OCTOBER 30, 2015 VOLUME 62 ISSUE 2
R R EMARKER
UNDERGROUND SCIENTIST
Presenting his discovery of Homo Naledi, a missing link in the human evolutionary tree, Dr. Lee Berger spoke to the Upper School Sept. 30. PAGE 2
TAKING CENTER STAGE
For the first time in 30 years, the play, premiering Oct. 30, sees a new director — drama instructor Marion Glorioso.
INSIDE
TIM O’MEARA PHOTO
ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS 10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TX. 75230
‘THE TEAM HAS PULLED
TOGETHER AND STEPPED UP FOR
THE PLAYOFFS.’
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- Senior Jackson Cole PAGE 26
News Malecall Life Perspectives Buzz Commentary Sports Backpage
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PHOTOS CREATIVE COMMONS
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
YOU CAN’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN IN CLASS. SAY SOMETHING CONTROVERSIAL, PEOPLE GO CRAZY. TALK ABOUT SEX? CAREFUL. WHAT ABOUT EQUAL PAY, EQUAL WORK? THAT’S TOUCHY. NOT TO MENTION WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW — THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT. THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON GAY MARRIAGE. ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. MIGHT WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM THOSE. SO WHAT CAN WE TALK ABOUT? CAN WE TALK ABOUT CATHOLICISM, ATHEISM, CREATIONISM IN CLASS? CAN WE TALK ABOUT ABORTION? OR IS THAT TOO MUCH? AND WHAT ABOUT TEACHERS. SHOULD THEY TALK ABOUT POLITICS WITH THEIR STUDENTS? DEBATE HILLARY, BERNIE, CARSON AND CRUZ? HOW DO WE HANDLE OUR CONVERSATIONS? WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL SAY? ARE WE TOO AFRAID TO TALK? ARE WE SCARED OF WHAT WE SAY?
Hold that thought.
The ReMarker investigates what can be said in the classroom, page 9
STORY CAMERON CLARK, KOBE ROSEMAN, ZACH NAIDU ILLUSTRATIONS ABHI THUMMALA
Administrators begin national search for new head of Upper School by Aidan Maurstad
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chool administrators have started their search for a permanent Head of Upper School after the departure of former head Wortie Ferrell. According to Interim Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez, the administrators did not want to rush into filling such an important position. “Last year, when Mr. Ferrell announced to the faculty and to the school that he would not be returning,” Gonzalez said, “one of the issues that I engaged [Headmaster David Dini] with was that, because we were going to be having [Associate Headmaster John Ashton] come in and because we were going to have a couple changes coming up for this year, why don’t we take a step back and give it
some time.” Gonzalez spoke with several search agencies across the country, settling on Boston-based Carney, Sandoe and Associates to conduct the search. Administrators are willing to take as much time as they need to find candidates that they feel are the best fit for the school. “What we’re doing is just vetting carefully,” Ashton said, “and thinking, ‘Okay this group, let’s actually talk with them, Skype with them, and get to know them.’ And if it’s just not there yet, we’ll keep going and going and going until we get that really strong view that is so compelling that we think, ‘Gosh, the school will be served well.’” Gonzalez wants the decision, when it comes time to make it, to be a hard one.
“We want to make a tough choice,” Gonzalez said. “We really do. ‘Do you want this guy or this guy?’ ‘Oh my gosh, let’s take some time and really look into this.’” For Gonzalez, the most important quality in a potential candidate is passion. “Does this person really have a vested interest in the education of young men?” Gonzalez said. “I have to look at our school and see who would best fit, someone who’s willing to engage the guys and really get to know them and work for them.” Ashton stresses the role of a new head of Upper School as a fresh pair of eyes that can develop the school in new ways.
“It’s exciting,” Ashton said, “if you get someone that brings what I call that ‘How might we?’ factor of bringing fresh eyes to a great place that is incredibly strong, but – based on experiences he or she has had or ways of thinking – says, ‘that’s really neat. How might we do X differently?’” According to Gonzalez, many candidates will have experience, but it’s what a candidate can bring to the community besides their experience that’s important. “There are a lot of candidates that would qualify just on [experience] alone,” Gonzalez said. “But what separates them and what makes them right for our community? That’s the big question.” See ‘Listening is quality one,’ — page 23
N new s
BRINGING BERGER BACK ARNO GOETZ PHOTO
Dr. Lee Berger talks about his relationship with science instructor John Mead and his most recent visit here.
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NOT YOUR AVERAGE LIBRARY
Students now have access to the Crow library for history research papers.
STAND BY ME
The football team and seniors walked with Arno Goetz at a local diabetes walk.
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND
Meet the unsung Marksman who died in the most influential sea battle of World War II.
A PLAN FOR THE FUTURE
Board members and administrators speak about Goals for St. Mark’s IV.
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PAGE 2 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 I REMARKER
• STUDENTS GATHER FOR OPEN HOUSE Open House, where the school hosts potential students and their families, will be held Nov. 4 in the Great Hall at 5:30 p.m. Boys and their parents will view the campus and explore a variety of programs. It is also the year’s central event for the Lion and Sword Society, which cooperates with the Admission Office to get students in the process.
stories around campus in brief More than 100 potential Marksmen visited last year’s event. • SEVENTH GRADERS TAKE TO THE WILD The seventh grade campout will take place Nov. 5 and 6. Seventh graders will take a bus to Lake Texoma and hike through the Cross Timbers Trail for two days, spending the night in the wilderness. “The purpose [of the campout] is to introduce
the boys for the first time to backpacking in the St. Mark’s Wilderness Program,” Program Codirector Lukas Ralhson said. • CLOTHING DRIVE NETS 2800 POUNDS The annual clothing drive, headed by sophomores Kabeer Singh and Benjamin Hurst, ended Sept. 25. This year, 2800 pounds of clothing and 245 pairs of shoes were donated. “Our goal was to
provide as many clothes as possible to the organizations,” Singh said, “and I felt like the whole St. Mark’s community did a great job to commit and help out.” • CANDY DRIVE STARTS MONDAY The Candy Drive will begin after Halloween on Monday. The drive will benefit a wide range of agencies and organizations. “Our goal is that
people see this as a recycling effort in terms of using the candy that is left over from Halloween for the agencies,” Community Service Director Jorge Correa said. “The candy usually goes to the Salvation Army, Martin Luther King Community Center, West Dallas, Jubilee and we take some to Austin Street too. One piece of candy can change the mood of one person on any given day. That is why we do it.”
— Zoheb Khan, Rett Daugbjerg, Austin Montgomery and Blake Daughtery
in the
MOMENT events on campus told through photos
MAKING A MARK
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eniors and freshmen enjoy the inaugural meeting of the new senior-freshman buddy system. Spearheaded by seniors Alden James and Drew Baxley, the program aims to give new Upper Schoolers a resource to help with the transition. “I believe that this is an experience that not only gives freshman a brother to learn from but a friend to trust in,” freshman Billy Stalder said.
Say what?
the Around corner
what you need to know in the coming week
TODAY What World-record Pumpkin Carving Contest When 6 p.m. Where Grapevine Mills, 3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy
What Autumn Arboretum When All-day Where Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road
WEEKEND
What WWII B-17 Bomber Airplane Ride When All weekend Where Dallas Love Field Airport, 8008 Herb Kelleher Way
What Dan’s Haunted House When Saturday 8 p.m. 11 p.m. Where Swisher Courts, 501 Swisher Rd
NEXT WEEK What ‘Neath the Wreath Holiday Gift Market When Thursday Where Plano Centre, 2000 E Spring Creek Pkwy
CREATIVE COMMONS
P
hilip Daniel Weaver died Nov. 17, 1985. So as my namesake’s death date rolls around next month, I’m forced to think. Philip was different. My mom’s side of the family adopted Philip, and he soon became a beloved Weaver. Philip made good grades, played sports and entertained the people around him. But as Philip drove around the brown, dirt roads in the small town of Conway, AR, his car collided with another. Philip Daniel Weaver was 18-years-old. Not only do I share Philip’s name, I share his birthday. Feb. 20. Yep. The coincidences are weird. But it’s not the off-putting circumstances that I think about. When I think of Philip Daniel Weaver, I think about one thing. Love. And it’s natural. Philos, the root of both our names, does mean friend or lover, and it fit Philip Weaver. He loved his family, and his family loved him. And now that I carry that name, Philip Smart, how will I carry on the love that Philip Weaver encapsulated? Love can be one of the hardest topics to talk about, especially for a PHILIP SMART man, other than, maybe, directions. Especially for me, with two older brothers for siblings and an all-boys school education. But love is the most important building block of my life. So while it may be hard, I have to talk about it. I can’t not talk about it. I have to talk about it with other people. Find out about love. Discover love. Share love. But I think I found a lovely loophole to share. It started out as a joke. Every time I end a phone call with a friend, I shoot out an unexpected “Love you” right before the phone call ends. At first, it weirded some people out. They thought only their mom would be so upfront with their feelings and that guy friends aren’t supposed to say things like that. Guys are tough. They talk sports, sex and smack. Not love. Saying “love you” to family at the end of calls is definitely expected. You’re supposed to do that. Why should it be any different to say that pair of words to a friend? I love my friends. And they know I care deeply about them. But love? They might have a vague idea. Eventually, my friends started saying it back. When it comes down to it, without my friends and family, I wouldn’t have half the stories, half the memories, half the life I have today. I have to give back what they’ve given to me — and that starts by loving them. So why do I keep saying it? Because Philip Daniel Weaver would say it, too.
QUICKhits
WESLEY HIBBS PHOTO
MORE THAN A COINCIDENCE
What Engage: Author Event with Jon Meacham When Sunday Where The Bush Library, 2943 Smu Boulevard
CARVING UP THE COMPETITION Grapevine Mills Mall is hosting a pumpkin carving event today at 6 p.m., aiming to break the Guinness World Record for most people simultaneously carving pumpkins.
comments made by faculty, staff and students around campus Sometimes you just got to go 100 on the freeway. Live a little. — History instructor Myles Teasley Do we get points off if we miss the extra credit question? — Sophomore Ryan Norman
Harvard ain’t Disneyland, y’all. — English instructor Lynne Weber
Are any of you familiar with the reproductive process of clams? — English Department Chair Michael Morris I am not a ’savage.’ I do not want any of this ‘roasting’ in my class. — Spanish Instructor Marsha McFarland It’s a jungle wolf. It’s rare, but they’re there. — Senior Graham Kirstein
PAGE 3 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
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PALEOANTHROPOLOGIST VISIT
More to come Because of Dr. Lee Berger’s close relationship with science instructor John Mead, the school received an inside scoop on the scientific discovery of a lifetime — Homo naledi — which was found deep in the Rising Star caves of South Africa.
GIVE HIM A HAND The first cast of Homo naledi’s hands and skull (above left) was given by paleontologist Dr. Lee Berger to the Science Department as an addition to the collection of discoveries in the McDermott-Green Science building. Science instructor John Mead (above center and right) poses with the casts and gives an introduction for Dr. Berger. Berger (top) addressed Upper School students and faculty during an assembly Sept. 30 answering questions regarding his discovery of Homo naledi and telling of his explorations through the Rising Star cave system.
I
t all started with a Facebook message. ‘Dr. Berger, you don’t know who I am, but would you be willing to be a consultant for our class?’ “I expected him to say, ‘I’m a famous scientist leave me alone,’” Master Teacher John Mead said with a chuckle. But that’s not what happened. Just three months later, Dr. Lee Berger was on campus, giving speeches to the student body during the fall of the 2012 school year. Three years later, he was back, but with an even bigger discovery to share: a totally new species, Homo naledi, and the richest fossil cave in archaeological history, the Rising Star cave.
Mead, who has gone on to develop a friendship with Berger and has even been able to participate in the archaeological process, is thankful for Berger’s approachability and the value their relationship has had for the school. “The fact that I, not being a PhD or being a senior scientist, could get to come to South Africa and actually have access to the material and to the scientists before it was published is unheard of,” Mead said. Mead has been able to take advantage of opportunities most science instructors only dream of. “The really cool thing is that I’ve been able to share with you guys as students the whole thing in a way that had never been able to be done before,” Mead said. “Dr. Berger is big on the idea of open access, and he has put his money where his mouth is here in that a group like us at St. Mark’s are able to have this sort of access.” Mead thinks the unique relationship he formed with Berger should be more commonplace in the academic world. “On the day of the announcement there was an entry in Scientific American with my picture and talking about [our relationship],” Mead said. “The National Center for Science Education is inter-
ested in the story. Channel 8 has been here as well as The Dallas Morning News. This is apparently an unusual enough connection that it gets people’s attention. In my mind it should be no big deal — all teachers should be having connections like this.” In assemblies to the Upper and Middle Schools Sept. 30, Berger outlined his discoveries, which appeared on the front page of National Geographic and trended number one on Twitter shortly after the announcement. “When we look into this face, we’re seeing something truly startling and new that tells us we should be extremely cautious about proclaiming every fossil fragment we find the newest and best ancestor,” Berger told The Dallas Morning News. “Homo naledi tells us there is more to be found.” But of all the schools in the world, why did he share his discovery with us? “The honest truth is because of science teacher John Mead, who contacted me years ago and formed a relationship with his enthusiasm for teaching science and evolution and particularly human origins,” Berger said. Not only did Mead impress Berger with his outgoing attitude and dedication
to the subject, but the school itself also stood out. “At that time St. Mark’s must have been almost unique in the United States in teaching younger students human origins and using the fossils to do it,” Berger said. “[Mead] was also using social media, he asked me at one point would I come, and I said yes. It’s created a friendship with not only [Mead] but with the school itself.” LYDA HILL Philanthropist who funded Berger’s exploration
Berger was sponsored by Lyda Hill, a local philanthropist who took interest in Berger’s work. “I said ‘Lee, you have found so much more stuff, and you are going to need more stuff going forward, I think now it is best for you and for South Africa and for the paleontological and anthropological worlds for you to get support from other
‘
WE HAD TO INVENT THINGS, WE HAD TO FIND THESE EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE. I WAS STRUGGLING WITH PUTTING PEOPLE’S LIVES AT RISK TO DISCOVER FOSSILS.
LEE BERGER
people, not just me,’” Hill said. Hill recognized Berger needed more help and deserved more attention for the work he was doing. “I thought it would be better for more people to get involved and that it would be beneficial to him,” Hill said. “One of the important things about being able to be a philanthropist, I’m very fortunate
STORY PHILIP MONTGOMERY, BLAKE DAUGHERTY PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, AVERY POWELL
obviously, is that to do it well, you have to think a lot. You’ve got to figure out what’s going to be best for what you want to support and what you want to accomplish.” Hill first put in funding before the discovery of Australopithecus sediba, Berger’s first big breakthrough. “[Berger] was out of a job. There weren’t any more bones to be found so therefore they didn’t need his skill, which was working with bones, because there weren’t any,” Hill said. “He was about to be replaced by one of his students who was now studying how to get DNA out of things. He went to Google and after looking at Google Maps he went ‘Wait a minute, things have been found here and here,’ and basically said ‘we’ve missed stuff in our back yard.’ I thought that was pretty smart.” After his Dallas visit, Berger’s parting gift to St. Mark’s and Hockaday were two original casts of a Homo naledi hand and skull, a symbol of the friendship between the two schools and a great educational tool for years to come. “I don’t have the ones from naledi, but it excites people over here,” Hill said. “My niece at Hockaday she said that saw the skull, hand and foot bones in the case at Hockaday. It is so cool.” Berger says that despite his success, there is still work to be done. “The biggest [takeaway from the find] is that there is more to discover out there,” Berger said “The message of sediba. The message of Rising Star and W is that there are things out there to be found, and they are often right under your nose, and we need more explorers. We need people looking for stuff and persisting in exploration.”
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PAGE 4 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER CROW LIBRARY
A passion for the past Students now have access to a library that has more than just books, including works by Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
FOR THE RECORD BOOKS Driven by his love of history and philanthropy, Harlan Crow (left) will allow the school to access his library.
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he Harlan Crow Library is a blast from the past. George Washington. Robert E. Lee. Winston Churchill. Adolf Hitler. These are some names that pop up all over its expansive collection of books, manuscripts and artwork. Its two story, hardwood columns, dimly lit nooks and crannies and oriental rugs give it that feel — appropriate considering its many volumes of books and artifacts that help tell the American story. It’s like a chunk of history. And it’s less than a 15-minute drive from 10600 Preston Road. Owner Harlan Crow and the Crow family — long supporters of all things St. Mark’s — has allowed Upper School students to use their library for the upcoming De Tocqueville paper, an optional out of class history assignment that’s been dormant for two years. “The library has reached out to the History Department, and I believe to the school as a whole, to make their sources and their librarian available to St. Mark’s,” History Department Head Byron Lawson said. “To help us in a variety of ways outside of this specialized paper.” And it’s not just your run-of-themill library either. “What’s so special about the library itself is it has books, manuscripts, and letters that aren’t anywhere else,” librarian Sam Fore said. “For example we have the book that made Benjamin Franklin famous: his Poor Richard’s Almanac. There’s only three of those left in the world.” Ranging from Columbus’ arrival to America in 1492 all to the way to present day 2015, the sources will prove to be useful additions to any research paper or study.
“It seems to me we have a lot of primary sources here,” Crow said. “Original manuscripts. First edition books. [They] could be useful to the students and their studies. We not only allow it, we encourage it. Because it’s the right thing to do.” For Crow and Fore, the process of acquiring these pieces of history from various dealers, auctions and other collectors is an adventure in itself. “Sometimes we have an opportunity to add something to the library which really is exciting,” Crow said. “And other times we’re working with kind of a little bit more normal [things]. Getting some new Abraham Lincoln document or John Locke treatise can be pretty exciting, but then there’s the other things. Something about farming policy in the Midwest in 1841 has a place, but it’s not quite as exciting.” After several years, they’ve amassed a large collection. “[The library] roughly has about 9000 volumes of books and about 6000 manuscripts,” Fore said. “Then we have about 300 or 400 paintings and statues.”
The sizable library stemmed from Crow’s long love of American and world history. “He’s always had an interest in history,” Fore said. “There was a [U.S.] President that visited his father when Harlan was a little boy. And he gave him a calling card. And he was so taken with that calling card that president Hoover gave him that it just started a life long love of history.” Although he’s had an interest in history for a long time, Crow’s thirst for learning about the subject came later in life. Now he envisions the library not only as a way to satisfy his own intellectual curiosity, but also as a place for others to learn about history and share the same passion that Crow has for the subject. “It seems to me the only reason one would collect these things is to share them,” Crow said. “The idea of locking it up and not sharing it doesn’t make sense to me. But the idea of finding young people who have the passion that I have and encouraging that passion is kind of fun.” He urges students to use his remarkable collection to help further their knowledge and understanding of American history through visual proof. “All history is important,” Crow said. “As Americans, our own history is vitally important. If one doesn’t have a grasp of who we are and how we got to be where we are, how can we successfully navigate into the future?”
More than 15,000 items A very small sample of the collection
ANTIQUES Furniture pieces, like this desk and one of two globes, contribute to the library’s historical aesthetic.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN The 16th president’s original manuscripts explain his thoughts on why no one has the right to enslave anyone.
LIFE-LIKE BUSTS Likeness of Virginia General Robert E. Lee and President Abraham Lincoln stand in front of a window.
STORY NAFTAL MAUTIA, ALEC DEWAR PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ
Juniors look to help homeless in annual McDonald’s Week fundraiser by James Hancock and Corday Cruz
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cDonald’s Week, a four-day charity event at McDonald’s benefiting Austin Street Center, the largest privately-funded homeless shelter in the Dallas area, will take place Nov. 16-19. With a new video and t-shirt unique to the theme, the co-chairs hope to keep the focus on raising money for Austin Street, the main goal of the project. “This year’s McDonald’s Week started off with some great theme debates, t-shirt designs and lunchtime video brainstorming sessions,” junior co-chair
Shailen Parmar said. “The whole grade is really excited to raise money for Austin Street Center, and this year, we’re trying to put more of an emphasis on the real goal of McDonald’s Week, which is to help out Austin Street.” Math Department Chair Joe Milliet hopes the new ideas the juniors have will make for a successful week. “I think you will see some new things, especially with the theme,” Milliet said. “Also, the All-Day Day this year will be on Nov. 17, and they have a lot of new ideas on how to make that day more fun
and have people engaged in a community way.” Milliet also thinks the planning for McDonald’s Week has had a positive effect on the Junior Class. “I believe the planning for McDonald’s week is bringing the Junior Class closer together because it gives them something to talk about in terms of a common purpose,” Milliet said. “They know that they’re responsible for the major fundraising of Austin Street, and have come together in order to focus their efforts on the common cause of support-
ing [Austin Street].” Nearing the event, co-chair Sam Clayman hopes that the event will bring the entire school even closer together as a community. “This year you can look forward to amazing morning events, great t-shirts and more publicized social media,” Clayman said. “We hope that the week will not only bring the Junior Class together, but also, the school as a whole. Also, we hope that during the week we will be able to have a positive impact on Austin Street Center.”
PAGE 5 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
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ARNO’S WALK
MORE THAN A WALK
TEAM PHOTO The Goetza-cure team poses for a group photo after walking to support diabetes.
For the second year in a row, a group of Marksmen walked in the “JDRF One Walk” to support senior Arno Goetz and raise money toward finding a cure for diabetes.
A
smile rips across varsity football coach Bart Epperson’s face as two seniors, Arno Goetz and Drew Baxley, nervously fidget in the their seats. The players, who had just asked to miss a Saturday film session to support Goetz in his walk against diabetes, were stunned when Epperson simply responded, “I think that would be a fantastic idea.” “When Arno and I approached coach Epperson about the walk, we were pretty nervous because we knew it was during the time of a Saturday morning film,” Baxley said. “We asked if it was at all possible and were stunned when he lit up and began to talk about how he wanted to figure out how we could get every single guy out there.” Diagnosed with Type I diabetes in second grade, Goetz was led by his mother ten years ago to participate in the walk hosted by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to help raise money for the fight against diabetes, but he stopped walking in the fundraisers after a few years. Only recently has Goetz participated again in this walk. “I began doing the walk again last year because it was my sister’s last year before she went off to college and we figured we’d do it one more time just for the heck of it while everyone was still in town,” Goetz said. “But everyone in the grade had such a good time last year that
there was a lot of pressure to do it again.” Having the football team come to the walk, Goetz was not only excited to bring more attention to a personally affecting issue, but found that he and his team were able to bond during the experience. “Having the whole football team there spoke to the whole idea that we’re a team of brothers,” Goetz said. “The football team is centered on almost family values because we eat together, we fight together, we win together, and we lose together, so to have everyone there was really great because it built off the team’s brotherhood.” Goetz quit football after ninth grade initially due to the difficulty to maintain
HONK FOR A CURE Sophomore William Hall (left) and senior Bradford Beck (right) walk with the football team in the annual “JDRF One Walk.”
his blood sugar during practice. However, he started this year with mixed emotions but found the team was always supportive and understanding.
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HAVING THE WHOLE FOOTBALL TEAM THERE MADE THE WALK A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE.
DREW BAXLEY
“In the past my diabetes has been a bigger issue. Especially in eighth and ninth grade, the water breaks were very short, so I had a difficult time maintaining my blood sugar,” Goetz said “Most days, my blood sugar would go low, so I would have to leave practice to see the trainer. However, this year it has been really easy because coach has been really supportive. If I ever need to have an extra break to go get some juice he always encourages me to go, and the water breaks are longer on varsity so you have a little time to recuperate before you have to go out again.” Even though diabetes brings Arno some obstacles during practice, his team has appreciated the enthusiasm he brings
to the team every day. Although he occasionally has to take an extra break or two, Goetz brings 100 percent effort on every play while on the field. “Sometimes Arno has to go run in and check his blood or take longer breaks to get his blood sugar back up, but it has never stopped him from having the most positive impact on the team that he can,” Baxley said. “He’s the type of guy that brings a lot of spirit to the team everyday, and we are really grateful for that.” For this reason, Baxley explains supporting Arno in his walk was the least they could do to repay him. “Because he has shown us so much support, the least we could do was give him some of our time to repay the favor,” Baxley said. “We just wanted to give him the best experience we could because he does the same for us.” Goetz was excited the football team could support him in the walk. “It was really great to just have all the guys out there,” Goetz said. “I’m so happy to be a part of this team, and I am so appreciative of their enthusiasm when they came out.”
STORY JAMES HANCOCK PHOTOS TIM O’MEARA
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PAGE 6 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER WORLD WAR II
A DAY TO REMEMBER Almost 71 years to the day, Bob LeClercq remembers the heroic World War II stories of his brother, 1939 Texas Country Day School graduate John LeClercq.
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he weather was crisp on a cool October afternoon and after a busy week of classes and homework, John Shuman LeClercq III,17 years old, was looking forward to his upcoming football game that Friday night. John was typical of most boys attending school. He was a good student, and at 6-foot-2-inches and skinny, started as a center for the varsity football team. He drove himself to school in his ‘36 Packard Coupe and worried about which girl to take on a date over the upcoming weekend. Whenever he faced challenging tasks or assignments, he was known for repeating his favorite phrase: “No strain, no strain.” John was the kind of guy who put others at ease.
“He was a really decent young man,” John LeClercq’s younger brother, Bob LeClercq said. “There was an eight-year difference in our age, and whenever I needed something or needed to go somewhere, he would take me. He was very kind, considerate and was very good to me all of those years.” After graduating from Texas Country Day, one of St. Mark’s parent schools, in 1939 with an award for citizenship, John LeClercq and his closest friends attended a six-month finishing school. “It was about a 65-foot sailing vessel owned by a man and wife who were past professors at a college in the East,” Bob said. “They had six students aboard this ship for six months. The students were the crew, and the man and wife were the captains. The students would all work on the vessel and sail the Caribbean and all around Bermuda for six full months. That was when my brother knew that the sea was what he wanted to do.” After his experience in the Caribbean, John was off to Amherst College in Massachusetts where he would prepare himself for a career in business. His life flowed smoothly until Dec. 7, 1941, when the Japanese navy launched a surprise attack against Pearl Harbor and changed everything. John’s reaction, like so many other young American’s at the time, was simple. He had to go do his duty, so he enlisted. JOHN LECLERCQ LeClerq during his senior year of high school, 1939
“When the war started, he knew he was going to go into the navy so he went to SMU for the next year,” Bob said, “then he went to what they call a 90 day program at Midwestern University in Chicago, and in 90 days, he came out as an
DRESS BLUES The 1937 TCD varsity football team (left). John is in the bottom row, second from the left. Donning his Navy uniform, John (right) poses for a photo a year before his death.
