder named one of the best books of 2006 by Time magazine. • Hellhound on his Trail was #6 on the New York Times best-seller list Recommendation • “Hampton Sides writes really captivating nonfiction stories that focus around war and adventure. We had read his works before, so we thought he would make a great addition.” -Bailey Interesting Facts • Appeared on The Colbert Report in 2011 • Partner at Atalaya Productions, a film company.

9th Annual Literary Festival Dates: Jan 7. performance by Lisa Loeb Jan 8. Upper School panel discussion

Location: Performance by Loeb in Decherd

Student Chair: Gopal Raman

Student Vice-hair: Davis Bailey

Upper School panel discussion in Decherd

Faculty sponsor: David Brown

and workshops

by the numbers

Highly acclaimed books, songs or articles

Number of authors visiting

4 Different genres of writing between the authors

3 St. Mark’s and Hockaday alumni

STORY RETT DAUGBJERG, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY PHOTOS COURTESY OF AUTHORS

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PAGE 5 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

NEWS

Students rallied to celebrate No-Shave November in support of men’s health, especially testicular and prostate cancer

Behind the beards

COURTESY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER

THE GROUP Students and faculty who took part in NoShave November include (first row) Reid Gaskill, Kannan Sharma, Philip Montgomery, Zach Naidu, Jake Byers, Michael Mosle, Jackson Cole, Casey Gendason, Stephen Balog, (second row) Glenn Stroh, Nick Sberna, John Turek, John Landry, Will Clark, August Graue, Jonathan Libby, JT Graass, William Caldwell, David Cox, David Dini (back row) Stefen Glenn, Matt Hjertstedt, Tim O’Meara, Keith Kadesky, Whit Payne, Bradford Beck, Abhi Thummala and Mahir Karim.

GROWTH Showing off their beard growth, junior August Graue (left) and senior Tim O’Meara (right) were two of the hundreds of students who participated in No-Shave November.

‘I think No-Shave is a great way to spread awareness, even if you can’t grow facial hair, like me. It’s just a fun and great way to get involved.’ • Elliot Chang-Tung ’10

t’s easy to forget cancer can strike anyone at any time. Elliot Chang-Tung ’10 knows this all too well. As a 19-year-old, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. “I remember shock,” Chang-Tung said. “At the time it was April 2010. I never thought I would have cancer as a high school senior. Utter disbelief.” For the third year in a row, the school has taken steps to create awareness of the importance of men’s health measures through the No-Shave November program. This month-long project, in which students and faculty members are allowed to grow beards, means several things: awareness for men’s health, especially testicular cancer. Donations. And, of course, facial hair. Put on by the Sophomore Class, the event allows students to enjoy several shave-less morning minutes while supporting a good cause. However, given the fanfare revolving around yellow socks and peachfuzz beards, the most important facet of the month is also one that can almost be forgotten. Reality. But all students have to do is remember Chang-Tung’s story to know that it can happen to anyone. Sophomore Class Sponsor Casey Gendason recalls that seeing a student afflicted by cancer brought an entirely new dimension to No-Shave November.

‘

IT WAS INCREDIBLE AND AWESOME TO SEE THE KIND OF SUPPORT I HAD FROM THE ST. MARK’S COMMUNITY.

ELLIOT CHANG-TUNG

“I think that this has brought a much more real side to No-Shave November,” Gendason said. “Instead of hearing from an alum from 30 years ago, we’re talking about someone who graduated five years ago. It just gives a more real feel to the program.” It would have been easy for Chang-

Tung to lose himself in this devastating prognosis. But he refused to let cancer write his life’s story. “Part of getting sick is that you can’t let it change you,” Chang-Tung said. “You can’t let it consume you.” As he battled the disease, he was never alone: Chang-Tung found support everywhere he looked, from doctors to classmates. “My anesthesiologist and oncologist were St. Mark’s dads and the main person reviewing my CAT scans and MRIs was a St. Mark’s mom,” he said. “There were so many different levels and expansiveness by the St. Mark’s community, and I was literally supported every step of the way.”

After undergoing surgery to treat the cancer, Chang-Tung woke up to see several of his friends, teachers and family members in his hospital room. “The very first person I saw was Coach Lee,” Chang-Tung said. “My little buddy and all my friends came and visited my house after surgery. It was incredible and awesome to see that kind of support.” Chang-Tung spoke at a November assembly last year, bringing his story and its realities to current students. “Since Elliot graduated, students have been more aware and cognizant of the disease and that it can happen to you now,” Gendason said. Looking back on his time at the school, Chang-Tung reflects that No-Shave November is a great way to spread and promote awareness for men’s health. “During November, I would encourage people to look within the St. Mark’s community, but as well to go outside the community,” Chang-Tung said. “Tell them all what’s going on.” Sophomore Class President Canyon Kyle agrees that this event embodies the community service aspects of the school. “As a class and school, we’re represented through this event,” Kyle said. “It means a lot when we raise money that all goes towards a good cause.” To many students, a critical part of personally representing men’s health is to put the ‘No-Shave’ in No-Shave November by growing beards.

“I think No-Shave is a great way to spread awareness, even if you can’t grow facial hair, like me,” Chang-Tung said, laughing. “It’s just a fun and great way to get involved.” Similarly, Kyle is having a difficult time growing out a beard but values the process. “You know, I’ve tried, but my face doesn’t grow facial hair,” Kyle said. “But it’s still really important to me.” ELLIOT CHANG TUNG Thinks support he received from community helped him overcome cancer.

While beards are a great way to show support for the cause, ChangTung believes one of the most important aspects of No-Shave November is communication. “If anything is going on, don’t be afraid to communicate with others,” he said. “I know that teenagers are going through angst, and like to internalize, but I think most issues are better when you have someone to talk about it with.” He knows from experience: as a cancer survivor, Chang-Tung has seen that in dark times, it is always helpful to have a shoulder to lean on, be it at home or on campus. “This extends beyond symptoms,” Chang-Tung said. “Make sure you have an open dialogue with someone, whether that’s friends, teachers, or parents. Always have someone to talk to.”

STORY REECE RABIN PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

Two Quiz Bowl teams qualify for nationals by Blake Daugherty oth the A and B Quiz Bowl teams qualified for nationals after their first and second place finishes in The Lion’s Den Invitational, respectively. With top players Patrick Magee, Brent Weisberg, Tim O’Meara and John Crawford, the A team has high hopes for success at both the state and national tournaments. “I think we’ve got one of the strongest, most competitive teams we’ve had in our top four guys,” Quiz Bowl Coach Paul Mlakar said. “Our guys have set a goal this year that they think they could finish top one or two in the state, first of all, which will take place in April. We have never won state as a team and I think it is

a pretty realistic goal.” As for nationals, last year’s team finished 21st out of 272 teams, and Mlakar feels that this year the team can break the top ten. “We have three out of the four guys returning from that team last year,” Mlakar said. “The stars have aligned so to speak. Nationals this year is the weekend after graduation so it will give time for our seniors to graduate and have fun then get back into the mindset for one last St. Mark’s hurrah.” With such high goals, the biggest challenge for the team is simply finding enough time to get together and study. “Obviously we are all pretty busy,”

Quiz Bowl Captain Patrick Magee said. “It is junior year for John [Crawford] and me, and Brent [Weisberg] and Tim [O’Meara] are busy with college applications. Mixing up our schedules and being able to get in a lot of study time and reading lots of packets and reading lots of books is pretty difficult.” While fitting enough time in to study may be difficult for most, Magee approaches this daunting task with a unique perspective. “It is great to study and be able to go and do a quiz bowl match and get lots of questions and do well in tournaments,” Magee said, “but ultimately I think that knowledge really is its own reward. You

gain a lot of insight into the world around you and [studying] encourages a lifestyle of independent study that is very valuable.” With the national and state tournaments months down the line, Mlakar believes that another hurdle for the team will be maintaining their focus all year long, considering the heavy St. Mark’s workload. “To be a national contending team, they need to study every day throughout the breaks and the entire year on top of studying for their other classes.” Mlakar said, “I think our greatest challenge is just maintaining that edge and continuing the grind.”

NEWS

PAGE 6 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER CAMPUS COPS

The campus

watch They’re always there. But few students actually know the cops who patrol our school — most of their perception of the police comes from the media. So what’s their side of the story?

ON GUARD A frequent attendant of athletic events, officer Martin Hoffer is on patrol during a junior varsity basketball game.

fficer Kevin King vividly remembers his second day of his 27-year career with the Dallas Police Department (DPD). “We were looking for a runaway, and we pulled into an alley on Live Oak,” King said. “We drove right into the middle of a dope deal, and this guy leaned over the balcony with a Tec-9 and sprayed it right at us.” Now King and several other officers serve on campus and protect the school community. KEVIN KING Believes videos never tell the whole story.

Policemen thrust themselves into harm’s way all the time. People might expect them to be frightened by killers or mobsters, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. “We’re not afraid of the bad guys,” said officer Ken Budjenska, a 26-year veteran of DPD who also serves on campus. “The three of us [Budjenska and fellow officers on campus] aren’t afraid of bad guys. We know this is a messy job. We’re just afraid to get fired.” From Michael Brown, an 18-yearold fatally shot in Ferguson, Missouri to Freddie Gray, a Baltimore resident arrested by police who subsequently died in transit, incidents have incited outrage. As videos arose, people took sides, and civil disorder resulted. These incidents put tremendous pressure on police officers nationwide regardless of

their records. In this new era of policing, technology and media can quickly cause a veteran policeman with no prior infractions to lose his job. “Now, [police departments] are starting to issue body cameras,” said officer Gus Rodriguez. “That’s the big issue now, to see the point of view that we’re seeing. It plays the biggest part in our job because we always have to assume that someone is watching us, and if it’s not the media, it may be a security camera from a store down the street. And the media’s going to get a hold of it.” Video evidence of a shooting or incident with the police can bring clarity or reveal injustices, but these videos are just part of the whole story. King said the problem with cameras is they show “no emotion, no feeling.” And Budjenska believes “they don’t capture the past, nor the future.” Officer King used the Rodney King incident as an example of how the media can affect police interactions. The incident occurred in 1991 when Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles police 33 times, and another man videotaped the whole incident. Officer King says that there are some doubts about what exactly happened in the video. “First impressions are the most important in any examination,” Officer King said. “[The public] already had their minds made up, and that’s how it is today.” In recent news, a video showing

a police officer throwing a girl from her desk went viral and caused great outrage. The news highlighted the officer being in the wrong, although it wasn’t known what lead up to the escalation. “I can’t judge whether [the cop] was justified because I don’t know what was going on,” Budjenska said. “But here’s what I can tell you: three days later, 150 students marched in support of that officer. There was never a march against him. None of the students or faculty were screaming for his arrest. His boss saw the video and fired him.” The officer may have been justified, but the media portrayed him as using excessive force, regardless of the cause. Officer King believes the media needs to know more background knowledge before launching into a story. “I think the media, if they are truly objective and trying to report the facts and not place their opinions or emotions in it, needs to focus on making sure they have a story before they jump onto press with it,” Officer King said. A mutual understanding, King suggests, will allow both policemen and the media to continue their line of work with less conflict and a better relationship. “I think it’s a give and take thing,” Officer King said. “I think we as law enforcement need to keep on educating the media and help them understand what we are going through, but I think the media also needs to mind it enough to get all the facts before they launch a story.”

Officer Martin Hoffer DPD officer who serves on campus

What do you like best about your job? The greatest thing about my job is the intrinsic feeling I receive from being able to help those who are less than able to help themselves, i. e. adult crimes against women and children and sometimes animals. It is gratifying to bring these events to a successful conclusion by finding and arresting the responsible perpetrator. How do people perceive police officers? I find that most people respect police officers and law enforcement in general and see the profession as necessary for societal peace, order and the rule of law. Others perceive officers in a less than positive perspective. Is there any way to help improve relations between police and other people? Well, from the police perspective, the Dallas Police Department as well as other departments around the country spend a great amount of time and effort trying to do just that. We have within the department a Neighborhood Policing Unit. This unit is manned by sworn police officers, whose responsibility is to go out into the community and engage the public by holding crime watches and working with businesses to improve police relations and reduce crime. We also have a youth outreach unit, who engages the community by working with schools and youth sporting events. Both of these units are very effective in improving police and community relations.

STORY ANDRE ARSENAULT PHOTOS PHILIP SMART

Annual Gift Drive in full swing; co-chairs hopeful for record year by Reece Rabin

or Student Council President JT Graass, 2016 isn’t just the fast approaching new year. It’s the number of gifts he wants to collect in the gift drive. Sponsored by the Student Council and Community Service boards, the drive takes place from Dec. 1 to Dec. 16 and gifts will be collected and donated to the Salvation Army Dec. 21. With a new theme, Gift Drive CoChair William Caldwell expects the drive to be both fun and successful. “The theme this year is Christmas Cats,” Caldwell said. “I think it will allow us to do some interesting things with buttons, music video and all. It’ll be fun to see how that goes.” Graass believes that while the number goal of the drive is to collect more than 2016 gifts, it is important to understand the internal virtues of donating to underprivileged Dallas-area children.

“We need to realize where these gifts are going and recognize that we are part of a holiday bigger than ourselves,” Graass said. “I hope that every boy who brings gifts understands that they are making someone’s holiday. Without our donations, some kids won’t be getting any gifts for Christmas.” As a 12-year student, Caldwell has also seen the benefits and difference donating makes. “Being here for 12 years, I’ve been able to see all of the different impacts it has made on different people over the years,” Caldwell said. “Now that I’m one of the chairs of it my final year here is something I’ll never forget. It’s always been one of my favorite events at the school.” To both Graass and Caldwell, the participation of the school is critical to making sure every Dallas-area child can enjoy the full Christmas spirit. Without help from students, many would likely end up with-

out the Christmas presents that have become popular culture and tradition. “I think the best way to make this Christmas special is just bringing gifts to the drive,” Caldwell said. “It’ll really make those less-fortunate kids’ Christmas if they wake up with gifts under their tree that they weren’t expecting.” The all-school Christmas party continues along these lines and reinforces belief in school unity as the students, faculty and parents all come together in the Christmas spirit to help others. “The purpose of the all-school Christmas party is not only for the school to unite in celebrating the holiday spirit, but also to show gratitude for everything that we have at 10600 Preston Road,” Graass said. “It’s also a time to unwind and just have fun as a school singing Christmas carols.” The party serves several purposes: to celebrate and bask in the fun of a shared

Christmas, enjoy knowing the substantial amount of donations given to less fortunate children and pause for personal gratitude. “I think this giving really establishes a giving spirit all around our community,” Caldwell said. “I think it teaches people how to be thankful for what they do have and how to give in order to make an impact on others’ lives. It’s really something that carries so much power with it, and I’m so excited to lead it with [Co-Chair Zach Naidu] this year.” While receiving gifts may be something that is often taken as just another facet of Christmas, for many it is an irregular privilege and cherished surprise. “Not only do our contributions to less-fortunate Dallas children give them a gift for Christmas, but it also gives them hope, something that is hard to give,” Graass said. “No kid should receive nothing for Christmas.”

PAGE 7 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

NEWS

TEACHING CERTIFICATIONS

Mind over matter After an Alabama teacher of the year was forced to resign because she did not have the right certifications, it begs the question: what makes a teacher qualified to teach? Experience or a certificate?

EXPERIENCE Westrate is one of the many teachers on campus who does not have the certificatons needed to teach at public school, yet his time spent as a college professor and his degrees in history are what make him qualified to teach here.

very day, students benefit from teachers who can quote Shakespeare out of thin air, recite the entire history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth on command and solve multivariable calculus in their sleep. But many of these teachers don’t have the correct certificates to teach in public schools, despite their prowess and knowledge. Recently, Alabama Teacher of the Year Ann Marie Corgill was forced into retirement due to what the Alabama Department of Education declared a “lack of qualifications.” Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Master Teaching Chair Bruce Westrate, one of the school’s most highly regarded teachers, could not legally teach in a public school, despite his experience teaching at multiple private universities. When hiring, schools sometimes overemphasize certificates. “The engineer of the space station wouldn’t be allowed to teach robotics in a public school for the same reason,” Westrate said. Westrate believes that the focus on certificates and licenses discourages talented individuals from pursuing careers in education. “There are these barriers that have been established over the years which discourage migration from different fields into education at a time when we very much need an infusion of skilled people in education,” Westrate said. Westrate believes the focus should be on knowledge rather than qualifications. “The most important thing is

knowing your subject,” Westrate said. “Obviously if you can’t relay that information well to the students then that isn’t going to avail you much. It is a lot easier to learn the methods of effective teaching than it is to learn that content.” A recent article from the Nevada Journal highlighted the problem. The Connetquot District on Long Island received 758 applications in response to an advertisement. However, barely a fourth of the applicants could score higher than 40 out of 50 on an 11th grade reading comprehension test. Director of Faculty Recruiting Byron Lawson tries to combat this national trend, hiring teachers for their ability over certifications. Lawson says that most public schools across the United States require a teacher to have a teaching credential to teach. Private schools, on the other hand, are allowed to choose. “St. Mark’s, like most independent schools in the United States, has the ability to declare publicly what we think of as the proper academic credentials of a faculty member,” Lawson said. Accoding to Lawson, this policy benfits the school, and argues merit must

be prioritized. “At St. Mark’s, we’ve decided you do not have to have a teacher certification,” Lawson said. “That means that some of our teachers have taken fewer or maybe no ‘education courses’. Most of our teachers are hired for their skill and their knowledge in their exact discipline.” BYRON LAWSON Believes a master’s degree is more valuable than a certification

This skill in teaching is highlighted in their transcripts, which is what Lawson looks to first to evaluate the knowledge of a prospective teacher. “Without a doubt we value your content knowledge,” Lawson said. “We hope not only that you’ve had experience but you also have sheer knowledge. What teachers call ‘horsepower.’ We know that you can teach because you have either taught it before or you’ve learned it” Another primary factor in judging a prospective teacher for Lawson is whether the teacher’s courses and degrees fit with a certain class.

“You are in charge of your college degree long before the job occurs so we would love to ask you to teach some place you would naturally want to teach,” Lawson said. Lawson feels that an applicant’s transcript is one of the most important things to look at, more than any sort of education course. “We would like to see a master’s degree at St. Mark’s for two reasons: One it shows an even greater amount of content knowledge,” Lawson said. “Master’s degrees tend to be more full than a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, master’s degrees are more comprehensive in the content it covers. “Master’s degrees will tend to give you more of a 360 degree view of either your issue or your subject,” Lawson said. A common question that Lawson receives from potential teachers is whether or not he wants to see their qualifications along with their resume. “At St. Mark’s, you’re probably qualified to do what your experience says you’re qualified to do, not what an exam says you’re qualified to do,’” Lawson said.

SCHOLAR DR. WESTRATE’S EXPERIENCE

1970-1978

1993-2002

1996

2003

Attends Michigan as a history major

Professor at Indiana University South Bend

Conference in Austin where he first hears about St. Mark’s

Takes job as a history teacher at St. Mark’s

STORY BLAKE DAUGHERTY, PHILIP MONTGOMERY PHOTO ARNO GOETZ

by Noah Koecher e carries an aura of confidence. His gray flannel suit sits snugly on a midheight, well-built frame, and the squeak of polished black loafers signals his short trek up to the podium. Eighty-eight seniors finish off the last of their chicken enchiladas and brisket tacos. They rest their utensils. Chris Lee ’96 takes the stage. “This year we invited Chris Lee ’96 to speak,” Leadership and Ethics Council Sponsor Dr. John Perryman said. “He is a dynamic and impressive leader in the worlds of finance and philanthropy.” As a nine-year tradition, the Senior Leadership Dinner invites a leader with St. Mark’s ties to appear before the senior class in the first half of the year. Lee, having served on the Board of Trustees to guide the school through financial aid development and having chaired his 15th and 20th class reunions, fits the mold for a relatable and original speaker.

“When I spoke with [Lee] about the event,” Perryman said, “he suggested a slightly different format than the one we have used in the past. Instead of having the keynote speaker give a presentation or talk for 30 minutes and then field questions, he wanted to arrange a sort of conversation between him and the seniors.” After having members of the senior class draft potential questions for Lee to answer regarding both his time at 10600 Preston Road and his work in the professional world of finance and real estate, Senior Class President Philip Montgomery and Student Council President JT Graass asked the speaker a series of questions following Lee’s initial remarks to prompt a new style of leadership panel discussion. “Essentially, the event focused on his addressing the questions you guys posed,” Perryman said, “both the ones drafted in advance and that structured his

talk and the ones he answered the night of the event.” Lee’s background as an analyst and real estate investor at Goldman Sachs’, principal at Apollo Global Management and Co-Head of KKR’s Real Estate Credit has given him decisive experience sourcing, evaluating and executing billions of dollars of real estate investments. With a foot in leadership and another in alumni network involvement, he held the crowd throughout the night. As members of the Senior Class rose in the last few minutes of the dinner to voice their own thoughts and ask Lee personal questions, Lee shared the benefits and regrets of his St. Mark’s time and experience. And as he held up his one year-old’s new St. Mark’s shirt at the end of the night, the crowd knew that the school is more than just an alma mater. It runs in the family.

PHOTO WESLEY HIBBS

Chris Lee ‘96 speaks at Senior Leadership Dinner

INVOLVED ALUMNUS Addressing the members of the Senior Class, Chris Lee ‘96 answers questions that the seniors asked in advance.

