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

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 VOLUME 61 ISSUE 7

NEWS

VISIONARY

THE REMARKER

As a venture capitalist, Steve Jurvetson ’85 has invested in SpaceX, the future of driverless cars and other technologies. He returned to speak to upper schoolers April 24 as part of Alumni Weekend.

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Doc. Page 23

COMMENTARY

HEADING IN A NEW DIRECTION

INSIDE

Teachers and students have connected through social media. Should students continue to interact with faculty online?

Proposing a change, we believe that the school could benefit from removing AP courses from the curriculum as other prominent schools have already done.

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News Male Call Life Perspectives Vibe Commentary Sports Backpage

LIFE

SOCIAL MEDIA

PERCEPTION

better than you.

Call it smugness, overconfidence or maybe even egotism. For some, the attitude that goes hand-in-hand with the stereotypical Marksman isn’t pride. It’s elitism.

‘

Obviously I want others to know that St. Mark’s is a really academically prestigious school, but the character is more important when weighing the image of a Marksmen.” — Matthew Brown ’14

hey lost to a public school. When the clock turned zero, they headed into the locker room, but they didn’t talk about mistakes or unfair calls or botched plays. The varsity players talked about something completely different: intelligence. I’d like to see their SAT scores. Oh, well, we’re going to better colleges. We’re smarter than them, anyway. And, as junior Bryce Killian says, these statements happen almost automatically after athletic shortcomings. And they aren’t just limited to the athletic fields. As a school in the middle of Preston Hollow, with assets more than $221 million, it’s clear students here have been given opportunities that others may never experience. Opportunities that help them develop intellectually. Opportunities that some perceive differently. Some see it as privilege. A way for some students to inflate their own egos, to distinguish themselves as the elite, making them think that they’re on some higher level. That they’re better than them. CONTINUED, PAGE 7

STORY AVERY POWELL, PHILIP SMART | PHOTO ILLUSTRATION ARNO GOETZ, ABHI THUMMALA

Seniors set to graduate; Commencement will take place May 22 By Aiden Blinn

ommencement will be held May 22 on the Eugene McDermott Commencement Quadrangle at 8 p.m. White tux donning seniors will walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and complete their journey here. Former UT standout and current Chicago Bears player Sam Acho ’07, will give the Commencement address. “I’m really looking forward to Sam coming and speaking to us because I feel he’s old enough to have a world experience, but he’s also young enough to relate to us,” Senior Class President Nathan Ondracek said. “Commencement is the final page of the final chapter of our days at St. Mark’s. It’s a bittersweet moment because it’s our last experience.” At Commencement, distinguished seniors will receive awards recognizing their service to the school

and their embodiment of the school’s values. These awards include the J.B.H. Citizenship Cup Award, the School Flag and the Headmaster’s Cup. “After 11 years of forming incredible bonds of brotherhood and making memories that will last a lifetime, the path to manhood at St. Mark’s is coming to an end, but the journey will never truly be over,” senior Mason Smith said. “I am so excited to see where this journey will take me and all of my best friends but parting with these amazing peers, teachers, and mentors will be hard to fathom.” It’s an emotional moment for many Marksmen — some members of the 12-Year Club who began here in the first grade will complete their high school education. “Graduating from St. Mark’s and all of the incredible events that surround the coming weeks will probably be some of the best days of my life, but in the end

living without St. Mark’s will be so strange, yet a great challenge I want to take on.” Smith said. The valedictorian, who hasn’t been announced, and Ondracek will both give speeches in addition to Acho. “I love this opportunity because I get to have the last address to our class,” Ondracek said. “I’ll be able to stand up there and say what I want to our class before we all leave and recognize all the teachers, faculty and staff who built up our foundation of courage, honesty, morals, ethics, spirituality curiosity and honor that will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

Inside In memoriam • See The ReMarker’s tribute to L. C. Chandler ’10, former sports editor, who died April 28. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he was sports anchor for WALB television in Albany, GA. Page 5

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THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 | PAGE 2 CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO

CUM LAUDE

The ReMarker staff does a Q and A with the newest members of the honor society. Page 4

ob Rozelle’s classes were never normal. He was jumpy and energetic — I could relate — and he infused even the stalest of lessons with life and vigor. He would bounce off his scrunched brown Sperry’s and sip out of his strong black coffee. His decision to slip Tic-Tacs in his coffee was … questionable, to say the least, but his passion was limitless. His stories zoomed from his clashes on the St. Mark’s football field to his boarding school days with Tommy Lee Jones ‘65 to his nautical adventures as a fisherman in Juneau. He would brag about how much of a meathead he was in high school and regret the days he made fun of the “nerds.” He would drag musty Alaskan maps out from his wooden drawers and chart his journeys with his wrinkled finger. He would always crack jokes about the most boring things. Around February, we were reading Flowers for Algernon, and he had placed all of the chairs in a circle for discussion. I had a water bottle with me and I was innocently drinking when he asked, “How do I know that isn’t vodka?” We all chuckled and I responded, “You don’t.” It was in that classroom, in C217, that my passion for writing flourished and when I could confidently say that I was a writer — even though I wasn’t a very good one. It all started with his essays. Rozelle’s essays were different than other teachers because he looked past the grammatical aspect and gave his students the creative freedom to express themselves in their own way. In my case, that involved more flowery and dramatic prose. Then came the poetry unit. Before this class, poetry as a concept was pretentious and way over my head. After three weeks in his classroom, poetry became one of my favorite methods of expression. Rozelle’s curriculum wasn’t radically different than those of the teachers before him. Rozelle’s teaching tools weren’t radically different than any teachers before him. Rozelle’s classroom wasn’t radically different. Rozelle’s passion, however, was radically different. As a seventh grader — and even now — the short story project he created was unbelievably daunting and intimidating. The assignment? To write a story completely of your own choice that had to be more than ten pages long. Ten pages? As a seventh grader? And to top it all off, he only gave us a few weeks to actually write the story. In those weeks, albeit crammed with stress, I produced a story that challenged and forced my imagination to grow. Writing that story — the longest I have ever written — undoubtedly affirmed my passion for writing and my love for the written word. Granted, it is very rare for a teacher and student to connect as well as we did, but if teachers can focus most of their energies on trying to instill a passion in their students rather than to simply help them cram for the test next Tuesday, it will pay off. It will pay off for the student’s understanding of the material and for their relationship. Hopefully, the relationship can be one forged by friendship and mutual respect. Teachers in any subject have before them an exciting opportunity and a tremendous responsibility. The opportunity is to truly change someone’s life, and especially at such an important stage — their easily moldable teenage years. The responsibility is for them to set an example for their students to strive towards. Rozelle, by all means, changed my life. In all definitions of the word, he was an excellent teacher. But to me, he was more than that. Every time I think of him, I can still hear him asking, “How do I know that isn’t vodka?” and every time I still jokingly respond, “You don’t.”

Remembering a true visionary of the journalism program who died April 28 at only 23. Page 5

Upcoming

“I definitely am just really excited to have the experience to work in a sports marketing office. It was an easy choice for me.”

WESLEY HIBBS PHOTO

A Juneau fisherman hangs up his hat

NEWS

GOPAL RAMAN

SUMMER JOBS

TRIBUTE TO LC CHANDLER

— Elton McIntosh on his job at Genesco Sports Enterprises, Page 6

Newsfeed

THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

Today

Weekend

Next week

> The Athletic Banquet will

> The SOLUNA Internation-

> Next Friday at 8 p.m., the

be held in the Commons tonight at 6:30 p.m. The event celebrates coaches and athletes who have gone above and beyond to improve over the course of the year.

al Music & Arts Festival is in its final weekend. The festival brings renowned solo artists, performing artists and ensembles to Dallas at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

> Wildflower Arts and Mu-

> The Bush Library’s

sic Festival will be opening at Galatyn Park in Richardson. The event starts at 6 p.m. and goes until midnight. Ticket prices start at $20, including bands like Kansas.

special exhibit Baseball: America’s Presidents, America’s Pastime is on display to examine the national trends that baseball mirrored and show how the sport embodied America’s struggles.

Class of 2015 will march across the stage and become St. Mark’s newest alumni. Sam Acho ’07 will give the address.

> Baccalaureate will be held

Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel to honor the seniors, along with attendance from all faculty and board members, as they prepare to start a new phase of their lives.

PHOTO COUTESTY OF AMMAR PLUMMER

DEBATING FOR A CAUSE A debate team of seniors Aakash Pattabi and Darwin Yang and junior Ammar Plummer won $10,000 by finishing 1st place in the IPPF debate competition against other teams from around the world.

$10,000 WON overheard COMMENTS MADE BY FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS AROUND CAMPUS

Athletic Trainer

Doc Browning “Getting sequester and sequesters in boggle.” — On his best moment in the training room

Junior

Bryce Killian “There’s not enough room at this table for the both of us.” — To sophomore Boyd Howard

Senior

Vik Pattabi “Be a breeze. A cool, cool breeze.” — Vik “Cool Breeze” Pattabi doing his best Guitar from Song of Solomon impression

Senior

Cyrus Ganji

“No, seniors don’t have a meeting. Just a Quidditch match in Spencer. It’s gonna be intense.”

Senior

Ben Naftalis “Is there Tourette’s for writing stuff down?”

Physics instructor

Stephen Houpt “You guys are moments away from breaking the monotony.” - Five minutes before the end of third period

PHOTOS ZACH NAIDU, PHILIP MONTGOMERY, WILLIAM HALL, BRADFORD BECK

NEWS AROUND CAMPUS

ollowing last month’s elections, 13 students will join the ranks of student government as next year’s class officers. Next year’s Senior Class will be headed Philip Montgomery; Anvit Reddy was elected vice president, Jake Byers as class representative to the student council and Eugene Song as secretary. For incoming juniors, John Crawford will serve as president, Liam Sohn as vice president, Patrick Magee as class representative and Vikrant Reddy as secretary. Canyon Kyle will head the new sophomore class, Blake DeSantis will serve as vice president, Edward Ro will serve as class representative, and — after a tie in the run-off elections — both Andre Arsenault and Fausto Reyher will serve as secretary.

...

unior Jackson Cole will be president of the Lion and Sword Society next year. After serving as vice president for this year, Cole is ready to step up and become head of the organization, which runs tours and other events through student volunteers. “It’s really exciting to see the new juniors go out and talk about the school to prospective parents,” Cole said. “It puts into perspective how great St. Mark’s actually is. Plus, I’m looking forward to all the free food.” The goal of the Lion and Sword society is to give parents looking to send their kids to the school a different point of view.

...

he annual Marksmen Ball will be held tomorrow night at the Belo Mansion in downtown Dallas. This event will feature the dedication of the Marksmen yearbook as well as a dance for seniors and their dates. The dance will be held during the last week of regular classes for seniors, yet will be followed the next week by Baccalaureate and Commencement, known as Senior Week. “The Marksmen Ball is a moment to recognize this year’s senior class,” said Marksmen Editor Carrington Kyle. “It’s a personal way for everyone to see what they have done.” The yearbook also plays a major part in the dance. “The yearbook simply tries to show the amazing things students do here,” Kyle said. “I am excited to be able to reveal the culmination of these things at such a special event for our class.” All in all, the seniors are looking forward to the event. “I think the event will be amazing,” Kyle said. “I am really excited to see everyone’s reaction to the book.” — Newsfeed stories by Aidan Maurstad, Corday Cruz and Sean Omonije

NEWS

THE REMARKER MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 3 4 CUM LAUDE 5 LC CHANDLER 6 SUMMER JOBS 7 ELITISM

ALUMNI WEEKEND SPEAKER

man on a mission

ROCKET MAN Alum Jurvetson listening to a question from a student (above). After giving a talk to the entire Upper School, he answered any extra question a student or teacher had (top right, far right and right)

nder the balmy sun of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, Steve Jurvetson ‘85 and his young son fix their eyes on a gleaming white rocket as spectators behind them start the countdown. As the rocket shoots up in the sky, leaving a trail of gray smoke in its wake, most of those present are thinking only about the successful launch of the rocket. Jurvetson, however, was thinking about his newest investment project: Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Jurvetson was the speaker for an assembly of students and alumni April 24 during Alumni Weekend. Alumni Weekend is the perfect opportunity for alumni to reconnect with their former classmates, says Director of Alumni Relations Alex Eshelbrenner ’04.

“Alumni Weekend provides a platform for our graduates to reconnect with their classmates, faculty and the school,” Eshelbrenner said. “Alumni often share that some of their best memories and closest friends were made at St. Mark’s. We aim to help facilitate those lifelong relationships.” Senior Case Brabham, co-president of the Student Alumni Association, thought Jurvetson was the perfect man to lead the discussion. Case Brabham Enjoyed Jurvetson’s discussion

“We wanted to bring someone in who brought a lot to the table,” Brabham said. “Jurvetson is extremely successful, interested in a wide variety of things, especially in the science field, and has a great, engaging personality. So of course, we thought he was a good guy for the job.” During the discussion, Jurvetson’s charisma kept the audience involved and interested. “I would say that Jurvetson’s best qualities are his personality and ability to engage the audience,” Brabham said. “His knack for speaking allows him to keep the

audience attentive and interested and makes him a great visitor.” In addition to the Alumni Dinner, Alumni Weekend included the annual Alumni Golf Tournament and class reunions for graduation years ending in ‘0’ or ‘5.’ Jurvetson says that in high school, he was just marginally interested in rockets, launching only a handful. Going to a hobby store with his then three-year-old son, Jurvetson’s interest in rockets returned, eventually leading to his firm’s investment and his board involvement with SpaceX, a space exploration company focusing on the colonization of Mars. “When my son was three, we went to a hobby store,” Jurvetson said. “I remember seeing a lot of rockets on the shelf, a flashback to my high school days. I wasn’t really into rockets when I was a student here but I let off a few. So it started with a hobby, and along the way, SpaceX came up as an opportunity, and SpaceX became an investment opportunity that was unlike any other investment that we’ve ever seen.”

‘THERE IS NOTHING MORE INSPIRING THAN WORLD CLASS TEACHERS OF SCIENCE WHO UNDERSTAND WHAT [TEACHING] IS.’ STEVE JURVETSON ‘85 Working for companies like Bain & Company, Apple and Hewlett-Packard before co-founding venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Jurvetson believes that his background with multiple companies has allowed him to solve problems that his new businesses he investments, although he may not have as much knowledge in the given field. “Having some breadth is interesting in the technology business in that sometimes history repeats itself or rhymes with things you’ve seen in the past,” Jurvetson said. “So I might be able to help [companies] grow their business by sharing lessons learned in pivotal moments by other companies that went through similar growth stages.” Although Jurvetson now embraces being a geek, he wishes that St. Mark’s had taught him one thing in particular: how to ask a girl on a date. “I wish I’d asked a girl on a date,” Jurvetson said. “I

STORY CORDAY CRUZ, ALEC DEWAR | PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

Steve Jurvetson ’85 returned to St. Mark’s as the keynote speaker for Alumni Weekend, doing a Q and A with the Upper School as hundreds of past students came back on campus to see classes and relive their time at 10600 Preston Road.

mean it just comes to mind how I missed that. Maybe social and emotional learning, although I probably would have hated classes like that. But when it was forced upon me in business school, it started opening my eyes, making me say ‘Actually, I could really use some of this.’” Looking back at his time here, Jurvetson says teachers like JT Sutcliffe, former science teacher Steven Seay ‘68 and former history teacher Tom Adams all made huge impacts on him.

Alex Eshelbrenner Thinks the weekend is a good time for students and alums to connect

“JT Sutcliffe jumps to mind,” Jurvetson said. “[Former science teacher] Steven Seay [‘68] also jumps to mind. Unfortunately he’s passed, but he was just incredible. We left some brown stains on the ceiling from a hydrogen balloon experiment. About 20 years after I graduated, he had saved this letter from Dr. Freeman, which was her attaching my essay to a very stern note [from her]. He kept it as a point of pride about how he inspired us to push these experiments a little further.” Jurvetson says that his time at 10600 Preston Road prepared him well for college, which he said was easier for him since he was prepared academically. As a result, he graduated first in his class with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering in two and a half years from Stanford. “College was much easier than St. Mark’s,” Jurvetson said. “It was a cakewalk. It just felt that way. Academically, I was prepared, so I was able to do so much more in college. I had so much free time that I could do debate, and have time to deal with debts and course load and also just have a great time.” In addition to making college easier, the school has taught him some key values such as persistence and self-management.” “[St. Mark‘s taught me] persistence, for sure,” Jurvetson said. “I think to survive, you have to learn self-management, how to get things done by deadlines, how to prioritize across multiple timescales and organization. I think about skills as opposed to subject matters, and public speaking was a big one for that. And discipline was a big one too. St. Mark’s really shapes who you are as a person.”

N THE REMARKER NEWS May 15, 2015 PAGE 4 CUM LAUDE INDUCTEES

Standing out For the 21 new Cum Laude members, academic success came through dedication, focus and brains. And, Fruit Loops, 40s swing music and electronic dance music.

EXCELLENCE Nine seniors and nine juniors were induced into the prestigious Cum Laude Society, which honors academic accomplishment April 22 in the chapel. New inductees include (front row) Luke Hudspeth, Ben Wilner, Rishi Kshatriya, James Zhang, William Su, Burke Garza, Kunal Dixit, Aakash Pattabi, Eric Rawot, (second row) Kevin Wu, Tim Skapek, Tim O’Meara, Akshay Malhotra, Albert Thieu, Eugene Song, Alden James, Jackson Cole and Eric Li. Current members include (top row) Christopher Carter, Vik Pattabi, Mason Smith, Carrington Kyle, Nathan Ondracek, George Lin, William Sydney, Raymond Guo, Darwin Yang and Case Brabham.

ighteen juniors and seniors were inducted into the cov-

eted Cum Laude Society, signifying membership into the school’s most select academic honor society. Here’s how new inductees say they have been able to maintain their high academic standing: What is your favorite brain food that helps you study? Jackson Cole Fruit loops in the morning. They get my day going right; without them, I would be a shell of the person I am today. Albert Thieu Bananas. I’m serious — it’s a great snack. Kevin Wu Anything sugary, such as cookies or juice. Favorite place to study? Eric Li For studying, I prefer quiet places, usually the library. Alden James Definitely the science lounge. Right by where all the fish tanks are is the best place. What is your favorite genre of music to listen to while studying? Tim O’Meara EDM (electronic dance music). That and sports radio. Kevin Wu It really depends on the day. It varies from either EDM, rap or sometimes just the radio. Alden James 40s jazz. Swing music, baby. Favorite non-academic activity to do? Jackson Cole My favorite non-academic activity would definitely be Philosophy Club. But baseball is another of my favorite activities. Albert Thieu St. Mark’s tennis; it teaches persistence.

What study habits have you benefited the most from? Akshay Malhotra I have probably benefited most from my habits of being well-planned and having good time management. My whole day is planned with a specific amount of time allotted for every task, so I am able to get more things done in less time and am usually able to stay on task. Although I can’t plan everything to the dot, I tend to stay pretty close to my original schedule. Alden James Utilizing free periods. That’s where the money is. Eric Li By keeping up with my work and not procrastinating, I have benefited a lot. I do my work for my own benefit rather than to just to do it. When you understand what you are learning, it helps you to retain the information.

my grades up, tried hard and showed that I was interested, but I didn’t really focus on it. I was hopeful and thought ‘This would be cool to get,’ but I didn’t try to focus my whole life on it. What do you think the biggest benefit of having a strictly academic specific ceremony is? Tim Skapek It’s an opportunity to recognize the students who thrive in the classroom, although they may or may not be very involved in other aspects of the school community. Kevin Wu I definitely think having an academic specific ceremony promotes learning. When I was a sophomore, I really admired the people who were inducted into Cum Laude, and their example helped motivate me to work and study hard.

What has been your favorite class? Jackson Cole It’s tough to beat Mr. Brown’s English class. But Mr. Owens AP chemistry... it’s a fraternity. I stay loyal. Akshay Malhotra I’ve enjoyed all my classes pretty evenly this year. Kevin Wu Probably Latin or biology. For Latin, I’ve always been a fan of the classics and reading about it in a different language is always fun for me. On the other hand, I enjoy biology because I love learning about how systems that you can’t even see come together to permit life. Was getting inducted into Cum Laude your primary goal or was it an added bonus for your work? Jackson Cole It just kind of happened. My main goal has been to challenge myself and learn more. That’s kind of what I did last year when I was picking classes. I thought ‘What can I gain the most from?’ It turns out that you get the most out of AP classes. Tim O’Meara It was something I knew could happen if I kept

A very select group

Membership in Cum Laude, by policies set from the national organization, may be offered to ten percent of the Junior Class and 20 percent of the Senior Class. For St. Mark’s, that means 20 seniors can be offered membership and ten juniors may be inducted.