Ensign [officer].” In spring 1944, John said goodbye to his family and girlfriend, Venitia Perrot, and joined his crew for training in Norfolk, Virginia. The only form of communication from that time on would come from letters. “He wrote regularly and of course my mother wrote every day,” Bob said. “He couldn’t give any details or anything because everything is read by the officers and they wouldn’t let anything secret out.” However, John and his father had worked out a secret code to communicate according to Bob. “My dad and my brother had worked out a code for the Pacific where if certain words were used or my brother would say something that didn’t make any sense,” Bob said, “my dad would know where the ship was at the time the letter was mailed.” Officers were discouraged from socializing with the enlisted men but John wanted to get to know the crew as people. “He would always stop and communicate with them and ask them about how they were doing or feeling and that was kind of a no-no aboard ship,” Bob said. When Ensign LeClercq finally arrived at his destination in Houston, he boarded the brand new destroyer escort USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413). Ernie Pyle, the war’s famous news correspondent, best described the destroyer escort as “Long and narrow and sleek, along the lines of a destroyer. But it’s much smaller. It’s a baby destroyer.” The ship’s primary purpose was to battle submarines and protect convoys of ships. Through Oct. 1944, the Roberts conducted anti-submarine and anti-aircraft operations off the coast of the Philippine Islands. She was part of a small, 13-ship
task force, Taffy Three, commanded by Rear Adm. Clifton A.F. Sprague. “There were only three destroyers and three destroyer escorts in that battle and those ships were very small ships. They [the Americans] only had five inch guns,” Bob said. Sprague’s orders were to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s troops landing on Leyte Island. But unbeknownst to Sprague, Japanese Vadm. Takeo Kurita was quietly leading a powerful strike force to annihilate MacArthur’s forces. Kurita’s task force was composed of four battleships, eight heavy cruisers and eleven destroyers. “They were up against big cruisers and also the biggest battleship ever built, the Yamamoto,” Bob said. ccording to John Wukovitz’s novel, For Crew and Country, at 6:50 a.m. Oct. 25, 1944, Taffy Three lookouts spotted Kurita’s fleet. The USS Samuel Roberts and other ships immediately made a smoke screen to conceal the escort carriers. Realizing they were outgunned and outnumbered, the Roberts broke from the other ships and turned to launch a torpedo run directly against three Japanese cruisers The Roberts maneuvered back and forth while dodging enemy fire until it got within 4,000 feet of the Japanese ships and launched three torpedoes. The small destroyer escort was able to sink a Japanese cruiser and damage other ships in the battle. As the Roberts maneuvered for another attack, she was struck by an 8-inch shell. Explosions surrounded John, but he remained calm and efficiently supervised his crew during the heat of battle as they fought against the relentless Japanese army that pursued the fleet.. “He was on the most exposed position on the ship, he was on a 40 millimeter gun that is on top of the deck in a tower and his job was to sight the targets,” Bob said,
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“to figure out the distance and relay that information to the five inch guns so that they could set their sights according to his direction.” Then, suddenly a loud explosion was heard at the 42 gun. The tower that John was in took a direct round from a Japanese cruiser, completely destroying John’s post. “The second shell that hit the ship hit that tower and obliterated the whole tower and everybody around it.” Bob said. The Roberts continued to fight as it was struck by 23 more shells. Finally, at 10:05 a.m., the Roberts succumbed to her wounds and sunk carrying 88 of her crew to their death, but not before Kurita and the Japanese fleet were forced to retreat. The final stand of the USS. Samuel B. Roberts allowed for the rest of the American fleet to escape, saving countless other American lives. The New York Times described the battle as “one of the most heroic episodes in our history.” Famed novelist Herman Wouk wrote that the vision of the Samuel B. Roberts charging through the waters straight at Japanese battleships and cruisers “can endure as a picture of the way Americans fight when they don’t have superiority. Our schoolchildren should know about that incident, and our enemies should ponder it,” for the action is “one that will stir human hearts long after all the swords are plowshares: gallantry against high odds.” John died in the line of duty on Oct. 25, 1944, 71 years ago almost to the day, just five years after he graduated from the Texas Day School. “He was a great brother to me,” said Bob said. “He was terribly intelligent and good natured, mannered, all of the girls thought the was the light of their life. He would have gone on to be a very successful business man. I am sure of that.”
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STORY BLAKE DAUGHERTY, ANDRE ARSENAULT ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA PHOTO COURTESY BOB LECLERCQ
UNICEF Club’s Trick-or-Treat project expands to 16 stores by Aidan Maurstad
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he UNICEF Club will finish its Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign tomorrow, Halloween evening. The club has been collecting money for the UNICEF foundation from boxes placed in 16 different stores spread across Dallas throughout the month of October. “Each member of the club selected a store or restaurant,” said UNICEF club President Henry Goldberg, “and went to
that store or restaurant and asked them to host a box. If they said yes, on Oct. 1 we gave them the boxes, and on Oct. 31 we will pick them up.” This is the first year the club has been able to participate in UNICEF’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign. According to Goldberg, this is because the club already had its established its core members from the beginning of the year.
“It was just a matter of getting organized more quickly,” Goldberg said. “Last year, since it was our first year as a club, we weren’t able to get a core group of members until the activities fair which was much to late to actually organize this. This year we had a core group of members so we were able to meet right from the very first week of school.” Regardless of the amount of money the campaign will raise, Goldberg
feels that his main aspirations for the campaign have already been accomplished. “Since this is the first time we’ve done this I don’t really have a set goal for the amount of money we hope to raise,” Goldberg said. “I do know that we’ve accomplished the goal in that our members are now better educated in how to do things like make sales pitches, which is a really important skill in life.”
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AVERY PEARSON
ENTER THE
dragon After a victory in the southern region Chinese contest, sophomore Avery Pearson puts his skills to the test on a global stage. Now, he’s set for international competition in Beijing.
CALLIGRAPHY MASTER Carefully writing characters, Avery Pearson practices for the Chinese language test that will assess his proficiency in Chinese.
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e loved it. In his first visit to China, sophomore Avery Pearson was hooked. He knew he was in the right place, he knew he wanted to continue studying Chinese and he knew he wanted to earn a spot in the Chinese Bridge international competition. Every song he’s recited, every character he’s written, every hour of practice he’s put in were all worth it. From that moment—the moment Pearson reflected on his first visit to China—the moment he fell in love with the language—he worked harder and harder until he finally earned a spot in an international competition nearly 7,000 miles away in China. He left Oct. 15, starting his journey. With the encouragement of his father, Pearson joined Chinese class in the seventh grade. He wasn’t sure what to expect or whether he would even enjoy the class, but he did, sticking with it into high school. “I was thinking maybe do a year, switch back to Spanish if I don’t like it, but I really loved it,” Pearson said. “It was really out of the norm, I said ‘Let’s do Chinese, see where that takes me.’” Pearson started slowly, but hard work and collaboration with friends and teachers allowed him to begin to under-
stand the language. “My first year was very difficult because, you know, Chinese,” Pearson said, “but to get to the point where I am now, it took a lot of work, a lot of work with my friends, a lot of work with my teacher.” Still unsure about his decision to learn Chinese, Pearson looked to his instructor, Chinese teacher Dr. Lei Zhang, for advice. “The moment that really changed my mind [to continue his study of the Chinese language] is when my teacher asked me why I was studying Chinese,” Pearson said, “and I said because I really love the people and the culture, and she said ‘then show me.’” He struggled, questioning his abilities and looking for ways to thrive and survive. He needed motivation — motivation he found on a trip to China last summer. “When I went over there to China last summer, it was very nice,” Pearson said, “there were lots of people and the culture still remained, and for that culture to stay the same for thousands and thousands of years really appealed to me.” He immersed himself in Chinese culture, learning with his classmates in the ultimate hands-on experience, an experience fueling his desire to continue his pursuit of the Chinese language.
Pearson progressed well, working hard to learn more and more as each year went by with the ultimate goal to travel to Beijing for the Chinese Bridges Proficiency Competition. “What it took to get here was a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” he said, “and let me tell you, the first year I tried out for the competition I got third place, second year I tried out I got third place again, last year, same third place.” At the end of his freshman year, Pearson had come up short in the competition each year he applied, leaving him down on confidence and will to continue. “This year I was thinking if I didn’t get it, I was done with it for the rest of my high school career,” Pearson said. But he finally got it. Pearson finished second in the preliminary competition, then advanced to the regional competition and finally conquered the entire southern region competition, earning a spot on stage at the Chinese Bridge competition against a swath of competitors. “It took a lot of hard work and a lot of failure to reach my goal,” Pearson said on how he was able to get this opportunity. Pearson won’t be alone for the competition, as he is partnered with the northern division’s winner, a girl from
Chicago. Together, they will fly 15 hours from New Jersey to Beijing, where they will complete a series of challenges on an international stage in hopes of reaching the finals. To gauge his aptitude in the Chinese language, Pearson will take a computerized memorization test over Chinese culture and language, then he will perform a talent for the audience and finally, he will have a Chinese conversation with his partner about a random topic, chosen just moments before he goes on stage to make sure they improvise. Zhang is confident in Pearson’s abilities and thinks that the judges will enjoy his presence on stage. “He is a talented performer, he can communicate well with the audience and judges, all of the audience will like him,” Zhang said. Pearson is excited for the competition. Motivated by representing St. Mark’s in such a big way, he hopes that with his school’s support he will return to the United States on Nov. 1 a winner and aproud marksman. “It means so much to be representing St. Mark’s in this competition,” Pearson said, “wearing [a] St. Mark’s [logo] on my chest means that I have a whole school behind me supporting me.”
STORY RETT DAUGBJERG PHOTO ALDEN JAMES
Middle School changes humanities curriculum by Zoheb Khan ts teachers have come and gone, and course material has changed, but after over 30 years, the core of the Middle School humanities curriculum hasn’t. Until now. Hoping to further the school’s mission of educating “The Whole Boy”, the Humanities Department will both change what is taught in class and how its courses are approached. First and foremost, the curriculum is taught throughout Middle School, so the department’s most important goal was to improve coordination between each grade’s course. “The transition [between each grade] could be a little smoother and a little more intentional,” Humanities Department Chair
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Nick Sberna said. “So what we did was make fifth and sixth grade a linked course around world social studies, and seventh and eighth grade a linked course around American social studies.” The courses will shift their primary focus away from a national, world, mythological and moral perspective and instead will turn to focus more on the journey. “One thing that we did was update the course theme; that [past] sort of guiding theme if you will,” Sberna said. “We changed it from that idea of perspective to the idea of the journey. That works on a couple different levels for us. We’ve got new course descriptions and new course titles, which are all linked around specific quotations that pertain to that theme of the journey.”
In addition to the cornerstone, “The Journey: An Exploration of the Human Experience,” the new curriculum will emphasize a broader view of history. “It will cover a little more world history,” Sberna said. “Texas history is still going to be emphasized in the seventh grade, but it’s going to be taught in the context of American history as opposed to being taught next to Greek mythology. Texas has a rich history, which is unique and fascinating, but it’s one chapter in that larger story of American growth.” In spite of the many changes, the logistics of the curriculum remain the same. “It’s still the same approach,” Sberna said, “with two periods, smaller classes, more face-to-face time and more individual time to help each boy grow in the way
they need to.” Although the blend of new and old practices in the curriculum has altered the way the courses are taught, the new curriculum has already begun to be implemented this year, and the results are positive. “So far it’s gone really well,” Sberna said. “I think the students are enjoying it so far. If we get feedback from others, we’ll take that into consideration and continue to evaluate and evolve.” Less than a trimester has passed, but the Humanities Department has high hopes for this curriculum overhaul. “It’s not that what we were doing was broken,” Sberna said. “It’s just that [we] saw potential there to unify what we do in humanities to the larger school mission.”
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PAGE 8 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
Mapping out the future
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After completing Goals I, II, and III, long-term Board-directed goals for the school, administrators and Board of Trustees members have set their sights towards creating guidelines for Goals IV.
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he committee for the fourth installment of the school’s long term goals, Goals for St. Mark’s IV, has been set under the leadership of current Board of Trustees President Taylor Wilson ’81. The committee, which is responsible for setting the goals for the project, has closed in on appointing a consultant from outside of the community to guide the process. Goals for St. Mark’s IV is a set of initiatives for change in the school in the next five to seven years. Having worked on past development projects similar to this, Associate Headmaster John Ashton asserts that the planning of the initiative is a crucial phase that sets the tone for the rest of the plan. JOHN ASHTON Associate Headmaster
“The work so far is to outline the process we want to use for Goals for St. Mark’s IV,” Ashton said. “To identify a consultant who will work with us, help refine that process and also move through and facilitate all the elements of a strategic
plan.” Although there is only a loose timeline for the goals, Director of Development Jim Bob Womack thinks that the goal-setting stage will last a year as the school decides where the school can improve. “We’re planning on having it run a full year,” Womack said. “Nov. 2015 will be our chance to launch it, and Nov. 2016 will be a chance to unveil it to the Board of Trustees with all of the official components that go along with the Goals process.” Although there is a small committee in place to set the goals, Headmaster David Dini says that input from all parts of the community will be used in the initiative. “A strategic planning process at a school like St. Mark’s will be a very inclusive process,” Dini said. “Not only will the administration be deeply involved with the planning, faculty will be involved as well, but we will also have input from every major constituent group in the community: faculty, parents, alumni, students, volunteers, trustees and admin-
and III all shared common objectives, among them financial aid, continued faculty recruitment, more opportunities at the school for underpriviledged boys and student diversity, Dini feels that there is a chance that there will be some common ground among the initiative. “I think you could see similar elements emerge in Goals IV,” Dini said. “There’s focus on students, faculty, facilities and programs. Those themes are consistent in all three, and I would expect some of that framework will be present in Goals IV. Those are priorities that don’t go away: they emerge and evolve, and they change over time. You assess how far you have come and you go from there.” Womack sees this process as a great opportunity to leave a legacy for the next generations of the school and help the community grow. “When you’re looking at who you want to be 100 years from now, you have to take steps today to be that school,” Womack said. “This document and this process and this group will help us to think through what steps we need to put in place.”
istrators. It’s designed to be an all-inclusive process so that we engage the entire community to identify core priorities for the future.” In addition to input from within the community, a consultant will be introduced to help in guiding the goals. Womack thinks that the consultant will be a key part in the facilitation of the next plan. JIM BOB WOMACK Director of Development
“I know the consultant will be a very strong partner in this process,” Womack said. “I think we’ve never shied away from, as a school, bringing in experts to help guide different parts of our school one at a time when it’s needed. So bringing in a partner who does this on a dayto-day basis helps put the best practices into place and helps us to think about what we’re doing and how we’re engaging people, if we’re engaging the right people or engaging enough people.” Given that Goals for St. Mark’s I, II
How far we’ve come
PAPER BOYS In an effort to increase the prominence of the school, this advertisement was run in a local paper in 2008 as a part of the Centennial Goals initiative, a goals period in between Goals III and Goals IV as the school reached its 100th birthday.
A look back on the previous goals for the school and the years they were initiated.
Goals I
1984
Goals II
The first goals initiative that emphasized Faculty Recruitment, diversity, Financial Aid, Endowed positions and the Visiting Scholars Program.
1990
The second set of goals focused on similar objectives, with the addition of the establishment of the Headmaster’s House.
Goals III
2002
This third project also prioritized similar faculty and financial aid goals, but placed a particular emphasis on Foreign Language advances and the Community Service Program.
In addition to the traditional goals format, the school also included a Centennial Goals initiative as the school celebrated it’s 100th anniversary. The school bolstered the Athletics Department, putting more money into different sports to get students engaged in extracurricular activities, and the Foreign Exchange Program, to allow the student body to interact with other boys from around the world.
Centennial Goals
2007
STORY CORDAY CRUZ ILLUSTRATION ABHI THUMMALA PHOTO CORDAY CRUZ
Senior Auction raises record amount by Waseem Nabulsi he Senior Class raised a record amount at Senior Auction Oct. 4. As usual, funds from the auction will pay for senior events, like Marksmen Ball and other expenses. By policy, the exact total raised is not revealed. This year’s auction heads included seniors Ashton Hashemipour, Chance Cooley and Cameron Lam. Lam, who attributes this year’s success to the enthusiasm of his fellow classmates, believes the event helped bond the class. “It went really well, obviously, because we made a lot of money,” Lam said. “But it was also just a good event for us as a class because everyone showed up, and everyone was just really enthusiastic.” Admission Director David Baker also played a role in the success of the auction. “Mr. Baker was awesome,” Senior Class President Philip Montgomery
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said. “With his humor and talent behind the podium, he earned our class a lot of money. I was so thankful to have his experience there to make sure everything went O.K.” Each of the seniors donated unique, creative items and services for the event. “[The seniors] were all so excited that the bidders got excited,” Montgomery said. “It was a great atmosphere, and we had a lot of people be really generous to the class.” For each item in the live auction, seniors performed skits to rally the crowd. “The skits, to me, are the most important part,” Montgomery said. “A lot of guys were so pumped about what they had put together, and it showed when they got up on the stage and sold their item. People fed off that energy” Overall, the auction proved to be not only just a money-making enterprise, but also a bonding experience for the class. “I was really stressed out before the
auction,” Montgomery said. “I had been up at St. Mark’s three hours before it started with the auction heads just setting up and making sure we’d done everything we can to make it a success. Once that first bid got started, though, all my worries went away. I saw how much the guys in my class cared and how all their hard work was finally paying off, and I just relaxed and had fun.” Hashemipour agrees with Montgom-
ery’s outlook and thought the auction was great for the class as a time to all be together and support each other, while also raising money for the year. “I think the auction just brought our class together – everyone worked together to perform their skits, everyone was really excited during the actual auction,” Hasemipour said. “So, we weren’t exactly thinking about making it fun, but that’s what happened.”
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
What can we say
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PAGE 9 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
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As teachers present sensitive materials in their classes, encountering discussions involving current events and personal opinions becomes inevitable.
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he two boys make their way outside room C213 in the east wing of Centennial Hall. Sixth grade humanities instructor Rebecca Jenkins’ morning class ends, and it’s time for the next period. The two boys carry on their conversation — complaining about homework — as any sixth grader would do. But as they take that right turn out of the classroom, their conversation takes a hard left turn. And they’re not talking about homework anymore. “See, I told you she was a liberal.”
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ith hot topics ranging from the upcoming presidential election to the race riots in Baltimore provoking intense discussions throughout the country, many conversations about race, religion, politics and more have been brought to the forefront of high school classrooms. And about a month ago, a Virginia high school teacher was suspended from school for using an offensive word when trying to explain its connotation in an apparently inappropriate context. So, what’s a teacher supposed to say when school discussions reach these sensitive topics? There is always the danger of a student’s misconception of a word or phrase, especially when taken out of context. How can teachers connect their curriculum with worldly issues without giving their opinion on those events? Will they be branded as a liberal if they mention Hillary Clinton? As a conservative if they seem to favor limited government? For the boy in Jenkins’ class a few years ago, a similar misconception was encountered when he misunderstood the true meaning of a liberal. His definition? Someone who helps others. The literal definition, straight out of the dictionary: open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values. Therefore, Jenkins wanted to show him another perspective. “I didn’t want it to be a confrontation,” she said. “I wanted it to become an exploration of the way we think about people based on the things that they say and if we really have enough facts to make a judgement, or if a misconception is developing because of something that was said. That’s why I asked him about it.” With sensitive topics covered daily on campus, teachers find that they must create a balance in the amount of educational yet potentially uncomfortable material they present. “I actually think we are willing to push appropriate boundaries when the educational value is clear,” Associate Headmaster John Ashton said. “I think we are willing certainly to bring complex issues to you guys, and frame those in a very appropriate and educational way.” But at school and throughout the country, a question remains: how much, if at all, should teachers inject their own opinions into these conversations? Many teachers have slightly varying perspectives on how their opinions will affect their
students. “I think a teacher should try to reserve his or her opinion initially so as not to squash or limit the really important discussion of different opinions,” English Department Chair Michael Morris said. Likewise, Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair David Brown waits until sensitive discussions draw to a close before injecting his personal opinions, and he has a specific purpose in mind when he does so. “One of the reasons for that is that I think that students at this age are looking for answers,” Brown said. “If we leave too many questions out there, they are going to find it somewhere, and I think that I have a responsibility to at times provide some direction for students that are desperate for some answers.”
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WE DON’T HAVE A STATE GOVERNING BODY THAT’S DICTATING WHAT WE CAN OR CAN’T TEACH OR THE CURRICULUM AS A WHOLE. SO THE RESPONSIBILITY FALLS ON US TO DETERMINE THAT CURRICULUM THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
JOHN ASHTON
Senior Ashton Hashemipour, who is president of the Political Forum Club, agrees that at some point in these discussions, he would like to hear a teacher’s opinion. “I think it’s important for teachers to expose us to a lot of different beliefs, including their own,” he said. “This relates to politics, to religion, to a lot of different things. But it’s important that we get a large world view regarding different issues.” Often, however, these opinions may contradict those of a student’s and can potentially offend them, even if presented in an educational context. “Though I work very hard not to offend students, there are definite viewpoints I want to offend,” Brown said. “There are definite positions out there that need a hardline. I try to deal with those not in a way that exposes the specific student, but that instead focuses on the viewpoint. That fits in intolerance for a certain group of people, a race, a creed, or on gender issues, the views that some might have towards women or gays or those sorts of things.” Brown feels as long as the context of what he is presenting is educational and appropriate, inappropriate words should not be construed as offensive.
“To me there are no offensive words, but there are offensive messages or context,” he said. “I would be more hesitant to have my students read a book whose author is clearly advocating a standard that I am trying to steer them away from. So, for me, it’s always context or message rather than a word. For me, there are not dirty words. That’s what I tell my students: there are only dirty contexts.” However, when words are taken out of context, students with polarizing views can often take offense to certain comments that did not have bad intentions. “I think it’s good for us all to remember that polarization of perspectives can be quite problematic because it removes the vast middle ground of circumstance and compromise,” Morris said. “Society, especially in a political realm, tends toward such polarization. So I think the teacher and the student might do well to try to find a common ground or a set of possible connections between their different belief systems.” nterim Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez says finding this balance and common ground when presenting sensitive materials is crucial to avoid shutting out students’ opinions and thus hindering their potential to learn. “Separating the personal from the professional is absolutely essential because if you can’t do that as an educator, then you’re going to lose quite a bit of your class to begin with,” Gonzalez said. However, students as well as teachers can play a role in creating an environment that is safe to discuss nearly any topic, as long as it is within an educational context. “I think that we have the responsibility to explore many different avenues of interpretation and experience in modern America,” Gonzalez said. “We have to because, if not, then we’re not an institution that promotes thinking or questioning, and I would find that really disappointing, and I would find that limiting and I would find that not being true to what education is all about.”
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Defining the line Humanities instructor Rebecca Jenkins (top), Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair David Brown (middle) and English Department Chair Michael Morris (bottom) lead their respective classes. Each has methods of teaching their students important yet potentially sensitive materials on a daily basis.
STORY CAMERON CLARK, KOBE ROSEMAN, ZACH NAIDU PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, TIM O’MEARA
Seeing it vs. reading it Teachers from the Fine Arts Department give a different perspective on the issue of presenting sensitive material. JENNIFER GILBERT Film studies instructor
JACQUE GAVIN Fine Arts Department chair
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he issue of presenting sensitive material in the classroom also extends to the fine arts. Film studies instructor Jennifer Gilbert finds the tolerance for material covered from a visual perspective may be more strict than when it is read from a book in an English class. “It’s that weird thing where you can read about something,” Gilbert said, “but then if I show the film version of some of the books that you guys read, I’d probably get in trouble. It’s always been interesting to me that reading something is some-
how more detached.” Fine Arts Chair Jacque Gavin has encountered similar situations when directing the drama program, especially involving the production of public performances. “In drama, I think we have two parallels,” Gavin said. “It’s what we do in class, and then what we present in a production. I have to say there are different standards for that, but we are more landed with choices for things we are doing in class than what we are going to be presenting to an audience.”
Despite the need to be more careful when presenting visual material, Gilbert does not shy away from voicing her opinion if she sees it beneficial for her students. “Discussions will come up because of a film that we’ve watched or things and, inevitably, I’ll get asked my opinion of things,” Gilbert said. “I think as long as it’s done in a way that you are not trying to bad mouth one group or another group, or one opinion or another, sharing my thoughts and letting them share as well is a good thing.” — Zachary Naidu
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MALECALL
OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
THIS ISSUE UPGRADE YOUR FALL WARDROBE IPHONE APPS NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER
Taking you back to the basic fundamentals of all things manly.
CLOSET ool for your
Fall, ‘tis the season of style. It’s just cool enough for a few layers, but not enough to have to bundle up. And to help you prepare for the coming months, the campus’s best-dressed are here to help you upgrade your wardrobe.
Ryan Parker’s fall outfit arsenal
HAT | UNDEFEATED U Snap Back
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‘ amo is the right choice. You simply can’t argue with that statement. It just is. Some may shy from it, some may crumple under the weight of its awesomeness, but no one can deny it. If the choice is to camo or not to camo, you’ve got an easy answer on your hands. The real dilemma is how much I could go full camo, literally every single article of clothing. But I have yet to do so. Something tells me that I should though. I wake up each day with this conundrum, a great problem to have. What a time to be alive!”
SHIRT | J. CREW Chambray Button Down JACKET | GARLAND ROAD THRIFT Tiger Camo Army Jacket PANTS | J. CREW Slim Fit Black Denim SOCKS | DUCK DYNASTY Willie Robertson Bearded Socks SHOES | CLARKS Brown Leather Desert Boots
— Sultan of Style, eighth-grade humanities instructor Ryan Parker
DAVID DINI Snappily dressed headmaster
KILLIAN GREEN Trendy Vineyard Vines afficionado
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nly one word could describe Headmaster David Dini’s wardrobe: sharp. Dini is wise enough to understand the power of pairing olive with a blue color pallete. When donning executive attire, accessories are everything. Expert choices on pocket square, watch, and cufflinks separate Dini from the pack.
prince of prep, junior Killian Green recommends the classic, vested look. For additional class, a tie may be added to accent the outfit. The Sperrys and sunglasses let the world know you’re ready to boat at any hour. And — in true Marksman fashion — it’s never too cold for shorts. STORY AVERY POWELL PHOTOS AVERY POWELL, ARNO GOETZ, PHILIP SMART
TROUBLES ech for your
You know what they say: there’s an app for that. Check out these five apps that are for more than just that, go above and beyond of what’s expected and will make your life five times easier — and five times better.
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Pinterest We get it. “It’s for girls!” you say. “Why would I ever need to pin?” you say. Well, if you ever listen to The ReMarker listen now. Lacking an outfit for the next mixer? Pin it. Need inspiration for a poster design (for Spanish, Homecoming, or otherwise)? Pin it. Stuck home alone and need a snack recipe thrown together with pantry leftovers to keep you alive? Pin it. Evernote The perfect 21st century alternative to carrying around your notepad and pen from class to class. By keeping you organized on all your devices, this app will let you remember more than an actual African elephant. The logo doesn’t lie. Flipboard Stay one step ahead of that guy who get’s all his news from the Yahoo home page. Flipboard tailors news and media for you based on preferences. And yes, sports news too, in case you hardcore fanboys were wondering.
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No-Shave November is finally upon us, and with it comes some of the finest facial hair ever to grace 10600 Preston Road. And with the arrival of the annual men’s health drive, here are some styles you’ll see around campus.
Humanities instructor Nick Sberna’s time-honored, wildernesssurvival classic
The General Sbernasides
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Soundcloud If you were wondering why Dave’s party playlist is always better than yours, this is why. Soundcloud is where all those remixes and mixtapes — that could never make their way onto big brand programs like iTunes and Spotify — really live. But, plently of big name artist like Drake put plenty of music up too. Grubhub Oh no! You’ve “forgotten” the flour on the exact same night you were supposed to cook dinner for your girlfriend! Uh... darn. Don’t worry though, because With Grubhub, you can order from an large selection of sit-down restaurants. Consider your date night saved.
STUBBLE tyle for your
The sophomores may try, try and try again, but at the end of the day this may be the best they’ve got.
The Sophomore Stache
5
STORY AVERY POWELL PHOTOS CREATIVE COMMONS
Senior Graham Kirstein won’t need a scarf for the rest of the month.
The Kirstein Neck Beard
Physics instructor Stephen Balog’s mutton chops were the first step to discovering the Higgs-Boson particle.
The Balrog’s Mutton Chops
Seniors may be able to grow a fuller, more voluptuous beard than their underclassmen counter parts, but sometimes it just won’t go all the way.
The Senior No-Connect
Science Department Chair Fletcher Carron’s beard has more colors than the human eye can conprehend.
The Colorful Carron
STORY AVERY POWELL ILLUSTRATIONS ABHI THUMMALLA
12 13 14 19
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KING OF CERAMICS
GLORIOSO
Upper School drama director Marion Glorioso starts her 12th year here.
Throwing throughout his Upper School career, senior Zak Houillion posted his art on Instagram—and gained thousands of followers.
CARNEGIE HALL
Freshman Max Wang recently performed at the prestigious venue.
TYPOGRAPHY
Senior Leighton Okada founded a design company benefitting muscular dystrophy.
