The ReMarker | September 2016

|THE REMARKER | St. Mark’s School of Texas | Dallas, Texas | Volume 63, Issue 1 | September 23, 2016|

You settle into your seat in the middle of the classroom. The lecture lurches forward, pencils hit paper and the student in front of you raises his hand to ask a question. But as he stands up to get the teacher’s attention, the handle of a revolver is exposed. He’s not a terrorist. He’s not an undercover officer.

He’s just a college student — utilizing the new campus carry bill, which went into effect Aug. 1 for all Texas public universities.

Editor in chief Case Lowry and staff writer Duncan Kirstein explore the aftermath of the Texas campus carry bill. page 7

THE REMARKER

‘Slacktivism’ and the upcoming election | page 4

Trigger warnings and safe spaces? | page 12

New travel policy for school groups | page 16

|THE REMARKER |news| September 23, 2016|

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TOGETHER AGAIN

'I pushed Matthew off a boat.'

Lessons learned from a test of friendship

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atthew’s sitting across from me in Chick-Fil-A, laughing about Camp Longhorn stories from six summers ago.

“There was that time I got pushed out of a boat and had to swim to shore...”

“Oh and that time we had flip flop wars outside of the cabins...”

“Wait, you were in my cabin weren’t you?”

And then I really remember Camp Longhorn.

Remember sneering at him as we were in a sailboat and saying, “We’re going too slow — we need to ditch weight.” And laughing at the joke.

And then I remember I pushed Matthew off the boat that day.

Snap back to the table at Chick-Fil-A. “...I was behind you in the first part of the mile swim…” Matthew goes on.

Does he know it was me?

I kept remembering. I remembered the Californian kids I was so desperately trying to be accepted by.

Then I remembered what they said.

“Gingers have no souls."

It was the first time I heard it. It hurt. They saw.

“Gingers have no souls!”

Tears began filling my eyes.

That sadness turned into anger and that BLAKE anger festered DAUGHERTY inside me.

News editor I moved away from the Californian kids, and looked down the hill at Matthew.

He was laughing, throwing his flip flop at another kid like an old style Western standoff.

I slowly removed my own, aimed and threw it. It was right on target. Square in the face.

Others from my cabin, including the Californians, joined. I felt like a success.

“Stop it!” Matthew yelled as a storm of flip flops and shoes crashed against him.

It worked. Putting Matthew down to bring myself up worked.

Fast forward to sixth grade, carrying the same desire to be accepted by the self-proclaimed cool kids of my grade.

At first I was accepted. I went to their houses and ate with them at lunch, until I was invited to one of their birthday parties.

“We’re full!” a laughing voice calls to me as I am physically kicked out of a van heading to the party.

My fantasy of being part of the cool group was destroyed.

These weren't my friends.

“It took a long time before you finally became my friend,” Matthew said to me, snapping me out of my trance.

He knew it was me.

He remembered what I did to him. Remembered it better than I did. But in that sixth grade year he kept telling me jokes despite my obvious annoyance until I finally accepted him. He helped me to see that the kids I deemed as nerdy and weird weren’t that at all. They didn’t hide behind a mask like I did.

They knew what they liked, and they weren’t afraid what other people thought of them.

NEWS

Chaplain Stephen Arbogast speaks to the entire student body on the first day of school.

a peek INSIDE

at a GLANCE

3

HOMECOMING a preview of

4-5

ELECTIONS insight into the

6

NEW TEACHERS get to know

9

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

FUN DAY BEGINS THIS AFTERNOON "Hockamarks” is the theme of this year’s Fall Fun Day, which will be today at 4 p.m. in the Perot Quadrangle.

First through sixth grade St. Mark’s and Hockaday students are invited to come together at this annual event for food and games.

Head of Middle School Warren Foxworth believes Fun Day is a great way for the young boys and girls to come together.

“It’s a unifying activity for the two schools to have an opportunity like that,” Foxworth said, “and it just builds community.”

This year’s summer camp themed event will feature carnival games, inflatable attractions and food.

A brief look at the news events on campus

Inside the news section the dance and the announcement of the theme

new generational phenomenon known as “slacktivism”

the new teachers and new History Department chair David Fisher, who returns to the states from 20 years in Malaysia

Meet new Board of Trustees President Jon L. Mosle '79

Around the CORNER • COLOR RUN

where: 600 West Campbell Rd. Garland, TX 75044 when: 6:30-7:30 Sept. 24 what: A colorful run honoring the first responders of the tornado of Dec. 26th, 2015. Participants will be bombarded with various paints of bright color.

•

STATE FAIR

where : Fair Park, 3921 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. when: Sept. 23 - Oct. 30 what: To get tickets to the fair, go to the Upper School and Middle School offices. There is one ticket for each student.

STUDENT PRINTERS NOW AVAILABLE The Student Council added printers to Centennial lounge, the science foyer, and the Hoffman lounge to increase the efficiency of printing for students.

There will be plenty of paper under the printers so they can be fiilled whenever necessary, and it will be the responsibility

of the Student Council members to ensure the printers are functioning throughout the year.

“I think it is an awesome idea,” Student Concil President Christian McClain said. “They will be placed strategically around campus where students most usually meet. I think they’ll be out pretty soon, sometime in (the) month or so.”

22 SENIORS NAMED SEMI-FINALISTS Out of 16,000 students nationwide, 22 seniors have been named as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists this year.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation recognizes high school students and provides scholarships based off of PSAT scores. The program began in 1955, and approximately 1.5 million students apply every year.

This new set of seniors is a decrease compared to the 27 students named last year, which was a decrease from the 30 named in 2014.

Seniors Aiden Blinn, Cameron Bossalini, Christopher Chen, Kevin Choi, Andrew Chuka, Zachary Cole, John Crawford

and August Graue got the award.

Also, seniors Ethan Shah, Eric Shang, Liam Sohn, Michael Wang, Thomas Zhang and Darren Zhao received the distinction.

Others include Gordon Gunn, Kaden Han, Keith Kadesky, Andrew Lin, Case Lowry, Rohin Maganti, Patrick Magee and Parker McWatters.

JUNIORS IMPLEMENT NEW BUDDY SYSTEM For the first time in school history, the eighth grade class will be paired with a buddy from the Junior Class.

The goal of the program is to integrate the incoming freshmen into high school as smoothly as possible. The junior buddies will participate in a range of activities with their rising freshmen.

Junior Class President Owen Berger introduced this new idea during his sophomore retreat last year.

“Ever since the beginning, I thought we could do something to help incoming freshmen better associate with the rigor of Upper School,” Berger said, “and this program aims to achieve that goal.”

— Kamal Mamdani, Mohit Singhal, Lyle Ochs, Gabe Bankston

say WHAT?

comments made by students, faculty and staff around campus

“

“

Wake the children and phone the neighbors, we’re actually going to learn today!

Corindo Martin math instructor

I don’t feel like a junior. I feel like a seventh grader who can drive.

“

Yeah, I know.

London is in Paris.

Hyer Thomas senior

Carson Crocker junior

“

How much money is $300,000 ?

Mohit Singhal junior

“

Hey, Chuka. What's your last name?

science instructor Mark Adame to senior Andrew Chuka

HOMECOMING

LOST AT SEA

ADMISSION NUMBERS

Baker: School enjoys ‘one of highest matriculation rates in U.S.’

by Michael Lukowicz

WITH SURPRISES IN STORE, STUDENT COUNCIL HOPES TO ADD FLAIR WITH ‘ATLANTIS’ THEME

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fter a number of brainstorming sessions and theme pitches, the Student Council, headed by President Christian McClain, decided on the 2016 Homecoming theme, “Atlantis.”

The aquatic theme hopes to provide Upper School students and their dates a unique, refreshing experience that will remain a highlight of the 2016-2017 school year. The dance will be held Oct. 22 at the House of Blues.

“It’s an interesting theme that adds flair to Homecoming,” McClain said. “It’s not expected, but it’s something easy to follow.”

With the return of “DJ Umer” Nadir ’15 and the House of Blues venue to the dance, the Student Council definitely won’t be ignoring past homecoming successes while making this one.

But these additions won’t overshadow the main theme of ‘Atlantis’ and what that brings to the table.

“For decorations, we’re going to have bubbles shooting out everywhere, lights, lasers and stuff like that,”

McClain said.

This is just a taste of what this homecoming has to offer. But make no mistake.

The theme isn’t your typical ‘Atlantis.’

“We’re not going for a cartoony, Disney Atlantis,” McClain said. “It’s more like a serious, ruined city of Atlantis feel.”

Besides decorations and overall feel, McClain believes an important element in planning the event was originality.

“Our main goal is to make it different from the past years,” McClain said.

“We want people leaving saying ‘That was fun. It was different’ [We want to] make it ours.”

Although McClain and the Student Council want to branch out their ideas to make the dance interesting, they also want to avoid the typical pitfalls of Homecom-

ing planning.

“Usually at homecomings or big school dances, they have them in giant spaces to hold all the kids, but that creates all this extra awkward space,” McClain said, “so it never feels like you’re really in a party or dance setting because there’s always that awkward space.”

McClain believes the previous year’s venue did an efficient job of eliminating this awkward open space at parties.

“Last year they had that [closed off] room dedicated just to dancing,” McClain said. “And they had everyone compacted into that small space. It made it feel more like an energetic party environment because there wasn’t any of that awkward space where you’re like ‘there’s not that many people dancing’. So this year we’re really going to try to incorporate that smaller dancing space. I think it’s going to work out well.”

Another noteworthy element to the dance will be an earlier ending time.

“Our Homecoming will be from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. this year because our sense is after 10:45 p.m. or so most students feel like they are ready to leave and have had a great time,” Student Council Sponsor Casey Gendason said.

“This year we are compacting everything as a reason to hopefully stay the entire time and to not make the dance feel like it’s lingering.”

With updates to an already proven formula, Gendason believes this will be a memorable evening.

“This event brings together all four grades of upper school and allows students to enjoy an evening with their classmates and peers in a fun setting that has dancing, food, a casino and some other surprises that we’re trying to tie into the theme,” Gendason said.

“Our goal is to not make this the same Homecoming as last year. Even though we’re returning to the same venue, we are definitely making tweaks and updates that hopefully distinguish it from the previous year’s one.”

STORY NAFTAL MAUTIA, BLAKE DAUGHERTY ART KILLIAN GREEN, JOON PARK

THE HOMECOMING COURT What’s something everyone should know about you?

‘Atlantis’-themed Homecoming awaits Marksmen

King nominees

Game

Andrew Whigham

Luke Rogers

René Reeder

Dominic Lambert

Rohin Maganti

Well first, that I’m not 16. Also, that not all heroes wear capes.

Luke is my middle name, my first name is really William.

I can clap with one hand and my aux cord is legendary.

Bro, do you even lift?

Because I do.

I am not Rahul.

Not Rohil. My name is Rohin.

Queen nominees

Emma Paine

Hannah Sung

Joy Nesbitt

Ashna Kumar

Isabel Smith

I’m obsessed with the ocean and if I could be one thing in this world, I would be a mermaid.

I’m the Asian cheerleader, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find me.

I love to dance!

I’m not a professional dancer but I love having fun with my friends.

I got a 100 on my driving test but can’t parallel park to save my life.

I’m low key a big deal but a high key humble gal.

Date Friday, Oct. 21 Time 7 p.m.

Location Hunt Family Stadium

Dance Date Saturday, Oct. 22 Venue House of Blues 2200 North Lamar Time 8 p.m. 11 p.m.

Theme “Atlantis — Found at Last”

Over the past ten years, the percentage of students accepted into the school when offered acceptance notices ranged from 88 to 92 percent.

According to Director of Admission and Financial Aid David Baker, this is one of the highest rates in the country.

“There’s an upward limit to how high your matriculation can be,” Baker said, “and it’s not much higher than 90 percent. “It’s one of the highest matriculation rates among day schools in the United States.”

Although the school’s admission rate is only 20-24 percent, many students still choose to apply because of the school’s reputation.

“I am grateful for the families that put their most valuable possessions through this process knowing that the odds are not always in their favor,” Baker said.

As part of the admission process, many potential students spend a day with a “buddy” from the grade they might attend the following year. Frequently, parents choose to tour the school as well.

“We certainly do everything we can to acquaint families with our community and with our school,” Baker said.

Middle School Warren Foxworth says the school presents a unique challenge many students and families want to take advantage of.

“When they come to visit,” Foxworth said, “they also see our stimulating faculty, and most of these boys are looking for a bit of a challenge – they want to learn.”

Almost all students here try their best to leave a good impression on visitors and treat them like they would treat another friend they have known for several years.

“It’s the quality of the boys we have here,” Foxworth said. “They always treat our visitors well, and the kids have fun.”

These visits do end up leaving a great impression, which contributes to why the rate has been consistently so high.

Baker believes it’s incredible that the percent of accepted students who choose to attend the school has remained around 90 percent for such a long time.

“I think it’s a stunning affirmation of the institution itself,” Baker said. “I think it is an amazingly positive reflection of the quality of our school that a percentage that high chooses to attend us over everywhere else they applied.”

NEWS

SLACKTIVISM

|THE REMARKER|news| September 23, 2016 |

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WHAT IS REAL ACTION? STORY RISH BASU, WASEEM NABULSI, BLAKE DAUGHERTY ADDITONAL REPORTING KAMAL MAMDANI PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

WHAT DO YOU WANT IN OUR NEXT PRESIDENT? what students and faculty want to see in our nation’s next leader “In my next president, I want to see a person who is not racist. He has good characteristic qualities like being nice and friendly. I hope he or she is open to new ideas and clever.”

- Seventh grader Grant Jackson “I would like to see someone who can make the right decisions, the important decisions truthfully. I would also like to see someone we can trust and that does not act sporadically.”

- Sophomore Davis Yoo “Someone that’s willing to compromise in Congress. Someone’s who willing to go across the aisle.

I want to see honesty and a good knowledge of their responsibilities as president.”

- Senior Jonathan Libby “I think I’m looking for a leader who would make decisions based upon a constant set of values rather than changing based upon a particular situation.”

- Assistant Head of Middle School Dean Clayman “I would like the next president to be a strong leader with personal integrity, strong communication skills and he or she needs to be a diligent student of history.”

- Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Head of Upper School Ellen Jurgens

NEWS

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t’s too easy these days. Hit the “like” button and your post resurfaces on all of your friends’ timelines.

Click the retweet button, and you’ve just conveyed your opinion to all your followers.

With political campaigning more prevalent on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, more and more Marksmen are beginnning to share their opinions online.

Social activism used to mean protesting on the streets in past generations, so why has our generation used the “like” and “share” buttons instead? This type of online campaigning, which seeks to solicit likes on social media as a show of support, is commonly referred to as “slacktivism” or slacker activism.

And with the presidential election just around the corner in November, more and more “slacktivist” posts rallying support for candidates seem to be appearing.

But social media activism hasn’t always been portrayed in this light.

Movements such as the ALS “Ice Bucket” Challenge amassed more than $220 million in donation owing to the millions of videos posted on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, online petitions posted on Facebook and Change.org are another example of how social media activism could potentially trigger real change in a society.

With discussion regarding the 2016 Presidential election in full swing, the younger generations have utilized social media to voice their opinions and promote viewpoints.

According to Levi Sauerbrei, the vice president of technology at Social Media Delivered, a Carrolton-based social media-consulting firm, when used right, social media can be an extremely powerful advocacy tool.

“Those people—on social media—while not contributing in a material way, have amplified the message,” Sauerbrei said. “That’s where social media plays a big role, because now I can get my message across to people who care about it the most. They’re never going to donate $10, they’re not going to go to a protest—but they’re aware of it.”

Although social media activism is used to popularize opinions of all issues, its recent surge among our generation can be attributed to the presidential elec-

tion. An article from The Washington Post revealed that 41 percent of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25 have engaged in at least one act of “participatory politics,” such as forwarding a political video or sharing a post. Despite the rapid rise of social media, the youth voter turnout has decreased since 2012.

So the question remains as to whether or not our generation is truly inflicting effective change by voicing political opinions on social media.

Senior Nick Chaiken, who heads the school’s Political Speaker Series, believes that social media activism calls for caution among citizens of our age.

“There is nothing wrong with posting political opinions on social media,” Chaiken said. “I do caution anyone against posting on political statements on social LEVI SAUERBREI sees benefits and drawbacks to social media use

media because politics are an extremely divisive force and can lead others to come to preconceived notions about you before they actually get to know you.”

President of Political Forum Club, senior Ivan Day, believes that social media posts are susceptible to immediate change owing to external pressures.

“The biggest mistake I see is that people seem to jump to one candidate over another,” Day said. “Social media can create a hive mind in that everybody tries to have the same opinion in order to be socially acceptable with one another.”

Nevertheless, Chaiken considers social media, if used properly, to be a potential tool to engage our society.

“I think social media is a beneficial source to help us become and remain civically engaged,” Chaiken said. “However, I’d like to see Trump and Clinton use social media in a more professional way than the way we have seen this past summer when they engaged in a Twitter feud.”

Even though Chaiken and Day both believe in the importance of political discussion across campus, the school’s policy states: “members of the faculty, staff, and administration should not express their political

Slacktivism — a millennial phenomenon that equates a “like” or “share” with real activism — truly has an effect on the world and this generation’s voter turnout.

or religious views to unduly influence students” but rather “direct students to express and defend their well-conceived positions” History Department Chair David Fisher regards political discussion as an opportunity for meaningful and civilized debate.