STORY CRAWFORD MCCRARY, ANDRÉ ARSENAULT | PHOTO WESLEY HIBBS| GRAPHIC DAVIS MARSH

Board of Trustees member Ryan Cotton ’97 was the guest speaker for the Cum Laude induction ceremony that took place in the chapel April 22. Cotton graduated in 1997 with high honors and various other awards. He was a Cum Laude inductee junior year, a member of Lion and Sword both junior and senior year, an AP scholar and a National Merit semifinalist. After graduating, Cotton attended Princeton University where he received an AB in philosophy. After graduating from Princeton University, Cotton attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and received an MBA there. Cotton’s address detailed his journey from high school to his current position in his professional life. Looking from an age perspective, Cotton compared his 18-year-old self,

then a graduating senior, to his current 36-year-old self. “[Cotton’s] overall message was essentially ‘Find what you like to do and do it well,’” said Head of Upper School Wortie Ferrell. “I think it was more about being honest with yourself, about what your talents are, what your passions are, who you are and all of that will lead to fulfillment in your professional and personal life.” Cotton currently works as the managing director at Bain Capital Private Equity in Boston, MA. Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a consultant for Bain & Company. He also worked in baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox for a short period of time. Cotton’s “inspirational, yet affirming” speech preceded the induction of nine juniors and nine seniors into the Cum Laude society, which recognizes students for outstanding academic achievement and leadership.

Wesley Hibbs Photo

Ryan Cotton ‘97 comes back to St. Mark’s to speak at Cum Laude ceremony by André Arsenault

COMING HOME Addressing upper schoolers at the Cum Laude ceremony April 26, alum Ryan Cotton’s remarks reflected on his time at 10600 Preston Road and encouraged students to follow their passions.

THE REMARKER NEWS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 5 N REMEMBERING L.C. CHANDLER

L.C.

athlete. journalist. marksman.

Remembrances from classmates and coaches

IN WAKE OF TRAGEDY, WE REMEMBER L.C. CHANDLER ’10.

L.C. Chandler ‘10, former ReMarker sports editor, passed away unexpectedly April 28, 2015 in Albany, GA, where just seven months earlier he had begun his professional career as a sports anchor for WALB television there. Here are some remembrances of those who knew him through his many passions of journalism and sports

Remembrance from L.C.’s ReMarker editor

ike a son to me. You know, his life was always about trying to bridge gaps, and all the while he was teaching us about humanity. How to bring people together. We didn’t see that when he was walking the earth. It took his death for people to see what he was doing. I’d rather have him here than have to see in his death what he was doing. The lives he touched, not just at St. Mark’s but in Missouri and Georgia, with the people he worked for. I mean I’ve experienced death from people, but this one here hurts. This one here hurts me to the bone. But I just realized the other night what he was actually doing. He was bringing people — of all walks of of life — together. — Dwight Phillips, Middle School volleyball and track and field coach

he gold standard of sports reporting. L.C. was the sports editor when I was coming through the ranks. He always found his way in front of a microphone and never failed to impress. I always wanted to do just what he did, except I was nowhere near as good. — Evan Berkowitz ‘12, ReMarker sports editor, 2011, 2012

heart and soul guy. He was not necessarily the front-runner that everybody regarded as the best, but everyone definitely looked up to him because of the consistent charisma he brought. He was a really funny guy. He always had guys laughing. He was a wordsmith. His ability to balance humor with laser-like focus was for me very impactful. — Greg Guiler, head basketball coach

ne of the most positive, friendliest and enthusiastic people I had the pleasure of knowing during my eight years at St. Mark’s. Not only was L.C. engaged actively in many segments of the St. Mark’s community — from athletics to journalism to academics — he had a significant and infectious positive impact on every activity he was involved in. L.C. saw and appreciated people for who they were, never passed judgment, and brought out the best in everyone around him, day in and day out. Having more people like L.C. Chandler would make the world an infinitely better place. — John Michel ‘10, ReMarker editorial director, 2010

The Inauguration

.C. was a man of many gifts and talents, and he had a laundry list of nicknames to prove it. He was “the deuce” on the mic or at the poker table, “the diesel” on the basketball court, “ol’ Yeller” on the days he’d wear his dad-ready combination of a t-shirt and jorts — and those are just the first three that come to mind. There was never a dull moment when L.C. was around. Back in our days on The ReMarker staff, especially our senior year, there were definitely some bleak “production Saturday” mornings when our team had most of the paper left to do. But L.C. would always keep the morale high with a timely impersonation (I’ll never forget his impression of Coach Williams’ pregame staple, “Hit ‘em first, hit ‘em harder and hit ‘em longer”), a quick prank (he tied my shoes together under the table more than once) or a random, hilarious quip (like bringing up our advisor, Ray’s likeness to former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, much to Ray’s chagrin.) L.C. always kept us loose and always fostered a positive environment in the publications lab. When it came to journalism, L.C. was a natural. His writing was witty, personal and thorough. L.C always brought fresh ideas to our production meetings, and he could churn out a captivating article about anything sports-related, be it a fantasy sports report, or even a piece on some upperclassmen and their struggling, Jackie Moon-inspired rec league basketball team. It just took a few minutes of watching L.C. simultaneously narrate and star in a pick-up game to know he had a future as a sports broadcaster. At the time of his death, he was doing what he was born to do, anchoring the sports desk at WALB in Albany, Georgia. In such tragic circumstances it’s customary to focus only on an individual’s positive attributes. But in L.C.’s case, there literally is no exaggeration and nothing to hide. He was a saint. He taught us how to be good people without us even realizing it. Now it’s our turn to carry on and follow his lead. — Zach Wolfe ‘10, ReMarker editor-in-chief, 2010

POLISHED — Pictured in his first professional publicity shot, L.C. Chandler ‘10 had just begun his professional broadcasting career with television station WALB in Albany, GA when he passed away unexpectedly April 28. A graduate of the University of Missouri’s school of journalism, he worked on The ReMarker all four years in Upper School and was a mainstay in Lion athletics — both as an athlete and in the pressbox, calling football games and assorted other sporting events.

In 2009, L.C. Chandler attended President Obama’s first inauguration. The ReMarker published his first person account in February that year.

EYEWITNESS TO HISTORY

s a journalist, I knew I should have spoken to her. I couldn’t even imagine what the moment meant to her — a black woman in her 60s or early 70s. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she needed help from someone — her daughter, maybe — just in crossing the street. Tears streamed down her face as Rev. Rick Warren led off the ceremony with a prayer. I wondered how she could breathe. Gasping for breath, the delicateness of her being caught me up — perhaps more than anything — in the significance of this day. As a journalist, I knew it was my job to get her story. But, her face said everything. Without telling me anything I knew. I just knew she had grown up when blacks were relegated to the backs of buses, their rights to vote challenged. And now, she was witnessing something she had not even dared to dream in decades past. So, I didn’t write. I didn’t talk to her. I just let her experience, in her private way, the emotions of this day. But, there were others who did talk. Among the elbow-to-elbow throngs lining the streets that hopeful day, Michael and I shared many moments. A black photojournalist of about 45, he didn’t feel comfortable sharing his last name, but like millions of Obama’s supporters, he was thirsty for change. “I’m looking for change,” he admitted with a smile. “Politics as usual and in the past can’t continue. I mean, our country is already in disarray. The way we’re viewed

across this world is not positive. But it’s going to be all better now.” That hope and the message of the man soon to be the 44th president of the United States was why we were all there. We were packed like cattle. The D.C. Metro system knew it would never experience crowds like today. And they were right. Amazingly, none of our group of 14 was grumpy. No tiredness — adrenaline was our pump. And the Metro was filled with hundreds, thousands of people just like us. People from California, North Carolina, Florida, New York — from all over the country. After a four hour wait, which began at 4 a.m. we staked out our spots right on the barriers, assuring us the best view for the Inaugural parade. We would stand in these same spots for the next eight hours. Three hours away from the inauguration, and the cold had already begun to bite deep. I kept reminding myself that I was not alone in feeling the effects of biting cold. I kept reminding myself of how much had been done by past generations for this moment to even be possible. I kept reminding myself that this five-degree weather was nothing compared to the struggles and harsh conditions that my ancestors had to endure daily, or that men and women like Dr. King had to endure as they not only marched for civil rights, but subsequently walked so

that Barack Obama could run. I had to stay, despite the cold. As the ceremony progressed after Rev. Warren’s opening prayer, Aretha Franklin captivated the audience with “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”, followed by a musical selection from John Williams, YoYo Ma, and various artists, and cheers rang out through the streets as the announcement was made that George W. Bush was no longer president. As the swearing in ceremony began, we all stood waiting for the official announcement of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America. At the conclusion of the almost flawless swearing in it was time for the president’s inaugural address. With the full attention of the crowd, President Obama gave a somewhat somber address and acknowledged was in a time of struggle. But President Obama also acknowledged that this struggle is not eternal and that with the help of all Americans, we can prevail. It was this message that ignited the freezing cold crowd at the conclusion of the historic address. It was this message that let America know that change had come. For Kelly Estrem, a white 18-year-old high schooler from California, this inaugural would stand strong in her memory as she witnessed the result of her first time voting in person. “At the inauguration there were thousands of people cheering for Obama,”

Estrem said, “and I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself because I had given him my vote.” Once the parade had begun, the anticipation grew for the arrival of President Obama. A little past 4 p.m., as I began to walk away from the spot right in front of the barriers I had stood waiting at for eight hours, there he was walking along with the First Lady past the Pennsylvania and 11th signs I had stood in front of all day. There the President and First Lady were in plain sight. And though I did not have a good spot to take a timeless photo that I could duplicate and print, the image will forever be stored and saved in my memory. This humbling experience took me back to a trip I had taken with my grandfather to the National Civil Rights Museum. Seeing pictures and hearing recordings of things that I had never had to go through, and would never have to go through thanks to the contributions of others. Yet I stood there in that crowd, among many different races and generations, I felt the presence of those who had sacrificed themselves for moments like Jan. 20, 2009. It was as if they were there alongside the millions enduring, the harsh conditions in order to witness history. Helping America welcome its first black president. Reprinted from The ReMarker, February 6, 2009

N THE REMARKER NEWS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 6 SUMMER JOBS

The natural

Senior Elton McIntosh is taking a unique twist on an old concept — the summer internship — by pursuing a lifelong passion and working for sports marketing company Genesco Sports Enterprises as a paid intern.

eenage boys dream of working in the sports industry. The multi-million dollar athletes. The GM’s and front office guys, coming out of the best Ivy League school, making a small fortune right out the door. The scouts and assistant coaches that are paid to watch what we have to pay to do: see the best athletes in the world give it their all in head to head matchups. Few ever act on that boyhood dream that never seems to leave. That’s where senior Elton McIntosh comes in. After interviewing John Tatum, the CEO of Genesco Sports Enterprises (GSE), a sports marketing and consulting firm based in Dallas, to complete Humanities Instructor Nick Sberna’s eighth grade project, McIntosh kept in touch and four years later, got the job. “It’s always been my dream job,” McIntosh said. “My brother and I have this dream of starting a sports marketing company one day. It was this dream intersection of the sports world, which I obviously love, and the business world. You get to meet a lot of cool people from the sports industry. Your work is on display on the biggest athletic stages around the nation. You’re at an NFL game taking in the atmosphere, but you’re also working, showing your clients how you can best market their

GAME PLAN Senior Elton McIntosh works at his new part-time job with Genesco Sports Enterprises. McIntosh currently works about ten hours a week with Genesco Sports but plans to eventually work there full-time once school ends.

product.” McIntosh credits his St. Mark’s education, especially his work with the yearbook, for helping him secure the gig. “I would say something that prepared me for this job was working on the yearbook,” he said. “There are some huge parallels. I do design things and infographics and work a lot with excel. Those are two tangible skills I’ve gotten from yearbook. But also, taking on responsibility, having an eagerness to work effectively while maintaining strong time management are some skills I developed here at St. Mark’s that allowed me to get hired at GSE and made my transition smoother. “ In part, McIntosh wanted the job to try something off the beaten path and unrelated to what he hopes to pursue as a professional. “I’m actually going to be an engineering major in college, so this is a good opportunity for me to do something non-engineering related while I can,” McIntosh said. “I was hoping to get a little insight into the business world before I go off to this completely different field of study.” After working ten hours a week this spring, he will go full time at Genesco starting in the summer. “Right now, I just work a couple hours after school just to

STORY PHILIP MONTGOMERY, NAFTAL MAUTIA, NICK MALVEZZI | PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

Monday, May 18

The

2015 Exam

Wednesday, May 20

Upper School English

Reading day

In-class writing

All day

Algebra I

8th grade language

(8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

Schedule Monday, May 25

Tuesday, May 19

US Introduction to Spanish (8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

Tuesday, May 26

Memorial Day

Upper School science

No exams scheduled

(8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

Chemistry (1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 27

Upper School Spanish, Latin and Japanese and Mandarin II and III (8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

Mandarin IV-H (1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Upper School wood and metal (1 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

get a head start in the spring and get my foot in the door,” he said. “In the summer, I should be working 36 to 40 hours a week. It’s pretty much a full time job. It’ll be a really interesting experience. I’ve never done that before.” While it may not be his job down the road, McIntosh is looking forward to his chance to try something new. “It’s definitely a cool experience working in a sports marketing office,” McIntosh said. “It’s such a cool atmosphere. You look around and see helmets and jerseys signed from all kinds of legendary athletes. It blows you away.”

What is sports marketing? “[Sports marketing is] working with companies and advising them on where and how to invest their money and market their product in the sports world. Genesco’s main focus is working with PepsiCo, Frito-Lay and Miller Coors, as well as other companies on their sports world marketing. Basically, PepsiCo says, ‘we want to get into the sports industry but we don’t know how.’ So, we do research for a company to try and find demographics and the best manner in which they can promote their product. We also negotiate contracts to advise them on how much they should invest in marketing and advertisements.” — Elton McIntosh

Thursday, May 21 Upper School history (8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

Eighth grade science (1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

Photography (1 p.m. - 4 p.m.)

Friday, May 22

Upper School math (8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)

THE REMARKER NEWS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 7 N ELITISM — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Taking a look F

or Killian, the community here fully embraces all those it calls its own. “We are very accepting of all of our members, no matter what background they come from,” Killian said. “But there is kind of an air of ‘we are the best school’ and ‘we are the best kids.’” Killian, a three sport athlete, is all too used to the banter cracked between teammates about the intelligence of the opposing school’s players, especially after being pitted against public schools. “Pretty much invariably after every sports game, if we lose, the automatic thing you’ll hear throughout the locker room and throughout the team is ‘I’d like to see their ACT scores,’” Killian said. “There is kind of an automatic ‘we’re better than them, even though we lost.’” While still enrolled in the Plano school district after deciding to attend here, Killian could see the school’s prominence affecting how others saw him. “There were some times where, more so with parents than with children, it was perceived that I was going to St. Mark’s because I thought I was too good for the Plano school district,” Killian said. “I got the sense that there were some people [who] thought I was going to St. Mark’s because I thought I was too good for a public education.” After starting his first year as a freshman, Killian soon learned that people would treat him differently after finding out what school he attended. “It happens somewhat often,” Killian said. “You’re talking to an adult, and it’s almost immediately that they treat you differently. They assume that because of this reputation that St. Mark’s has of instilling honor and respect and intelligence and education into its students, they kind of treat you in a more esteemed manor.” However, Killian believes this high praise may change how students view themselves. “The general perception of St. Mark’s could contribute to any sense of elitism students might feel,” Killian said. “I think it could definitely go to their heads. I doubt there’s anybody at this school who if you asked him and give him time to think about it, he would say, ‘Yeah, I’m no different from a kid in an inner city public high school.’ You just feel different and think of yourself in a different way. You perceive yourself differently.” Bryce Killian Does not want students to think they are superior

Finding the right balance between acceptable pride and excessive egotism is important for Killian, especially when under the scrutinizing eye of others outside his school community. “I kind of want other people to hold St. Mark’s in a high esteem, but at the same time, I don’t want them to think of it’s students as holding themselves in a higher esteem,” Killian said. “I don’t want people to think of a St. Mark’s student as someone who think’s he’s better than someone because he goes to St. Mark’s.” As a senior, Luke Huds-

peth will depart the school he’s called home in the coming weeks. And as he takes on Dartmouth, he won’t be hiding where he got his high school diploma. “I’m very proud of where I went to high school and saying where I went to high school,” Hudspeth said. “People might view me in a negative light, [but] coming from St. Mark’s is a positive.” Despite wealth and location, Hudspeth thinks that the school cannot be categorized as elitist when looking at the full spectrum of students. “I would say that St. Mark’s does not fit the elitist stereotype,” Hudspeth said. “But it’s somewhat difficult to say that if you’re an outsider looking in and you’ve only had a couple interactions with some bad apples or very few interactions with the school. Then I could see how that could be the stereotype.” Matthew Brown ’14, TCU freshman, has told other college classmates his alma mater, like Hudspeth plans to do at Dartmouth. Brown says that on a few occasions he is met with negative reactions. “There have been a couple times when people from like Allen will say, ‘Oh, private school, you’re rich,’” Brown said. “I get that a lot. It’s weird, though, because TCU’s community is very wealthy.” Hudspeth acknowledges that there are a number of students who come from wealthy families, but he also says the student body is made up of a variety of backgrounds. Luke Hudspeth Thinks a few bad apples can ruin reputation

“It’s difficult though because so many of us are really privileged,” Hudspeth said. “It’s hard to gain that perspective when you’re already in the upper middle class like a lot of St. Mark’s students are. I think [knowing] the fact that St. Mark’s is so diverse both ethnically and socioeconomically that is really helpful in gaining that world perspective.” As a new teacher, coming from a public school, math instructor Jeffrey Hale has a unique perspective in his first year at the school. But in that first year, he has not witnessed any elitist feeling amongst the students. “I really don’t get that [elitist feel] here,” Hale said. “I think a lot of the boys are proud they go to school here who are investing in the school. And if you’re putting in time here for not just academics, but that extra time for clubs, athletics or any type of project, you’re going to be proud of where you go to school.” For ESD junior Meredith Hessel, students here have not given evidence to her to cement St. Mark’s as elitist. “I think that name and ranking [against other high schools] can give students who attend St. Mark’s an ego,” Hessel said. “But honestly, I’ve never seen St. Mark’s boys outwardly act superior in intellect, talent or power. I think it is simply a bragging point or a name-dropping point is brought up to impress people.”

More than meets the eye

OUR SOCIOECONOMIC situation

15% 44.14 STUDENTS on financial aid

percent students of color in the Upper School

at how others perceive the students and the school

Hessel believes students can benefit the school’s image if they value competition less. “I’ve noticed that St. Mark’s boys tend to be very competitive, which sparks a mean nature to their actions,” Hessel said. “If St. Mark’s kids could be less competitive and more willing to build others up, I think that would be the best way to improve their image.” As one of those “boys,” Brown thinks that his high school background results in self-confidence. “I definitely think that after coming out of St. Mark’s, you have a fair amount of confidence in college knowing that you had the whole St. Mark’s curriculum,” Brown said. “I don’t think it gets to anyone’s head because no matter where you go, you will still have to do work. I don’t think it makes us cocky.” Hudspeth believes it’s those who don’t represent the school’s core beliefs and culture who perpetuate the most negative perceptions of the student body. “Those students sometimes have the reputation of fitting those stereotypes that might be construed about St. Mark’s,” Hudspeth said. “They sometimes play those stereotypes out. I think we could all think of a couple students like that who might not put the school in the best light in the eyes of other schools because they’re the ones representing the school outside of the St. Mark’s community.” Although Killian feels it’s important to recognize the benefits of a community like St. Mark’s, he also stresses the importance of having humility in understanding the reputation. “Just realize that although yes, St. Mark’s might have the most rigorous academics, there are other places where you can get an exceptionally great education,” Killian said. “And it’s not exclusive to St. Mark’s, nor is every single kid coming out of St. Mark’s necessarily smarter than a kid coming out of another school. There are educational opportunities that are great outside of St. Mark’s.” After being part of the St. Mark’s community, Brown wants others to think of the school’s ideals rather than academics. “What I would want them to think of is all the principles St. Mark’s advocates,” Brown said. “Responsibility, integrity, hard-work, dedication, honesty. And the statue’s words revolving around that. It’s so hard to think of it not having the experience. I would say revolving around those principles and mainly the ideals and not as much as the elite, academic prestige. It’s nice to be able to say that I went to this prestigious school, but more importantly, I would want them to be familiar with those principles.” In order to make the change Brown wants, Killian believes that students must recognize their frame of mind and make a change for the better. “The only way to avoid giving off that perception is to change,” Killian said. “Rather than trying to hide it, we just have to change our own mentalities. Rather than trying to amend our actions while keeping the same mentality, we have to amend our mentalities.”