ALFALAHI
Sixth grader Sam Alfalahi tells the story of how he learned six languages.
li fe
page 18
PHOTO FRANK THOMAS
PAGE 11 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 I REMARKER
QUICKhits
HANGING OUT WITH
stories around campus in brief
• VISITING SCHOLAR Children’s writer and artist Eugene Yelchin, visited with Lower School, Middle School and select Upper School students yesterday. Fourth grade teacher Lynn Terman, whose class read Yelchin’s book Breaking Stalin’s Nose, recommended Yelchin to the Visiting Scholars Program after her class Skyped with him last year. Visiting Scholar Program Director Marjorie Curry believes his visit taught students how to write from their own personal experiences, as
Yelchin often does in his books. “When [students] get done interacting with him,” Curry said, “they’ll be able to say, ‘I’m capable of taking my own story and translating it into a work of art.’” • STEVE MILLER HALL OF FAME NOMINATION Musician Steve Miller ’61 was nominated to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Public voting will last until early December and the inductees will be announced later Dec. 16 16. The inductees will be initiated in April 2016.
“To me,” Director of Development Jim Bob Womack said, “Steve Miller’s induction into the Hall of Fame would signify not only how successful his career has been, but also how amazing our school and alumni network is.” • MINI-MARQUE WINS NATIONAL AWARD The Columbia Scholastic Press Association has awarded the Middle School’s Mini-Marque publication with third place in the category “General Use of Typography.” Led by now-freshmen
C.J. Crawford, Matthew Coleman and Kamal Mamdani, dozens of Middle School students produced last year’s edition of the Mini-Marque with the supervision of faculty sponsors Meagan Frasier and Geoffrey Stanbury. “I’m looking forward to seeing if there is any further news on it, if there are any other awards coming,” Stanbury said. “I’m also looking forward to continuing this.” • TV TURNOFF WEEK Lower School students were offered two choices for the annual Turn-Off
JOSHUA KANG
Week which took place Sept. 27 through Oct. 10. Students could either spend only two hours total on television and electronic games over a two week period or go for an entire week without them. Each class also had two TV-Turnoff officers. “The long term goal of the program was to get the boys to watch television and play video and computer games in moderation so that they will have a brain-healthy lifestyle,” Head of Lower School Barbara York said.
During the dance-off at the Oct. 2 pep rally, freshman Joshua Kang whipped the crowd into a frenzy. His move, the whip, is a trendy new dance.
in the
PHOTO ALDEN JAMES
— Kobe Roseman, Daniel Cope, Mohit Singhal and Waseem Nabulsi
MOMENT events on campus told through photos
So, what’s your favorite hobby? I like going home, looking in the mirror and just whipping. When I’m looking in the mirror, the whip just comes out of nowhere. Like Marshawn Lynch says that he goes into beast-mode, I go into whip-mode.
PHOTO ALDEN JAMES
How do you prepare to whip? Before you even wake up, you have to dream about whipping. What’s been your craziest whipdream? I was stranded on an island. There was this ship that came up, but I couldn’t speak to them because they were speaking a foreign language. But then I whipped, and they suddenly understood I was alone on this island, so they picked me up. Here I am.
LOOKING FOR LOVE During the first coffeehouse of the year at Hockaday, the Improv Troupe performs their game, “The Dating Game.” Seniors Louisa Freiling, Virginia Beshears, Philip Smart, Avery Powell and Corbin Walp all participated in the presentation.
ArtistsinAction
the Around corner what you need to know in the coming week
Shining a spotlight on a student artist at St. Mark’s
Let’s go back to your routine. So after your dream, you wake up. Then, you get your coffee, but it has to be black. Milk just deteriorates the whip. After having cereal with water, you brush your teeth. Then an hour before the party, you have to throw at least 100 whips in the mirror. You have to get the reps in.
TODAY What Future Concert When 8 p.m. Where The Bomb Factory, 2713 Canton St.
What Ludacris Concert When 6 p.m. Where Dr. Pepper Arena, 2601 Avenue of the Stars
WEEKEND What Monster Music Fest When 7 p.m. Saturday Where Main Street Garden, 1902 Main St.
What Spooky Pooch Halloween Festival When All-day Saturday Where Main Street Garden, 1902 Main St.
What Erykah Badu Concert When 8 p.m. Saturday Where Bruton Theater, 650 South Griffin St.
What R. Kelly Concert When 8 p.m. Saturday Where Verizon Theater, 1001 Perfomance Place
What Taste of the Bishop Arts District Food Tour When 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesday Where Dude, Sweet Chocolate, 408 W. Eighth St.
What was it like after you dropped the first whip and everybody went crazy? I was like, I made it. All those years of whipping finally paid off when I wore my sunglasses and whipped in front of my whole high school.
THE ARTIST
HIS WORDS
Shailen Parmar
“When I’m painting, I try to take a looser approach, whereas in drawing, I will be a lot more detail-oriented. ”
THE ART
NEXT WEEK What Happy Hollydays Bazaar When 4-8 p.m. Friday Where Hyer Elementary, 3920 Caruth Blvd.
The whip is the bridge between cultures. Every culture has the whip. You just whip, and everybody else knows you’re from America. They can read your characteristics from the whip.
Paintings and drawings he created for studio art.
Have your parents seen you whip? No, this is like a second life I live. I try to keep it away from them. Are your dual lives more like Superman’s or Batman’s? I guess I’m beyond Batman. At school, I’m just a quiet, studious boy, but when it comes to party time, I’m just a monster.
L LIFE
PAGE 12 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
NEW UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA DIRECTOR
Behind the spotlight Upper School Drama Director Marion Glorioso talks about her experiences from the past 11 years and the play opening today at 7:30 p.m., The Physicists.
S
FRESH PERSPECTIVE After working with the Lower School for 11 years, Glorioso is now in charge of the Upper School drama program, taking over from Rod Blaydes, who retired in May.
he sits in the green room, preparing to go on stage at any moment for one of her final college productions. Perfecting the makeup and the nuances of the costume, the actress is cool and composed, considering she is a seasoned veteran of the theatre. After all, she has everything figured out. She decided to become an actress when she was a child and spent the last four years studying musical theatre in college. With years of theatrical experience and knowledge, the 22-year-old is prepared to take her talents to New York City and see if she could make it big. But that was when Upper School Drama Director Marion Glorioso received a life-changing call from Byron Lawson, Assistant to the Headmaster. “I told [Lawson], ‘I’m going to have to call you back. I can’t talk right now, I’m about to go on stage,’” Glorioso said. “I called him back the next day, and he offered me the job. I talked to my mother about it, and she told me to do it for one year, because one year wasn’t going to make or break it.” Apprehensively, Glorioso came to 10600 Preston Road the following August as a Lower School teacher. “I fell in love with all the boys,” Glorioso said. “It was just an unbelievable amount of energy. I went through that first year and it rocked me. I didn’t know if I was being as effective as a human being and as effective as an artist as I could be. So I decided to stay another year to try and figure it out.” Eleven years later, she’s still here. When she first joined, the Class of 2016 was in first grade. For more than a decade, they’ve become embedded into the life of the school and into the community. In a sense, as the seniors have grown into their new positions as the leaders of the student body, so has Glorioso. s of this year, she’s the leader of the Upper School drama program, taking over for former director Rod Blaydes, who held the position for almost 30 years. “We looked at people outside St. Mark’s, and we did a whole hiring process,” Fine Arts Department Chair Jacque Gavin said. “We looked at four people all together, including Ms. Glorioso. [She stood out because of] her enthusiasm and her knowledge of the school. She also has already directed the Upper School play once or twice because she wanted to. So she had the experience.” Given the unique qualities that she brings to the school, Glorioso seemed like a natural fit for the job. “She has directed a whole lot, with the Lower School plays,” Gavin said. “And she has a lot of depth of interest and she has some interesting ideas about what she wants to do in the future.” According to lead actor Avery Powell—one of Glorioso’s first students 11 years ago—Glorioso is in the process of understanding the nuances that come with leading the Upper School Drama program. “I think that hiring someone with that much experience at St. Mark’s helps them work a lot better in the community,” Powell said. “There’s still an adjustment period. How she treated us in the beginning of the year has evolved throughout the year as she’s adjusted to being with older kids
A
BEHIND THE SCENES Glorioso works with actors Audrey Black, Evan Baker, Aidan Maurstad (right) and Gray Wood (left) to establish the blocking for the play, which consists of the movements and actions of the actors during the performance.
STORY GOPAL RAMAN, ANVIT REDDY PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, TUCKER RIBMAN
who have more of a mind of their own.” With her unique acting background and skills, Glorioso has brought a noticeably different mindset and approach toward the program. “She’s both an old teacher and a new teacher,” Powell said. “In terms of how she deals with students, she’s developing, but in a good way. She sets blocking, or stage direction, very early so that you can work with what you have. She’ll tell you upfront that she’s not very big on letting the actors run loose for a couple weeks and let them figure things out.” As a three-year member of the drama
The Physicists When?
• Today, 7 p.m. • Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m.
Where?
• Eamonn Lacey Black Box Who?
• Seniors Avery Powell, Will Clark, Brent Weisberg, Aiden Maurstad and junior Gray Wood
department, stage manager Matthew Dominguez has also noticed the changes that Glorioso has instituted with her directing style. “She constantly has the actors think about what their motivations are at every point in the play and what that means to the characters and to the actors in real life,” Dominguez said. “Glorioso also has a big focus on getting all the actors in the right mindset and making sure that they are warmed up everyday before rehearsing. She makes the actors want to rehearse by keeping them focused on what is happening in the moment at rehearsal.”
I
t’s the end of July, and Glorioso’s chosen the perfect play for her audience and her actors: Inherit the Wind. But then, the theater company tells Glorioso she can’t run the play. So three weeks before school starts, Glorioso and Gavin decide to mull over the possibilities during their trip to Canada for a Shakespeare festival. When they get to the festival, they watched eight different plays, but one of them immediately clicked. “One of the shows that we saw was The Physicists,” Glorioso said. “I had never seen the play, I had never read the play, and ten or 15 minutes in, I said, ‘Our boys are going to love this.’ It just works. At intermission, we looked at each other, and I said, ‘We need to be doing this at St. Mark’s.’ Then it was just getting a copy of the script and getting the rights. It all just fell into place.” The Physicists, a play abundant with “comedy and thoughtful concepts,” will have its opening night tonight for the public. Because it involves such a great number of craftsmen, actors, technicians, and musicians, it is one of the integral performances for this year’s fine arts program. “If you haven’t been to a play, come,” Glorioso said. “If you’re somebody who doesn’t go to fine arts events, go. See what it’s like. You just get to show up, sit back, and relax. If you haven’t experienced those things at St. Mark’s, that should be one of your goals this year.”
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PAGE 13 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
CARNEGIE HALL
LIFE
The key to Carnegie Traveling to New York, freshman Max Wang gave a piano performance at quite a prestigious venue — Canegie Hall. On
the grand stage, he played alongside many professional musicians. DECHERD TO CARNEGIE Ever since he was four years old, freshman Max Wang has been practicing for the chance to play for a larger audience (left).
were far away from the idea that he would ever play on such a big stage,” Kakouberi said. “That’s what I’m proud of, because he has taken huge steps forward.” Kakouberi believes her teaching goes beyond piano. She considers her students like her children.
‘
MY STUDENTS ARE MY CHILDREN, SO I PUT MY HEART AND SOUL INTO EVERYTHING THEY ARE.
BAYA KAKOUBERI
The recital at Carnegie Hall was open to anyone who was accepted. All applicants sent in a video application to be critiqued by judges. “She found the audition to the recital at Carnegie Hall,” Wang said, “and she also knew one of the people who was picking applicants to play.” The other seven pianists playing with Wang were from all around the world. “One of the other players was ten years old, and there was one as old as 20 years old.” Wang said, “Several of the kids were from the United States, but three of them had come from Ireland to play.”
Any performance at Carnegie Hall draws spectators, and the crowd made Wang a little nervous. “There were all the parents of the kids as well as people who had simply come to listen,” Wang said, “There was also a reviewer from Julliard, which was really suprising to me.” Wang was last to play out of the eight pianists, so he sat there for an hour and a half, anxiously waiting to play. “I was worried I would mess up,” Wang said, “but when I got up there I really tried to not think about what I was doing and relied on all my practice to get me through it.” For Wang, the heavy workload and countless hours of practice have worn him down. The transition to high school has amplified this growing separation. “I used to practice a lot more during Middle School,” Wang said, “but now there’s so much more homework and other commitments I have.” Wang now practices four to five hours a week, but there were summers in which he would practice four to five hours every day. Along with piano, Wang runs cross
country and debates, and the heavy workload is taking a toll on him. “It’s hard, but I try the best I can,” Wang said. “I sleep late and wake up early. I usually don’t get to sleep until one in the morning, and then I’m up before seven.” His experience at Carnegie Hall has rekindled Wang’s interest in piano — at least for now. Kakouberi believes Wang can become a great pianist if he continues playing. “I would love for him to continue playing piano,” Kakouberi said. “He’s ready for the big, big stages, and I would be more than supportive of him in that.”
CREATIVE COMMONS
H
e had made up his mind. He was quitting piano. And then he got the email from Carnegie Hall. He was invited to play at the most esteemed recital hall in the country along with eight other pianists from around the world. That email made him change his mind about quitting. For freshman Max Wang, piano has always been a part of life. He started playing at four years old and has sacrificed countless hours to become the talented pianist he is today. “I was about to quit piano right before because it was becoming too much, and I couldn’t find time to practice,” Wang said. “Once I got in though, I couldn’t just quit, so I kept practicing.” “Right now I’m only practicing an hour a day,” Wang said, “but I used to practice a lot more during Middle School when I had more time.” Wang worked with several piano teachers before deciding on the one he knew was the right fit, Baya Kakouberi. “When Max came, five years ago, we
STORY CRAWFORD MCCRARY, JOHN GUNNIN PHOTOS TIM O’MEARA, COURTESY MAX WANG
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ALL-STARS The talented group of musicians performed with various instruments, including the guitar, cello, violin and piano.
L LIFE
PAGE 14 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER LEIGHTON OKADA
typewriter THE
Inspired to support his cousins with muscular dystrophy, senior Leighton Okada created a nonprofit typography company. Now, he ships designs worldwide.
AUDREY KIM Okada’s partner in the company
The name, Salt and Light, comes from the Bible, but Kim suggests that the name also represents her relationship with Okada and the company. “Salt and Light are two different things. It’s like Leighton and I,” Kim said. “It’s like two different things working together for the company.” Typography, the art of arranging and designing type characters, is something that Okada initially discovered as a way to improve his messy handwriting. It wasn’t until later when he realized typography had much more to offer. “It’s an art form I’ve really been able to connect with,” Okada said. “It incorporates
design, painting, photography and just all these things I love to do.” Okada and Kim have both enjoyed typography as a hobby for over a year, but it wasn’t until a few months ago when the two somewhat spontaneously decided to form the company. At first it was just a joke. “I wasn’t really serious about it,” Kim said. “But at some point it went from joking around to being something that we could actually do.”
‘
THERE ARE A LOT MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED [IN THE COMPANY] THAN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE.
LEIGHTON OKADA
The two then began to sell products via social media and other online outlets. They were making a profit. Okada quickly realized that they needed to figure out what to do with the money. “I didn’t really have a plan,” Okada said. “I was thinking about buying a new computer or something like that, but it ended up turning into a nonprofit.” The company’s profits now support Okada’s cousins with muscular dystrophy, a disorder where muscles don’t develop correctly, causing problems with walking and any other physical activity. “[My cousins] really inspired me,” Okada said. “I know they have a lot of problems in their life, and they’re really struggling right now. I just wanted to support them with my work.” Some of the profits also go to World Vision, an organization that helps families around the globe living in poor conditions.
Kim’s family has been supporting them every year during Christmas long before the start of the company. “I’ve always liked doing artsy stuff. It’s always been kind of easy for me to do it,” Kim said. “To be able to use this gift to benefit other people and in a way that helps spread better good on the earth, that’s kind of important for me.” Once people heard about the company’s donations, more customers came to the two with requests, and it became harder for Okada to balance the company and his schoolwork. Sometimes, a design can take hours of time. “I’m really bad about managing my time,” Okada said. “I try to just keep [designing] on hold while I’m busy with schoolwork, but I tend to save an hour or so each day to just do some good design work and then do homework.” Today, the company has customers extending as far as Japan. “I never thought that my work would be spread all over the world,” Okada said. “That makes me really happy because it means that people care about making a difference in other people’s lives.” Although both Okada and Kim admit that it will only be harder to keep the company’s activity up when Okada goes to college, both have high hopes for the company’s future. “I really want to keep supporting [my cousins] as long as I can,” Okada said. “I already have a whole bunch of new designs that I have planned out for the next few months to start using and I already have people asking for requests. I’m really excited for the direction that I think we’re going in. I just hope we stay strong.”
The production process
1
STEP
2
STEP
It starts with a sketch. The sketch is redrawn multiple times with trace paper until the final design is complete.
The sketch is scanned and put through Adobe Illustrator. Then, an editable group of points is made for adjusting.
3
Then, the sketch is sent to Lumi, the printing company. They’ll turn it into a sticker, decal, stamp, or a silk screen
4
The final product is then sent to Okada, and he puts them onto whatever the customer requests, like shirts or notebooks.
STEP
STEP
COURTESY LEIGHTON OKADA
A
small sketch drawn in blue ink rests on the corner of his math book. It doesn’t strike him as anything special. It’s just another one of his sketches lining the margins of his textbooks. But he redraws it again and again, on top of tracing paper this time. When it finally looks right, six hours of work have passed. But months later, that small blue sketch is on the face of notebooks shipped across the globe. That sketch is now the logo of senior Leighton Okada’s nonprofit company, Salt and Light Typography. Working with Hockaday graduate Audrey Kim, Okada sells notebooks, sweatshirts and shirts with their various typography designs on them.
THE WRITE STUFF After a long design process often lasting hours, these notebooks are ready to ship.
STORY KOBE ROSEMAN, ZACH G ILSTRAP PHOTO ILLUSTRATION TIM O’MEARA, KOBE ROSEMAN, ZACH G ILSTRAP
Junior bike riders volunteer to maintain biking trails by Crawford McCrary
I
f you’re looking for juniors Gordon Gunn or Todd Murphy on a weekend, chances are you’ll find them picking up trash, building ramps and otherwise taking care of the bike trails at Harry Moss Park. Murphy and Gunn have been mountain biking on the trails at Harry Moss Park for years and decided they wanted to improve it. “We decided that the park could use
our help in maintaining the trails,” Gunn said, “so it was really a win-win situation; the trail got our help, and we got to ride on improved trails.” To start the project, Gunn and Murphy first approached the trail manager at the park, Howard Kincaid, as well as Director of Community Service Jorge Correa. “We worked out the details of the project with the trail manager as well as Mr. Correa,” Murphy said. “Once all the details were worked out, we then put our
project on x2vol where students could sign up.” The trail manager recently passed away unexpectedly, shocking both Murphy and Gunn as well as the Dallas OffRoad Biking Association. “His passing really shook us as and the entire DORBA community.” Gunn said. “We don’t know who the new trail manager will be, but our project will definitely continue, but it will likely be less structured now.”
Gunn and Murphy both hope to continue the project until they’ve graduated and then hand off the role of leading it to a younger student. “I think it’s really important that bikers help maintain the trails they ride. A “no dig, no ride” policy really helps keep the biking community fun and safe.” Murphy said. “Now that more and more trails are popping up everywhere, someone’s gotta keep em rideable, so we enjoy helping out any way possible.”
PAGE 15 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
L LIFE
WARD RUSHTON
A BEE’S
BEST FRIEND Inspired by an episode
of a popular TV show, senior Ward Rushton’s bee-keeping hobby has blossomed into something much bigger, from a money-making venture BEE LOVER Donning equipment donated by his next door neighbor, senior Ward Rushton has been pursuing his unusual bee-keeping hobby for four years.
P
erfect timing. Without perfect timing, senior Ward Rushton might not have gotten into his, what some would say, unusual hobby. It just so happened that when he decided to watch an episode of the popular British TV series Doctor Who, the show was focused on the importance and mass disappearance of bees. It also just so happened that in that same week, the Dallas Morning News ran a story about the recent decline in bees throughout the city. And it just so happened that Rushton’s neighbor, with the demise of his beehive and the increasing burden of caring for several children, had given up on beekeeping, leaving behind all the necessary paraphernalia. And as simple as that, then eighth-grader Rushton was primed to become a legitimate beekeeper.
‘
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF BEES. AND IT’S A FEAR THAT DOESN’T REALLY MAKE SENSE, BUT IT’S THE BIGGEST IMPEDIMENT TO BEEKEEPING.
WARD RUSHTON
“One of my neighbors used to keep bees,” he said. “He actually had a bunch of old equipment because his bees had died, and he hadn’t set up a new hive. He also knew a group up in McKinney that was able to give advice on pretty much anything.” Because his neighbor had overseen a fully functioning hive in the past, Rushton was able to borrow all the necessary materials to start his brand new hobby.
“He gave me the whole hat and assembly to keep bees out of your face,” he said. “And he gave me a smoker and a whole hive. So all I really needed to do was order bees. I needed to order bees, frame and some gloves. So really he had already given me half the equipment. That’s the one reason I was really able to do it because it was going to be really expensive to start.” With the necessary equipment, Rushton only needed to find out more about the practice to become a fully-fledged beekeeper.
“Between the McKinney people and the internet, I got most of my information,” he said. “Also at the State Fair, you could go into the apiculture building. There is an entire thing of bees behind Plexiglass, and you can see them moving behind it. The people there are happy to talk to you about beekeeping.” Geared with the equipment and knowledge, Rushton decided to try his hand at creating a hive in his very own backyard. But he soon discovered that it was going to take some time before he could successfully manage the bees. “Whenever I first got the bees, I didn’t know exactly what was going on,” Rushton said. “Putting them in that hive for the first time, you kind of have to shake them like sand into the hive, but then they also start buzzing really loudly and will come right back at you immediately. It’s not for the faint of heart.” ut as he spent more time perfecting his craft, Rushton grew comfortable in managing the bees. Eventually, he was able to add two hives in addition to
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to a means of helping the environment. the first one he built in eighth grade, and he was able to start cultivating honey. “From eighth grade to ninth grade, not a whole lot happened,” Rushton said. “The bees just kind of sat there, and I didn’t do much with them. At the beginning of sophomore year, I read a lot more on how to extract honey. It was fairly dry the last couple of years, so they didn’t produce a ton of honey, but this year, when it got wet, they produced about 100 to 250 pounds total across the hives.” With excess honey, Rushton has been spotted around campus lugging around jars of brown nectar, selling them to students to raise money for the Senior class. “I started selling it this year, because in other years I would just end up getting enough honey to use daily,” Rushton said. “This year, because I got so much, I just decided to jar it and sell it. Luckily enough, the FDA laws for selling honey are lot easier than selling other foods, because honey doesn’t rot. If you store it correctly, it lasts forever.” o what started off as an idea from a television show has now blossomed into a significant hobby and business. As of now, Rushton has moved his hives outside of Dallas to a small town named Clifton, yet he still maintains them by visiting once a month. “I think two or three years ago, when they started spraying in Dallas for West Nile, the bees were not doing well,” he said. “They started dying and there were weird formations in the hive, so I moved it to a family-owned property about an hour and a half away. Out there it’s a lot easier because in the city a lot of neighbors are
S
not huge fans of having bees in the yard.” Rushton has invested countless hours into beekeeping, and has even received interest from professional organizations to maintain hives for them. “Actually, I got an offer for this summer to work at a bunch of commercial bee hives along the south,” Rushton said, “because in the summer they need a lot more help because that’s when they extract the honey. It sounds really interesting. I might do that this year.” But for now, Rushton is content with just looking over his own hives, ensuring that his years of hard work will not go to waste. “I just want to keep them living,” he said. “I don’t think I can pursue this in college because that would be a mess in the dorm. So, I’ll just try and keep them alive at home and hope that does some good.”
BUZZING AWAY
25%
1/3
The percent that the bee population Fraction of bee colonies that have has decreased since 1990 vanished in the United States
WHAT BEES DO FOR US 1. Produce honey, which is widely used as an alternative sweetener to sugar. 2. Serve as pollinators, allowing for several fruits and vegetables to flourish.
HOW TO SAVE THE BEES 1. Reduce the use of pesticides harmful to the health of the bees. 2. Protect the insects by protecting their wild habitat and allowing them to pollinate. SOURCE National Resources Defense Council
STORY ANVIT REDDY PHOTO ARNO GOETZ
Senior Harrison Chen earns nomination for major film festival by Zach Gilstrap any film students spend countless hours on their creations, but not many can say their work made it into a major film festival. Senior Harrison Chen’s piece, Breakfast, created in collaboration with Cole Gerthoffer ’15, was selected to be shown at the annual Austin Film Festival. Before it was selected, however, Chen wasn’t certain whether or not his film would make it in. “At the time,” Chen said, “I wasn’t really sure if I was picked or not because Ms. Gilbert sent our film into multiple film
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festivals. But, last week, I learned that I got in.” The film had made it into another film festival last year, but upon hearing the news that it was accepted again, Chen was elated. “I’m really excited about it being in the film festival,” Chen said. “Last year it made it into the All American Film Festival in New York, and that was really exciting, but this is just as exciting.” The film itself flips the perspective between the consumer and the product, depicting the first meal of the day in what Chen believes is a clever and humorous
way. “The film is a role reversal between eggs and humans,” Chen said. “The eggs make breakfast, and in the end they feed it to the humans. It’s like a mix of dark humor, which keeps things interesting.” Recorded using stop motion, Breakfast’s production was meticulous for the budding film producer. “The filming process was really tedious,” Chen said. “Our props kept on falling all over the place, especially the eggs. We actually ended up using putty on the bottom of the eggs to balance them.” Chen and Gerthoffer spent a large
amount of their free time working on the film. “I would actually go to Cole’s house after school,” Chen said. “I think we actually put in a total of seven hours over three days of just filming and getting stuff ready. The film is actually only two minutes.” Chen is looking forward to having people see Breakfast, and is genuinely grateful for its success. “I feel honored,” Chen said. “It feels so good to know that your hard work has paid off and is being showcased to a crowd of people you don’t know.”
OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
CULTURA
I S L A M O P H O B I A 8:46 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001: American Airlines Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. 10:25 a.m., Aug. 5, 2012: White supremacist Wade Michael Page shoots and kills six men and women worshiping at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. 2:49 p.m., April 15, 2013: Two bombs go off just before the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring 264. 1:32 p.m., Dec. 24, 2013: U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejects Nicholas George’s lawsuit against TSA officials at the Philadelphia International Airport who detained him for four hours because of the Arabic flashcards in his bag. Early afternoon, Sept. 14, 2015: Ahmed Mohamed, a Muslim high school freshman, is handcuffed and pushed into an Irving police car after showing a homemade clock to his English teacher.
F
or 48 hours, nobody knows quite how to react. Then social media lights up. #IStandWithAhmed is suddenly trending across the globe. Thousands rally to his support over Twitter: “White Christian kid makes a nuclear reactor? Genius. Brown Muslim kid makes a clock? Terrorist.” “If you were that concerned about it why didn’t you evacuate the school?” Others call him a false victim and a scammer. “Would an innocent kid tweet about seeing his lawyer? Cretinous.” “If you ‘build’ a clock that looks like a bomb, sorry, but I’m going to think it’s a bomb. We live in the era of ISIS.” The nation is divided, but one crucial question remains unanswered: when does selfpreservation become Islamophobia? Ahmed’s arrest is just another example of the gray area. For Muslims in America, in Texas and around campus, anti-Islamic sentiment isn’t a distant and irrelevant phenomenon. It carries weight and makes an impact in their lives. Continued, next page
STORY NOAH KOECHER, REECE RABIN, DAVIS BAILEY ILLUSTRATION ABHI THUMMALA
witnessed evidence of the widespread fear of terrorism and
When 14 year-old Irving MacArthur High School freshman,
Ahmed Mohamed, was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, the nation
what that fear will make people do. So where’s the line between safety and prejudice?