NEWS

PAGE 8 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER THEFT ON CAMPUS

Bubble burst The two recent, yet isolated, car thefts on campus have brought up questions and doubts concerning the relaxed atmosphere here at 10600 Preston Road. Does the environment we enjoy on campus hurt our own safety?

ou may not see it, but there’s a bubble that surrounds 10600 Preston Road. From the two-lane entrance spilling into the parking lot, to the fence behind Centennial Hall. Inside this bubble, it’s a safe haven for students, staff and faculty alike. But what happens when that little bubble is burst? “My air conditioning unit, the clock on my front dashboard and my touch screen radio were stolen,” sophomore Blake Daugherty said. “It was [around] two weeks after I got my license in October.” Total cost of loss? More than $1500. Thefts may not affect everyone or happen that often, but recently they have become a real threat that disrupts an otherwise safe, comfortable environment. Daugherty learned this the hard way. “It sort of surprised me that that would happen,” Daugherty said. “Because you really don’t expect to get your car broken into at St. Mark’s. Now I’m a little bit more suspicious whenever I park my car.” BLAKE DAUGHERTY Cautious of where he parks his car

Is it going to get broken into? Do I have anything important in here? These questions now plague Daugherty’s mind after the theft. However, he finds it comforting that he doesn’t need to feel this way with his fellow Marksmen. “We trust everyone here on campus, that they’re not going to take anything,” Daugherty said. “It really lifts a ton of stress knowing that your backpack will be safe wherever you leave it and people

won’t take anything out of it.” But then again, students have to take care not to perpetuate this trusting attitude in the real world. Whether it’s leaving your keys in the ignition for a quick second, or setting your phone on the table. “We leave ourselves vulnerable to the bad people of the world,” Daugherty said. “Those who take advantage of the type of trust and honor we learn at St. Mark’s. In some ways we make it easier because of the way we so naïvely trust everything and everyone” Junior Henry Roberts also suffered an on-campus theft, losing his car radio. “I was upset,” Roberts said. “I liked my radio, but it could have been way worse. I had my full baseball bag with a couple of hundred dollars of gear in there. If they would’ve stolen that, that would’ve been really bad. But at the end of the day, I’m just glad nothing else happened.” Roberts agrees the community feels safe but sometimes, it keeps students offguard. “I knew that people could get on campus that weren’t supposed to be here and do stuff they weren’t supposed to do,” Roberts said. “Because we have a good community at St. Mark’s we hope people won’t steal laptops out of backpacks and stuff like that. We have faith in people.” Security Head Dale Hackbarth stress-

10600 Preston Road creates is the reality check that some students are bound to receive when they venture out into the real world. “It’s nice to see that you can live, work and go to school in this safe environment,” Hackbarth said. “You can put your backpack down with a laptop in there and come back and it’s still going to be there. Now the down side, people become extremely comfortable in this environment, and then they go off to college and into the real world, where there’s a lot more people that are preying on other people’s property. It’s a little different from the nice, comfortable environment we have here at St. Mark’s.”

es that students shouldn’t feel any less safe. “There hasn’t been a rash of thefts,” Hackbarth said. “There have been just two isolated incidences.” However, he also believes taking some precautions isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “What can be done is that I urge all the students to utilize their lockers,” Hackbarth said. The casual and carefree culture on campus is a good thing, but there’s still a few willing to take advantage of this.

‘

THERE’S NOT MUCH I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THEM FROM GETTING IN.

HENRY ROBERTS

IN THE REAL WORLD

“Everybody gets comfortable putting their [things] down in the hallways and in the courtyard and outside the classroom, but there’s still a small, small percentage that will take advantage of that and steal,” Hackbarth said. “Theft is wrong, but at the end of the day, when there’s lockers there for everybody to utilize, I encourage the students to use them for all their valuables.” Nonetheless, he believes that the influence of the honor code and the trust built is good for the school and creates a healthy environment where students can grow. “The honor code is stressed from day one,” Hackbarth said, “respecting people and people’s property, and it’s ingrained. It’s that type of student we get here at St. Mark’s.” Yet another consequence of the complacency that the safe, relaxed bubble of

a quick look at crime in America

30%

Robbery offenses accounted for 29.7 percent of violent crimes.

325,802

reported robberies in 2014, 20,000 less than in 2013 an estimated

$400 million in losses

SOURCE Federal Bureau of Investigation

STORY NAFTAL MAUTIA, PHILIP MONTGOMERY ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA

Ammar Plumber, Ansh Khullar place first in national debate tournaments

acing 78 teams from ten different states, winning the Grapevine Fall Classic wouldn’t be easy. But Sept. 11, seniors Ansh Khullar and Ammar Plumber did just that. After winning the Grapevine Fall Classic, Khullar and Plumber went to compete in the Greenhill Tournament, hoping to secure another victory. “We followed that up with the Greenhill Tournament,” Khullar said, “which didn’t go very well for us since we lost pretty early. But our other team, [senior] Jake Galant and [sophomore] Harris Wilson, lost in the double octa-finals of a very competitive tournament, which was good for the team.” Despite the early exit in the Greenhill tournament, the seniors would go on to win their next tournament on Oct. 16, which brought 108 teams from 14 states to the New Trier Season Opener.

“That was a pretty competitive tournament,” Khullar said. “Ammar and I ended winning that and Harris Wilson and Jake Galant got to the quarterfinals of the tournament, which was also a pretty big accomplishment for the team.” Debate coach Timothy Mahoney believes that the tournaments in which the seniors teams have secured two victories have been very competitive. “We’re talking about tournaments where there’s going to be ten to 15 states represented,” Mahoney said, “with at least 80 to 100 different entries, so these are very highly competitive, national tournaments.” The senior team has also spent much of their time preparing for these competitive tournaments. “I’d probably say [Plumber and Khullar are] putting in between ten to 20 hours every week,” Mahoney said, “to get ready for those tournaments or just before

the tournaments.” With the momentum from their win at the New Trier Tournament, the senior team then prepared for their next tournament, the Glenbrooks Tournament in Chicago Nov. 21 to 23. “There are about 200 teams there from about 18 to 20 states,” Khullar said. This year, the topic of debate for Khullar and Plumber is whether the United States Federal Government should curtail its domestic surveillance. “We’ve been talking about issues,” Khullar said, “like the government’s discriminatory profiling on race or religion, so it’s been an educational topic thus far about contemporary issues of whether or not we value civil liberties over counter-terrorism prevention. While the senior team has already won two tournaments, Khullar believes that there is still room to improve. “We’ve still got a ways to go for the

rest of the season,” Khullar said. “Our second tournament at Greenhill was disappointing, and we followed that up with a win at New Trier. Hopefully, we can build on that momentum to kind of make up for our early exit at Greenhill and keep climbing the national ranking.”

PHOTO COURTESY AMMAR PLUMBER

by Zoheb Khan

CHAMPS Plumber and Khullar after winning the New Trier Season Opener.

PAGE 9 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

NEWS

MAX MARSHALL

Living life to the Max

Using his wealth of experience, including playing with rockstar Steve Miller ‘61, Max Marshall ‘12 became a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, narrowly missing out on the two-year fellowship

RENAISSANCE MAN Marshall has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (top), played with Steve Miller (top right) and hiked in the wilderness outside of Cape Town, South Africa. One of his strengths was his many different experiences both during and after his St. Mark’s career.

ax Marshall ‘12 had come so far. From Centennial Hall to Steve Miller’s concert stage to Columbia University to Texas Monthly and to Esquire and now to a court room where the next two years of his life will be decided. But as he prepared to hear the names of the newest Rhodes Scholars from his region of the United States, Max’s name was not one of the two called out of the 16 students gathered in the room. However, looking to become only the second Marksmen ever to receive the world’s most prestigious scholarship, Marshall knew the odds and was proud to have come as far as he did.

“After meeting all of the other panelists, I think none of us went in thinking that we would walk away a winner just because each finalists was passionate, driven and special in his or her own way,” Marshall said. “I had no expectation to win which I think made it way more enjoyable. You just go in thinking ‘I’m going to meet some cool people, have some cool conversations, get some free food and get on my way.’” The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is a two-year fellowship at Oxford University in England. After being nominated as one of a handful of students from Columbia University for the award, Marshall was placed in the Texas/Oklahoma region, where less than five percent of nominees receive the scholarship. Then, a round of cuts is made to name the finalists. “I had been sitting around checking my email every 30 seconds for weeks because you don’t know when they are going to announce the finalists,” Marshall said. “They just said some time at the end of October beginning of November. One of the times I checked I saw an email that said ‘You are a Rhodes District A finalist,’ and I freaked out. My heart stopped.” After being named a finalist, Marshall flew to Houston with 16 other finalists for a last round of interviews with a panel of judges. “We had first a brunch which you walk in and there are six panelists, five of them are former Rhodes scholars,” Marshall said. “It was a wide array of judges all

super impressive, and it made all of the finalists incredibly nervous.” Each finalist then had a half hour interview with the panel as the others waited in the courtroom. After one and a half days of interviews were completed, the panelists deliberated for two hours and named two as Rhodes Scholars, including Hockaday alum Laura Roberts. However Marshall believes it wasn’t just about the scholarships. “[My experience] led to some very real friendships partially because [the finalists] are all pretty brilliant and passionate about different things and partially just because of the stress of the situation,” Marshall said. “You really open up. I got to know kids pretty well.” Marshall attributes St. Mark’s in part for helping get him as far as he did through relationships, like with Steve Miller ‘61, the rock artist who played with Max, and Headmaster David Dini, who wrote one of his recommendations. “There are not a lot of high schools where you can get those alumni friendships and relationships, but St. Mark’s is certainly one,” Marshall said. “Mr. Dini was also so supportive through all of this. He wrote a really kind letter of recommendation and would message me support. He’s the man.” Even in the most tense situations, Marshall knew he had Dini and the school behind him. “In those stressful, competitive situations, it’s nice to feel that you have your community at your back, and I definitely felt that going in,” Marshall said.

Dini, a friend of Marshall since he played with Steve Miller on stage, believes Marshall’s wealth of experience was the main driver of his success. “I think [the nomination] is affirming for the experiences Max has had, which are incredibly diverse,” Dini said. “One of the things I admire about Max is that he hasn’t limited himself. He’s always been inclined to try new things and do new things. He’s always been inclined to push his creative instincts to the fullest. I think that’s opened opportunities for him.” Dini is proud to see Marshall striving to achieve so much after successful careers at both Columbia and St. Mark’s. DAVID DINI Believes Marshall’s experiences aided his nomination.

“I really see it as a endorsement of what can happen when a young person is willing and able to test themselves and push themselves in lots of different ways,” Dini said. Now, Marshall intends to pursue several fellowships and wants to follow writing as a career. “I’m looking at a few more fellowships,” Marshall said. “My dad says I’m looking for low probability ways to avoid the real world. I’ll probably still look to maybe apply to Cambridge or Oxford to study philosophy or intellectual history. I interned for Esquire last summer and Texas Monthly two summers ago and I really love the world of non-fiction writing, something I started at The ReMarker.” Using the knowledge gained from his experience at St. Mark’s and his internships, Marshall hopes to be involved with media in some way. “Down the road something in writing hopefully,” he said. “I think it is important to have a deep well of experiences and philosophical knowledge and to be grounded in what you can do and who you are before you jump into that world so I can be ready for whatever it throws my way as far as media.”

STORY BLAKE DAUGHERTY, PHILIP MONTGOMERY PHOTOS COURTESY MAX MARSHALL

The Rhode less taken

A look into the process of the elusive scholarship

26 2

years since David Campbell, the only St. Mark’s graduate and Rhodes Scholar, won the scholarship

candidates are chosen from 16 regions in the U.S. total winners

different colleges among the pool of winners, Harvard leading the way with four.

5% Less than 5 percent of nominees from the Texas/Oklahoma region receive the scholarship

NEWS

PAGE 10

MALECALL

DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

THIS ISSUE PREP FOR SNOWDAY BESY HOLIDAY GIFTS CARVING A TURKEY

Taking you back to the basic fundamentals of all things manly.

How to spend your

SNOWDAY

zz Z

Numerous national reports have revealed that this ~ winter’s El Nino weather event will have an especially significant impact on North America compared to years past. That means Dallas is highly likely to have another snow day (or two) this year – except this time there will be inches of snow instead of sleet on the roads. When that time comes, The ReMarker wants you to be ready. Here are some ways to spend your snow day the right way.

NAPS

Catching up on lost sleep

FIRE

Keeping warm old fashioned style

Starting a snowball fight

ake a nice, long nap: Yes – if it’s a snow day you’re probably going to be sleeping in. But also take this chance to figure out what it takes for you to get the most refreshing nap, as this will come in handy when you inevitably have to return to the daily, hectic grind of school. Whether it’s by warming a cup of milk, counting to one hundred or sleeping on a certain side of the bed, getting your nap routine down will come in handy.

et a fire going: Just ask senior Albert Thieu – chopping your own firewood is no easy task. However, if you’ve already got chopped firewood, there will be no better time to put it to use than during a snow day. You will need some steel wool or tinder to get the sparks going, but once they do you will be good to go. Whether you’ve got an indoor fireplace or an outdoor pit, there’s no better way to stay warm while showing off your impressive fire-making skills than getting a strong fire going.

SNOW

now ball war: Snowball fights were fun – when we were in Middle School. But as we’ve evolved, so have our snowball fights. A snow ball war is essentially a snowball fight but with a far greater test of one’s manhood and his ability to perform under pressure. Get at least five of your friends together and split into two teams. If you get hit three times you’re eliminated. The team with the last man standing brings home the trophy.

MONEY Putting

Getting a game going with your friends

some cash in your pocket

ake some money on Craigslist or eBay: There’s no school – so you’ve got some extra time on your hands. See if you can get a little extra money in your pocket too. Take the time to go through your stuff and see if there are things you can make a little money off of by putting them on eBay or Craigslist. Whether it’s a bike or old TV that still works well, something you no longer need can easily turn into spare cash – making your day off a profitable one at the very least.

SPORTS

ickup football or soccer game: This may be the one time of the year where it will be the most difficult to play a game of pickup basketball. But no worries – snow can’t stop you from running on a field or in your front lawn. The snow day provides a great opportunity to have a unique pickup football game, as nothing will make you feel more like Calvin Johnson than leaping for an acrobatic catch and landing in a mound of snow as you complete the football move. If you’re more of the other football type of guy, there are few things more challenging – but rewarding – than shuffling through the snow with a soccer ball and launching it to the back of the goal.

STORY ZACH NAIDU ILLUSTRATIONS DAVIS MARSH, ABHI THUMMALA

Gifting the holiday spirit

CULINARY COMPLETION

HOW TO CARVE A TURKEY

TRACKING TILE: $20 For the many of us who always wait until the last minute to fret about where we left our keys, these small, inexpensive tiles hook up with your smartphone to ensure that you’ll never lose your keys, wallet, etc. ever again.

TIMEX WATCH: $30 Functional, fashionable and timeless, you can’t go wrong with this classic unisex piece from Timex. WOOL GLOVES: $8 They’re nothing spectacular, but a pair of reliable wool gloves will always come in handy throughout the cold months. Whether you are buying for a family member or friend, all you have to do to personalize them is pick the person’s favorite color. PORTABLE CHARGER: $30 Nothing’s worse than running out of battery on your phone because you forgot to charge your phone last night. Give your friends and loved ones a failsafe in this highly portable and powerful accessory.

Prepare to carve

If you have extra money around, now is the time to spend it on holiday gifts. Davis Marsh and Zach Naidu are here to help you get in the holiday spirit with these reasonably priced, sure-to-impress Christmas gifts.

Put it in on a carving board. Remove the strings and whatever is inside.

Remove the drumsticks and cut em up Remove the the legs. You’re going to have to apply a bit up pressure to pull it out from the joint. Place it vertically on the board and cut the meat off the bone. REPEAT with the other leg.

Slice the thigh meat

Remove the wings

$3 0

PORTABLE SPEAKER: $28 A word of caution — this is not a gift to be given to those friends of yours with whom you wouldn’t trust with the all-powerful aux cord, as they’ll invariably use it around you any chance they get to show their gratitude. This speaker is sure to pack a serious punch.

STORY ZACH NAIDU, DAVIS MARSH PHOTOS CREATIVE COMMONS

Carve the breast

Serve it up!

ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA

14 15 18

IT’S THE LIFE

After having worked in the studio since fifth grade, senior John Landry was recognized as one of 165 finalists in the national YoungArts contest.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Sophomore Dalton Glenn has found a new home in the Dallas Children’s Theatre.

UNDER THE SCOPE

After winning a prestigious hunting award, Tucker Ribman shares his tales of the hunt.

STUDENT WORKERS

More than just working on academics, these students find time to work outside school.

YOUNG ARTISTS

Middle School counselor Dr. Gabriella Reed teaches life skills to her students.

PHOTO PHILIP SMART

li fe

page 12

PAGE 11 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 I REMARKER

HANGING OUT WITH

stories around campus in brief

• WINTER MUSICAL Hockaday’s winter musical, Curtains, will be performed at the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts in Richardson from Feb. 5 through Feb. 7. Seniors Link Lipsitz, Leighton Okada, Will Garden and Avery Powell have roles in the musical. “I’m so pumped to work with our new director, Mrs. Gray [Hockaday drama director Emily Gray],” Lipsitz said. “I was also gone last year, so it’s great to be back.” Set in 1959 in Boston, Curtains follows the in-

vestigation of Lt. Frank Cioffi to solve the mystery of a star’s murder. • ROBOTICS TEAM WINS AT COMPETITION The robotics team placed second overall in presentation and engineering notebooks and fourth in driving at the local qualifiers for the Boosting, Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) competition Nov. 7. The team qualified for the Texas Regional but did not place there, due in part to a team of only nine members, including junior co-captains An-

drew Chuka and Adam Subel. The team was one of the smallest the program has ever had. “The team has really been working together and have gotten a vast amount done for the time that they had,” sponsor Doug Rummel said. “Now we have a month off and then we will embark on the autonomous competitions, where the robot has to drive itself.” • ORCHESTRA CONCERT The Upper School Orchestra performed “Adagio for Organ and

Strings,” by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, during Upper School chapel Nov. 4. The performance consisted of the 33 Upper School Orchestra string players accompanied by organist Glenn Stroh and led by orchestra director Dr. David Fray. “This was the first time that the Orchestra had played with the new Letourneau organ installed one year ago,” Fray said. “It was great. I enjoyed it.” • EIGHTH GRADE DANCE

The St. Mark’s and Hockaday Winter Dance for the Class of 2020 was held Dec. 5 from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Great Hall. The students attending provided school supplies in bags for the Educational First Steps Organization which provides resources and funding to daycare centers in at-risk neighborhoods in North Texas. “I think this [was] a great way for them to get involved in giving back for the holidays,” eighth grade representative Stacy Piccagli said.

— Mohit Singhal, Waseem Nabulsi and Daniel Cope

in the

MOMENT events on campus told through photos

THE BERRY BROTHERS

Two of the most recognizable twins on campus, Justin and Johnathon Berry share more than just looks and a last name.

PHOTO ARNO GOETZ

QUICKhits

Do you guys have a group nickname? Together: Das. You never say, “bro?” Johnathon: Nah, ew. Where did Das come from? Justin: No one knows the origins of Das. Not even our parents know.

PHOTO CORBIN WALP

Johnathon: We speculate it’s baby language that never evolved.

Thinking on their feet I

What’s so important about Das that’s stuck with you for 17 years?

mprov Troupe members had the opportunity to work with Michael Gray, a member of the famed Second City Comedy Club of Chicago, Nov. 19 when he visited the Hockaday School. “I saw them [Second City Club] perform when they came to Dallas last year, and they were hilarious,” said senior Graham Kirstein, a member of the local troupe. “I enjoyed learning from a guy who’s had so much experience in improv and performing comedy.”

Justin: I guess I just like it more than his real name. Johnathon: It’s the harshness of it mixed with the soft fluidity. Justin: It’s like the heart of all things.

ArtistsinAction

the

Around corner What you need to know in the coming week

Shining a spotlight on a student artist at St. Mark’s

TODAY What Christmas Lights, Chocolate and Sips Tour When 8 p.m. Where Krispy Kreme, 5118 Greenville Ave.

What Dallas Symphony Christmas Pops When 7:30 p.m. Where Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St.

What Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence When All weekend Where Perot Museum, 2201 N. Field St.

What A Merry Little Chistmas Show with Ricki Derek When 7 p.m. Saturday Where Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville Ave.

What Critterman When 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday Where Galleria Dallas, 13350 Dallas Parkway

What Author Talk by Gwen Edelman When 5:30-7:30 p.m., Thursday Where Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northaven Road

What Miracle on 34th Street When 7:30 p.m. Friday Where Baker Theater, 5938 Skillman St.

Johnathon: Blackberry, blueberry, strawberry. Just anything related to berries. Berryberry, which is a disease. Sometimes Justin Berry, Johnathon Berry.

Johnathon: My mom didn’t know how to spell it. After we were birthed, I’d assume she was pretty tired because she had been in there for a while. It was an hour in between. And my dad, John, wanted one of his kids to be John. How many hours per day do you guys spend together?

THE ARTIST

Rob Crow

Johnathon: Twenty-four minus 45 minutes.

THE ART

Justin: We have a different English class.

Photographs he made for honors photography.

HIS WORDS

NEXT WEEK

Justin: Sometimes Juberry and Joberry.

Why is your spelling of Johnathon different?

WEEKEND What 96.3 KSCS Country Fest When 2:30-11 p.m. Saturday Where Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place

Do you have individual nicknames?

“My goal is to show people they can find art in everything. Many of my best photos are of things you’d never expect.”

What interests do you guys share? Johnathon: Most of them. Justin: All of them. Johnathon: I don’t like soda. Justin: I do, and that’s pretty much it. He also likes ruining people’s lives. I don’t do that too much.