‘I’VE SENSED THE PRIDE, WHICH SHOULD HAPPEN AT A GREAT PLACE, BUT I HAVEN’T SENSED ANYTHING OF ‘I’M BETTER THAN YOU.’’ MATH INSTRUCTOR JEFFREY HALE

A different

PERSPECTIVE Opinions from around town

Greenhill junior Nicolas Suarez Nicolas Suarez Believes school-to-school relations can be improved

reenhill thinks of St. Mark’s as their rival school; no one in Greenhill can say that they like St. Mark’s without everyone getting upset at them for supporting the enemy. St. Mark’s has a lot of negative connotations in the Greenhill Community, such as stuck-up, cocky and self-centered. A lot of this negativity comes from the high tension between Greenhill and St. Mark’s when it comes to sports. From personal experience, St. Mark’s has been known to be excessively showy when it comes to sports, for example during SPC Swimming St. Mark’s wears colored leggings during warm-up because they don’t want to feel the water with their shaved legs yet. However, this comes off to Greenhill as an excessive amount of cockiness from the team.

ESD junior Meredith Hessel Meredith Hessel Has not seen Marksmen act outwardly superior

ell, it’s no secret that St. Mark’s has an impeccable academic reputation. St. Mark’s School of Texas ranks No. 8 among the country’s 50 smartest private high schools according to Business Insider, so the school itself does seem superior among schools in the nation. I also think that there is a huge divide between boys who only study and boys who choose partying over studying. That being said, I find that the kids at St. Mark’s are very intelligent and opinionated.

Hockaday junior Virginia Beshears Virginia Beshears Sees social media as a potential danger

feel like it would be helpful if everyone paused and considered before posting on social media. When a St. Mark’s student posts on Facebook or Twitter, they represent the entire school. Over the past year or so I’ve observed a backlash against St. Mark’s students due to numerous ill-conceived social media posts. It’s affected St. Mark’s’ image, since people will project the opinions they hear from individuals onto the entire population.

N THE REMARKER NEWS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 8 D E PA R T I N G FA C U LT Y

An unsung hero WHETHER THROUGH COACHING SEVENTH GRADE FOOTBALL, TEACHING TEXAS HISTORY AND WRITING OR JUST BEING A VITAL MEMBER ON CAMPUS, BOB ROZELLE ‘66 HAS SEEN MANY A MARKSMAN COME AND GO FROM THE SCHOOL.

or 22 years, Bob Rozelle ’66 has been a constant through a sea of change. As boys came and men left, he remained as the seventh grade humanities teacher for decades, influencing 22 classes of Marksmen. He coached seventh grade football for years with a staggering 83 percent win rate as three professional players, Sam Acho ’07, Emmanuel Acho ’08 and Ty Montgomery ’11, got their start under his tutelage. He taught thousands of 12-year-old Marksmen grammar basics and Texas history and graded countless short story projects, one of the trademark assignments of his class, across generations of boys. Now he’s leaving the school and the students who have been forever changed by his presence. Rozelle himself came here as a student in his sophomore year. After an education at Brown University, he got his start teaching at the Taft School in Watertown, CT. “I also taught for two years at a boarding school in Connecticut

A BELOVED TEACHER AND COACH, WHO WORKED WITH THREE NFL PLAYERS-TO-BE HERE IS HANGING UP HIS HAT AFTER 22 YEARS.

and eight years in Tacoma, WA, so I had ten years of teaching experience before I returned to St. Mark’s,” Rozelle said. “The boarding school experience was unique in that it was grades nine through 12 and all boys, although they started to change it slowly to co-ed in my first year by integrating a couple female students. The Tacoma school was a coed school. “So, it was the opposite of the Taft School,” Rozelle said. “I really enjoyed teaching there and coaching football and baseball. It was a different part of the country. It was beautiful, exciting and memorable.” After lecturing at both coasts, Rozelle returned to Dallas, where he worked for the Dallas Museum of Art as PR director for ten years and spent another three as a freelance author. “Freelance work is hard,” Rozelle said. “You have to be a good salesman (and I’m not), and you have to be productive in order to make a living income. So, I decided to return to teaching to have a reliable income and have health insurance for my wife and daughters, and the job was open.” After he got his start with the seventh grade, Rozelle never looked back, teaching writing and Texas history all the way up to his retirement.

“Once I slotted in there, I liked the content, and I liked the age group,” he said. “Seventh graders are a little more innocent and enthusiastic, whereas eighth and ninth graders a certain degree of cynicism seems to set in. I like 12 and 13 year olds. It’s been a good fit for me.” Through all the years of teaching, a few things stand out to him as he looks back on his tenure at the school. “[My favorite memories are] a combination of the book project because of its creativity and the boys generally enjoy the craftsman aspect to it, as well as the creative writing-and coaching seventh grade football,” Rozelle said. “I coached four undefeated teams during the 20 years I coached.” lthough he is now moving into a new phase of his life, the memories Rozelle carries with him, both as a teacher and a student, will always stick. “I have fantastic memories of being a student at St. Mark’s and equally rich memories of having taught here for 22 years,” Rozelle said. “The most memorable aspect of the St. Mark’s community is the collective strength of the student body but also the faculty and staff. There are a lot of quality people in this community for the student body on up to the headmaster.”

TURNING IT IN After 22 years at St. Mark’s, legendary humanities teacher Bob Rozelle ‘67 hangs up his hat.

Tutoring and freelance writing, along with some substitute teaching, will be Rozelle’s focuses in the future, but he hopes to stop by 10600 Preston Road every once and a while. “I certainly don’t have any

regrets,” Rozelle said. “I thoroughly enjoyed my years of teaching and getting to know young men. I loved the coaching that I did and was good at it. I helped young Marksmen apply some logic and sense to their approach to the world.”

STORY PHILIP MONTGOMERY, BLAKE DAUGHERTY | PHOTO ARNO GOETZ Teachers and administrators with more than 70 years of combined service also bidding farewell to 10600 Preston Road

Dean Baird Chair, Computer Science 39 years

Douglas Carter Interim chaplain 1 Year

Emmett Gilles History instructor 2 Years

Rod Blaydes Drama instructor 25 Years

Wortie Ferrell Head, Upper School 5 Years

What was your best memory?

What are you planning on doing next?

What are you planning on doing this summer?

What are you planning to do after you leave?

What is you best memory at St. Mark’s?

The funniest memory I had was during my first week teaching. I was rather nervous, but everyone I met was friendly and supportive. One day, just outside of Davis Hall, a ‘senior’ member of the faculty stopped me and asked my name. We shook hands, and he asked if I was new to St. Mark’s. I told him I was, and he told me that he hoped I felt welcome. I felt great. Then he looked at the gray slacks, white shirt and red tie I was wearing and mentioned casually that ties were not required. He winked at me, and I thanked him. As I was walking away it hit me that he thought I was a new student. I was totally deflated! I didn’t wear gray slacks again for years.

What are your future plans?

I am moving back ‘home’ to Boulder, CO and look forward to redefining myself as an aging hippie. I might even open a tie-dyed only clothing store! Seriously though, I have family back in Colorado and I’m looking forward to spending time with them.

This summer I am going to fly to Ireland and buy a BMW motorcycle. I have one already in Florida, but I can’t ship it. I will buy one in Ireland and because I will be really retired, I’ll take my time. I will just go slowly around Ireland. Then I will go on a ferry with the beamer to Iceland and do the same thing there. Just go slowly around that island. When I am done with that I will sell the bike, fly to Paris and meet up with my wife there. Then, perhaps I will go down to Israel because religious types need to visit the Holy Land at some time in their life.

What will you miss most about St. Mark’s?

I will miss the people. They are real quality people. I will miss the beauty of the chapel services. I know that chapel services aren’t every boy’s cup of tea, but being the chaplain I groove on them. I will miss the bells even. They are beautiful to hear. I will miss Dallas. I didn’t think that I would come to love Dallas as much as I do. It has everything going for it.

At the end of June, I’ll leave for Jerusalem. I’m planning to spend about 12 months there. It’s not a program of definite length. I’ll be studying in Yeshiva, which is the Jewish equivalent of divinity school. I’ve also taken the LSAT, and I will apply to law school next fall. So, the plan would be that I’ll start law school in the fall of 2016.

Do you have other things you want to say?

I think the main thing I would say is that relationships don’t end when people move apart from one another. The most important, defining relationships in my life were relationships that continue to be present in my life even as I’ve grown apart from the communities and people that those relationships inhabited. So, I hope, and I’m confident that my place in this community will still have a vitality. I would encourage everyone, especially students that I know, to reach across the divide of space and time and touch base.

Before I came here I had a theater of my own and directed plays and I acted in everything, but when I started to work here most of my work after a couple of years was dedicated to this so I didn’t get much chance to act outside. I did in the summers sometimes I would appear in shows. Now, I will just get back on the merry-go-round so to speak and get an agent. I’ve got a lot of things that I haven’t done that I want to do and not all of them have anything to do with money.

What was the best part of your job?

Doing the plays and working with a group of people for a whole trimester, because that’s how long it took us to do the shows, and they always occurred near the end of trimesters. Yeah it’s a lot of fun, but you also learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about other people. You use almost everything in a play that you learn in school. History, science, math, all of it is combined into one thing do make entertainment and that is what I really enjoyed.

The relationships that I have made with people here. Adults and boys. I think that is the reason that most people get into the school business and the independent school business because they like being around the people and the community. At the end of the day, people really care about one another and prop each other up. I think that is such a special place to be and it is hard to find a community that cares about one another as much as this place does. I will miss St. Mark’s. It has been a wonderful place and a wonderful experience.

What are your plans after St. Mark’s

I will be working for a company in Richmond, VA, which is where I am from and where my wife is from. I will be working in wealth management — so the investment business. In some ways, I think both businesses are relationship businesses and I think that there are a lot of parallels between the two in terms of building trust and helping people achieve goals. I will miss St. Mark’s and this school for sure.

THE REMARKER MALE CALL MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 9 M

MALECALL

THIS ISSUE SUMMER BRO–DOWN SPOTS SWAG WITH CHARLIE O’BRIEN COLLEGE SURVIVAL WITH KEN OWENS

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

MAN SCHOOL

It’s time to

If you’re not a senior, summer is only two short weeks away. That means a couple of things. Most importantly, it’s time for you and the guys to make up for all the time you spent pulling your hair out, worrying about school the past nine months. Check out these hot spots for the next three months.

TIPS TO BE MORE Davis Marsh: How would you

sum up your style? Charlie O’Brien: I could characterize my style with a quote by Kanye: “I’m a visionary.” DM: What’s the most stylish

uniform element? CO: My favorite St. Mark’s clothing item is the gray pants, obviously. DM: What’s the best way to

personalize the uniform? CO: A sweatshirt or jacket — keep it fresh. DM: What are some essential

tips on dressing? CO: Feel good, look better. Make sure it fits (@ Chip). Keep your hair long, but within the St. Mark’s regulation. Stay fresh.

TOP GOLF:

8787 Park Ln., Dallas, 76011

AMAZING JAKE’S FOOD & FUN:

n case you live under a rock, or in a sand bunker, you should know how chill Top Golf is. It’s a prefect place for a good time regardless of your mood. If you’re in PGA mode and think you’re the next Jordan Spieth, pay the fee and get your own driving tee, swinging to your hearts content. If you’re going on a date, you can never go wrong with the three-course mini golf set up. It’s a ton of fun and will double as a good time with your bros, a date or even a double-date. And the food isn’t too shabby either. Top Golf is a must-visit for all of us this summer.

BEST VALUE

Personal Bay on Monday through Friday ($20) — includes up to 6 players with game play modes like TopGolf, TopScramble and TopChip.

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

DM: What is your typical sum-

mer outfit? CO: As many of you know, I spend my summers in Chatham, MA. My typical summer outfit in Chatham from toe to head: barefoot, swimsuit, Vince Carter/Dez jersey and RayBans. DM: How do you ball on a

budget? CO: If you put in the effort, you can find some pretty sweet yet cheap items on eBay.

Package 2 ($21.99) — Buffet pass, choice of 4 rides and $10 game card.

2201 Rd to Six Flags St. E, Arlington, 76011

brands that you wear? CO: In elementary school, it was all about Under Armour. From Middle School through freshman year, I rocked Southern Tide and Vineyard Vines hard. #classic. From sophomore year to present, I wear a lot of button downs — short or long sleeve — but not really one brand. Maybe polo.

BEST VALUE

SIX FLAGS OVER TEXAS:

9450 N. Central Expy, Dallas, 75231 t’s inexpensive. It’s got great food. And it’s got the best selection of arcade games in Dallas. This summer you and your clique can’t go wrong with a night out a Dave and Busters. It’s also not too bad of a place for a date if you’re in the mood for something like that. Any time of day is a good time for Dave and Busters: there are no lines during the day for games, but you also get to experience the wild night-time atmosphere if you choose to give it a go in the evening. Dave and Busters is a must-visit for you, your girlfriend, or anybody else you wanna have a chill time with.

831 N. Central Expy, Plano, 75075 on’t let the name — or the pictures of fourth-graders on its website’s homepage — fool you. Amazing Jake’s Food and Fun is the perfect place to have an all-out bro-out. I suggest you hit up the Go-Kart attraction to channel your inner Fast and Furious. But if you or your friends aren’t motor fanatics, Jake’s has mini golf, laser tag and and arcade so you’re pretty much set. Located in Plano, Amazing Jake’s Food and Fun should definitely be on your radar.

DAVE AND BUSTER’S:

DM: What are some good

BRO OUT

BEST VALUE

Eat & Play Combo ($16.99) — One entrée and a $10 value game card. Available every Sunday through Thursday from opening to closing time.

ummertime means Six Flags time. Whether you’re addicted to the thrill of winning a carnival game or itching for the adrenaline-rush of a monster ride like Superman: Tower of Power, Six Flags Over Texas is a guaranteed win if you’re looking for a good time — any time, any day of the week. Beyond the entertainment, Six Flags is pretty much an international–fusion dining park: it’s got an Asian cuisine, Italian food and your good ‘ole American favorites like burgers and fries. It might sound like an old fashioned place to visit, but with the rides never failing to impress and the food always leaving people satisfied, this 212-acre amusement park should definitely be a place you plan on visiting.

BEST VALUE

Advance Purchase Online Ticket ($48.99) — Buy tickets ahead of time online and save $18 for general admission.

STORY ZACH NAIDU | PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION CREATIVE COMMONS

PRO TIPS COLLEGE SURVIVAL

Listen up, seniors, because chemistry instructor Ken Owens is giving advice on surving in the college world. If he ever taught you in a chemistry course, you surely heard him talk about about how much he wants to teach a class about surviving in college. Now here’s the real deal. Interacting with faculty: Another thing you should know. Go to your professors. Go to them. You would be surprised, some of them might not be cool with it but most are. Put in your effort.

Starting off, quicktips: Don’t miss class. Class is a privilege, not a right. Take whatever weird courses appeal to you because, when will you get to do that again? Indulge your interests. Be nice to your parents because they’re worried about you. Make your own legends. Go out and explore and have some fun.

Meal time: A good sandwich. You don’t need to sit down with your knife and fork to have a good meal. A simple meal should be something that you can fix in less than half an hour and you can do in one or two pans. Signature meal: you’re going to make a mess but it should be easy, so have a simple meal, have a signature. These are easy things.

Doing what works best for you: Figure out how you operate the best and go with it. I’m not a morning person, but I liked my free time so I could work at my own pace and do things my way and that was good for me. The one semester I had courses in the afternoon I hated it. They were great courses but that was not my gig. Managing your schedule: Pick a schedule that fits with how you are. Stick with it. Don’t be mad at yourself later. I always made sure that every class I had except labs was done by noon then I would have the rest of the day off.

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

STYLISH

with Charlie O’Brien

Enjoying the experience: You should do some cool things that you can tell stories about later because you’ve got the time. Take advantage of the fact that you are away from home in a different part of the country for the most part.

THE COMEBACK

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 | PAGE 10

USED WITH PERMISSION CREATIVE COMMONS

JOH

EAD

Returning for Alumni Weekend, classes ending in ‘0’ and ‘5’ enjoyed a wealth of activites April 24-25, including a cookout,special alumni chapel and a panel discussion . Page 17

LIFE with J.T. Graass

E CO MM ON S ISS IO N CR EA TIV US ED WI TH PE RM

MIS PER ITH

> Country singers Jason

> The 40th Annual Rush

> The Dave Matthews Band

> The annual Wildflower Fes-

Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Brantley Gilbert, Cole Swindell and Old Dominion will be performing at 9:00 p.m. in Arlington’s AT&T Stadium. tival will be held at Galatyn Park in Richardson from Friday to Sunday.

> The 2015 Trinity River

Wind Festival will be held Saturday, May 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m at 146 W Commerce Street Viaduct in Dallas.

Concert tour will be held in the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

> The Nancy A. Nasher and

David J. Haemisegger Family SOLUNA International Music & Art Festival features performances by the Dallas Symphony led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden. It will be held at The Meyerson with shows held at various times.

150

POINTS GIVEN

for catching the snitch

WIZARDRY As part of their senior prank, the class of 2015 transported Marksmen to Hogwarts with Potter-themed chimes and other magical festivities. Pictured above, seniors George Lin, Jack Dayton and Brody Ladd played Quidditch on the quad.

ACTION RTISTS in

he Free the Children club, headed by Paula Cham and a 62-man middle school team, will be giving a $5800 check to the international Free the Children Organization, which will be redirect the funds towards two specific developing villages located in Ghana. Even though most students are much more aware of the club’s monthly bake sales, most of their money actually comes from their less advertised pie sales. This year alone, the club raised upwards of $3000 from their pie sales. Although the club’s most popular flavors are apple pie, chocolate cake and pecan pie, their most lucrative ones include French silk and pumpkin. “We have gone above and beyond our goal because those two villages will now be sustainable in their own right,” Cham said. “We will be moving on to help new villages with a greater need.”

THE ARTIST

Mason Smith

THE ART

Photography

WHAT

Submissions for Texas High School Shootout “These photographs mean a lot to me because of all the time I dedicated to their planning and execution. Each detail was carefully thought out and every location had to be thoroughly prepared and modified to make the images powerful.”

...

he Upper School Orchestra played its main Spring Concert April 21. This concert was the last of the year for the orchestra and was played in Decherd Hall. This year’s orchestra consisted of a record of 38 musicians. The concert featured senior soloists Rohan Pinto, Timothy Cho, and William Su, who played masterpieces by musicians such as Ludwig von Beethoven and Edouard Lalo. And while this year’s concert was a success, Orchestra Director Dr. David Fray said that planning and arrangements have already begun to ensure next year’s concert is a success as well. “I’m talking to next year’s seniors now about whether they’re interested in playing a concerto,” Fray said. “So I’m thinking about next year’s program—both the December concert and the April concert and looking at repertoire that we might do next year with the group that we will have next year.”

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON ONE OF ST. MARK’S FINE ARTS STUDENTS

HIS WORDS What’s your daily routine food wise? I start off every morning with two egg burritos and whole-wheat tortillas. Then I have my smoothie of course. It has strawberries, bananas, oranges, spinach, yogurt, and occasionally whey protein. It keeps me going. Sometimes you’ll see it around campus, so if you see it it’s mine. For lunch, I make my own weird sandwich. You can ask anyone who eats around me. After track, I usually have my bag of almonds and I snag a piece of fruit from the cafeteria.

Chipotle or Qdoba? Chipotle. I like the queso at Qdoba but I like the quality at Chipotle, and I’m all about quality over quantity.”

Why do you feel like Dwight Schrute is your alter-ego? We connect on so many different levels, not to mention that we look alike. It’s just a funny show.

ED W

> The Summer Send Off

By when do you expect to break the Olympic world record for the mile time. Probably never. The world record is 3:43, and I’m a solid 36 seconds off. But the women’s world record for the mile is 4:13, and I’m hoping to break that this year.

What’s your favorite TV Show? Definitely The Office. I just feel like Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott are the best.

UDS

Next week

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

What do you want to accomplish as president this year? A lot, actually. I want to start planning things more in advance this year. I also want to do more schoolwide, Upper School events. I don’t really want to say what yet, because I want it to be a surprise. Let’s just say there are going to be a lot of good themes, some good videos, and some really awesome pep rallies.

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

Weekend

Student Council president-elect JT Graass can be seen around campus rocking his short running shorts and some kind of healthy food or drink. Life Editor Anvit Reddy caught up with Graass to find out more about the man who will be running the show next year.

With one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters released May 1, reviews specialist Parker McWatters gives his take on the action-packed film. Page 17

LIFE AROUND CAMPUS

Today

will be performing at the Gexa Energy Pavillion in Fair Park at 7:00 p.m. as a part of their national tour.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE

the Inbox

Upcoming THINGS TO DO IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

Music Festival kicks off from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. tonight. It will be held at the South Side Music Hall and will feature appearances by several DJs.