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PERSPECTIVES
PAGE 16-17
AL STRIFE Continued from previous page
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f this was an actual bomb, wouldn’t it have gone off in the hours before the police arrived?” sophomore Abdullah Akbar, a practicing Muslim, said. “They came hours later, and the bomb still hadn’t gone off, and yet they still handcuffed and arrested Ahmed.” History instructor Myles Teasley, who lived in Morocco to study Arabic, echoes Akbar’s sentiments. “If they thought it was a bomb,” Teasley said, “there should have been a bomb squad called and the school should have been evacuated. The school wasn’t evacuated and the bomb squad wasn’t called out, but the police were called and the kid was arrested.” Marcus Master Teacher Dr. Bruce Westrate agrees the incident was a misunderstanding in the first place, but stands by the teacher in reporting “anything that may possibly be of danger to the students,” and argues more details and context are needed before a claim of discrimination can be made. “If I saw this thing, I would have reported it,” he said. “Yet immediately, everyone jumps to the conclusion that there is some nefarious motive here, that these people are racist, which is stupid. We are not talking about a race. We are talking about a religion.” Akbar, however, feels race was a definite aspect in turning the incident into a national hot-button issue. “Think about St. Mark’s,” Akbar said. “I always see people holding boxes with wires for robotics or engineering, and no one ever calls them out. I feel like the fact that he was a Muslim, especially a Muslim with the name Ahmed Mohamed, immediately made his teacher’s mind flash to, ‘Oh, he must be a terrorist!’” In contrast, Westrate and Teasley both believe that, regardless of the motive of Ahmed’s arrest, it was a poorly handled situation that should have been contained within the school’s grounds. “The larger context is not even sought for, and that’s the only way you can judge these things,” Westrate said. “The response is just hare-brained.” Teasley feels the media also
holds much of the responsibility for the overblown proportions of the incident. “This should never have gone to the national media,” Teasley said. “No one should have known about it. A couple of miscommunicated steps and then a lot of media and national and social media involvement has made this a ridiculous situation that it should not have been.” Photography instructor and military officer Scott Hunt agrees with Teasley on the front of national media. “Sadly, I’m afraid this may be another case of ‘manufactured media outrage’ driven by personal or political agendas,” Hunt said. “In this day and age, major media
the ruthless beheading of journalist James Foley last year to the bombing of the Egyptian security agency just two months ago. “The whole terrorist group’s name is the Islamic State,” Akbar said. “By portraying these terrorists as Islamic and having the core unit of Islam, it sort of equates Islam with terrorism.” With months living in Morocco, Teasley has seen how similar Muslims are to many cultures around the world, and is indignant that this relatable side of Arab people is never shown. “No one wants to look at the people of the Middle East eating donuts and playing FIFA, which is most of them,” Teasley said. “They are showing ISIS over and
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11 10 8
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5
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TIMES ARE CHANGING The cultural strife that grips the nation affects school communities, too.
outlets are turning to social media and reporting on trending topics without verifying the veracity of that topic.” Hunt feels that the accuracy of stories has often been compromised by the constant need for instantaneous news on the 24-hour cycle. He believes this is only worsened by the tendency of viewers to take the first word of the media as fact. “Unfortunately, we may never know the full truth because the school district will likely never have the opportunity to defend itself or explain its decision publicly,” Hunt said. “There are too many unanswered questions.” Regardless of the motive behind Ahmed’s arrest, there is no denying that anti-Islamic sentiments are rising around the globe. The media is filled with images of the Islamic State’s terror, from
over again. We only hear about the Muslims that are chopping people's faces off.” s a debater arguing against the growth of prejudiced domestic surveillance in the United States, Akbar is taking matters into his own hands. He strives to spread his views on the Islamophobia that has impacted him personally. “Our debate coach gave me the O.K. for it,” Akbar said, “and I started writing this narrative about my life and how, as a Muslim, I was treated in America, how the American surveillance policies on Muslims have affected my personal life.” Akbar will present his narrative during his major debates this season, with a goal of not just winning, but also leaving each of his opponents and judges a reminder of the individual ways
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What would you have done?
SCOTT HUNT
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that a nationwide phenomenon has impacted local boys. “What I hope is that my story can spread around and that can inspire other Muslims to spread their own stories, so that it can go through the community,” Akbar said. “At least other people will have the opportunity to think about it and see both sides of the story, so you don’t just see the Islamic State, you see actual Muslims in the United States also.” Chaplain Rev. Stephen Arbogast, who lived in Benin, Africa for four years and traveled around the world in the Peace Corps, believes exposure to the culture is an integral part of creating an environment free of anti-Islamic sentiment, but recognizes it may be difficult for the community at 10600 Preston Rd. to make a difference. “It's very hard to understand how people think, and that's hard enough,” Arbogast said. “And it's even harder to empathize with how people feel. That's hard enough even when you're talking to someone within your own culture, much less someone who has a very different way of looking at the world.” Yet as much as Arbogast stresses the need to reconcile differences, both he and Akbar recognize that similarities are equally important. “It’s time to publicize Muslim views and how Muslims are getting treated,” Akbar said, “so the whole public can know that these guys are not just terrorists. They’re not evil people or people who are trying to kill us. They have lives too, and they are just like us.” But for those who can’t quite reconcile American culture with that of a foreign population, Arbogast urges understanding. The first step to empathy is to understand where we remain apart, but the key is to stand together. “I think it needs to be a higher priority that we go out and look for a mosque, a Muslim society, a Sufi order,” Arbogast said. “Something that connects us with the society, and be willing to listen and watch and accept. Make it a higher priority, read history, read literature and go out and meet real live human beings in the community.”
Teachers give their hypothetical reactions if faced with the same situation as the teacher at MacArthur High.
GAYMARIE KURDI English instructor
JORGE CORREA
DOUG RUMMEL
Photography instructor
Spanish instructor
Engineering instructor
Officer in the Texas State Guard
Married to a Lebanese Muslim for 23 years
No prior knowledge of the events at MacArthur High
Robotics sponsor
I may be in a unique situation in that I have received training and certification through my work with the Guard in the identification and function of various improvised explosive devices. Based on this training and multiple photographs that I have seen of the ‘clock,’ I can say that I would have acted similarly to the school administration.
‘
The nature of public schools lends themselves to being safety-paranoid because of school shootings and things like that, so I can understand the idea of the teacher wanting to keep people safe. But my initial reaction would not necessarily be that the kid had brought a bomb just because he was Muslim.
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If it was a student who had [the device], I would never think of that. I would have thought it was a project. My first question would have been ‘Can I play with this?’ It’s probably something fun. Our environment here is so healthy, I wouldn’t even go to the suspicion of thinking that it was something weird.
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I would have been saying ‘Oh, tell me more!’ It’s an engineering class. If I had any qualms about it, I would have put a note in there saying my name, signing it, and saying what it was, so they don’t panic. If you knew it was going to be an issue, if there was any question about it, you should have prepared for that.
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PAGE 18 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
LIFE
ZAK HOUILLION
MAGIC OLDING
AFTER HOURS OF CRAFTING AND GLAZING TO COMPLETE HIS CERAMICS, SENIOR ZAK HOUILLION’S POTS ARE OBTAINING A DEVOTED FOLLOWING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
“W
hat a gorgeous piece of pottery – very talented.” “I’ve been making pots for ten years. You have an amazing talent for your age.” “Even my wife loves this one, and she doesn’t even like pottery.” The comments kept appearing. He hit 500 followers in under a month and the numbers kept rising. He knew this was going to be bigger than he could’ve imagined. He threw away the first pot he had ever spun and now his pieces were garnering praise from ceramicists around the country. Senior Zak Houillion made an Instagram account to hopefully sell a few of his pots online. Now his art is followed by more than 1,600 people. Have you gotten a lot of exposure from your page? I’ve had a few famous potters reach out to me. I got to work on a podcast called “The Potters Cast,” which has interviewed a few famous potters such as Alex Matisse.
first sort of 3D piece. And I decided to put that little jump into that form as my first post.
Is the page going to affect your ceramics career after high school? I’ll probably pursue ceramics as a hobby in college, but other than that, I’m mainly trying to attend a technical school, so not anything really close to the arts. So your first [Instagram] post was a piece called “Fissure.” What was the inspiration behind that? Well, starting off my account, I decided to post a bunch of pictures to just build my portfolio. At the time, I viewed that as my best piece. What inspired that piece was I was experimenting with different forms of carving a vase and sort of just etching things on. Then I started doing three-dimensional work and it was my
Portfolio
How much is preplanned before making a pot? The process of making a pot on the wheel before I’ve even thought about design is a stress relief. I just make whatever comes to my head. I can take the piece, set it down and get an image in my head about what I’m going to do with it. What was your first piece like? The first time was just awful compared to now. I definitely threw away my first piece. I couldn’t even get it centered. It kept controlling me, spinning my hands around and around in a circle around the wheel. I don’t really remember it just because it was sort of a bad memory. Did you ever experience a benchmark in your pieces where you really felt connected to pottery?
CENTERED Molding the piece’s structure, senior Zak Houillion focuses on form and fluidity.
It’s been very soothing to just sit down and focus on one thing. But there was a certain point where I made one piece that I was very proud of. I thought, “Hey, maybe if I put more effort into this I could actually be good.” From that moment on, I’ve put in much more time experimenting with different techniques and doing whatever I can to get to that next level. For me, challenging myself to get to next level has been what’s inspired me to keep going. What has been your experience with some of the more challenging pieces you have worked on across the last few years? The most difficult pieces probably for me are the ones I end up not completing. I’ve had a few pieces, especially in my carved work, where I get pretty involved in it and I’ve spent five or six hours actually making the piece and then I discover there’s a weakness at one point and [the piece] starts to collapse. That’s probably the most frus-
trating experience when that happens — when you’ve invested so much time and effort and thought into a piece and then it just flops on itself. How do you respond when something like that happens? I get straight to work on another one, generally speaking. I try to not get attached to my work so that when something like that happens it’s not devastating. I try to learn from whatever happened and improve so I don’t have that flaw in my piece in the next work. What is the best part of ceramics to you? My favorite part of ceramics is probably the fact that I don’t have to think about school when I’m doing it. I can sit down and lose myself in the process, which is definitely my favorite part. As I said, I’m not that attached to the outcome, it’s more the process, making it and being able to sit down and relax and make a work of art that I can appreciate and enjoy.
Houillion discusses his well-known pieces < “I tried to make this one like a tree. My main goal was to push the limits of how much I could take out to where the clay would support itself.”
< “This was supposed to be a sword, but the hilt was too big, so I turned it into a cross. The rest was working and trying to give it a medieval feel.”
< “I tried to make an environment for the spider. I initially started by carving the web, the leaves and the twigs that engulfed the spider.”
< “I knew the colors on the top and the bottom would frame it well, but I wasn’t sure how the primary colors in the middle on the band would work.”
STORY ZACH NAIDU, DANIEL COPE PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS, COURTESY ZAK HOULLION
Junior Maganti places third in regional jazz band competition by John Gunnin alking up to the music stand, his heart is pounding. He places his sheet of music on the stand, alongside 30 other sheets belonging to his competitors. Just a few hours later, junior Rahul Maganti receives the news. He placed third in the Texas Music Educators’ Association (TMEA) Region 20 Jazz Band. In all of music instructor Timothy Hicks’ career, only four Marksmen have done as well at TMEA. Competing against schools like Booker T. Washington and other 5A public schools, Maganti faced almost 30 other saxophone players. The musicians would sit in a room and play
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for the judges. “The more work you put in, the better your sound is going to be,” Maganti said, “and the better you’re going to be able to play with other people, and that’s the whole fun of it.” St. Mark’s hosted the Association of Texas Small School Bands Jazz Auditions (ATSSB) Sept. 26. Five of the six Marksmen entrants earned seats in that ensemble, including juniors Keith Kadesky, Chirag Gokani, Rahul Maganti, sophomore Kannan Sharma, and freshman Raymond Jurcak. In total, Marksmen comprise 25 percent of the ATSSB region jazz band.
Although it is difficult to gain a seat in all of the region bands, the most exclusive band is the TMEA’s. One of the previous four Marksmen to place this high at the TMEA’s was Nick Buckenham ’15. “I hope to be like Nick,” Maganti said. “Nick was on a different level. He was just amazing.” When he picked up the saxophone in fifth grade, Maganti never would have imagined he could achieve this. However for Maganti auditions don’t define your skill as a musician. “I don’t think music is dependent on auditions,” Maganti said. “How
good you are musically isn’t dependent on whether you make this band at this moment.” Instead, simply sounding pleasant has been Maganti’s motivation throughout his musical career. “I don’t really enjoy being bad, especially with music,” Maganti said. “You don’t want to sound bad while you’re playing, you want to enjoy listening to yourself.” With that goal in mind, Maganti has worked countless hours to better his sound. “I just worked on the music hard and the results came,” Maganti said.
PAGE 19 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
L LIFE
SAM ALFALAHI
Child world OF THE
After growing up in Stockholm, Sweden, sixth-grader Sam Alfalahi has learned five languages. But he doesn’t plan on stopping there.
LEARNED LINGUIST Sixth-grader Sam Alfalahi learned five languages while living in Sweden and is now learning a new language, Chinese, at school while strengenthing his knowledge of the French language whenever he has spare time.
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ixth-grader Sam Alfalahi has not had what one would call an ordinary childhood. The oldest son of two Iraqi immigrants, Sam was born in Stockholm, Sweden, where he lived until he was about eight years old. Like most children of immigrants, Sam grew up speaking his parents’ native language as well as the language of the country they lived in, which in his case were Arabic and Swedish. But, unlike most kids, Alfalahi also spoke English, French and Spanish. Sam’s ability to learn languages was instilled in him from a very young age with something as simple as his parents, Kasim and Wasan Alfalahi, talking to him. “I have always spoken English with my kids because they were born in Sweden, and they don’t have English there,” Wasan said. “So we made a decision that I would speak English so they would have English, and then Kasim spoke Arabic with the boys.” This decision made a profound impact on Sam’s life that he would forever benefit from. From there, the list of languages that Sam could speak only grew larger as he started attending a private international school in Stockholm named Lycée Francais that taught both French and Swedish. “The French school was one of the best schools in Stockholm,” Wasan said.
“We’ve always had the feeling that we wanted to do something international, we felt that Swedish is good but French would be much a more advantageous language.” Sam lived in Sweden until the third grade, when his parents made the move to Dallas, at which point he started attending St. Mark’s – a move which most boys would find stressful but for Sam was a new adventure. “The minute you take a plane from Sweden, even if it’s a two hour flight, you are in a different country with a different culture with different food,” Kasim said. “It’s not the same when you live in the U.S.” Wanting a more diverse cultural experience for their kids, the Alfalahi’s travel frequently during the summer. “A year before, we visited England and Sweden and I’ve taken them to Spain. So we try to travel outside and I think it is very important for them to,” Kasim said. “I mean, I would like to take them to China and to Japan. I travel a lot with my job and I tell them about my trips and they really want to go with me, so I will try to do it.” During the school year, Sam takes French classes outside of school. “He studies French every Saturday here at the Alliance Francaise,” Wasan said, “for two hours every Saturday, and he’s been doing that since we moved here in the last three years.”
Along with his French, Sam is taking the mandatory Exploring Asia course in school. His vast knowledge of languages helps him in class. “It’s kind of easier to memorize vocabulary now because I’m so used to it,” Sam said. ccording to Language Department Chair Nancy Marmion, students benefit greatly in the long run from their knowledge of multiple languages. “There have been studies that show that students who are bilingual or speak even more than two languages are more creative,” Mrs. Marmion said. “When you learn to speak another language you know also learn to look at the world differently because language encompasses a world view.”
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NANCY MARMION Foreign Language Department Chair
Similarly, junior Jacob Hum, who has decided to take two different language courses this year, believes that a love of languages will be beneficial in the long run. “It’s very important to be able to communicate with people of all nationalities and so I thought it was in my best interest to take two languages,” Hum said. “I think that the hard work will eventually pay
off and you will be able to enjoy speaking with people of other cultures in different languages.” Kasim and Wasan also believe that their kids are more open-minded to other cultures because of their lives in Sweden. “That’s also one of the choices that we made, choosing St. Mark’s, because we felt that it has diversity and they enjoy that,” Wasan said. “They enjoy seeing people from different backgrounds and I think definitely having that background that we’ve given them has made them much more open-minded.” The value of FOREIGN LANGUAGES
20%
38
points
Benefits of speaking multiple languages
by Daniel Cope
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hey waited in the Greenhill cafeteria. The sound of drumming feet echoed as 200 pairs of eyes waited for the list of names to pop up. It was only his second year of debate and the fear of letting his teammate down ran through his mind. Eventually, the list was posted. And his body sank in relief. Sophomore Harris Wilson and his partner senior Jake Galant made it to the round of 32 in a nation-wide tournament. The team had a 4-2 record by the end of the preliminary rounds, so their advancement was not certain. “There were a bunch of 4-2 teams and we knew that two-thirds of them were going to qualify,” Wilson said. “We were debating one of the top teams there. We lost by a slim majority, but we managed to get enough points to advance.” After advancing, Wilson and Galant
have joined a national circuit ranking the best teams in the nation, putting the squad in good position for the rest of the season. “The four of us are going to go up there and compete in six more preliminary rounds and go through the elimination rounds and accrue points like that,” Wilson said. “Those go into a ranking system, and then they announce the best in the nation, and they receive this really prestigious award called the Baker award, named after our very own [Director of Admission] David Baker, who was a debate legend.” Wilson hopes to continue these victories and remains motivated after the close defeat at the Greenhill Invitational. “It was just really exciting because the other team was just really good,” Wilson said. “All in all it was just a really good tournament and I’m excited to see what we can do the rest of the season.”
Average increase on the SAT if a student studies a world language for just one year. • Increases listening skills • Enhances cognitive ability • Aids problem solving ability • Increases creativity • Can connect with others
Source American Speak Language Hearing Association Middlebury Interactive Languages
STORY WASEEM NABULSI, MOHIT SINGHAL PHOTO ILLUSTRATION ARNO GOETZ, GOPAL RAMAN, CREATIVE COMMONS
Debate team finds early success
Percent increase in the attention span of individiuals who have studied another foreign language.
L LIFE
PAGE 20 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER HOMECOMING
A wet weekend E
ver since Student Council began planning for the Homecoming dance, it had one common goal: To make the weekend unforgettable. And Homecoming weekend will certainly be remembered by its participants. The events were kicked by a resounding five-set comeback victory by the varsity volleyball team against Greenhill, giving the Lions squad the first seed for the SPC tournament. However, following the volleyball game, inclement weather forced administration to reschedule the football to the next day, Oct. 24, when the varsity football team defeated Greenhill by a score of 2421 to lock up a playoff berth and the first seed in the north zone. “Even though the rain was definitely a factor,” Student Council Vice President John Landry said, “everyone was still able to enjoy the Homecoming events and make the most of them. After the exciting victories by the Lions sports squads, students finished the weekend with a bang at the Homecoming Dance Oct 24., which was held at the House of Blues in downtown Dallas. With new events such as a faculty-student lip
Although six-inch rains tried to dampen Homecoming spirit, the sporting events and dance were truly unforgettable.
sync battle and a strobe light show, the dance was truly unique compared to year’s past. “We really went all out for this year,” Student Council President JT Graass said. “I wanted to make sure we had something for everyone.” The dance, which borrowed its theme from the critically and audience acclaimed film Interstellar, featured tracks played by DJ Umer Nadir ’15 and concluded with the crowning of the Homecoming King, Avery Powell and Queen, Hockaday senior Sloane Castleman. “It was just one part of an already fantastic night,” Powell said. “Winning King made the night something never to forget.” “It was awesome to be named Queen” Castleman said. “It was a great way to end my last Homecoming dance.” With a popular venue and a familiar DJ, the dance was enjoyed by several students and comprised just one aspect of an exciting weekend. “Overall, I think this weekend was a huge success,” Landry said. “We had great participation from alumni, faculty, and current students and that’s what made this Homecoming so amazing.”
Queen Sloane Castleman and King Avery Powell share a dance after being crowned.
King nominees and senior Philip Smart perform for the inaugural lip-sync battle.
Practicing the new “roller coaster” celebration, the senior class cheers at Friday’s pep rally. Elevating for a spike, Matthew Lawson leads the comeback.
Mingling and interacting with each other, faculty and former students rekindle relationships at the Alumni gathering.
Exciting students, the light show was a new addition.
Senior Matthew Placide rolls out to pass against Greenhill.
STORY ANVIT REDDY, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ, ALDEN JAMES, FRANK THOMAS
PAGE 21 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
BUZZ
QUESO REVIEWS HEADLINERS
Ghostbusters
E
veryone has seen Ghostbusters. It’s one of those childhood classics for millennials, and it’s got a cast full of stars and the best kind of low quality special effects. Everything needed to stand the test of time. First of all, what an insane premise. Five dudes fight phantoms for a living? But every time I watch it, I get new laughs out of Bill Murray’s dry and subtle humor and Dan Aykroyd’s ridiculous personality. I usually shrug it off as a movie I don’t need to see again, but this Halloween, consider revisiting this classic.
Shaun of the Dead
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Halloween movies I
t’s that haunting time of year again, when little kids (and maybe some adults) take to the streets to stuff themselves with candy. But if you’re not inclined to trick-or-treat, here are some solid movie options for one of the spookiest nights of the year.
LIFE
THIS ISSUE HALLOWEEN MOVIES
Reviewing the best of the best — and the worst of the worst.
TOP
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his movie is so good you’re going to see it twice. And also because you won’t get half of the jokes the first time. In its own realm of movies, this Rom-Zom-Com (romance, zombie, comedy) movie checks all the boxes: a love story for the ladies, blood and thrills galore for the gents, and all kinds of jokes for just about everyone. It’s a very British flick, the type that makes you think even if you could understand every word the said. If you’re looking for a quirky, crazy, scary movie for this Hallow-
een weekend, Shaun of the Dead will scare the whole room — and have them laughing.
Young Frankenstein
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tried and true classic, Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein is one of those films a kid will watch and just never forget. This 1970’s film the horror genre of the 1930’s, with every scene shot in black and white. Every scene is jam-packed with wholesome comedy, and Gene Wilder’s character, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, the unfortunate grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, keeps things interesting every step of the way. The humor is family friendly — excluding a few borderline raunchy jokes typical of movies of the era — and is a great end to a night of trick or treating, even if you’re old enough to be handing out candy yourself.
Beetlejuice
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t’s Michael Keaton, need one say any more? Alas, the film hinges beautifully on a perfectly frenetic performance from the Bat(Bird?) man himself as Keaton bounces around the screen as a ghost drawn up by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis’s recently deceased couple to
assist in the haunting of a house. One of Tim Burton’s earliest (and best), Beetlejuice manages to balance an intense feeling of fun stemming from the craziness of the entire film and an actual sense of horror as practical prosthetics are put to great use as arms, heads, and other various body parts are removed from bodies. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the glory of Michael Keaton in full body make up twisting his head in circles.
Hocus Pocus
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hough clearly dated and more than a little bit cheesy, Hocus Pocus still manages to ignite a sense of childlike wonder into the viewer as three witches fight against a young girl and her friends. No, it’s not a masterpiece and it’s far from being an amazing piece of cinema (Read: NOT Citizen Kane), but it is an overwhelmingly fun little movie that can draw out a feeling of nostalgia from even the dourest of people. The effects may be bad, and the acting haphazard, but Hocus Pocus still manages to be a fun romp for all parties, especially those looking to stay away from scarier fares.
REVIEWS WILL CLARK, PHILIP SMART, AVERY POWELL, PARKER MCWATTERS PHOTOS CREATIVE COMMONS
UP NEXT
Head iners Concerts Zac Brown Band November 6 at 7 p.m. GEXA Energy Pavillion
Chance the Rapper November 13 at 8 p.m. South Side Ballroom
Mac Miller
November 25 at 7:30 p.m. The Bomb Factory
Albums Bob Dylan
Quick dip of
QUESO
It’s a Tex-Mex tradition, and every respectable taco shop and Mexican eatery has its own spin on it. Some may say it’s just cheese dip, but it’s so so much more. We’ve assembled a team of culinary experts to find out which quesos around town stand up to the test.
Rafa’s
During a time when restaurants think it’s acceptable to just melt some Velveeta cheese and call it queso, Rafa’s escapes this saddening trend, using a delicious variety of flavors in their famous house queso. Instead of sticking to the norm, they add beef and spicy pico to their queso, which gives every queso lover the spice and flavor they crave.
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The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12 November 6
Ellie Goulding Delirium November 6
Tim McGraw
Damn Country Music November 6
Logic
The Incredible True Story November 13
Movies
Torchy’s Tacos People have described it as one of the most addictive substances on the planet. Laced with Diablo sauce and guacamole, Torchy’s queso is a stew of cheese and goodies that truly is “damn good.” The only thing holding me back is the fact that not all batches are created equal. Occasionally they’ll overdose on the Diablo sauce, or they won’t have enough guac, but even with these imperfections, the queso ranks among the all-time greats.
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James Bond: Spectre November 6
The 33
November 6
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 November 20
Creed
November 27
Mi Cocina Accentuated by the vibrant flavors of chili powder and chili flakes, Mi Cocina’s queso, while admittedly uncreative, is a good, yet simple option. Blending together four Mexican cheeses in a medley of flavor, the queso offers some heat, but a spice connoisseur like myself prefers a bit more kick. One redeeming quality would be the giant circular chip, which ties the whole dish together nicely.
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Taco Joint Simply put, as Taco Joint’s “simply awesome” slogan would attest to, the queso is simply good. It’s nothing that will blow your mind, if you want something with a little more kick you’ll have to order the Disaster dip, but it is solid. With freshly made chips and a queso that is equally fresh, chips and queso here is sure to suffice.
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Mr. Mesero At first I was skeptical. White queso? This is heresy. Artichoke and spinach in the queso? No thanks. But when I tasted the creamy dip, I changed my mind. It’s simple and elegant. The consistency is thicker than typical queso but then again why am I even comparing this to typical queso? If you’re looking for a change-of-pace for your favorite cheesy treat, Mr. Mesero’s signature queso dish is a solid option.
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REVIEWS WILL CLARK, PHILIP SMART, CARSON CROCKER, SAM SUSSMAN PHOTO CORBIN WALP
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EVALUATING POPE FRANCIS
commentary commentary
page 24
22
NEW HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL
23
UNSUNG HERO
24
Marksmen share things they wish we had here at 10600 Preston Rd.
CREATIVE COMMONS
Pope Francis has been polarizing, but his actions have been for the best.
I REALLY WISH ST. MARK’S HAD...
We would like to see these traits in the new head of Upper School.