“As a teacher within history and social sciences, I feel I am actually required to bring up these issues,” Fisher said. “In my economics class, for instance, you should have an opinion on the economic policies of the presidential candidates because firstly, you will be living under their administration, and you need to be able to speak in the language of economics.”

Fisher also wants to see some kind of platform in which students can actively debate on political issues.

“I wouldn’t mind a straw poll or students being picked to speak on behalf of the candidates,” Fisher said. “In the interest of promoting debate and in the interest of getting people to hear reasoned point of views, let’s have at it.”

For Fisher, the school’s policy shouldn’t

VOTER TURNOUT Here are the percentages of people who voted in the past two presidential elections, 2008 and 2012, by age group. voter turnout percentage by age group

72.4 44.7

78.9

63.8

A NUMBERS NUMBERS GAME GAME A 18-24

25-35

SOURCE: Census Bureau Population Supplement

36-55

55+

prevent students from engaging in controversial discussions.

“I think the spirit of those guidelines is to prevent teachers from proselytizing,” Fisher said. “My job isn’t to turn you into a right-wing Republican or a socialist, my job is to make you aware of economics, history and that there is a debate out there.”

Even though a majority of the students at the school will not be able to vote for neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton come November, Sauerbrei cautions from using social media as a means of expressing one’s opinion. “[People] go into social media with the idea that they’re going to control it the way they control a newspaper ad, the way they control a radio ad, the way they control the pamphlets that get sent out,” Sauerbrei said. “Whatever cause it is, understand that you are part of the larger community and you have best be a good actor in that community and acting good faith and be genuine, or Twitter is going to obliterate you.”

Similar to Chaiken, Sauerbrei warns of social media posts eliciting violent reactions and opposing sides.

But for some people, like junior Cooper Johnson, their intentions behind posting on social media are anything but harmful.

“I would say that my social media posts or political posts in general are meant to stir up emotion because I like debate,” Johnson said.

“Whenever [politics] comes up, I like to talk about it. I talk about with anybody who asks. I try not to jam it too far down their throats, but it’s just something I like talking about and sometimes something I like to take to social media.”

Overall, Day believes that voicing your beliefs during this election cycle whether it is on social media or in class is healthy for a civically engaged community.

“I think it’s important that we exercise our voice and give our opinions even though some may be misguided or ill informed,” Day said.

“It’s absolutely essential we share our voice. It’s what our forefathers fought for.”

IF YOU REMOVE FROM THE TABLE TOPICS INVOLVING RACE, RELIGION, ETHNICITY AND POLITICS, WHAT DOES AN INTELLECTUAL HAVE TO COMMENT ON ANYMORE? THOSE HAVE TO BE ISSUES IN WHICH PEOPLE HAVE MEANINGFUL AND CIVILIZED DEBATE ABOUT. —DAVID FISHER

HOW TO VOTE How to make sure your vote can be cast 1

Register to vote at least 30 days before Nov. 8 at https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/vrapp/index. asp. You must be over 18 years old on the date of the election in order to register.

2

Bring an accepted ID, which are: Texas Election Identification Certificate, Texas personal identification card/driver’s license, United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph, or a United States passport.

3

From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., polls are open, so be lined up at your polling location.

4

5

Registered voters can also vote early from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4.

Students 18 years of age or older can vote at the nearest precinct, Preston Hollow United Methodist Church.

Located on 6315 Walnut Hill, Dallas, Texas, 75230. These sites are for those living in Preston Hollow.

|THE REMARKER |news| September 23, 2016 |

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NEW TEACHERS

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK

HOME AGAIN In front of the “Path to Manhood” statue, History Department Chair David Fisher and his son, Nat, are enjoying their first year on campus.

From halfway around the country to halfway around the world, David Fisher has experience few others do — experience he’ll be drawing on as the new History Department chair.

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ooking to return to the states after more than two decades away, History Department Chair David Fisher scoured opportunities from all over the country.

And he found his new home here — at 10600 Preston Rd. It has been 23 unforgettable years since Fisher lived in America. In 1993, he left his home in sunny California to teach history, economics and philosophy halfway across the globe at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) in Malaysia.

At the ISKL, Fisher taught courses within the International Baccalaureate program for nine years. While Fisher’s main job was in the classroom, he also participated in various extracurricular activities with his students.

“I did a lot of Model United Nations work,” Fisher said, “so that was sort of my primary club or extracurricular activity. I also did some public speaking, debate, acting and drama. I also coached track for a little while. I’ve done a lot of different things.”

Fisher also had the opportunity to bond with his Malaysian students while coaching the ISKL’s track and field team, as the team often traveled overseas to compete with other international schools in Southeast Asia.

“Our league was called IASES, or the International Association of Southeast Schools,” Fisher said. “Our competitors would be the International School of Manila, Jakarta International School, Singapore American School, Taipei American School and we’ve traveled to other schools. Being on those trips and traveling with the students

are very memorable occasions because that’s when you start to bond with [the students].”

But after 23 years in Malaysia, Fisher decided he wanted to return to America and teach history.

Fisher’s search for a new job after teaching in Malaysia, however, was not easy. He looked for different teaching jobs where he and his wife could teach at the same school, eventually accepting the History Department chair position at the school.

“When I was looking for jobs at different schools, St. Mark’s had the most positive response to my search for jobs,” Fisher said. “St. Mark’s was willing to also work with my desire to have my wife find a job. Strangely enough, my wife works at Hockaday, so St. Mark’s cooperated with me so my wife could get a job at Hockaday, and that was really nice.” ow teaching freshman, sophomore and senior social studies, Fisher believes that the perspectives and ideas he’s learned from his international travels are an invaluable asset to his classroom discussions.

“Having lived and worked internationally,” Fisher said, “I’m very receptive to the idea, particularly in teaching history, that everybody has a different perspective and that it’s important to listen to those perspectives. That doesn’t mean I don’t make judgments, that doesn’t mean I’m blind to claiming that one group of people might have an argument on their side, but I think it’s important to hear everyone’s story.”

While Fisher is leading his classroom discussions with international

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perspectives, he believes that there are fewer diverse perspectives here than in his Malaysian classroom, where the large amount of ethnic diversity contributed to different ideas and ways of thinking.

“I used to be able to make jokes or comment on cultural differences and everybody would understand what I’d be saying,” Fisher said. “I also could assume that the Americans would sort of understand this American thing, and the Indians would understand this Indian thing, and the Chinese would understand this Chinese thing, and there would be that dialogue in class, and it would be interesting to see how different people could contribute to these different perspectives.”

Although his current discussions lack the diverse perspectives of his Malaysian classroom, Fisher believes that his new students are eager and willing to participate in classroom discussions.

“Obviously, it would be nice to have those different perspectives,” Fisher said, “but I think it’s compensated by the fact that I find St. Mark’s kids want and are eager to have discussions, eager to get engaged with whatever topic it is we’re talking about. That just happened in my history class, where we put Christopher Columbus on trial, and it’s sort of a staple for many history classes, but people care.”

Out of the classroom, Fisher is taking the opportunity to find and develop new hobbies in Dallas.

“Believe it or not, Dallas, for me, is a bike-friendly city,” Fisher said. “There are a lot of trails. That might be strange to somebody coming from the North-

east, but for somebody coming from Malaysia, by contrast, Dallas is very bike-friendly.”

Fisher’s son and daughter are also making use of the opportunities available to them.

“My kids are very sporty, and there are lots of sports opportunities available,” Fisher said. “My daughter swims at a very competitive level and my son wants to play football for FC Dallas, so you can only do that here, so I’m very happy that my kids have that chance.”

STORY ZOHEB KHAN, ANDY CROWE PHOTO MATEO DIAZ

New faces in the community Patrick Andrén

Sherri Darver

Katie Graham

Nupur Israni

Maria Jellad

Audrey Lane

Elli Lee

Head of Upper School Favorite sports team?

New York Giants. I was born outside of New York City.

What is your favorite TV show?

Seinfeld Favorite music genre?

Eclectic, but lately electronic.

Interim head of Lower School What college did you go to?

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Favorite book?

UnSelfie – Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World Favorite ice cream flavor?

Cookies and cream

Alumni coordinator Favorite sports team?

San Antonio Spurs What is your favorite movie?

Dumb and Dumber What’s your favorite TV Show?

The Office

Science instructor What college did you go to?

McMaster University and the University of Toronto Favorite music genre?

Smooth jazz One item you couldn’t live without?

My imagination

Spanish instructor Favorite movie?

The Fiddler on the Roof Favorite music genre?

Latin music One item you couldn’t live without?

Children

Fellow Favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate chip cookie dough Favorite movie?

Cinderella Man Favorite TV show?

Game of Thrones

College counseling administrative assistant What college did you go do?

University of Texas at Tyler Favorite sports team?

St. Mark’s Lions Favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolatechip

Janet Lin

Korey Mack

Kathy Mallick

Paige Myers

Lynnsee Starr

Jerusha Westbury

Scott Ziegler

Chinese instructor What are you most proud of?

Being a teacher Favorite movie?

Gone with the Wind One item you couldn’t live without?

Love

Admission officer Favorite sports team?

Dallas Cowboys Favorite music genre?

Hip-hop One item you couldn’t live without?

Football

Assistant to the Head of Lower School Favorite movie?

Anything with Cary Grant.

Favorite music genre?

70s.

Any new hobbies?

Cooking and grilling.

Spanish instructor What college did you go to?

Baylor Favorite ice cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip One item you couldn’t live without?

Ice cream

Development assistant Favorite sports team?

Arizona Cardinals Favorite TV Show?

Botched Favorite music genre?

Country

History instructor Favorite book?

I love any of the Game of Thrones’ books.

Favorite music genre?

I like A Tribe Called Quest, Liz Phair and Common.

One item you cannot live without?

Sunglasses

Ceramics instructor Favorite sports team?

Chicago Cubs Favorite music genre?

Blues One item you couldn’t live without?

Clay

NEWS

CAMPUS CARRY

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MAKING THEIR VOICES

HEARD

ike any student in his senior year of school here, Davis Marsh ‘16 was elated to open his email that November morning and read the message: “Congratulations, you have been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin.”

His dream school, with the chance to study in one of the most lauded business schools in the nation, Marsh knew his hard work here — as a serious student, Political Forum founder and president and ReMarker leader — was worth it.

It was an easy decision to accept the university’s offer, but reality set in as the date to move in to his dorm neared. Campus carry — the bill that allows texas public college students with the proper license to carry concealed handguns on campus and in classrooms — had gone in to effect three weeks before, and now Marsh, for the first time in his life, was faced with attending classes with students who might be armed legally with handguns.

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arsh is a student at the university, and unquestionably stands with the majority of the campus that opposes the policy.

“I do not support the policy whatsoever,” Marsh said. “While I believe in a right to bear arms, I also think that right is subject to reasonable regulation, especially in cases where it poses a substantial threat to public safety.”

Marsh is not alone in his less than favorable view of the new campus policy. Matthew Meadows ‘15 is another Longhorn who doesn’t see a the University of Texas campus as a place where this policy fits in.

“I personally do not support campus carry,” Meadows said. “Mostly because I can’t see any possible reason for a student to need a gun on campus during the school day. Many people use the argument that they would be able to protect themselves if there is an active shooter on campus, and although I understand their argument, I say that they only risk injuring someone else by accident, or risk being a suspected shooter by the police or SWAT. In the end I just can’t imagine any reason that a student would need a gun on campus.”

DAVIS MARSH Feels campus carry policy is useless

FACTS. a quick look at the key points of the campus carry bill

SOURCE: The University of Texas Website

LOCKED AND LOADED Students with the proper license on Texas public university campuses are allowed to carry handguns, possibly concealed in backpacks or satchels like the pictures above and below

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Will Clark ’16 doesn’t agree with the policy either and thinks that guns do not have a place in an educational environment, but also sees the policy as having a bigger effect on paper than it actually will on campus.

“Bringing more guns to campus is not going to make the campus safer,” Clark said.

“But at the same time this policy isn’t necessarily bringing more guns to campus. If people are concerned about someone shooting up

Just the

people inside a classroom with a weapon that was legally concealed, I would say that person probably doesn’t care about the legality of carrying a gun at all.”

Meadows doesn’t like the notion of not knowing at any time who around him in public areas on campus is armed, but it’s not something he really stresses over either.

“Frankly, I don’t feel comfortable knowing that,” Meadows said, “but ironically I don’t think about it all that much. I just try to go about my day and go to my classes and try not to focus on it.”

After sending out messages to a number of alumni attending the University of Texas at Austin right now, we could not find a single alumnus in favor of the new bill.

Meadows suggests that the education we receive on active shooters plays a major role in this.

“I think the main reason so many [St. Mark’s] alums would be against campus carry,” Marsh said, “is that we are very well educated on the nature of active shooters and what to do in those type of situations, so most of us realize that a student having a gun would only make the situation more complicated and confusing for the police officers.” he University of Texas at Austin estimates that less than one percent of the students have the appropriate license to carry on campus, but any small percentage of a student body of over 50,000 is still a lot of students.

“Regardless of the percentage [of the student body],” Marsh said, “you’re still dealing with a lot of weapons in our hallways and in our classrooms. But to be honest, it’s not something I think about often. It’s not a visible presence and I basically forget that, yes, there are probably some people carrying guns around me.”

50,950 Students enrolled at The University of Texas in Austin in 2015

>1% of students have the licesnse necessary to carry on campus

A

rnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt regretted not enrolling in the military when he was younger, and today he finds ways to serve without sacrificing his career.

Through extensive marksmanship training, Hunt has developed an understanding of firearms, both their benefits and consequences. He believes that concealed carry has prevented an untold number of crimes, and, aside from a few instances, has been legally used to protect the lives of those carrying.

SCOTT HUNT Feels guns can be useful tools with proper training

“Considering that almost every mass shooting over the past ten years has happened in a ‘gun free zone,’” Hunt Said, “a logical person might conclude that people intent on doing harm are drawn to places

1. Open carry (cannot be visible) is NOT allowed on campus.

2. A person must have a license to carry on campus

3. One must be 21 to obtain a license 4. UT faculty do not have the authority to ban guns from their classrooms

5. The law does not affect fraternity

houses or other private dwellings

6. The law still makes it a crime to carry a gun while intoxicated

where they are least likely to be confronted and or injured.”

Hunt suspects shooters will think twice before setting their sights on college campuses in Texas now that the campus-carry bill has taken effect. But as a former college teacher, he understands some of the comfortability issues that the bill has given rise to.

“In some respects,” Hunt said, “I would feel safer knowing who had a gun. Of course campus carry is a concealed carry, so chances are I will not have any idea if my college students are legally carrying a firearm.”

Associate Director of College Counseling Casey Gendason has not had the issue come up in this year’s college process.

“I have not been asked by any students or parents about the campus carry policy, and it would not be a concern that I would raise regarding whether or not a school was a poor fit for a student,” Gendason said.

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STORY CASE LOWRY, DUNCAN KIRSTEIN PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

espite some teachers’ fear of bringing up certain topics knowing that any student could have a gun, Hunt is confident that classrooms will not be educationally threatened. “If a teacher believes that his/her safety is at risk,” Hunt said, “then they should ask a campus police officer to sit in on the class.”

For Hunt, it is about having control over safety and security, as opposed to simply waiting for a shooter to enter a room and wreak havoc.

“Guns are tools, Consistent training, familiarization and use breeds confidence and competence but can also produce a relaxed attitude,” Hunt said.

“There’s no room to ever let your guard down when it comes to firearms. Once a bullet leaves the barrel, you can’t take it back.”

NEWS

|THE REMARKER|news| September 23, 2016 |

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Commencement Letters

LETTERS TO THE FUTURE

PAYING IT FORWARD, AN ALUM FROM 1964 OFFERED HIS CONGRATULATIONS TO TWO SENIOR PRIZE WINNERS FROM THE CLASS OF 2016 TRADITION Two of the most recent senior prize winners, Jackson Cole (left) and Alden James (right) received letters of congratulation from former prize winner Brittan Kolar ‘64.

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he bold font stood out on his screen.

Jackson Cole ‘16, recipient of the Headmaster’s Cup in May during Commencement, quickly opened the email from Brittan Kolar ‘64.

Surprised by the unexpected letter, he started reading.

Congratulations to you for your well deserved award of the SM Headmaster’s Cup for 2016…

After the congratulations, Kolar, the recipient of the same award 52 years ago, further added some words of gratitude and encouragement to Cole.

Thanks for all you have done to enrich the Saint Mark’s community. I am confident that you will continue your well established tradition of service and achievement at Yale.

••• When Cole first received the Headmaster’s Cup, the most prestigious of the three senior prizes, he felt immense pride — not only for himself but also for his entire class.

“I certainly wouldn’t have won the award without the individual efforts of

so many of my classmates to support me and guide me,” Cole said. “More than anything, I felt a deep love for St. Mark’s and for the 87 other men who surrounded me on that stage. I would not be who I am today without the kindness and support that my peers and mentors on campus gave me every day.”

Cole plans to follow in Kolar’s footsteps and send letters of congratulations and advice, like the one he received, to future Headmaster’s Cup winners, as well.

“The only advice I’d give would be to remember the lessons from St. Mark’s,” Cole said. “SM has a one-ofa-kind leadership and ethics program, and from what I’ve learned at St. Mark’s, I feel more than prepared to make an impact in college and in the world beyond.”

Along with Cole, the two other award-winning students, Philip Smart who won the Citizenship Cup and Alden James, recipient of the School Flag, received emails from previous winners of the awards, as well.