HANGIN’ OUT

SION

ACROSS THE WORLD

“[Lee Berger] suggested that I come down to Johannesburg this summer to work on developing curriculum for a future high school-level field school where people who have interest in paleoanthropology can get hands on experience.” — Eugene McDermott Master Teacher John Mead Page 13

...

tudents and alumni alike gathered together to eat their cookout lunch in Spencer Gym April 24. Sponsored by the Student-Alumni Association, the lunch served as a networking and connection building opportunity for members of the Upper School. With the poor weather, many students took advantage of the lunch, eating with alumni in the gym. Although the event was specifically geared towards the Student-Alumni Association, the event kicked off the events of Alumni Weekend for many members of the Upper School. With the Student-Alumni lunch, Alumni Panel and classes open to visitors throughout the day, the weekend proved valuable for establishing connections between the Marksmen of both past and present. “One of the special components about being a Marksman is being able to get to know so many different people in so many different fields,” Director of Alumni Relations Alex Eshelbrenner said. “It’s the first step of building your own network as you start making your way in your own careers.”

Inbox Stories by Mohit Singhal, Waseem Nabulsi and Davis Bailey

SOCIAL MEDIA

The social question ? Teachers and students spend their lives together, in the classroom, on the playing field and on the stage. As social media becomes a bigger part of students’ lives, the role that teachers should take online becomes clouded.

iddle School coach Dwight Phillips saw him everyday. They would walk across the halls together, laughing, joking around. He was, on the surface, a perfectly happy Marksman. He was involved, social and approachable. Whenever he saw Phillips in the halls, they would always share a laugh and joke around. But underneath his shell, he was suffering. On Facebook, he exposed himself and revealed his pain in a post. This kid, a wonderfully happy boy, was on verge of self-harm.

However, since Phillips was Facebook friends with him, Phillips saw what no other teacher could. “I intervened and wanted to know what was going on,” Phillips said. “I would not have known what he was going through had he not put that out on social media. Just by me knowing him and being a part of his life, I think I may have saved him from something drastic. It impacted me because now I am more aware about what goes on with social media and what goes on with people, especially my students. I want to know if they are suffering. I want to be there to help them.” Should teachers and students’ friendship transcend campus? Is there a necessary gap between the two or should they be allowed to connect outside of the classroom and athletic field? Ken Owens ’89 Sees friendship as important, but not on social media

Phillips believes that through social media, students and teachers can really learn about each other. In other words, they can become true friends. “When using social media like Facebook, you get to know people,” Phillips said. “They put things on there that they are involved in, or they invite you to events that they are participating in. To me, those are things that characterize getting to know people, making a connection. I realize that [teachers using social media] is frowned upon, but when it is used as a professional courtesy, that is where I think it is a useful tool.” According to the Faculty Handbook, “Communication with members of the St. Mark’s community must be of a professional nature. Employees should not post information that could adversely affect individuals or the reputation of St. Mark’s. Employees should exercise restraint and discretion in all social networking activity.” Assistant Head of Upper School John Perryman believes that given the professional relationship between a student and his teacher, their means of communication should be maintained in a business-like manner. “As a school, we have official means of communicating with our constituents whether that be students, colleagues, parents, etc,” Dr. Perryman

said. “Generally we prefer these established and sanctioned ways of communicating. I think that that's the route to go. These are ongoing conversations that we are having during administration team meetings.” cience instructor Ken Owens ’89’s view echoes Perryman’s ideas. He regards the “business” relationship between students and teachers to be very important. “There is a difference of power and authority between students and teachers no matter what your relationship is,” Owens said. “I personally would not want anything to degrade that formality between teachers and students. I think that, that distance between students and teachers helps take a personal sting out of a poor grade or performance. I would not want them to feel like I was coming down on them personally, I would want them to understand that you are good people and you still made a mistake, and I still have to remind you of it and evaluate you based on that.” The administration must also consider the issue of liability. Several years ago, the Department of Education posed this question: what if you are friends with a student on social media, and the kid starts picking on another kid at your school? You don’t see it, but because you are friends with them, you could see it. “The consensus of teachers at the time was that we need to not place ourselves in that position because it increases our liability and the school’s liability,” Owens said. “I’m not friends [on Facebook] with any current student. I might follow a student after they graduate, and a lot of them will ask me, most of the time I say yes. But I would not want that exposure to their personal life while they were still my responsibility.”

Dr. John Perryman Stresses the importance of having a business relationship

hillips understands the possible conflict of interest between teachers and students, but he feels that the pros of being friends on social media heavily outweighs the cons. “There are all sorts of things that could go wrong with social media,”

Phillips said, “but I think that people who use social media in that regard have ill intent. I don’t have ill intent. I want to use it to stay connected with students who have meant a lot to me in my coaching and teaching career. It is frowned upon in ways, but am I not Dwight Phillips Believes teachers and students should be friends on social media

supposed to connect with you guys?” For senior Sam Daniels, a member of Phillips’s breakfast club, connecting through social media has been something to look forward to. “It’s awesome when Coach Phillips comments something funny or supportive on social media because he is such a vocal and approachable guy,” Daniels said. “[His posts] are always either really funny or they make you feel great. From that perspective, I think it is great that you can have teachers and coaches interact with students on social media.” Phillips didn’t start interacting with students on social media abruptly; instead, it gradually became part of his life. “Once I came to St. Mark’s, after four, five years, I really liked this place,” Phillips said. “The students were great, and so I stayed. Once Facebook got really popular and people started to request me as friends, I started accepting them. If I decline a request, that means I’ve turned my back on somebody. I never turn my back on anybody. If we’re friends, we are going to keep that connection.”

‘

For Phillips, social media is a source of positivity in his life, especially when it notifies him with good news, like students’ acceptances into college. “I know I haven’t had anything to do with kids getting into college,” Phillips said, “but I’m just happy that I got to work with these young men who are moving on to different endeavors in their life. I feel like I know every kid in this school. I feel like they have been there for me and I have been there for them. It really is a community.”

Should students and teachers be friends on social media? TEACHERS

STUDENTS

Poll conducted by Mohit Singhal. Data collected from 22 teachers and 93 students.

Should students and teachers 1) text and 2) be friends on social media?

62%

14%

12%

No for both

Yes for both

1) Yes 2) No

1) No 2) Yes

Poll conducted by the TODAY show. Data collected from 3,235 votes.

The official school policy:

The school expects all employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner. Communication with members of the St. Mark’s community must be of a professional nature. Social networks and media should be regarded as public regardless of personal security or privacy settings. Employees should not post information that could adversely affect individuals or the reputation of St. Mark’s. Employees should exercise restraint and discretion in all social networking activity. —Excerpted from Faculty Handbook given to all school employees

STORY GOPAL RAMAN | ADDITIONAL REPORTING ORLIN WARE | PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ | LOGOS USED WITH PERMISSION CREATIVE COMMONS

LIFE

THE REMARKER MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 11 12 ANXIETY 13 JOHN MEAD AND LEE BERGER 16 SONS AND DAUGHTERS 17 ALUMNI WEEKEND

L THE REMARKER LIFE MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 12 ANXIETY

Anxiety A story of triumph With the rigorous coursework at 10600 Preston Road, many students can lay claim to experiencing school-related stress. But not everyone has had to deal with anxiety, an illness that freshman Waseem Nabulsi has fought his entire life.

tests and quizzes make him the most anxious. If he has a test the next day, he centers his afternoon around that test. “If I have a test, I wont eat breakfast or lunch, I’ll go to school and skip lunch to study,” Nabulsi said, “then spend the rest of the day just freaking out about it; a minute doesn’t go by without me freaking out about it.” Although school is the source of a lot of his anxiety, Nabulsi says that it isn’t the only stressor. His anxiety can be increased by something as small as conversation in the hall. “During conversations, if I slip up on a word or misword something, then I will just think about it the rest of the day,” Nabulsi said. n Nabulsi’s case, his anxiety has led to a minor sleeping disorder. He spends long nights overthinking material and studying. “I’ll go from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. continuously studying, then I’ll wake up at 4 a.m. and study until I go to school,” Nabulsi said. While many Marksmen may share Nabulsi’s experience of worrying about a test, Nabulsi’s case is different. For many, the anxiety they feel the night before a test is stress, which is very different than the anxiety that Nabulsi has been dealing with for his entire life.

hen kindergartener Waseem Nabulsi stared down at the addition worksheet he had done the day before. In the top right corner, a blue check. A check? What happened to my normal check plus? To most, a check in the top right corner of a kindergarten addition assignment would be an accomplishment. But for Nabulsi, this was not good enough. When he returned home, Nabulsi locked himself in his room, thinking and thinking about the measly check he received hours before. His parents would try to talk to him, but he just kept dwelling on the worksheet. Not talking to anyone. Not letting it go. This was the first instance Nabulsi can remember of his clinical anxiety, and he has been coping with the disabling illness since the first years of his schooling.

Waseem Nabulsi Experiences clinical anxiety

“Anxiety is anticipation of future threats,” Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie said, “while stress is reacting to something that is happening in that moment.” This regular stress that Marksmen experience can acutally benefit students, a key difference between the effects of stress and anxiety. “I would say that everybody here feels stress because of the rigor of the school and the demand that is placed on you,” Van Drie said. “A little bit of stress is a good thing because it is what helps us activate to work and gets our best performance out of us.” Almost everybody has to deal with stress, as it is what helps us to complete tasks and not to take on more than we can handle. “Stress, I feel, is very important at St. Mark’s because it seems like everybody procrastinates with the inordinate amount of homework we have,” freshman Mike Mahowald said. “The stress helps us to finish it in time for class.” Anxiety, on the other hand, is stress on an entirely new

STORY RETT DAUGBJERG, ANVIT REDDY | ILLUSTRATION JOON PARK

Mini-Marque to be released May 20 B

y numbers alone, it is clear that the Mini-Marque is by no means mini. Under humanities instructor Meagan Frazier and editor-in-chief Spencer Allan, the Middle School literary magazine has transformed from a club into a sophisticated publication. “I think this year we are trying to do more on the design side, really trying to get the boys to express themselves creatively, really thinking about the brand of Mini-Marque and what it’s going to look like,” Frazier said. “We’re really trying to take it from a project to an actual magazine that’s a pathway for them to do publications in the Upper School.” Allan believes that the most important aspect to take away from the project is working with other people. “Leadership is definitely the most important aspect,” Allan said. “The leadership, the design and working together as a team now that [the Mini-Marque] is more legitimate is really going to help in the future not just with journalism but also as an upper schooler.” In future years, Frazier wants to give the editors full autonomy, granting more responsibility and freedoms. “I’ve done a lot of micromanaging, but over the years I really want to be able to turn it over to the editors and let them run with it,” she said. Frazier also hopes to increase awareness for the magazine so as to increase the volume of entries, which she

By the numbers

People diagnosed with anxiety

36.9 %

believs will improve the magazine as a whole. For Allan, the most rewarding part of the Mini-Marque is the satisfaction gained from finishing parts of the project because it moves the publication closer to its ultimate goal of publication. “The satisfaction from having gone through the milestones is the best part,” Allan said. “ The satisfaction from having completed a spread or getting submissions done is great because it shows that you’re one step closer to putting together a complete product.” Frazier commends the hard-working attitude of the students. “I feel like there are still people out there that we have missed this year simply because they don’t know a lot about the magazine, or why they should submit their work,” Frazier said. Frazier enjoys stepping back from her role as a teacher when working on the Mini-Marque. Instead, she can take on a completely different role as leader of the magazine and have an entirely new impact on the community. “I don’t have to be as much of a teacher as I get to be a mentor, so it’s really more relaxing in terms of less discipline and more collaborative work,” Frazier said. “I really like to see the work that is produced, and even the guys on staff have been inspired by the submissions that we’ve gotten, doing their own takes and art.”

25 %

40,000,000

Percent of adults who suffer from anxiety

Average age of onset of anxiety

Nabulsi’s isn’t a rare case. Anxiety disorders are very common among Americans. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety is a mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older. “My anxiety can be caused from anything by everyday things to [small] interactions,” Nabulsi said. School is the primary source of stress for Nabulsi; he says

by John Crawford

level. It causes students to overthink and worry about things to the point where it is affecting other parts of their life “Too much stress makes our performance fall off,” Van Drie said. “Everybody deals with stress, but not everybody deals with an anxiety disorder.” Nabulsi’s anxiety is an issue that limits his ability to function at any given time throughout the day; as a result, Nabulsi feels the need to isolate himself. “When I get stressed out, I isolate myself and usually that isolation involves me not talking to anybody or separating myself,” Nabulsi said. With all this stress, Nabulsi has frequent panic attacks, or sudden pangs of anxiety. “Anxiety attacks are probably one of the worst feelings in the world,” Nabulsi said. “I have major headaches. My stomach starts hurting badly. My body starts to shut down.” While Nabulsi’s anxiety is a clearly serious problem, the disorder in general is an illness with a manageable prognosis. People can take medication and attend therapy sessions to

Percent of teenagers with anxiety who develop a lifetime prevalence

Percent of severe anxiety cases

5.9 %

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

cope with the mental disability and reduce its harmful effects. “People with anxiety go to therapy to learn how to manage it and also medication helps,” Van Drie said. “Therapy can actually change your brain.” Nabulsi has attacked his issue by attending regular therapy sessions to “change his brain.” With his constant action against his anxiety, he has reduced the effects of the disease “It’s been a really long journey — from eighth grade till now,” Nabulsi said. “But I think that through this journey, I have been able to really find myself, and only recently, actually, I have been able to start to live my life the way I should be able to live my life: happily.”

THE REMARKER LIFE MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 13 L JOHN MEAD AND LEE BERGER

DiscoveringAfrica

With the partnership he established with Dr. Lee Berger, Eugene McDermott Master TeacherJohn Mead will return to Africa to further his passion. Life Editor Anvit Reddy caught up with Mead to talk about his plans for the summer.

o what is your background with Dr. Berger and what exactly will you be doing in Africa this summer? Dr. Berger and I have had a relationship since 2012. He suggested that I come down to Johannesburg this summer to work on developing curriculum for a future high school level field school, where people who have interest in paleoanthropology can get hands on experience. So I will be leaving July 4 and coming back July 24, give or take a day. I will be spending six days on a safari for my photography, and I will be spending two weeks in his labs and with his folks, and my goal while I’m there will be to work on curriculum that can tell the story of human origins with a focus on the Rising Star results. We’re waiting until the journal Nature makes their final decision on when it gets published. He is not allowed to say anything at all until that happens. Once that happens, then National Geographic can go ahead and publish, he can go on a speaking tour, things happen quickly once that happens. That hopefully happens in May or June. I will be there in July so it will be the immediate aftermath of the announcement, which will be an incredibly exciting time to be with his team. And my goal is to have a single curriculum for people who are interested, especially for teachers who do not have the background I have grown to have. In your own words, can you describe what exactly the Rising Star is? The Rising Star is named after the cave in which all this happened. In October of 2013, a group of local cavers were alerted by Berger to pay attention to the bones in the caves. Most cavers overlook what they see in the cave. But he trained a group of cavers and he told them that there was a lot of stuff waiting to be found, and that I want y’all to know what to look for. Not long after doing this, several guys came back and said that they’ve been in this deep nook in a cave and we found what looks to be promising specimens. Sure enough, in the end, there have been more than 2000 fossils discovered from this one cave, and the fossil chamber is about half the size of my office. How will Berger’s findings affect your work in Africa this summer? A lot will depend on what he comes out with. If he does something as ground shaking as naming a new species, then that opens up a whole lot of talking. If on the other hand he says that this is an existing species but we now have a great picture of its existence, then we have the most complete fossil record of whatever this species is. Now you can start to piece together a better picture of how that species lives and start answering specific questions.

There are two pathways I can wind up following from a curriculum standpoint. I will either be on the ground floor of dealing with a new species, and what I create will start to go into schools as an introduction to this new species. If this is not a new species, I can dig deeper into things and answer existing questions. What is your background in Paleoanthropology? It started off for me when I was a little kid, my parents had a book, which was part of a book series that you order on TV. This was the life nature library, and you get about a dozen books for every month. But I loved the books, even though its totally outdated now. But I remember even as someone who could barely read, a lot of the images were interesting to me as as I got into it more and more, I started to study it. Then when I got here, I had the luck of having the skulls in the case, which were given by the Richard Leakey, the son of Louis Leakey, who was the original guy who put human origins and paleoanthropology on the map.... That was amazing getting to really get the nuts and bolts of the field down and that reenergized my interest in the field. But I’ve always taught human origins as a part my 6th grade anyway, and getting to know Berger has expanded my opportunities. Because it’s considered by some to be controversial, and many people shy away from it, and I’m just the opposite, I want to find out more about it. How do you hope to utilize your relationship with Berger when you’re in Africa this summer? I have been incredibly lucky in getting to know him because he has done something that very few if any paleoanthropologists have done. Like I said, paleoanthropology is a very closed-in kind of science, where people closely guard their discoveries, because you get only one discovery if you’re lucky. So you try to hold on to all the power and prestige that has. And Berger is not that way. He believes in something called Open Science. He thinks that if you’re a scientist, and you want to see something he has discovered, he will let you into his lab. That has extended to him inviting me as a middle and high school teacher, to come down and see stuff in 2013, and then bringing me back, so I see this as a tremendous opportunity that doesn’t generally happen. I have to thank him a lot for his openness and his believing in people other than his team that they may have something add. Moving forward we have a nice connection in Dallas in that a local philanthropist, Lyda Hill, who is funding him for a number of years. So I have every certainty that he will be back in Dallas for years to come and that we can build on that relationship for years to come at 10600.

SHARP SHOOTER Mead has visited Africa before on safari and captured shots like these. This time, he will focus on meeting with paleoanthropologist Lee Berger.

STORY ANVIT REDDY | PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION BLUE LION PHOTOS, JOHN MEAD

Leadership and Ethics Council to hold annual summer institute by Davis Bailey and Zoheb Khan

ne of the most common phrases that teachers and administrators say about this school is that it “educates the whole boy,” with one program in particular striving to achieve that goal. Changing boys into men, and members of the community into leaders of the community, the leadership and ethics program is integral to shaping the trendsetters and innovators of tomorrow. The idea of engaging oneself in a community, however, can be a daunting task for many. The Summer Leadership Institute, led by Malcom K. and Minda Brachman Master Teacher Martin Stegemoeller and math instructor Amy Reck, seeks to make this idea more approachable. “We’re trying to introduce St. Mark’s students to the leadership and ethics program,” Assistant Head of Upper School Dr. John Perryman said, “and to introduce

them to the vocabulary and conceptual framework that we think are best suited to having discussions about what it means to be a healthy member of a community.” Held on June 3 and 4, the Institute is dedicated to educating Upper School Students in the philosophy of leadership and being a productive member of a community, the Institute provides a strong foundation for Upper School students who wish to have the skills and vocabulary necessary to become an effective leader. “It is an attempt in a relatively short period of time to get our students a compact, workable understanding of the basic conceptual vocabulary and goals of our leadership program,” Stegemoller said. The institute goes beyond encouraging students to memorize common leadership terms. Rather, it emphasizes the importance of community involvement.

“Our two main founding premises are that very important parts of our identities are inseparable from the different communities, groups, organizations, to which we belong,” Perryman said. “We define community very loosely as St. Mark’s, family, ReMarker staff, English class, soccer team, etc.” The institute brings in public speakers from all backgrounds and uses engaging methods to promote the idea of an individual moving an entire community towards its goal and ambitions, rather than just focusing on short term, material goals. “We bring in speakers to help solidify that,” Stegemoller said. “One speaker from business, one from the public sector, one from a non-profit, to show different aspects and make a big difference by very explicitly taking on leadership of your world.” Aiming to break the misconception that only certain people can lead, the institute

strives to educate all students, both those who have been in previous leadership roles and those who have not held prominent roles. “If you see what you need to do to become a better person and make a bigger difference, and that’s clear to you, it doesn’t really matter who you are, you’re gonna do more and do better,” Stegemoeller said. By teaching students the benefits for themselves and their peers, the Leadership Institute does more than give students a basic and shallow understanding of what it means to be an engaged and responsible member of a community. “Almost every kid says, ‘I never really understood the program until I did this,” Stegemoeller said. “So they feel motivated and they see the connection between their dedication to serving their world through leadership and their own growth.”

P THE REMARKER PERSPECTIVES MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 14-15

THE FUTURE O

very year, millions of students take online classes. And every year, that number grows. As of last year, the number had reached 30 percent of all high school students, up from ten percent just five years before. But even as online enrollment reached an all-time high across the nation last year, the numbers at 10600 Preston Road were next to nothing. As the administration prepares to discontinue the course offerings from Global Online Academy (GOA) next year, they are faced with a glaring fact: only five students out of almost 400 enrolled in upper school have taken a GOA course in the past two years. Now, while online high schools and course offerings take off across the country, there is one burning question to ask. What went wrong with GOA? It is a question followed by many others. In the digital age of inevitable online interaction, what is the best way to learn? Can the value of face-to-face interactions be replicated through a screen? Does online education signal the end of brick and mortar schools, or can they coexist?