This faculty member does a lot more for us than it might seem, and he deserves to be recognized.
page 3
PAGE 22 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 I REMARKER
THE REMARKER
EDITORIAL
IVY LEAGUE all As
straight As
LANGUAGES grades honors
EDITOR IN CHIEF PHILIP SMART
AP CLASS high honors GRADES 5.0 GPA
MANAGING EDITOR WILL CLARK
STRA A’s
SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR AVERY POWELL ISSUES EDITOR CAMERON CLARK
5.0honor GPA roll
AP CLASS GRADES
AP CLASS workload college
IVY LEAGUE
all As
high honors
CREATIVE DIRECTOR ABHI THUMMALA MAGAZINE EDITORS BRADFORD BECK, DAVIS MARSH
COURSE CATALOG 2015-16
DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR ZACH NAIDU ST. MARK’S
HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER ARNO GOETZ PHOTO EDITOR FRANK THOMAS BUSINESS MANAGER ROBY MIZE CAMPUS COORDINATOR CRAWFORD MCCRARY COMMENTARY EDITORS WILLIAM CALDWELL, JOHN CRAWFORD NEWS EDITORS CORDAY CRUZ, PHILIP MONTGOMERY NEWS WRITERS ANDRE ARSENAULT, RETT DAUGHBERG, BLAKE DAUGHERTY, JAMES HANCOCK, ZOHEB KHAN, NAFTAL MAUTIA, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY, REECE RABIN LIFE EDITORS GOPAL RAMAN, ANVIT REDDY LIFE WRITERS DAVIS BAILEY, DANIEL COPE, ZACHARY GILSTRAP, JOHN GUNNIN, , WASEEM NABULSI, KOBE ROSEMAN, MOHIT SINGHAL SPORTS EDITORS RISH BASU, CASE LOWRY SPORTS WRITERS ALEC DEWAR, WILL FORBES, MIKE MAHOWALD, NICK MALVEZZI, MATTHEW PLACIDE, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ, SAM SHANE, SAM SUSSMAN REVIEWS SPECIALIST PARKER MCWATTERS ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER COPY EDITORS AIDEN BLINN, AIDAN MAURSTAD CARTOONIST ABHI THUMMALA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS DREW BAXLEY, MATEO DIAZ, SAM EICHENWALD, WILLIAM HALL, WESLEY HIBBS, ALDEN JAMES, REID JOHANNSEN, GRAHAM KIRSTEIN, CAM LAM, CHARLIE O’BRIEN, TIM O’MEARA, TUCKER RIBMAN, NICO SANCHEZ, RILEY SANDERS, KABEER SINGH, CORBIN WALP STAFF ARTISTS DANIEL BYEON, DANIEL GARCIA, JOON PARK, BRAYDON WOMACK ADVISER RAY WESTBROOK ONLINE VIEWING. Each issue of The ReMarker, along with archival copies, can be viewed on the school’s website, www.smtexas. org/remarker. READER INVOLVEMENT. The ReMarker encourages reader input through letters, guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for submissions. Suggestions will be given due consideration for future publication. ADVERTISING. Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad in the newspaper’s pages is not an indication of an endorsement by The ReMarker, any of its staff members or faculty or staff members of St. Mark’s School of Texas. DISTRIBUTION. Press run is 3,800 copies. Copies are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff at various distribution sites on campus. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions. MEMBERSHIP. The ReMarker maintains membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, New York City, NY; National Scholastic Press Association, Minneapolis, MN; and the Interscholastic League Press Conference, Austin. St. Mark’s School of Texas 10600 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75230. 214.346.8000 www.smtexas.org
ABHI THUMMALA GRAPHIC
RESEARCH DIRECTOR NOAH KOECHER
THE SCHOOL’S CHANGING CURRICULUM
Choosing classes for the right reasons
O
ver many years, the curriculum at St. Mark’s has downsized. The school has lost Russian, German, French and, by next year, Japanese. Many specialized classes have come and gone — history of film, history of jazz, the making of the atomic bomb and many others. It begs the question: why is the school ending these classes? The most obvious response is that students aren’t signing up for these classes. As AP offerings become available, the number of students choosing nonAP options deteriorates rapidly. With a college-minded student body who, for the most part, is looking for the highest GPA possible rather than the most enjoyable class experience, these offerings cannot compete with their AP and honors counterparts with a GPA-boost. The process of creating a new class is straightforward, while thorough. A teacher comes to the Committee on the Academic Program with a proposal for a class, the committee reviews the concept for its necessity and usefulness, and either accepts, modifies, or rejects the proposal. Then, the teacher provides a short description for the course catalog, and the class becomes an option for students. Still, there are many AP classes that exist at other schools that don’t exist here. Many schools have classes such as AP
human geography and AP United States government, but our curriculum does not include those options. We believe it would be beneficial to have a more varied history curriculum, considering students currently don’t have multiple options for history classes: two years of world history, American history, then European history. However, the question remains: would new options survive if they were offered? The real problem is that students tend to be focused on their résumé and transcript attempting to look more appealing to colleges, filling their schedules with AP classes until the more niche, non-AP options can’t make. However, this mindset is unacceptable. Is it really good to focus entirely on what a college wants instead of getting what you want out of a St. Mark’s education? The most direct solution to this would be to offer niche classes with honorslevel grade boosts, but only in situations where they would solely compete with AP classes, or only if the students passed a curriculum proficiency examination. However, this would be addressing the problem without addressing the cause. Another means of offering these classes would be outside of school, such as during the summer or ninth period. Hockaday offers students classes such as United States government, health and
comes to
mind?
There are different things we wish we had on campus. Here are some examples of those things.
“A bigger pool.” — Senior Daniyaal Kamran
“Indian food. Sike, it’s the best.” — Senior Kent Broom
Here’s a topic that will hopefully provoke real thought and insight.
While teachers are responsible for creating new classes for us, it is not their fault if students don’t sign up for them. Still, founding teachers could do a better job of raising awareness for their new classes, as the most common means of disseminating information about the details of available courses for the next year is by the teachers, mostly limiting a student’s knowledge of their options to what they’ve been told in their classes. Ultimately, it is important to choose classes based on what they teach rather than their effect on one’s GPA, as with that attitude, the school can maintain a course catalog built around breadth rather than collegiate competitiveness.
I really wish St.Mark’s had...
what
next month
history of art and music. Offering optional classes outside of the normal schedule would present another way for students to enroll in classes they actually desire to take, and increase the flexibility of one’s course load. Still, there exists a certain culture surrounding selecting classes each year; typically, students follow the same general schedule as the students of the year before, leading to the same classes making and the same classes struggling year after year. It is on the students to examine the whole breadth of scheduling options, as the graduation requirements provide considerable flexibility.
“Better technology.” — Sixth grader Lars Oaks
The weirdest thing I own is... email submissions to 17crawfordj@smtexas.org
“A better robotics lab.” — Junior Rex Northcut
“A hockey team.” — Math instructor Amy Pool
“A gaming room.” — Junior Evan Baker
PAGE 23 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
I
My brief time living out of boxes
look for those paper towels for half an hour. My knee is bruised. My arm is scratched. And at 1 a.m., I’m walking with a limp through a house littered with cardboard booby traps. All I want is a midnight snack. With my laptop balanced in one hand, I stumble through a maze of plastic wrap and rearranged furniture, past a new family of unfamiliar AVERY POWELL appliances. After ten minutes, I’m on my hands and knees, searching through the bottom row. By 20, I’m slamming cabinets in anger. I slammed my hand so hard on the fresh granite countertop it hurt for the rest of the week. Back in my room, I’m still living in a kingdom of boxes. Three weeks into my senior year, in the middle of the first round of tests, when college apps loomed more than ever, we moved to a new home. It wasn’t far, only about five minutes from where I used to live
and the same distance from school, but packing up your entire life and moving it just across the Tollway is no simple task. We even flew grandma in to help. And although moving day was sweaty, hectic and everything inbetween, the real struggle came in the days and weeks after. My mom and I were now living in a disheveled mess of recently unearthed personal trinkets, tape and cardboard towers. The first weekend, I helped when I could, filling out my role as the only son by moving boxes filled with heavy textbooks or disassembled furniture. But when those textbooks came out and the desk was put together, I buried my nose in my school work. From there on out, my mom did all the heavy lifting. While she set up the kitchen cabinets, organized the entire pantry and arranged all the furniture, I shut the door and sat upstairs working on math homework. I wasn’t to be bothered. In the two weeks after we moved, while I rode along in the
backseat while the house “magically” put itself together, I realized how wrong it was to think that just because I was close to living on my own in college, I was already independent. I thought I didn’t need to be taken care of. During the weekdays, I moved the occasional box, threw out some old belongings, of course griping the entire time. However much I could complain about stubbed toes and missing paper towels, I wasn’t doing much at all to ease the situation. In fact, many of my minor moving-week injuries occured because I didn’t crawl out of my room until the middle of the night. That, and I hadn’t figured out where the light switch was. My mom put the weight on her own back, while I spent all my time at school and outside the house that she was working so hard to keep together. When I was home, it was about my schoolwork. My goals. While she cared for me, I cared for myself. I wasn’t the man I thought I was.
THE
MATRIX
Our musings of happenings around campus condensed into single boxes
ENJOYABLE
NOTICEABLE
Student section
Parking in the grass
As the halftime clock expires, way too many students go to the concession stand and never come back.
Having to park in the grass for every school event makes the already long trek from the lot to class even more painful, even if it’s only a few more feet.
Online grade breakdowns
The free donuts are great, but the fair is beginning to feature more and more resume-filler clubs.
Open computer labs
Senior-freshmen buddies
The computer labs’ reopening has reinstated our ability to write an essay in 45 minutes or less.
As if mosquitoes outside weren’t annoying enough.
Four-square on the quad
Club fair
To be able to see exact numbers that compose a grade rather than just a letter is extremely informative, but more teachers need to use it.
Mosquitoes in the film wing
With every walkway taken up by middle schoolers palming a tennis ball, we hope to see these games move away from the busiest areas so we can walk in peace again.
Fun Day
This new tradition has undoubtedly made the transition to high school much less terrifying for freshmen.
Seeing middle- and lowerschoolers wearing the Fun Day shirt is enough to improve one’s day, reminding everyone of the great carnivals of old.
editorial
The next Upper School head
Listening is ‘quality one’
W
ith the search for a new Head of Upper School underway (see story, page one), there are certain qualities that we feel would best serve our school community. First and foremost among these is that we’d like the new administrator to have an innate ability to listen to us before he or she reacts to our ideas and proposals. There’s nothing more frustrating than approaching an administrator and being told “no” before we’ve had an opportunity to fully present our ideas. We hope the new head of Upper School realizes that students here are creative and frequently want to try new things or add to our already bounteous slate of events and activites. Having an administrator who we know will listen to us will create an atmosphere of goodwill from the very first day he or she is on the job. Interaction and a feeling of comfort are two other areas we’d like to new administrator to posseses, so approachability is very important. And, in this day of awareness of equality on so many levels, we should stress that gender should not be a factor in the decision making process. Women are more than capable as administrators, and we are confident that a fully qualified female educator would be well-suited to directing the diverse student body and varied activites and events that comprises life in Upper School. Another quality we would like to see in this candidate is someone who will hold everybody accountable. With a leader who is able to do this, the effectiveness and the efficiency of the entire community will be increased. We seem to be a school fully committed to character education. With that being said, we need someone who believes in and understands the concepts of character education and is willing to provide his or her own persepctive on this topic. In this new administrator, we want somebody who is willing and able to uphold the standards already set by the members of this community. We need somebody who is devoted to serving all members who are a part of that community — students, parents, faculty and staff. This new head wields great influence in the Upper School; we want someone hired who pushes all of us forward in the school’s mission and helps us emerge as future leaders in our respective communities. We have confidence in the administors’ decisions and eagerly await the appointment of our new head of Upper School. Hopefully, that person will mirror the expectations we feel critical to him or her being a successful leader for the school community.
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE | CARTOON ABHI THUMMALA
IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE...
KING SIZE
NET WT 3 OZ
TRICK OR TREAT? KING SIZE
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COMMENTARY
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PAGE 24
COMMENTARY
OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
ound the ar
GLOBE
hot or not? A discussion of issues outside the scope of campus, around the country and across the globe.
Quick thoughts on some recent events at 10600 Preston Road.
Heating up | Dr. Lee Berger For the second time in as many years, paleoanthropologist Lee Berger has presented to us his groundbreaking and fascinating discovery of Homo naledi. And we got a prized memento out of it.
Pope Francis’s reforms are admirable
On fire | Senior Auction Selling such items as whole hog roast, 7-on-7 football and a SMASA rocket launch, the 2015 Senior Auction broke previous fundraising records to fund the exciting senior year ahead.
You don’t have to be a Catholic to appreciate what he has done. He is spreading the church’s tidings of benevolence, peaceloving and forgiveness while sparing the church’s policies that can sow division rather than harmony.
PHOTO ARNO GOETZ
s the Catholic church grows further and further from the mainstream, Pope Francis, who, by being from South America, is already a groundbreaking Pope, is championing several reforms and liberalizing multiple hardline stances in a rather successful attempt to bring the Catholic church back to its former relevance. One can easily see his widespread appeal simply by the media buzz created by his recent visit to the United States, rivaling the coverage that his brokering of an improvement of relations between the United States and Cuba created.
PHOTO ALDEN JAMES
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Cool | Pep rallies For as much effort as goes into the pep rallies by the cheerleaders and Student Council, students themselves seem to have very little excitement outside of the class cheers, invalidating the work put in.
Icy | Cell-phone policy The specific safe-zones for cell phone use seem arbitrary, and the enforcement for using cell phones outside of the zones is equally random, confusing many students.
The ‘like it and leave it’ phenomenon A
n invitation to live in Qatar. A meeting with the president. A trove of Microsoft products. A scholarship to UNT. Dozens of Silicon Valley internship offers. Doesn’t that seem excessive? I’m not saying Ahmed Mohammed JOHN CRAWFORD wasn’t wrongfully arrested for bringing a clock to school, and I’m not denying the existence of Islamaphobia in the United States. But this excessive response does display our tendency to turn an actual social issue into a fad, a hashtag, a headline, a sound byte. The case of Ahmed Mohammed’s clock is perhaps the most egregious
display yet: a muslim boy arrested for building a clock that a teacher believed was a bomb has become a hero, an innovator, a genius; and while his scientific ambitions are nothing to belittle, he isn’t famous for building an incredible, innovative clock. As a society in the information age, we have become susceptible to bandwagoning on social causes to be fashionable, to look good to our friends. Everybody has seen the post of a bereaved boy with the caption “One like equals one prayer.” That picture circulates for a day, accumulates thousands of likes from people trying to show off their sympathies to their friends, and is forgotten forever. Nothing changes. In a way, Ahmed Mohammed is no different from a circulating Facebook
share, but on a much larger scale. Every high-visibility entity with a PR firm, like Google, President Obama or MIT, has jumped on the wagon, giving him extravagant gifts and opportunities, showing off to the world how generous and sympathetic they are. What is wrong with that? In short, it isn’t genuine, and it isn’t necessary. It’s not bad to be sympathetic for Ahmed, and it’s not bad to be outraged by the Irving Police’s treatment of him. Islamaphobia, however, is the root issue, and it will not be toppled by a Facebook share or a retweet. You can’t let yourself become complacent to that — if you want to make a change, you will need to do more than just show your friends that you “care” enough to press a button. Don’t let this issue die when the media stops deciding to cover it. No
SHORT & TWEET
Unsung hero
A peek at Marksmen’s tweets My song dropped. It’s a recording of a heavy guy adjusting his seatbelt on an airplane & the drop is when the flight attendant tries to help. — Senior Graham Kirstein
@
@
“I lean forward when I walk because then I don’t have to work as hard”-George Dau. — Junior Gordon Gunn
@
@
Chris Carter (.195 hitter) may have saved the Astros playoff hopes and I couldn’t be happier. — Senior Angel Reyes
@
I had to use soy milk in my cereal today #the struggle is real.
@
graham_kirstein
gordon_gunn
angel_reyes44
sammysanchez19
—Sophomore Sammy Sanchez
quaddrew
Oh you’re a 10? On the pH scale maybe cuz you basic. #SMhumor — Senior Drew Taylor
RICK CEROVSKY Helps seniors perfect their senior exhibitions
THIS MONTH’S PICK: RICK CEROVSKY
T willgarden1
Why are there handicapped spaces at Sonic? You don’t even get out of your car... — Senior Will Garden
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All of my dance moves are based on Waka Waka or the Zumba version of Bailando. — Senior Ashton Hashemipour
@
When you witness the traffic lights turning off for the night>>
ashtonhash
CottenWill
number of free trips or internships will defeat people’s biases, so if you want to show your compassion, stay vigilant. Try to overcome this issue. Don’t stop caring about an issue because it stops appearing on your feed, because it isn’t going away with the click of a button. Islamaphobia is perhaps the most under-covered social issue in America, but the Ahmed Mohammed snafu shows just how prevalent it is. The reaction, however, shows how little Americans seem to tolerate it. But many times, outrage against it is for the wrong reasons — to look good on social media. Be authentic in your attempts to stop this nationwide issue, because it’s not nearly enough to just show people you care. You have to actually care.
—Junior Will Cotten
his staff member does much more than it might seem. Helping schedule senior exes, rehearsing with every single senior before his exhibition, and of course making sure all the technology is there for not only senior exhibitions but also for special assemblies, Director of Media Services Rick Cerovsky deserves to be recognized. For senior exhibitions, he practices with each particular senior to make sure the speech and performance is flawless. At pep rallies, Cerovsky ensures the success of all technological aspects. He provides excellent music and microphone assistance. Truly a man behind the scenes, Cerovsky does it all and is rarely recognized. If you pass him in the hallway, make sure to say thank you. Trust us, he’s working constantly to make the school a better place. And, he’s extremely friendly, to boot. Thank you from us here at the ReMarker.
S sports
THE OTHER GUYS
Get to know some of the Upper School coaches who operate behind the scenes.
PHOTO
DEFYING ALL ODDS
SUPPLEMENTS
Are protein supplements beneficial for athletes at this school?
ALDEN JAMES
Facing many injuries, the varsity football team looks to fight through the adversity.
ALBERT THIEU
Aspiring to attend the Air Force Academy, senior Thieu takes on grueling standards.
ABOVE THE STANDARD
Going on to play sports at the next level may not be so rare anymore.
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PAGE 25 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 I REMARKER
shouldn’t have said it. You look like a stupid zebra. After being served a very questionable technical foul in a very essential second grade, championship basketball game, my 6-year-old self thought it was wise to yell this insult at a referee. Of course, I was kicked out of the game. But for me, it was definitely worth it. So, yeah, referees and I go way back. And by “way back” I don’t mean a sugar-sweet relationship filled with inside jokes and memories. Our relationship is more of a vengeful, out-for-blood type. In case my highly sophisticated, zebra insult didn’t make it clear, referees and I have never got along. Their presence has always been a puzzling question to me. Yes, they have to be there to manage the game, but at the same time, I’ve always felt their decisions should not make or break the outcome of a contest. I could name many times a referee crushed the Cowboys’ chances of winning (Dez caught it) or prevented the Mavericks from edging an opponent owing to a petty foul call. But I still believed that a referee’s calls could only alter the outcome of a game. Not a player’s character. Watching a video of Victor Rojas and Mike Moreno, two John Jay High School football players, deliberately spearing a referee during a game, I got a feeling of déjà vu. RISH BASU For a reason that I couldn’t wrap my head around, I knew what Rojas and Moreno felt like. I knew what it felt like to want to inflict pain on a referee. Rojas and Moreno’s actions brought back memories of youth basketball and continuous insults. Memories that I certainly was not proud of. ut after watching the helpless, 50-year-old Robert Watts get blindsided repeatedly on national news, I instantly remembered my second grade championship game and what I said. I was ashamed of myself. I couldn’t believe I was capable of understanding the thought process behind Rojas and Moreno’s actions. But more importantly, I was ashamed for not being more understanding. They aren’t only there to serve as administrators of a contest. They are veterans. Students of the game. They deserve respect. After watching the entire situation with Watts and the two football players unfold, I realized that a simple complaint to a referee could quickly turn into a vicious attack. Watts, like any other referee, teacher or parent, is a symbol of authority. Yes, at some point I grew tired of watching the video of Rojas and Moreno attacking Robert Watts on ESPN, but its effect on me hasn’t changed. Every time I see it, I take a moment. A small moment to show some respect. A moment for the men in black and white.
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• NEW CONCUSSION TESTING The training staff has started a new type of concussion protocol called the King-Devick Test on the sidelines of varsity football games that measure the reading speed of athletes who have just experienced a hard hit, or whose head might hurt during a game. Athletic trainer Matt Hjerstedt believes the test is effective. “This King-Devick Test is one of the few tests that’s validated for either confirming whether somebody
stories around campus in brief does or doesn’t have a concussion,” Hjertstedt said. “You don’t have to be medically trained to do it — so pretty much anybody can do it, including the coaches. • JUNIOR VARSITY SECURES WINS The junior varsity football and volleyball teams’ seasons are winding to an end. Volleyball has three straight wins, including a grueling three-set victory over the varsity Hockaday team, while the junior varsity football team bested Trinity
Valley in a 51-7 victory. “We weren’t worried after we lost the first set to Hockaday,” sophomore Owen Berger said. “We picked up the intensity and improved our passes in the next two sets, and in the end we were victorious.” • MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS FINISH Coach Hayward Lee’s eighth-grade football team continued their impressive season Oct. 1 with a 36-6 win over Oakridge, orchestrated by quarterback Anthony Anderson and wide receiver Paxton
Scott. The Middle School cross country team is having a good season, with top five finishes in every meet, highlighted by a second place finish at the third Luke’s Locker Invitational Oct. 8. The team’s top finishers are Andres Arroyo and Luke Evangelist, who are tied for the best times on the team with an 11:47 time in the two mile. • WINTER SPORTS IN PRESEASON Preseason for winter sports like basketball,
soccer and wrestling has begun. Open gyms and scrimmages for soccer and basketball have been rolling since the beginning of October. Head coaches Greg Guiler and Corindo Martin have led the practices. Junior Rohil Rai is excited for the season to begin. “I think the open gyms are a great way to get the guys ready for the season.” Rai said. “It gives the players a chance to show what they have before tryouts.”
— Jimmy Rodriguez, Sam Sussman, Will Forbes, Mike Mahowald
in the
MOMENT events on campus told through photos
Michael Jordan plays at homecoming game
HIGH FLYING During a varsity volleyball game against Oklahoma City Casady Sept. 25, senior Will Diamond and sophomore Toussaint Pegues reach for a block for the Lions. The volleyball team won the match 3-0 in the SPC counter game.
the Around corner
The playmaker Before suffering an injury, eighth grade quarterback Billy Lockhart led the Lions offense to dominating wins over Cistercian and Fort Worth Country Day
what you need to know in the coming week
TODAY What JV Veterans vs. DFW Volleyball Club When 6 p.m. Where Hicks Gym
3
What JV Rookies vs. DFW Volleyball Club When 7 p.m. Where Hicks Gym
NUMBER OF TOUCHDOWNS SCORED BY BILLY LOCKHART IN THE FIRST HALF AGAINST FORT WORTH COUNTRY DAY
WEEKEND What Varsity football vs. Kinkaid When 3 p.m. Where Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium
What Dallas Stars vs. San ose Sharks When 2 p.m. Where American Airlines Center, Dallas
BILLY LOCKHART
NEXT WEEK What Fall volleyball SPC Tournament Saturday When Begins at 8 a.m. Where St. Stephen’s School, Austin
What Fall Cross Country SPC meet Saturday When Begins at 7 a.m. Where St. Andrew’s School, Austin
What SPC Large School Championship Saturday When 4 p.m. Where Dragon Stadium at St. Stephen’s School, Austin
What US Open Netball Championships Friday When Begins at 7 a.m. Where Duncanville Fieldhouse
NICO SANCHEZ PHOTO
I
QUICKhits
TIM O’MEARA PHOTO
ZEBRAS AREN’T SO DUMB
“I think our hard work and willingnes to change led to our impressive effectiveness. Having only 21 guys on our roster, we had some guys step into roles that didn’t suit them or that they came into the season not expecting to play, and I can’t respect them more for that.”
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SPORTS
OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER THE INJURY-STRICKEN FOOTBALL TEAM
audible CALLING AN
FLYING HIGH Senior William Caldwell leaps into the air to snag a touchdown, his last one before a season ending injury.
With more injuries this fall than any other football team in the last decade, the Lions looked to unexpected leaders to carry the team — limping and hurt — into the playoffs.
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enior captain William Caldwell spins, cuts and jukes to turn a five-yard slant into a 25yard gain. It’s the second quarter and the Lions are up 12 needing 25 yards for a first down. But it’s second down and they have two downs to get there. This isn’t a situation that called for an extraordinary play, but, as he has done so frequently during his three-year varsity career, he makes one. As usual, Caldwell delivers. He delivered last season, leading SPC in most categories for receivers. He delivered in the first game this year, twisting in mid-air to catch the game-winning touchdown above a Cistercian corner desperately trying to guard him in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter. As always, extraordinary circumstances called for Caldwell. But now he can’t deliver. On one of these expected displays of brilliance, he snapped his fibula so severely he needed a metal plate inserted. Somebody needed to step up. And the players who were called upon to fill his size-13 cleats plus those of the other team members that were injured have done just that. Besides Caldwell, there have been a total of nine players who have faced with injuries during the game — a number far greater than teams from past years. Senior Zak Houillion, who has led the Lions’ offense in receiving yards with four touchdowns since Caldwell’s injury, has been one of the many players that have stepped up the plate. Houllion believes the injuries should not take HIS TIME TO SHINE Senior Zak away from the team’s Houllian lines up before a route as the primary reciever for the Lions in drive to make the Caldwell’s absence. playoffs. “I think the goals are exactly the same for the team,” Houllion said. “Even though there are injuries, that doesn’t change anything. We still have to have our mind in the same place and still achieve what we want to
Home remedies TIM SKAPEK Senior strong safety and kicker
“I do specific stretches before practice, after practice and before I go to sleep for my position and past injuries I’ve had.”
achieve with these injuries because if you take a different mindset to it, you’re going to get a different result and that’s not what we want.” In only his first year as a high school football player, Houllion recognized Caldwell’s absence and spent extra time to improve his game. His work has paid off as he has doubled the amount of yards from his first two games as a starting receiver.
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EVEN THOUGH I CAN’T MAKE AN IMPACT ON THE FIELD, I KNOW I CAN STILL MAKE ONE AS A CAPTAIN OFF THE TURF.
WILLIAM CALDWELL
Houllion attributes his success to his willingness to rise to the occasion. “At first I was kind of scared because I was thrust into the starting position with absolutely zero practice,” Houllion said. “So I was kind of playing scared a little bit. But as I started to realize that I can do this and that I need to do this due to William’s injury, I got more of a confident attitude, and I feel like if you take that attitude, you really start to go get the ball instead of letting it come to you and taking charge of your overall game.” After a 21-14 loss against Casady on Sep. 25 to put the Lions record at 2-3, the team was in a situation where they needed to win out in order to make the playoffs. By losing one of their most productive players in Caldwell, it seemed as if the season was going to be a lost cause. But after a 28-16 win against an undefeated Oakridge and a 21-20 victory against Trinity Valley in overtime, it seemed like the Lions had responded well to its multitude of injuries. Head coach Bart Epperson is hopeful for his team’s chances — despite injuries. “The biggest thing is that the team continues to pull together, and they continue to get better each week at what they can do,” Epperson said. “And, if they continue to do that, with the guys being injured, we at least give ourselves an opportunity to win the football game. hat’s what Epperson is hoping to do. “If we can stay together, build together and keep doing the things we need to on any facet of the game, we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win,” Epperson said. With starters Michael Mosle and Hunter Alexander injuring themselves during twoa-days, the varsity team has called on many sophomores to fill starting position on the line and receiving core. Sophomores Matthew Fornaro, William Hall and Canyon Kyle have played minutes in big games and have given the entire team hope they can push through the season. Senior captain Drew Baxley believes a certain mentality is necessary for this situation. “The coaches have preached a ‘next man up’ philosophy since day one of two-
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a-days,” Baxley said. “As a result, every player prepares in practice as though they are going to play that Friday. The goal is to have good athletes on the sideline able to cover every spot on the field in the case of an injury.” Sophomore Fausto Reyher has understood the importance of his role as a starter on the defense. Leading the team with 14 tackles against All Saints, he was recognized as the team’s most valuable player that week. For Reyher, the starting position was entirely unexpected for him. “I had no idea I would be playing safety,” Reyher said. “I never played that position until this year, so getting a starting position was a complete surprise to me. Now as the starting safety.” Ultimately, the Lions have responded well to the injuries and leaders Caldwell and Baxley are happy to see the change for the team. “They’ve [the team] stayed resilient. They’ve stayed the course, trusted their abilities, and have just come ready to play and haven’t let the numerous injuries really affect them,” Caldwell said. “While there may have been some hiccups early on in the process, they’ve really bounced back. They come to work hard everyday and practice to prepare for games, and I know that all of this work will pay off.” In addition, Baxley’s mindset is directed towards one game at a time as they head into the postseason. • With a 24-21 Homecoming victory over Greenhill Oct. 24, coach Bart Epperson’s football team advances to the SPC playoffs. The Lions host Houston Kinkaid tomorrow at 12 noon at Lamar Hunt Family Stadium.