James received ten emails of congratulations from winners who graduated anytime from 1964 to 2011.

“It was really nice to know that the guys are watching and are able to take a little time out of their day to send an email like that,” James said.

Mike Levy ‘64, the oldest School Flag winner to have sent James an email, feels similarly.

BRITTAN KOLAR Congratulated winners of the award he won in 1964

“Alden was one of many great people who have graduated from St. Mark’s,” Levy said. “I’m sure he’s not alone in being extraordinary. Everyone who has graduated from St. Mark’s is extraordinary — everybody, no exceptions.”

Because of this, Levy didn’t feel anything significant when he sent James the letter of congratulations. To him, it was just a spontaneous action.

“I saw the thing on Alden and just said congratulations,” Levy said. “It was no big deal. I just wanted to extend my congratulations to another Marksmen.”

Regardless of his graduating class, Levy still feels a special bond with past and current school members, regardless of their accomplishments.

“I’m tied to Alden just like I’m tied to everyone else who was at St. Mark’s,” Levy said. “There’s this bond that never leaves.”

James feels the letters he received were very important to him, and he hopes to write some letters to future School Flag winners sometime and offer some advice of his own.

“It’s the start of another journey, and it’s important to keep that in perspective and to know that not all your work is going to end now and that you’ve reached this peak,” James said. “It’s all about continuing forward, taking that energy with you and knowing that you have such a caring community behind you that will back you in whatever you do.”

STORY DYLAN LIU PHOTOS DAVID CARDEN, DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

FULLY LOADED

When Patrick Andrén was named the new Upper School head, he knew a cross-country trip would be needed to transport his family to Dallas. Travelling 1867 miles from Maine to North Texas would be an adventure his family would never forget.

WE SIT DOWN WITH THE ANDRÉN FAMILY AND ASK ABOUT THEIR CROSS-COUNTRY DRIVE WITH FOUR BOYS, TWO DOGS, TWO CATS, AND A GIANT TEDDY BEAR NAMED ‘BEARY.’

Patrick Andrén Were there any scares or interesting stories during the trip?

The smell from the back of the car was slightly scary after 20 hours. Waking up to Mrs. Andrén getting a bit sleepy toward the end of Tennessee was a bit scary.

She would not let me drive because she was determined to prove that the state actually ended.

Where was the most beautiful place you drove through? Where was the most boring place you drove to?

Beautiful: Leaving Maine we watched the sunrise over the mountains and the water.

The Blue Ridge mountains were also extraordinary.

Boring: The stretch of Tennessee between Nashville and Memphis.

How long was the drive?

We did the drive in two phases. Ten hours from Maine to Gettysburg, PA to see Mrs. Andrén’s parents. The second leg was 20+ hours straight from Gettysburg to Dallas.

NEWS

Heather Andrén How did you deal with the pets in the car?

The dogs were fine. They are only ever worried they will be left behind. The cats were a little more challenging. Someone recommended a spray called Happy Cat that was supposed to keep them calm. We were very liberal with the spray. Not sure how well it worked. There was a lot of mournful meowing coming from our older cat, Birdie, but she made it unscathed, if not a little high on Happy Cat. Who had to go to the bathroom the most?

It wasn’t so much bathroom breaks as it was coffee breaks and running around the car to stay awake or release the copious amounts of pent up energy in the case of the boys.

Who was the biggest nuisance in the car and why?

That would be the our older cat, Birdie. After several straight hours of meowing, we began to wonder if we should have packed her in a box and Fedexed her to Dallas. I think everyone would say that we were all annoying at different points. Does Patrick’s snoring as I was making my way across the very long state of Tennessee in the wee hours of the morning count?

STORY ALEC DEWAR, LYLE OCHS PHOTOS RYAN NORMAN

NEW BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT

Winn Science Center

USHERING IN A NEW ERA

A look at the new science building — by the numbers

225-250

NEW BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT JON MOSLE ’79 FACES HIS FIRST MAJOR TASK — OVERSEEING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW WINN SCIENCE CENTER.

PEOPLE

capacity of new Science Lecture Hall

estimated ground break date

estimated completion date

$25-30 MILLION estimated cost of the new science center

Source: Suzanne Townsend, director of Finance and Administration

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he votes were in.

While it was merely ceremonial, as he was the only candidate running, the Board of Trustees still went through the process. After 18 years on the Board, it finally happened.

He’s a former Marksman, the former vice president, and the former chair of the Executive Committee.

And, now, Jon Mosle ’79 is the new president of the Board of Trustees.

Mosle has been a member of the Board of Trustees for 18 of the past 20 years. As president, he has set some lofty goals for himself.

“I hope that I can help maintain the focus for the science center and the ‘Goals for St. Mark’s process,” Mosle said. “With the heavy lifting being done by the people heading those committees, I hope that we can finish the fundraising and design process for the science building and get that project done by the end of the school year.”

Mosle’s two biggest goals are overseeing the design and building of the new science building and accomplishing Goals, something that occurs only once every 25 years. Goals is where the Board of Trustees and administration review the mission statement of the school and offer refinements and modifications.

“Essentially, we have identified a handful of important areas,” Mosle said.

“which include students and learning, faculty and teaching, enrollment access and affordability, which is really about making it possible for the best student body to be here and campus resources, community impact and institutional stewardship, which is making sure that we’re being prudent with the school’s finances.”

These important areas go even more in depth as the years go on, as the topics started off broad at the inception, but are now fairly specific.

“Most of the goals are things we could work on and will continue to work on always,” Mosle said. “We do try to identify specific goals that are more targeted to what we need now rather than in a few years.”

Every time Goals happens, the mission statement has the potential to be radically changed to reflect what is happening at the school at the time. There

are always the steadfast principles that don’t change such as courage and honor.

“I think this time in particular we’re going to try to work on goals that are specific and measurable as opposed to general goals that we could always aspire to achieve,” Mosle said. “Hopefully we’ll come up with some important general areas but also some specific things we want to accomplish within I THINK IT’S the next few years.”

GOING TO Mosle’s other BE A WORLD main goal will be CLASS much more noticeBUILDING. — able and quickly JON MOSLE implemented into ‘79 the school. As the head of the Science Building Committee, Mosle has been working nonstop on the building since the school received the main gift from the Winn family.

“There has been a lot of work that’s gone into the design process,” Mosle said. “There was a committee of the board that worked with our architects and lab consultants. There are consultants that advise institutions on building labs, and they worked really closely with Fletch Carron and Doug Rummel and the rest of the science faculty.”

The building is almost out of the

preliminary stages and construction will begin over the summer. As the head of the Board, Mosle has been able to see the building come together from start to where it is now.

“We’ve completed the conceptual design,” Mosle said. “And we are pretty close to finishing construction drawings of the building. We’ve gotten the city planning approval, so the planning of the building is just about completed.”

There are a few areas of interest in the new science building that Mosle thinks will be particularly outstanding.

“I think the new planetarium will be amazing,” Mosle said. “It’s almost like an IMAX theatre that can be used for all kinds of things, including showing the stars. You can also have all sorts of video experiences in something similar to 3D. I think the makers space that would be used for all kinds of robotics sounds amazing.”

All in all, Mosle has a lot of work ahead of him between Goals and the new science building, but he sees himself as more than up for the challenge and can’t wait to see what impact his work leaves.

“Our hope is that this building is as important to St. Mark’s in the next 50 years as the existing science center has been for the past 50 plus years.”

STORY SAM SHANE, MATEO GUEVARA, JAMES ROGERS PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

Spirit parties slated for campus location, say administrators

by Michael Lukowicz

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hen Student Council President Christian McClain heard spirit parties had to move on campus, he looked at that as a blessing rather than a curse.

Spirit parties have been moved on campus because of the traffic and noise they created for neighbors of the hosts.

Despite efforts to make sure traffic wasn’t a problem, the hundreds of cars that showed up in neighborhoods did not fit without some congestion.

“Whenever we had them at peoples’ houses last year, there was traffic, and that caused problems,” McClain said. “A lot of the neighbors complained about noise, so all in all it was a better decision to have them at school.”

The attendance rate for that party also rose compared to last year, partly, McClain says, because of its accessibility, especially for younger students who can’t drive yet.

“I think it’ll get more kids to show up at spirit parties because

it’s easier to get from games to the party,” McClain said.

One of last year’s challenges was finding a safe location for the party where traffic wouldn’t get congested.

Debbie Jenevein, the former Upper School Coordinator for the Parents Association, needed to work with the security team to make sure the house met the security team’s standards.

“The most challenging part of planning a spirit party was finding a location that met with the approval of the SM security team,” Jenevein said. “There are specific requirements that must be met in order to assure a safe environment for our students.”

Renza Díaz, the current Upper School Coordinator for the Parents Association, enjoys seeing new ideas put to use.

“My aim is to organize each spirit party with the participation of the corresponding host grades’ sponsors as well as the Student Council so that each one will be unique in theme,” Díaz said.

Díaz plans to include unique themes and food choices at the next three spirit parties.

“By integrating different themes, food choices and additional activities we hope that each party will offer something different and fun for the students,” Díaz said.

Since all parties this year will be located on campus, McClain says it will be easier to set up more options rather than just dance and talk.

“At the last one we had ping pong tables, which seemed to be a big hit,” McClain said. “So we’re going to try to have more events similar to that.”

Although a few people didn’t like the new changes at first, McClain now believes everyone on Student Council is now in consensus about the changes and are excited for a great year.

“It’s kind of a big change, but I don’t think they’re that upset about it anymore,” McClain said. “In the end it’ll be a really good, positive change.”

NEWS

|THE REMARKER |news| September 23, 2016|

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MALECALL

THIS ISSUE

SENIOR SHIRTS HOCO ATTIRE

Taking you back to the basic fundamentals of all things manly

The shirts that break monotony

FOR OUR GENERATION OF MARKSMEN, THE SENIOR SHIRT HAS BEEN A STAPLE OF EVERY FRIDAY, BUT THAT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE. WE TAKE A LOOK INTO THE HISTORY OF THE SENIOR SHIRT.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

2004

2008

2011

2014

The 2004 Senior Class chose to design a bowling jersey as their Friday shirt. Although the material was a little scratchy, the design was better than most.

Just a classic shirt. The Class of 2008 went with a cotton polo with an embroidered Lion and Sword along with a ’08 on the right sleeve. Perfect at school and off campus.

This was awesome. The Class of 2011 designed a fishing shirt with a classic St. Mark’s shield over the left front pocket.

Excellent multi-use shirt.

The Class of 2014 selected a classic striped polo. What’s unique: it was made by Southern Tide. The shirt is about as nice as it comes, and you can wear it anywhere.

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ith a radical transformation from plain blue polo shirts to busy Hawaiian shirts in a 30 year span, senior shirts have evolved throughout their years of existence.

“Almost always during the early years it was a plain navy blue polo shirt with a collar,” said Junior Class sponsor JT Sutcliffe.

“They had to be worn tucked in.”

During the evolution of the Friday shirts,

the seniors convinced the administration to allow them to modify the standard blue polos.

“Somewhere along the line, certainly by 2000 but probably earlier than that, the seniors asked if it was possible for them to design a shirt,” Sutcliffe said. “Then there were variations in the shirts. They went from blue polos to blue polos with a little bit of

their own designs.”

Continuing to evolve, the shirts went from having small designs on the polo shirts to larger designs on different shirts.

“They don’t always have to be tucked in anymore,” Sutcliffe said, “and you have to wear the khaki shorts. There has been this gradual loosening of constraints but still there are some constraints.”

STORY RETT DAUGBJERG PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

Dressing to the nines Nothing says dapper like a guy who is put together for his Homecoming date. Unsure about what color shoes go with your suit? What tie to wear for impact? Here are some foolproof combos that will set you apart from the crowd:

Suit Tie Shirt Shoes

Classic navy Medium blue rep pattern Crisp white Tobacco-colored lace-ups

Suit Tie Shirt Shoes

Classic navy Gold with blue pattern Crisp white Dark brown lace-ups

Suit Charcoal Tie Red with blue stripes Shirt Crisp white Shoes Tobacco-colored lace ups

Suit Charcoal Tie Gold with blue stripes Shirt Crisp white Shoes Black loafers

End notes: Make sure your belt matches your shoes. Your shirt by no means has to be white.

Suits, shirts, ties and shoes provided by Culwell and Son, 6319 Hillcrest STORY RETT DAUGBJERG PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

NEWS

LION PRIDE

HANGING OUT WITH

Howard Stewart

OWEN BERGER PHOTO

Getting to know the unwavering guard standing over the cafeteria’s cornbread, dessert and pizza offerings. The ReMarker sits down with Head Chef Howard Stewart.

Lower School boys dance and play with the mascot during Lion Pride Night Aug. 26.

CHRIS MCELHANEY PHOTO

What does it take to manage such a busy place like the cafeteria?

Howard Stewart: It takes a lot of teamwork. I get here at around 5:30 a.m. every morning.

Everyone else is still asleep.

What’s your favorite meal to prepare?

Favorite is definitely chicken pan pie. That’s been a tradition of the school as long as I have been here. The manager before Ms. Stephens came up with it, and I just changed it a little and added a lot more ingredients to it and made it great.

What is the most underrated food item?

The mushroom chicken that we had the other week. Some of the boys are catching on and getting used to it.

Who is more well behaved in the cafeteria, middle school or upper school?

Definitely the Upper School boys.

a peek INSIDE

at a GLANCE

Life stories on the inside

A brief look at the events around campus

12

SAFE SPACES a look into the concepts of “safe spaces” and “trigger warnings”

13

WORDMASTERS the team of fourth grade vocabulary whizkids wins first in the nation

15

EXCHANGE an exploration into the experiences of two exchange students

19

IN THE WILD science instructor Lukas Rahlson worked on a paper for his master’s degree from a tent on the Pecos.

FRANK THOMAS PHOTO

What’s your favorite part about working here?

I really enjoy preparing the food. I have done it for so many years. Just coming in here and getting the food prepared for a lunch period for all the people. I started in 1977, so this will be my 40th year. I’ve seen the buildings change.

What do you do when you aren’t working here?

Most of the time on the weekends I just like to enjoy myself. Most of the time if I’m not doing yardwork or something, I’m just sitting back and relaxing. I nap, recover. I sit back and rest for a couple hours, watch TV. But most of the time it’s the TV watching me because I’m asleep!

Where did your love for cooking come from?

Actually by watching my mom at home because we had a big family. There were 14 of us. She would prepare a lot, and sometimes I would just sit and watch her. She would actually show me how to prepare big quantities of food.

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS Senior Isaiah Kazunga creates an energetic track in his professional home studio.

Do you make anything here that she taught you how to make?

The spaghetti of course.

What’s your favorite dessert here?

The chocolate chip cookies. I eat a whole lot of those because they’re homemade!

How many cornbread pieces should one eat?

At least two. We try to spread it out, but I know some kids take three or four. If you want to eat three or four, that’s you.

How many do you eat?

Just one cornbread.

LIFE

PLANETERIUM TUTORIAL OFFERED Students can now take a tutorial of how to use the planetarium. Taught by Cecil H. and Ida Green Master Teacher Stephen Balog, the tutorial explains both astronomy topics and the programming of the planetarium’s system.

Though signups are already closed for this year, students who want to take the tutorial in the future can speak to Balog about it.

“I’m surprised by the interest,” Balog said, “and I hope that if more people are interested in this, we can probably turn it into a course when the new science building gets built.”

QUIZBOWL TEAMS COMPETE Three of the school’s Quiz Bowl teams qualified for and competed at the national level in May. The Middle School team, which tied for 21st out of 160 teams, was composed of current freshmen Obaid Akbar, Sam Goldfarb, Theo Katsulos and Nicholas Tsao.

The Upper School B Team, composed of Aidan Maurstad ’16, seniors Park-

er McWatters and Keith Kadesky, junior Abdullah Akbar and sophomore Connor Pierce, tied for 77th out of 272, while the A team, composed of Tim O’Meara ’16, Brent Weisberg ’16, and seniors Patrick Magee and John Crawford, tied for 13th.

“It’s our best finish ever,” Crawford said.

“It’s one round better than how we did last year, and it is a good place for us to improve upon for this year’s competition.”

ROBOTICS CLUB PREPS FOR YEAR Robotics club members are busy getting mechanisms to write code and preparing software protocols for the upcoming robotics competition on November 5.

The theme has not been completely released yet, but the function the robot needs to meet changes year to year, meaning the robot will be made completely from scratch.

“In often times, they are extremely different year to year,” Robotics Instructor Doug Rummel said. “Sometimes it’s speed, sometimes it’s just precision,

sometimes it’s brute force, sometimes it’s a combination of any one of those.”

BLUES CLUB SETS PREVIEW The Blues Club is looking to have a great year, despite graduating pivotal members, including Will Clark ’16, the leader for last year’s lineup.

The leaders for Blues Club are seniors Chirag Gokani and Andrew Chuka, and sponsor Steven Houpt foresees a year of teaching and development, as well as great fun.

“We also have newer and younger guitar players entering the Blues Club,” Houpt said, “including junior Cooper Johnson. This year there is definitely more teaching involved, which is great.

It’s always different because of graduation, but we’ll have a good time.”

The first Blues Club performance will be held during the Activities Fair Sept. 22 in Morris G. Spencer Gymnasium, followed by a performance later in the year at Austin Street Center and several songs played in front of the Upper School during assembly.