L LIFE

PAGE 12 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER YOUNGARTS FINALISTS

Carving his spot Since fifth grade, senior John Landry has honed his crafting skills in the studio. Now, he’s been recognized as one of 165 national YoungArts finalists. In a conversation with Life Editor Gopal Raman, senior John Landry discusses the opportunity to attend the YoungArts convention in Miami in January, after being named a national finalist earlier last month. What did YoungArts representatives say when they called you? They didn’t even leave a voicemail. I recognized the number and I saw that it was from Miami, so I just thought I’d call back to see what it was about. It happened to be them. They told me that I was a finalist and how big of an accomplishment that was. Then they went into some pretty good detail about what the program has to offer and what I’m going to be doing in Miami. What sticks out to you about what the program has to offer? The opportunities it’s going to give me. For colleges and other programs I’m looking to apply to, having this level of accomplishment on my resume is going to be one of the more exciting things. I’m also really looking forward to this trip to Miami because I’m going to be able to interact with other kids at the same level as I am. I think that will be a good opportunity to relate what other students are good at to what I am good at. Which piece took you the longest? My bench took me all of sophomore year. I had to custom-make all the pieces and build them around the chapel chair. I didn’t really have a template or anything to work off of.

COMMUNITY The bench senior John Landry is sitting on is an example of the chapel chair project, one of the mainstays in the program.

I would say it is the most meaningful because I put a lot of effort into it and made it all I wanted it to be. I think it also reminds me of my time in school and my time in chapel, specifically. So having a piece that brings back more memories than just the piece itself is really why I’m attracted to it. Why did you submit to the design arts category? When I was talking to [industrial arts instructor John] Frost about which category I was going to enter into, we were both leaning toward design arts because I focus on how things work together in symmetry. My pieces also focus more on the form rather than the idea of the piece. Why do you focus more on the utilitarian aspect of art? I really appreciate what specific sculpture artists do but I find more fulfillment in pieces that I can use or see on a daily basis. A lot of it is whether or not you can make something a sculpture and make it function at the same time. People think those are two separate ideas, but I think I’ve found a common place where pieces can be beautiful and serve a function in my daily life.

The class has become more about building these sculptures and forms that have a bigger meaning. Students actually put thought into their pieces rather than having a manual. This is also a testament to the amount of work I’ve put in over the years. If you look at my pieces from fifth grade and now, there is a significant difference in the level of craftsmanship and thought-out form. It’s a testament to how I’ve been able to grow in that program and how that program has given me so many opportunities to express myself. What will this award mean to you in the future? I’m not really sure how this is going to play into my career or college choice but I certainly want to incorporate some of the ideas and lessons I’ve learned from doing this work, especially the creativity that I’ve had and the problem-solving. I don’t know, design could be something I may look to go into. I’m really focusing on what I can take in from Miami and then I’ll see where this can take me. Industrial Forest

What does this recognition say about your growth? I think it speaks to the way the class has developed over time. Woodworking has often been thought of as more of a woodshop class that focuses on building birdCommunity houses and clocks.

What is YoungArts? Garnering more than 12,000 applications in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, the YoungArts program is the premier competition for high school artists. Out of these 12,000 artists, 819 were selected as winners. Then, after these 819 were chosen, 165 finalists reached the next level: National YoungArts Week. During this intensive week in Miami, Landry will learn from professional artists. The 2016 YoungArts Week takes place Jan. 3-10. The YoungArts program also has another purpose. In order to apply for a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one must first go through the YoungArts competition. Over its history, YoungArts has awarded more than 20,000 artists with awards in total surpassing $12 million. Its mission is deeply rooted in the education of teenage artists and, to that end, they provide classes with experienced arts, substantial scholarships and professional exposure. Expansion

PORTFOLIO These pieces were three of the stand-outs Landry submitted to the national YoungArts competition.

The merit winners selections from their portfolios

Crest

COURTESY ALDEN JAMES

Ganesh

COURTESY DHRUV PRASAD

COURTESY ZAK HOUILION

Little John and Bob

COURTESY ARNO GOETZ

COURTESY CAMERON LAM

Learning to Survive

Isolation

Senior Cameron Lam:

Senior Arno Goetz:

Senior Zak Houillion:

Junior Dhruv Prasad:

Senior Alden James:

“The project was an environmental portrait. I wanted to find interesting people and photograph them in their environment, so I thought, ‘What better place to do that than a tattoo shop?’ The second I saw these guys, I knew they were both really interesting. I think the background with all the tattoos that they’ve done before really made the picture work.”

“While in Israel, we lived like Israeli soldiers going through basic training. Ruthie De Wit’s stoic expression and the beautiful lighting add to the dynamic nature of the photo.”

“I looked up a design for a sword and I drew that on the piece. That became the hilt, which ended up looking like a cross. From there, I imagined different designs to make it look like a crest.”

“I saw a picture of myself from a long time ago riding an elephant, and there were really beautiful flowers. I wanted to depict that moment in one piece without making it too complex.”

“In trying to create a cohesive theme, I’ve been playing around with this idea of writing under the image for about a year now. I try to take the image and take it a step further with conceptual writing to give it another layer. Through the artwork and the picture, I expanded on my ideas that I’d written before on isolation.”

STORY GOPAL RAMAN PHOTO PHILIP SMART

PAGE 13 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

LIFE SKILLS

L LIFE

Life skills Life Skills

lecturer Lecturer

Utilizing her desire to prepare young Marksmen for future challenges, Lower GradesReed’s Counselor Gabriela Reed is With school counselor Dr. Gabriela teaching essential lessons to life skills class, fifth and sixth grade the youngest of Marksmen. students are learning important tips and tricks to help cope with daily challenges like stress and time management.

VITAL LESSONS Shown giving a lecture during one of her classes, Reed talks about future problems students may face as they start to transition from being adolescents to being adults. The students spend a major amount of class time learning about different situations they will face as they begin to mature and the best ways to react to these particular and difficult circumstances.

nger-management. The ability to empathize. Coping with stress. Despite the fact that these skills may seem like common knowledge, many people still struggle with them. Students are often expected to know and implement these skills in their live. But how are these skills taught? Well, there’s a class for that. Offered to fifth and sixth graders, the life skills class, taught by Dr. Gabriela Reed, lower grades counselor, educates students on the meanings of these skills and how to apply them. “If you can imagine all the skills you need to be successful at life,” Reed said, “we try to put them all into one eightweek long class.” Reed feels these skills are often taken for granted, but are highly important for kids to know. “A lot of adults think that the kids are learning these skills behind the scenes,” Reed said. “But they aren’t. We have to put them there.” Reed often finds moments during class in which she realizes that the students may not have ever heard of the skills she’s teaching them. It helps her to realize the necessity of her instruction. “I’ll be surprised sometimes during class when I introduce things,” Reed said,

“because [the students] will say, ‘Wait, time management?’ or, ‘I’m supposed to actively manage my stress?’ So, when I bring these things up, the kids think that these are methods they could possibly try, and it creates viewpoints that they hadn’t seen before.” Many of her students recognize the importance of the skills they are learning in class and see how they can fit them into their lives. Fifth grader Daniel Uglunts appreciates the class because he feels the skills can not only be exercised around the school, but also in other environments as well. DANIEL UGLUNTS Fifth grader enjoys learning life skills with Reed

“I am really happy that we are being taught the class because it really helps with things like stress from the homework load,” Uglunts said. “[The class] just teaches us how to be better people and to stop the bad things that not only happen in the school but in the world.” In the class’s second year, the topics span a wide range of areas, from social skills to drugs and alcohol. “We spend our time on topics like

goal setting, decision making and assertiveness,” Reed said. “We also talk about marijuana with the fifth graders and alcohol with the sixth graders.” Using the Botvin Life Skills program as the foundation of her teaching curriculum, Reed has incorporated many different teaching methods to make the learning process more enjoyable for all of her students. “I try to incorporate videos, YouTube and stuff that will keep the kids engaged,” Reed said. “Hopefully, these things bring the real world into the teaching environment, and that makes a big difference.” The students also engage in learning methods like role-playing and class discussion. Reed feels that more creative teaching methods ignite the kids’ interest in the subject matter and allow them to better retain the information. “We’ll do a lesson in February for Valentine’s Day,” Reed said. “In this lesson, I’ll give the kids a tissue paper heart, and we will read a story. [The students] will crumple the heart every time the characters are mean to the protagonist. The idea is that they can’t smooth [the paper] out. Once you’ve said something, you can apologize, but the hurt may still be there in that person. The kids remember things

like that.” In addition to applying the life skills now, fifth grader Henry Schechter realizes the importance of retaining the information taught to him and carrying the skills with him into his older years. “Because of this class,” Schechter said, “when we get older and encounter situations in which we would need to use these certain skills, we now know how to use them.” HENRY SCHECHTER Student understands effects of the class on his future.

During the class discussions, the students feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable and express their problems to their classmates. To Reed, this is what makes the class special. “I always really like it when kids share their experiences during class,” Reed said. “That’s always a good thing for me because at that point I feel like we break barriers. We may be talking about alcoholism and someone could share their worries that they have it in their family. Then, all of a sudden, it gets real. That’s pretty cool and powerful.”

STORY ZACH GILSTRAP, CRAWFORD MCCRARY PHOTO ALDEN JAMES

Cafeteria staff offering alternatives to red meat to students and faculty

s ain Gr

What are the viable alternatives offered by the cafeteria? With the recent release of The recommendation from the American Academy of Food Nutrinews concerning the nutionists is that people fill up their plates with food and vegetable and merous negative effects have a small amount of meat. I think that’s a good thing to do, beof consuming too much cause it encourages people to eat more healthy things that way. red meat, inlcuding beef The students here eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. The and pork, the cafeteria salad bar is used by everyone, and I think that’s a really posistaff is attempting to tive thing. You all have a really sophisticated taste and tend offer healthy alternato eat a wider variety of things. I think that’s the key. Couscous tives. Life Editor Anvit We were working toward offering more vegetarian Reddy had a converoptions here, which are appealing to everybody, and I’m hoping that people will take advantage of that sation with Sally and cut down their meat consumption. Stephens, Director of Food Services, What do you think about the risk of red meat? to talk about I think that’s something that people have how the staff been thinking for a couple of years, and the Assorted Salad Roasted Veggies is adaptrecommendation is no more than three ing and servings of red meat a week. amendThat’s why whenever we have things ing the like beef or pork we try to offer other menu. items that are not red meat, like poultry or fish. One of the things that people tend to not be as aware of are portion sizes. Tortilla Tilapia Fish Fillet Sandwich Roast Chicken A portion size is really only 4 oz, but people tend to eat a lot more here. If people could cut down on portion sizes, I think it would be a lot better regarding safety and health issues.

What are the grain and dairy alternatives offered? We have yogurt out there every day, we have different kinds of cheeses and we have different meat alternatives in the salads at the salad bar. For grains, we’ve added some new quinoa dishes, some new couscous dishes and we also have some specialty salads. We are actually going to start working with tofu in our dishes. Probably the weekend after Thanksgiving, we will have a tofu salad, and we’re looking at incorporating tofu in some of the other options and see how it’s received.

les tab ge Ve

ats Me

L LIFE

PAGE 14 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER DALTON GLENN

Playing the part

Wanting to branch out and explore his passion for acting, sophomore Dalton Glenn turned to the Dallas Children’s Theater for the chance of a lifetime and an opportunity to make a difference in the community.

STAGE RIGHT Gazing out into the seats of Decherd Auditorium, sophomore Dalton Glenn relishes every chance he gets to perform in the spotlight.

e takes a deep breath, attempting to calm his jittery nerves. The worst possible thoughts run through his mind. What if I forget my lines? What if I trip and fall? What if I break character? But soon enough, sophomore Dalton Glenn hears his cue. He emerges from the curtain and into the spotlight. And all his worries fade away. “There’s always a rush of adrenaline I get when I walk onto the stage,” Glenn said. “Because I’m usually backstage thinking ‘Oh, I’m going to screw up my line, oh this isn’t going to go well,’ and then I walk out there, and all of my worries just melt away, and I’m not Dalton Glenn anymore, I am whoever I need to be at the point.” Although Glenn has been accustomed to performing ever since he learned the basics in his second grade acting class, his performance in Teen Brain, a play put on by the Dallas Children’s Theatre (DCT), was different in that it is more of an awareness play, aiming to educate the audience on the dangers of teen drinking through the art of theatre. “It felt kind of strange because that was the first time that I wasn’t doing a performance just to entertain,” Glenn said. “I was doing a performance to spread awareness and to educate. There was an entire monologue in the center of the play talking about the teen brain and how it is not fully developed yet. It didn’t really affect how I acted, but it affected how I saw the impact of that production.”

Glenn believes that the show was a success in that it not only entertained the audience, but it also led to increased awareness on a cogent societal issue. “We even had neuroscientists and psychologists come and talk to the crowd after about the dangers of teen drinking to add to the show,” Glenn said. “I also had some parents come up to me after the production and who said to me, ‘That was really good. More people need to know about this.’ It felt good to know that I was making a difference.” Glenn also attributes an improvement in his acting skills to his participation in a different variety of a theatrical production. Dalton Glenn Says acting has helped him express his personality.

“[Acting in Teen Brain] enhanced my acting skills by giving me a little bit of diversity with a character,” Glenn said. “Instead of dealing with lighthearted plays, this did have some pop-ish music, but it also had some pretty heavy topics. I almost cried on stage at one point. It really helped me expand my emotional portfolio, and it honestly helped boost my confidence.” Teen Brain was just one of the DCT productions that Glenn has acted in. He has also taken advantage of the other opportunities offered by the organization. “The fall production that DCT put on was Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow,” Glenn said. “I was Braum Bones, who was this kind

of pseudo-antagonist, he loved to tell his ghost story of his race with the headless horseman, and basically the entire story has a bunch of different people telling their ghosts stories in that area.” Glenn appreciates the wide breadth of plays offered by the organization because they allow him to diversify his acting experiences. “DCT holds this thing called the ‘Teen Scene Players,’ which is where freshman to seniors can audition for these teen plays.” Glenn said. “Usually there’s the Halloween show and then there’s two other ones, which they can choose to make educational. One year there was Little Women, but next year they did Don’t You Love Me, which is about relationship violence.” Nancy Schaeffer, director of the production Teen Brain, has noticed how Glenn has been able to act well in serious productions such as Teen Brain and more entertainment-focused productions such as Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow, displaying his skills in the process. “I would say that Dalton did a great job in both of his character portrayals in our shows,” Schaeffer said. “These were two very different characters, and he found the way to make them speak to the audience.” Schaeffer hopes to see Glenn continue improving his acting skills by working with DCT in the future. “Dalton is a committed actor,” Schaeffer said. “He has continued to take classes and train his technique. He works hard, and he is a terrific team player. I hope to work with him again soon.”

For now, Glenn has turned his attention to Hockaday’s musical production, Curtains. However, he hopes that he can return to DCT in the future to continue to diversify his skills. “I’m really excited to go back to DCT because I’ll get to see my friends over there,” Glenn said. “In just a few months of rehearsal, my fellow actors became my best friends, and it’s always good to see them again.”

Road to Ghosts of Sleepy Hollow Step 1 Receiving and reciting parts from the play

• The actors first read monologues • They were then called up to the stage to recite lines

• After reviewing the performances, the directors of the play chose the actors

Step 2 Rehearsals and preparations began

• The directors held reading sessions with the actors

• Costumes were given out to the members of the cast

• Stage directions were given out to the actors and extras

Step 3 Final preparations and rehearsals

• Dress rehearsals were held • Final revisions and changes to lines were made

• The cast took a final photoshoot and prepared the performance

STORY ANVIT REDDY, JOHN GUNNIN PHOTO ALDEN JAMES

After mastering Russian, sophomore creates Hochawut, an original language by Zachary Gilstrap

ince learning Latin, sophomore Andrew Smith began to immerse himself in the world of linguistics. He then added Russian to his repertoire. But now, he’s decided to take it to the next level: creating his own language. “One day,” Smith said, “I was browsing a random Reddit thread, and someone mentioned ‘ConLanging’, or language construction. While reading, I thought, ‘This is really cool. I think I can do this.’” After the website ignited his interest, he began to do lots of research on linguistics and started forming his very own language. “I did a lot of research,” Smith said, “and saw what other people had done with their languages.” The language, called Hōchawut, was

formulated through a system used in Arabic and Hebrew in which words from a set of three languages are interspersed to create new phrases. Using this method, Smith has made considerable progress in the development of his language. “My language’s grammar is fully constructed,” Smith said. “Now I’m working through the vocabulary. My goal is to translate the Old Testament into my language.” Smith has decided to spread his love for linguistics to other students through the ConLang club. “When people heard I had created a language,” Smith said, “they seemed really interested in the process. So, I decided to make an interest group so people can actually do it.”

The club has outlined a year-long list of goals and milestones pertaining to the language they are creating. “For the first half of the year,” Smith said, “our goal is to cover a lot of linguistic topics and construct our group language. For the second half of the year, our goal is to have each member construct their own languages.” Through his additional studies of Russian, Smith has learned that studying other languages is highly valuable and allows insight into the culture of others.

“Multilingualism is very important because it allows people to gain the perspective of a culture that they are not a part of,” Smith said. “It expands your global palette.”

PAGE 15 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

L LIFE

HUNTING FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Calling the shots From Alaska to the African savannah, sophomore Tucker Ribman has faced some of hunting’s biggest challenges. For him, hunting and wildlife conservation go hand-in-hand. And come January, the Dallas Safari Club will name him the Colin Caruthers Young Hunter of the Year.

e peers down from the blind at a whitetail deer 100 yards ahead, focusing on his breathing to steady his crosshairs. Things aren’t as simple as they were this morning. He’s not aiming at a sheet of paper at the end of a range. There’s no orange sticker to show him where to place his shot. There is no room for error. Because this time, his target is alive. Heart pounding and knees shaking, he tries to remember what his uncle had told him that morning. Tucker, hit the center! Blinking through sweat, he zeroes in on the buck and remembers all his training. Then, he pulls the trigger. For the then first grader, it was more than just his first kill. After learning the basics of hunting at a young age from his grandpa and uncle, this was sophomore Tucker Ribman’s initiation into the family’s longtime practice of hunting. “The best part of killing that deer was finally being a part of the long-lasting family tradition and having an experience that I could share with the rest of my family,” Ribman said. “I was very excited. I really wanted to tell my parents and grandparents about it right after.” TREVOR AHLBERG ’86 Ribman’s uncle applauds conservation efforts

Ten years later, Ribman is now anxiously waiting for January when he will be presented with the Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award, an honor presented by the Dallas Safari Club each year to a hunter for their hunting accomplishments, conservation efforts and involvement in their various communities. For hunting, Ribman has traveled across the globe in search of exotic and dangerous wildlife in countries in Africa and parts of Alaska. “He kind of blew the competition away because he is very fortunate to have hunted very dangerous animals,” Wilson Stout, Chairman of the Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award said. “When the application was brought upon myself and the committee, we were blown away by his accomplishments.”

Although Ribman finds that his travels and hunting experience fascinates many, he often encounters people who are skeptical to it all. “The ones that raise an eyebrow at the subject are often the ones who know the least about hunting,” Ribman said. “I think the challenging thing to wrap your mind around is that hunting for conservation is a counterintuitive concept for most people. When you hunt, there are multiple aspects of how hunting can help for conservation.” Ribman says state laws make sure that hunters are only targeting old, large and non-breeding animals that often harm the wildlife in the area. Along with this, the state also carefully monitors animal populations to ensure that hunting will not negatively impact the environment. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the sale of hunting licenses, contributing nearly $200 million each year, is the primary source of funding for most wildlife conservation efforts. Ribman’s uncle, Trevor Ahlberg ’86, says it is not only the hunting that has impacted Ribman, but also his efforts towards animal conservation. “Besides being a great hunter and having all of the wonderful experiences that he’s been able to have at this young age,” Ahlberg said, “he’s spent a lot of time studying and understanding what role the hunter plays in the North American model of conservation.” Ribman has done significant conservation projects in the past, including spending his summer at his ranch breeding whitetail deer to improve genetics and helping a foundation re-forest Ethiopia for the endangered mountain nyala. “I enjoy hunting,” Ribman said. “So as hunters, we need to put effort into the conservation to protect the animals and help them thrive. That way we can continue hunting.” When Ribman’s award is presented in January, he will stand in front of nearly 2,000 people at the Dallas Safari Club’s annual convention. “I’m really blessed to be receiving this award,” Ribman said. “It means so much to my family and me, and it’s definitely an honor that the award isn’t just for hunting achievements. The other aspects that are included in the award are what make it so special.”

YOUNG HUNTER Sophomore Tucker Ribman dons his gear as he prepares for a hunt. 1. Shaking his grandfather’s hand, a seven year-old Ribman holds his first kill. 2. After traveling with his family to Zimbabwe, Ribman shows off his cape buffalo. 3. Taking a family spring break trip to Ethiopia in 2015, Ribman poses with his hunting guide and a mountain nyala. 4. Dedicating two weeks of his summer to breeding whitetail deer, Ribman feeds one in hopes of improving the genetics in ranches statewide.

Not just for sport

A look at the numbers behind hunting for conservation

$796

million

The money hunters give through licenses to conservation programs each year

The number of jobs from game wardens to rangers hunting supports.

680,000

13.7

million The number of hunters over 16 in the U.S.