“This year we started out the season very confident in our ability only to have our pride checked by several injuries at key positions,” Baxley said. “This, however, does not change our goal or the way we play. We have plenty of younger guys who have been training hard all year to fill those roles. I like our chances.” Nevertheless, the team has not only built a foundation upon the younger guys, but has also given inspiration to rising players who aspire to play at the varsity level early on. For Epperson, the team’s continuous drive to respect each other’s efforts on the field is the most important part of the team’s goals for the football season. “Yes, winning is very important, but for a successful season, the guys on the team need to play together as a team and respect everyone on the team when they’re out there on the football field and learn some life lessons” Epperson said. “So, to me that’s a successful season. Now granted, winning is important without a doubt, but if the guys can do those things that I mentioned, as a group and then as a team, that’s more important to me.”
Two-way players and their solutions to staying healthy. BRYCE KILLIAN Senior defensive tackle and slot reciever
“I eat right and stay hydrated, especially on game days, with pedialyte and bananas.”
FAUSTO REYHER Sophomore safety and wide receiver
“I eat bananas and drink a lot. I even drink mustard in games to get through the cramps. I also aim lower when tackling instead of big hits to protect myself.”
STORY CASE LOWRY, RISH BASU PHOTOS TIM O’MEARA, ALDEN JAMES
DREW BAXLEY Senior center and defensive tackle
“I condition extra after practice by running sprints so that I stay healthy while playing on both sides of the ball.”
PAGE 27 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
PART-TIME COACHES
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SPORTS
lines BEHIND THE
These coaches, little known to the rest of campus, play a crucial role in athletic success — and the growth of students.
COMFORT ZONE Coaching in their environments, Teicher, Mahmoud and Hershner’s impact on Lion athletes has been invaluable to the school’s athletic department and programs.
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the volleyball team has won four SPC championships with those coming in the last four years, proving that Teicher has been one of the most successful coaches in the program’s history. Sullivan is pleased with the way Teicher leads the team. “We just like his whole personality,” Sullivan said. “He’s very calm. He’s not a real animated kind of guy. He just goes about his business, and we like that about him.” Head fencing coach Hossam Mahmoud is another part-time coach. Mahmoud, originally from Alexandria, Egypt, has lived in Dallas for 24 years. He has always been a fencing coach, but he hasn’t always worked at his current club, the Fencing Institute of Texas. Mahmoud has dipped his toes in the water of other employment opportunities as well, but he is too passionate for his sport. “I also have a degree in accounting,” Mahmoud said. “I got it from Alexandria University, but I’ve never been an accountant for long. I like fencing too much.” Mahmoud is also an Egyptian national champion. He was a member of the Egyptian national epee team for nine years. A full-time fencing coach, Mahmoud only works part-time at school, but coaches the sport of fencing at an extremely high level. “It’s very rare that a school in this part of the country would have anybody in its full time community that has the ability to coach a high level of fencing,” Sullivan said. “So, by bring-
ne is a former collegiate national champion. One is an immigrant from Egypt. One has been mistaken for a senior multiple times. You’ve probably seen them on campus. Although they aren’t here outside of a two-hour window, they’re integral to the athletic success of the school and many Lion athletes who are looking for championships. They’re part-time coaches. Head volleyball coach Darren Teicher is one of them. After graduating as a collegiate national champion in volleyball at Columbia College, Teicher used his computer science degree to get a job he wasn’t passionate about. “I was working for my dad, writing software,” he said. “So, yeah, that’s what I was doing, and I hated it.” Desiring a more hands-on experience, Teicher found his calling in the form of flipping houses. He bought houses in states of disrepair, renovated them quickly and put them back on the market. Teicher was content with his new occupation, but he still craved the hardwood floors and eight-foot nets of volleyball. He found what he was looking for at ESD, where he worked as an assistant girls coach for three years. Eight years ago, he accepted the head coaching position here. “He worked closely with us MARK SULLIVAN Believes parttime coaches are hugely impactful in athletes’ lives
through [ESD’s] program, and he wanted to coach boys,” Athletic Director Mark Sullivan said. “So, he asked us one time when we had an opening if he could come over, and we liked him and hired him.” The addition of Teicher to the volleyball team has been extraordinarily successful. In the last eight years,
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IF YOU GO TO ANY PROGRAM THAT WE HAVE, THE KIDS THAT PLAY FOR OUR COACHES SEE THE BENEFITS THAT THEY ARE GAINING FROM HAVING A COACH BE A PART OF THEIR LIVES.
MARK SULLIVAN
ing in a part-time person that has that expertise, we can offer a sport that we probably wouldn’t have otherwise.” Ryan Hershner, assistant track and cross-country coach, is another one. An Ohio native, Hershner went to college at Kansas State and ended up in Texas. Though he’s only lived in Texas for a less than a year, Hershner has a day job as a floor trainer at the Cooper Clinic. Easily the youngest coach at the school, Hershner is 24, but he doesn’t look it. “One time while I was walking around the campus, it was during school,” Hershner said. “A teacher walked up to me, and asked me why I wasn’t in uniform and why I wasn’t in class. When I told her I was a new coach here, she just didn’t believe me. I had to go to the office with her to prove I wasn’t a senior.” ershner has been running his whole life. Star of his high school and college teams, Hershner’s specialty was in the 1500m and the 800m, which he ran in 3:52.74 and 1:51.07 in college. For comparison, senior JT Graass runs those two in 4:03 and 1:57.54. Although part-time coaches such as Teicher, Mahmoud and Hershner don’t spend all their time here. Sullivan believes they are crucial to the school’s mission of raising boys into men. “Ultimately, they’re charged with the same mission that everybody at the school is charged with,” Sullivan said. “We want to help develop young men. Their mission is just as important.” Sullivan believes that the parttime coaches here are invaluable. They bring a different approach to the ultimate mission. “They are all unique,” Sullivan said. “I mean, when they leave school they all have their own lives. They bring a richness to the program that is really fun to see.”
TALKING FAVORITES Get to know coaches Darren Teicher, Hossam Mahmoud and Ryan Hershner. MOVIE DT: I Love You, Man. HM: Saturday Night Fever RH: The Sleepers BOOK DT: Watership Down HM: I don’t really have a favorite book RH: Lone Survivor FOOD DT: Pizza HM: Pizza RH: Steak
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COLLEGE TEAM DT: Syracuse HM; I don’t have one RH: Ohio State SPORT TO PLAY DT: Volleyball HM: Soccer RH: Hockey BAND/GENRE OF MUSIC: DT: Naked and Famous HM: Egyptian RH: Alternative
INSTRUCTION Coaches Teicher (right) and Mahmoud give direction during their practices.
STORY MIKE MAHOWALD, SAM SHANE PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS
Sports Medicine Club plans eventful year, hopes to invite Stars trainer to speak by Mike Mahowald
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or the last five years, senior Hunter Alexander never had a single doubt in his mind. He’s spent his summers working, striving to learn more about medicine and collaborating hand-in-hand with some of the best doctors in Dallas. “Since eighth grade, I’ve really wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon,” Alexander said. “I’ve done a couple internships, and I’ve actually got a couple more planned between now and the end of senior year.”
Head Athletic Trainer Matt Hjertstedt took notice of Alexander’s passion for medicine, and when Dr. Roby Mize hosted a presentation for the student trainers, Alexander was all ears. “It was before football two-a-days,” Alexander said, “and Dr. Mize did a little presentation for student trainers before the season actually started. He had so much fun doing that that essentially he asked Trainer Matt [Hjertstedt] if he could start something where it’d be a monthly thing.” From there, Hjertstedt went straight
to Alexander, who officially founded the first ever Sports Medicine Club. Looking forward, Alexander hopes that the club will not only serve those interested in medicine, but also athletes looking to improve their strategies in the weight room and their eating habits. “I think it’d be really nice to get Coach [Kevin] Dilworth to do a lot of informational stuff on weight room translating into the sport,” Alexander said. “How does each lift that we do help us in our sport? I’m also hoping that a lot of our athletes can get in there and learn a lot
about nutrition.” In addition to Dilworth, Alexander and Hjertstedt are hoping to bring in an abundance of doctors including: Dr. Jim Sterling, concussion management; Dr. Roby Mize, anatomy and sports injuries and Dave Supernaut, ex head trainer for the Dallas Stars at least once a month for the members. “Really we’re just trying to get a lot of stuff in injury prevention, we’re going to do that a lot,” Alexander said. “So the guys know how to wrap a wrist properly or know how to tape an ankle.”
OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
SUPPLEMENTS
STRONGER. BETTER. BIGGER.
CREA
TINE
IMULT S N I VITAM
SOY PROTEIN
BCAA
guidance of strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth. MAX SADLOWSKI Thinks protein shakes are effective
“I would definitely recommend taking protein to anyone who wants to get stronger and bigger. I also suggest that you should talk to coach Dilworth first so he can advise you on how to correctly use the product and whether or not to add supplements,” Sadlowski said. “He’s been doing this for a really long time so he knows what he’s doing.” Even though Dilworth is experienced at what he does, Sadlowski acknowledges that without a healthy diet, a student won’t see the results he hopes for. Protein supplements aren’t the only item an athlete should be consuming. “I don’t think protein supplements are the sole factor in increasing
WHAT THEY USED A look into supplements our athletes have used
STORY MATTHEW PLACIDE, SAM SUSSMAN ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA
Alum making mark on collegiate level
Simenc ‘15 makes Cal water polo team by Nick Malvezzi t was the end of “Hell Week”. The California-Berkeley Water Polo coaches were keeping their players in the dark as to whether or not they had made the official roster for the upcoming season. Tim Simenc ’15 had no idea whether he made the roster until midday on the final day of that week. “They [the coaches] texted the roster out and said ‘Hey, congrats, you made the team’,” Simenc said. “Everyone was all business about it and said, ‘Alright, now I have my assignment and let’s go.’” The assignment is to reach the expectations placed on them by the CEO of USA Water Polo, who said the Golden Bears had the most talented team in the country this season. “We have so many great individual players,” Simenc said. “We just need to learn how to play with each other. That’s the problem we’ve been having.” Simenc was one of only three
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freshmen to make the team, joining a top-ten recruit from Southern California and the star of the Greek U19 national team, Odysseas Masmanidis. “I’m really grateful to, first of all, have the opportunity to come to Cal,” Simenc said, “but now to also be able to compete for it [the championship] for my school. It’s just an honor because the other two freshmen are absolutely incredible players.” Simenc’s role on the team is primarily a facilitative one, rather than a pure goal scorer. “Guys will jump on me, and I’ll be able to dish it inside, and we hopefully will get goals,” Simenc said. Simenc believes if his team is going to live up to the lofty expectations, members will need to leave their egos behind. “Having that unselfish attitude of ‘I’m gonna share the ball’ is kind of a motto for us,” Simenc said. “Share, and really make our teammates stand out.”
SWAT TEAM Playing stellar defense, Simenc rejects a shot during his St. Mark’s water polo career. As one of only three freshmen on the Cal water polo team, Simenc has some big shoes to fill, settlin has settled into his role as an attacker on the team.
CON-CRET CREATINE In powdered form, con cret creatine is gluten, lactose, and sugar free and consists of 100% concentrated creatine. Contains no flavor.
NITROTECH Contains 30 grams of protein and 3 grams of creatine. 6.9 grams BCAAs. Similar to whey protein, Nitrotech also has 5.3 mg of glutamine.
CREATIVE COMMONS
lthough these vigorous workouts exhaust the students, with the help of protein shakes and supplements, each of them knows he is building up his body to a faster, stronger level. Senior Max Sadlowski began drinking protein shakes at his previous school. “I started taking protein powder because I wanted to get bigger and stronger so that I could compete at a higher level,” Sadlowski said. Sadlowski has already started to see results. “I think I have definitely gotten stronger as a result of using the protein powder and supplements as coach Dilworth instructed me to,” Sadlowski said. “Since the beginning of this year I have put on about three to five pounds in muscle mass and expect to continue seeing gains through the end of the fall and winter P.E. sessions.” As a result of visible success, Sadlowski would recommend other students looking to get stronger to use protein and supplements with the
CREATIVE COMMONS
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body mass and strength,” Sadlowski said. “Although it is an important part of the process, the main factor is definitely what you eat. I have started eating much healthier with a high protein, low carb diet with coach Dilworth’s advice.” Sadlowksi also recognizes that effort and hard work play an instrumental role in gaining lean muscle mass. “You have to work really hard everyday and give 110 percent in the workouts if you really want to improve,” Sadlowski said. “All of this combined with the protein and supplements will definitely help raise your game.” Younger students like sophomore Arjun Singh have also started using protein and supplements for their personal gain. “I can definitely tell that the protein supplements have made me bigger and stronger,” Singh said. “Going from doing literally nothing in the summer to intense workouts with Dilworth has had a big impact on my body, and supplements have only enhanced my results.” For any students interested in adopting the protein supplement regiment, Singh would highly advocate it due to its quick effectiveness. “I would recommend protein supplements to those who are going through workouts as intense as coach Dilworth’s,” Singh said. “Only then will they actually make the significant impact they’ve made for me.”
CREATIVE COMMONS
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wo laps!” These are the first words students in coach Kevin Dilworth’s after-school P.E. program hear when sitting in the bleachers, awaiting the intense, arduous workout that soon follows. For them, this is just a warm up. But combined with a timed mile and a bleacher run superset with pushups, sit-ups and sprints, there’s always a possibility of their legs abandoning them.
ARCHIVAL PHOTO
“
EY WH EIN T PRO
FISH OIL
In athletics, students are always looking for an extra competitive edge. Recently, an increasing number of students have found this advantage by using supplements.
CASEIN
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SPORTS
PAGE 28
LEAN BODY Lean Body protein contains 35 grams of time-released proteins and zero sugar in lactose-free formula. This helps quickly build muscle and burn unwanted fat.
PAGE 29 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
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SPORTS
ALBERT THIEU
SALUTING SERVING Senior Albert Thieu has been preparing for a shot at the Air Force Academy for half of his high school career, coming a long way from sophomore year.
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eep the pace. Keep the pace. Keep the pace, senior Albert Thieu thought to himself. Don’t cough. Don’t waste breath. Just keep the pace. He’s almost done with the exhausting physical examination. The mile is the last part of his year and a half long journey to the Air Force Academy. And now, with coach Kevin Dilworth’s P.E. class and football coach Bart Epperson’s team cheering him on running on the track, all Thieu has to do is keep the pace. Albert Thieu has been thinking about joining an Academy since freshman year. “I think my dad had mentioned it to me once as something to look into,” Thieu said. “So I looked into it – checked out the website – and it seemed like a pretty good opportunity at first.” As he began the summer of his sophomore year, Thieu increasingly though about the possibility. “I really started deciding not to commit to it, but just to try it out,” he said. “‘Because that’s when I started training for it, because I looked over those athletic requirements, and I was like, ‘Oh, man. That’s a lot of stuff.’” hieu finally committed to the idea when he began the rigorous training program. “Coming after freshman and sophomore year,” Theiu said, “I was not going to be able to train within three, four months and get up to the level where I am. When I started to train for it, that’s when I decided that I was going to apply.”
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DOC BROWNING Administered Thieu’s physical exam.
When he decided to apply, he was devoted to making himself a faster runner, a stronger person and a better athlete all around. “There were definitely times [that I questioned why I was doing this],” Thieu said. “I guess especially when you’re training, forcing yourself to do those pushups and forcing yourself to go do higher numbers. It’s so hard, it’s so painful. And then the running, too, but especially pushups.” When athletic trainer Doc Browning heard Thieu was going to apply, he
was happy to lend a hand. “I remember him vividly as a great kid in first, second and third grade,” Browning said, “but when I learned that he was seeking an Academy appointment I kind of, I don’t want to say reconnected with him — we would see each other and say ‘Hi’ — but then I just happened to mention to him that, hey, if you need some help with a rec letter or something like that, I can help.” When Thieu started out, he was only able to do ten pushups at a time. But after a year and a half of pushing his body to the limit, exhausting himself for an hour six times a week, Thieu is now able to do 64. And Thieu has a reason to be as dedicated as he is. Both of his parents were refugees from the Vietnam War, and he wants a chance to repay America for what it has done for his family; giving them a place to call home. “I guess just knowing how lucky you are makes it so that military service isn’t something that I just want to do for the respect or something, I just want to get through, kind of deal,” Thieu said. “It’s really something that I can find satisfaction in doing. And what I feel is a worthy cause for my time.” Thieu believes he offers a unique perspective to the Air Force that it might only get from a small percentage of their recruits. “Just seeing it from both sides,” Thieu said. “There’s kind of an immigrant phenomena that almost happens that even if America was fighting in Vietnam and it was war-torn and stuff like that, we’re still, we’re very grateful for this nation, just because of all of the opportunities we’re afforded here.” ear the end of his grueling training and two weeks before his test date, he needed one final push to propel
him to a strong finish. The Senior Class Involvement Committee, which helps get seniors engaged in supporting its fellow classmates, stepped in. “I told them that I was going to do a practice test about two weeks before the real thing,” Theiu said. “Just to make sure I was ready and everything. And so they said, ‘Oh, why don’t we seniors try it with you and we’ll help you out?’” Thieu was happy that they were going to support him, but he never expected the amount of support he got. “About 30 or 40 seniors came out , which is a lot more than I was expecting,” Thieu said. “I wasn’t really looking for people to know [that I was applying] but, yeah, that was really nice.” In retrospect, Thieu would’ve never believed that he would be applying to the Air Force Academy today. “I couldn’t even picture myself doing all that stuff in sophomore year. I just had to take it a day at a time.” Browning is proud of Thieu for his aspirations, as well as his hard work for the past year and a half. “I am so proud of all of my kids that go on to the military,” Browning said. “And seeing Albert doing something like this makes me especially proud.”
ON THE CLOCK Senior Albert Thieu goes through his rigorous training program.
THE
REQUIREMENTS What it takes to pass the test
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f e e t
required to throw a basketball on knees with one hand
12 pull-ups
with wrists facing towards you. All the way down. All the way up.
time required to complete the shuttle run
8.8
82 62 PUSHUPS
SITUPS
that need to be completed in under two minutes
6.5
minutes to complete a mile run
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STORY NICK MALVEZZI, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES
PRIDE Thieu salutes as he attempts to do something that he never could’ve believed — attend a military academy.
Varsity crew members prepare for Oklahoma regatta by Alec Dewar
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he Oklahoma Regatta begins tomorrow for the varsity crew team. The team sends various members of the junior varsity and varsity squads to compete in the 4000-meter race on Halloween. While crew is officially only a spring sport, the rowers can still participate in competitions as a team by enterting as members of the public Dallas Rowing Club system. Losing leaders such as Luke Hudspeth ‘15, who went on to row collegiately at Dartmouth college, the crew team will need to look to rising classes to find
leaders. Junior Aiden Blinn, who has been a member on the crew team since his freshman year, believes the Oklahoma Regatta is an important event in order to get the team ready for the spring season. “Each year, we choose one fall regatta to attend,” Blinn said. “The spring competetions are only 1000 to 2000 meters, so the fall races require more endurance and less sprinting ability. The regatta is a head race, which means that each boat starts a few seconds after the previosu boat instead of starting at the same time.” Blinn is looking ahead to the race in
order to get a preview of what the spring season will be like. “The event definitely prepares us well for the spring season because it’s valuable practice,” Blinn said. “It helps us get back into the sport after rowing less during summer.” During the summer, the team voted to go to the Head of the Colorado at Lady Bird Lake in Austin, Texas. The event is known for its length, in comparison with the 1000-meter sprints of the spring, and will provide a serious challenge for many of the rowers competing in the headrace. “Because of the length of the race, we
definitely need to work on long, continuous rowing pieces,” Blinn said. “For the last few weeks, we’ve been developing that skill by completing one-lap races in our competetion boats. Ultimately, the Oklahoma regatta helps prepare the team achieve their goals for the spring season. “The goal for this fall season is really to prepare our team for the spring competetions.” Blinn said. “It’s more important for us to do well in the spring so that we can hopefully qualify for the regional and national competetions near the end of the school year.
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PAGE 30 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
SPORTS
PREVIEWS
Through the line As the fall season comes to a close, the varsity Lions look to end the season on a high note.
C R O S S C O U N T RY
Varsity team hopeful to win SPC with personal bests by Jimmy Rodriguez
Junior Daniel Cope
of new personal bests all around the board,” Graass said, “and our time gap between me and [junior] Daniel [Cope] and the other guys is closing, which is really really good.” Graass believs that the team needs to continue to push themselves mentally. “I think to lead the team to SPC, we need to stay motivated and focused because it’s so easy to get lazy in these last few weeks,” said Graass. “We need to stay focused and realize that it’s not over until we cross the finish line. Then we can relax, but until then we need to
stay focused.” Even with a strong opponent in St. John’s, cross country coach John Turek isn’t worried. “[Our chances to win SPC are] as good as they were in 2013 when we last won,” Turek said. “I think we’re as good as that team. And if we can close that gap even more, then we are dramatically increasing our chances of winning.” Graass is as confident as Turek going into SPC. “If Daniel and I do well, and then [the other three] are close to their pack, we’ll win,” Graass said. “But it’s going to be really hard.”
PHOTO OWEN BERGER
PHOTO OWEN BERGER
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ll they need is a small gap. A small gap will win them SPC. A small gap will put a happy ending on a season that started off with a huge difference in times between the number one runner and the number five runner. When the cross country team started off this season, the gap between the number one runner, captain JT Graass, and the number five runner, junior Scott Smythe, was greater than 2:00. Now, five weeks later, the gap has decreased to 1:24. “We’ve had a lot
DIGGING DEEP Looking ahead to the finish line, sophomore Mateo Diaz completes his trial during a cross country meet Oct. 3.
FEENN F CC I NIGN G With strong numbers, fencing looks to finish strong by Sam Shane
PHOTO ALDEN JAMES
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ON THE PROWL Junior Shailen Parmar keeps his feet ready for an opponent attack.
enior fencing captain Mitchell So lunges for his opponent, successfully hitting him with his sabre. The green light goes off, signifying So’s victory. Once the adrenaline goes away, So realizes that he has reached his biggest goal. Throughout the entire fencing season, So was victorious in every match. “I’d say I reached my goal,” So said. “I didn’t lose a single bout, so the sabre team as a whole was successful.” The fencing team is one of the largest squads there has been, with 29 male fencers on the roster. “There are Hockaday
foils,” captain Bill Dannenmaier said. “But as for St. Mark’s foils, we have two. A good foil team would be about seven people, so we need more.” Through the two tournaments that the team has been to, the sabre team has been the highlight. “Our epee team is good, for sure, but our sabre team is the best,” So said. “Bill and I are both sabres, and once we leave, there will still be lots of depth.” Although the fencing team does not have an SPC or an SPC-like tournament to gauge their success at the end of the season, they still have tournaments all the way through the
beginning of November. “We’ve already had our two ‘home’ tournaments,” Dannenmaier said. “One was at St. Mark’s and one was at Hockaday. The rest are ‘away’ because neither of them are there or here. We’re still going in full strength, however.” The team has tournaments to place their focus on, but So will be putting his efforts somewhere else. “I have two national tournaments in the next two months,” So said. “Since I went undefeated in season play, my goal will obviously be to win nationals.”
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VOLLEYBALL
Volleyball looks to win fourth consecutive championship by Alec Dewar
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to the coaching. “Our varsity coaches are fantastic at getting a player to grow individually,” Lawson said. “They do a wonderful job of taking Middle School athletes and turning them into high school competitors.” Dixon, Lawson and the rest of the team now prepare for the upcoming SPC tournament, looking to win the championship for the fourth time in a row. “We are preparing for the tournament by trying to fix small inconsistencies in our defense, thus making it easier for our offense to operate at maximum efficiency” Lawson said. Dixon believes, while the team has the talent and drive
to win it all, the main reason the Lions could lose is the target they have on their back due to their long history of success. “I think we’re the ones with targets on our backs. We can’t come out thinking that we’re going to win,” Dixon said. “We have to play like we’re the underdogs every game.” Both Dixon and Lawson realized the significance of the tournament. “This is my senior season, in the sport that I love, at a school that I care about very deeply,” Lawson said. “I have no intention of doing anything but putting another PRECISION Setting the ball for a spike, senior Graham Kirstein tries to win a point year on that volleyball SPC for the Lions during a match Oct. 21. banner.”
PHOTO CHARLIE O’BRIEN
Senior Parker Dixon
arsity volleyball members sealed their spot in the SPC tournament in their most recent game against Trinity Valley on Oct. 20. A win that senior volleyball captain Parker Dixon believes reflected why they have been successful throughout the year. “I think a lot of our success is due to our depth,” Dixon said. “As we showed [against Trinity Valley], we can throw any group of guys in there and still get a win.” Senior Matthew Lawson, who Dixon has recognized as key to their team’s success this year, recognizes how the volleyball program’s consistent success can be attributed
PAGE 31 OCTOBER 30, 2015 REMARKER
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SPORTS
COLLEGE SPORTS
The next level Despite the school’s reputation for emphasizing academics over athletics, Marksmen are finding new paths to college sports.
MOVING UP Corson Purnell ‘15 (above) eyes the quarterback in a game from his senior season last year at Lamar Hunt Family Stadium. Purnell and his Washington and Lee teammates (left) celebrate a 63-35 victory over Averett University Sept. 4.
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he clock read all zeroes. The Lions lost the SPC semifinal game to Bellaire Episcopal, ending their season and ending the seniors’ high school football careers. And for most of those seniors, that was the last football game they would ever be a part of. But for Corson Purnell ’15, a standout safety for the Lions’ defense, the end of his high school career brought a new opportunity: to continue playing the sport he loved at the next level. Purnell, now a freshman at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, has prolonged his playing career as an outside linebacker for the Generals, one of the top Division III programs in the country. Initially, playing in college wasn’t important to Purnell, but when the opportunity came about, he readily seized it. “I was just applying to schools I liked and I could see myself at,” Purnell said.” When W&L came around, I realized I could play on the football team. I didn’t put football as my top priority.” The opportunity to continue playing football is something Purnell values highly. “Playing a sport is so much fun because you get to keep playing the sport you love and make new friends on the team,” Purnell said. “I love it.”
One of the highlights of Purnell’s experience so far has been the similarity between his football experiences here and Washington & Lee. His practice schedule is almost identical, his schedule for preseason practice was the same and the biggest adjustment is that he plays his games on Saturdays now instead of Friday nights. “That’s the main reason I like it so much,” Purnell said. “It’s like playing football for your high school. It’s really similar.” Sports, on the other hand, were a priority for senior Parker Dixon, who recently committed to Princeton for volleyball. “Originally it wasn’t that big of a deal,” Dixon said. “If I couldn’t get in somewhere I could play, I would apply to somewhere like Duke or UT or something like that and just not play. Looking at it now, I’m really glad I decided to do that because I think it’s going to be really fun.” But similarly to Purnell, Dixon’s choice was based primarily on what was in his best interest academically. Volleyball served to help bolster his application and get him into the school. “Ivies don’t give scholarships for athletics,” Dixon said. “Me being committed means they’re going to get me in. They have my application and now they’re just going to give it a little
boost. That’s all they can do in terms of helping me out.” For Purnell, being on the football team has helped him adjust to college life. Daily practices have assisted him in establishing a routine and settling in comfortably. “Just like at St. Mark’s, I feel like it’s helped with academics,” Purnell said. “Playing sports and having that commitment is good. I get to play football for two hours every day and get my mind off things and then after I can get back to work.” The laid back nature of Division III football is something that Purnell appreciates. He has an opportunity to
continue playing his sport, but it hasn’t taken over his life. “Football isn’t my life here,” Purnell said. “It’s just something that I do on the side. Just being on the team is really awesome.” According to Purnell, he has the ideal situation. He got into his top college choice, and never had to give up one of his favorite pastimes. But he’s happy with the relaxed nature of the sport, even likening it to a club sport at a bigger school. And to other Marksmen who might have similar athletic aspirations? “I highly recommend it,” Purnell said.