-Dylan Liu, Eric Hirschbrich and Zach Gilstrap

artist in ACTION

200

ISAIAH KAZUNGA

songs created in his beats studio.

1

week spent making every track.

“I really find an emotional outlet in my music. When I feel inspired, I turn to music to express what I feel. And I hope that people who listen to my music can connect with me and what I am feeling. That’s my ultimate goal, to brighten someone’s day.”

FRANK THOMAS PHOTO

— senior Isaiah Kazunga

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|THE REMARKER |life| September 23, 2016 |

UCHICAGO SAFE SPACES

Safe spaces

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WITH A LETTER TO ALL INCOMING STUDENTS BANNING ‘SAFE SPACES’ AND ‘TRIGGER WORDS,’ THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO HAS SPARKED A FIRESTORM OF NATIONAL DEBATE.

shton Hashemipour ‘16 grabbed the white envelope out of his mailbox, eyes lighting up at the familiar maroon and black University of Chicago crest.

He ripped open the envelope and began to read.

Welcome and congratulations on your acceptance to the College at the University of Chicago.

He reads quickly, scanning the body of the letter until his eyes stop at two foreign terms.

“Safe spaces?”

“Trigger words?”

Slowly, Hashemipour re-reads the paragraph.

“We do not support so-called ‘trigger words,’ and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from perspectives at odds with their own.”

Little does he know at the time, but the letter sitting on his kitchen table, written by the dean of students, will go on to ignite a national debate. Should schools and universities shy away from challenging students’ opinions and bringing up difficult topics? Or does the sheltering or “baby-proofing” of students’ educations cripple them as adults?

“A university should be a place where your ideas are challenged the most,” Hashemipour said. “There should never be the option to retreat to a physical space where completely open discourse is discouraged.”

The letter addresses the expectation of both university and high school classrooms to exist as cushioned chambers that protect students from potentially offensive or challenging points of view, raising the question: How should teachers balance perspectives to ensure that students understand views that oppose their own?

LYNNE WEBER Supports open discussion in the classroom

According to History Department Chair David Fisher, the issues of trigger warnings and safe spaces are almost nonexistent in classrooms outside of the United States. Obviously, diversity and differing opinions are not uniquely American concepts, but to Fisher, who has worked for the last 20 years outside of the United States and last taught in Malaysia, it seems that classrooms outside the U.S. don’t rely on the concepts of safe spaces and trigger warnings to engage in trans-cultural discussion.

“Many people attribute sensitivity to the cultural diversity of America,” Fisher said. “But in my classroom in Malaysia, 18 out of 20 students were foreign, and there were never trigger warnings or safe spaces.”

LIFE

In fact, these concepts were so unfamiliar that Fisher believes the mention of such ideas would have resulted in both confusion and amusement among his students.

“If I had mentioned trigger warnings or safe spaces in Malaysia,” Fisher said, “it would have elicited laughter.”

Instead of tiptoeing around hotly-debated topics for fear of controversy, Fisher views volatile discussion as a cornerstone in the process of learning, going so far as to define learning as “the process of vigorous debate.”

In his classroom, Fisher strives to inspire his students to tackle the tough topics and expose themselves to the differing opinions that are necessary in the process of developing one’s own views.

“That should be all of our goals,” Fisher said. “We are here to grow as thinkers, and we need to be prodded, we need to be pushed, we need to consider views that are not necessarily views that we have grown up with.” ike Fisher, Middle School humanities instructor Jason Lange acknowledges a similar lack of these issues in his own world travels. Now in his third year on campus, Lange previously taught at the Hong Kong International School in China.

“Those weren’t really buzzwords that I had heard before,” Lange said. “I did my time from 2012-2014, and those were not issues that we talked about.”

Lange’s class was composed of a similarly heterogeneous mixture of students, “60 percent foreign nationalist, 40 percent Hong Kongese.”

And like Fisher, Lange never ran into an issue with trigger warnings and safe spaces in his international teaching experience.

“This is something that’s never really come up,” Lange said. “In fact, I understand the premise, but I had never heard trigger-warning before U[niversity of] Chicago. Educational institutions need to strike that balance between being a place for people to test their boundaries but at the same time feel comfortable talking about what they need to talk about.”

As a middle school instructor, Lange

L

does have to cater some discussions to the level of sophistication and social maturity of 11 and 12-year-olds. Even so, he does encourage his students to grow both as people and students as they explore dual perspectives on familiar topics that will further their development in the future.

“I do think as people get older they should form an opinion,” Lange said.

“It’s dangerous to waver in the middle.

The best way to learn about supporting something is to have an honest discussion, and I would hope that by the time students are university-age they can have those discussions and still have enough respect for their counterparts to sit and listen.”

As students move into high school, English classes such as those taught by Trustee Master Teaching Chair Lynne Weber further encourage dynamic group discussion.

With more than 31 years of teaching English and literature courses, Weber has dealt with the results of sensitivity to complex issues many times before, just in a different form — the reluctance of students, parents and school districts to approach great works of literature because of controversial and disturbing subject matter.

Weber believes that the emotional and distinctly human experiences in these works are important in shaping one’s outlook on the world, emphasizing that attempting to censor or provide “trigger warnings” for books would undermine the whole purpose of the books.

“The whole function of great works of literature,” Weber said, “is to challenge your beliefs, to shake you up, to show you a different way of living or a different point of view, or to take you through some tremendous scenes of suffering with a vicarious experience that produces empathy.”

Alongside her role as a Master Teacher, Weber has taught for 16 years as a senior lecturer at the University of Texas at Dallas, teaching the final class taken before an aspiring English or literature teacher begins to teach.

Weber acknowledges that some students may sincerely not be able to revisit a memory or experience, and as an instructor of future instructors, she suggests that teachers tell the students to address the problems individually, instead of limiting the learning experience.

“I think [a student approaching the teacher] is a way to do it without gagging yourself as a professor and putting tape over your mouth,” Weber said. “There might be situations in your life that you might not be able to revisit, psychologically.”

STORY DAVIS BAILEY, REECE RABIN PHOTO FRANK THOMAS

LIFE DOESN’T HAVE TRIGGER WARNINGS —Lynne Weber

Weber finds a school or university classroom is the perfect safe space to have volatile and complex conversations.—“It’s the perfect place, in itself a safe space,” Weber said. “You don’t need an extraneous safe space. The English classroom is the safe space.”

All three teachers, though they instruct different age groups and classes, agree on one common point: discussion and engagement is crucial to developing as both a student and a person.

In particular, Fisher encourages students to not only listen to different views, but to wholeheartedly throw oneself tenaciously into debates revolving around alternate perspectives and opinions.

“Being a community of scholars that believes that debate is important, this creates all kind of positive spillover effects,” Fisher said. “I see this as a great opportunity to channel that interest and engagement and energy into something that is productive in both class discussions and debate.”

Instructors showcase their talent in second annual Faculty Art Show The second faculty art exhibition is taking place in Nearburg’s Bock Gallery Hall, featuring work from all six visual art faculty members.

Gallery Committee Chair Scott Hunt explains that a faculty art exhibit is not an uncommon occurrence. “[At] most colleges and universities,” Hunt said, “every several years, the faculty will have an exhibit so that the students and the community can see what the faculty are doing as artists themselves.”

Additionally, Hunt thinks this exhibit is a great chance for

the community to see some of the work new ceramics instructor Scott Ziegler creates.

“With the addition of Scott Ziegler, for the first time in over 40 years, we have a new ceramics teacher,” Hunt said. “It’s an opportunity for the community to understand where he’s coming from artistically.”

Hunt also credits the idea of the faculty arts exhibition to fine arts instructor Max Wood.

“Max Wood was the one who was like ‘we should do a faculty show,’” Hunt said, “and it’s not the first time we’ve done it, but it’s just the first time in a long time. It was a

combination of all these things coming together that made it a really good time to do that.”

Wood also sees this as an opportunity for the community to learn more about the art faculty members in this school.

“I just want the St. Mark’s community and fine arts faculty members to have a little acquaintance,” Wood said. “We [can] let St. Mark’s community to know what we are doing as artists. It’s very challenging for [a] fine arts teacher. Being a teacher and being an artist requires time.”

Wood explains that she would like for faculty art exhi-

bitions to happen more often.

“For 12 years, I’ve been encouraging,” Wood said. “Ideally, I would like our faculty to share their work every year.”

Hunt thinks that the amount of teacher work will depend on when students have work to put up on display, as Hunt believes it’s important to display student art in Nearburg.

“I believe that that gallery space, the Bock Gallery Hall, is primarily a space to showcase student work,” Hunt said, “but, it will probably be sometime October, November, maybe Thanksgiving break, something

like that, before we’re at a point where several of the other classes have created enough work to justify having a show.”

ZACH GILSTRAP PHOTO

by Matthew Zhang

ON DISPLAY Art instructor Max Wood’s oil on canvas painting, entitled “Essay on Men: Dogs,” hangs next to many other pieces from other faculty.

WORDMASTERS

HITTING THE

BOOKS

PERFECT 11 Standing in formation, fourth-graders Lucas Blumenthal, Evan Graeme, Kevon Mostafavipour, Judah Frenkel, Matthew Gomez, Andrew Flaskas, Adrian Lutgen, Thomas Whitehurst, Alex Dobbs, Parker Steinbruek and Nate Wilson make up the group of 11 students who earned perfect scores in the Wordmasters competition, pushing the team to the top in the country.

Fourth-grade Wordmasters program members claim national title — for the second year in a row.

A

long year of almost daily training.

Two seasonal competitions already under their

belts.

Just coming out of physical education, the bouncing fourth-graders slowly filed themselves in their lines by class.

When fourth-grade teachers Lynn Terman and Janet Wadkins tell the students they have the results, they go silent.

Did we win?

They won.

And they went wild. With beaming smiles and jubilant movements, the fourth grade Wordmasters squad embraced each other in celebration of their win.

And for the school, this was the second year in a row the fourth-graders took home the top prize.

••• A long-standing tradition, the Wordmasters program is organized around the learning of 25 vocabulary words and using them to solve analogies. However, to Terman, learning the words means more than class work. These words become parts of the students’ lives.

“They don’t just identify the word,” Terman said, “they will come and have a conversation with you about how it was used and why it was used in that manner, and it really is pretty amazing that these words become a part of who they are, and they’re not just memorized.”

The competition aspect of Word-

masters is centered around three different quizzes assigned to the fourth-graders through the year.

After the third assessment, the schools are ranked based on the scores the fourth graders from each school earned.

“When we have a challenge meet,” Wadkins said, “which is basically a quiz that happens three different times through the year, everyone in fourth grade takes the quiz. We then send our results to the nationwide Wordmasters organization, and they rank us.”

Because the Wordmasters competition is based on the collaboration of the entire grade, Wadkins believes the competition truly brings the class of fourth-graders together.

IT’S MIND“We work BOGGLING as a team of 48,” TO ME Wadkins said.

WHAT [THE “And that’s one STUDENTS] of the things that I like about it ARE ABLE TO DO WITH because it really does build a lot of THESE camaraderie.”

WORDS. Fifth-grader — LYNN Charlie Hill, who TERMAN scored an 18 out of 20 in each part of the competition, also saw a bond gradually form between his class.

“Everyone was more interactive with each other,” Hill said, “and everyone was happy with each other. Some

people got perfect scores, and everyone started cheering for them.”

Terman believes this bond of camaraderie serves as an important lesson for the class.

“It’s a way to compete with yourself,” Terman said, “not be so competitive with your teammates, and know that what you do does contribute to the whole. And I think that that’s an important message for them.”

Although the instructors try to emphasize this form of brotherhood among the class, they also point out the importance of hard work.

“There were about 220 teams nationwide that we competed against,” Wadkins said, “so we really do feel good about our efforts and the fact that the hard work pays off. It is tough, night after night, and it isn’t all roses and unicorns. We always try to make a correlation between the fact that this is not just to be planted in your brain, you have to work at it.”

Fifth grader Kevon Mostafavipour attests to the difficulty of the program and the amount of effort it took for him and his classmates to prepare.

“I think that Wordmasters was tremendously hard,” Mostafavipour said.

“You had to memorize all these words and be able to know which analogies are similar to it. What I did was I wrote the words on flashcards and wrote the definition on the back, and this helped me remember these words.”

•••

STORY ZACH GILSTRAP, MARK TAO PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

Upon hearing news of their triumph, the students’ genuine enthusiasm and joy affected the instructors greatly. Their hard work had paid off.

For Terman, the scene of the students figuring out they won stands as one of her favorite moments from her time as a teacher here.

“I think that one of the greatest moments was just seeing them hug,” Terman said. “I thought some of them were going to be in tears, and it was this triumphant ‘We did it together.’ And I have that image seared in my brain as one of my favorite moments here at St. Mark’s.”

Which words did they master?

Among the large group of words learned by the students, a few words stand out as some of the most difficult. flexible adj. able to flex; pliant rigid adj. lacking flexibility; strictly observed firm adj. securely fixed in place; noun. the name under which a company transacts budsiness bolt verb. to move suddenly (in fright); noun. a rod with a head or a screw

LIFE

GOPAL RAMAN, NATIONAL STUDENT POET AWARD

Spreading the word

Fine Arts Board makes changes to Coffeehouse

by Sahit Dendekuri

Decherd, a room that seats 400 people, is packed.

All eyes are on the stage, where one by one, students step up to showcase their talents. One sings, one raps, one does stand-up comedy.

They each have that special something that they do for fun outside of the usual, mundane rigor of school.

It’s time for them to share that special something with their peers at Coffeehouse.

The first Coffeehouse of the year will take place Oct. 1 at Hockaday.

Although the theme has yet to be decided, Fine Arts Board cochair Leo Weiser says he wants to improve upon last year’s successful Coffeehouses, organized and run by Avery Powell ’16, with some fresh new ideas to promote and grow the program.

Because last year’s Coffeehouses relied heavily on student-given money, Weiser hopes to improve the program this year with an accommodating budget.

“With that money,” Weiser said, “we will be able to buy better props, potentially better equipment, maybe even hire somebody if we need to.”

Weiser and Shailen Parmar, co-chair of the Fine Arts Board, also want to expand their duties as hosts and maybe even incorporate a little comedy in between acts.

“Our goal is to make the host more than just a formality,” Weiser said. “We don’t want just a guy who says so-and-so is performing. I think the more comedy the better.”

This year especially, Weiser wants to use Coffeehouse to showcase all kinds of art, including paintings and sculptures, not just performance-based acts.

“Something that’s not an act, I will make it an act,” Weiser said.

“Maybe just have a ten minute session of people who just want to show their pieces. I love ISAS, and I want to bring some of ISAS to Coffeehouse.”

Parmar and Weiser’s goal this year is to make Coffeehouse a more legitimate and structured program.

“We want to make Coffeehouse a legitimate part of the school calendar,” Parmar said, “so that gives us more legitimacy for scheduling and it makes it so that we have a set amount of chaperones. We want the whole system to be more set in place for next year’s Coffeehouse.”

LITERARY ARTISTS Standing with his fellow National Student Poets, Executive Director for the Alliance for Youth Artists and writers Virginia McErnerney and Olivia Morgan of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, senior Gopal Raman (second from left) accepts his award.

SELECTED FROM A POOL OF 20,000 APPLICANTS, SENIOR GOPAL RAMAN TRAVELS TO THE WHITE HOUSE AS ONE OF FIVE NATIONALLY HONORED STUDENT POETS

F

or senior Gopal Raman, writing isn’t just a hobby. Ever since his seventh grade year in Bob Rozelle’s humanities class, it’s been a passion.

Literary Festival, Poetry Club, The ReMarker, The Marque, publishing his own book as a teenager. It’s a way of life.

So after weeks spent workshopping and editing his collection of poems, he felt ready for the Scholastic Arts and Writing competition.

He submitted.

320,000 contestants.

20,000.

200.

34.

5.

And he was one of them.

••• The warm smell of barbeque and the upbeat tone of music wafts through the Buffalo, New York afternoon air. Raman, his mind on anything but poetry, and the other interns at the Roswell Park Cancer Center celebrated. It was Fourth of July after all.

A name floats around the back of his mind. Olivia Morgan, a member of the President’s committee of the arts and humanities. He was expecting an important call from her.

The decision call.

Nervousness follows him around the rest of the day. Raman knows that today, he will have his answer, good or bad.

Pacing back and forth in the dorm hallway, he waits anxiously for the call.

He knows what’s on the line. The scholarships, the nationwide speaking engagements, the trip to the White House.

Around 5 p.m., she calls him. “It was a really tough competition,” Morgan said.

Raman’s stomach drops. He’s prepared for the worst.

“I just wanted to call you to let you know that you are a National Student Poet,” Morgan said.

He’s thrilled. But after talking for another half hour with Morgan, he knows he can’t go around telling everyone.

“So I let Mr. Brown know immediately,” Raman said.

••• It’s the big day.

He’s going to the White House.

Meeting the First Lady and rapper Q-Tip, speaking in the State Dining Room. It’s a

LIFE

dream come true.

Green Room.

Raman brushes off his coat, grabs a White House napkin as a keepsake. An official ushers him and the other poets throughout the hallways.

Blue Room.

Meet First Lady Michelle Obama.

Red Room.

He and the other four student poets place their phones and belongings into bags, where they will be secure throughout the duration of the event. Raman sees one of his idols: Grammy award-winning rapper, Q-Tip. “I’m a huge fan,” Raman says. He asks to take a quick photo, and before Q-Tip strikes a pose, he starts brushing and rubbing Raman’s shoulder.