SOURCE Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

STORY KOBE ROSEMAN, MOHIT SINGHAL PHOTOS PHILIP SMART, COURTESY TUCKER RIBMAN

Middle School science instructor pursues educational leadership degree by Mohit Singhal

ince becoming the seventh-grade class sponsor and a co-director of the Wilderness Program, science instructor Lukas Rahlson has embarked upon earning a degree in educational leadership at the Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. The course consists of two intensive summers in Nashville that bookend a year of local action-research projects. Rahlson returns to Vanderbilt Uni-

versity throughout the year to present his research to the dean of the program and learn more about what an educational leader really is. “[For me], any individual — student, teacher, coach, parent, or administrator — who identifies a need at a school and takes initiative to seek out solutions to make the school a better place [is an educational leader],” Rahlson said. Believing that our school provides

a unique opportunity for any and all potential leaders to prosper, the science instructor has already integrated some new strategies into the classroom and the wilderness program. “After doing research this summer, I was able to reflect upon my own teaching methods and have since changed my curriculum to align with the teaching practices I learned about,” he said. “This summer I created a five-week project-based learn-

ing unit that is focused on academic skills in addition to traditional note-taking.” According to Rahlson, learning to work smart is an important skill. “As much as I love geology, I believe a Middle School student will benefit much more in the long run from learning to problem-solve and work efficiently in a group than he will from memorizing the differences between plagioclase and orthoclase feldspars,” Rahlson said.

PAGES 16-17

PERSPECTIVES

DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

MIXING IT UP — CONTIN

socio-economic status religion

race sexual orientation

ethnicity gender

‘

IT’S H GREA WHE IS PA ANAL YOU INFO

mental or physical ablity age It’s more than just a face.

STORY PHILIP SMART, WILL CLARK PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

NUED FROM PAGE ONE

iversity isn’t just one thing or another — black or white — it’s not just a number. It’s a much more complex concept. There are actually at least eight “core” identifiers for diversity (shown on the left page). Marjorie Curry, sponsor of Dallas Area Youth Diversity Organization club [DADYO] , believes those criteria are crucial, but also identifies several factors unique to the school. Some of those identifiers she describes: being a 12-year Marksman, coming from a public or private school and whether your mother works outside the home. “There are so many different things that I think are specific to independent schools and specific to St. Mark’s, but that’s the great thing,” Curry said. “Everybody is different. We have things that are in common and things that are different, but we all come together to make this a special place.” All these factors influence perspective and contribute to the ongoing conversation of education. Director of Admission David Baker describes what diversity means to him. “Diversity for me, and for this office, is the notion of adding texture and depth to the academic conversation on campus,” Baker said. “The more people with varieties of backgrounds with different experiences have, the better that conversation gets.”

46percent of students of color

One of the students adding to that conversation is freshman Grayson Feick, who moved to Dallas from California over the summer. He represents a diverse perspective not visible from the outside, a perspective that differs in geography and culture. “[In class] you draw on different stuff you’ve experienced and different backgrounds you have,” Feick said. “You also pull from different memories. Like in California, we did a mission project for the California Mission, stuff like that. So I pulled from that in history class, which was cool.” As a student on financial aid (see cover), Joe also lives a different point of view and brings unique experiences to the table. “I definitely feel like I HARD TO MAKE have a better perspective on AT DECISIONS EN IGNORANCE things that I am privileged ART OF YOUR to learn,” Joe said. “I think LYTICAL PROCESS. that’s what being diverse is NEED TO BE WELL all about. I think the diversity ORMED. that schools want comes from ANDY BOWMAN the school wanting other people to see the world in a way that they’ve never thought before.” According to Curry, diversity within the student body is all about preparing boys for lives of leadership. “When you’re a leader, you’re going to be working with people,” Curry said.

“And guess what, they’re not all going to look like you. And they’re not all going to act like you. And they’re all not going to think like you. So that’s the best preparation.” Leadership extends beyond the classroom, and Feick notes the importance of having a real-world experience as a component of education. “[Diversity] kind of mimics the population of the world, too,” Feick said. “You can’t really have everyone from one place, or it wouldn’t really make sense. It’s kind of nice because different people of different background can discuss stuff and have their points of views, and if it was all the same type of person, you wouldn’t really have that.” Randy Bowman, father of Malcolm Bowman ’13, grew up in South Dallas and now is the president and co-owner of Mitchell Ward Logistics. He also chaired the Parkland Foundation Board and raised about $160 million for the construction of the new hospital. He credits some of his success to his awareness of diverse demographics. “My workforce is not monolithic,” Bowman says. “It is not all one demographic racially. It is not all one demographic with regard to religious beliefs or even lack of beliefs. It is not all one demographic with regard to sexual orientation. It is not of one region. It is not from simply one type of college.” According to Bowman, a diversity of perspectives isn’t just important to education, it’s essential to be competitive in the today’s job market. “If you were to be able to increase understanding of different populations and demographics by increasing diversity,” Bowman said, “what you’re going to do is you’re going to create a more harmonious student body, a more well educated student body, certainly a student body that is more prepared to go out and compete in the world.” Baker acknowledges the importance of diversity, and the benefit of different perspectives. “I think we are about a group of young men of character, who are striving toward similar kinds of goals all together,” Baker said. “Our diversities, our differences, are our strengths. That we are so diverse makes us stronger.” Curry observes this strength in diversity within the student body and also outside of the school environment. “I know we have a large percentage of racial-ethnic diversity, and I do think we also have socioeconomic diversity,” Curry said. Bowman thinks the financial aid population at the school, while great in number, does not actually represent the impoverished or even those below middle class. The price of tuition is high enough where even middle class families often need financial assistance, which creates a gap in the spectrum of perspectives. “The disadvantages of being surrounded by a homogeneous population,” Bowman said, “particularly when you’re

part of the group that comprises that dominant culture, is that you develop a blind spot, and that blind spot can manifest itself in several ways. Not the least of which is it can build in you a sense of complacency.” As Bowman puts it, that blind spot, exposure to people of lower income families, can lead to misjudgments later in life. Great decisions are hard to make when “ignorance” is part of the “analytical process.” “If you don’t really have a perspective of how it is that poor people experience life,” Bowman said, “then you’re probably not going to be able to create the policy around your company that’s going to truly take into account how it is that those policies impact those who are poor.” Of course, there are practical limits in the admissions process of diversifying the student body.

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES community members muse the importance of knowing your surroundings

DAVID BAKER Director of Admission acknowledges the benefits to the community service program

“A whole lot of what our community service programs does is kids develop a compassion for people in different kinds of situations. The food banks and the homeless shelter have been good for our kids to be exposed to because you have to have some context on those issues.”

15percent

MARJORIE CURRY

of students on financial aid

“Money is a limiting factor,” Baker said. “The Board of Trustees and the headmaster, certainly, and everyone on the faculty would love to see money not be a factor. We would like to be able to admit all the guys that we want to admit who enhance the quality of this conversation, so there aren’t any strict rules or guidelines.” The standard of admissions is also an unchanging limit, not lowered for any applicant, regardless of his background. Baker says the school does not fill quotas, but rather admits the applicants that meet the standard and add to the educational conversation. From there, the school tries to make the tuition possible. “I’m not trying to create an outcome,” Baker said. “There’s no attempt by anybody to socially engineer this. That never works for one thing. I’m trying to create an opportunity for a great conversation.” Bowman, however, believes there are benefits to interacting with students from lower socioeconomic classes. Bowman sees himself as someone who was driven by “desperation” because of his upbringing, and he thinks students should be familiar with this type of motivator within the student body. “Desperation is a completely different motivator,” Bowman said. “If you’ve never competed against someone who’s driven by desperation, you don’t want to compete against that type of person for the first time when the stakes are higher.” Ultimately, keeping the school’s standard of academic excellence as a priority is what attracts a diverse selection of applicants. “Our best diversification strategy is to be an awesome school,” Baker said. “That’s the absolute truth. If you’ve got a great school, diversifying the school isn’t that hard because people will come to you.” And Joe, who came to school for its academic excellence, now experiences how the school is helping him be the first in his family to go to college, a valuable

Sponsors the DADYO club, which meets weekly to discuss diversity and social issues

“And we also have diversity in other areas, but in some of the identifiers we achieve access to diverse populations through our community service outreach programs or through an international trip a student might take for their language skills or through even mixers with Hockaday.”

CURTIS SMITH Runs Brendan Court, the summer education program for underprivileged students

“[Brendan Court kids ask me], ‘Can I come to a school like this?’ I say yes. Give it your best shot. There’s good money here to help people come.”

RANDY BOWMAN Father who grew up in South Dallas thinks Marksmen need more exposure to people below the poverty line

“You’re not able to properly take into account dynamics that you’re not aware of, people that you’re not aware of, cultures that you’re not aware of. And all of those things impact the decisions that you seek to make, whether those decisions are in the realm of business, whether they’re in the realm of politics, in the realm of civic and charitable work.”

and unique perspective that also helps the student body. “It’s really my job to make sure I get the education that my parents are paying for,” Joe said. “I feel like I need to study more than other people sometimes, and I need to understand what I’m talking about and be smart because that’s the opportunity that my parents didn’t get to have.”

FAST FACTS

statistics on diversity and financial aid

394

Students of color trend since 2007

by yearly income for a four person family

POVERTY GUIDELINES

$24,250

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

$54,462

TUITION COST

$28,149

in America in 2014

260 2007

of a St. Mark’s senior

‘08

‘09

‘10

‘11

‘12

‘13

‘14

‘15

‘16

SOURCE Department of Health and Human Services, the Census Bureau and The Office of Admission

L LIFE

PAGE 18 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER STUDENT WORKERS

Hard at work All Upper School students juggle their studies, sports, social lives and sleep. But these students have to manage another set of responsibilities: a job. AFTER HOURS Sophomores Toussaint Pegues (left) and Kyle Zhang (bottom right) and junior Rene Reeder (top right) and all work after school jobs, working as a self employed crocheter, a grocery bagger at Market Street and a greeter at Carraba’s, respectively.

or most Upper School students, 4 p.m. marks the end of the school day, finally time to take off the oxford shirt and grey shorts. But for some students, it’s time to put on another uniform altogether: their work uniform. While their reasons for working vary from just earning money for video games to saving away money for college, all students who find time for a job on top of the rigors of homework have one more load to carry in the balancing act that is Upper School. Since he started this past summer, sophomore Kyle Zhang has spent part of his afternoons and weekends stacking groceries and pushing grocery carts at Market Street in Plano. Having an after-school job comes with more than just the money earned, and for Zhang, an after-school job offers a new community and family. “My dad and I were shopping in the summer, and we came across a brochure saying, ‘Come join our family,’” Zhang said, “so I applied.” After his application, Zhang went through a short hiring process. He learned how to prepare for a job interview and how to represent oneself. And when he walked into Market Street on that Saturday afternoon, he was nervous. “I did an interview,” he said. “I dressed up, and everyone else was just in a polo and khaki shorts, so I stood out.” While working at Market Street, Zhang has received more compensation than just an hourly wage. He credits his job with teaching him valuable time man-

agement and communication skills that come in handy both while at school and at work. “You have to be aware of your time really well, your time management,” Zhang said. “It’s not like sports practice where you can skip sometimes. There’s a set amount of time, and you have to go when you have to go to get that certain amount of hours.” Being part of the Market Street family allows Zhang to meet people with similar interests, and the friendships he has formed serve as another reward for his hard work. “It’s really important,” Zhang said. “Most of the workers there are high school students like me, so we know each other pretty well with our common interests.” For sophomore Toussaint Pegues, down time has become time for an unconventional job. After a long evening of a grueling volleyball practice followed by a few hours of Chinese homework, many students would enjoy the welcoming relief of just going to bed. But not Pegues. To make extra money, he usually spends ten hours a week working on his craft of choice: crocheting. He makes cases for phones, calculators and even does custom orders for anyone looking to buy a pouch or container. Not content with just the sales from around campus, Pegues opened up an online store on Etsy, where anyone can order his products, but he completely decides and manages his own working hours.

“I’ve made money since March to spend on games and comics,” Pegues said. “I’d be willing to work around ten hours a week on it.” While he acknowledges that hours and hours spent on a seemingly mindless task like crocheting would be boring to many, Pegues uses his crocheting to make money during his free time. Time normally spent watching TV or playing is now devoted both to his businesses. “I don’t dislike it,” Pegues said. “ It’s not boring, and it’s money. ” Pegues enjoys the benefits of self-employment, setting his own hours, working on his own time and keeping nearly all of the profits. “I make cases whenever I want,” he said. “I don’t have to just sit and make cases because someone else told me to.” Similarly to Zhang and Pegues, junior Rene Reeder uses an afterschool job to earn and save money outside of school. Ever since July, he has worked as a host at Carrabba’s Italian Grill. “I’m a host, I open doors, I answer the phone, I run food and I clean tables,” he

BY THE NUMBERS

a glimpse at the data behind students with after-school jobs

1.6

average hours worked by high school student per weekday

said. “I only work Sundays, but during the summer, I work everyday.” Although he only works one day a week, Reeder’s job has added a whole new layer of responsibility on top of the academic and athletic rigors of junior year. Working all day Sunday takes away hours usually spent studying, but Reeder sacrifices sleep to complete all of his work, both from school and from his job. “It takes up most of my Sunday,” he said. “It mainly takes away from my sleep because Saturday I have SAT prep and community service and then Sunday morning I have work.” For Reeder, an entry level position at a restaurant like Carrabba’s offers new perspective on the workforce. His experiences working at the restaurant have prepared him with the skills and drive to move up in the ranks. “The job isn’t that hard, but it taught me that I don’t really want to be doing that all my life,” Reeder said. “It taught me what happens if I don’t get a good education and strive, if I am content with just working there my whole life.”

4.4

average number of jobs held by the age of 22

16 percent of high school students have a job on top of school 32 percent of teens have a weekend or summer job

80 percent of students will work before graduating college SOURCE Bureau of Labor Statistics

STORY DAVIS BAILEY PHOTOS TIM O’MEARA, OWEN BERGER

Senior Joshua Choe co-authors paper published in scientific journal by Kobe Roseman

fter spending his summer researching subtypes of lung cancer, senior Joshua Choe has contributed enough work to be named a co-author on an upcoming paper submitted in the scientific journal, Cell. Working as a core member of the project’s team at The University of Texas at Dallas, Choe was responsible for describing the metabolism of the lung cancer cells and contributing data for the project’s ultimate goal of finding a better therapy for lung cancer. Cecil H. and Ida Green Master Teacher Steve Balog, Choe’s physics teacher who wrote his recommendation to the research program over the summer, says that Choe’s creative thinking in his class helped him a lot in his research. “He always had some sort of different take on things or a different perspective on things,” Balog said. “I knew he enjoyed biology and medical research, so when

he was telling me about the internship I thought that was a great opportunity for him to see if that’s what he really wanted to do.” Going into the lab for the first time, Choe had no expectation of being named as a co-author on the paper. “It all depended on how well I did really,” Choe said. “I didn’t expect to be on the paper at all. After a lot of work, apparently my results were pretty good, and I contributed enough to be an equally contributed first author on that paper.” Being a co-author entails the writing of the sections about Choe’s experiments and the conclusions he made from those. Between research and school, Choe often struggles to find a balance. “It’s really hard to juggle school as well as research because research does take up a lot of time,” Choe said. “[Over the summer] I learned how to do that.” Although the date of publication is

still to be determined, Choe hopes it will be by the end of the year. After the paper is published, Choe will begin his own research project based on his observations on experiments over the summer. Although he will still be researching a subtype of lung cancer, Choe will now be leading the experiments. “This next project, I will be running my own research,” Choe said. “Maybe I’ll have another helper or something like that, but it’s a bit smaller project.” From a young age, Choe knew he wanted to do something in medicine or biology. But it wasn’t until recently he decided he wanted to go into research. “I’ve always liked being creative,” Choe said. “So I think it transitioned into research because that involves a lot of being creative. You have to have good observation skills and you have to think critically.”

Choe believes school clubs and how the teachers teach science played a critical role in his path to this co-authorship and research in the future. “The wealth of clubs in the medical and biology fields as well as the scientific method that the teachers actually teach here really helped me to transition easily into the research field,” Choe said. “With all the lab reports and things like that, the teachers really do teach how to think critically and think scientifically.” Balog hopes that when students hear about Choe’s work, they will be inspired to do something similar in their field in the future. “I would hope that they think, ‘I can do something meaningful in the area that I’m passionate about’ whether that’s in the sciences or not,” Balog said. “More than just doing well in the sciences, you can do well in anything. I think the school really tries to encourage that.”

PAGE 19 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

OPERA PERFORMERS

L LIFE

The diatonic duo COURTESTY SUZANNE CALVIN, DALLAS OPERA

Sixth grader Liam and fourth grader Nate Wilson spend four hours a night after school not on a sports field, but with talented singers and actors, preparing for a professional performance for hundreds.

SONOROUS SIBLINGS Liam and Nate Wilson perform aongside the full cast at a live performance of Tosca. On the right, they stand in front of the Winspear Opera House in downtown Dallas where they practice and perform.

t’s opening night. As he waits for his cue to go onstage, he feels a surge of anxiety hit him. Over two thousand seats fill the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House. Over four thousand eyes will be watching him. He quickly shakes his stage fright off moments before going onstage. Then, sixth grader Liam Wilson enters stage right with the rest of the boys in the debut of the show Carmen. This was his first time acting in front of this large of a crowd, but after innumerable late-night rehearsals, Wilson knew this is what he prepared for and where he wanted to be. His time to shine had finally arrived. His mom, Rebecca Wilson, sat reading through her emails when she came across one with Liam’s name in it. She assumed it was just a piece of spam, but as her eyes wandered through the email, she saw it was an invitation from Liam’s choir master. “Liam started out in the CCGD [Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas] and he was invited to participate in Carmen two years ago,” Rebecca said. “At first I actually thought it was spam. Then I read it and I was overjoyed.” While a 20-minute commute and fourhour rehearsals might discourage the average ten-year-old, Liam’s love of singing

motivated him to pursue opera, and the modern spectacle of the Winspear and the professional attitude intrigued him to stay with the organization. “I really like singing and I think it’s quite amazing to see what backstage of the Winspear is like,” Liam said. “It’s very interesting. When you’re watching from the audience, it’s like ‘wow,’ but when you’re backstage, it’s so much more. There are sets from other operas too at the same time, and it’s pretty cool.” The professional atmosphere pressured Liam. Any mistake was taken critically and a flawless performance was expected. As a paid performer, Liam was hurried off the set after his performance not with a congratulation, but a paycheck instead. “He had to be rushed offstage because this was a professional performance,” Rebecca said. “There isn’t any high-fiving or anything like that. He is paid for his time. Not as well as the primary actors but it is payment. I try to be his support in those times.” A year after Carmen, Liam’s brother, fourth grader Nate Wilson, stands pondering over whether spending so much time doing opera was really worth it, just like his brother. He stands in his torn blazer and raggedy knickers in the debut of La Bohème. Stage fright has never been a

problem before. His cue for the start of act two is given and he rushes on with the rest of the boys. Nate felt inclined to join because of his brother, but after joining, he also found his own enjoyment, despite the time commitment, from acting instead of singing. “I like the acting. I don’t mind the singing but I like the acting,” Nate said. “The rehearsals take so long though. It takes a really long time for it to actually start. I usually get released at like ten o’ clock at night.” While hundreds attend the final performance, Rebecca is there for every rehearsal to watch the process and growth of the production. “I’m able to sit during rehearsals to see the artistic process,” Rebecca said. “I love watching the progress and how the kids learn to be on stage with grown-ups. So to me, I love seeing it all come together even when the kid’s parts last only a few minutes in a four hour opera.” Rebecca sacrifices her time for her sons based on a deal she made from the very beginning. She would drive them to rehearsal every night and stay to watch as long as they finished all their work thoroughly and don’t complain. The deal hasn’t been broken yet. “It’s motivating for him, and as a parent, of course you want to encourage that

in your kids,” Rebecca said. “It’s completely done by the kids. They don’t have to do it, but they love it. It’s something they enjoy for different reasons, but as long as they hold commitments to school and family, I’m all for it.”

The Winspear Opera House Address

• 2403 Flora Street, Dallas, TX Upcoming shows • Jersey Boys, Dec. 16 • Downton Abbey, Dec. 29 • Body Traffic, Jan. 22

History

• Designed by Spencer de Gray • Built in 2009

It’s not the paychecks. It’s not the five minutes of fame. It’s the pride she has for her sons that encourages her to spend hours cheering for them just a few rows back. “It’s never something I have to drag them to,” Rebecca said. “They want to do this. It’s great as a parent to see your kid really excited about something and follow through and work to do it well. So I think the pride comes from that, rather than ‘Wow, my kid’s on stage.’”

STORY DANIEL COPE, WASEEM NABULSI PHOTO FRANK THOMAS

by John Gunnin

Matthew Gray, a comedian from Second City, came to work with the Improv Troupe Nov. 19, teaching them fundamental skills of improv, the history of improv and a slew of new games to play at their practices. Second City is a comedy theater and school of improvisation that teaches skills ranging from how to do well at a job interview to basic acting and improv skills for shows. The improv troupe, which consists of 19 students attending both Hockaday and St. Mark’s, is led by co-captains Avery Powell and Virginia Beshears. Senior troupe member Graham Kirstein looked forward to the chance to work with Gray, especially because he had seen Second City perform last year when they came to Dallas. “I saw them perform when they came to Dallas last year, and they were hilari-

ous,” Kirstein said. “I enjoyed learning from a guy who’s had so much experience in improv and performing comedy.” Apart from his instruction, Gray’s attitude and philosophy helped the troupe not be afraid to fail. He instilled the mindset he attains when he performs into the troupe as well. “I think it was more his attitude than his instruction,” sophomore Sammy Sanchez said. “He was talking about how you shouldn’t be afraid to fail because that’s part of what makes improv improv.” Most of the troupe’s success comes from natural talent and comedy and very little formal instruction. Although this creates great shows, with a little instruction the troupe believes they can perform even better. Beshears hoped Gray can teach the group techniques that will improve performances. “The vast majority of the people on

the troupe have no improv training at all, and are just naturally funny and quick on their feet,” Beshears said. The two hour session the group had with Gray astronomically helped their performance quality. The troupe looks forward to their next show at Coffeehouse as an opportunity to showcase their new skills. “I saw so much drastic improvement over the course of just two hours it was incredible,” Beshears said. “We learned a lot about making our scenes stronger, and we were able to bond more as a troupe as well.” The troupe is thankful for all of Gray’s instruction and guidance, and the time he gave to work with them. “I was thrilled for the troop to have such an incredible opportunity to learn and improve,” Beshears said. “And I greatly appreciate Mr. Gray for volunteering his time to work with us.”