COLLEGIATE CONNECTION Nine former Lions from the class of 2015 are playing collegiate sports:
NAME
SCHOOL
SPORT
Tim Simenc Corson Purnell Travis Nadalini Sam Daniels Jack Dayton Jack Gordon Luke Hudspeth Connor Mullen Nathan Ondracek
Berkeley Washington and Lee Sewanee Sewanee Rhodes College Cornell Dartmouth Colgate Harvard
Water polo Football Football Football Baseball Basketball Crew Lacrosse Water polo
6.7% of high school athletes nationally play their sport in college
9.8%
of the St. Mark’s class of 2015 plays college sports
STORY WILL FORBES PHOTOS ALDEN JAMES, COURTESY CORSON PURNELL
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R R EMARKER
ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS
FRANK THOMAS PHOTO
10600 PRESTON ROAD, DALLAS, TX. 75230
LINED UP Receiving a serve, seventh-grade volleyball members returns the ball against the Texas Boys Volleyball Association. The Lions went on to win the home game Oct. 12 three sets to one.
THE BACK SPORTS PAGE THE REMARKER FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 PAGE 32 MATEO DIAZ
TAKING HIS TALENTS TO THE Opting for a different sport, sophomore Mateo Díaz goes full speed on his weekends — sometimes reaching up to 90 miles per hour.
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t all started with an old Chinese Honda Kart. Or, as sophomore Mateo Díaz calls it, his “really beaten up, driven to death Chonda.” But that kart was the start of a passion for Díaz. He had always loved racing — also did his dad. Díaz’s earliest memories are getting up at four in the morning to watch a Formula One race. And since he moved to Dallas when he was ten, a 40 minute drive to Denton or an hour and a half to Rowlett hasn’t stopped him from spending his weekends out on the track. Or racing in the Florida Winter Tour in a category of 15 to 30 year-olds. And against opponents from Columbia or Canada. But for Díaz, that first national race “wasn’t fun.” “I wasn’t really ready for it, but you just learn as it comes,” Díaz said. “How I think I drive at the beginning of those races versus just after that one weekend, you just learn so much. It’s completely different. You just have to adapt.” While Díaz has won local competitions, the national level provides extreme competition not seen on the regional or local levels. “[At the] Regional [level], if we had run any of them this year I probably would have won a couple,” Díaz said. “And at a national level there are kids who are homeschooled. I know kids
TRACK
who moved to Europe, and that’s what they do, kart.” Through all levels of competition, Díaz has learned that racing is a physical sport. “It’s physically much harder than you think it’s going to be,” Díaz said. “I was one of those kids who the first day I went out there I said, ‘How hard can it be? I do this in a video game all the time. I can do this.’ And I spent my first day half of the time facing the wrong way on the track.” For Díaz, racing comes down to knowing how far you can push the limits. “At the beginning, you’ll go as fast as you can every corner, and you’re going everywhere,” Díaz said. “You have to learn it’s about finding how far you can push it in every corner. Especially in the beginning you go way too slow or way to fast. It’s about finding that balance where you are always on that edge of how fast you can go.” And as he races, Díaz is always trying to think of one thing: the next corner. “I struggle with that,” Díaz said. “I’ll get distracted. I’ll think about a test on Monday. I have to get that out of my mind. As I’m taking a corner, it has to be me looking at the next one. And the next one, breaking it up into little pieces to make sure each one you take perfectly.”
ADRENALINE RUSH Zipping around the corner, sophomore Mateo Díaz practices his racing at the North Texas Karting Club race track in Denton for his race in the upcoming month.
THE KART THE DIMENSIONS OF THE SPEED MACHINE THE ENGINE
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THE WHEEL
HORSEPOWER A Rotax Evo Sr. Max engine boasts 30 horsepower
12.7 centimeters in diameter
92 MILES PER HOUR
THE SPEED
THE KART
Called an FA Victory MA15, this kart is miles away from the Chinese Honda Kart Diaz first had.
STORY PHILIP SMART PHOTOS ARNO GOETZ
Sophomore Mateo Diaz
focus The ReMarker Magazine
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT OF OUR TIME. The Supreme Courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision in June 2015 changed the lives of thousands of Americans all across the country. And here at 10600 Preston Road.
OCTOBER 30, 2015
Getting
PEOPLE WERE CHEERING ALL AROUND THE NATION. W
ith the Supreme Court’s ruling this June that granted same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide, we knew history had been made. And we knew we had a story to tell. Looking for that story, we searched far and wide. We talked to students, alumni, administrators and Dallas’s most iconic gay couple. We talked to these people and learned of the varied trajectories of their lives. We listened, then we told their stories. Yet, some may say these stories should not be told. We respectfully
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disagree. The gay rights movement is, most definitely, the civil rights movement of our time — and someone must tell those stories. We feel that is our right — and our responsibility. It’s not easy for us to sum up the message of this magazine in a few, snappy words. But on the cover, that’s what we tried to do. Gay rights are the defining social issue of this generation. And for many students here at 10600 Preston Road, it’s hard to even imagine a world where gay and lesbian Americans were not thought of as equals. For those of us who have never known a world where a person could not safely express his or her identity, the gay rights movement isn’t a gay movement at all. It’s a matter of human rights. Many disagree with that comparison, and by our own admission, it’s not entirely accurate. What it does demonstrate, however, is the indelible mark that the fight by gay
people and their loved ones for full equality under the law has left on our generation.
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he Supreme Court’s decision in the case Obergefell v. Hodges was the culmination of a decades-long struggle for marriage equality. For gay people, for civil rights activists, for students, marriage equality was the endgame. And thus, the Supreme Court ruling penned by Justice Anthony Kennedy marked the end of an era. An era of hate, an era of fear, an era where gay rights were thought of as separate from human rights. Now, with full marriage equality for gay couples, a new era has begun, in our country, in our city and in our community
— where people will no longer fear for their lives — or be fearful for sharing their partners with society. An era where people can live the life most meaningful to them. An era where people aren’t defined by their sexual identity. Human rights are inalienable, not to be qualified or denied on the basis of race or gender, religion or ethnic origin, sexual or gender identity. We found that by telling these stories — of varied generations and across many decades — there is a common thread that connects people: Gay or straight, the search for identity and the acknowledgement of who we are is a universal one. One we are happy to tell.
Celebrating the supreme court ruling June 26, 2015.
focus
Focus, a twice-yearly magazine supplement to The ReMarker focusing on a single topic, is a student publication of St. Mark’s School of Texas, 10600 Preston Road, Dallas, TX. 75230
The ReMarker Magazine
Editors Bradford Beck Davis Marsh
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Writers Rish Basu Avery Powell Philip Smart
Illustrators Naftal Mautia Abhi Thummala
Photographer Arno Goetz
Designers Will Clark Avery Powell Philip Smart
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Assistants André Arsenault Davis Bailey Rett Daugbjerg Alec Dewar
Nick Malvezzi Waseem Nabulsi Kobe Roseman Mohit Singhal
contents
the lives they've lived
Jack Evans, George Harris
Newly married after 52 years together, Dallas’ most noted gay couple epitomize commitment
, Michael Rogers 85
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Having now come to grips with his sexual identity, this alumnus’thinks back on being gay in the 80s
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, Ryan Cotton 97
Swapping baseball for investments, this alum is in the forefront of power and influence 8
, Ned Price 01
Being gay hasn’t stopped him from being in the most elite of political circles
, , Blake 10 and Stuart Montgomery 15
Only five years apart in age, but a generation apart in experiences
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, David Munoz 12
The first to bring a date of the same sex to Homecoming, he fit right in
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WILL GARDEN Fearless and honest, a senior champions open discussion and frank talks
David Dini, Scott Gonzalez
Offering encouragement and hope to those struggling with their identity
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Together Fifty-two years, Dallas' most noted gay couple FINALLY PUT A RING ON IT.
ICONS OF DALLAS, George harris (left) and Jack evans stand in front of the city they call home.
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story Davis MaRSH | photos ARNO GOETZ
n June 26, 2015, America changed — fundamentally. With a 74-page majority opinion released by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, gay couples won the right to marry the people
they loved. More than 1000 miles away from the nation’s capital, George Harris rushed home from a doctor’s appointment and went with his partner of 52 years, Jack Evans, to the Dallas County courthouse. In a waiting room filled to the brim with couples seeking their marriage licenses, the clerk asked for Jack and George by name.
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“Are Jack and George here? Y’all are gonna be first.” But this day of celebration was haunted by the more sobering memories of the past half-century the pair have spent together. When Jack and George were fired from their jobs in the 50s, just because they were gay. When their friends were rounded up like animals by the police in the 60s, shamed in the newspapers and forced into hiding. When they lost so many dear friends in the 80s to the vicious outbreak of the HIV/AIDS virus. Yet, despite all the tragedy and pain, there Jack and George remained, standing hand-in-hand, a newlywed couple — 52 years together.
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ack grew up in a small town south of Wichita Falls while George is from what he describes as “the backwoods” of Mississippi. The pair hail from a time and place unlike the gay-friendly world of 21st century America. “[Young people] don’t realize that they couldn’t always walk down Cedar Springs holding hands,” Evans said. “The generation that’s coming takes things for granted. And they need to remember so that they got some appreciation to what happened before.” One of the freedoms gay people now enjoy that was not always available is job security. Harris and Evans both lost their jobs in the Eisenhower-era. “In the ‘50s, when I got out of the military,” Evans said. “I went to work for [a department store] in its first store outside the city of Dallas. I became the manager of the men’s shop. And I loved the work, loved the people. Until they found out I was gay, and they let me go, didn’t fire me, but they let me go because ‘I could be blackmailed into stealing from the company.’” Society was different. Same-sex couplings were not even accepted as an “alternative” lifestyle. “Well, when we got together,
Through five decades, the couple has seen it all. From the aids outbreak to the legAlization of gay marriage. two men, and certainly not two women, couldn’t be on the same mortgage,” Evans said. “You couldn’t buy a car together. Look how far we’ve come. This is 1961 I’m talking about.” Back when they met each other, Dallas itself was a far different place, and not the gay-friendly city it is today. Months after the Stonewall Riot in New York, a frightening and tragic event took place in Dallas. “The [undercover police] went to a gay bar and started taking people to an after hours party,” Evans said. “The bars always closed at twelve o clock, and nobody was ready go home, so it was not uncommon for someone to grab a six pack and say come on over for a couple hours.”
The police had set up a fake party in East Dallas, attracting 79 gay men. The police then rounded up 29 of them on anti-sodomy charges, and those 29 men’s lives were devastated. “They all left their jobs,” Evans said. “They had to leave town. One of them was a doctor and had to go to Canada to practice medicine. And Evans says these actions ruined lives. “See now, they ruined a lot of lives. Not only the guys, but their families,” Evans said. After living through an Inquisition-type period in Dallas’s history, Evans and Harris witnessed the horrors of the AIDS crisis. “It brought us together because there was so much desperation, and boys were being disowned,” Harris said. “And [GLBT community leader] Don Mason started [a shelter] in Oak Cliff where they could go. There was an organization called H-Resources and the purpose of it was to feed, clothe and take care of those who had contracted AIDS.” And out of the trials Dallas’s gay community has faced, resources have emerged for those in need of help. “They have a lot of places for help,” Evans said. “I mean, Youth First Texas is a great organization. It’s being run now by the resource center of Dallas. It’s amazing what they do.” But beyond their having witnessed immense change in Dallas, Evans and Harris are best known for their own story. Over the course of their 52 years, they have contributed to Dallas in many ways, including as real estate agents. “George and I worked together for 38 years,” Evans said. “We were in residential real estate and opened our own office together.” During a downturn in the real estate market, Evans and Harris approached a large, Preston Center-based firm to see if they would be interested in opening a satellite branch. “They were very polite,” Evans said. “They said ‘No, but if you would like to join us we would take your license.’ And I said, ‘I want you to know for sure that George and I have been together for 34 years.’ And she said, ‘I don’t think I’ve had a woman in my office that’s been with the same man for 34 years.’” Evans and Harris also give back to the community. They started
the GLBT Chamber of Commerce, and have partnered with University of North Texas to archive their mementos to further the ongoing study of GLBT history. “Our focus has always been to serve in one capacity or another and to encourage,” Evans said. “Ten years ago, nobody came out, everybody was in the closet. We just want to tell the young people that it gets better and we want to give them hope.” nd the couple also has advice for longevity in a relationship. “It hasn’t been easy but it hasn’t been tough,” Evans said of his relationship with Harris. “One thing that we have always maintained is never go to bed angry. Do not argue, because nobody wins in an argument. There are no winners, everybody’s a loser.” “That’s my line, since you always like to stir up something and I won’t argue,” Harris said. “Years ago, when we’d fight over something, we would decide that when we could come in from work, we’d have a martini. We’d sit down and work it out. Thank the lord we didn’t become alcoholic.” The two are very active in the congregation at Northaven United Methodist Church. Their religious affiliation did play a part in their decision as to when and where to get married. “We have chosen to attend Northaven United Methodist Church because it’s what’s called a reconciling congregation,” Harris said. “It’s a congregation that welcomes everybody, gay, straight, homosexual, black, white, whatever without reservation.” And not long after, the two went to another church for a religious marriage, not a civil ceremony. “On March 1st of last year, we got married in Midway Hills Christian Church,” Evans said. “We couldn’t get married in the Methodist church. But, after the ceremony, we went back to our church for
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the reception.” As far as the state of Texas was concerned, these two men, dedicated to each other for half a century, had no right to wed. Until June 26. The two describe that day: “A man gets up and says we are about to begin, and he had not heard from the attorney general,” Harris said. “‘First,’ he said, ‘is Jack and George here?’ We raised our hands and he said, ‘Well ya’ll are going to be first.’” Evans says that the crowd there hollered when the man said the pair would be first. And later, they were crying. “We all wound up crying,” Harris said, “and people around us were crying.” “We had made history,” Evans said. From D Magazine to the Jerusalem Post, the world celebrated the pair’s historic wedding. Even President Obama showed his support. “We got a dear Jack and George letter from the President,” Evans said. “It said congratulations. We’re having it framed.” Perhaps most importantly, all the positive attention and press lauded on the couple has reassured them that the world is moving in the right direction. “We have been blessed by this recent publicity because it gives us an opportunity to establish roles and to reach out,” Evans said. “There’s hope now that never has been.”
A portrait from their earlier years (above) contrasts with the images of the couple from a summer 2015 Dallas Morning News story about their marriage, the first gay union in Dallas.
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‘I’m an oddity’ HAVING COME TO GRIPS WITH HIS SEXUAL IDENTITY, MICHAEL ROGERS SAYS IT WASN’T EASY BEING GAY IN THE 1980S.
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story Davis marsh | photos COURTESY michael rogers
Michael Rogers always knew he was different. He wore cardigan sweaters. He never went to “victory parties.” He was a C student. He never felt that he could open up to his classmates. Yet he felt immense pressure to thrive at 10600 Preston Road. His grandfather, Ralph B. Rogers, was a major benefactor of the school. And Michael’s father was an alumnus. Not only did Michael feel isolated. Not only did he have so much trouble socializing that he consulted a therapist. As if the rest weren’t enough, Michael Rogers ‘85, was gay. And at St. Mark’s in the 80’s, well, they skipped that chapter of the sex-ed book.
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ut lightly, Rogers struggled at St. Mark’s, not only in academics but also in finding his niche. “I didn’t feel like I fit in and I didn’t,” Rogers said. “I wasn’t the jock, I wasn’t going to parties, I didn’t drink, I don’t smoke — I’m an oddity, you know, from that standpoint. And I also did not have the experience of making out or having sex with a woman.” Rogers says that tenth grade was one of his hardest times at 10600 Preston Road. “I felt like I did not have any friends,” Rogers said. “I felt very alone. I had applied and gotten into ESD. At that time, my advisor, Kennith Owens, said, ‘Michael, you can’t wear cardigan sweaters, and not go to victory parties, be a loner and feel like you’re going to fit in. Why don’t you get out of your little
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closet (so to speak) and get to know people and make friends. It will make a difference.’ My answer was yes. It did make a difference.” And for Rogers, things did get better. He went on to Guillford College in Greensboro, North Carolina upon his graduation. “Unbeknownst to me, I lived in the ‘gay dorm’ for two years,” Rogers said. “Lots of gay guys lived in that dorm. I didn’t know this until I had been there for four or five months. The best thing for me was what mother and father told me when I was a junior looking at schools: ‘You can go to any school that we can afford, but it has to be at least 5 hours’ drive from Dallas. You will not be driving back and forth for the weekend to do your laundry. You need a different experifocus OCTOBER 30, 2015
ence after 12 years of St. Marks.’” After college, Rogers began to “come out” of his shell and get a better understanding of who he was. “It was not until after college,” Rogers said, “when I was working for Belk, in about 1990, when I came out to myself in Greensboro. And then I moved back to Dallas, where I was glad to be more anonymous, because everyone in a smaller town in the gay community knows your business: they MICHAEL ROGERS
Rogers (LEFT) celebrates his marriage to long-time partner will watson.
know who you’re dating, they know who you’ve been with, they know everything. So when I came back to Dallas, I was dating someone, and I had to wrestle with and make the decision that I had to come out. Period.” ogers’s family had mixed reactions to his coming out. “[My sister Katherine] was really supportive,” Rogers said. “Mother and Father had never known anybody other than a distant relative who was gay, and they didn’t socialize with anyone who was gay. That, I think, was a big deal. My grandfather could deal with it. My grandmother had a very difficult time with it.” Rogers sees his coming out as a “cutting point” in his relationship with his grandmother. “I had been close to her forever,” Rogers said, “ and as soon as I made that statement she pretty much shut me out, and it was obvious. It was painful. That’s just the way they were. It’s not like I wasn’t invited to family gatherings, but it was just an obvious change for her to
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With all the stuff with the Supreme Court, I was thrilled. I never thought Texas would ever come to grips with it, and it wouldn’t have easily without the Supreme Court.
be able to acknowledge that herself and be able to deal with it.” Rogers’s parents, however, have welcomed him and his husband, Will Watson, since Rogers’s coming out in the 90s. In December 2013, after Rogers and Watson attended Rogers’s parents’ 50th anniversary cruise, the pair announced their intentions to get married. “It was interesting because dad’s first answer was ‘I’m sure there’s paperwork you could have where you wouldn’t have to get married,’” Rogers said. “There was not one thing said ‘Oh, that’s very nice,’ and lying about it or not being happy about it. His answer was ‘I’m sure there’s paperwork, which you could have.’” But, as Rogers puts it, he and Will already had that paperwork for years. They wanted to get married, and so they did, in their now-home state of New Mexico. “Will and I have been together 18, or 19 years that we kind of talked about getting married,” Rogers said, “but I said to Will, ‘If we ever got married, I want to be married in the state in which we live in, I want it to be legal in that state. I don’t want to get married in Vancouver, I don’t want to get married in Massachusetts. I want to get married where we are living.’” After his own wedding in 2014, Rogers looked on with glee as, state by
state, court case by court case, marriage equality became the law of the land, especially in his home state of Texas. “With all the stuff with the Supreme Court, I was thrilled,” Rogers said. “I never thought Texas would ever come to grips with it, and it wouldn’t have easily without the Supreme Court.” ith all the changes in his life, Rogers has not often felt the need to remain involved with his alma mater. “I had not been to any of my reunions since I had absolutely no desire until five years ago. I went to 25 and had an absolute ball,” Rogers said. “And it was funny because Katherine heard a day or two later, ‘Can you believe your brother, he was just being the social butterfly, catching up with everybody.’” Although Rogers does not feel the need to return to campus or relive his high school days, he cherishes the role his alma mater played in shaping his life. “I feel extremely loved,” Rogers said, “I have gone through my trials and tribulations like everybody does— straight or gay. But I do not feel like that and I do not feel like an outcast from my family. “It’s just interesting to hear the different viewpoints that different people have, and I feel very thankful to have the friends that I have from St. Mark’s. I love the connections I have from St. Mark’s.”
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W What's right with me. Swapping baseball for investments, this alum is now in the epicenter of power and influence in the competitive world of finance and industry
story BRADFORD BECK | photos courtesy RYAN COTTON
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ess than a year ago, he gave a Cum Laude speech about his philosophies on life, about things he wished he had known as a young adult, about the kind of man he had become. He had been chosen to talk for many reasons. Because of his academic success. Because of experience in Major League Baseball. Because of his success as a venture capitalist. From Princeton and Stanford, to Major League Baseball, to Bain capital and everything in between, his speech made an impact. But when the speech was over, no one was talking about his lessons, his past or his public speaking. They were talking about one word. A word that was casually dropped toward the end of his speech. One that stuck with the students long after his speech ended. That word? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boyfriend.â&#x20AC;? Continued, next page
Cotton, pictured left in photos with his boyfriend Mike Baskowski, has seen first hand many cultural shifts since his days as a student at 10600 Preston Road.
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yan Cotton ’97 grew up just down the street from 10600 Preston Road, deep in the heart of Texas. But for Cotton, Dallas wasn’t a good place. School wasn’t a good place. It was a place that did not look kindly on differences. Different was wrong, thus making it a place where a 15-year old Cotton did not feel free to be who he was. “St. Mark’s was not and to some extent still is not a place that nurtures and supports that kind of diversity,” Cotton said. “I would’ve been treated as very, very different. The narrative would have been ‘What’s wrong with you?’ not ‘What’s right with you?’ A very important distinction that is still blatant in the way we think and talk about this issue in Texas and St. Mark’s today.” Cotton’s experiences have led him to believe that the school can improve its atmosphere and attitude toward gay students.
St. Marks is going to be the kind of school it wants to be, and if it wants to be at a level that is one of the most elite schools in America, we need to be a leader on this issue and not a follower — and right now we're neither. “You’ll notice that St. Mark’s doesn’t have an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) kind of community,” Cotton said. “It doesn’t have an organization that says it’s okay to be that. For years the response of the school was that ‘We have a school counselor’. I don’t need counseling. There is nothing wrong with me. I just need you to know that there is nothing wrong with me.” Cotton felt he had no one in his dugout, no support if he tried to be himself. “We had, at the time, two, three, four teachers we knew were gay but all of them lied about it,” Cotton said. “And so who's going to support me? And what are the examples that are being set by the "adults" that I'm supposed to be learning from. The example I was learning, the behavior I was supposed to model from the adults around was ‘Good God, don't tell anyone about this.’ Lie, repress, act like it's not a thing, hide it, hide
who you are.” But to be fair, Texas was not the only place where this model was set. Cotton has seen it everywhere, and sees parallels in professional sports. Even though professional sports had been leading the charge on civil rights movements with people like Jackie Robinson, Cotton believes they are on the other side of gay rights. Cotton had a brief stint in the Major League Baseball front office before he saw the writing on the ball — that professional sports was a place where he could not be open. “Sports have been pretty progressive,” Cotton said. “Sports teams make pretty powerful statements about things. Yet this issue for some reason is one that they want to run very very very far away from. That is just strange to me.” For the country and professional sports to change, Cotton believes that the June 2015 Supreme Court case, which granted same-sex couples the right to get married, will not be enough. “I don’t think this case has any bearing on that,” Cotton said. “It’s a much more powerful emerita of silence and lying that has become the social norm that it’s going to take a pretty daring act of courage to buck that trend. I think it’s kinda sad that those people have to lie about who they are, live a double life, and can’t be a full-functioning, fully participating, open, honest member of society. Having said that, I think the first super-star athlete that just says ‘Screw it I’m gay.’ I think it’s going to be unbelievably powerful socially.” Cotton sees how much the country has changed and believes that the pieces have been set for an athlete to be open about who he or she is. “For some people that is kind of scary, they’re kind like ‘I don’t want to be that guy,’” Cotton said. “But I think to the one who is courageous enough to do it, it’s going to be pretty game-changing. All of the money in America is lined up on the right side of this issue. All of the progressive institutions, corporations and people are lined up on the right side of this issue. The same sort of celebration would follow the first major athlete that had the guts to do that. But for
now a member of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES, Cotton WANTS ACCEPTANCE FOR THE MOVEMENT.
whatever reason we haven’t seen it yet, and that is kind of amazing to me.” But Cotton understands the difficulty of breaking barriers. “There’s a normative culture of expectations that weighs on everybody in that world,” Cotton said. “And it’s a self-propagating culture of normative expectations because, you know, it’s what everybody else around you is acting like is normal. And that creates this unbelievable culture of should and pressure and expectation that’s very, very hard to stop. And so I think that’s pretty powerful evidence of how powerful this culture really is.” Cotton says more and more of the country is getting behind the gay rights movement. He feels St. Mark’s is at a point where it can become a leader in the issue. “St. Marks is going to be the kind of school it wants to be,” he said, “and if it wants to be at a level that is one of the most elite schools in America we need to be a leader on this issue and not a follower and right now were neither. or the country to change, Cotton believes places like St. Mark’s must lead the way. And he believes his chapel conversation
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was a step in the right direction even though many people focused on the one line where he revealed his orientation. “I suspect I was the first person to stand up in the chapel and say those words [boyfriend],” Cotton said. “I knew it was important. It was important to me to say it, and it was important for the school to hear it.” “I wasn't terribly afraid,” Cotton said. “Headmaster Dini is one of the greatest people I know and I knew he had my back a 100 percent. In some small way, I think he is smart enough that he invited me because he wanted this very conversation.” Eugene McDermott Headmaster Dini invited Cotton — not because of his sexuality — but, rather, because of the person he had become. “There wasn’t an agenda in asking him to speak, but I’m very proud of who he is,” Dini said. “I’m proud he was here that day and proud of what he said.” And as America and St. Mark’s continue to move forward, Cotton hopes that one casual word — boyfriend — will still be a significant part of his speech, just not the defining one.
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UP IN THE AIR
Being gay hasn't stopped Ned Price from being in the most elite of political circles— That of president obama.
Price about to board OF AIR FORCE ONE. story Philip Smart | photos courtesy Ned Price
IF YOU MANAGE TO GET THROUGH THE METAL DETEC-
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TORS, MAKE IT PAST THE GUARDS’ SEARCHES, WALK BY THE SITUATION ROOM, RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER’S OFFICE, YOU’LL FIND A SMALL DOOR WITH NO LABELS OR PLAQUES SUGGESTING ITS IMPORTANCE. BEHIND THE DOOR SITS THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL (NSC) — IT’S OCCUPANT? A MARKSMEN WHO ONCE SAT BEHIND THE DESKS IN DAVIS HALL. HIS NAME? NED PRICE ’01.