How will we learn? The skills required for learning online are very different from learning in a classroom. In a school community that “prides itself on procrastination,” as Mlakar puts it, he believes online classes are often unsuitable for students, especially those who have trouble remaining constantly organized and up-to-date with their work. “If you’re in my class, I’m prodding you,” Mlakar said. “You better do your homework, or if you’re behind you better get caught up, or if you have a task coming up you better get started. You may not have that prodding from a GOA teacher. Deadline hits, and if you’ve missed the deadline, you may not have the flexibility you do with a face to face teacher.” The personal responsibility involved with an online class, however, can also translate into a growth in self-reliance and individual pursuits, which GOA Executive Director Michael Nachbar emphasizes. “GOA classes emphasize interaction, perspective sharing and taking and a personal approach to teaching and learning,” Nachbar said. “Each of our classes is taught by an educator from one of our member schools who is nominated as a teacher leader from her/his respective school. There are a lot of programs today that emphasize personalized learning, which in many cases means students learning on their own.” For others, the benefits of an online class system are more apparent, as is the case for Lucas Porter. After leaving St. Mark’s after the 2012-2013 school year — his freshman

But while the online scene may not make brick and mortar schools obsolete, faculty and students alike feel certain aspects of traditional learning will change in the coming years. “Online education is not a fad that is going away,” Nachbar said. “Schools need to find effective ways to blend online and on-campus learning so that students are skilled learners in both domains.” Having experienced both the online and physical setting, Porter echoes Nachbar’s

BRICKS VS. CLICKS

Ranking on a list of best private schools in America according to Business Insider.

St. Mark’s

39%

Percentage of students enrolled in online courses in 2013-2014

33%

Stanford Online High School High School

Higher Education

2% St. Mark’s

2011

Scott Gonzalez Led effort with GOA

2007

Lucas Porter Student at SOHS

Enrollment in it’s not just the online educa learning into

year — to attend Stanford Online High School (SOHS), Porter opened up his possibilities as an international equestrian show jumper. “I started taking classes from Stanford Online High School,” Porter said, “because I was starting to ride competitively a lot more and travel a lot more, so going to St. Mark’s was getting harder and harder because I was missing more and more school. So in order to still get a good education, my parents looked into homeschooling and online school, and they came across this program.” Stanford Online High School is different from most other online schools in that there are scheduled classes every day, while many online schools are self-paced. As he travelled around the world for show jumping in horseback-riding competitions, Porter discovered online classes allowed him to continue school as normal no matter where he was, making it incredibly more efficient than a brick-and-mortar school like the one he attended for so long. “For example, I was in three consecutive shows, three different shows,” Porter said, “that lasted three weeks in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Lexington, KY. And I could attend those three weeks of school from those three different hotel rooms. And I didn’t get behind at all because I could just do the work after the competition, attend school during the day, and compete in competitions at night.” However, online education suffers from key issues as well. One of the greatest issues with Stanford Online High School and other schools of its kind is a lack of social interaction. While SOHS promotes face-to-face interaction through clubs and summer sessions, Porter still feels the school falters in this area. “I find that St. Mark’s kind of brings you out of your shell,” Porter said. “It encourages you to interact with other kids, interact with teachers, and I find that it makes you feel like a part of a community. Whereas at SOHS, given that it is an online school, it is obviously super difficult to maintain that feeling of a community.” Headmaster David Dini expresses similar concerns with the online setting, and feels the lack of face to face interaction is one of the key reasons brick-and-mortar schools won’t be going away. “You can only replace some of the information transfer,” Dini said. “You can’t replace the human interaction online. You can create certain elements of it through Skype, but obviously the human dimension and the relationships we believe are fundamental to the experience here will always be critical.”

2002

lthough the opportunity to offer online classes through GOA seemed promising, hardly any students enrolled in the classes — less than two percent. According to Dean of the Campus and Provost Scott Gonzalez, much of this has to do with the student body’s reluctance to stray away from AP courses. “Students here often want to go for what I would call a ‘known course,’” Gonzalez said, “or something that will bolster their résumé to get them into a specific college or university. And more often than not, that particular course has “AP” in front of it.” Likewise, Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar believes students were not informed or incentivized enough to truly consider online courses as an option in comparison to the typical AP course load. The school didn’t sell it. And the students didn’t buy it. “We have to look at it as if this is just a different way of learning,” he said. “This is a different opportunity, but it’s not any less valuable than what we’re doing at St. Mark’s. It has to be looked at as equal, not subordinate; I think we have to give credit to it. We have to say, ‘If you’re going to do a course on this, it has to replace something else,’ and maybe more than just an elective course.”

University students enrolled in online courses

A LOOK A

30%

15%

Year

STORY WILL CLARK, CAMERON CLARK, NOAH KOECHER | PHOTO ARNO GOETZ | GRAPHICS NOAH KOECHER

OF EDUCATION

AT THE FUTURE Many believe that education will shift toward online learning, yet at St. Mark’s, enrollment in online courses is extremely low, and next year the courses will not be offered at all.

n online school has never been higher, but e quantity that is on the rise. The quality of ation has increased as well, transforming online a legitimate educational resource. sentiments and is confident in the future of a cooperation between the two options. “Although a lot of schools are being created online, “ Porter said, “I think that the idea of a brick and mortar is not flawed at all. If anything, this combination of brick and mortar and online will be dominant, but I definitely don’t think brick and mortar schools will be nonexistent.” Claire Goldsmith, SOHS director of admission and external relations, also emphasizes the potential for harmony between physical and online schools and feels students should take advantage of the opportunity to combine face-to-face classes with online ones. “There are many ways online schools can cooperate with brick and mortar schools,” Goldsmith said. “Sometimes, brick and mortar schools aren’t able to offer a particular subject, or level of a subject, and an online provider can meet that need so that the school does not have to hire an additional teacher.” Likewise, Gonzales urges faculty to consider the goal of synthesis between the online and learning environment, as he feels that a lack of faculty enthusiasm was one of the contributing factors to GOA’s short tenure on campus. “I think that there are some of my colleagues who fear that their employment is in jeopardy,” Gonzales said. “That could not be further from the truth. We are not going to do away with brick and mortar schools, at least in the philosophical and missional aspect of this institution.” Nachbar also believes that campus based schools are not broken, but they are not complete either. “It’s incumbent upon leading independent schools,” Nachbar said, “to find ways to offer their students opportunities to develop the skills needed to be modern learners, and to expect their faculty to teach in modern ways.” But whatever the reasons for the GOA’s disappointing results in the past two years, Mlakar, and all the faculty, rest assured that the online scene will make a return. “I think it was an exciting opportunity for kids that maybe we just didn’t sell hard enough as an opportunity for them,” Mlakar said. “ I think it’s an ongoing, ‘to be continued’ discussion, and I’m glad that we’re not moving away from it entirely and never coming back to it. We’re taking a year off, a year hiatus, and when it’s over we’ll see where we go from there.”

‘I THINK THAT THE IDEA OF A BRICK AND MORTAR IS NOT FLAWED AT ALL. IF ANYTHING, THIS COMBINATION OF BRICK AND MORTAR AND ONLINE WILL BE DOMINANT.’ LUCAS PORTER

See pg. 21 for online classes editiorial

Online learning is not one size fits all. Here we’ve defined several common types of online learning. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) — These classes usually have thousands of students, are often free and are often sponsored by universities. Self paced learning — Similar to GOA. There are weekly or monthly assignments and access to lectures on a regular basis.

DEFINITIONS Real time learning — Similar to SOHS. With daily classes via programs similar to Skype, this type of learning simulates a traditional classroom.

Third party programs — This includes programs such as Khan Academy, which posts learning materials for everyone to access.

Q&A

The ReMarker sat down with two of the five students to take classes from GOA, juniors Matthew Lawson and Bill Dannenmaier.

What is some general info about your experience?

Bill: I took Game Theory and Micro-Econ. I took Micro-Econ from fall to the mid-winter, so basically a semester class, and then I had a bit of a break between that and Game Theory. Matt: My junior year, I took Introduction to Psychology in the first semester of the school year. I basically ended up taking it fifth period — that was my free period — pretty much every day. Why did you decide to take a GOA course?

Bill: When it was first offered, economics sort of interested me, but I didn’t really want to do AP Econ. So I was like “Oh, I could take this, it’s a new thing, I’ll test it out to see what it was like.” And then Game Theory. They were both very math-y classes. I did them both to see how it was, and I did them for the class. I didn’t do it for the experience, honestly, but the experience was an added bonus, just to see how the setup was. Matt: I took GOA because it offered a couple psychology courses, and psychology was something that really interested me. Over the summer, I had read up on it as a subject, and the only psychology related class at St. Mark’s was AP Psychology, and for my junior year I was already taking 3 AP’s and did not want to take a fourth. So I decided to take an intro course just to familiarize myself with the terminology, reading, key figures, things like that, so that when I did end up taking AP Psychology when I had more time, I would be as prepared as possible. Do you get any credit at all for a GOA course?

Matt: It acts sort of like a trimester high school course. We get two grades on it for the transcript: the grade from the first semester and the grade from the second semester. Normally you take two GOA classes a year, I only ended up taking one. But yes, it shows up on our transcript as a legitimate class. Which graduation requirements does it add to?

Bill: It’s a full-on elective class. I took two of them, so it would fulfill my elective requirement. Is taking a GOA class is worth it as far as class credit and the experience?

Matt: It’s definitely worth it for the learning experience. If you’re really interested in a specific field, I think GOA is a great way to go and learn a more specific and early reach into where you want to go as a scholar. I think that if someone can really handle it, and they’re not loaded down, I think a GOA course is absolutely worth it. It is really good for participating in groups, even though it’s online. Bill: Yes. There wasn’t another elective that I would have liked to do. The learning that I had was good. I don’t know if I will retain it, but all-in-all it was a

R, WILL CLARK | STATISTICS BUSINESS INSIDER , BABSON SURVEY RESEARCH GROUP, PROJECT TOMORROW

fun class and I enjoyed meeting these people from around the world. We had many Beijing students for both classes, which was very fun and I enjoyed it a lot. Why do you think online classes haven’t been popular here?

Bill: You don’t have the direct contact you do at a physical school, and you have to text or email, and then get a response. You can’t really converse as well as you can in natural face-to-face contact. The video chat can kind of emulate that, but not as well. Matt: In that same vein, another reason I ended up dropping the second semester of it is that I’m obviously not a fan of the online learning environment. Having gone to St. Mark’s since first grade, I’m way too wired to be in a classroom with my friends and other very intelligent people, and be able to talk and learn about a topic. Learn, see, write and all that. I’m very much a classroom learner because of how long I’ve been here and because of how good the classroom environment is at St. Mark’s. What are some differences between classroom and online learning?

Matt: Honestly, an online learning experience is different — I think it’s still very good — but it’s different in a manner that I didn’t really like because I can get a more hands-on and personal learning experience here at St. Mark’s. The difference between the St. Mark’s learning environment and the online learning environment is that online, the diversity of courses is ridiculous. There must be 50 different courses on GOA, and they are all electives, they are all specifically geared towards a specific profession or specific kind of literature. There will be history courses on GOA about just the Middle-East, or just south-east Asia and that’s all really interesting and really great, because I don’t think class diversity is something St. Mark’s does very well. Any suggestions to administration regarding program?

Bill: About the class itself, one of the problems is that we aren’t reminded constantly about it. You have to log into the website, and you have to check when your assignments are due. Matt: I think as far as that goes, that it would be better for St. Mark’s to publicize it more. I think it’s a great program, and it offers a lot of different learning opportunities for students that attend St. Mark’s. And being St. Mark’s kids, everyone wants to learn, and they want to learn whatever they want to learn about, and GOA is a great way to either go and get an introduction — like I did — or go and take complicated courses over very specific types of material — like Bill did. I think it would be better for the GOA program and for St. Mark’s in general if St. Mark’s publicized it more in the future as an option for kids who want to take electives.

L THE REMARKER LIFE MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 16 A GREEN CAMPUS

Going green Led by people like Dan Northcut ’81 and former U. S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Dallas is becoming a more green-minded city.

aying a friendly hello to every student he passes, he strolls the hallway in his striped polo shirt, walking with a gait that just exudes a kind and outgoing vibe. As he reaches the end of the Science Building’s hallway, he glances towards the fish tanks, looks down and then stops. Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut ‘81 bends down, picks up a crumpled sheet of notebook paper and drops it in the blue recycling bin on his way out. It’s small steps like this that make a huge difference. Known on campus as the all around green-guru, Northcut leads the many recycling drives during the school year, makes frequent announcements pertaining to conservation and is widely recognized for his passion for and dedication to transforming the school into a greener institution. “One of my many conservation goals on campus is to make the idea of conservation to be something that’s a normal part of daily life,” Northcut said. “I want it to be like we live it, because everyone has to start living it, because there are too many people on the planet to not live it.” Over the past few decades, the ideas of conservation and recycling have evolved not only on campus, but also in the entire state

and country. “When I started teaching in the 80s, environmental stuff was still just an idea,” Northcut said. “It was something that I was trying from the start to get going so that it would become mainstream, even here at school.” And it definitely has begun to take hold in the state. Texas House Rep. Morgan Meyer and the other members of the Energy Committee are focusing on providing clean, affordable energy for the Texans of today and tomorrow. “Part of being on the energy committee is making sure that when getting natural resources we do it in a responsible way,” Meyer said, “and making sure we take care of our environment for not only ourselves but also our children.” Part of that responsible energy harvest is diversifying the state’s energy resources and

looking towards cleaner and greener alternatives. Not only will it lighten a bit of the burden on the environment, but also create more jobs and more affordable energy for the state as a whole. “Just because you’re not on the Energy Committee of the Texas House doesn’t mean that you in your daily life can’t look to conserve energy and also recycle,” Meyer said. “It takes all of us, because those smaller steps definitely have an impact just like the bigger ones.” Clean air, conservation and recycling across the entire country have become more important in recent years. In the senate, several committees put balancing development Dan Northcut ‘81 Campus green-guru

with more responsible, green practices at the forefront of national policy. “Certainly there are a lot of federal dollars that go into for instance, infrastructure for water quality, infrastructure for air quality,” former United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison said. “I think that you have to protect the envi-

ronment and you have to look at the reality.” She stressed the importance of the entire world becoming part of the movement towards cleaner energy. If several countries continue to pollute, the effects are felt around the world. If a global effort is made, the whole world needs to get on board. “You do need to balance, and all of those precautions are taken,” Hutchison said. “And America has cleaner air and cleaner water than it has had in the history of our country because we have taken those measures in air quality standards and emission standards.” Transitioning to a greener lifestyle needs to be a central goal of American foreign and domestic policy, and it all starts on a small scale. Just by picking up some trash, anyone can influence the world towards a cleaner and more sustainable way of life. Northcut believes that as a school, as a state, as a country, and as a planet, we need to make a difference. “Time’s running out, and we need to make a serious effort towards conservation as a life skill, not just as a project,” Northcut said. “You don’t know the worth of the water till the well runs dry, and then it’s too late.”

STORY DAVIS BAILEY | ILLUSTRATION ABHI THUMMALA

A chip off the old block A

ctor Nick Westrate, son of Marcus Master Teacher Bruce Westrate, stars in AMC’s television show Turn and will soon premiere on the big screen in the movie Ricki and the Flash starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Debuting his talents at the modest age of four years old, he discovered his passion for the stage in a sibling rivalry. “I’ve been an actor from about the age of four,” Westrate said. “It was something my sister and I did recreationally as well as music. My sister started first but I immediately gained the mentality of ‘whatever she can do I can do better’ and it took off from there. My parents encouraged both and it eventually became a career for me.” After attending the Julliard School in New York City, Nick Westrate’s career began through Shakespearean acting. He later moved to New York City to perform in more plays such as the 2010 production of The Little Foxes, which elevated Westrate’s career to an elite level. He would make his professional debut on the silver screen in the hit television show Turn on AMC. “Working on Turn has been really fantastic,” Westrate said. “The role I’m playing is Robert Townsend and this season I work pretty closely with the lead actor Jamie Bell, who is well known for

his role in Billy Elliot. It’s a historical drama which I love.” Nick Westrate gained a passion for the historical side of the show from his father, who is well known for his passion for history. He grew up around his father’s history lessons and feels a great amount of pride joining a project his father would enjoy. “I grew up with history and pretty much all family vacations were history based,” Westrate said. “Except for the one time I went to Disney World, the rest were just Civil War or Revolutionary War battlefields. It really thrilled me to do this show because I knew my dad would actually really enjoy my work now. Not that he didn’t before, of course.”

PHOTO COURTESY NICK WESTRATE

by Daniel Cope

MOVIE STAR In his biggest film to date, Ricki and the Flash with Meryl Streep, Nick Westrate plays the son of a washed up rockstar.

First mini fine arts festival held on campus by Anvit Reddy and Alec Dewar

hen springtime rolls around at 10600 Preston Road, it is guaranteed that several students will miss school to attend the ISAS Festival. Unfortunately, due to the limited space and school budget, only select individuals had been able to participate in this tradition until just recently. So to give every student the chance to present his work regardless of his skill level, the Fine Arts Board organized a Mini Fine Arts Festival that was held on campus April 10. “We were hoping to get a broader exposure for the work that students do in fine arts classes and extracurriculars,” Fine Arts Board President William Sydney said. “Basically, the idea was not enough attention is paid to the time and effort that goes into fine arts on campus and just by taking away a little time on a Friday we could get recognition for the people that work hard. Just like athletes get attention for what they do through spirit parties and pep rallies.” The festival allowed students from the orchestra, drama classes and the band to perform for their peers. Because the festival was a completely new and unprecedented event, several faculty members and students had to spend a considerable amount of time to ensure that the festival would run smoothly. “A lot of the fine arts teachers were very helpful in coordinating the event throughout the whole process,” Sydney said. “We tried as much as we could to accommodate their needs and what settings there would be. It was my job to find the

places where we would preform at and to work with maintenance and other people to make sure that everything was ready for the event.” The festival also included displays of artwork from several students that were set up as an exhibit on the Perot Quadrangle, allowing students and faculty to admire the works of their fellow Marksmen. Overall, Sydney believes the event was a success, and he believes the event will continue as a tradition for the years to come. “I hope that it becomes a tradition that is carried on each year,” he said. “Whether that is realistic I don’t know. The student body would really have to embrace it and although I was happy with the way the participation went, the job is on the student and not the artist to encourage the artists to keep on doing the work that they are doing.” With the help of the student body and the faculty, the tradition can continue to serve its overarching purpose in the coming years, which was to increase awareness and support for the school’s Fine Arts programs. “A lot more could be done to encourage participation in the arts from both audiences and artists,” Sydney said. “I think it starts with an attitude from the student body that these kinds of events and achievements are something that we want to go to. “So I think before we can call this event a success and say that we have done what we need to raise awareness for the artists on campus, people must take the time to watch and appreciate the theatrical and musical events.”

THE REMARKER LIFE MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 17 L

IN TOWN

AN ARNO GOETZ PHOTOSTORY

BACK

The boys are

ALUMNI WEEKEND

During the alumni chapel, past and current Marksmen sing the alma mater.

Seniors Alex Kim and Richard Jiang chat with Alan Schoellkopf ’91.

As part of the Saturday celebration, the alumni’s children enjoy a bounce house. Seniors Karim Jooma and Michael Windlinger chow down during the cookout.

On the Perot Quadrangle, alumni and families enjoy the festivities.

REUNITED

(AND IT FEELS SO GOOD)

“I could not feel more privileged to be a member of the 2010 class. It was such a pleasure to hear of my classmates’ accomplishments, see the continued excellence of the school, and feel the lasting bond among alumni. ”

Robert Feldman ’65 speaks at chapel.

CLASS OF 2010 NOAH BRICKER

In front of returning Marksmen, former faculty member Tom Adams shares insight.

THE REMARKER VIBE MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 18

THEVIBE

THIS ISSUE ‘AVENGERS’ ICE CREAM BRANDS HEADLINERS

Reviewing the very best and very worst of it all

B LU E B E L L A LT E R N AT I V E S

Braum’s Review by Alan Jiang

The Blue Bell

ith the recent cappuccino craze going on in the past few years, it’s no surprise that Braum’s has added their own twist to it. However, similar to their other flavors, the Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate is just the right mix between caffeine and chocolate, creating a nice blend between the two. Even though the cappuccino flavor is surprising at first, after a while it becomes quite good. With just the right amount of choc-

DISASTER

With the recent recall of all Blue Bell Ice Cream, The ReMarker staff looks into the myriad of options for other ice creams to find out which ones stack up and which ones don’t.