CORBIN WALP PHOTO

Second City comedian mentors Improv Troupe

IMPROV LESSONS Comedian Matthew Gray shares his views of improv with the Improve Troupe; hoping to help them better understand the fundamentals of improv.

L LIFE

PAGE 20 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER MCDONALD’S WEEK

A super week F

ueled by fresh ideas and energy, the Junior Class hosted the annual McDonald’s Week fundraiser Nov. 17 - Nov. 20. The theme, which took its inspiration from Nintendo, resonated with Marksmen of all ages, especially those of Lower School. As shown by the crowds around McDonald’s, there was no shortage of involvement throughout the entire community.

1 1

MARIO KART Racing around the parking lot at McDonald’s, seniors Mahir Karim (front) and Alden James (back) compete against students from other grades in the first daily event.

2 THE BIG JOUST Battling one

and other with foam swords and shields, senior Charlie O’Brien (left) and sophomore Will Wood (right) go for the gold during the McDonald’s Week All-Day Day, which was held Nov. 18 and featured innovative mini games to entertain students throughout the event.

3 MAGIC MAN

Science instructor Ken Owens ’89 performs as “Alakazam” during his annual chemistry show, which was held on the morning of Nov. 19. Owens is shown pouring liquid nitrogen to excite the crowd.

4 MORNING MADNESS

Filling the restaurant from end to end, Marksmen, donning the McDonald’s Week T-shirt, gather in the morning to chow down on Egg McMuffins and hot cakes.

Elevating for a spike, Matthew Lawson leads the comeback.

5 BREAKFAST BOOGY

Master Teacher David Brown (right) and English instructor Curtis Smith (left) jazz up the crowd with creative dance moves and outfits.

3 PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, ALDEN JAMES, FRANK THOMAS

PAGE 21 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

BUZZ

STAR WARS The Force Awakens

MACBETH REVIEW HEADLINERS

Star Wars experts sophomore Evan Baker and math instructor Paul Mlakar weigh in on this year’s most anticipated movie, the long-awaited seventh episode of the series. Paul Mlakar fears Luke may have turned evil.

Evan Baker hopes they maintain the traditions.

When I was a little kid, my godfather took me to see episode two, and I just loved it and ended up watching the other movies. Who’s your favorite Star Wars character? R2D2 – he’s just always that underdog that everyone knows is going to win. Do you have plans to see The Force Awakens yet? I’m going to go see it – probably with my family. Which original character are you anticipating the most in the newest Star Wars movie?

on with Luke. Which new character are you most excited about? Kylo Ren [Adam Driver]. He has a new type of lightsaber, and he just looks like he has a very interesting backstory.

Which new actor are you most excited about?

I was five when it first came out. They were my childhood toys. That’s what I played with. I had Darth Vader’s TIE fighter... I remember Christmas morning getting the Millennium Falcon.

Lupita Nyong’o. She’s digitized in this movie, and there’s something about her eyes that you’re supposed to watch for.

Which original character are you anticipating the most in the newest Star Wars movie?

Mr. Rummel or Mr. Hoehn because I feel like one of them would be able to figure out some way to break the machine or stop it in general. BATTLING FORCES Aficionados Evan Baker and Paul Mlakar fight to the death with their replica lightsabers. STORY AIDEN BLINN PHOTO ALDEN JAMES

with a focus on red and through engaging performances from its two main leads. Added to the film are gruesome, bloody action set pieces depicting the brutal battles fought by Macbeth and his enemies, creating a tenser tone than seen from previous versions. Standing at the

delivering famous lines in a new, frightening, immersive way that grips the audience and does not let go. And here exists what gives yet another adaptation all of its power: the actors give performances such that the audience, even having already read the play, still questions

I think there aren’t a lot of flaws in the movie that was first released because it wasn’t commercialized yet. It was trendsetting. Is there any movie that’s had more of an impact on our society since the 1970s than Star Wars? I don’t think you can improve on that.

I would say Luke because right now in all the trailers and in all the previews, he is nowhere to be seen. There’s a theory that he could have turned to the dark side and may not be a good guy in this series.

Macbeth impresses with stellar acting

acbeth has found itself on the silver screen in about as many ways as one could imagine. And so, with the newest adaptation starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, respectively, one has to wonder if the film is at all necessary.

How do you hope to see the new movie improve upon its predecessors?

I think it would be a tie between Jar Jar and young Anakin Skywalker. [Jar Jar’s] a clumsy character who’s a baffling idiot.

If you had to be stuck in a trash compactor with one faculty member, who would he or she be?

That is the question, isn’t it? I think all that matters is who was standing after the shot.

How did you become so interested in the series?

Who’s your least favorite character in the series?

I just hope they keep with the old-fashioned Star Wars storytelling – the legacy of it.

Who shot first? Mark Hamill [Luke Skywalker] because there hasn’t been anything on him in any of the news feeds or trailers. I want to know what’s going

LIFE

THIS ISSUE STAR WARS PREVIEW

Reviewing the best of the best — and the worst of the worst.

How did you become so interested in the series?

If you had to be stuck in a trash compactor with one faculty member, who would he or she be? I would want to be stuck with Coach Dilworth because he’s the only one who might be strong enough to stop that trash compactor.

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Head iners

an almost over-stylizing of certain scenes which steals away some of the dramatic power. For years, audiences and filmmakers have sought to find the perfect adaptation of many Shakespeare plays, and while this film might not prove itself to be the quintessential Shakespearean Macbeth

Concerts 96.3 Country Fest

December 12 at 4 p.m. Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie

Kid Cudi

December 17 at 9 p.m. The Bomb Factory

Janet Jackson

January 24 at 8 p.m. American Airlines Center

Albums Chris Brown

Royalty December 18

Macbeth

Movie Review

Death Of A Bachelor January 15

Sia

Opened Dec. 4 | Limited Release

Fassbender clearly proves the need through his gripping performance, and director Justin Kurzel’s beautifully shot cinematography leaves the audience with no questions surrounding the necessity of the film. The film, like nearly every adaptation of the famous Shakespeare play, is not a direct (or perfect) recreation of the words the Bard wrote, but it does manage to create a hugely engaging world through its intense new color schemes

Panic! At the Disco

This is Acting January 29

center of all of the action and intrigue, however, are the incredible performances that give the film its real center. Fassbender transfixes the audience as the tragic Macbeth, portraying a man’s grief and devolution towards insanity perfectly as the eponymous character makes his bloody way towards his coveted throne. Right alongside him is Cotillard as the manipulative Lady Macbeth, perfectly scheming and

what could happen next. One could not discuss the new film, however, without also discussing the entirely new approach to the cinematography. The bleak color palette, mixed with the overall somber and nearly hopeless mood of the film, presents a startling new look at an often told story and gives the film a new level of engagement beyond the brilliant performances. The only fault to be found in such a decision, unfortunately, is found in

REVIEW PARKER MCWATTERS

Elton John

(one detail differs enough from the play to prevent that), it does present itself as perhaps the best film adaptation purely based on its own merits. Macbeth has been told many, many times, but never as well designed, acted, and beautifully shot as this. OUR GRADE:

A-

Wonderful Crazy Night February 5

Movies Star Wars: The Force Awakens

December 18

Concussion

December 25

Ride Along 2

January 15

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi January 15

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM

commentary commentary

CREATIVE COMMONS

Ahmed Mohammed was a victim, but is the family taking this too far?

page 23

THE WEIRDEST THING I OWN IS...

THE WILDERNESS PROGRAM

THE MATRIX

Marksmen share unusual objects in their posession.

We think the fact that there aren’t any campouts after Pecos contradicts the spirit of the program.

page 3

Ranking things like Gift Drive buttons and TIB talks according to how unexpected and interesting they are

PAGE 22 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 I REMARKER

THE REMARKER

EDITORIAL

EDITOR IN CHIEF PHILIP SMART MANAGING EDITOR WILL CLARK SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR AVERY POWELL ISSUES EDITOR CAMERON CLARK CREATIVE DIRECTOR ABHI THUMMALA MAGAZINE EDITORS BRADFORD BECK, DAVIS MARSH

RA P

HIC

DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR ZACH NAIDU

HI TH UM MA L

RESEARCH DIRECTOR NOAH KOECHER HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER ARNO GOETZ

PHOTO EDITOR FRANK THOMAS CAMPUS COORDINATOR CRAWFORD MCCRARY COMMENTARY EDITORS WILLIAM CALDWELL, JOHN CRAWFORD NEWS EDITORS CORDAY CRUZ, PHILIP MONTGOMERY NEWS WRITERS ANDRE ARSENAULT, RETT DAUGHBERG, BLAKE DAUGHERTY, JAMES HANCOCK, ZOHEB KHAN, NAFTAL MAUTIA, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY, REECE RABIN LIFE EDITORS GOPAL RAMAN, ANVIT REDDY LIFE WRITERS DAVIS BAILEY, DANIEL COPE, ZACHARY GILSTRAP, JOHN GUNNIN, , WASEEM NABULSI, KOBE ROSEMAN, MOHIT SINGHAL SPORTS EDITORS RISH BASU, CASE LOWRY SPORTS WRITERS ALEC DEWAR, WILL FORBES, MIKE MAHOWALD, NICK MALVEZZI, MATTHEW PLACIDE, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ, SAM SHANE, SAM SUSSMAN REVIEWS SPECIALIST PARKER MCWATTERS BUSINESS MANAGER ROBY MIZE ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER COPY EDITORS AIDEN BLINN, AIDAN MAURSTAD CARTOONIST ABHI THUMMALA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS DREW BAXLEY, MATEO DIAZ, SAM EICHENWALD, WILLIAM HALL, WESLEY HIBBS, ALDEN JAMES, REID JOHANNSEN, GRAHAM KIRSTEIN, CAM LAM, CHARLIE O’BRIEN, TIM O’MEARA, TUCKER RIBMAN, NICO SANCHEZ, RILEY SANDERS, KABEER SINGH, OWEN BERGER, CORBIN WALP STAFF ARTISTS DANIEL BYEON, DANIEL GARCIA, JOON PARK, BRAYDON WOMACK

DISOBEYING NO HOMEWORK WEEKENDS

Addressing no homework weekends (PART 2) “No homework, guys. But make sure to be at page 80 on Monday.” “No homework. But I will check your book annotations for the next chapter on Monday.” “There is nothing due on Monday, but a major paper will be due on Tuesday.” “Instead of 40 on Monday, you must have all 80 of these problems done by Tuesday.” — Representative instructions said by various faculty members as ‘No Homework Weekend’ began

ll of these different scenarios have occurred at some point during our no homework weekends. Although we reviewed the epidemic of certain faculty members’ breaking of this weekend’s rule, we have noticed that there has been little or no change to this process. We think it is the faculty’s job to hold themselves accountable in maintaining the principal established by the administration. While some faculty members are undoubtedly very good at following this rule, we definitely see some violations still occurring. The ultimate goal is 100 percent participation by all faculty members in order to avoid the possibility of some students not receiving the full benefit of a no homework weekend. Whether the administration needs to get involved or not,

it is still up to different faculty members to hold each other accountable to obeying this rule. With that being said, we know that a no homework weekend might disrupt the flow of a certain course. Regardless, it is a policy in place by the administration, and it should be followed by all teachers. The only way we are going to be able to accomplish this goal is if everybody holds each other accountable. Admittedly, administrators are unable to monitor every single class to make sure that all teachers obey the rule, so we think it is vital to hold other faculty members accountable. In past conversations, we have understood how passionate the administration is about these weekends. Because the no homework weekend is something important to us, whenever we confront teachers about wrongfully assigning us homework, instead of listening and taking our requests in, some faculty members will occasionally become defensive and will not heed our requests. We are aware that it may appear somewhat demanding for requesting all of the faculty to abide by the policies of a no homework weekend. However, we also know how important and valuable cooperation is. Thus we feel as if faculty members should follow the policy in place. Period. The primary purpose of a no homework weekend is to allow students to recover and rejuvenate following the rigorous final weeks of a trimester. We have no doubt that we, as a community, are capable of follwing this one weekend’s rule, and we are hopeful to see the changes take place for future no homework weekends.

ADVISER RAY WESTBROOK ONLINE VIEWING. Each issue of The ReMarker, along with archival copies, can be viewed on the school’s website, www.smtexas. org/remarker. READER INVOLVEMENT. The ReMarker encourages reader input through letters, guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for submissions. Suggestions will be given due consideration for future publication. ADVERTISING. Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad in the newspaper’s pages is not an indication of an endorsement by The ReMarker, any of its staff members or faculty or staff members of St. Mark’s School of Texas. DISTRIBUTION. Press run is 3,800 copies. Copies are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff at various distribution sites on campus. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions. MEMBERSHIP. The ReMarker maintains membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, New York City, NY; National Scholastic Press Association, Minneapolis, MN; and the Interscholastic League Press Conference, Austin. St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75230. 214.346.8000 www.smtexas.org

The weirdest thing I own is...

what

comes to

mind?

There are different things we wish we had on campus. Here are some examples of those things.

“An ice-cream-scoop-shaped rock.” — Seventh grader Rishi Mohan

“A 1940s battleship shell.” — History instructor Myles Teasley

next month

Here’s a topic that will hopefully provoke real thought and insight.

“A fake pig nose.” — Sixth grader Henry Morgan

My biggest fear is...

email submissions to 16caldwellw@smtexas.org

“A drawer full of speedos.” — Junior Andrew Lin

“A fake beard.” — Fifth grader Jack Gordy

“A goat on an island.” — Ninth grader Ryan Warner

PAGE 23 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

The loudest silence ever heard L

isten to the big, strong voice, the all-powerful voice of silence. Mainly, just look at the view and let the desert lead you…” This past summer, I took a monthlong trip to Israel. I was in a group of about 50 Jewish teens from all over the United States. Between the incredible bonding over our lack of sleep and our scouring ARNO GOETZ of the shady neighborhoods for the best falafel in the land, it was an incredible and beautiful experience. One huge staple of Israel is the Hebrew language. Hebrew has almost no grammar and is an incredibly difficult language to speak after a lifetime of English. Nevertheless, we learned many Hebrew words and phrases to submerge ourselves into the unique culture of Israel over the month. When I think about the trip, I realize I can break up the trip into the Hebrew we used. For example, “Lo, lo, lo, lo, lo. Ya kar mi dai” or “No, no, no, no, no. Too expensive” signifies our time in Jerusalem exploring the Israeli shooks, or markets. But my time in the Israeli military, a week-long basic training for your average new Israeli recruit, is marked by the yelling of “Ken Mefekeret!” meaning “Yes, Commander!”

ound the ar

GLOBE

But despite my adventures bartering with the scariest nut salesman I’ve ever seen or my time shooting m16s and diving out of the way of (not) live grenades, my time in the seeminglyboring Negev Desert stands out the most of all. It doesn’t stand out because of a new group of Hebrew words we learned. No, it stands out because of the silence. The Israeli desert, while probably the hottest place I’ve ever been, is beautiful because of the silence. Our guide through the Negev, Shai, took us to this cliff overlooking the Red Sea. As the cool breeze from the crystal clear water washed over us, Shai spread us out, handing us each a slip of paper to avoid speaking. “Now is the time to take a moment to be by yourself,” the sheet said. “Get away from all the noise and start to hear your own voice, your own thoughts. Now you have a few minutes of ‘desert time.’ Try to see how it makes you feel. What’s the meaning of this great view that’s been here for millions of years? And about us, we only came to visit it for a few short days. Listen to the big, strong voice, the all-powerful voice of silence. Mainly, just look at the view and let the desert lead you…” As the breeze from the Red Sea relaxed me, I realized how peaceful I was. While my nearest companion was less than 15 yards away, I felt completely alone. It wasn’t a scary

Unsung hero

A discussion of issues outside the scope of campus, around the country and across the globe.

Ahmed Mohammed exemplifies the abuse of the civil court

fter a much publicized arrest for bringing a clock to his high school, Ahmed Mohammed received gifts, offers, scholarships, internships, vacations and many other freebies. After his family moved to Qatar, many were surprised to hear that his family is now demanding $15 million from the city of Irving and MacArthur High School for “emotional damages.” For a family that has undoubtedly profited greatly by this controversy, it is all too disappointing to see that they are looking for a lottery-like settlement in court. In the day and age where hurt feelings can be converted into paydays through the court systems, it is becoming a recurring pattern of someone seeking emotional damage so they can then seek financial retribution. While he was certainly a victim of Islamaphobia, his family’s cashing out on the snafu is a dishonest abuse of the courts.

alone, but rather it was a calming one. It was the alone that lets you think about your path through life. It’s the alone that makes you question what you are doing with your life, and what you can do with your life. I began to think of all the stuff I’d done and all the stuff I hadn’t done. Up until this part of the journey, I was a bit nervous. I was nervous about getting off the bus we’d been spending so much time on. Israel is an extremely small country, smaller than Lake Michigan, so it was easy to get from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. In our month, we did an absurd amount of driving. All of our driving was taking us somewhere, to something new. It seems silly, but I didn’t want to leave the comfort of the bus. The bus was my home away from home away from home. Alex, our Russian bus driver, seemed like the only constant thing of our journey. Getting off the bus meant staring at something new; it meant going on an archeological dig with a man who was stuck in the 60’s or it meant literally leaving our freedom and sanity behind and becoming Israeli Soldiers. After spending some time alone with myself in the desert, I was no longer scared to get off the bus. I wanted to go and start my next adventure. I looked at the view, and I let the desert lead me.

SALLY STEPHENS Helps the school perfect its nutritional diet

SALLY STEPHENS

ou won’t find her walking through the hallways. You may not have a chance to see her smile, or hear her warm “Good morning.” In fact, you probably don’t even know where she works. But Sally Stephens is always there. She’s the brains behind the cafeteria. Ensuring every boy and staff member is fed fully and correctly, Stephens truly looks out for the crowd. Whatever the time of day, you’ll find her behind her computer or among the kitchen counters, improving the quality and quantity of our food. She’s looking out for the school. She always has a smile. And last year she celebrated two decades of service to St. Mark’s. Mrs. Stephens, we appreciate the work you do for us.

THE OBJECT OF THE ST. MARK’S BUDGET SURPLUS | CARTOON WILL CLARK

COMMENTARY

editorial

Wilderness Program Goetz column headline Gone before ”

its time

t’s one topic that always comes up. You’ve seen the picture: a group of upperschool boys, college-bound Marksmen or even alumni, telling stories and reminiscing on the past. The stories vary. The characters are different. But the setting is always the same. There’s one thing these conversations can’t avoid: The Wilderness Program. As important as that math test or basketball game may seem, every alumni will agree the wilderness campouts stand at the forefront of memories from 10600 Preston Road. So why does they end so early? Middle School campouts are a preparation, a sort of test-run for the end-all, be-all graduation requirement of the Pecos Wilderness Trip in the summer before every group enters high school. It’s a four-year build-up towards a final goal, but the unanswered question is, “Why is the final goal achieved before high school has even begun?” The official mission statement of the St. Mark’s Wilderness Program is, “Confronting some basic problems of life in the wilderness under the guidance of skilled and caring adults helps our students learn to cope with uncertainty, to gain self-confidence and to develop self-reliance.” With an emphasis on educating “the whole boy,” outdoor education and learning to confront problems in the wild is a great tenant of the school experience. But if we’re so focused on coping with uncertainty and gaining self-confidence, that process may be more effective continued through our senior years, when graduation is imminent and self-reliance is more important than ever. And as we become adults ourselves, it would make sense to slowly wane the guidance of faculty members in favor of student-driven wilderness experiences. The program itself explains that Middle School students are required to participate, while Upper School members may participate optionally through the Sherpa program. Yet if cooperative class effort and bonding as a group is the greatest draw behind the campouts, then a Sherpa program which splits classmates up among groups of younger students is counter-productive. Of course, some students may not want to be involved in the program after its current completion before ninth grade. But many of those students are the same ones who have always returned to reunions with stories of Lake Texoma and Pecos to share, and old bonds formed through campouts to rekindle. The Wilderness Program has been a vital part of the St. Mark’s experience for dozens of years and hundreds of graduates. But while its current power for creating memories and bonding classes is unquestionable, we encourage the administration to take a closer look at the power it could have for an even greater effect later in our school careers.

DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

hot or not?

SHORT & TWEET

If the @dallasmavs can somehow win the championship, I’ll get a buzz — Senior Charlie O’Brien

atrain_pearson

charlieobrien22

PHOTO ARNO GOETZ

Just flipping thru the channels. Landed on Disney. Can anyone tell how could That’s So Raven turn into Dog With a Blog — Sophomore Avery Pearson

In case you were wondering, yes. My Nintendogs are alive and well sammysanchez_19

Cool | Science lounge noise From A$AP Rocky cranked up one notch too high to belligerent freshmen “roasting” each other at full volume, the science lounge has gotten out of hand. We know it’s no library, but tone it down for those of us trying to work.

Icy | The weather If we’re socially obligated to wear shorts, can we at least have weather that won’t frostbite our unprotected legs?