There is some residue on his shoulder.

Pollen, lint, nobody knows what it is. But no amount of brushing can get it off.

The White House mobilizes. Marines, Secret Service agents, maids, all working towards a common goal: to clean off Raman’s shoulder.

Raman and his new friends trek through network of hallways, and they find a lint roller. But no amount of lint-rolling would work. inally, disheartened, Raman goes back to the State Dining Room. A service woman locates Raman and notices the residue. She’s got just the trick.

She grabs his lapel, wipes his shoulder, and it’s gone in no time.

It’s go time. Raman and the other poets walk out alongside the emotional First Lady, each of them receiving a round of applause and a short introduction.

And now, Gopal Raman.

Gopal begins to read. “august 23, 2005” ••• Walking back on campus, Raman is greeted with a barrage of compliments and congratulations.

Every place he goes, he sees big, proud smiles. The whole campus, it seems, is congratulating him.

The make-up work. The classes missed. It isn’t a problem.

He was back home, and he realizes that he was always part of a community that supported him.

“I’m so grateful that I get to be a part of this incredible school,” Raman said, “it’s really like no other place.”

F

‘august 23, 2005’

by Gopal Raman “Scores killed as Katrina pounds states along Gulf Coast” – Sun Sentinel the lichen dips its furry fingers just inches in, but it’s enough. how nice, to know when to stop. i woke up late today and cracked open the faucet and dipped my frail fingers in until they pruned and wrinkled. i can’t write with tight skin. i leave the paper soaking, graphite shading the dripping shadows. the paper just sits, pruned and not wanting to dry off. and that must be enough, to feel the earth crackle but to not fear the water creeping through the cracks. to hear ‘prune’ and think of the fruit. to hear ‘cane’ and not hurry to run but to taste the sugar melt into your mouth. my fingers are tightening up, so i dip them in the stream again, but they take longer to wrinkle.

FRANK THOMAS PHOTO

|THE REMARKER |life| September 23, 2016 |

14 15

HITTING THE NOTES Performing during Coffeehouse, Hockaday senior Elinor Sachs sings for a full auditorium.

STORY ZACH GILSTRAP, DAVIS BAILEY PHOTOS COURTESY NATIONAL STUDENT POETS PROGRAM

EXCHANGE STUDENTS

A CULTURAL EXCHANGE JUAN MONTABES

Hailing from the Canary Islands, Spain, exchange student Juan Montabes is spending his junior year immersed in American culture.

What were your expectations for visiting America?

My biggest expectation… I thought everything was going to be bigger and that there would be typical American stuff, like a typical American high school, American life and prom. I had in mind all the differ‑ ences from Spain.

How does it feel now that you have actually arrived in Dallas?

It feels great actually, thanks for asking. Maybe it isn’t exactly like I thought it was going to be, but it is even better. I didn’t even think it was going to be this good.

IAN FITZGERALD

Returning from his junior year spent studying in China, senior Ian Fitzgerald talks about his cultural experiences abroad.

How does it feel to be back?

It’s certainly a change of pace. I was expecting a lot of chill at the program and I definitely got it there. Since I’ve come back, it’s gone from lazy Beijing life to lazy St. Mark’s life.

Do you miss any good things you had in China that you can’t get here?

One thing I really miss was this meal we’d have almost every day, called Malaxiangguo. It was amazing. I had it for lunch every day. Lunch was free because of our tuition, but the Malaxiangguo was more expensive than everything else in the line, so we racked up a pretty high bill!

How did you explore Chinese culture?

We banded together in groups of five or so and explored the city together when we had time.

It was super fun. There was definitely an ex‑ ploration aspect to it while we were there.

What’s the biggest difference between St. Mark’s and your school in Spain?

Probably that we speak English here and that it is in America! My school in Spain is also a boys’ school, so that isn’t too different.

But the biggest differences are that there are female teachers and that the food in the cafeteria is much better here.

How was your host family?

My host dad was pretty interesting. He would ask me a lot of political questions and school me on Chinese politics. He was also a huge workaholic. [My host] mom was fantastic.

She did so much. She worked, came home, cooked and cleaned every other night.

What has been the biggest shock for you since you’ve been here?

I didn’t think when I imagined Dallas that it would be so big. It really surprised me how big it was, and everything is so spread out, and you have to get in a car to get to every sin‑ gle place in the city! Also, the feeling that your friends drive, that’s very strange, too.

Do you not drive in Spain?

Not until 18. I can drive a motorbike though. In the countryside I drive a dirt bike, too. Girls like the motorbike!

How is your host family?

They are great. I really enjoy doing the activities with them just like I was another member of the family. Doing community service altogether or just swimming in the pool in the afternoon or just playing soccer together, those are fun.

Speaking of soccer, do you like American football as much as soccer?

No, I don’t. Soccer has been the sport I’ve been play‑ ing my whole life. American football is a sport I find very cool though.

What is the strangest thing about St. Mark’s?

It’s very different that the headmaster and heads of school are in the morning waving to everyone and greeting everyone when they walk in. I like it.

Finally, Real Madrid or Barcelona?

He rambles in Spanish for 20 minutes.

What made you want to spend a year there?

I realized that I really liked Chinese and decided I should go to an exchange program there. I knew that there were some things about the Chinese language that I just wouldn’t be able to get in a classroom. I learned how Chinese people really speak Chinese.

Would you study a year abroad again?

Oh, definitely. There are definitely tradeoffs, but in the end I definitely think it was worth it. The people you’ll meet there are amazing. We’re still talking to each other on Facebook and bugging each other.

Aside from a greater understanding of the language, what do you think is the most important thing you gained from going to China?

How to survive in unfamiliar spaces. One of the reasons everyone wanted to go back to the U.S. was because everything is easier here. I learned to build my own support network there. The program taught me independence.

How did it feel to be back in Dallas?

It was pretty exciting. The last few weeks we wanted to stay in China, but we also wanted to go back to the US. We had made so many friends there, and we were definitely gonna miss a lot of aspects of China. But I couldn’t wait to just get in my car and turn the keys in the ignition and just drive.

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY ZACH GILSTRAP, DAVIS BAILEY PHOTOS WESLEY HIBBS, KABEER SINGH

Student films accepted into All American Film Festival

by Dylan Liu

It was finally posted. The list that had all the people who were accepted to the festival. The list that had only a handful of names, chosen from thousands of submissions. The list that would tell him if he made it.

Senior Devan Prabhakar scrolled down the list on his iPhone, scanning the screen, searching for his name. When he saw it, he knew what it meant.

His film had been accepted into the All American Film Festival.

“I was ecstatic when I found out,” Prabhakar said. “The All American Film Festival only takes the highest quality of films, so I was very honored to be among those few filmmakers that were selected to be a part of it.”

Prabhakar, along with senior August Graue, created their film during the course of the school year.

The movie, “Duality,” focused on two painters with contrasting style who were painting the same scene side by side.

“August and I were talking one day and we just decided we wanted to make a film that looked aestheti‑ cally pleasing,” Prabhakar said, “so we decided on making a film about the most pleasing thing to look at, which is art. We settled on just having the focus be less on the music and more on the juxtapositions of each artist’s styles of painting.”

Prabhakar feels that the reason his film stood out among others was the beauty that it portrayed rather than its actual story.

“Watching this film is compara‑ ble to painting on a canvas in itself,” Prabhakar said. “You can pause the film at any moment, and there will be a beautiful still picture in front of you. I agree that there are still flaws in the film, but the overall product was really well done and the cine‑ matography is top-notch.”

Additionally, two other films, “Phantasmagoric!” made by Harri‑ son Chen ’16 and “Homeless,” cre‑ ated by Will Clark ’16 and Bradford Beck ’16, were also accepted into the same festival.

Chen’s film was accepted into another prestigious festival as well ‑- the Austin Film Festival.

“It’s not often that we get three films into one festival,” film stud‑ ies instructor Jennifer Gilbert said.

“Usually I’ll submit ten films, and we typically get one in. The film fes‑ tival gets so many submissions now and it’s harder and harder to get in, so when you do get in, it’s really gratifying.”

If his rigorous senior year courseload allows for it, Prabhakar plans to go see his film’s showing at the festival in October.

“I have learned from my ex‑ perience in just making these high school shorts how much effort and planning goes into making films,” Prabhakar said, “so becoming a filmmaker as a profession seems extremely intense. Having said that, I do love the art in itself, and despite not planning to pursue it as a career, I definitely plan on making films for the rest of my life.”

LIFE

|THE REMARKER |perspectives| September 23, 2016 |

16 17

TRAVEL POLICY

GOING GLOBAL

After many students missed chances to travel the world because of a one-year block on school travel, the administration has unveiled its new travel policy.

H

e couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

After years of waiting, years in the photography program and years dreaming about taking “the trip,” then-junior Daniel Chavez could not believe Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt was announcing to his photography class that the biennial photography trip, a proposed two week long trip to Iceland, was canceled by school administrators.

“I expected to go on the Iceland trip because I thought it was gonna be an awesome opportunity,” Chavez said. “Also, Mr. Hunt has gone on previous trips before with other students and it looks like the trips were always well planned out, so I was really disappointed because I had been looking forward to maybe having the opportunity to have an international cultural experience.”

However, Chavez’s plans were ended when the administration shut down new student trips for the 2015-2016 school year.

Instead, administrators worked on creating a consistent travel policy for any trips involving students — something the school had never had before.

Headmaster David Dini, Associate Headmaster John Ashton and Assistant Head of Upper School Scott Gonzalez, who was interim Head of Upper School last year, worked to create the new policy.

“Before I came,” Ashton said, “Mr. Dini already forecasted that we were going to take a year, we’re going to put a committee together, and say ‘ok, what is our current practice, what is the industry standard from a practice standpoint, and what do we need then to establish this criteria both for the process of approving trips, and then the process for training faculty who want to lead trips

PERSPECTIVES

and preparing them to do that, and then put in place the right protocols for managing them safely.”

The new plan, which was revealed to faculty members in an email sent by Ashton in May, provides more rigid procedures for those considering taking students on trips, whether they are domestic or international in nature.

Key components of the new DANIEL CHAVEZ Disappointed after trip was cancelled

plan include: (1) Approval must be granted by a newly-appointed director of student travel (Hunt was named to this position in May).

(2) Faculty sponsors must submit detailed paperwork to Hunt for approval for potential trips. Information required in the paperwork includes all travel arrangements, accommodation plans, educational purposes and risk assessment.

One task faced by administrators was defining exactly what constitutes a St. Mark’s trip.

According to Ashton, a St. Mark’s trip is defined as a trip with a St. Mark’s teacher and St. Mark’s students.

Still, according to Ashton, some trips, such as head water polo coach Mihai Oprea’s annual trip to Romania or the College Visits spring break trip, fall into a gray area because of their inclusion of outside students and chaperones that the new policy will handle on a case-by-case basis. he most far-reaching school trip canceled last year was Hunt’s biennial international trip, a photography exursion to Iceland. “I was scheduled to do [a trip] over the summer, but I was asked not to do it while

T

the school was still trying to get a handle on things,” Hunt said.

“Now the procedure has been placed, so now I’m going to go through the same process like everybody else.”

Chavez was disappointed because, graduating this May, he will not have another opportunity to go on a photography trip.

“Specifically, on this Iceland trip, I know I could have taken some killer images, because Iceland has some of the most beautiful scenery in all of the world,” Chavez said. “I think we all missed out on a chance regardless of where we may have gone. It’s an opportunity we, as brothers and classmates, might not have again.”

Hunt believes this new policy

the new POLICY •

•

•

•

Faculty must now complete a form for trips.

A minimum of two faculty members must travel on any school trip.

A provisional deadline of Sept. 30 has been created for the proposal of all trips.

A review process, lasting about two weeks, will be conducted for each trip by the administration.

provides accountability for the administration in case something goes wrong on a school trip.

“Okay, so imagine a hypothetical situation: You have faculty and students on a trip, something terrible happens and the headmaster has no idea this is going on,” Hunt said. “So Channel 8 sticks a microphone in his face and asks, ‘How do you feel about this terrible event that happened?’ or something like that,

and he has no idea. That’s not a position any headmaster wants to find himself in for any number of reasons.”

One benchmark the new policy sets is for each student trip to have at least two chaperones, and a ratio of 12 students to one chaperone.

“Two chaperones is the target, it’s not, at this point, that if you can’t reach it, you can’t go on your trip,” Ashton said. “Ideally, we want to staff trips and support whoever the lead chaperone is with a faculty member. That’s ideal, not always possible and not always realistic. Say there’s four or five guys going to Quiz bowl with Mr. Mlakar and his wife can’t go, and a parent is going to be there anyway. So we say ‘Would you be available to help, if needed?’ If they say yes, then we’re comfortable with one chaperone.”

As the director of student travel programs, Hunt will be responsible for alerting the administration as to the location of students and faculty not only during the school year but also the summer months.

In addition, he will work with faculty to develop viable travel proposals.

“Having travelled overseas with students many, many times, is to help faculty and assist them with the kind of things the school is going to require them to do,” Hunt said, “To be sure we are doing our due diligence and to help them think through potential problems with overseas travel and to help with risk mitigation and think about liability and that sort of thing.”

Ashton emphasized the new policy didn’t aim to restrict new trips from happening, but rather to inspect them to make sure they meet the new criteria.

“One thing I think’s important for folks to understand is that

TURNED AROUND S the world are now regula policy that aims to incre

putting in place pro this process is to en can have trips to go of ways,” Ashton s to stop trips. It’s jus make sure that they teria that we need i a risk management and etc.’”

H

unt believes for the schoo of all studen travel to ensure the travelling.

“From the scho from an institution it’s important the s its due diligence to the kids are safe, th are safe, and that w our boys or people that puts the schoo these people at risk or anything,” Hunt the kind of thing w looking out for. Cle mary concern is the students.” �Ashton is hop new policy in place age the developme el programs to prov comprehensive trav possible.

He believes the guidelines will actu school to create and student trips in the than work to preve “What I’m hop happen, and I know committed to this a school, is developin and education for f ested in leading trip their comfort and a propose trips for yo Ashton said. “I thin else, actually, these guidelines position a much stronger pl more trips taking p

STORY JOHN CRAWFORD, CORDAY CRUZ, ANDRE ARSENAULT PHOTO

DESERT ADVENTURE

Motorcycle diaries Photography Instructor Scott Hunt, Athletic Director Mark Sullivan and head crew coach Pitts Yandell track their summer journey across seven states.

T

Student trips across ated by a concrete ease accountability.

he rain pounded outside. Three men stand soaked in the line of a Starbucks on the outskirts of Las Vegas, just waiting for their coffee.

An unexpected stop, but their black leather jackets and helmets can’t protect them from the vicious thunderstorm outside.

So they wait until it lets up to continue on.

Only a couple more hours before they reach California.

Over the summer, newly appointed Director of Student Travel Programs Scott Hunt, Athletic Director Mark Sullivan and head crew coach Pitts Yandell embarked on a motorcycle trip across the west, starting on June 26 and visiting such landmarks as the Four Corners, Death Valley and Yosemite National Park.

The 15-day trip started in Texas, made its way through New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, then climbed up the Sierra Neva-

s it’s important ol to be aware nt-faculty e safety of those

ool perspective, nal perspective, school does o ensure that hat the faculty we don’t put e in a situation ol and puts k for lawsuits t said. “That’s we’re always early, the prie well being of

place we were staying at that night, and we didn’t get probably 10 miles, and all of a sudden we encountered this group of motorcyclists that were doing Ruta Cuarenta. So the idea of a lengthy motorcycle adventure was really born there in Argentina on Ruta Cuarenta. “ He says that this trip across the western United States was a warmup for their aspiration to travel the

da mountain range into California, biking up to Colorado and returning through New Mexico for the conclusion of the trip.

The three rode on BMW R1300 GS and R1200 GS motorcycles for the duration of the journey.

According the Sullivan, the idea for this trip sprouted in another country entirely, when he accompanied Hunt on a photography trip to Argentina.

“We went to Argentina a couple of years ago with Mr. Hunt and the boys, and when we were in Argentina, there was a road called Ruta Cuarenta,” Sullivan said. “It essentially goes the length of Argentina.”

Just after leaving a rest stop, the two saw a group of motorcyclists traveling the Ruta Cuarenta, turning a motorcycle trip from just an idea to a valid possibility.

“So we were in Argentina, and we were at this one rest stop in northern Argentina. We get in our little vehicle, and we head off to the

From Dallas to Reno, faculty friends hit the road this summer Ruta Cuarenta, a trans-Argentinean highway.

“That’s the dream out there,” Sullivan said. “We would like to figure out how to get our motorcycles down to South America and how to do this trip in a way where we can successfully do it and be safe. This trip in some ways is a warm up to that, but that’s where the conversation of a motorcycle adventure was born.”

Sullivan he had wanted to do a long distance trip ever since he got his first motorcycle.

“I’ve ridden motorcycles for almost all my life, certainly my whole adult life, probably when I was about your age [16] when I got my first one, but I had never done an extended trip like this,” Sullivan said.

“Getting to do this with Mr. Hunt and coach Yandell was a lot of fun. For me it was that bonding with good friends over something that we all liked to do.”

However, as enjoyable as the trip was for the three, Hunt recalls some of the dangers that come with riding a motorcycle in some of the conditions they faced. In addition to the intense heat, the trio braved

6

The itinerary:

5

ocedures in nsure that we o on in the best said. “So it’s not st like ‘ok, let’s y meet the criit to meet from t standpoint

HIGHWAY TO HELL Sullivan (left), Hunt (middle) and Yandell (right) park their bikes in Death Valley National Park.