Ben and Jerry’s Review by Carson Crocker

Dreyer’s Review by Blake Daugherty

o the untrained consumer, T Dreyer’s brand ice cream is like any other. To my taste, however, it

creamy feel that usually leaves me craving for another bite. The artificial taste of the chocolate amounts to a disturbing aftertaste of coffee. I am not one to judge an ice cream brand by only one of their flavors, but two chances is all I give. The Butter Pecan flavor left an even worse aftertaste than the fudge flavor. As soon as I swallowed I felt a burning in the back of my throat. The “butter” part of this flavor tasted like anything but the intent. The flavor tastes more like highly sweetened caramel than anything else. Dreyer’s has the right ideas as far as flavors go, but their heavy leaning on artificial flavors restrains them from touching what Blue Bell achieved.

is their lack of attention to detail in the flavor that makes them fall so low on the list. For this review I tasted both the Butter Pecan and the Double Trouble Fudge Brownie flavors to provide a bit of diversity. It is difficult to mess up fudge-flavored ice cream of any kind, and Dreyer’s does not do a bad job. The chunks of brownie dispersed throughout the ice cream are a nice touch. The chocolate syrup drizzled on top also adds a sweetness to the flavor. That being said, the ice cream doesn’t have that natural feel that Blue Bell has. The chocolate lacks the rich and

or anyone who has not had a taste of any flavor of Vermont’s own Ben & Jerry’s ice cream — you’re missing out. Their ice cream flavors range from the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough to more specialty delights like Americone Dream. But one delicacy rises above the rest, and that’s Cherry Garcia, a sweet vanilla ice cream swirled with sweet maraschino cherries and chunks of chocolate bigger than your thumb. While the name works, I personally think

hile it may be difficult for the die-hard Blue Bell fan to accept anything else, Häagen-Dazs can serve as a solid second option. While we all know there’s no substitute for a tub of Blue Bell homemade vanilla, Häagen-Dazs offers a wide variety of ice cream, gelato, and sorbet flavors that will surely satisfy your tastebuds. With ice cream flavors ranging from the basic chocolate, mint chip, and strawberry to apple smoked caramel almond, white chocolate strawberry truffle and green tea, one of the more than 30 flavors will appeal to the eyes, and mouth.

Avengers Age of Ultron

Movie Review

Opened May 1 | Rated PG-13 Stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth Director Joss Whedon View In wide release

not for his destructive plans. longside Ultron on the new roster are the Maximoff Twins: Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), better known as The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The two fall into the film without a missed beat as their powers quickly explain themselves and their personalities blossom owing to the performances by their actors. And although Quicksilver cannot duplicate the greatness of his character in X-Men: Days of Future Past, he more than holds his own against veteran Avengers like Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). In addition to its great performances, the film also manages to give each of its characters adequate screen time, with Hawkeye (yeah, the guy with the arrows) especially, shining through with his well times quips even while fighting alongside Iron Man. In its balance, however, lies the film’s only flaw: it dwells longer on certain characters without potent enough character arcs. Most obvious in the “lack of story” department is Thor, who, while having carried two movies all by his lonesome, has a segment in the film solely included to set up future projects. And while these moments might make a fan itch with anticipation, they ultimately distract from the overall narrative and break the pace of the film. Ultimately, Avengers: Age of Ultron is a well balanced, well shot, and well directed movie, continuing in Marvel’s streak of great films (Let’s gooooo Ant-Man). The film’s great characters, incredible action, and surprising humor (it’s darker than the first, but not as much as the trailers imply) send the audience into an established world of heroes. In a rare move for the movie world in general, Avengers: Age of Ultron proves that with great foundations, a sequel can prove itself just as great as the original.

C I N E FAC T

Avengers: Age of Ultron grossed more than $191 million in its opening weekend.

from his comic counterpart, as Tony Stark creates the villain instead of Hank Pym, or the first Ant-Man, but the origin nevertheless perfectly fits into the universe, especially after the development of Stark’s character post-Avengers. Although Ultron is brought to screen through CG, he truly comes alive because of James Spader’s brilliant voice work on the character, adding a dimension to what could have been a fairly straightforward villain. Rather than the classic “MUST. KILL.” approach of film’s classic A.I. (Terminator…), Ultron carries himself with a certain wit that could make the character almost charming if

In an effort to stick with the purest and most natural ingredients, the mint chip flavor is, shockingly, not actually green. No worries, it tastes just as good. Instead, its white color gives a sense of natural and true flavors, a theme symbolic with the history of the company. All of the Häagen-Dazs products have impeccable balance of creaminess and flavor, making it nearly imposible to avoid eating an entire pint in one sitting. Until BB resolves its crisis, there’s no need to panic: HD can serve as a viable backup for the recalled ice cream.

UP NEXT

‘Avengers’ fills large shoes, smashes box office

Ben & Jerry’s should change it to “Heaven in a Pint” — it’s that amazing. Honestly, this ice cream isn’t just a dessert, it’s an experience to never be forgotten. Even though I’m Texan and love my native Blue Bell ice cream as much as the next Texan — which is to say a lot — I would dare to say that Vermont’s Ben & Jerry’s beats our very own Blue Bell. If you still aren’t convinced of Cherry Garcia’s diviness, pick up a pint and take a bite, because once you have a taste, there’s no going back.

Häagen-Dazs Review by Nick Malvezzi

AVENGERS

vengers: Age of Ultron has a lot to live up to. It has records to beat on the opening weekend, it has universe building to be done, and it has to please the fans. And while said fans fawn over every release of a new poster, picture, or teaser from the film, the lingering question on everybody’s mind seems to be: “Will it be as good?” he answer, to be brief, is yes. Unlike the first film’s necessity to bring the scattered heroes into a more cohesive whole, Age of Ultron instead leaps directly into the action, with its first scene displaying the Avengers in all of their fighting glory. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) fires repulsors, Captain America (Chris Evans) throws his shield and, yes, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) smashes. And although this action sounds repetitive in its scope (just how many ways can Thor (Chris Hemsworth) hit a guy?), director Joss Whedon’s camerawork raises what could have been a standard action scene into a more immersive experience, as the audience is given almost a first person viewpoint as the camera weaves throughout the team. he creative camerawork is not the only modification to Age of Ultron compared to its predecessor, as new characters quickly become major players in the film, the most obvious of course being the titular villain, Ultron (James Spader). The villain is brought to screen in a fairly major departure

olate chunks inside the ice cream, it adds to the effect, and it shows why this is recommended as one of Braum’s best flavors. Although I think that Braum’s may benefit with a couple new flavors, the ones they have right now are already above average. As one of the oldest ice cream chains around, Braum’s still maintains its standards, and keeps its ice cream at a level expected from such a chain.

FILM REVIEW PARKER MCWATTERS | PHOTO CREATIVE COMMONS

Head iners Concerts Dave Matthews Band

May 15 at 7 p.m. Gexa Energy Pavillion

Juicy J

May 17 at 8 p.m. House of Blues

House Party - DJ Umer

June 6 at 9 p.m. House of Blues

Albums Jamie Foxx

Hollywood May 18

Mariah Carey

#1 to Infinity May 18

Muse

Drones June 8

Third Eye Blind Dopamine June 16

Movies Mad Max: Fury Road May 15

Poltergeist May 22

San Andreas

May 29

Entourage June 5

COMMENTARY

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 | PAGE 19

WILLIAM CALDWELL PHOTO

CRISIS DRILL: NEEDS MUCH MORE IMPROVEMENT We’d like to see more organization during these crisis drills. and we want it to be more lifelike. This starts by students taking it more seriously. Page 20

ONLINE COURSE REQUESTS REALLY HIT THE SPOT

PHILIP SMART PHOTO

With the online class revolution beginning, we offer some tips on how to help this revolution catch stride here at 10600 Preston Rd. Page 21

Trash in Spencer (see Target practice), Page 20

With the techonolgy age playing more of an influence in our time, the new online course requests seem to be a top grade hit (see Target Practice). Page 20

EDITORIAL

CONSIDER NO AP CLASSES

NO MORE AP COURSES

With no AP courses, students here would be able to express their academic freedom and teachers would be able to teach subject matters that truly interest them and reflect their personal teaching style.

A B H I TH U

n a recent list, Business Insider named St. Mark’s as the eighth smartest private school in the nation, but a closer look reveals that a number of the most prestigious schools on that list, including the famous Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, do not offer their students AP courses. While at first this may seem like a disadvantage for the school’s students, we believe that offering no AP courses has many upsides. One positive of not offering these courses would be that the teachers would have more freedom to teach and assess the students in their own ways. First year AP United States History teacher Johnny Hunter believes that under the guide of the AP curriculum, his tests, quizzes and papers are different than they would be if he was able to make them how he felt necessary. With some teachers feeling restricted about how they schedule their own courses, doing away with AP courses has a potential to make teachers less passionate than if they were shaping

their curriculum on what interested them. Without a teacher’s passion, the student can be at another disadvantage. Even if we do not offer the AP courses, the student would still have the option to take the AP exam, for the class is not a mandatory prerequisite for taking the exam. If the student felt inclined, then he could take the exam on his own and hopefully do just as well as he would if there were an AP course for him to participate in throughout the entire school year. Also, in a rigorous school such as ours, the AP courses and exams add a certain unnecessary pressure that also has the potential to discourage students from taking these AP classes. Without much leeway, student creativity can also be hampered. In a school that emphasizes intellectual freedom and curiosity, set curriculum and assessments that resemble the AP exams can greatly diminish the creativityof a student. Doing away with Ap classes would increase student freedom and that would greatly help

M A LL A IL

LU S TR AT IO

enhance our community. The set, defined curriculum of the College Board for AP courses also means that students averse to the styles and activities of their classes are stuck. If a student loses interest in a class because the method of teaching suggested by the College Board is unappealing, they are unable to learn in a different way due to the primary objective of AP classes to prepare students for the AP test in May. We believe that the positive sides of not offering AP courses greatly outweighs the negative sides, and we believe that the school would be right in not teaching students to the AP test. While we understand it is a tough decision to make because discontinuing these courses can directly affect our college life, we believe that in doing so, students and teachers alike will have more freedom to shape classes in innovative ways that both prepare them for the AP exam and leave them feeling fulfilled and ready for the next step of their academic career.

As humans, we always have second thoughts. No matter the situation, we are always debating about whether or not the decision was valid. Here are some examples of decisions people regretted making.

what

comes to

mind?

What was I thinking when... ...I ate a whole cake.

Freshman Benjamin Hurst ...I ordered a pizza for class and ate it alone.

Freshman William Hall

....I was rolling someone’s house. Senior Oscar Garcia Del Rio ...I racked up my student store bill. Freshman Calvin Hosler

...I repeated junior year.

...I jumped out the second story window. Freshman Sunny Agrawal

Senior Case Brabham

COVERAGE. The ReMarker covers topics, issues,

events and opinions of relevance and interest to the St. Mark’s School of Texas community.

LETTERS. Send submissions to the editor at

10600 Preston Road, Dallas, 75230 or via email at remarker@smtexas.org. Letters should be brief and signed, although the writer may request anonymity. Letters may be rejected if libelous or obscene material is contained therein.

EDITORIALS. The newspaper’s opinion will

be presented in each issue in the form of editorials, which are clearly labeled and appear on the Opinion pages.

COLUMNS. Personal opinion is expressed

through by-lined columns, which appear throughout the publication.Advertising. Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an advertisement in these pages is not an indication of an endorsement by The ReMarker, any of its staff members or 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 and at our sister school, The Hockaday School. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions. membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, New York City, NY; National Scholastic Press Association, Minneapolis, MN; and Interscholastic League Press Conference, Austin.

Senior Elton McIntosh

...I didn’t like Mirrors by Justin Timberlake. Junior Kent Broom

EDITOR IN CHIEF PHILIP SMART MANAGING EDITOR WILL CLARK SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR AVERY POWELL ISSUES EDITOR CAMERON CLARK CREATIVE DIRECTOR ABHI THUMMALA FEATURES EDITORS BRADFORD BECK, DAVIS MARSH DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR ZACH NAIDU RESEARCH DIRECTOR NOAH KOECHER HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER ARNO GOETZ COMMENTARY EDITORS WILLIAM CALDWELL, JOHN CRAWFORD BUSINESS MANAGER ROBY MIZE ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER NEWS EDITORS CORDAY CRUZ, PHILIP MONTGOMERY LIFE EDITORS GOPAL RAMAN, ANVIT REDDY SPORTS EDITORS RISH BASU, CASE LOWRY GRAPHICS DIRECTOR JOON PARK CAMPUS COORDINATOR MATTHEW PLACIDE REVIEWS SPECIALIST PARKER MCWATTERS COPY EDITORS AIDEN BLINN, AIDAN MAURSTAD CARTOONIST GRAHAM KIRSTEIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS SAM EICHENWALD, ARNO GOETZ, WESLEY HIBBS, GRAHAM KIRSTEIN, CAM LAM, ADAM MERCHANT, TIM O’MEARA, NICO SANCHEZ, FRANK THOMAS, CORBIN WALP STAFF WRITERS DANIEL COPE, JAMES HANCOCK, CRAWFORD MCCRARY, ANDRÉ ARSENAULT, DAVIS BAILEY, RETT DAUGBJERG, BLAKE DAUGHERTY, ALEC DEWAR, WILL FORBES, ZACHARY GILSTRAP, ZOHEB KHAN, MIKE MAHOWALD, NICK MALVEZZI, NAFTAL MAUTIA, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY, WASEEM NABULSI, SEUN OMONIJE, REECE RABIN, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ, KOBE ROSEMAN, SAM SHANE, MOHIT SINGHAL, SAM SUSSMAN ADVISER RAY WESTBROOK

MEMBERSHIP. The ReMarker maintains

...I got Bradford Beck asked to prom.

THE REMARKER

ONLINE VIEWING. Each issue of The ReMarker,

along with archival copies, can be viewed online at 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.

student newspaper of St. Mark’s School of Texas Dallas, TX 75230. 214.346.8000 www.smtexas.org/remarker

C THE REMARKER COMMENTARY MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 20

EDITORIAL CRISIS DRILLS

More work needed on crisis drill training

fter the most recent Upper School crisis drill, many students were left with a sour taste in their mouths. The drill was regarded as unrealistic as each grade was assembled in the quad and herded to their designated classrooms and released after less than five minutes of hiding. In many public schools, lockdown drills, which cover the same crises as our drills, are performed much like tornado and fire drills, where the drill begins with the students in class. This more accurately simulates a crisis situation like an active shooter on campus.

Considering its use for the aforementioned drills, it would be an improvement to use the public announcement system throughout the classrooms; however, we understand that the very nature of the drill makes it harder to differentiate between a drill and an actual crisis. Still, the onus is on us to regard these drills like other drills: very seriously. These drills are not a time to converse with the person next to you, but rather a legitimate and important time to practice a situation that, as evidenced by the tragedies

at Columbine and Sandy Hook, can happen to anyone. To make these drills as effective as possible, the students themselves need to act as though there actually is a crisis like an active shooter on campus. The most recent drill itself lasted a very short time, with most of the consumed time being used to arrange everybody in lines and sort them by grade level. To dedicate that time to actual practice would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the drills greatly. Also, in line with other suggestions to model the drills after fire and tornado drills,

these lockdown drills need to be more sudden; that is, not announced weeks ahead of time and heavily structured and prepared. Like other drills, it should interrupt a class period to further the realism and accuracy of the situation. These drills should provide a method of practicing legitimate crisis situations. Although they have been valuable in educating students in crises that this school may face, there is still room for improvement in both the drill itself and the treatment by the students.

Religious beliefs: don’t let them provoke laziness I

don’t know who I am right now. Words from a friend the other day — no big deal, just a stressed out teenager having a not-so-unusual identity crisis in high school. However, what rubbed me the wrong way is what she said next: I think I’ll just leave this one to God. He’ll figure it out. Wait, what? Now, I’m no religious expert — an unconfirmed Christian who wants to learn more, at best — I haven’t been to church in nine years. I still have plenty to discover for myself. But if there’s one thing I know I believe about anything regarding religion, it’s that God isn’t put up there to fix your life while you sit on the couch and wait for something good to happen. No. He’s there (if you believe He is) to support you while you work to fix your problems. After all, they’re your problems, not (your respective god’s) problems. It doesn’t matter if you’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, agnostic or whatever you call yourself — I’ll respect your beliefs — in fact, I’m still trying to figure out what I’m supposed to believe myself. What I don’t understand, however, is a full reliance on one’s faith in an attempt to pull one through whatever difficult situations arise.

CAMERON CLARK

If this god who allegedly put us on this planet intended to give us a “get out of jail free” every time we encounter a trying scenario in life, then why would they have put us here? We wouldn’t learn anything by relying on God to bail us out of every problem we encounter, so what would the purpose of our existence even be? The bottom line is that unwavering spiritual beliefs are not an excuse to kick back and leave our problems in the hands of some supernatural power. Rather, those who have fully invested their faith in their respective religions should use that power of faith to support them in their endeavor to solve whatever problem or achieve whatever goal stands in front of them. I’m not a believer in fate — religion should be used as a foundation for strength in times of need or desperation. People love to preach about how the god they believe in gives them this extra source of strength, but that strength mustn’t be taken for granted. It must be used to one’s advantage instead of going to waste as he or she relies on a god to solve all of their problems for them. We cannot use our religious beliefs as an excuse to approach life with a lazy attitude. And that — using religious beliefs as an excuse — brings me to another question: why do some people feel that because some religions stress constant forgiveness, that the sins they commit are acceptable? The fact that your respective god will forgive you, and that your sins will be absolved, should not keep you

target practice

from accepting your sin or failure and learning from it. A religion that gives its most faithful believers room to make mistakes is not the same as a religion that encourages those to sin because they will be forgiven — in fact, the latter doesn’t (or at least, shouldn’t) exist. I have one regret from my conversation with my old friend that day — I never told her any of what I just mentioned. I allowed her to put all of her eggs in one basket — the power of her faith in one god; I let her rely on that god to fix her problems while she tried to carry on with her life while ignoring any challenges she faced. If I could go back, I would tell her this: If you truly have faith in God, then ask Him to support you as you overcome these challenges in your life, but don’t leave the entirety of your problems in His hands. Yes, there are situations we may encounter that we cannot control no matter what we do, and in those cases, I completely understand a heavy reliance on faith. But we’re not here to have someone else steer us through our lives for us. We’re not here to vacate all of our previous mistakes by staying faithful to our respective religions (if that faith is present). We’re here to make those mistakes, and to use the power of whatever we put our faith in to learn from those mistakes. Not to avoid them. Not to fix damage done by them. To learn from them.

things that hit or miss their marks at 10600 Preston Road

Trash in Spencer Gym | off target Senior exhibitions | far off As the year winds to a close, the whole senior ex schedule became extremely hectic. Senior exes would appear virtually unannounced and sometimes ruin the entire flow of the rest of the day. While some of this scheduling falls upon the teachers, the seniors need to do a much better job of planning ahead. So next year’s seniors, please do a much better job of planning ahead and performing these exhibitions.

PHILIP SMART PHOTO

WILLIAM CALDWELL PHOTO

Believe it or not, the corners Spencer Gym are not storage locations for your unfinished Spanish homework. Neither is it for your lacrosse bags, empty Gatorade bottles or the topsiders you shed to play kickball. The piles of various items that lie there need to be removed, and the burden falls on all of us to keep the gym from becoming a temporary storage location for anything that doesn’t fit in your backpack. These piles are most noticeable while seventh and eighth grade are in sports; you guys have sports lockers large enough for most of you to fit in—use them.

Misuse of box lunches | just wrong Online book selection | bullseye

In years past, selecting a summer seminar book required rushing into the Upper School office at 7:45 a.m., snagging sheets upon sheets of different book options and then shamelessly choosing the shortest book available. With the annual course request assembly, Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar announced that we now can choose our summer seminar books just like we pick our fine arts — now African American Woman Chemists is just three clicks away. What a world we live in.

In case you didn’t know, the point of box lunches is to be able to eat your lunch during your class period in case you don’t have all the time in the world during your own lunch period. The point of a box lunch is not to skip the line and then eat your box lunch in the cafeteria... Yes. You heard us. If you are one of those people who eats his box lunch in the cafeteria, please stop. Is it that hard to wait in a three minute line to get lunch? Most of us should be patient enough nowadays to manage this really really short wait in a line. So please, guys, it really isn’t all that difficult. Quit cheating the system and wait in line.