—Sophomore Sammy Sanchez

CorbinWalp1997

Alight | Christmas decorations From inflatable dreidel-bears to sparkling snowflakes to an iconic ‘XVI’ sign, this year’s Christmas decorations truly impose the holiday spirit. Working through the cold and rain, the Senior Class deserves a commendation.

Heating up | McDonald’s Week The theme evoked many nostalgic memories, and no doubt allowed for more hours played of vintage Nintendo games. The best part: thousands of dollars raised for Austin Street Center.

A peek at Marksmen’s tweets

Quick thoughts on some recent events at 10600 Preston Road.

PHOTO CHARLIE O’BRIEN

COMMENTARY

PAGE 24

any1 down for HBO Go & relax? —Senior Corbin Walp

THE

Alum: Kudos and a sobering reminder To the editor: A soul-felt congratulations to the entire staff of The ReMarker that put out the recent Focus insert, “The Civil Rights Movement Of Our Time.” And a massive thank you to David Dini and his administration for letting this subject finally be dealt with openly and in print. If the current students (and readers) don’t know, the idea for an issue like this has been kicking around for over two decades and has gone nowhere. Until now. Bravo! One important correction is required, however. In at least 27 states, gays do not enjoy many basic legal protections such as the job security mentioned in the “Newlyweds” article. For example, in most of the country, a gay man could get married in the morning and then be fired in the afternoon when his employer hears about it. There are many protections at the federal and state level that are still missing, this being one of the most important. I am optimistic that the current generation of students will grow up with all of this being a non-issue and hopefully near-future generations will look back at the recent court cases as an obvious and welcome evolution. But as is evidenced by a county clerk in Kentucky, the backwards-moving Prop. 1 in Houston and the recent uptick in violence against the LGBT community in Dallas (and around the country), “The Civil Rights Movement Of Our Time” still has a lot of moving forward to do. Josh Einsohn, Class of 1990

MATRIX

Our musings of happenings around campus condensed into single boxes

UNEXPECTED Assembly announcements

Let’s do the numbers. Of the approximately 400 students who attend assembly, six go to Chemistry Club. Do the other 98.5 percent of us need to know it’s canceled?

INTERESTING

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

No-shave November

Text alert system

New vending machine

It’s good to know that students will no longer have to speculate on the stickiness of snow and the proximity of tornadoes before leaving school early.

In a dark, sport equipmentinfested alcove in the commons lies a new snack dispenser that offers unhealthy, cheap, glorious edibles.

Gift drive buttons

Chick-fil-A cookout

There’s something inherently gratifying about seeing male teachers’ beards accumulate over three weeks. Student beards, however, leave much to the imagination.

The cost of the buttons may have increased, but the quality certainly didn’t fail to meet the new price. Making the yearly sale into a trading card venture seems deceptive, however.

The succulent sandwiches were the only sufficient reward to us for sitting topsider-to-spine for half an hour during the Thanksgiving convocation.

TIB talks

Follow up video

Surprise ice cream

Having a mature, captive audience willing to hear about your beliefs, hobbies and ideals is an incredible opportuinity that not many students get.

I don’t think anybody was disappointed to hear this year’s McDonald’s Week provides not one, but two videos of teachers’ cameos and inside jokes.

Some may question whether the ice cream was worth the stress induced by Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez. Of course it was.

Something I have heard many times before

he hands me a book. The first two pages are dotted with the scribbled signatures of 16 classmates under a note from Mrs. Lanigan, complete with SeDarrien’s backwards “n” and Jordan’s unfortunate misspelling of the one thing she should spell right. Poor Jordna. On the cover there’s a short title. Italicized to give it that “fancy” look. Lifetimes: The beautiful way to explain death to children. Mrs. Lanigan stares at me, pursing her lips and scrunching her eyebrows in that way adults do when they try not to cry. She forces out the two most confusing words anybody has ever said to me. The more I think about them, the more meaningless they become. “I’m sorry.” Five years old, I blurt out what’s on my mind. “Why are you sorry?” I just don’t understand the obligation. ••• The sorrys never stop coming. Normal conversation. I ask about their parents. Like usual, people ask about mine. I tell them my mom is a pharmacist, and like usual, people ask about the one I didn’t mention. Like usual, I tell them about Daddy, who died when I was in kindergarten. I’m sorry. Within the first few years, the confusion and

sadness bring their not-so-distant cousin, anger. I stop questioning the automatic responses. Eventually, I start giving them, too. I learn to say “Thanks,” look at the ground, and change the subject. Feigned gratitude becomes my preloaded defense for feigned apology. A fake for a fake. After switching schools in first grade, those who ever knew Daddy slowly become few and far between. But the sorrys? The sorrys never leave. I learn to hate sorrys. So I get mad. All those sorrys just don’t seem real. How could they be sorry? Maybe if they were in the limousine on the day of the funeral service and heard me, too young to fully grasp the situation, proudly tell my mom that I’d already cried all my tears, so I didn’t have to cry that day. But they never heard. Never saw. Never knew. They were just “Sorry.” I never understood the obligation. ••• Until I’m on the other side. Eleven years after my dad passes away, I get a text from one of my best friends. 2:18 p.m. Dont mean to drop a bomb on you guys but my dad has had cancer for about a year and a half and he passed away last night. It takes everything not to say the words that

haunted my childhood. I’m not going to take a chance at making him feel the same way I did. Two weeks later, his house fills with people, flowers, and catering. I practice our conversation over and over in my head. So much I could say. Could I write him something? Let him know I’m there for him? I’m supposed to be good with conversation. I’ll just tell him what comes to mind. Honest, that way. I’m the only kid here who really knows how to say the right thing. On my way out, I find him making his way through maze of loved ones. I look him in the eyes. “Hey, man. I… I’m gonna head out.” He thanks me for coming. I walk out the front door, tears coming to my eyes by the time I reach the car. I walked away. After years of struggling with the death of my own father, I thought AVERY POWELL I understood the experience. It was an experience that I had internalized, but here at my car door, I learn — the hard way — that coping with an issue is not the same as overcoming it. I’d dealt with my own sorrow, but failed to make him feel any better on his worst day. I wish I said something. Anything. A childhood of dismissing those two words again and again and again. But now I have one regret. I wish I said I’m sorry.

S sports

CAPTAINS

Find out what the responsibilities are of being a sports captain.

IS IT WORTH THE RISK?

SPECIALIZATION

Why are students choosing to focus one sport?

Lack of participation in sports brings the value of sports into question.

SPC WRAPUP

Lions take home third place finishes in fall championships.

RIVALRIES

All schools have them. And they thrive on them. We take a look at athletic rivalries.

page 26

27 28 29 31

PAGE 25 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015 I REMARKER

or a small private school, St. Mark’s has churned out a lot of great athletes and teams in the past decade or so. From Ty Montgomery and the Acho brothers to the 2013 state championship lacrosse team, hundreds of student-athletes have left their mark on the banners that hang above Hicks Gym. The epitome of scholar-athletes. And then there was my eighth grade B-team basketball squad. And oh, man… we kind of sucked. We won three games… Lost 13. We did, however, pitch one legendary shutout against Covenant’s C-team. 35-0. “This pretty much happens every game,” their coach said to ours after the game. I felt kind of bad after that one. See, our team wasn’t about the behind-the-back passes, the tear-drop jump shots or the filthy ball-handling moves—“televisionism,” as my seventh grade B-team coach Curtis Smith would say. We were a basic fundamentals team. They were what we took pride in — we just weren’t very good at them. And we essentially had two main plays. The first one: pass the ball to Angel and let him bury a three-pointer. Or, the second one, my personal favorite, the “Daniyaal special”: pass the ball to Daniyaal, and, with his back turned to the basket, watch him throw what was pretty much a contested overhead pass at the hoop, all while recklessly spinning with one foot off the ground. Miraculously, it CAMERON CLARK worked about 20 percent of the time, which was pretty much the best production we were going to get. Then there was me—the guy who could shoot well (sometimes)—then the defensive players in “Davos” Marsh and Mahir “Sasquatch” Karim, P.J. at guard and many more guys whose basketball careers will probably go no further than a YMCA Rec league. So why was this team so special to me? Maybe because it was my last basketball season. Maybe it was the group of guys on the team. Win or lose, we did it in style. The Nike Elite socks, the nice basketball shoes, the jerseys that were “better than A-team’s.” But there was still something beyond the junky “swag” that resonated with me as I look back on that team of four years ago. Sure, we lost most of our games. Our final game, which we lost, caused me to leave my short-lived basketball career with a bad taste in my mouth. But no matter what we did, it was done as a team. Lost together. Worked hard together. Improved together. And yeah, sometimes we even won together. We don’t have a trophy to show for it. Our team never sent any guys to play college ball, or even to our varsity team’s starting lineup. Never left any marks on the banners in Hick’s Gym. But it’s a team I won’t soon forget.

• JUNIOR VARSITY TEAMS FLOURISH Coaches Greg Guiler, Justin Turner and Corindo Martin all hope to provide experience for their younger players through junior varsity teams. The junior varsity basketball and soccer teams have wins against Bishop Dunne and Home School respectively. “It’s an opportunity for promising young talent to get the experience needed to play at the varsity level,” junior varsity basketball

stories around campus in brief coach Scott Guiler said. “It’s very important to our program.” • WINTER AFTER SCHOOL P.E. BEGINS Head strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth’s first winter after school physical education program has started. Instead of attending physical education during the student schedule, students can choose a harder workout if they decide to attend the after school program. Senior Max Sad-

lowski believes the program has helped him for lacrosse, his main sport. “The after-school P.E program gets everybody in very good shape,” Sadlowski said. “If everybody on the lacrosse team goes consistently, I feel like we will be in great shape for the season.” • SENIOR COMMITS TO STANFORD Senior Drew Taylor recently committed to Stanford for crew. Taylor, who rows for a club team outside of

school, sees this as an opportunity to further his academic career as well as his rowing career at a top university. Stanford currently has the seventh ranked rowing team in the nation. • LEADERS TABBED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL The four Middle School sports teams are once again led by specific athletes in each sport. Eighth grade soccer is led by keeper Billy Lockhart and eighth grade basketball

is led by Paxton Scott. The team is looking to get the ball to Scott every chance they get, according to coach Fletcher Carron. Captain Lee Schlosser, a breaststroke swimmer, is one of the fastest on the team, and the Middle School wrestling team is led by Spencer Buchholz. “We’ve had a good season so far,” Lockhart said. “We went undefeated last year, and I think we can do that again, if we improve on the little things.”

— Alec Dewar, Mike Mahowald, Will Forbes, Sam Shane

in the

MOMENT events on campus told through photos

Michael Jordan plays at homecoming game

HAND TO HEART Lining up for the national anthem, the varsity basketball team prepares to take on Fort Worth Nolan Catholic Nov. 13. The Lions lost the contest 52-70 in their home opener and first game of the season. The team had eight players score points for Guiler’s team.

the Around corner

The playmaker A starter since his freshman year, junior Jake Vaughn has been a vital defender for the soccer squad, averaging five takeaways per game for coach Cory Martin’s team.

what you need to know in the coming week

TODAY What Varsity basketball vs. Faith Family Academy When 7:30 p.m. Where Hicks Gym

What Varsity soccer vs. Oklahoma Casady When 7:30 p.m. Where Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium

WEEKEND What St. Mark’s Wrestling Tournament When 9 a.m. Where Spencer Gym

NUMBER OF TAKEAWAYS BY JUNIOR DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER JAKE VAUGHN SO FAR THIS SEASON

What TISCA Swimming Meet When TBD Where Lone Star Pools

NEXT WEEK

JAKE VAUGHN

What Basketball seventh grade gold vs. Trinity Christian When 4 p.m. Monday Where Trinity Christian Academy

What Basketball seventh grade blue vs. Parish When 4 p.m. Tuesday Where Spencer Gym

What Junior varsity soccer vs. Greenhill When 5 p.m. Thursday Where Greenhill School

What Varsity soccer vs. Greenhill When 7 p.m. Where Greenhill School

MATEO DIAZ PHOTO

QUICKhits

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

HASHTAG B TEAM SWAG

“We are really starting to build team chemistry as of late, and I think we are definitely becoming more stable defensively and more efficient offensively. I think we have a good chance to win SPC because we have a lot of fast, athletic guys, and I can easily see this team being really good.”

PAGE 26 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

SPORTS

THE BIG QUESTION

Is it worth it

yer Thomas rolls out of the pocket to avoid a defender only to be crunched from behind by an unseen defensive end double his weight and in hot pursuit. A sickening thud follows the hit as the two collide with the unforgiving turf. But Thomas gets up and jogs off the field. Normally this display of functionality causes the parents in the crowd to let out a collective ‘phew’ followed by a smattering of applause. But the parents know something is wrong as a few mother’s gasps and their silence stun my eardrums. The defender knows something is wrong as he backs away not celebrating, just staring at Thomas unfathomably ambling off the field. Something is wrong. Through the battered blue bars of his facemask, his face scrunches up in pain and glistens with sweat and tears. His left arm dangles awkwardly as his right fiercely clutches his shoulder. It’s got to be his collarbone. The worst is confirmed on the sideline. The bone snapped clean in the middle between his neck and shoulder, and he is given two numbing shots right there on the sideline so he can even tolerate the pain of being moved inside. Next came a brace. Then surgery. Then an estimated eight weeks of recovery time. But one thing stood clear in Thomas’ mind the whole time. He was coming back next year. And by returning next year, Junior quarterback Hyer Thomas is one of countless high school athletes who don’t let the fear of injury get in the way of playing the sport they love. Thomas never once considered giving up his football even though he suffered a broken collarbone, a torn meniscus the year before and countless other bumps and bruises from the sport that he has played competitively since the fourth grade. “I was thinking to myself,” Thomas said. “It was my second year in a row getting hurt and I’m kind of undersized for my position, and I was getting asked if it would even be smart

Football figures

A look at athletic participation

165,359

Number of students who played high school football in Texas in 2014 according to the National High School Football Association The most popular sports in the nation by number of students that play according to the National High School Athletic Association.

Mark’s outweigh the risks?’ and for our family, they did,” Jennifer said. Football has much more to offer than championship trophies, and like so many other parents around the nation, Jennifer values the qualities and character that a team sport like football can teach. “We really value being on a team Athletes are harder to and learning these come by these days. Whether injuries or amazing lessons parents stop kids from of self discipline playing sports, students and hard work and still face the question — working together should they play? as a group,” Jennifer said. “Especially learning how to win graciously and lose graciously. All of those things outweigh the risk of injury for us.” Matthew Meadows ’15 was a two sport varsity athlete in football and for me to try to play next year. But the lacrosse here, but his career in both season went on and I missed practices, sports was cut short by two ACL tears games and just opportunities to be in each leg. One during a football with the team, I knew that the fear of game his junior season, and the other another injury wasn’t going to stop me in a preseason lacrosse game before his from playing football next year,” senior season. For Thomas, the benefits of getting “Yes, my time was cut short as to play his senior season outweighed a player by both of those injuries,” the risk of getting hurt again. But for Meadows said. “But I really loved senior Michael Mosle, who faced a playing those sports in high school. It similar dilemma, his senior comeback was really unfortunate I got injured turned sour in a preseason practice. the way I did both times but I definiteDuring one of the team’s first ly do not regret playing.” summer practices, Mosle, who severeMeadows took on a role similar ly broke his arm during a game his to that of an assistant coach his senior sophomore year, crashed down onto season since his ACL injury barred the field while chasing down a receivhim from playing the entire season, er. Mosle’s leg was broken, his football and he hopes to even stay involved career was over and his hopes for a this season in a similar vein since his successful senior season were dashed. choice of college left him in a close For his mother, Jennifer Mosle, it was a worst case scenario. After the injury Michael sustained sophomore year, she was hesitant to let him return SIDELINED to football, but ultimately gave in. Thomas (below “I wanted it to be Michael’s left) and choice,” Jennifer said. “It scared me Meadows ‘15 as his mom, but I wanted it to be (right) look on as their respective Michael’s choice, and he clearly chose teams take the that he wanted to go back. field without For the Mosles, the benefits of them, both of playing football outthem taken out weighed the risk of injury. of the action by season-ending “You step back and injuries. look at, ‘Do the benefits of playing a team sport at St.

1,088,158

FOOTBALL

TRACK AND FIELD

1,053,611

BASKETBALL

971,796

Percent of high schools in Texas that have a football team. Texas leads the nation in this catagory

34%

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

782,514

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

SOCCER

STORY CASE LOWRY, WILL FORBES ILLUSTRATION ABHI THUMMALA, CASE LOWRY

proximity to Dallas. “Im hoping to help [head lacrosse coach Francis] Donald out this year,” Meadows said. “I love the sport, and while I missed my opportunity to play I still want to help out the team in any way I can.” Both Meadows and Thomas cite the coaching staff, and specifically Coach Hayward Lee, a football and former lacrosse coach, for helping them get through their injuries and back onto the turf, even if they weren’t playing. “Coach Lee was 100 percent always there for me after the injury,” Meadows said. “He visited me after the surgery, and he helped write up workouts for me to help get me back in shape.” “All of the coaches helped me during the recovery time of my injury, especially Coach Lee,” Thomas said. “He was very supportive of me after the injury and even let me come out and help coach the eighth grade team some days just to get me back in and involved with football again.” Injuries are unavoidable in a contact sport, but each year over one million athletes, according to CNS News, in the U.S. overcome the fear of injury to gain qualities and character that thrive in a team environment like football. Thomas agreed that despite potential pitfalls, the positive aspects of being on the football team were worth the risks: “Injuries happen — it’s pretty much a part of life,” Thomas said. “You can break your collarbone or your finger in many different ways. The wonderful experiences I’ve had playing football and being with my dad and my friends totally outweighs the little bit of pain from an injury.”

PAGE 27 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

CAPTAINS

SPORTS

LOCKED IN Varsity football captains (from left to right) William Caldwell, Drew Baxley, Jackson Cole and Brannon Rouse stand at midfield for the coin toss before their game against Fort Worth Country Day on Sept. 11. The Lions won the game 29-21 behind four touchdowns from senior Matthew Placide.

Leaders of the pack

By mentoring younger athletes, varsity captains see the in their mindset versus the rest of the team.

WITHOUT LIMITS Graass was the fastest runner on the cross country team. As the only captain, he was the soul of the team and taught the younger runners important lessons.

enior captain Jackson Cole stands outside the locker room. The football team — his team — huddles behind him, eager to get on the field and begin the important rivalry game, but an ill-timed weather delay is keeping everyone off the field. It’s the Lions’ final regular season game. It’s homecoming. It’s Greenhill. After what seems like an eternity, head athletic trainer Matt Hjerstedt finally informs the team that the delay is over. Cole busts open the double doors and the team sprints onto the field, torrential rain beating down on everyone. The team flies around in warmups. Every stretch is precise. Every pass is crisp. Meanwhile, the Greenhill players remain in the visitors’ locker room, waiting out the rain and watching the Lions warm up. “One of the proudest moments I had of the team, one of the proudest moments I’ve probably ever had,” Cole said, “was looking around and seeing these guys that I would do anything for, and seeing them all give their best effort. We were just a bunch of studs out there. It was pretty powerful.” Cole was one of the four football captains who were integral to the team’s success. After being voted captain at the end of preseason practices, he immediately stepped into his heightened leadership role. “For me,” Cole said, “[being captain] has always meant being a leader on a team, being someone who you can look up to through their actions, who’s always going to be doing the right thing, always going to be working hard, always showing up to practice.” Although he was a leader both on and off the field prior to the football season, Cole thinks that being captain has helped his leadership off the field in a huge way.

“I see myself [in the younger guys] in a lot of ways,” Cole said, “and so that’s impacted my leadership skills in that I have learned to empathize a lot more, to see these guys as a part of me.” Just like Cole, senior JT Graass, the sole cross country captain, saw the position as a chance to teach and mentor. “I think it’s a good opportunity to impart some of the wisdom that I’ve learned over the years to kids who are going through the same process that I went through,” Graass said, “I think I know how to do it now but it was hard at first. Guiding the team through warm ups and everything. It’s harder than it looks.” With cross country being a mainly individual sport as opposed to football, which is very team-oriented, Graass and Cole had to employ different strategies. However, they both see effort as one of the best ways to becoming a captain. Working hard for the team is a way to lead by example. “There are a lot of things that people will sometimes overlook, like trying really hard in practice, but people notice that, even though they might not say it,” Graass said. “That’s one way they can try and fulfill that leadership role. Just trying to make the team, wherever they are, a fun place, a caring place, just a place to have fun.” Making choices for the team was something that Graass saw as a big part of being the leader of the team. Although he knows his decisions might not be the favorite amongst the team, Graass saw sticking to his gut as integral to success. “Some days, I’ll make the team go for a seven mile run versus a five mile run and some guys get mad at me, but it’s good for them,” Graass said. “And then other days, I’ll make the team run three instead of five.

It kind of goes both ways, but the point is not everyone always agrees with me but that’s just something you have to deal with as a captain and you have to stay true to your choice, whatever you make.” hen Graass and Cole were not captains of their teams, they didn’t see things in the perspective they do now. Regardless of being a captain or not, working hard was something neither of the two felt was important. “I was on the team sophomore year, and I was on the bench for about three weeks, probably wasn’t going to play,” Cole said. “Then, a freak injury happened, you know, a player had to miss a week and then I go in. Then I started the rest of the year.” He wasn’t a captain then, so he didn’t feel inclined to be a team leader on the field. As a sophomore and junior, Cole’s pregame routine was silent and focused. He would sit in front of his locker, eyes closed, visualizing what he was going to do in the game, going over plays in his head and preparing for his own individual role in the team’s success. But this year, as Cole transitioned into the captain role, his routine changed. Cole couldn’t keep to himself before games anymore. As the designated leader, Cole had to prepare the whole team for games and had to be a verbal leader in the locker room. “As a captain, I couldn’t do my old silence pre-game routine,” Cole said. “I had to get the team amped.” The principal responsibility of the captain according both Graass and Cole is putting an emphasis on the well-being of the team instead of individual concerns. “Essentially, it goes from an ‘I’ to a ‘we,’” Cole said. “It couldn’t just be about me anymore.”