The journey’s highlights

4 3

2

1

1. Dallas (starting point) 2. Four Corners 3. Grand Canyon National Park 4. Death Valley National Park 5. Yosemite National Park 6. Reno (finishing point)

ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH Pushing on through extreme heat and miles of desert, the trio of faculty members traveled through more than seven states.

thunderstorms in Nevada, windstorms in Arizona and scores of dirt devils in Utah.

“There were parts like that every day,” Hunt said. “No I mean, the thing about the trip is when you’re travelling by motorcycle, there are moments that are breathtaking and there’s moments that are just uncomfortable and exhausting, and then there are points where every now and then you’re just scared. We got into a really bad windstorm outside of Grand Canyon, the wind was blowing so hard it sheared off part of the gas tank of Mr. Sullivan’s bike.”

All in all, Sullivan thinks that the fact that they carried out such an ambitious road trip is something valuable that he will remember forever.

“A lot of people would love to head off into the sunset on their motorcycle and travel across America, [but] very few people, in the big picture, do that,” Sullivan said.

“So that accomplishment of doing something that put me outside of my comfort zone and doing something that’s not just a dream, that to me is what I will take away.”

The odometer: Stats on the road

15

DAYS

Duration of the trip

4387 MILES

Distance covered on the motorcycle trip

PORTFOLIO A closer look at some of Scott Hunt’s photography from his trip

peful having the e will encourent of new travvide the most vel experience

ese new ually enable the d allow more e future rather ent them. peful will w Mr. Hunt is as we are as a ng programs faculty interps to increase abilities to ou guys,” nk if nothing e processes and n the school in lace to support place.”

S FRANK THOMAS, COURTESY SCOTT HUNT GRAPHIC GOPAL RAMAN

1. Taken in Yosemite National Park 2. Taken at Mono Lake in California 3. Taken in Death Valley National Park 4. Grand Canyon National Park (enlarged behind)

1.

More of Scott Hunt’s photography can be viewed at www. scotthuntphoto.com.

2.

3.

4.

|THE REMARKER |life| September 23, 2016 |

18 19

TOM ADAMS

THE ST. MARK’S MAN FROM TEACHER TO LEGEND, TOM ADAMS ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT MEN IN THE SCHOOL’S HISTORY, AND NOW, THE SCHOOL IS REWARDING HIM BY NAMING ITS NEWEST MASTER TEACHING CHAIR AFTER HIM.

MAN OF MANY TALENTS During his time at the school, Tom Adams excelled as a teacher, a coach and a mentor.

H

e can say the alphabet in less than four seconds. Backwards.

He taught here for 45 years.

He was the head varsity baseball coach for 32 years and the varsity basketball coach for 10 years.

He’s had the Marksmen yearbook dedicated to him seven times in five different decades.

He played college basketball and baseball at Princeton.

He is one of the most prominent faces in St. Mark’s history.

He is Tom Adams.

The school has just unveiled a new Master Teaching Chair, whose namesake is none other than Tom Adams. This new chair marks the 15th master teaching chair at the school.

A Master Teaching Chair is a position paid for by various donors, allowing certain teachers to be paid more. The responsibilites vary depending on the chair, but all recipients of these honorable positions are respected members of the faculty who are supposed to mentor and tutor younger teachers.

“It’s just a wonderful feeling having a chair named after me,” Adams said. “I feel a lot of love for this school and a lot of satisfaction that they thought enough of me to do this.”

And his buoyant personality became legend when he impersonated Les Keiter, a famous sportscaster, at every Homecoming football pep rally for over 30 years.

“I used to play Les Keiter at the Homecoming football pep rallies,” Adams said. “He had a very dramatic style that I really liked, so I used to introduce

all of the seniors with some inflated statistics, and then in the latter years, I would broadcast a fight between Souvanna Phouma and Patrice Lumumba [two political figures of the time]. That was a pretty popular act.”

As far as phonetic powers, Adams didn’t only speak fast; he spoke at speeds that would have made him the greatest auctioneer of all time. For Adams, these skills were apparent at an early age.

“It all really started in the 1940’s when I was about five years old, and I heard this lady on the radio do the alphabet backwards in four seconds,” Adams said. “So when my father came home from work that night I told him about this lady, and he said ‘well hell I can do it in less than four seconds’. I said ‘let me hear you’ and he said ‘ZA’. I said I didn’t hear the B and he said ‘ZBA’.

That was the end of it, and he couldn’t do it. That got me fired up to do the alphabet backwards, but I really didn’t get into it until I was a teenager, and then I worked on it hard.”

During his prime, Adams could recite the 50 states of the United States, the 50 capitals, the alphabet backwards, the presidents of the United States in order, the 66 books of the Bible in order, the 32 points on a compass and the 28 train stops between New York and Chicago.

All of this in under 60 seconds.

He can still do his famous recitation, but it comes with a few more struggles nowadays.

“I had the same routine every time,” Adams said. “I actually did it last spring at the alumni weekend, but I hadn’t really done it in a while, so I had to really practice the late presidents because when I started doing the presidents in order, Eisenhower was president. I would wake up at four in the morning and work on it. Especially those last 10-15 presidents because I wasn’t used to doing them.”

The legacy of Tom Adams does not stop there, as he was also a very talented athlete, playing both collegiate baseball and basketball at Princeton.

“I was about the number four pitcher on the varsity team,” Adams said. “My biggest thrill though, was scoring 14 points against Duke in Madison Square Garden in the NCAA tournament.”

His love of sports continued long after his playing career. Adams served as both the varsity baseball and basketball coaches during his tenure here, with the defining moment coming in his final year of coaching in 2009.

“We were in the semifinal game and down 8-4 in the sixth inning of a 7-inning game, but we ended up winning in

STORY SAM SUSSMAN, MATTHEW ZHANG PHOTOS MARKSMEN ARCHIVES

LIFE

extra innings,” Adams said. “And then in the final game against ESD, we were down 9-3 in the fifth inning and we won that game 10-9, so it was a great finish there.”

All of these accomplishments are reasons the newest Master Teaching Chair is dedicated to Tom Adams.

The first holder of the Thomas S. Adams teaching chair will be Dr. John Perryman, who is honored to represent both Adams and the school and excited to teach both English and history once again.

“To be appointed to a chair is an honor, and I will work to the best of my ability to be worthy of it,” Perryman said. “The fact that the chair is named for Tom Adams, whom I have known and admired for years, makes it extra special.

When St. Mark’s first hired me in 1999, I told my family, and the second thing my oldest brother told me, after congratulating me, was that there was a really impressive baseball coach and teacher there that I should get to know.”

Founders’ Master Teaching Chair A new holder of the Founders’ Master Teaching Chair was necessitated when Bill Kysor retired in May 2016

• • •

Science Instructor Doug Rummel is the new holder of the chair.

Rummel is the third holder of this chair, following J.T. Sutcliffe and Bill Kysor.

Rummel has been a teacher at this school since 1999 and currently teaches eighth grade science and information engineering.

MASTERS ON PECOS

MASTERING PECOS

TENTWORK Rahlson makes a late-night push to complete his final project for his master’s degree.

AFTER COMPLETING A PAPER FOR HIS MASTER’S DEGREE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PECOS MOUNTAINS, SCIENCE INSTRUCTOR LUKAS RAHLSON DETAILS HIS ROCKY JOURNEY TOWARDS SUCCESS.

S

tuffed in a small tent, sitting by an even smaller table, he’s cramped.

For hours on end, the only thing he hears is the pitter patter of pelting rain interrupted by the mechanical clicking of his keyboard.

Middle School science instructor Lukas Rahlson is in a time crunch.

That’s because he, too, is a student— and students write papers. Last summer, Rahlson began taking online classes at Vanderbilt to earn a master’s degree in independent school leadership. Focusing on leadership, teaching and school development, the degree meant a life ambition accomplished.

“From a young age, it was a goal for me to get a master’s degree,” Rahlson said, “and working over the school year was the only way I could get one without having to leave my position here.”

NICK SBERNA Supported Rahlson on the Pecos

And in the fall, he began work on his final project.

Rahlson surveyed the school faculty about what it really means to be an excellent teacher.

“I had 87 percent of the faculty respond,” Rahlson said. “It’s an incorporation of everything from content mastery to being a good colleague to really embracing the social and emotional learning of boys and properly implementing technology and modern practices.”

To complete his final project, Rahlson had to dedicate a lot of his time to his work during the school year. Because he was too busy to fulfill his responsibilities as the co-director of the Wilderness Program, Rahlson realized he couldn’t do it on his own.

“It’s amazing how much work goes into [Pecos] that people don’t realize,” Rahlson said. “People think it’s just 130 people show up and go on a trip.”

His friend and colleague, Wilderness Program co-director Nick Sberna, shouldered a lot of Rahlson’s responsibilities and took on tasks that Rahlson would normally do, like hiring leaders and getting new gear.

“He really put in a lot of extra time to help me out,” Rahlson said. “I feel very in debt to everyone who supported me through it.”

For three years, Sberna and Rahlson have supported each other on the Pecos adventure. Over the past year, Rahlson has shared a lot of what he’s learned with Sberna.

“It’s been really fun for me to hear about the program and talk about the issues in the independent school management field,” Sberna said. “When you’re learning about all the different models, you get the natural thoughts of how it could influence St. Mark’s.”

When the time came for Rahlson to finish his project, there was a conflict.

The project was due on the first Sunday of Pecos.

“I had met with the class dean at Vanderbilt, and they were pretty strict on the ‘this is when it’s due, so do it’ policy,” Rahlson said. “So I decided that I could commit, I’d do it. And when you make a decision, you got to get creative IF YOU WANT and really underSOMETHING stand that you can put your mind to it BAD and do it.”

ENOUGH, And so he did.

YOU WILL He got creative, creFIGURE ativity in which he made the seemingly OUT HOW TO MAKE IT impossible possible.

“I basically WORK. brought a laptop — LUKAS out to the car, where RAHLSON I had to finish my project while I was out there,” Rahlson said. “Once it was done, I had to drive into the town of Pecos, plug my phone into my computer and use it as a hotspot for my computer so I could email my paper to my profes-

sor at Vanderbilt.”

And when the stress, pressure and rush was all over, he got to celebrate his master’s degree — with a $4 drink.

“It might not be the way you imagine,” Rahlson said, “literally celebrating with a DQ milkshake was not how I imagined it would turn out. But I had some great friends there to help me, like Mr. Sberna and the Sullivans [Mark and Sherri], and it was a great experience. I’ll never forget about it.”

Proud of Rahlson’s accomplishment, Sberna will help him i future goals.

“He now has the 20,000 foot view of how it’s done, and that’s very good for him,” Sberna said. “I’m not an official mentor, but we have a lot of types of conversations about what we plan to do

and how to help each other later.”

In the end, Rahlson hopes that every Marksman who goes on the Pecos will share his takeaways, learning to rely on themselves in tough situations.

“Pecos is something that obviously you will never forget,” Rahlson said.

“You learn things about yourself in that environment that you can’t learn in your comfort zone.

Rahlson says he learned about himself while writing in the tent.

“I think perseverance and resilience are what the trip really taught me,” he said. “I hope every Marksman who goes on Pecos, by working together in a group and being in an uncomfortable environment and relying on themselves, learns a lesson like that.”

STORY SAHIT DENDEKURI, JASON PENG PHOTOS LUKAS RAHLSON

DADYO opens equality discussions across the Dallas area

by Mark Tao

T

he Dallas Area Diverse Youth Organization (DADYO) plans to meet with schools across Dallas about various issues affecting today’s world.

“What we’re all about is trying to foster cultural understanding between all of the diverse groups of St. Mark’s,” member Andrew Whigham said, “so that means across racial, socioeconomic

levels, as well as a few others.”

Over the summer, the DADYO program met at Southern Methodist University for Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson’s seminar, Youth Summit and Diversity Dialogue.

“We covered three topics,” Whigham said, “the importance of pluralism in education, refugees and their importance to society, and it was about being allies to members of the LGBT community. Those were our three main seminar groups.”

Following this seminar, the club plans to maintain its connection to other schools by

meeting on a monthly basis.

“When we have our bigger DADYO meetings,” Whigham said, “which include the other private schools, we talk about broader topics, and we then present a little bit as well there. They happen on a monthly basis, and for each meeting it’s a different context.”

For many schools, DADYO encourages student discussion about issues affecting the world.

“The objective is to inspire [the schools] to increase their self-awareness and adopt solutions to provoke mutual understanding within their community,” DADYO sponsor Marjorie Curry said.

“It’s supposed to be like an academic torch that each student can take back to their home school community.”

DADYO encourages growth and maturity not only among school communities but for individual students as well. For Whigham, DADYO helped him develop a more receptive, open-minded and mature mindset.

“For me,” Whigham said, “DADYO

really helped me grow as a person. I developed a deeper appreciation for who I am and the others around me, their cultures, their religion, their preferences, their orientation and identifications of all types. Being exposed to different types of people, I developed a greater sense of what I am and what my personality is.”

Curry also expressed a similar manner of appreciation for the program and the way in which it encourages students to discuss important topics.

“It has been rewarding both personally and professionally,” Curry said. “I do believe that it’s important for people to be able to discuss topics of diversity, equality and inclusion.”

Curry ultimately believes the program fosters in students the same form of leadership and character the school tries to create.

“DADYO complements the character and leadership work that is important at St. Mark’s,” Curry said. “As a group that promotes equity and inclusion, DADYO is open to everyone.”

LIFE

|THE REMARKER |life| September 23, 2016 |

20 21

THE CAMPUS AT NIGHT

NIGHT VISION Head Photographer Frank Thomas captures the lights and sights of our campus that looks like a different world after the sun goes down.

The Cecil and Ida Green Library

Centennial Hall

Nearburg Hall Awning The Commons foyer

The chapel tower PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

LIFE

BUZZ

THIS ISSUE AFTER SCHOOL SNACKS SNOWDEN HEADLINERS

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

POST-CLASS BITES

Maybe you had to skip lunch to hammer out the last two pages of that English paper. Maybe the middle schoolers beat you to the cafeteria...again. Fortunately, you aren’t alone- whatever the reason your stomach is growling, within the vicinity of 10600 Preston Road is a wealth of affordable dining options for the hungry Marksman.

4. The pizzeria formerly known as Pizza by Marco

3. Celebrity Bakery

1. Gazeebo Burger The unofficial burger joint of St. Mark’s still makes a great meal or snack once classes are done. Offering an extensive menu that includes burgers, fries, salads, and shakes, all between $6-9, it’s great for a reasonably priced late lunch or early dinner.

After you eat, you can relax by trying (and failing) to win at one of the teeth gnashingly difficult arcade games. Are the starbursts in the machine old enough to have a bachelor’s degree? It’s quite possible, but they remain a shining testament to the skill of a true block stacking master.

If you’re like me and need to satisfy both your sweet tooth and caffeine addiction at the same time, Celebrity Bakery, with its assortment of sugary snacks and surprisingly good coffee (that doesn’t cost five dollars) has got you covered.

While they do serve sandwiches and other lunch fare, you’re better off going crazy on the desserts, a wide variety of pastries, tarts, cookies, and cakes in a myriad of flavors. As summer bows out and makes way for the colder months, there are few things better than hot chocolate and a sugar cookie to keep you warm inside.

While this tiny, family-owned pizzeria may have lost its former name to copyright, the lawyers haven’t taken away any of its dignity, and it continues to offer the signature award-winning, reasonably priced pizza on which it built its fame.

Make sure you get there before four— with the newly introduced lunch specials, a slice of pizza will only set you back $2.50, and three dollars more will net you a whole pie (though toppings are 40 cents extra). Also of note are the beverages—eschewing the typical Coke or Pepsi products, Marco’s fills its machines with all-natural craft sodas. Are they any healthier? Not really, but it’s undeniable that they taste better.

2 1

3 4

2. Sushi Star “Sushi?” You ask. “Isn’t that, like, super expensive?” Normally that would be the case, but with Sushi Star’s lunch special—a bento box that starts at ten dollars—gives you an impressive bang for your buck—your choice of fish, plus hearty portions of miso soup, white rice, salad, a California roll, dumplings and fresh fruit.

Unfortunately, this deal is only available between 11 and 2:30, which means that not every Marksman can take advantage, but Sushi Star is a great dinner choice for someone who doesn’t mind dropping a few extra dollars. The sushi rolls are great, but the true star of Sushi Star is the sushi tower, a monstrous tower of seafood, rice and sauce worthy of an emperor.

5

0.3 mi St. Mark’s

5. I Heart Yogurt While it doesn’t do much to set itself apart from the legion of frozen yogurt shacks that have spread across Dallas like a cold, creamy plague, the formula still works here, thanks to I Heart Yogurt’s seemingly endless rotation of flavors and toppings.

Like its fellow yogurt shops, I Heart Yogurt also benefits from its pricing system, which allows you to get as much or as little as you want and pay proportionally. It’s a good model, and while it lacks for originality, I Heart Yogurt is as good a place as any to get your counterfeit ice cream fix.

REVIEWS AUSTIN MONTGOMERY, DUNCAN KIRSTEIN ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA

Snowden doesn’t quite earn its pardon

by Austin Montgomery Every director has his trademarks—M. Night Shymalan and his twist endings, Tim Burton’s bizarre, almost surreal atmospheres and Michael Bay’s insatiable lust for destruction.