THE REMARKER COMMENTARY MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 21 C

The toughest mom ever

couldn’t come up with an answer. It was a simple question, and all the other guys around me quickly responded. Who’s the toughest person you know? One says: My brother. He plays football. Another: Probably my grandpa, he’s a World War II Vet. I walk beside them, trudging up a hill while I’m at camp, and I know my answer. But I can’t say it. It’s embarrassing. So I deflect the question with my typical, smart-ass sass. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. He can take anybody. I think I’m hilarious. Don’t worry, I still think I am. They laugh, more fuel for my huge ego; ego that hides who I really thinks the toughest person in my life. My mom. Let me give my Dad some cred before I hurt his feelings too much. He’s a tough guy too. He was in the army, he fixes sinks and trash cans and shelves when they break, he’s got a lot of chest hair, a real man’s man. But Dad, this one’s for Mom. Maybe you’ll get your own column one day. But until then, let’s talk about Mom. As manager of our dog spa, Wüf, she’s a mother to about ten pitbulls, a number of labradors, some great danes and a fivepound Yorkshire Terrier named Jupiter (just to name a few). That’s a lot of legs to look after. It’s a tough, high-stress job, even if it sounds like a kinda funny one. But my mom’s tough, she keeps working. When she’s not a mom or a dog spa manager, my mom’s a daughter — a daughter to Carrie Weaver. I call her Suzy. Suzy lived in a huge house by herself in the little town of Conway, Arkansas, and her house had ornate mirrors and armoires filling every corner. Countless info-mercial “justin-case” items were strewn across every room. Mighty Putty sat in packages that never got the chance to turn from green to white. One Christmas, I sat around the tree with all of my cousins from Arkansas. Suzy told us to open our presents, all of which were huge boxes wrapped in white wrapping paper with a red ribbon of a cherry on top. I tore through the box filled with Christmas spirit to find an acoustic guitar. It’s wood gave off a shimmer — I knew it was a nice guitar. My mom said, “Suzy, how did you afford all these?” ventually, Suzy’s bank account was running dry, and no one knew what to do. It was just as she was starting to change. Suzy’s eyes grew larger and sunk into the back of her skull with a constant “deer-in-the-headlights” look. Suzy began to fall. She couldn’t control her balance. And it wasn’t her fault. They installed a seat in her shower, but it didn’t help. Suzy couldn’t speak. Her vocal cords started to deteriorate, and she would use a white board to talk. No one wanted to take care of her. Worry about her. Love her. Except my mom. My mom offered up a place right next to our house in Texas, a huge move for a diseased grandmother so used to her little town in Arkansas. She wanted to take care of her. Worry about her. Love her. Mom’s are always willing to love, and for us high school guys, it’s hard for us to love them back. Our ego gets in the way of us telling our mom we love them every day, even though it should be the easiest thing to say. And, at Suzy’s funeral, my mom was the only one who spoke. She gave a speech even Emmet Gilles would be jealous of. But most of all, she deals with me. She doesn’t play football. She’s not a veteran. She’s a mother. And that’s the toughest job in the world.

PHILIP SMART

EDITORIAL ONLINE COURSES

HOW TO IMPROVE THE ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

fter two years in the field, it’s no secret that the Global Online Academy (GOA) hasn’t had a stellar run. In fact, only five students of the 365 in the Upper School have taken online classes since they were offered at the start of last year. Now, GOA is being discontinued for the future school years. But the administration isn’t done. After a hiatus from the online learning environment next year, they hope to revisit the possibility of online class academies, which we commend as a course of action that, with the right approach, will benefit the student body in the future. As the number of high school students enrolled in online courses around the globe continues to climb, it was disheartening to see so few students sign up for GOA classes, but we acknowledge the inhibitions that steered many away. However, it is clear that the online environment is a new and growing trend, and we believe that a greater exposure to such a setting will expand the comfort with different learning styles that students here have and teach us more about our own learning preferences. While we understand the authority of the administration in deciding the future of online learning at St. Mark’s, we would like to offer some possible considerations, from the perspective of students, that may improve the turnout and quality of online experiences in the future: • Providing more credit. While it is a big leap to take, we believe that allowing an approved online course to replace the graduation requirement of a core class would lead to greater student participation in online academies. Alternatively, we feel an additional graduation requirement mandating at least one term of an

online course would also push students to test their compatibility in the online environment while preventing them from avoiding such classes because they don’t count or blowing them off because they don’t matter. • Increasing awareness of the program. Several of the students to have taken GOA courses in the past two years felt that the program was not “sold enough” to the student body, and we echo their sentiments. We are aware that the administration has recognized this and is aiming to correct this should they return the school to the online atmosphere, which we are glad is the case. If online class options make a reappearance, we encourage the administration to integrate possible online courses into the new class selection system on Whipple Hill, and to give — or have past GOA students give — focused presentations in assemblies about the opportunities and benefits of online courses. • Encouraging faculty involvement. While we recognize the reluctance of faculty members to adopt the GOA system (us students fared no better), we believe that a greater number of teachers involved in teaching online courses would lead to a greater interest in them by the students. The number of instructors teaching online classes nation-wide has climbed even more quickly than the number of students involved, and we urge the administration to “sell” the online atmosphere to faculty as well as students. As much sway as the administration holds over the future process of online integration, we recognize that students must work to improve to system as well. We ask students to consider the involvement and willingness demanded of them for such a process to succeed. In fact, we have compiled several tips

SHORT T W&E E T A peek at Marksmen’s tweets

angel_reyes44

Sitting in a rug store listening to “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga blaring over the speakers. Solid Sunday afternoon.

AshtonHash

— Junior Angel Reyes

joshbando17

The Rockets have to chill, man. And Harden has to shave. Shaving is a must

— Sophomore Josh Bandopadhay

HYDRATING FOR EXAMS | CARTOON GRAHAM KIRSTEIN

I don’t feel too good....

to assist students in considering online classes, should they return: • Consider your interests. The GOA students we have spoken to chose to take online courses out of a personal interest in the source material, and we believe this makes for a great opportunity. Online academies offer hundreds of diverse, focused classes, from “Small Engine Repair,” to “Financial Literacy,” to “History of Jazz,” to “Meteorology,” to “Game Theory.” Students should consider stepping away from another AP and doing something they’re considering as a possible career, or just something they’ll enjoy. • Don’t work alone. For some, a personal experience would be ideal. But for many, especially in an unknown atmosphere such as online learning, we believe students may benefit from looking for friends who would be willing to try an online course with them. As much as online academies are a new experience of personal growth, having someone to speak with face-to-face about a weekly online assignment couldn’t hurt. • Ask questions. Each previous GOA student we’ve talked to has been willing and eager to share his experience. If online courses return in the coming years, we urge students to approach experienced peers — sophomore Ivan Day, juniors Matthew Lawson and Bill Dannenmaier, and seniors Momin Siddiqui and Vignesh Babu — or the administration with questions about the process. At the end of the day, online courses may not be making a reappearance for quite a while. However, we hope that the leadership of the school considers the great benefits that could be garnered from a return of such possibilities, and we hope that students and faculty alike take our recommendations into account should that moment come.

what are you doing?

my teacher told me not to cramp for exams. she said not to cram....

broom_kent

Habs are killing me right now #MTLvsTBL

— Junior Ashton Hashemipour

Feel so bad for Pacquiao... Lost the fight and on top of that only got $120 mil off of it #pocketchange

— Junior Kent Broom

THE REMARKER | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 | PAGE 22

JUST NOT ENOUGH

ot a soul between me and the rim. My hand is big enough to palm the basketball up from the ground, no problem. And naturally, the training of the camps and coaches that dotted my upbringing whispers in my ear once again — wrist, knee and foot in line. Left hand gently guiding the ball. I shoot. Unlike the movies, with child rap-stars playing orphans wearing the magic shoes of retired superstars, all-star golden retrievers sinking the game winning shot thanks to the power of friendship or a team of lovable Looney Tunes triumphing over ball-playing aliens under the thoughtful leadership of Michael Jordan, the scene — unfortunately — does not end with a slow motion swish. Just the grandson of a retired basketball pro and the echo of an airball slapping the hardwood. Netless. But to say that’s why I quit the game, or any game — or every sport — wouldn’t be the whole truth. The whole truth would be that I, breaking the court-king line of succession, turned my back on the fields and courts of my precursors. A 6’8” grandfather with a professional basketball career under his belt and a 6’8” cousin who dunked over the shoulders of St. Mark’s own varsity team paved one path. A path I didn’t take.

With the most goals and assists during the 2014-2015 lacrosse season, junior Graham Gillespie proved himself as a burden for opposing defenses. Page 28

RICK HIBBS PHOTO

CHAMPS AGAIN

Upcoming SPORTING EVENTS IN THE WEEKS AHEAD

ATHLETIC Tip-off STUDENTS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Today

Weekend

Summer

>The senior-faculty baseball

> The varsity crew team

game will be held at the Arthur P. Ruff Field at 3:30 p.m.

The last day of offseason, spring football practices will be held at Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium at 4 p.m as the football team will shift their focus on the summer workouts and the fall season ahead.

> The athletic banquet will be held in the Commons today at 7 p.m.

The Texas Rangers look to improve their seeding in the American League West Division on Saturday and Sunday as they host the Cleveland Indians in the second game of the series at 7:05 p.m. The first 15,000 fans get a Fanatics Rangers Camo Cap.

>The Frisco Roughriders

take on the Corpus Christi Hooks on Saturday and Sunday. Both of the games will be held at the Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco at 7:05 p.m.

members extend their season into the summer as they travel to Sarasota, FL to compete in the United States Rowing National Youth Championships on June 12 and 13. The crew team will be competing against the best youth rowing teams. The regatta will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

> The US men’s soccer team

look to defend their title in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Kick-off against Honduras will be held at Toyota Stadium in Frisco at 5 p.m.

ormer Stanford University wide receiver Ty Montgomery ’11 was selected as the 94th overal pick during the third round of 2015 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Attention swarmed the Stanford University wide receiver after he garnered recognition in 2014 as the nation’s return specialist of the year. Montgomery is one of only two people in Stanford football history with more` than 1,000 kickoff return yards in a single season. Head varsity football coach Bart Epperson, who coached Montgomery during his four years as a varsity wide receiver. believes that NFL teams will not only benefit from his ability, but also from his leadership and motivation. “You hear all the [general managers] now talking about Ty, and what they always keep falling back on is his character,” Epperson said. “He’s not cancerous to a team. He’s from great school[s]: St. Mark’s and Stanford. The guy is going to be excellent in the locker room.” Montgomery joins the group of alumni currently playing in the NFL. Defensive players Sam Acho ’07 and his brother Emmanuel Acho ’08 both have held key for NFL teams Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles after playing together at the University of Texas at Austin.

...

22 KOBE ROSEMAN PHOTO

NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE SETS WON BY SOPHOMORES FRANK THOMAS AND GOPAL RAMAN IN DOUBLES MATCHES

WAITING TO ATTACK Competing in the SPC tournament in a doubles match, sophomore Frank Thomas waits for his opponent to serve.

BATTER up

he 10-year-old turf in Lamar Hunt Family Stadium will be replaced this summer. The new $800,000 field is the same turf being used at the Toyota Soccer complex which is the home of FC Dallas. The multi-step installation process will take from the beginning of June until the end of August to complete, ensuring a flat and level field. Director of Finance Suzanne Townsend is coordinating the reaplcement project. “It [the new turf] won’t be uneven anymore,” Townsend said. “You guys are going to be lucky to have it. It is a huge upgrade.” In addition to the upgrade, there will be a few, small repairs to the track around the turf. “This is just a good opportunity to clean everything up” Townsend said.

...

VARSITY BASEBALL PLAYERS JACKSON COLE AND BRANNON ROUSE

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU HIT?

Jackson Cole

“First, I have to make sure I’m chewing my gum correctly. None of that front teeth stuff. Then I just watch the ball, and if I like the pitch, I swing. If I don’t, I let it by.”

ALDEN JAMES PHOTOS

nstead, I went off and joined the theater. The transition was slow. While on the grueling ten-day Pecos trip, I acquired a seriously persistent case of tendonitis, which barred me from cross country in the fall and soccer in the winter and only granted me enough mercy to revive the title of track & field manager in the spring. A position that, quite honestly, required less athletic activity than the P.E. classes I hobbled in during the day. And after a year without any serious sports, an old saying rang truer than ever before. You never know what you have until it’s gone. But all three seasons came and left. I spent a year without sports, and then I finally knew what I had lost. Nothing. Nothing besides a few, newfound pounds, anyway. When the dust settled, and the initial wound of change healed alongside the dull pain in my knees, I could clearly see that it was time for change. I never hated sports all those years. But I did realize it was time for me to pursue something I could contribute to in ways other than gearing up to keep the bench nice and toasty for a starting striker or setting up mini-hurdles to cap off the dynamic stretches of healthy players. So I found my place on the other side of campus, far away from the dunks and penalty kicks, surrounded by stage lights and worn down scripts. No more quarterbacks, point guards and captains. But still a team. Before long, the coach became the director. The locker room became the dressing room. And court became the stage. My family never comes only to see me barely squeeze out a few minutes of playing time any more. Now they see The Fire Chief reciting a nonsense monologue in the absurdist realm of Ionesco, Gonzalo spouting iambic pentameter idealism to a distraught king stranded on a mystical Shakespearean isle, or Dr. John Watson, M.D. left hopelessly out of the investigative loop by his much more talented counterpart, Sherlock Holmes. And when I’m on stage and I see them, the heads of two 6’8” basketball stars poking up from the back row, I’m sure. Sure I made the right choice. Sure I’m not missing out on the glory or adrenaline. Sure I’m still heir to a throne of ballers.

For the second year in a row, the water polo team won in dominant fashion and defended its regional and state titles in the TISCA State Championship. Page 27

ARNO GOETZ PHOTO

LACROSSE LEGEND

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Heir to the throne

SPORTS

AVERY POWELL

With an inadequate number of games scheduled for their season, some Middle School sports teams and players are looking for a way to extend their season.. Page 26

Brannon Rouse

“I think about winning the at-bat. Every situation is different, so I try to just think about getting on base.”

24 HITS Juniors Jackson Cole and Brannon Rouse’s combined number of hits in SPC play

pper School athletes will gather May 15 for the annual athletic banquet in the culmination of athletic seasons. All captains will give a quick rundown of their seaonsand coaches will also make brief remarks and name the MVP of their teams. Athletic Director Mark Sullivan looks forward ot the banquet. “It’s recognition,” Sullivan said. “Recognition for a lot of commitment and time that all of oyu guys put in over the year, and having an opportunity to get together and reminisce on what a great year it’s been and hold up those guys who you feel deserve a little extra recognition.”

— Tip-off stories reported by Kobe Roseman, Nick Malvezzi and John Gunnin

30 YEARS OF DOC

Putting in the years

huge factor during his time with the athletics program. “After having so much fun as a student trainer and learning so much about sports at St. Mark’s, I was really excited about being a student trainer in highschool,” Daniels said. “A big part of that excitement was being able to be working with Doc because of how fun he makes the training room on a daily basis and his willingness to always show you a better way to do something or help you learn something new. I’m definitely going to miss being a part of it.” Daniels is just one of the many students that enjoy spending time around Browning. “I think Doc has been here for so long because of how much he likes spending time with all of us,” Daniels said. “Having gotten to Sam Daniels Worked with Doc as a student trainer

know Doc pretty well in my first couple years at St. Mark’s, I’ve gotten to see Doc get closer with a lot of people over the years, and I think his personality really makes people feel welcome hanging out in the training room.” But Browning’s 30 years at the school didn’t always go smoothly. here was a point during Browning’s tenure where he considered leaving due to the lack of help with his multiple responsibilities. “When I first came to St. Mark’s, I had an offer to leave here that contained triple my income,” Browning said. “To me, it was almost a no brainer. It would have been a great gig for me, but it didn’t even really take that long to realize that’s not what I want to do. I’m here making a difference in kid’s lives.” For Browning, sacrifice is a huge part of that difference, and it resulted in what he attributes as his biggest moment as an athletic trainer: hiring assistant athletic trainer Matt Hjerstedt. “Teachers in general make a sacrifice to come to do this,” Browning said. “We don’t live in huge luxury, but there is something that is so gratifying working with kids and feeling like you make a difference. Just knowing I had some help with that cause was one of the biggest things that happened to me as far as being an athletic trainer.” Hjerstedt appreciates all of the things that Browning has done for him over his time at the school. “You never know what might happen next,” Hjerstedt said. “Doc keeps me on my toes which makes this job fun. Also I don’t just work with him in the athletic training program but also teaching lower school PE. Doc loves

Long-time athletic trainer Doc Browning

the little guys and its been great learning how to be a PE teacher from him.” After working with Browning for only a few weeks, Hjerstedt immediately noticed Browning’s apparent enthusiasm to work with the kids at the school. Regardless, they both have shared a lot over their tenure together, and their lives overlap into more than just the professional arena. “Doc had to move his mother out of his childhood home and into a nursing home, and after cleaning out his house, he brought me a small rocking chair for my son, Westin,” Hjerstedt said. “It was Doc’s when he was a child, and it meant a lot that he would give it to my family.” Hjerstedt believes Browning’s passion to build relationships with others makes him more than just an instructor. “It isn’t normal for athletic trainers to stay in one job for very long and the number of people that leave the profession entirely is very high,” Hjerstedt said. “I think Doc has stayed at St. Mark’s because of the community. He isn’t just an athletic trainer. He has been involved in so many areas of campus life from fundraising and campouts to free harmonica and frisbee lessons.” The strong friendship and lasting memories between Browning and Hjerstedt has allowed them to lead the training program through the good and bad. “There are times when Matt and I both are exhausted and ticked off,” Browning said. Matt Hjerstedt Sees Doc’s loyalty to the school

“We will come into a week and our schedule had suddenly changed entirely, but there is a joy in working with kids and seeing them grow, mature and progress that you can’t put a value on. It goes beyond what you can put on a paycheck.” In the end, Browning just hopes he can serve as a role model to the kids at the school. “There’s something very gratifying helping an athlete get back on the field, and that makes me very much in a service industry.,” Browning said. “What I do is serve. When they know they need someone, or if they’re in a tough situation, I just hope I am a guy they can end up going to.”

all things

The moments and traditions that have stayed with Doc the entire way.

THE WORLD RECORD Everyone knows how good Doc is at commentating basketball games, but one of his best memories was netting 16,093 free throws to win the world record for most free throws made in 24 hours.

SWOOZIE

Basketball

“This season was Tom Adams last year coaching basketball and we went 16-1 the second half of the season after we lost 10 games.”

2008 SPC Championship

2013 State Championship

“I remember going up to Holland Hall and beating them 10-7 for the championship in the freezing cold. We lost to them 55-34 in the regular season and that last game was a battle.”

“This was by far my most significant championship at St. Mark’s. I was at the first ever lacrosse home game when it was just a club sport. It was very primitive, and I’ve seen the entire program come a long way.”

Football

The once campus dog used to be Doc’s best friend around the training room. Her memory will stay with Doc forever.

DOC’S COOKIES

These delicious ginger snaps, which can be found in the training room daily, have become a staple of Doc’s over the years.

Doc’s all-time favorite sports seasons 1992 SPC Championship

DOC

Lacrosse

STORY RISH BASU, CASE LOWRY | ADDITIONAL REPORTING WILL FORBES, KOBE ROSEMAN | PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ

RISH BASU PHOTO

...

After years of relationships and memories, Doc Browning can summarize all of his 30 years at the school into one word. Love. “I truly have loved it,” Doc said. “I have been very blessed to have this wonderful experience, and I have never even dreamed I would be here this long.” Arriving at the school in 1985, Browning immediately started working and getting involved in every athletic event and team. Serving as an athletic trainer, Browning has experienced some of the best moments of his life winning multiple championships with different teams. But after getting appointed as a lower school teacher in 1990, Browning sees his relationships with the lower schoolers, especially the first graders, as one of the most important parts of his job. “The coolest part of my job is being able to start with the kids in 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade and follow them to their senior years,” Browning said. “The saying is: I see them when they walk through the door and then when they walk across the stage. To me, knowing them pretty much all the way through is a cool and gratifying part of the job.” Ultimately, the kids ended up becoming an essential part of Browning’s life. Every year, Browning builds a connection with every first grader and teaches them the values of a true Marksmen. Browning hopes his lessons have an impact on the kids as they get older. “Being able to have an influence on these lower schoolers, especially my first graders, and see that influence hopefully carry through as they become upper schoolers is a very essential piece for me,” Browning said. “When I tell an upperclassmen the same things about honoring an official or having good sportsmanship, the truth is that they have been hearing those lessons from me since the first grade.” Senior Sam Daniels has been a part of the athletic training program since sixth grade when he was a student trainer for the varsity football team. From his first ever football game as a sixth grader to playing on the varsity team, Daniels considers Browning as a

KOBE ROSEMAN PHOTO

e all recognize the name. The bellowing voice at basketball games. His playful jokes in the training room. And it’s his exemplary character and impact on the school have truly made him an icon. Walking to the podium to receive the Ralph B. Rogers Award in 2007, he listens to the standing ovation of 2,000 students, faculty and parents. From coaching and commentating games to winning one of the most prestigious awards at the school, he had done it all by his twenty-second year. Now, by the end of this year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of an icon that has become synonymous to not only the athletics program, but the school itself. Doc.

KOBE ROSEMAN PHOTO

Ever since he stepped on campus 30 years ago, Doc Browning has been an icon — to young and old alike.