STORY WILL FORBES, SAM W PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES, COURTESY FEMI OMONIJE

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SPORTS

PAGE 28 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

SPECIALIZATION

THE

ONE

SPORT

ATHLETE

With athletics becoming more and more competitive, an increasing number of student-athletes are focusing their attention on just one sport.

he all too familiar squeaks of Nike basketball shoes rang in his ears. Sophomore Seun Omonije gazed out at the gym, watching his former teammates fight for 12 spots on the small, junior varsity roster. Winter sports were officially underway, but all Omonije could do was watch from the stands. Not because he’s injured. He hasn’t lost interest in the sport. And he could make the team. He’s not playing for a different reason: he’s deciding to specialize in football. As a regular, starry-eyed fourth grader, Omonije always had dreams of one day making it on an elite Division I collegiate football team, but he had never realized what he’d be forced to give up. SEUN OMONIJE Focusing on football for the winter season

“A huge portion of my life has revolved around the sports I’ve been involved in,” Omonije said. “I think I would be a very different person if I hadn’t immersed myself in all the teams I’ve played on.” Omonije chose to give up his winter and spring sports in favor of training his

mind and body for football: something that many star athletes have done in order to play collegiate sports. Omonije believes his decision was necessary in order to achieve his goal of becoming an elite athlete. “I feel like taking a year to focus on one sport is necessary, at least for me, to be considered elite,” Omonije said. “Taking a year to work will take me to where I want to be athletically. I have a lot of fun playing other sports, but I had to make this decision myself in order to achieve my goals.” As a freshman, Omonije was a standout three sport athlete in football, basketball and lacrosse. But when he arrived back on the blazing turf field at the end of this summer, Omonije realized he would have to give up a piece of his identity to make his dream a reality. “During this football season I realized that I wasn’t naturally gifted enough to make it to the next level,” Omonije said. “I realized that I had to work harder than my competition if I wanted to achieve my dream.” Athletic Director Mark Sullivan agrees that in some cases specializing in a sport is valuable. However, he believes at the end of the day, participating in a variety of sports is always a benefit. It is in Sullivan’s best interest that a student maximizes his

athletic potential by playing a multitude of sports throughout his career. “My initial reaction is that I’m usually disappointed,” Sullivan said, “because I don’t think it’s in anybody’s best interest to quit a variety of things to focus in one area. I feel like the experiences you can gain as an athlete through a variety of sports helps your overall conditioning.” MARK SULLIVAN Encourages playing more than one sport

Beyond just the idea of increasing athleticism, Sullivan, who still regrets quitting wrestling in middle school, believes that playing multiple high school sports brings a sense of camaraderie and sportsmanship that is unequaled. Sullivan believes that relationships are an important factor of playing a sport. “The kid that chooses to do that is choosing not to be a part of a particular team or even two in some cases,” Sullivan said. “And when I talk to people who have graduated from here it’s not the wins and losses that they talk about. They talk about the bus rides. They talk about the experiences they had on the team with their classmates that they carry with them throughout their lives.” Omonije acknowledges Sullivan’s idea

that the end goal is always bigger than the person, but he still believes taking a year off to become bigger, faster and stronger will prove to be extremely beneficial in his mission. “Taking a break from sports, in my opinion, can only hurt you if you are not training,” Omonije said. “If you train every day and do the things that you would normally do in other sports, it’s only natural that you will improve.” For now, Omonije is content with his decision to give up the hardwood floors of Hicks Gym in favor of the weight room’s fluorescent lights. Planning to put on 15 more pounds of bulk, he is hoping that his sacrifices will pay off in the long run and in the sport that he can focus more of his time on. “The coaches have been understanding of my decision,” Omonije said. “They want what’s best for me and understand that this is an important decision that will aid me in the future. So now, all I can do is put my head down and keep working hard.”

‘

I MADE THIS DECISION BECAUSE I WANTED TO INCREASE MY ATHLETICISM. MAINLY I WANT TO BE CONSIDERED AS AN ELITE ATHLETE.

SEUN OMONIJE

STORY MIKE MAHOWALD, NICK MALVEZZI PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

New training equipment for injured athletes by Mike Mahowald

ead Athletic Trainer Matt Hjertstedt is now utilizing a new, Game Ready sports injury rehabilitation device. The program uses cold and compression therapy to enhance healing in the entire shoulder area of ailing athletes. The Game Ready simultaneously uses air pressure as well as cold in order to reduce swelling and facilitate recovery. In addition, Hjerstedt uses a supplementary website in order to provide stretches and treatments for athletes who have a nagging injury. The website will be used on athletes who are undergoing therapy. Hjerstedt is excited to use this program on athletes. “I’ve been trying to get one of these things for a while so I’m happy to have finally got one,” Hjertstedt said. “It’s basically a whirlpool for your upper arm and shoulder area that I think will tre-

mendously help rehab in guys like quarterbacks, pitchers and volleyball players.” Sophomore linebacker Orlin Ware sustained a shoulder injury early on in the football season and credits the Game Ready for helping him recover quickly. Hjerstedt has also used stretches available on the website on Orlin in order to speed up his recovery process. “I used it pretty much every day after a tough practice,” Ware said. “And it really helped in relieving the pain.” The machine, while being new to the training room, is also new to athletes. Ware believes that this device will ultimately help him in the long run. “I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Ware said. “But it is definitely better than just icing your shoulder, more comfortable too.”

PAGE 29 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

SPORTS

SPC WRAP-UP

The fall season came to a close with all teams finishing in third place. The final push at the end of the season very well allowed the Lions to place well within their respective sport and SPC.

Junior Eddie Yang

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Junior Daniel Cope

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Senior Matthew Placide

OWEN BERGER PHOTO

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Finishing in style

Junior Jacob Hum

Football takes first in north, third overall

Cross country places with young team

Fencing finishes with individual bests

Volleyball takes home third after SPC play

by Jimmy Rodriguez

by Alec Dewar

by Nick Malvezzi

by Mike Mahowald

enior wide receiver William Caldwell. Senior cornerback Michael Mosle. Junior quarterback Hyer Thomas. Sophomore offensive lineman William Hall. These are just some of the players who were lost to injury during the varsity football team’s season. Despite all of their unfortunate injuries, the team still put together a very successful season, ending the year first seed in SPC North Division and making it to the first round of the playoffs, losing to Kinkaid, 27-47. Throughout the year, backup players had to face the challenge of playing at a starting level. “I would probably say that was one of the best things we did all year,” head varsity football coach Bart Epperson said. “The next man up didn’t know who was going to be at practice because some people were getting treatment all day long during practice and we still molded together. That was one of the greatest things that I’ve seen in a team in quite some time.”

FOOTBALL

is mind raced as he pushed himself to the limit and crossed the finish line. Catching his breath, senior captain JT Graass did his usual walk back to his team and coach. That’s when he noticed something different. His fellow teammates gave him a smile and his coach walked up to him and gave him an emotional hug. He had just unknowingly run his last race for the cross country team. Cross country wrapped up Graass’s final season in the SPC tournament early last month, earning third in SPC. Graass and his teammates look back past the tournament and remember the high points of their season. “I’ll definitely remember just cranking out 1000 meter and 800 meter repeats on the backfield,” Graass said. “No one can ever forget that.” Next year, the team hopes to continue their success in the SPC. “More than half the team were freshmen, which is good for the future,” Graass said. “They are going to continue to be good for a while.”

trong individual performances led to a successful season for the fencing team. Headlining the results, senior captain Mitchell So became ranked in Division I– the highest level of international fencing. “It felt great to qualify because I was previously in a bit of a slump when it came to results,” So said. “So this was great. It also showed me I have a lot to improve upon too.” In addition to So, senior Kevin He and freshman Kristov Csaky qualified for the under-20 national tournament taking place in Cleveland, Ohio in February. “Getting a lot of people to go to the national qualifier was a big accomplishment,” So said. “And it was even better to see them [He and Csaky] qualify.” Everything clicked for the young team MITCHELL SO Standout fencer for Lions

at a two-event tournament at Hockaday, 27 including an undefeated performance PLAYOFF throughout the tournament from So. SCORE 47 “That was the only event I could go to JT GRAASS this season because I had already qualified Placed first at SPC fall meet Coming off a 14-21 loss to Casady for nationals,” So said. “So I feel like that School, the team had the undefeated was my big contribution in the team.” Oakridge next on the schedule. While this Although So could not compete in game seemed like a challenge, the Lions the national qualifier, he helped coach the Junior cross country athlete Daniel stepped up once again, defeating Oakridge Cope recognizes Graass’s role as a captain younger fencers from the sideline. So took 28-16. pride in being a mentor to his younger and looks to him as an example of lead“Oakridge was hyped up to be this teammates throughout the season. His ership. great team, and they had been really sucleadership ended up really helping the “His greatness as a leader was cessful so far, and we came out and we put demonstrated when we all circled around team by the end of the season. it to them,” senior captain Drew Baxley, So believes that helping younger fencJT just before the SPC race, and he played starting center, said. “And we ended up ers leads to a successful season. music and delivered a speech to get us winning, which surprised a lot of people.” hyped, ” Cope said. “He’s just that type of “Helping people who are new [to the A focal point in this season was a play- captain.” sport] learn how to fence, and especially er being able to step up when his number While the future is promising for the those willing to learn, really made this was called. With all the injuries inflicted cross country team, Graass leaves behind season memorable,” So said. on the players throughout the season, So attributes much of the team’s suca long and impressive cross country career the players who might not have expected cess to the improved day-to-day organizaas this season comes to an end. to have key roles were often making an tion of the team compared to last year. “Honestly, it’s super weird that I impact on the field. “I really liked the way we rotated the won’t be running any more races with “[Sophomore] Matthew Fornaro SM on my chest. Hasn’t fully hit me yet,” leadership of practices,” So said. “It was a stepped it up for receiver, because once Graass said. “I’m definitely going to stay lot more organized this year.” Caldwell went down, we moved [senior] So encouraged his team to focus on in contact with the team, making sure Zak Houillion from his position, receiver, the big picture rather than one small detail they get their mileage in.” over to Caldwell’s. And then Matthew throughout the season. Next year Cope, a rising senior, sets stepped up at that outside receiver at the “Don’t focus on trying to win a his expectations high for the up and comright,” Epperson said. “And that’s kind of ing freshmen. rating,” So said. “Or even trying to win a the one thing that we always talk about is tournament before you’ve even stepped “I hope we can keep our eyes on the the next man up, always be ready, because SPC trophy and give it our best,” Cope on the strip. You should focus on having you never know with athletics if someone said. “I remember how it felt to win my fun and that one specific point in that is going to be injured or not. You just have freshman year, and to do that again as a one bout. Take everything one step at a to be ready to go.” senior would be really special.” time.”

SM KHS

apping their season off with a third place win against St. John’s at SPC, the varsity volleyball team’s quest for a four-peat fell just short with their semifinal loss to Casady in the fifth set after defeating Trinity Valley three sets to none in the first round. Aside from their unusual third place finish, senior captain Matthew Lawson said there was something different about this season owing to the friendships he made with his teammates throughout the season. “Normally winning is really fun and outside of the gym we’re not that close, but this year was different,” Lawson said. “I feel like I made a few good friends through volleyball this year, and it was a lot of fun even when we weren’t playing.” The tight bond the team shared proved key in allowing them to come up with clutch, come-from-behind wins like the Homecoming game against Greenhill. After trailing two sets to none, the team made a heroic comeback to secure the win and the first seed for the upcoming SPC tournament.

VOLLEYBALL FIRST ROUND SCORE

SM TVS

3 0

Lawson is especially proud of how the team was able to overcome the adversity and beat a tough team. The Lions ended up winning in five sets. “It was looking like Greenhill was finally going to beat us at home,” Lawson said, “and then we fought back through the third set, the fourth set and through the fifth set. I’m really proud of how we were able to buckle down.” Unfortunately, the team’s hopes to make a run for the title were cut short when they squared off against Casady in the semifinal. Lawson admits that even though Casady was playing very well, the team could have done more to come out with the victory. “Everyone on their side of the net was just on the whole match,” Lawson said. “It was a tough five set loss, and no one was happy about it. No one was even close to happy about it.” Following their tough defeat, Lawson knew the team was demoralized. However, they came back and used the same resilience they had showcased all season with their third place victory over St. John’s in a hard-fought, five set match. “It’s easy to say it’s not worth it,” Lawson said, “but the fact that we fought through all five sets with a very competitive team says a lot about the guys who were here-- even some of the underclassmen who stepped up.”

SPORTS

PAGE 30 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

SEASON PREVIEWS

Winter is coming As the winter sports teams start their season, they look ahead to future successes in their seasons. Basketball | THE FIVE STARTERS

BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHT SCORE Brannon Rouse

Parker Dixon

Matthew Placide

Jalen Lynch

MATEO DIAZ PHOTO

69 61

‘

—PARKER DIXON

Will Ingram

OFFENSE Senior Graham Gillespie pushes the ball forward, looking to score his second goal of the night. Lions won 2-0.

Wrestling | THE LONE SENIOR

SM BD

NEXT TOURNAMENT Lone Star Pools Tournament When: Tomorrow, 9 a.m. Where: Spencer Gymnasium

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Soccer | THE GOALIE AND THE DEFENDER THIS YEAR’S TEAM HAS ALREADY MADE AN IMPACT AND THAT IS PARTLY OWING TO THE OVERALL FOCUS OF THE TEAM. WE HAVE A GOOD SHOT FOR SUCCESS THIS YEAR. Sam Eichenwald Graham Gillespie — GRAHAM GILLESPIE

SPC LAST YEAR Overall: 1st First place finishes: Will Wood Jake Holder Justin Jones Jake Holder

‘

Mahir Karim

WILL CLARK PHOTO

STROKE Backstroking across the lane, junior Jacob Hum swims during the annual time trials hosted by the school.

THE STARTING FIVE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS LAST YEAR WHICH MEANS WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE RETURNING THIS YEAR.

‘

IT MAKES ME REALLY PROUD TO BE A CAPTAIN. IT IS SUCH A GREAT GROUP OF GUYS THAT WORK HARD TO ACCOMPLISH A MUTUAL GOAL AND IT IS SPECIAL TO BE ABLE TO CALL MYSELF A LEADER —PHILIP MONTGOMERY

ALTHOUGH I’D DEFINITELY RATHER BE ON A TEAM WITH A LOT OF MY FRIENDS, I’VE GOTTEN TO KNOW A LOT OF THE YOUNGER GUYS A LOT BETTER THIS WAY, AND THEY’RE GREAT. —MAHIR KARIM

Swimming | THE CAPTAINS

Eric Li

Philip Montgomery

Wrestling looks to lower classmen for success by Sam Shane

his wrestling season will be about stepping up. As head wrestling coach Justin Turner says, kids who haven’t played important roles before will have to step up. Kids who have been vital to the program will have to step up. Even the coaches will have to step up. With only 17 kids in the wrestling program, and only one senior to guide the way, Turner thinks this season will be a difficult journey to the top. “Because we’re super young,” Turner said, “Some of our younger guys are going to have to compete on a varsity level much quicker.” The team is going through a period of a lack of interest. Not an overwhelming number of seniors graduated from the program, but it was enough to make an impact. “We lost some key guys high up, but there are other people to fill those roles,” Mahir Karim, the only senior on the team, said. “They’re all sophomores, though,

so they’ll be able to carry the team for the next couple of years.” Both Karim and Turner agreed that the Sophomore Class was strong, possibly even leading the team. “[Sophomore] Zach Gilstrap has developed quite a bit over the summer,” Turner said. “He’ll be competing on a varsity level very quickly this year.” Although the Sophomore Class, including Tucker Ribman, Will Wood, and Gilstrap, is strong, the team as a whole will face stout competition in their quest for SPC and state championship gold. “As far as conference goes, the teams will probably be St. John’s and Episcopal Houston, cause they’re just much larger than us,” Turner said. “They’ll be our two primary competitors. In the state it’ll be Liberty Christian and Trinity Christian.” No matter how good the team is, however, they will suffer from a lack of depth in the roster. “We’d like to have about 25 guys but

the bottom line is that wrestling is hard and not everyone is able to do it,” Turner said. “It’s too early in the season to determine for weight class specifics, but no, they aren’t all full.” Karim doesn’t see the lack of depth as an issue, but rather a chance for the underclassmen who wouldn’t get to compete otherwise carry the team. “It’s the Sophomore Class,” Karim said. “They were strong last year as freshmen. They were able to compete and many of them placed at SPC and Tucker and Will may have even placed in state. I wouldn’t be surprised about any of them winning SPC.” Although their primary objective is always to win SPC, the wrestling team wrestles outside of the conference more often than not. “Most of the tournaments we wrestle aren’t even SPC tournaments because we want to get that better competition,” Karim said. “State’s a lot harder to win.”

Basketball starts strong with deep, experienced squad by Jimmy Rodriguez

ith a starting five of senior Jalen Lynch, senior Brannon Rouse, senior Parker Dixon, senior Matthew Placide, and junior Will Ingram, the varsity basketball team plans on having a very successful season this year. After losing key seniors this year, new players hope to have a larger role. Head varsity basketball coach Greg Guiler is confident that this year’s squad has a strong chance of success, as the team has ten returning varsity players looking to improve upon their fourth place finish last year in the SPC tournament. “We have a lot of guys that are going to pick up the load,” Guiler said. “I think Jack [Gordon] was a good player, but I think that our team is even better this year. Not because Jack’s not there, but because the guys that are there have improved so much and are just so hungry.” But in order to become successful, some of the ten seniors on the team have to step up and become leaders both on and off the court. “We, as seniors, are having to be the leaders now that Jack [Gordon] and some of the other guys who were vocal leaders as seniors are gone,” senior varsity player Niegel Stevens said. “So now it’s up to us to kind of push forward and become the leaders that we need to be.” Even with the loss of the tremendous senior talent of last year, Stevens is confident in the team’s ability to win SPC. “I think that we have a strong shot to win SPC this year,” Stevens said. “I think we have a strong group of guys, and I think another year for [junior starter] Will [Ingram], has let him improve a lot. I see some of the sophomores that are coming up like [sophomore Sam] Sussman and [sophomore] Garrett [Mize]. They should be huge contributors to the team. I think we’re in a good spot this year to go all the way.” Guiler feels that the team has a strong chance at success this year. “I think it’s gonna be a really good season in terms of wins and losses,” Guiler said. “You never know what other schools in the conference might end up being really good, or what players might get hurt, but I definitely wouldn’t want to play us.”

Swimming going for eight straight championships Soccer looks to get back to winning ways by Sam Sussman

iding a streak of seven straight SPC championships, and 19 out of the last 21, the varsity swimming team under Coach Mihai Oprea looks to continue the success of this storied swimming dynasty over the past two decades. Led by an experienced group of seniors, including captains Eric Li and Philip Montgomery, these older swimmers will have to mentor the 23 new freshmen on the team. “I expect them to take the opportunity to lead because they have that opportunity,” Oprea said. “We have really good kids that have plenty of experience, and I just hope they will take advantage of that fully and have a good season.” With so many new members on the team, the rookies will have to make an impact immediately for this season to be a success. “I expect everybody to contribute, no matter how fast or slow you are, everybody is an indispensable member of the team,” Li said. “I think the freshmen really need to

get into that team spirit, but I’m really confident they can do that.” Even though, it may be difficult to coordinate and organize such a big team, Li is confident that he will be able to overcome the difficulty of getting all of the newcomers engaged and focused on winning an eighth PURSUIT Senior Alex straight SPC Sanchez chases the ball during a game championship. against Bishop Lynch. “I really want to set a great example for underclassmen, and I really want to bring the team together, like create one big family.” Li said.

by Sam Sussman

he soccer team hasn’t won a championship since their championships in 2012 and 2013, and varsity soccer coach Corindo Martin is anxious to climb back to the top. “We had a period that I would consider to be one of the golden ages of St. Mark’s soccer,” Martin said. “We won two championships [in 2012 and in 2013] and were in five finals in six years. So we were arguably the best program in the SPC, and at least the most consistent. I think what we want to do is we want to get back to that.” The soccer team looks to be reshaping after losing 11 players from last year due to graduation or club soccer complications. Martin believes that this year’s team has a lot of work to do, in order to regain their position at the top of the SPC. “Last year I felt like we went back to the drawing board, and it

was a learning experience because we didn’t have the teams we’ve had in the past,” Martin said. “I’m hoping to build off of that for this year.” Although the team lost so many players, Senior Captain Graham Gillespie is sure that they still have the personnel to get the job done. “We have a lot of athletic guys that are fast, big and strong,” Gillespie said. “And since a lot of younger players had to play last year they will have a lot more experience. So they should be able to contribute a lot more than they did last year.” Gillespie is ready to do whatever it takes to lead his team to another SPC championship. “Sports have always helped me bond with underclassmen that I normally wouldn’t get to bond with,” Gillespie said. “I just want to be there for everyone on the team if they need help with anything.”

PAGE 31 DECEMBER 11, 2015 REMARKER

RIVALRIES

SPORTS

VS.