For Oliver Stone, director of the political thriller Snowden, that trademark is railing against the establishment.

Following his success with the brutal anti-war drama Platoon, he condemned soulless capitalism in Wall Street, skewered the media’s glorification of violence in Natural Born Killers and led America on the mindbending (albeit inaccurate) mystery thrill ride of JFK. As such, you’d expect Stone to be the perfect choice to tell the tale of a modern American hero (or villain). Unfortunately, that’s why it ends up being a disappointment.

I’d like to start by saying that Snowden is not a bad film. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in particular, deserves note for his multilayered performance as the titular character, effortlessly switching between roles—the shy geek, the flag-waving patriot, the idealistic government worker, and ultimately the bitter, disillusioned cynic that exposed one of the biggest coverups of the 21st century.

Unfortunately, the film lacks any of Stone’s signature electrifying energy, and meanders along without a real sense of suspense.

MOVIE REVIEW

Head iners Chance The Rapper

Concerts

October 16 at 8 p.m.

The Bomb Factory

The Fray & American Authors October 29 at 8 p.m.

House of Blues

Adele

November 1 & 2 at 8 p.m.

American Airlines Center

One could argue this is because we already know how Snowden’s story ends, but I suspect even those who somehow missed every news report during the summer of 2013 would leave the theater unsatisfied.

The supporting cast is full of strong actors, though they are similarly underused—Shailene Woodley (of Divergent fame) portrays Snowden’s girlfriend Lindsay Mills, but gets little to do besides act out the “concerned lover” trope.

Rhys fans puts in a solid performance as Snowden’s mentor and eventual enemy at the CIA, though his character is so unsympathetic it’s surprising they didn’t give him a mustache to twirl.

The other characters don’t fare much better, squabbling for scraps of attention in a film that despite its two hour runtime, doesn’t go into half as much detail as it should.

While flawed, Snowden raises some interesting questions—Is it worth sacrificing liberty for

security? Is it ethical for a government to lie to its citizens? What does it mean to be loyal to your country?

Stone’s film, despite a strong central performance, fails to capture the true magnitude of these questions, turning an intriguing true story into a by-the-numbers political drama.

The report card:

Van Morrison Keep Me Singing September 30

One Republic

Oh My My October 7

Green Day Revolution Radio October 7

Kenny Chesney Cosmic Hallelujah October 28

Snowden Director: Oliver Stone Cast: Joseph GordonLevitt, Shailene Woodley, Rhys Ifans, Melissa Leo, Tom Wilkinson, Zachary Quinto, Nicolas Cage Opened: September 16

C+

Rated: R

Albums

Movies The Magnificent Seven September 23

The Accountant October 14

The Birth of a Nation October 14

Inferno October 28

LIFE

|THE REMARKER |commentary| September 23, 2016 |

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THE REMARKER

CENSORED LET'S TALK

EDITOR IN CHIEF CASE LOWRY

MANAGING EDITOR RISH BASU ISSUES EDITOR JOHN CRAWFORD CREATIVE DIRECTOR GOPAL RAMAN SENIOR CONTENT EDITOR CORDAY CRUZ MAGAZINE EDITORS CRAWFORD MCCRARY, KOBE ROSEMAN DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR RETT DAUGBJERG GRAPHICS DIRECTOR NAFTAL MAUTIA RESEARCH DIRECTORS WASEEM NABULSI, REECE RABIN HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER FRANK THOMAS PHOTO EDITOR OWEN BERGER COMMENTARY EDITORS NICK MALVEZZI, JIMMY RODRIGUEZ NEWS EDITORS BLAKE DAUGHERTY, ALEC DEWAR NEWS WRITERS ANDY CROWE, MATEO GUEVARA, ANTONIO IVARRA, ZOHEB KHAN, DUNCAN KIRSTEIN, MICHAEL LUKOWICZ, KAMAL MAMDANI, NAFTAL MAUTIA, LYLE OCHS, JAMES ROGERS, MOHIT SINGHAL LIFE EDITORS DAVIS BAILEY, ZACH GILSTRAP LIFE WRITERS SAHIT DENDKURI, JOHN GUNNIN, ERIC HIRSCHBRICH, DUNCAN KIRSTEIN, DYLAN LIU, ALBERT LUO, JAON PENG, MARK TAO, MATTHEW ZHANG SPORTS EDITORS WILL FORBES, MIKE MAHOWALD SPORTS WRITERS C.J. CRAWFORD, JOSH DANIELS, PARKER DAVIS, NATHAN HAN, ZACH LANDRY, JAHAZIEL LOPEZ, CONNOR PIERCE, NICK WALSH CAMPUS COORDINATOR SAM SUSSMAN REVIEWS SPECIALIST PARKER MCWATTERS, AUSTIN MONTGOMERY BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER COPY EDITORS ANDRE ARSENAULT, SAM SHANE CARTOONIST CHRISTIAN MCCLAIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS MATEO DIAZ, GRAYSON FEICK, WESLEY HIBBS, JAYAN JOSHI, ADNAN KHAN, RYAN MCCORD, CHRIS MCELHANEY, RYAN NORMAN, TUCKER RIBMAN, CHARLIE RUBARTH, RILEY SANDERS, KYLE SMITH, KABEER SINGH, MO SINGHAL, JAKE YARCKIN STAFF ARTISTS JOON PARK, MATTHEW COLEMAN 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.

The ReMarker is the student newspaper of St. Mark's School of Texas.

10600 Preston Road Dallas, Texas

“ Word on the

STREET Students and faculty share their opinions on issues in the news and around campus.

Neutrality in the classroom is going too far. Discussion about the issues is lost.

FRANK THOMAS PHOTO

EDITORIAL

Uncensor the election

T

his presidential election has been one of the most unconventional in our nation’s history.

The two candidates of the major parties couldn’t be more different: a businessman and first time politician running against the former First Lady, U.S senator and secretary of state.

Both candidates have astronomically high disapproval ratings, and both candidates find large amounts of support from people who simply can’t bring themselves to vote for the other candidate. Divisive rhetoric from both sides is souring the election season and distracting from the real issues at stake.

However, just because we may not like the way the candidates deliver their respective messages, that doesn’t mean the election shouldn’t enter the discussion in our classrooms.

From Lower School traditions such as Mock Election, to the daily class discussions in humanities, English and history classes, the presidential election is a key source of expression for students.

Whereas fall classroom discussions every four years have traditionally revolved around who the next president will be, this year's students are shut down the moment they make a political reference. This situation needs to change.

As the faculty handbook states, “Members of the faculty, staff and administration should not express their political or religious views on campus to unduly influence students into believing or espousing a particular ideology. It is the responsi-

I think it’s legal and it’s okay for him to express his opinion, but it’s kind of disrespectful to do it in front of everybody else, and it’s a bad influence.

Cal Rothkrug junior

“

bility of the School’s adults to direct students to gather information, to analyze material, to ask pertinent questions, and to learn to express and defend their own well-conceived positions."

Here are some of the points we feel need to be made considering the policy: •

specific directions given to all faculty members. Likewise, students need to stick to the facts in our discussions and refrain from attacking a fellow student; rather, respectfully disagree with their opinions.

Learning how to engage in respectful dialogue is an important part of our school’s goal of teaching its students how to become better men.

Lower School. We feel that the Mock Election is a great way for our youngest members to get involved with the election. This tradition has been successful in providing balance between getting engaged in the current events, while still not forcing ideas down our peers’ throats.

•

Middle School. We believe there can still be ways to discuss the election in class, without forcing opinions on people. Middle schoolers generally don’t have as much of a knowledge on current events, so educating them on the differences between the candidates could be a good way to keep them involved with the current events in their country.

•

Upper School. We would like to see more in-class discussion about the election cycle. These are great opportunities to have intense yet fair discussions about the issues affecting us and the world at this critical time.

Certainly, teachers should not attempt to invoke their personal political beliefs onto their students, since that is against

“

[People] have an idea that to be critical of something means you can’t also be patriotic.

I think being critical of the country is actually one of the best ways you can be patriotic.

Dr. Jerusha Westbury history instructor

In an election cycle as unconventional, volatile and critical as this one, it is imperative to have discussions about the crucial issues our next president will be tasked to tackle.

Whether at home or abroad, the next president will take command at one of the most, if not the most, crucial times in our nation’s history.

For us to be educated about the proceedings in the world around us, we need to be able to freely — and respectfully ­— have passionate discussions about the issues our country faces.

Approximately 83 percent of students on campus will be able to vote within the next decade. As an institution which prides itself on educating “the whole boy," how can we go about that education if we are shielded from having substantive discussions on critical issues?

With the first presidential debate coming up on Monday night, we encourage our community to tune in and learn about the candiates policies, which will allow for engrossing discussions in the classroom about this unique time in our country.

It’s still his country. He can protest in other ways, but not disrespecting our country.

Henry Morgan seventh grader

“

I don’t really think he’s hurting anyone.

Toby Nwafor freshman

At the start of the NFL season, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has begun a movement around the league by refusing to stand for the national anthem. Do you agree or disagree with his action?

“

Standing for the national anthem [doesn't] mean you agree with everything that is happening...I think standing and looking at the flag is showing respect.

Cole Arnett sophomore

COMMENTARY

“

I feel like he should have found a better time to protest other than the National Anthem.

Clarke Wood senior

“

He should remember that he’s lucky to live in a country that lets him do this.

Teresa Katsulos technical services librarian

SHORT &TWEET

EDITORIAL

A view of the student body in 140 characters or less

Revisions needed for Coffeehouse

L

ast year saw a large increase in the number of students who regularly attend the Coffeehouses put on by the Fine Arts Board. Because of this, administrators, along with help from the Fine Arts Board leaders, Leo Weiser and Shailen Parmar and Fine Arts Department Chair Marion Glorioso have made some subtle but important changes to the Coffeehouse program.

First, the fine arts boards of Hockaday and St. Mark’s are planning four events this year — two at each school — as opposed to five last year. Last year, the board also planned for four, and scheduled a fifth at the end of the year, which could possibly happen this year, as well.

Second, every Coffeehouse here will be held in Decherd Auditorium. This, as well, is as a result of the large attendance numbers.

Third, and perhaps the biggest change, administrators have recommended there be at least ten faculty members in attendance at each Coffeehouse. This is to ensure that each event is as safe as possible, especially with the growing numbers of attendees. Although administrators have requested ten faculty at each, they have also said they likely won’t shut the event down because there are less.

WE AGREE with the decision to make some changes to accommodate the larger number of people who go to each Coffeehouse, we feel that there does not need to be such a large number of faculty at each event. We agree that Coffeehouses should be held in Decherd because of the larger numbers, but we feel that an abundance of faculty members will take away from what it is meant to be.

Coffeehouse is meant to be a way for students at both schools to express themselves — away from the judgment that might come from faculty members. It is meant to be put on by students, for students.

We understand these changes were made to increase the safety of Coffeehouse, but we believe that instead of ten faculty members at each event, there should be a maximum of six.

This would be a number of faculty that is not too big, but that would also be able to help in the case of an emergency.

Many high-schoolers at St. Mark’s and Hockaday use Coffeehouses as a way to express themselves to their fellow students, and we feel that a large number of faculty at Coffeehouse would make it more difficult for that to happen.

It is great that students and administrators have worked together to make needed improvements to this popular school event, and it would be a shame to overreach faculty members’ presence, which would stifle those creative pursuits Coffeehouse hopes to foster.

I

f her mother had gotten her way, Isis Perez would not be alive.

She is a seventeen-year-old from Kansas City who loves Broadway music, enjoys history class and has no siblings. That’s all the information I gathered from a two-minute conversation.

A conversation that I truthfully thought was just a simple courtesy. But RISH BASU her sugar-sweet Managing editor smile and elaborate outfits hide everything about her.

“I don’t even know where I come from.”

Those were the kinds of lines that define Isis’s life. Not her love for Broadway music or being an only child. I was talking to the most interesting person I have ever met in my life

@

sammysanchez_19“I keep buying things on

Amazon and I can’t stop. I don’t even need a 3-pack of iPhone chargers but everything is so darn affordable” Junior Sammy Sanchez

@

lildrew1515

“How am I supposed to assume the esteemed responsibility of aux cord if I have an iPhone 7” Senior Andrew Whigham

@

atrain_pearson

@

“Just flipping thru the channels. landed on Disney. Can anyone tell me how could that’s so raven turn into Dog with a blog.”

Junior Avery Pearson

“Volleyball with a big 3-0

RemarkerSports win against Trinity valley yesterday, their second straight win. #dub” Follow ReMarker Sports on twitter!

@

“Just started playing Pokemon Go today and almost got into a car wreck.

So, I’m wondering how many car wrecks @reecerabin has gotten in.”

Junior Waseem Nabulsi

waseemnabulsi

@

“Excited when I went bowling, called myself a hyperbola.”

Senior Josh Bandopadhay

joshbando17

@

FabianReyher

@

“My biggest disappointment in life is that I will never be able to meet myself.”

Senior Fabian Reyher

“My social media addiction

_edwardro_ has reached an all time high-I checked my phone in the middle of the Spanish exam to see if I had any snapchats” Junior Edward Ro

THE SIGNAL

Full bars Chick Fil-A The Chick Fil-A after the opening convocation was a big hit. This is a great alternative for when the lunch line is closed.

Calls dropping

No service

Pick up your trash after lunch

Air temperature

While we haven’t been as bad as in years past, we still need to remember that there are others on campus.

In some classrooms we’re freezing; in others we’re sweating. The temperature needs to be leveled out somewhere in between.

Her name is Isis and didn’t even know it.

Isis and I were paired together to interview each other for an assignment because we had a few petty things in common. Dr. Pepper over Coke.

Football over basketball. So after taking the time to ask her more questions about her life, I expected more of these responses.

But we couldn’t be any more different.

Before meeting Isis Perez, I wasn’t the type of kid to understand a person.

I have never have taken the time to understand where a person comes from or how he or she was brought up.

Isis answered every question ecstatically, articulating every word and never missing a beat. She patiently took notes while I raved on about my comparably mundane life. After answering basic questions about each other’s lives, Isis felt something was missing. Something she knew that

couldn’t go unmentioned.

Isis’s mother, Alina Perez, someone who’s supposed to love and cherish her child, wanted to give her up for her third abortion in five years. If it weren’t for her grandparents, Isis would have been just another unfortunate result of a one-night stand.

A weeklong court case between her grandparents and her mother gave her a life.

And just two weeks before my conversation with Isis, her mother called her to tell her why she had given her up sixteen years ago.

Isis felt sorry for her. Sorry that it took her mother 16 years and 10 months to explain herself. The interview progressed with Isis pouring her feelings out, describing her disgust for her mother and what it feels like to be unwanted her entire life.

And the worst part is that I let us both down. Not only did I fail to ask

Isis about the most important aspects of her life but I also neglected any interest in getting to know her better.

Isis Perez taught me that getting to know a person isn’t simply just asking about their hobbies and interests. There is much more to know about a person than their favorite book to read or movie to watch. Although I never saw Isis Perez after that week, she made me realize that everyone has a story, and we all need to take more time to understand the people we think we know best.

There is always something new to be learned about a person you’re interviewing, a random pedestrian or a best friend from high school. Isis Perez is an example of why asking questions about people’s lives can only strengthen a relationship.

So don’t be afraid to ask one more question.

Everyone has a story.

COMMENTARY

An injection of normal

I CASE LOWRY

Editor-in-chief

fake hustle over to help move the lacrosse goal, intent on showing Coach Lawson that he should like me better than the other kid he was thinking about starting.

Only one other player jogged over with me to the orange metal frame. It was at least a three-man job.

I grab hold of the base of the goal and lift it up a few feet. It isn’t going to happen.

“Come on guys. We just need one more person, its not that heavy” I said.

Two more teammates begin the trot over to the goal.

“Yeah it’s probably not that heavy for you cause you’re on steroids.”

They snicker.

I want to hit them as hard as I can with my Sci-ti shaft laying a couple hash marks away on the turf. But instead I cork it up and let it ferment inside of me.

Steroids? That’s not even true.

GRID

Scientifically, my pituitary gland was not producing enough growth hormone and I needed to take supplementary doses of a variant of HGH called hematropin.

But try yelling that at some thirteen year olds during a practice and feel like you came out of that battle of insults with a win.

But beyond the factual inaccuracy of the jab, they were making fun of me for something I hated to do.

For days before my first shot I chewed my fingernails down to nubs and couldn’t go to sleep for hours after I went to bed and the thought of the shot basically occupied all of my free time.

The first night I was supposed to give myself a shot I cried, had that Mom-I-can’t-dothis look glued on my face, and eventually worked myself up to the point where I saw my dinner again that night.

But back on the lacrosse

field, little brown bruises dotted my seventh grade stomach and upper thigh. I had gotten used to the needle, which is saying a lot for a kid who fainted when he heard a gurgle of blood escape from the tube connected to his arm while giving blood, but I still hated it.

Every night around that time when yawns start coming in like the tide and your head starts to droop and sugar plum fairies start to tiptoe in your head. That was the time when I had to put down the pencil and pick up the shot.

Every night that lime green case holding the shot stood menacingly between my pillow and me.

Every night I prepped the medicine, twisting the top of the EpiPen-esque device towards the two milligram mark, peeling off the seal on a new needle, and hearing the demonic click of the needle fastened in place.

But this night, I was mad.

As I pinched the fat together on the least bruised spot on my stomach, Why would I choose to do this? All I could think about was that dumb comment. That stupid jab.