SPORTS

THE REMARKER MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 23 25 MS SPORTS PROBLEM 26 ADVERTISEMENT 27 SEASON WRAP-UPS 28 GRAHAM GILLESPIE

S THE REMARKER SPORTS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 24 SOCCER POPULARITY

Gaining ground A

With the popularity of soccer slowly growing in the United States, professional leagues like the Major League Soccer (MLS) are starting to build a reputation of being one of the top soccer leagues in the world.

ON THE RISE Gaining more popularity in the United States, soccer has become a popular pasttime for the youth. Sprinting towards the ball in a Lions soccer game, sophomore Josh Bandopadhay is one of the many youth soccer players that represent the growth of the game.

ball, a makeshift goal and as few as two people – that’s all it takes for a simple game of soccer. A match can be played year round, in a gym or outside, in the snow or on the beach. Globally, more than 270 million people play soccer professionally or recreationally. It’s the most popular sport in the world. Yet in the United States, the third most-populated country in the world at 319 million people, soccer is only the fifth most popular sport (according to sporteology. com.) Evaluated by the viewership of its professional league, the revenue generated by the league and the number of people who play the sport, soccer trails football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey. However, things are beginning to change. Since the 2014 World Cup, soccer has caught a wave of excitement and popularity in the United States, resulting in Major League Soccer (MLS), a once professional league afterthought, making a name for itself in the sports world and ranking 12th globally in all professional football leagues. Shawn McGee ‘84, who worked with F.C. Dallas for ten and a half years as their head of business management, believes the MLS is on the cusp of being a top ten league in the world.

“I think the MLS could be a top league in the world,” McGee said. “Other leagues like the English Premier League are going through some challenges right now, which gives the MLS a chance to surge to the top.” A big reason why the MLS has risen in the eyes of sports fans is because of the big name players it has brought in, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Kaka, so McGee sees the transferring of European players as a continuing trend. “Well Beckham was the big one because he transcended the sport since he was a fashion icon and a pop culture icon,” McGee said. “He still was a good player at the time of his arrival to the MLS, much like Thierry Henry and Kaka. Also, these players are talking to their friends in Europe and explaining to them the electric atmosphere and high level of play, which will attract them here as well.” Senior Hilario Vargas, who has played soccer for 13 years, agrees with McGee in that bringing high profile players from Europe to the MLS can only benefit the league. “Bringing in players like Beckham or Henry have brought a different caliber to the game of soccer in the United States,” Vargas said. “It is a great idea

for the MLS to do this since the growing popularity of soccer in the U.S. calls for world class players.” Vargas also thinks the MLS has a legitimate chance to be mentioned in the same sentence with La Liga or the English Premier League in the future. “I think the MLS can reach the caliber of a top league in the future,” Vargas said. “I would love to watch world class soccer in the United States instead of having to travel halfway across the world to do so.”

‘BRINGING IN PLAYERS LIKE BECKHAM OR HENRY HAVE BROUGHT A DIFFERENT CALIBER TO THE GAME OF SOCCER’ SENIOR HILARIO VARGAS Nevertheless, McGee remembers a time when the MLS was a negligible part of American sports. “At one point there were only eight teams in the MLS,” McGee said. “In fact, when I was in high school the games were not even televised. To watch a live soccer game I had to watch a German

league, which was the only televised soccer at the time.” However, since then, the MLS has stressed expansion, adding 12 more teams since and planning to have 24 teams by 2020. “Through the proliferation of soccer via broadcast, you are going to start seeing fans across the world view MLS games,” McGee said. “So it won’t gain popularity just locally in the U.S., but globally as well.” Recognizing that the MLS hasn’t been around as long as football, basketball or baseball, Vargas also acknowledges the league’s prematurity. “Being in a soccer environment, a lot of my peers weren’t fans of the MLS because it was such a young league,” Vargas said. “But as the league transferred players and expanded its market to other cities, they have grown fond of the MLS.” The MLS, and the prominence of soccer, is no longer an afterthought in the United States. It’s exponential expansion and gross income in such a short period of time has surprised many, and McGee realizes soccer’s true potential here. “The days of talking about the MLS going away or the days of talking about soccer never making it are over,” McGee said. “Soccer is here to stay.”

STORY MATTHEW PLACIDE, ZACH NAIDU | PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES

he first-ever commissioner of the SPC, Bob Windham, was appointed April 29, as SPC commissioner. Windham is head of school at St. Mary’s Hall in San Antonio, but is retiring to take this new position. Windham’s job will be to assist a committee of athletic directors and heads of schools in rule changes and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the conference. “[The SPC] has always operated as kind of a cooperating group, with the head of the committee being a headmaster,” Athletic Director Mark Sullivan said. “Every time there’s a problem in the conference, that committee works through what the resolution would be on behalf of the conference.” The committee was previously driven by one to three heads of schools, but because they have their own schools

to run, the job became too demanding on their schedules, which led to a decrease in the quality of the conference. Windham will be able to do all of the leg-work of the head-position. “Now the heads can run their schools, and he can run the conference,” Sullivan said. The committee decided to conduct a nationwide search since the SPC had grown too large. “We’re one of the oldest conferences in the country,” Sullivan said, “we have always operated through that committee. All the athletic directors have one seat, one school, one vote, and we elect a president, who has a set term. That president and two officers, a vice president and a secretary-ish type position, run our meetings every May, after SPC is over.” If the committee doesn’t like a rule or the equipment being used, then they put

the issue on an agenda to be discussed in their meeting, when the committee goes down the agenda and talks about the complaints and requests and votes for what they think should be done. Not everyone in the conference is knowledgeable about collaborating with a commissioner, however. “I’ve always been an athletic director at St. Mark’s, so I don’t really know what it will be like working with a commissioner,” Sullivan said. Even though Sullivan has never worked with a commissioner, he sees nothing but positive possibilities coming out of the new position, although it might not be immediate. “I think it’s going to be a tremendous impact,” Sullivan said, “but it’s probably going to be seen more at the administrative level.” — Jimmy Rodriguez and Sam Shane

COURTESTY OF ST. MARY’S HALL

SPC introduces Windham as first commissioner in conference history

THE BIG JOB Bob Windham (left) pictured with co-head of St. Mary’s Hall, Tim Musgrave, will lead SPC operations as commissioner of the league.

THE REMARKER SPORTS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 25 S

GAMETIME?

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS

Unable to play in enough games, Middle School players feel unprepared and inexperienced for the varsity level.

hazeb Dayani trudges back to the locker room. He swings open his locker and looks at the clean uniform in the back. Its been there for a week. He wishes it wasn’t clean. He hit, fielded and ran today, covering all the bases for a middle school athlete of his caliber. But he’s been doing this for the whole week. And the one before that. Like many other middle school athletes, he just wants to play. “I don’t think we play enough games,” Dayani said. “We only play like 12 games per year. I don’t think that should be enough especially for sports that are normally really long.” The eighth-grader feels that the short seasons of middle school sports teams don’t adequately prepare them to make the jump to the varsity level. “Getting more experience and game time would be able to prepare us mentally and physically for varsity,” Dayani said. “Once you get to that varsity level, you’re going to be playing against tougher teams, stronger teams, and you have to be prepared.” Science instructor Lukas Rahlson, who doubles as head coach of the seventh grade lacrosse team, agrees that the current scheduling format doesn’t give athletes adequate opportunity to prove themselves. “For lacrosse, I think an eight to ten game season would be ideal,” Rahlson said. “This year we’ve had a six game season and now we’re in playoffs.” This lack of games not only affected his team’s growth and preparation for the playoffs, it also severely hampered their chances in postseason play. “This year our seeding was very much affected because we didn’t play enough games before the cutoff date for playoff seeding,” Rahlson said. “We beat the five seed in our bracket 10-2 and we’re the eighth seed. It’s just because we didn’t play enough games before the cutoff.” Rahlson’s main concern is the lack of reliable opponents, a factor that really prohibits a longer schedule with a game to practice ratio of three to two, as advised for any U15 teams by US Lacrosse.

“The thing that’s been tough about it for middle school lacrosse is that we’re not dealing with other schools,” Rahlson said. “We’re dealing with club teams and club teams don’t have a dedicated athletic director and assistant athletic director and a dedicated coaching staff.” The team had to cancel two games this season because of opposing club coaches that had business commitments, and on top of this, weather was also a factor. “We went on a three week stretch where we didn’t play a single game,” Rahlson said. “But in the past week we will have played four games. They were originally scheduled games that were cancelled and never got rescheduled, so it was tough to find a good date and they all kind of piled up.” Rahlson thinks that a good way to fix the scheduling issue would be to schedule only with school teams. “If I could change anything it would be to play Greenhill, ESD, HP, Fort Worth Country day and Trinity Valley,” he said. “Just contact those schools, do a home and away and that’s a ten game season right there.” ssistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen is open to incorporating this idea and agrees in principle. However Friesen also acknowledges that changes are not very simple to make. “I agree with Coach Rahlson that it would be really nice to play more school teams,” Friesen said. “But club teams in the sport of lacrosse make up more than half of the teams and probably even greater than that. The only way to really get games in is against club teams.” But lacrosse isn’t the only middle school sport that faces schedule restrictions. With game limits, school conflicts and weather concerns, every sport faces an uphill battle to get games in. “Teams have a game limit,” Friesen said. “That’s usually two games per week plus tournaments, so we try to fill those limits knowing there might be some cancellations. Another thing we have to take into account with middle school sports is that seventh and eighth grade campouts fall within a season, so we’ll lose a week basically because of that.” Additionally, the spring season is shorter

SITTING, WAITING, WISHING Eighth-grader Landon Wood waits for another game to play before the playoffs.

than the fall and winter slots. “We try to maximize our schedule, but the spring season is only about 10 weeks long,” Friesen said. “The winter season is a little longer, although there are some breaks like Thanksgiving and Christmas in between. So certain seasons get the luxury of an extra week or two.” While he wishes that he got to play more games, Dayani acknowledges that a shortened middle school schedule has its benefits. “At this age, you don’t have as much stamina as varsity level players or even JV level players,” he said. “So I think the school is just trying to help you and then once you get into freshman and sophomore year you’ll be able to [play more games] when you’re physically a little bit stronger.” In the end, the scheduling and amount of games played all comes down to the safety of our athletes. “The main factors are the amount of time in a season,” Friesen said. “The game limits we set to protect our athletes, and so they are not missing too much school or having too many late nights.”

STORY CASE LOWRY, WILL FORBES | PHOTO ALDEN JAMES

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THE REMARKER SPORTS MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 27 S SPRING SPC WRAP–UP

DEFENDING THE CROWN

Water polo brings home a second straight state championship and a regional title won earlier in the season.

Oprea said. “A lot of training in high altitude, lots of time to bond together for eight days. It’s very important for them.” The first two games of the state championship weekend went by smoothly, with big wins versus Alamo Heights and Lamar. The semifinals were a different story. “We had a rough game in the semifinal,” Smith said. “Jersey Village is a team we are much better than but allowed them to stay in the game.” The state-title game brought a six-year rivalry along with it: The Woodlands. “Not only was this match-up a repeat of last year,” Smith said, “but also the two best players on the Woodlands have been long-time rivals of ours since our Middle School teams” The game would be a back and forth battle. The reigning champs pulled ahead 5-4 at the start of the fourth quarter, but with 25

Track finishes third in SPC meet Tennis takes third

Golf shoots 609 to take third F

difficult,” Baker said. “Not that it is easy anywhere, it’s not. But in golf you have to be in the top 10 in individual scores at the SPC tournament. So it’s tough to get.” Baker has high hopes for the program in the next few years, after winning two tournaments this year and only losing one senior. “We have a lot of talent returning to this team,” Baker said. “We are still a very young golf team. I think that there are all kinds of growth potential.” PHOTO COURTESY DONNA CLARK

by Kobe Roseman inishing with a score of 609, the golf team ended its season with a third place finish at the SPC tournament April 27-28. The team’s score would have been enough to win most years, but was not enough this year due to the increased level of competition. “I couldn’t ask [the team] to do more than what they did,” Baker said. “Golf is unique. There is no defense. So we can’t do anything about what other teams do.” Coming into the tournament, the team knew that John Cooper and Kinkaid would be tough opponents. The team had placed below the two teams earlier in the season. Sophomore Sam Clayman had the best and lowest score on the team at the SPC tournament, finishing in sixth place and earning all SPC recognition. “Making all SPC in golf is very

seconds left in the game and a 6-5 lead, a 20 second ejection call against Ondracek meant that they would have to complete the task a man down. “Nevertheless, I tipped their shot out of play with 15 seconds remaining,” Smith said. “And we held on to the ball and ran out the clock to defend our state title.” Everyone, including the coaches, jumped in to celebrate. They had done it. They had completed their goal to repeat. “Just truly an excellent team from any point of view,” Oprea said. “Team chemistry, work ethic, brotherhood you know its just a truly special team.” But two state championships is not the limit for Oprea and the team. “I always think of a 3-peat, of course!” Oprea said. “We always have a chance but I’m not worried about it right now.”

PRECISION Junior Cameron

Clark readies for a putt during SPC tournament.

by Matthew Placide he varsity track team made a third place finish in SPC, behind St. John’s and Episcopal High School, to cap off the 2015 season. The overall progress of the team’s strength and courage made the season one to remember. Senior Abeer Karim is proud of the team’s growth. “This season would be a success if we are all able to look back at how we were as individuals,” Karim said. “And as a team before the season and see that we have grown in personal strength and brotherly camaraderie.” A notable difference between last year’s track team and this year’s is their close-knit bond, which was exemplified at the Bradley V. Urschel Track and Field

ADAM MERCHANT PHOTO

Invitational (BVU) where the team placed first. With a combination of numbers, experience and sheer talent, Karim expects nothing less than a championship in the coming years. He’s hoping for the young guys to step up. “We have some exceptional guys in the junior class right now and some underclassmen with really exciting potential,” Karim said. “As long as the guys can stay focused on improving while also maintaining that fraternal bond, they are undoubtedly bound to dominate the SPC.” FULL STEAM AHEAD Running a relay race, junior Abhi Thummala bursts out of the starting blocks. The 4x100 relay team finished sixth overall in the meet.

Baseball finishes season first in north zone and second in SPC by James Hancock eginning the season, the varsity baseball team’s offensive abilities were exploited in games where critical strikeouts allowed their opponents to gain the upper hand. As they progressed through the season, they have made considerable offensive improvement and placed second in the SPC tournament. Senior captain Corson Purnell was a major part of the Lions offense this year “Our team shook off the early season rust and started batting well,” Purnell said. “Our offense provided meaningful and assuring runs that allowed our defense and pitchers to

PHOTO COURTESY ANGEL REYES

FOCUS Junior Angel Reyes picks up a ground ball during the SPC championship game.

by Zach Gilstrap he crew team’s varsity and junior varsity squads both earned bronze prizes in the Central District Youth Championships on May 2, eliminating the team’s chances of going to the National Championships. Head coach Emmett Gilles believes the team reached its potential. “I think [their performance] was great,” Gilles said. “I think it’s a huge accomplishment for those guys. They really maxed out their physical potential as a crew. ” In fact, junior captain Alden James feels that their performance at Centrals was one of his highlights of the season. “[Centrals] was definitely the best we’ve ever rowed together,” James said. “We did a 2K race, which was twice the length of what we usually do.” Gilles felt that, throughout the season, the team developed a great bond. “I think the biggest thing was that the varsity guys really took an interest into what was going on with the younger guys,” Gilles said. “They had varsity and novice buddies and they made sure to go out and mix the lineups to row with each other.” While Gilles is leaving this year, he feels that the team is in great shape to continue on to great success. “When I came in,” Gilles said, “we were a team that rarely qualified boats to go from Centrals to Nationals. I think that at this stage we’re a team that will be in contention to qualify boats for Nationals.”

VICTORIOUS Celebrating their state title with their fists high in the air, water polo coaches and players rejoice after their title defense.

by Nick Malvezzi ead coach Mihai Oprea had known for the entire year that the state title would be theirs for the second year in a row. “Yes, I thought that at the end of last year,” Oprea said. “We were definitely top three and we had a strong chance.” Since 2014, when his team last captured the title, Oprea believed it was possible. A group that included future two time tournament MVP Tim Simenc, all-state first team members Mason Smith and Nathan Ondracek, and all-state honorable mention team member George Lin, was too talented not to repeat. In this year’s annual spring break tip to Utah, the team was down by three in the final stages of the game, and the Texas state champs had a six-goal turnaround and won by three. “[Utah] was a very good time for them,”

Crew earns bronze in district

relax a little.” Although the Lions lost to Kinkaid 5-3 in the championship, their defense was a crucial factor in advancing. Beating ESD 5-0 showed that their defensive abilities had improved greatly since the start of the season. Senior Mike Mulholland noticed the team’s confidence by the end of the season. “Starting out this season, we were not the most defensively sound team,” senior Mike Mulholland said. “But as we progressed, we began to jell. I don’t think we made a single error in our first two SPC tournament games.” As for the younger play-

ers, their constant enthusiasm and support throughout the season helped bring the team closer together. “The younger guys were truly the heart of the team this year,” Mulholland said. “I hope they realize the significance of this season. This is the farthest our team has come since the last championship in 09’.” Purnell has high hopes that next year’s team will win the SPC championship. “I want them to learn that they can win every baseball game by doing all the little things right,” Purnell said. “If they stay focused and committed, stuff will work out.”

by Mike Mahowald inishing third place in the SPC tournament without a single senior, juniors on the varsity tennis team stepped up in a major way. However, coming into the season, head coach Scott Palmer ’01 was a little nervous “Coming into the season it was a little bit of a concern,” Palmer said. “I’ve been coaching tennis here and elsewhere for eight years now, and Coach Lacey has been coaching here for more than 20 years. Neither of us have ever had a team with no seniors.” Junior Will Hardage was shocked how well the juniors led this year. “It was pretty exciting because we knew we could only get better next year,” Hardage said. “But it was weird to think us juniors were the oldest people on the team, so a lot of us stepped up to lead.” The team took advantage of their opportunity, carrying their regular season momentum into SPC with a win against St. Stephens. “Tennis doesn’t get much more exciting than our SPC semifinal match against Kinkaid,” Palmer said. “Matches like that build so much character, and you learn so much about how well you compete. Everyone who was involved in that match is coming back next year, and they get to do it again.” To Hardage, the lack of graduating seniors means there is only room for improvement. “This year we lost to Kinkaid and Greenhill by the smallest margins,” Hardage said. “So, next year we will only get better. The next goal is definitely to win an SPC Championship.” Palmer is proud of his young team; however, he is already looking forward to next spring. “They’re going to come out next February fired up and ready to go, I hope,” Palmer said. “We’ve got a team full of motivated players, all of whom are coming back, and we really want to be able to compete for SPC again next year. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be one of the favorites going into next year.”

RELAYING WISDOM

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

Track team members gather crowds around head coach John Turek before the full day of events for the team at the Bradley V. Urschel invitational. Track team members competed in a range of events from 100 meter sprints to the four by four relays, placing third in the final tally.

St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, Texas, 75230

THE BACK SPORTS PAGE THE REMARKER FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 PAGE 28

GRAHAM GILLESPIE ‘

Total goals in district games

THE TEAM HAS A LOT OF TALENT RETURNING NEXT YEAR. WE NEEDED A LOT OF UNDERCLASSMEN TO STEP UP AND MAKE PLAYS, AND THEY ROSE TO THE CHALLENGE.

‘

Player Card Number: 8 Position: Attack

Total Assists

Most number of goals in a game:

MAN OF THE MATCH After the end of lacrosse season, junior Graham Gillespie’s district and total statistics show that he was a major asset to the team.

Lacrosse makes state playoff; takes third in SPC play by Mohit Singhal

The varsity lacrosse team finished their season with a 13-5 loss to Allen in a THSLL district playoff game. However, head coach Francis Donald is proud of the team’s progress throughout the season. “We started off a little slow but we have been getting better every game,” Donald said.

The Lions, who had early season struggles against Southlake and ESD, have improved their confidence by focusing on team chemistry. “I think that we as a group have been very great about supporting each other and about being positive with one another and cultivating a team first atmosphere,”

Donald said. For Donald, the goal of this season is to teach a proper skill set to a group of talented players. “When we are playing skilled lacrosse, our guys are talented enough that the winning takes care of itself,” Donald said. “Our goal is always to compete in a high

PHOTO ARNO GOETZ | INFOGRAPHIC WILL CLARK

level within the SPC, and if we are able to continue that into the state playoffs, then that is what we want as well.” While Donald promotes a successful record within the SPC and beyond, his true goal is much different. “Winning a certain amount of games is certainly not a goal we set at the start of the year,”

Donald said. While many of the experienced players will be missed on the roster next year, Donald is optimistic about the various young talents in the program. “This [was] a great opportunity for our talented younger players to step into bigger roles for next season,” Donald said.