THEM Rivalries are the biggest games in any sports season. From the Oklahoma schools to ESD and Greenhill, the school’s rivals have changed ever since the inception of the athletic program.

he varsity football team couldn’t stand looking at the scoreboard. Games like these make or break a season. A valiant effort isn’t good enough if the result is a loss. Even for the fans. This isn’t just a game for the players on the field or court or fans in the stands. It’s a rivalry. For the second year in a row, the varsity football team had not only lost to ESD but lost everything that comes with beating a rival school. Murmurs of history and tradition started to creep around campus. “Whatever, that was only the second time ESD has ever beat us in 30 years.” Now, a rivalry is often associated with wins and losses. However, this perspective of competition within certain schools presents an evolving question that involves years of tradition and history. What exactly makes a rivalry? Currently, schools such as ESD, Greenhill and Cistercian appear to be the biggest rivalry schools, but past competitions within each sport says otherwise. Earlier in the decade, the Oklahoma schools, Holland Hall and Casady and other schools like the Kinkaid School were often the most competitive schools that the school played against in football and basketball. However, for sports such as water polo and lacrosse, schools such as Plano West, Coppell, Southlake and Highland Park come into the picture. The sudden disappearances of rivalries such as the St. Mark’s-Holland Hall football rivalry bring about the question of what a rivalry really requires. PARKER DIXON Standout basketball and volleyball player

Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen believes that the competitiveness and excitement of a rivalry match between schools entirely revolves around the fans themselves. “I think that rivalries are events where they’re going to be a lot of fans and that the crowd and the environment kind of makes that rivalry,” Friesen said. “You could have two very competitive teams but if no one is in the stands to cheer and support their teams, then the rivalry kind of goes away.” Owing to their long distance from the school, Friesen implies that the Oklahoma school rivalries have diminished for the lack of attendance. “I would say that our biggest rivals are Greenhill and ESD only because they are local and a lot of fans can travel to both home and away games for both schools,” Friesen said. “Casady and Holland Hall have traditionally been competitive games especially in football, basketball and baseball but even though players may know that is going to be a really competitive game, I don’t feel that the environment is as much of a rivalry only because of the inability for a really good crowds to turn out.” Nevertheless, this feeling towards rivalry games

conflicts with the idea of wins and losses and bare statistics. The locality of two schools can often sustain a rivalry, and Friesen accounts for years in which games may not be as competitive. “If one team were to lose eight straight years, and then the fans stopped showing because the games stopped being competitive, then the rivalry would go away,” Friesen said. “It’s the hype within the community that makes a rivalry. We can make games with certain teams, but if fans want to pick and choose what games they want to go to, they are going to establish what the rivalry is ultimately.” Senior Parker Dixon, who is a starting player on both the varsity volleyball and basketball teams, has seen firsthand the importance of rivalry games within each sport. Things such as the atmosphere and competition can vary within each sport, and Dixon thinks that different games offer different experiences.

‘

THE LIONS VS THE REST The numbers behind the rivalries

THIS YEAR

vs. Greenhill

vs. ESD

Volleyball

Soccer

GREENHILL AND ESD ARE OUR BIGGEST RIVALS AND I THINK THEY ALWAYS WILL BE PARTLY DUE TO THEIR PROXIMITY TO US.

STORY RISH BASU PHOTOS MASON SMITH, DREW BAXLEY

Football

PARKER DIXON

“In volleyball, our main rival is Greenhill, mainly due to the fact that they’re the only other team in Dallas,” Dixon said. “Casady is up there too just due to competition. For basketball, our main rival is usually ESD, and, as people know, the St. Mark’s-ESD basketball game is always a huge deal.” Dixon also points out that competition for victories is what rivalries are centered around. “I think rivalries mainly stem from good competition,” Dixon said. “There are other factors, but at the base of things, I think a good rivalry starts with good competition. It kind of takes away from the effect of the rivalry if one team is significantly better than the other one, and I think close games and even matchups on a consistent, year to year basis really are the essence of a rivalry.” In addition, Friesen firmly believes that the whole idea of rivalries can help contribute to the sportsmanship of the school’s players and fans. “When there are bigger crowds, it brings people together as a community,” Friesen said. “I especially think that the players enjoy it because there’s maybe more incentive to play your best and get fired up to play those games but with high school students, there is sometimes a learning curve there. So it’s our goal to remind guys how things can be perceived.” Ultimately, Friesen attributes the rivalry to the history and fanbase between the two schools. “I think that the fans will show up to games if there’s competition and tradition,” Friesen said. “And even if it’s not competitive, but there’s enough tradition that’s been established between the two teams playing, I still think that there is a rivalry because there is history. History of competitiveness will forgive a span of maybe less than competitive games because the teams have always had good games.”

Football L

RECORDS

LAST 7 YEARS Football vs. ESD

WINS

Basketball vs. ESD

LOSSES

WINS

LOSSES

Soccer vs. ESD

WINS

LOSSES

Football vs. Greenhill

WINS

TIES

Basketball vs. Greenhill

LOSSES

WINS

Soccer vs. Greenhill

WINS

LOSSES

TIES

LOSSES

R R EMARKER

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS

DREW BAXLEY PHOTO

10600 PRESTON ROAD, DALLAS, TX. 75230

TIP-OFF Senior captain Parker Dixon propels upward to swat the ball towards his teammates in a game versus Fort Worth Nolan. The Lions went on to lose the game.

THE BACK SPORTS PAGE THE REMARKER FRIDAY DECEMBER 11, 2015 PAGE 32

It’s

POLO TIME

TOURNAMENTS Held each year nationwide.

125

300 CLUBS

YEARS

That the United States Polo Association (USPA) has been active in the U.S.

The USPA report as active in the U.S.

10 Age of Nwariaku. He was only eight when he first started to play.

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

INTERNATIONAL PLAYER Nwariaku poses in full polo-playing garb and holds his polo mallet, continuing, in Texas, to pursue the sport that his uncle introduced to him in Nigeria when he was 8 years old.

ourth grader Jonathan Nwariaku has always loved riding, but he never thought that he would get introduced to a game like polo. A sport that played with a wooden ball and a mallet — polo was a centuries-old sport Nwariaku was not even familiar with until his uncle introduced it to him during one of his visits to Africa a couple of years ago. Nwariaku’s uncle, who owns a polo club in Nigeria, introduced him to the game when he visited Nigeria as an 8 year old. “One day, he said I should try it out and so my parents signed me up,” Nwariaku said. “I liked it a lot.” Though he enjoyed it, there were some instant challenges for the novice polo player. “Holding on to the mallet and staying on the horse is the hardest part about it,” Nwariaku said Nwariaku’s instant fondness for the sport hasn’t waned, and he has continued playing polo regularly at the Prestonwood Polo and Country Club in Oak Point, Texas. In addition to playing in Texas, Nwariaku gets even more opportunities to hone his polo skills during his family’s annual trip to Nigeria, where he has extensive access to ponies, fields and trainers. Ruth Nwariaku, Jonathan’s mother and a polo player herself, believes that Jonathan experience with polo has had a positive impact on both him and the entire Nwariaku family. “Our family has attended tournaments held at his [Jonathan’s uncle] club in Nigeria, where Jonathan had the opportunity to meet professional Nigerian and international players,” Ruth said. “From his first exposure to polo, Jonathan wanted to play.” Ruth also believes that polo has taught her son valuable lessons about safety in sports. “Polo requires players to work in concert with their horse,” she said. “Players must be aware of the abilities and temperament of their horse. Polo can be a dangerous sport and requires strict adherence to the written and unwritten rules of safety.” As Jonathan continues to practice his budding passion, his mother hopes that polo will be an important hobby for the foreseeable future. “I believe polo will continue to be a part of Jonathan’s life for many years to come,” Ruth said. “My hope is that Jonathan will continue to play in high school, college and beyond.”

STORY ZACH NAIDU, RISH BASU ILLUSTRATIONS CASE LOWRY

A A DDENDUM

A ReMarker special section December 11, 2015

There’s a path in life you’re supposed to take. Graduate from high school, go to college, get a stable job, raise a family. But some Marksmen don’t follow that cookie-cutter model. Instead, they take risks — actors, agents, restaurant owners and even carpenters. It’s safe to say, these guys truly

break the mold.

GAME-CHANGERS AND INNOVATORS

making a world of difference Whether starting a non-profit pick-up basketball organization or running a chocolate shop in Las Vegas or recreating historical architecture, former Marksmen are all over the globe right now, and they have some stories to tell.

very year, 90 or so Marksmen put on their white tuxes and walk across the Commencement stage. After they’re

handed their diploma, many go on to achieve what is often defined as success: an undergraduate degree, a few opportunities and internships, graduate school and then an ideal job. While that’s been a path that has left many alums fulfilled, there are others who took a chance to do something different. These five featured alums give us a taste of some of the unique career paths Marksmen are taking throughout the country. They’re out representing Kanye West. Helping entire communities stay vaccinated. Going from opening a Dickey’s in Connecticut to becoming an educator. Rebuilding for all to see. Moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time. And some of them are just getting started.

JBeau Lewis ‘98 HANGING WITH KANYE WEST

beau Lewis was headed straight down that standard path to success. Graduated from St. Mark’s. Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia. Medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern. But after his first year of medical school, he discovered something that he had yet to realize during his time at St. Mark’s. He was supposed to follow in many family members’ footsteps and become a doctor, but his true passions lied in music. And an opportunity presented itself during a backstage concert encounter with the agent of musician John Mayer, whom he had befriended during his time running a concert committee in college. So he took a chance. “I told [Mayer’s agent] that I was in medical school, but I wasn’t sure if I was happy,” Lewis said, “and he convinced me to send him my résumé, which I did, and about three weeks later, just before I was supposed to start my second year of medical school, I decided to take a ‘leave

of absence’ from medical school and work in Nashville.” Lewis then began working as an assistant to Mayer’s agent at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). After working at the CAA for more than ten years, he now works as a music talent agent at United Talent Agency (UTA) in Los Angeles. During his time at the CAA and UTA, Lewis has represented artists including Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and many more who have topped the charts in recent years. “I think as a guy growing up in Dallas, I didn’t really have any concept of what the music industry was or how to be in it, but I kind of accidentally found myself in it,” he said.

Brent Hull ‘84 BUILDING HISTORY

e didn’t want the suit and tie job that comes with the cubicle. So after graduating from Baylor University, Brent Hull went for something a bit more hands-on. He went to trade school. “It was hard for me to pursue the path that I was pursuing,” Hull said. “My dad told me later

THE INNOVATORS (From left to right) Jbeau Lewis ‘98 represents Kanye West, Mariah Carey and more talented artists; Brent Hull ‘84 preserves the past with his knowledge of history and ability to build; Alan Cohen ‘01 now serves as an experienced educator in DISD; Conner Youngblood ‘08 is a master of many instruments; Edward Chao ‘02 is introducing escape rooms and more to Houston. STORY AVERY POWELL, CAMERON CLARK PHOTOS COURTESY OF INTERVIEWEES PHOTOILLUSTRATION ARNO GOETZ, ABHI THUMMALA, WILL CLARK, PHILIP SMART

REMARKER ADDENDUM DECEMBER 11, 2015 PAGE 2A, 3A

to know exactly what that looks like: what the moldings look like, what the scale and size and everything else looks like,” he said. As for the risks he took to pursue such a hands-on career, Hull believes it’s crucial to simply remain passionate about his craft. “You have to believe in what you’re doing and you have to love what you’re doing,” he said.

Conner Youngblood ‘08 JAMMING IN NASHVILLE

that when I went to [the North Bennet Street School], which was basically a trade school, it was very hard for him to talk to friends and stuff like that and say, ‘Yeah, my son’s in trade school, he’s going to learn to be a carpenter.’” But once he realized his passion for building, Hull never hesitated in pursuing it, as he now runs an historical preservation company that he first started in his brother’s garage. It just took him until after high school to realize that passion. “I loved working with my hands,” he said. “I didn’t really want the suit and tie job. I was probably [more] creatively bent than I realized at the time when I got out of St. Mark’s.” Hull has worked his way from working with a tool-belt and building furniture himself to amassing a crew of about 40 people and doing up to 15 to 20 jobs at a time. Much of this work includes doing research so that their construction for clients will be historically accurate. “If someone wants an English room or a French room or a true Colonial room, we’ve actually got the documentation and research

Let’s talk about our futures We sat down with Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez to talk about how students can take the roads less traveled at school and in their careers.

lthough his plan at Yale was to study architecture, Conner Youngblood ‘08 has been on his way to something different ever since his days at St. Mark’s. After writing and performing an original song at Coffeehouse in the Black Box Theater, Youngblood learned something about himself. And he ran with it. “I’d say Coffeehouse was the first time I had played in front of a lot of people,” Youngblood said. “And I had written a song to play just for that Coffeehouse. That was kind of a big push and an important step.” Youngblood, pursuing music in his free time, kept working at his craft until a music blog, Hypemachine, placed him at No. 2 on their chart. Before long, Youngblood was approached by labels in a rush to sign the young, up-and-coming artist. “I had no intention of becoming a musician until I sort of became one,” Youngblood said. “It sparked a little flame when I started getting good reception on it.” With his music grabbing newfound attention, Youngblood decided to move to Nashville and work on his music full time. And although he records in a Dallas studio only 15 minutes from St. Mark’s, Youngblood understands why many students may find it hard to follow in his footsteps. “One of the toughest parts is getting over this judgment you place on yourself because of how you think other people will view you,” Youngblood said. Once you just step outside of your comfort zone and realize that anything is possible, you can enjoy so many things besides what’s put in front of you. There’s so many paths besides what you think you are supposed to do.”

hese alums from our stories have carved out some really unique career paths — but how do we know if that’s what we want to do? And how do we start thinking outside the box right now at school? Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez feels that now more than ever is the time to really explore new possibilities before focusing in on one profession. “I have never been a proponent of a student who identifies himself solely as a math student or a science student or a humanities student in the Upper School,” he

Alan Cohen ‘01 DOING...EVERYTHING

lan Cohen ‘01 did go to grad school. He did work at a big corporation. He was seemingly on that typical “path to success.” But his career path has been anything but typical. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and caused Cohen’s band to split up, he briefly joined a Web 2.0 startup, but by 2007, was not sure where to go next — so he attended business school at Northwestern University. “What do St. Mark’s students do when they don’t know what to do with their careers? They go to graduate school,” Cohen said. Soon after, however, he took a job at Mars, Inc. in New York and also ran a chocolate shop located in Las Vegas. From there, Cohen opened a Dickey’s in Connecticut, but a year later, he moved back down to Dallas so he could work with the nonprofit organization “Commit!” and focus on early childhood education. After he finished his year-long fellowship there, he took a job at the Dallas Independent School District, where he is currently employed. Cohen attributes his hectic career path in part to his desire to serve others. “At the end of the day, all I want to do is interesting things, and ideally interesting things that help people,” he said. However, Cohen feels that in high school, it wasn’t always easy for him to pursue such a unique path like he is able to in his career today. “I always had this sense that everyone [at St. Mark’s] was saying, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the leaders tomorrow, and we really want to encourage creative thought,’” he said. “And then when you tried something outside the box, some folks at St. Mark’s would kind of reprimand you for it. But there were always those folks or those teachers who would encourage you or were happy that somebody was taking the risks.”

Edward Chao ‘02 ESCAPING THE EXPECTED

e took a chance to play it safe. Edward Chao ‘02 spent his whole time at St. Mark’s wanting to be a doc-

said. “I think that there’s plenty of time in college to start really focusing in on things that [students] may believe that they are good at, but this is the time to experiment and to fail.” However, students’ paths are not set for life once they choose a profession after college. Gonzalez believes that students should continue to take risks during their time in the Upper School. “The successful individual, I believe,” he said, “when he gets to be my age, is still learning, is still exploring, is still trying new things to say, ‘You know what? I never had

tor, just like his parents wanted. But now, after veering to the other side of the medical industry to a career in public health, after starting a company to make vaccines more accessible than ever, after starting a non-profit, pick-up basketball organization and launching increasingly popular “Escape Rooms,” Chao understands the power of just starting something, whatever it may be. “I start a lot of things,” Chao said. “There have been times in my life where I get frustrated with myself because I start and stop, but it’s okay because I’m going to come back to it when the time is right. “My parents really wanted me to become a doctor,” Chao said. “They’d kind of set me on that path for most of my life even while I was at St. Mark’s. That’s what I thought was going to do because I wanted to make them happy.” When Chao first chose to pursue an education in Public Health over a traditional medical route through medical school, it was a step away from the plan he thought he had set out for his life. “I wanted to hedge my bet by going into public health first to see if that’s really what I wanted to do,” Chao said. “I didn’t want to commit the rest of my life to doing something I didn’t know much about at the time.” But this decision not to commit to graduate school eventually led Chao to both the experience and the freedom that allowed him to try things other than medicine. “We didn’t know if people would like something weird like that,” Chao said, “like an Escape Room, but it caught on very, very quickly, starting really in the medical community, like at Baylor, and then it just spread.” And now, with a new non-profit organization centered around pick up basketball already in the works, Chao sees the value in straying from tradition. “I’m not the traditional business person, I don’t have my MBA, but for me I wanted to create new products,” Chao said. “But I like to move quickly. I’m at the point right now where I can hire somebody to really lead one of my projects and to try to get another company off the ground.”

a chance to do that. I should take a risk with it.’” And for Gonzalez, preferably those decisions made and risks taken involve serving others inside of or outside of the school’s community. “You can be good at some skill or talent, and you can really be passionate about it,” he said, “but when you’re able to take that skill or passion and help others become their very best, there’s something that a paycheck or that solving a problem will not satisfy you as much as something like that.” — Cameron Clark

PAGE 4A REMARKER ADDENDUM DECEMBER 11, 2015 INTERNATIONAL ACTOR

THE SHAKESPEAREAN SUTTON

At age 8, Montgomery Sutton ‘05 acted in his first play. At 16, he began appearing in Shakespeare Dallas productions. At 32, he’ll perform in Twelfth Night on the original stage — Globe Theater in London. Who was the most important person in your pursuit of acting?

Could you describe a recent day in your line of work?

I’M INDEBTED to some extent to everyone I’ve worked with, it would probably be a list of about 300 people to equally share that title, but if I had to boil it down, probably the crew who worked at the Dallas Children’s theater because I grew up doing classes there and doing shows there starting when I was 8. When I graduated school the gave me a professional union contract in the Stage Actors Union. They’ve been incredibly constant in their support since the beginning.

What was the biggest risk you took to get to where you are today? IN THIS INDUSTRY, everyday there is a pretty massive risk of failure, both in confidence and rejection. Going from having literally no jobs on the horizon to having a year and a half of solidly booked work can happen in two days, so those types of risks are kind of constant. The biggest risk that I took was when I was at NYU sophomore year. Me and four of my classmates formed a theater company that I then helped to run. So in addition to acting, I was helping to develop plays around the country and internationally.

What advice would you give to an aspiring St. Mark’s student? MAKE SURE they’re seeing any and everything in Dallas theater, in any and every film they can, especially at the Magnolia or the Angelika and really start to develop a keen eye for the kind of story they like and the kind of actor they like. As you discover artists locally and on a larger scale that speak to you and inspire you, find out as much about their path, who they worked with, who they trained with, where they found their inspirations, and not necessarily to mimic those, but certainly to get as close to them as you can.

What does the future hold for you and your career?

BEFORE WE OPENED a show this weekend, we had what we call “hell week” in theater. We did what we call “ten out of twelves,” which are typically on weekends, where we rehearsed ten hours and had a one or two hour break in the middle where we incorporated technical elements. Now, in premiere week, we have eight shows a week, typically every weekday night except Monday, two shows on Saturday, and two shows on Sunday.

MORE AND MORE of the same. As one of my acting teachers in college said, the most important thing in acting isn’t momentum, but trajectory, because momentum can slingshot back, but a nice constant upward trajectory takes you places. I’ve been really lucky starting with the Dallas Children’s Theater and St. Mark’s; every connection that I make with someone who inspires me and whom I like working with helps open more doors maybe six years down the line.

What’s the best thing that happened to you as you were pursuing your career?

What at St. Mark’s best enabled you to achieve your dream?

I LIKE THE IDEA that luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation, and I think under that definition literally everything that has happened in my career has been luck. It’s an industry where you work insanely hard for long periods of time and get nothing from it and suddenly something falls in your lap.

TEACHERS LIKE David Brown or Curtis Smith, who didn’t approach English from a typical method. When you’re talking to a young audience, watching Shakespeare for example, a lot of times they get very turned off by it, and I think me and a lot of Marksmen have had the completely opposite experience. Those teachers in particular and anyone in the department really bring a vitality and a passion and a kind of impish danger to the text so it doesn’t feel like you’re reading something that’s 400 years old.

Still, the connections can be made: for example, I met some artists who are still, not just my best friends but really talented actors. There’s so much turnover and you’re working with so many different people all the time, you get lucky to meet a group that forges bonds and stays incredibly strong for years after. That’s probably the luckiest thing to me.

Ready for the role

a look at Sutton’s theater work

Title: Trouble With Women Medium: Film Role: Aven Year: 2014

Title: Day 90 Medium: Film Role: Tevion Hunter Year: 2015

Title: Booth Medium: Play Role: Assassin Year: 2014

Title: King Lear Medium: Play Role: Edmund Year: 2015

Title: Tomorrow Come Today Medium: Play Roles: Poul 1, Agent, Alain Year: 2014

Title: Brute Medium: Film Role: Jesse Year: 2013

BIG TIME Theatrical poster for the 2014 film Trouble with Women (above). Sutton portraying an assassin in Booth (top middle and far right). Sutton portraying Alain in Tomorrow Come Today (right).

STORY JOHN CRAWFORD PHOTOS COURTESY MONTGOMERY SUTTON