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His office is nothing special, he insists. Sometimes mosquitos fly around. It’s hot in the summer and chilly in the winter. “It’s not glamorous by any means,” he repeats. But there is something special about his office. It’s on the first floor of the West Wing — a mere 100 feet from the Oval Office. In his cramped work space, Price’s phone buzzes with an email. It’s one of his White House colleagues. “Did you mean to include that reporter on the email?” it reads. Seconds later, Price’s phone buzzes. It’s a reporter. Continued, next page
“We’re after some information that has just been released…” the reporter starts. Price realizes what he’s done. He checks his sent emails and sees that he included the dozen or so people in the White House he was supposed to, but then there’s an extra name on the list. Someone outside the White House who shouldn’t have gotten the email. Maybe I should just pack up and leave, Price thinks. Maybe it started with Cuba. The summer before his senior year here, Price headed to that country that Americans hardly travel to. He spent some time in Havana, and when he came back to America, he’s ready to do his senior exhibition on Cuba — and, of course, it’s on politics. “Part of the thrust of my senior exhibition was the failure of our embargo on Cuba,” Price said. “It was something the U.S. instituted in 1959, and actually President Obama, about six months ago, started to dismantle elements of it.” Or maybe it started with Amnesty International Club. As club president, Price’s affinity for politics strengthens the club’s foundation. The faculty sponsor at the time, former Spanish instructor [Anne Marie] Weiss, introduces Price to Alberto, a 30 year-old Cuban refugee who is trying to get a green card. Price is there to help him. And eventually, Alberto comes to the school and speaks at the club’s chapter meetings. Or, maybe it was yearbook. Outside the Publications Suite hangs a breadboard listing names of Marksmen editors. His name is on that list. He remembers those times as the start of him working late into the night — just like he does now. The yearbook he edited sits on his shelf today; its theme was “Building On Our Foundations.” Whatever it was that inspired Price’s desire for politics and to dedicate himself to public service, it all contributes to the work he does now. Fifteen years after his senior exhibition on Cuba, his interactions with Alberto and his tan yearbook with Nearburg’s
window paneling on the cover, he sits in that cramped office, waiting to hear back from his colleagues, thinking about packing up from his job at the White House. “It wasn’t anything that I plotted out from A to Z,” Price said of his career. “And I think that’s how it works out for most people. You sort of have a general direction that you go in, and hopefully you find captivating things along the way.” For Price, those captivating things involve politics, and most of the time, that means work-ing directly with President Obama. Now, as the NSC’s spokesperson, Price hasn’t had a completely free day in years. Sure, he took a vacation — a couple days off — in July to meet up with some friends, but he still worked “a few hours” on those days. He hasn’t had time to decorate his office. He hopes to put some pictures of family and friends up “in the next couple of months,” but until then, there aren’t many personal touches. On his desk are his credentials from international affairs — one from the NATO summit, one from the G7 summit and others from trips he’s been on. Every time the President travels out of the country on Air Force One, Price is there on the same plane. Essentially, Price and the other members of the NSC, discuss all things foreign policy. It’s what Price has directed his life toward. At Georgetown’s
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School of Foreign Service, he did his senior thesis on Libya’s abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction program. And now, Price can help keep the President in the loop. Price has continued working since that day in June when he sent that email and thought about packing up. He’s gone to Kenya. He’s helped with the Ebola crisis. He’s been involved with the Iran deal. All with the President. Now, he only packs his things up when the President does. It’s 11 a.m. and the White House is buzzing. Two hours earlier, the Supreme Court legalized samesex marriage. People are gathering. Price has never seen this many people gather for a media announcement. Those who work on the domestic side of the White House, White House staffers, the National Security Advisor — they’re all there. He’s there as a member of the White House team. He’s also there as a gay man. The White House Rose Garden is jammed with reporters, lawyers, lobbyists, activists, all sorts of Washington insider, waiting for the President, for the announcement — for equalty Price has longed for. Eventually, the President arrives. “This ruling is a victory for America,” Obama said. “This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts: when all Americans are treated as equal we are all more free.”
As Price watched the President deliver this speech, he thought it supported American ideals. “He [Obama] talked about how at the very core of our national identity, much of what we try and do is make the union a little more perfect,” Price said. “When you see an injustice, you try and right it. When America is not living up to her ideals, as Americans, we fight to correct that.”
FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO KENYA, EASTERN EUROPE TO ALASKA, NED PRICE IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE. ONE PERSON IS ALWAYS WITH HIM: THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
And for Price, the speech Obama gave that day has improved the foundation of his nation. “For many people in most states, there was not equality under the law,” Price said. “The President was harkening back to that theme which I thought was especially relevant to that day.” And as one of those people, Price now lives in a nation where same-sex marriage is the law. “The ruling was meaningful because it was another endorsement of the simple principle of equality under the law,” Price said. “It’s something I talk about a lot in the foreign policy context, and to see it enshrined on this issue here at home was pretty special.”
Price (right) meets with President Obama and other White House staffers.
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LET'S TALK BROTHERS STUART AND BLAKE MONTGOMERY HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN A LAST NAME. BOTH ARE GAY — BUT THE BROTHERS HAVE DIFFERENT STORIES. FOCUS EDITOR BRADFORD BECK SITS DOWN WITH THEM FOR A CANDID CONVERSATION. story by BRADFORD BECK | photos courtesy STUART AND BLAKE MONTGOMERY
STUART MONTGOMERY '15 ON COMING OUT I guess not that much different because I didn’t really change much the way I acted. I was still doing jazz hands down the hallways. I guess I kinda got, like sometimes people would do a double take because I wasn’t like lying about it anymore. When people asked me I would be like, ‘ yes’, but in general, pretty much without any to do . Again, like I said, it was kind of an open secret and everyone knew about it. THE SUPREME COURT CASE MEANING It actually turned out to be a lot more meaningful than I thought it was going to be. Before it was passed I was like ‘uh, this is just kinda As it [gay like a marriage] becomes more normalized, bandaid issue” being gay I mean, But I people will see think it’s it as a nonissue. actually pretty special. You know you see like all these buzzfeed articles about like these people got married after like 40 years and that was really nice. It’s not like the pinnacle of everything, it’s just like a very nice thing to do. It’s a good first step I think. ADVICE FOR COMING OUT No one cares as much as you
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think they do. If you live with your parents still, which you probably do, it might be a hotspot. I don't know. This is really cliche but, don't worry about it. I spent a lot of time having a lot of anxiety about what people were going to think. I worked extra hard or something to like prove myself. I made a lot of good friends at St. Mark’s and I really value that. I think people were past homophobia. WHAT THE COMMUNITY CAN DO I think just time helps. Like every year it decreases a little bit. I think gay marriage really brings it to the forefront. As it becomes more normalized, being gay I mean, people will see it as a nonissue. Like another thing that makes a person. WHAT’S FUN ABOUT BEING GAY Freedom of expression. I actually think about this a lot. Like you occupy this weird space in between genders which people don’t really view you as, like not all the way male but not female. I think you can pick and choose what you want from the stereotypical genders. So I think freedom of expression is the best. DOES SEXUALITY DEFINE YOU I know I’m supposed to say no but, honestly, yes — in kind of the way everyone’s does, but not really. It’s just people often ask me
‘Would you do X behavior if you weren’t gay’ and I don’t know because it’s just a baseline part of who I am. Like I am from Dallas. I am a Montgomery. I am gay. It’s like coded into my DNA so, yeah, I would say it sometimes defines who I am. WHAT STEREOTYPES ARE ACCURATE OR FUNNY First off all of them are funny. Like if you play a stereotype right, classic humor. That being said they can be damaging. Like a lot of people tell me the gay voice doesn’t exist and I’m like of course the gay voice exists. Exhibits A-Z are right in front of you. I don’t know I think all stereotypes have a little bit of truth in them. PERKS OF BEING GAY I think a lot of people see it as being kind of disarming. Like when I talk to people, they automatically think not a threat. Don’t gotta worry about. And that is sometimes nice ya know it happens sometimes. THREE THINGS EVERY GAY SHOULD KNOW It is different. These are so hard. Number one is to not internalize homophobia. There is a huge thing in the gay community when people refer to themselves as ‘masc’ which
is short of masculine because it’s terrible to be feminine. Don’t internalize homophobia meaning don’t value masculinity. Both are valuable in their own right. Stop groping people and feeling like it’s ok. That is annoying and stupid. That is such a big one. The last one is ‘you are enough.’ Do not feel like you have to compensate. HOW THE SUPREME COURT WILL CHANGE THINGS Not a lot. I think it’s a part of a series of things. Everything building up to it has been the road to acceptance. I think it was a major milestone and things will go up from here. HIS EXPERIENCE VS. BLAKE’S I think it was easier honestly. That five years time difference made a huge difference. A lot can happen in five years I think. I think it was easier because Blake worked harder in school than I did. I just kind relaxed in that department a little too much. People were harder on him than they were on me. I think that is because of the time difference. I think I was kind of aware of it and trying to make up for it. It was a lot harder for him. He didn’t have the same support system. I drank from the wells that I didn’t dig.
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ABOUT IT BLAKE MONTGOMERY '10 ADVICE FOR COMING OUT I would say do everything to find other people like you because then you’ll be able to give in to these feelings. There’s an LGBT center in Dallas which I didn’t know existed and there are gay youth groups which I really wish I had covertly taken advantage of when I was a student because then I could have met people who were interested in talking about gay stuff, dating stuff like that. Find a community outside of St Mark’s if that community is not hospitable to you. ON AGING AS A GAY Especially, growing older, being out is not the be all end all. You want to lead a happy, productive life and the things that make me really happy are crazy gay people that are like out of control, like flaming all over the place trailing glitter wherever they go. I hope that those people always exist and I hope that the supreme court ruling makes it easier for those people to exist as well as for like the gay quarterbacks to exist. WHAT STEREOTYPES DO GAY’S FACE The essentializing of gay people as one type of thing is wrong.
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That is true of minority group. I think the world should allow gay people to exist as they want to define themselves. There are the crazy ones who are the mastheads of the big gay ship. You know those are the men that are dressed as women and are covered in glitter and immediately conservative and bigoted people think of gay people like that. This is so important as a figurehead. All of the stereotypes are real. They come from real people. They are all right in a sense but they aren’t all right for every person. No one gay person fits the stereotypes. REACTION TO SUPREME COURT RULING It’s a very powerful symbol and more than that it has ignited debate about the legitamacy of not only gay marriage but also queer identity and those conversations will eventually change people’s minds.
He [his brother stuart] was nominated for Homecoming king and I was like 'what, has it changed that much?' There are going to have to be some bold straight boys who are like yeah it’s okay, it’s fine. A lot
of it also takes the really insanely gay people who just know immediately and exude this confidence. Those people really inspired me to come out and I was like you are living this proud flamingo life and it is amazing. Like cool, I look like really boring and gay compared to you but I’m really happy you exist. ADDRESSING THE OTHER SIDE When people say that gay people shouldn’t be able to get married because of religious reasons, then I think we should divorce religious and state marriages. There should be either complete separation of church and state or just allow everybody access. One thing I care a lot about is employment non-discrimination. I personally think employment non-discrimination is more important than marriage, but marriage is a very important symbol. Everybody needs a job but not everybody needs to get married. But I was really happy when the Supreme Court gave us the right to get married. ON BROTHERLY SUPPORT I’m so thankful and happy that my brother is gay. It’s amazing. For a little bit, I didn’t want him to be gay because I didn’t want him to go through the things that
I went through. I didn’t want him to face hardships, I love him. That definitely indicated that I was ashamed of being gay. I knew for a very long time that my brother was gay. He’s very flamboyant and wonderful. He has to a greater extent been out at St. Mark’s. It boggles my mind because I didn’t think it was possible to be out and be so well liked. He was nominated for Homecoming king and I was like what, has it changed that much? It kind of made me wonder if St. Mark’s had changed a lot in five years or if i just had this perception that it was a much harsher community than it was. That made me confused and kind of regretful that I didn’t come out established with a sense of self worth and confidence back then. WHAT’S FUN ABOUT BEING GAY Since I’m different in this one way, it allows me to imagine how else can I be different if I really want to. It allows me to imagine my life in the way that I want to conceptualize it, and it’s a lot of work but it’s also so rewarding that i get to sculpt my life. It gives me access to all this slang, and this new language and these mannerisms that just feel right for my body and for how I conceptualize myself.
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the mold After years of hiding, ~ David Munoz '12 came to grips with his sexuality — starting with homecoming.
story Rish basu | photo COURTESY david munoz
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une 26th, 2015. David Muñoz ’12 stares at the rainbow-colored Empire State Building thinking that this day would never come. Celebrating the Supreme Court ruling of nationwide recognition of same-sex marriage, he couldn’t believe that his day had come so fast. Just three years years before, Muñoz was listening to his parents telling him to not take a boy to Homecoming. He couldn’t sleep. His grades were dropping. He was devastated. Until his junior year, Muñoz lived in solitude. As he continued to live his life in the closet, Muñoz felt like he was living a lie. Every day, Muñoz felt the vibe that being gay was the ultimate loss, the worst possible situation.
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“Back then, I thought my parents were going to hate me if I came out,” Muñoz said. “I didn’t want to be social. I didn’t want to have people over to my house because I was afraid that if I came out, they would think I would start hitting on them, and they would get weirded out by that. In my head, there were all these things. So it was really kind of holding me back from so much.” Muñoz quickly figured out that his current environment was not helping his cause. “It’s funny,” Muñoz said. “When you get older in high school, especially at an all boys school, there’s kind of a structure, like a game that we play where you have to be cool and act like a bro and all those things. It’s like everyone kind of deviates from that in their own way as you get older.” But after his junior year when he decided to officially come out of the closet and take a boy to Homecoming his senior year, Muñoz finally began to display his identity. “I kind of figured everything out, really independently by kind of setting my own terms with things and learning who I am and what I can be,” Muñoz said. “I went behind my parents’ back and kind of did my own thing, but it was the only way for me to grow as a person just because of the circumstances. It was really devastating every day right until the day I came out.”
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Muñoz initially suspected that being the only openly gay student here would provide a countless number of problems, but his expectations were met with surprise. “Every high-schooler is so impressionable, but I never had a single confrontation about it,” Muñoz said. “Maybe people made fun of me but I never knew because I never heard any of it. I was kind of waiting for someone to make fun of me, but it didn’t happen because no one had any reason to. I got along with everyone.” Throughout Middle School and the beginning of high school, Muñoz never felt like there was a tense environment regarding his sexuality. He suspected that his own classmates would talk about his sexuality, so he guesses that at some point, everybody just figured it out. “I had a lot in the back of my mind going into thinking about coming out, and I just had no idea what to expect,” Muñoz said. “But a lot of things were changing at St. Mark’s at the time, and no one from the administration and none of my peers confronted me about anything. It was just like a total non-issue.” With a new chaplain, head of Upper School and the brand new construction of the Centennial Hall, Muñoz felt like everything was breathing differently on campus he knew as home.
now a senior at New York University where he works in~ the sculpture studio, Munoz was the first marksman to bring a same-sex date to homecoming.
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MuNoz in the sculpture studio at new york university.
People were ready for some change. After his announcement, Muñoz started to become more optimistic about his future. He thought about his career after college. The possibility of a marriage in Texas. A world where people would stop telling gay people that they can’t do everything what straight people can do. Ultimately, Muñoz realized that being gay did not hold him back from pursuing goals that were important to him. “You know what it’s like being at an all boy school,” Muñoz said. “It’s like when you get older, you can hold onto the things you like and change the other ways you act. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing situation. I could still do sports, be a class clown and I could still do everything I wanted to do.” uñoz was aware of the impact his announcement had on the entire school community. Involved in many extracurricular activities, Muñoz realized his open status could inspire other high school students to follow his path. “I was the only one out, but of course there were a lot of other gay students at St Mark’s,” Muñoz said. “I was really active in sports and art and I was good at school. And some gay person could be any kind of student.” Muñoz believes being gay at a community like St. Mark’s might be difficult for many students to cope with. After years of conceal-
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ing his entire identity, Muñoz can only hope that gay students do not go through the same experience he did. “It would be harder for someone who’s more reserved as a person or gets picked on for other reasons, and to also be gay on top of that,” Muñoz said. “That’s another thing I was thinking about: wow I really should come out so that it’s easier for everyone else in the future.” After Muñoz’s journey ended as high schooler, the college application process marked a meaningful landmark in his life. Writing his college application to the New York University, Muñoz felt hesitant writing his college essay about painting. Although painting and the arts were a passion that has stuck with Muñoz throughout his entire life, he realized that not many people would appreciate the intricacies of the activity. As a result, Muñoz made a last minute decision. Two hours before the midnight deadline on New Years Day for his application, Muñoz rewrote his entire college essay about taking a boy to Homecoming. “After I changed my essay, I ended up getting a huge scholarship so it pays to be yourself,” Muñoz said. “It seems like you can just live for yourself. I don’t know if being gay is what got me my scholarship; I had a pretty good application other than that, but I remember I was like ‘I’ve already made it this far,
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why not throw everything up to the wind.’” After receiving his scholarship, Muñoz’s life took a turn for the good. By beginning a new part of his life without concealing his sexuality, Muñoz made sure he had a different experience than his first years as a high school student here. A new environment has given Muñoz the opportunity to seek new relationships and ambitions. “People here don’t even think about the difference of being gay,” Muñoz said. “The Supreme Court ruling still hasn’t hit me because I remember growing up in high school and thinking that I could never get married. This really made me feel bad. I was always kind of really political. I always figured that eventually we could, but I didn’t think it would come this fast.” The Supreme Court ruling not only gave Muñoz and other gay people a whole new world of opportunities, but it also changed the perception of many important people in Muñoz’s life. “My parents came to visit me in New York the weekend of Gay Pride in NYC so it was really funny,” Muñoz said. “I brought my parents here to show them what my life was like up here. I took them to a cool celebration. To think that a couple years ago I was depressed and they were telling me to not to take a boy to Homecoming. And now we’re up on a penthouse balcony looking at the Empire State Building.”’
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THISISME
story AVERY POWELL | photo ARNO GOETZ
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The other boys made fun of him. Made him sit at the girls' table. Will Garden was different. But they knew before he did. focus OCTOBER 30, 2015
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After switching schools, the bullying and aggression faded, but for Garden, another issue always lingered: isolation. “While there hasn’t been any specific moment [of aggression], there has been some isolation,” Garden said. “I didn’t feel like I had any friends until eighth or ninth grade. Even now I feel like people are scared of me.” Although many gay students, like Stuart Montgomery ‘15, came before him, Garden does not automatically consider them role models by sexuality alone. “Nobody was my St. Mark’s gay icon because nobody was trying to educate people,” Garden said. “I had people that were gay that I liked because they were cool. With Stuart, I just loved Stuart, everyone loved Stuart. He has a great personality, he is really fun, but I didn’t look up to him like he was my gay savior.” And while he appreciates his time and experiences here, Garden hopes things continue to improve though the years, in addition to current progress like the amendment of Lion Tracks in 2011 that allowed students to bring male dates to school dances. “That was a great thing that happened, that they let people bring guys, but they kind of gassed it up and made it seem like the biggest thing ever,” Garden said. “Is that all we’re going to talk about?” The importance of conversation is not lost on Garden. With many avoiding the subject altogether, he feels the school could be more accepting if sexuality were a more open topic of discussion, not one to ignore. “It’s less of what has been said to me, it’s more of what hasn’t been said,” Garden said. “It’s more a refusal to talk about anything, or ask me. It’s not like people didn’t ask me — it was just weird. It was, I
It's less of what has been said to me, it's more of what hasn't been said. It's more A REFUSAL TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING
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eople thought I was gay before I knew it,” Will Garden said. “I was bullied a lot during Middle School and was called every name in the book.” As an elementary school student, the senior struggled with ADHD and behavioral issues before settling into First Baptist Academy in the fourth grade. “Because I was a really annoying kid, I kissed everybody,” Garden said. “I didn’t think about my sexuality at all until fifth, sixth and seventh grade because I always knew I was weird and different.” While at First Baptist Academy, Garden was soon ostracized by other fifth graders for being “different.” “Being called faggot down the halls was not fun. It wasn’t fun at all,” Garden said. “I wasn’t beat up or anything, but it wasn’t fun. The hatred was just really low-key.” Eventually, the other male students refused to let Garden eat lunch with him, making him sit with girls instead of with other boys his age. “None of the guys liked me, so they made me sit at the girls’ table,” Garden said, “So for the entire year and the years following, I sat with the girls. I didn’t have any guy friends, and I still feel like I don’t have many guy friends.” uring his time at First Baptist, Garden soon began his first long-term romantic relationship. With a girl. “I dated a girl for a long time,” Garden said. “The attraction to her wasn’t fake, so I was basically like ‘I’m dating this girl so I can’t be gay.’” Although many — if not most — students at his previous school took part in the name-calling and exclusion, Garden feels welcome at St. Mark’s. “People that I didn’t know called me gay, but that was at a different school,” Garden said. “People don’t realize that at St. Mark’s, bullying doesn’t happen like it does at other schools. Fourth through sixth grade at First Baptist, that bullying was bad, but I have never really gotten made fun of at St. Mark’s.”
think, that no one cared enough or I just got that vibe. Honestly, just no one cared, but my experience at St. Mark’s has been awesome.” Over the years, Garden became more confident with himself and his sexuality. But as he learned more about gay issues — both national and personal — he realized others might not understand what it means to be gay. It wasn’t of hate, and it wasn’t because of stupidity. It was because no one talked about it. Garden faced silence at home and silence at school. There was no one talking about who he was. Who they were. For Garden, the first step away from isolation is conversation. “The only issues that we talk about in class are pretty much gender and race issues,” Garden said. “I’ve only ever talked about gay issues outside of classes.” Garden believes discussion many issues, such as safety for gay students or transgender issues, have their place in an intellectual environment. “We literally don’t talk about it,” Garden said. “The books that we read don’t have gay characters. The history books have some sections, but it’s one stanza about Harvey Milk or one stanza about Stonewall [riots in New York in the 1960s]. We talk about it for two seconds and then it’s, ‘Oh, next.’” While classroom conversation may facilitate learning about current social issues, Garden also understands that what people can continue to learn outside of a school setting. “You can do that on your own time too,” Garden said. “You can educate yourself.” Many of Garden’s more heated debates occur over social media, but Garden stresses the importance of people not shying away from publicly stating their opinions. “People start deleting their tweets because they don’t want it to seem like they’re misogynistic or homophobic,” Garden said. “You’re not homophobic, it’s just a
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learning experience for everyone. I’m still learning, everyone is still learning.” Whether in-person or through social media, Garden wants both parties to understand productive benefits of arguments about cultural issues, however heated they may be. But in those debates, respect comes first. “When you are respectful of my opinion, I will be respectful of yours,” Garden said. “We may not agree, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate each other. If you don’t have mutual respect, then the conversation doesn’t happen. It’s just two people yelling at each other.” t the end of his junior year, Garden was granted the Rochester University Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Award, which is awarded to somebody who has taken rigorous humanities courses and has shown interest and involvement about social issues. “I think I was awarded that because nobody else talks about it,” Garden said. “I could have done more this past year, but I feel as though nobody else says anything. I did say a lot, but I think it was really that I said something as opposed to nothing.” Garden believes “saying nothing” about gay issues — or any social issue, relating to any student — is neither productive nor progressive. “Nothing is perfect,” Garden said. “Nothing is going to be perfect for a student, but I’m a very opinionated person. When somebody asks for my opinion I’ll give it. When somebody doesn’t ask for my opinion, I’ll still probably still give it. Although Garden offers his opinions publicly, he wishes other students would realize the benefits of simply speaking their mind on the subject. “When people don’t get vocal, I think you’re destroying the issue,” Garden said. “Some people are afraid to get vocal because they don’t want to start any drama. It’s really not ‘drama.’ It’s an argument or a debate.”
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TRUE OR FALSE: GAY RIGHTS IS AN EXPLOSIVE ISSUE AT 10600 PRESTON ROAD. TRUE OR FALSE: GAY RIGHTS HERE CAME ABOUT ONLY THROUGH COURT ORDER.
respect and value
Where we are now. are at the core
of the school's
acceptance of
lgbt students
story Bradford beck, Davis marsh illustration Abhi Thummala
TRUE OR FALSE: THE SCHOOL TAKES NO STANCE ON RESPECT AND DIGNITY OF GAY STUDENTS. The answer to all these questions — as anyone here can attest — is false. No agenda is pushed. No judgments are issued. The school’s message of “courage and honor” is carried out to every person, and certainly not selectively decreed by one’s sexual identity. That’s the message Headmaster David Dini and Interim Upper School Head Scott Gonzalez sent — loud and clear — in a ReMarker interview focusing on the school’s policies of LGBT students. They affirm the school’s stance on homosexual individuals stems from a respect for all people — not from a political agenda. Dini feels philosophies of respect and inclusiveness are paramount to having a gay-friendly community. “The whole belief and the philosophy that the school is about respecting the individual for who they are,” Dini said. “That’s a prevailing sentiment in the fabric of the institution of the school. That transcends everything we do — who you are and what you believe and what you bring to the equation at St. Mark’s. I want every student on this campus to feel valued and respected.” Gonzalez also feels a person’s sexual orientation does not change his intrinsic value within the community and that all
DAVID DINI Headmaster wants a feeling of inclusiveness on campus
adults should uphold this idea of respect. “I think that if we can get past the idea of people’s sex lives and to accept them as loving and caring members of our community and loving and caring parents, who cares?” Gonzalez said. “And there are some people who care. The thing to understand is that it’s one thing to support gay rights, it’s another thing to be against it. And I think that what they need to understand is that if they don’t support the equality of gays or lesbians on our campus, there’s nothing they can do about it because the community supports that.” Gonzalez also assures that gay students should never be subjected to derogatory terms or bullying, and that such actions would be treated in a similar manner to a disciplinary issue. “[Students] cannot engage in any kind of behavior that is detrimental to those individuals, and there will be a price to pay,” Gonzalez said. “It’s somewhat similar to having people of different religious backgrounds. If you are of one strong religious background and you believe that everybody else is wrong, you can continue to believe that and stay quiet, but you can’t go around telling other people that. That’s just totally unacceptable.” While Gonzalez understands gay students deal with tough situations, he believes a gay affinity group cannot solve all issues.
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“People your age are in a tough spot anyway,” Gonzalez said. “We have this idea that if we were to have a Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) group that everything would be great, I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be better but I think to assume that if we had a gay group or a GSA group that then boys who were gay could just come out and admit to it. First off, not everybody’s comfortable with that, second off some of their families aren’t ready for that, so that assumes all kinds of things. It’s not somebithSCOTT GONZALEZ Upper School head has seen a big shift in acceptance
ing that happens overnight.” Dini feels the school is charged with encouraging productive dialogue. “The most important thing we can do is to provide a supportive environment for every student and provide lots of forums for respectful dialogue, open discussion, and reinforce that respecting other people and developing an appreciation for other people, classmates, peers, fellow Marksmen,” Dini said. Creating the appropriate framework and culture is important, Dini says. “Creating the framework
and the culture and reinforcing the fundamental philosophy of the school is where we need to invest the most energy,” Dini said. “The school’s job is to create the right kind of environment, the right kind of ethos that should transcend every aspect of individual students and their being.” The ethos of acceptance did not happen overnight, however, and certain policies have been put in place here to address these issues. “We do list partners (in the faculty directory) and that was something we didn’t do for a long time,” Gonzalez said. “We now have it on the books that boys can bring male dates with them to Homecoming and the Marksmen Ball and stuff like that. That would have been unheard of when I first started here for a lot of reasons.” However, as societal acceptances change, more challenges emerge — one of which is that which has been in the forefront of public discussion: transgenderism. Dini confirms that this issue has been broached in conversations, but also says that no official decision of the school is ready to be released. “Obviously the issue of transgender students or transgender individuals is much more on the landscape than it has been historically,” Dini said. “In terms of how it applies to St. Mark’s, it’s been an issue that we’ve certainly
had a lot of conversation about here and we have thought carefully about how it could impact the school in the future if it were an issue we were to encounter with a student. I would simply say that in a word we would, like in any other case, think through that issue carefully and intentionally and deliberately and thoughtfully.” onzalez has also noted a shift in students’ attitudes during his tenure at the school. He believes that as students became more confident in themselves, they began to accept differences as well. “There was a turning point in ‘03 or ‘04,” Gonzalez said. “Our guys went to play a volleyball game or a basketball game, but the boys came out of the gym and all these people were chanting, ‘Homos or gays’ or something like that and our guys were like okay, so they put their arms around each other and said, ‘Yeah’ and it was kind of poking fun back at it but also they were like so, what’s the big deal? Whereas I think earlier than that the boys at the school would have been verbally aggressive and denying. And I think they finally said okay what’s the big deal? I think that was a real turning point.” Gonzalez also believes that any adult who wrongfully discriminates against a group of people does not belong in the community.
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“The issue is that if I bring an individual into this community who is an adult who cannot treat all our students, all the kids equitably as human beings deserving of love and respect and support, then they don’t need to be part of this community as far as i’m concerned,” Gonzalez said. And the school hopes to continue to be a place of strong community that focuses more on character than beliefs. “It’s important to keep in mind that we’re a school,” Dini said, “and our mission here is to give boys preparation for life and make sure they feel valued and supported. When they’re ten or twenty years removed from the school, they felt supported and accepted and valued when they were at St. Mark’s. I hope that improves more and more over time. That’s something that we just have to work hard on.”
10600 PRESTON ROAD IS A MORE ACCEPTING PLACE THAN IT'S EVER BEEN — MAKING THE PRINCIPLES AND CODE OF ETHICS WE UPHOLD A REALITY.
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THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
W H AT W I L L YO U R E M E M B E R ?
ARNO GOETZ PHOTO