I gave myself a shot of what the other kids have that I didn’t.

I wasn’t cheating. It wasn’t something I wanted to do. It wasn’t steroids.

I had to do it.

I had to go to the practice session in that sterile smelling doctor’s office where I stabbed a glossy piece of flesh colored foam with a syringe to simulate my stomach. Which doesn’t prepare you at all for the real thing.

But without it, I was on pace to be a little taller than my thirteen year-old sister, who is short for her grade.

And so every night I opened the lime green case, pulled out that needle that used to make me throw up, and injected the “steroids” into my body.

Just to be normal.

THE

Our opinions on what’s going on around campus, all in one place.

Unsung hero

NOTICED New activities in assembly

No communication for special assemblies

Student Council President Christian McClain has done an excellent job of keeping each Friday assembly interesting by incorporating different activities and games.

The communication for the time and location of special assemblies has been inconsistent this year, leaving students unsure of where they should be during free periods.

DAVID CARDEN

Spirit parties at school

The new wifi network doesn’t reach across campus, leaving students without internet connection for long periods of time.

Pep rallies got off to a great start last Friday, engaging with the whole Upper School in fun games and class cheers.

No banner for student section

Short and sweet

Thank you to Mr. DiVicenzo for shortening the techology presentation, while still covering the important rules.

When most students arrive at football games, they are met with multiple adults and parents in what should be the student section.

OVERLOOKED

BRILLIANT

Additional printers in the Jan L. Holtberg Reading Room, Science Lounge, and The Sandfield Family Lounge wil make it easier to print last minute assignments, while not relying on just one printer.

Pep rallies

Weak wifi Signal

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Printers everywhere

Although we know it can be a burden on the host of the parties, the parties on campus simply aren’t as good.

BAFFLING

|THE REMARKER |commentary| September 23, 2016 |

24 25

T

his staff member does much more than it might seem.

Taking photos for the school website, making posts on the school Facebook page throughout the summer and filling in after Director of Communications Katy Rubarth to took a leave of absence, Assistant Director of Communications David Carden has stepped it up since the end of the last school year and deserves to be recognized.

Carden and the communication team has kept the department running, and Carden, himself, has made sure the day to day operations go smoothly.

On the school Facebook page, Carden has kept alumni, students and parents informed with the campus by doing different types of posts, such as “Where Am I?” in which he uses a drone to pan out of various spots on campus.

We would like to thank Carden for his extra effort in keeping the communications office running efficiently.

THE ROCK | CARTOON CHRISTIAN MCCLAIN, KOBE ROSEMAN

Mlakar

To the Rock!

Dwayne Johnson

COMMENTARY

MAKING PLAYS

A father’s life on the line Mike Mahowald talks about keeping track of priorities as a sports fan.

T

he loud crack of pads on pads erupted throughout AT&T Stadium. 80,000 fans jumped from their seats and yelled ferociously. I was one of them.

If you haven’t seen Jeff Heath’s hit on Ricardo Lockette from last year’s Cowboy Seahawks game, Google it. It’s big time. So big, that Lockette had to be carted off the field. He couldn’t even move.

And as my friends and I watched the Seattle training staff hoist him on to the stretcher, all we MIKE MAHOWALD talked about was how Sports editor this gave us an advantage. A key receiver knocked out of the game. Nice.

The Cowboys still lost. 13-12.

Thanks Jerry. But I quickly let the image of Lockette’s lifeless body being dragged off the field slip from my mind. I was just bitter that my fantasy team took an L that day.

Fast forward. As the reigning runner up in my league, I was busy doing fantasy football research. But a few weeks ago, I stumbled across an article.

“Am I about to Die?”

By Ricardo Lockette.

Whoa.

All of WHEN A FATHER’S a sudden, LIFE IS ALMOST memories of TAKEN RIGHT IN Lockette’s head getting FRONT OF YOUR EYES, IT GIVES snapped YOU A NEW backward from the vi- PERSPECTIVE. cious hit came rushing back to me. I clicked on the headline.

“It was like being in a car accident,” he wrote on the first line. Honestly Ricardo, it looked a heck of a lot worse than a fender bender. But as his writing continued, things got a little deeper.

A friend, a son, a father of a young daughter. Lockette was a lot more than a wide receiver on the team that played the Cowboys that Sunday afternoon. Yet that afternoon altered his life forever.

As he lay motionless, completely numb on the turf, Lockette remembered that his ten-year old daughter was in the stands watching—waiting for her dad to stand up, to walk it off, to jog back to the huddle.

It never happened.

Lockette suffered a neck injury that literally almost took his life. One mistake made by the training staff could’ve done it.

Football is a violent sport.

There’s no denying that. But when a father’s life is almost taken right in front of your eyes, it gives you a new perspective—especially when you’re not even aware it’s happening.

So next time a guy gets injured on the field—whether it ruins your fantasy team’s championship aspirations or not—think twice about what’s going on. Show some compassion, because sometimes it’s a matter of life and death.

SPORTS

Taking over the as the starter, junior quarterback Canyon Kyle fires a pass to senior Rish Basu during the varsity football game against Greenhill Aug. 26.

The Lions fell to the Hornets 27-42.

a peek INSIDE

at a GLANCE

Inside the sports section

A brief look at sporting events on campus

26

MAKING IT BACK how the rigors of school can impact injured athletes

28

GETTING BIG looking at the strength program’s impact over its first year

30

SQUASH a middle schooler has unprecedented success in a unique sport

32

CHANGING THE GAME new volleyball coach Dan Pitts has a history in diving

for the RECORD A status update on Lion sports teams

varsity football

0 wins

3 losses varsity volleyball

3 wins

3 losses JV football

1

win

0

losses

Follow @remarkersports on Twitter for live updates on Lions sports teams

CLARK QUALIFIES FOR TEXAS OPEN Incoming Amherst University freshman Cameron Clark ‘16 was one of 23 amateurs who qualified to compete in the 46th annual Veritex Bank Texas State Open on July 26-29 at The Lakes at Castle Hill in Lewisville, Texas. Over 130 golfers competed at the event including multiple PGA Tour professionals.

“It was easily the most competitive tournament I’ve ever played in,” Clark said.

“Most junior tournaments are held on easier courses and the winning score is around a couple under par, while this tournament was on a tough course with the winning score at around -18.”

Finishing with an overall score of +6, Clark sees the event as a benchmark for future tournaments.

“I wasn’t satisfied with the first day (79, +7),” Clark said. “but having not seen the back nine and it being the first round of my biggest event, I didn’t feel too bad about it, even though it put me out early. However, shooting -1 on the second day is a good confidence booster going forward, espe-

cially considering that round could’ve been a lot better. I now know I can go low on tough courses in difficult circumstances going forward.”

JV SEASONS UNDERWAY The volleyball and football junior varsity teams are off to a promising start.

The volleyball team has a 1-1 record after starting the season with tough loss, but bouncing back with a convincing win against Trinity Valley.

“This year, it’s not so much about a certain individual’s play or personal accomplishments,” head coach Josh Friesen said, “but learning to play as a unified force.”

The football team sits with a 1-0 record after stout defense helped them to win a season opener against Casady in Oklahoma City by a score of 2-0.

Both teams look to build upon their early season success and keep the wins coming as they move forward in their seasons.

WATER POLO COMPETES IN JUNIOR OLYMPICS After qualifying for the Junior Olympics in

in the SPOTLIGHT

Daniel Cope

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS HEATING UP The two middle school volleyball teams began their seasons successfully.

The seventh graders began with a record of 3-1. They are undefeated against SPC teams, their only loss coming in a close game to the Texas Boys Volleyball Association, the only club team on the schedule.

The eighth graders had an even better start, winning all of their first four games, needing to go to three sets once on the way to victory.

The eighth grade football team opened with a 14-6 win over Good Shepherd Sept.

8.

The seventh grade football season kicked off Thursday Sept. 15 at Trinity Valley and Cross Country had their first meet Saturday Sept. 17.

DANIEL COPE

5,000 meters run by senior Daniel Cope during varsity cross country competitions

Houston June 11 and 12, a group of mostly Middle School water polo players traveled to the Bay Area to compete against 96 other teams.

Out of a group of mostly Californian teams, the middle schoolers placed 71st out of 96 in the 14 and under age division.

5

th place the senior finished

in the 6A division at the Marcus I Invitational

16:17

Cope’s time at the Marcus I Invitational

26 27

|THE REMARKER |sports| September 23, 2016|

DOWN FOR THE COUNT

On the last play of the first game of the season, senior quarterback Hyer Thomas is dragged to the turf by a Prestonwood defensive lineman.

It’s not even a real game. It’s a scrimmage.

The team’s final dress rehearsal before the regular season.

The tackler rolls off, but Thomas stays down, obviously hurt.

He clutches his right arm. He knows exactly what has happened: BROKEN COLLARBONE. TUCK AND GO Thomas scrambles during a preseason football practice during August two-a-days.

the medical perspective Athletes are more at risk of having problems coping with injury or surgery when they: • Are at a pivotal point in their sports career or season.

• Must spend an extended time out of sports.

• Are already experiencing a particular stress, for instance, divorcing parents or academic struggles.

• Have difficulty coping with stress.

• Are advised to change sports completely.

— Dr. Erica Force, sports psychologist at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital

THE WAITING GAME Thomas watches from the sideline while his teammates take on Greenhill.

SPORTS

T

ears stream down his face, but he’s not crying because of the pain. He’s crying because this is all too familiar.

He’s crying because after last year, after he broke his other collarbone, after he had to watch much of his junior season go by with his arm in a sling, after he had a steel rod surgically inserted to support his left collarbone — after all that, he almost gave up football.

But he didn’t give up, despite the fear of getting hurt again, and before the season even really started, his fears were realized.

After last year’s injury, Thomas was torn as to whether he should come back to football, but after a long deliberation with his parents, he decided that he couldn’t give it up.

“I think I was hesitant right after it happened, just because it was a shock,” Thomas said. “But as I got further away from the injury and further away from playing, I realized I just missed it so much.”

Thomas also doesn’t regret coming back to football this year, even though he’s losing the majority of his senior season to another injury.

Head Athletic Trainer Matt Hjertstedt said there is a long list of factors that may lead to one athlete suffering more injuries than another, including everything from age and experience to strength and physical development.

In terms of strength, Hjertstedt added he has seen fewer hurt athletes since strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth began his training regimen last year.

“The rate of people who attended who weren’t playing a sport but attended his strength program and got injuries was dramatically less,” Hjertstedt said. “It’s like night and day.”

Those injuries might only take a few days out of an athlete’s season, but Hjertstedt thinks even that short period can affect the player beyond that time period.

“It’s not like they’re blowing out their ACL,” Hjerstedt said, “but there’s three or four days you may lose. Then they have to slowly get back and they’re not conditioned, so that’s a cycle I see.”

Hjertstedt also believes the added stress of full school days and homework can lead

to a spike in injuries for just about anyone.

“I’m working with athletes from August 1 until school starts,” he said. “They’re practicing four to five hours a day [during two-a-days], and I feel like injuries are relatively low. School starts, one week goes by, and the injury rates just bump up, big time.

They’re practicing only two hours a day.

One of the things I really believe is they’ve gone from just focusing on sports to school work, and they’re not sleeping at night. I believe it’s directly related to sleep.”

Hjerstedt’s observation that the start of school leads to a spike in injuries makes sense. Dr. Erica Force, a sports psychologist at Scottish Rite Hospital, agrees stress is a major factor in terms of sports injuries and an athlete’s ability to recover.

Force notes two main factors that can IT WAS JUST inhibit a player’s recovSOMETHING I ery: if the athlete is “at WAS REALLY a pivotal point in their sports career or season” LOOKING and if the athlete “must FORWARD TO WITH ALL spend an extended time out of sports.”

THE PADS Thomas losing a ON. THAT DIDN’T GET significant part of his TO HAPPEN. senior season falls into both of these categories, —HYER and he admits that he is THOMAS more stressed about his recovery this year than he was during his junior year. Additionally, his dominant right arm is essentially useless while it heals, increasing the difficulty of everyday tasks, including school.

“Last year I could write. I could do all that,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t very difficult.

Now with my right arm literally pinned against my side it’s been pretty tough. I was stressed at the beginning, but all the teachers have been really nice and understanding.”

Thomas added he is extremely grateful to teachers and his advisor for all they’ve done to help ease his transition to school.

Hjertstedt said another facet of injury recovery is the mental side of recuperation.

He believes athletics represent another way for students to decompress and another community where they are able to interact

with friends.

“You remove [athletes] from a social group, you remove them from something that decreases their stress and have something that they love taken away from them,” Hjerstedt said. “That’s going to be a stressor.”

Hjertstedt feels an important part of keeping injured athletes mentally healthy is keeping them with their team so they don’t lose the community sports brings them. It’s critical they utilize good coping strategies to avoid a downward spiral and stay positive.

Thomas agrees with Hjertstedt that, mentally, a return to normalcy has been key in each of his recoveries.

“I remember right after I broke my collarbone this year I really just wanted to go to lunch with friends, or whatever it might be and just go to back to how it was before I broke my collarbone,” Thomas said. “That brought a familiar feeling, which is nice.”

As the season drags on, Thomas just wants to stay an important part of the team, even if his participation is limited to being a mentor to the younger players.

“I just want to mainly help [quarterback Canyon Kyle’s] confidence,” Thomas said. “It’s definitely hard to be very confident when you’re just learning the offense real quickly and playing a tough team. I’m really there for his moral support and for the team in general, trying to lead as much as I can.”

Thomas stands on the sideline and watches as his teammates take the field for their home opener against Greenhill.

On the one hand, it’s hard to watch — the guys he’s grown up playing with getting ready to kick off their senior season while he’s relegated to the sideline.

But on the other hand, it’s moments like this that make it clear in Thomas’s mind that, if his collarbone heals in time, he’ll play football again. To him, the risk of getting hurt again pales in comparison to an opportunity to finish his football career positively.

“I want to close the season, my football career, on a good note. It’s tough to end on an injury,” Thomas said. “I definitely want to take some snaps again, maybe throw another touchdown.”

STORY WILL FORBES, PARKER DAVIS PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS, RYAN NORMAN

Sophomore Jayan Joshi qualifies, competes in triathlon national championship

by Nick Walsh

M

ind racing, heart beating out of his chest, sophomore Jayan Joshi counts name after name from the unnumbered results of the qualifying race, hoping he will find himself in the top 19 people who will advance to the 2016 USA Youth and Junior Elite Triathlon National Championship.

As he finds his name in the 20th spot, anger and sadness fill him. There’s no way, he thinks, I must have made a mistake. He counts the names off and finds himself in the 19th spot.

There was no mistake this time — he was going to nationals.

Joshi finished 33rd out of 75 at nationals with the 16th fastest run. Overall,

he feels pleased with his results.

“I feel like I did much better than I expected to do,” Joshi said. “I’m really happy with my performance.”

He feels especially proud of how he did on the run, finishing with the 16th fastest run time.

“When I came off the bike before the run I heard my mom yell, ‘you’re in 48th place!’ and so I just took off on the run,” Joshi said. “Last half mile of the run I had a blister on my foot, and I was basically dying, but I ended up with the 16th fastest run out of everyone so it was pretty cool.”

He has been competing in triathlons since 6th grade, but he joined a triathlon

team — Tri4Him — last spring to help prepare for nationals in July.

He feels his practices with the team were a big reason for his recent successes.

“Last year I did a tutorial for triathlon with Tri4Him in the spring instead of playing baseball,” Joshi said. “I had to wake up at 5:30 two days a week to swim and had other practices too. It probably hurt my academics a little bit, but it helped in the long run because those practices were really the reason I qualified for nationals in the first place.”

Joshi’s coach, Jeff Booher, believes Joshi’s intelligence helped him in nationals.

“He is really smart. There is a lot of strategy to running triathlon races,” Booher said. “Jayan’s a great runner, so it was important to exert the right amount of effort into the swim and the bike so he could still have a good run.”

Overall, Booher feels very happy with Joshi’s performance.

“I thought he was great,” Booher said. “I was very proud of him, very pleased that he was able to turn all of his hard work into results on race day.

I think he did a great job representing the team very well, and himself and his family.”

Joshi finished the race with a time of 35:25.36 in the Youth Elite division.

COMING BACK TO COACHING

BACK IN THE SWING OF THINGS IN HIS THIRD YEAR TEACHING ON CAMPUS, MATH INSTRUCTOR JEFFREY HALE RETURNS TO THE SPORT HE LOVES AFTER A TWO YEAR HIATUS.

WINNING FORMULA Math instructor and JV football coach Jeffrey Hale surveys his new home turf during a game against Trinity Valley High School. The Lions rallied to win the game 23 -20.

F

ans pack the bleachers. Bright lights tower high above the stadium, illuminating the battleground below. The band strikes up a song in preparation for the opening kickoff. The student section roars alive as the kicker booms the ball to the other end zone, and the game begins.

It’s Friday night lights deep in the heart of Texas, and nothing quite compares to the experience.

Teams from across the state battle it out on the gridiron striving for the ultimate prize that comes in December, the state championship. Division 5A football is about as intense as it gets. These teams are made up of some of the toughest competition in the state and stacked with D1 commits.

When math instructor Jeffrey Hale made the transition from coaching varsity football at Highland Park High School to junior varsity at 10600 Preston Rd., there were definitely some big differences, but the game didn’t change.

“The game of football is the same no matter what level you are at,” Hale said.

“You’ve got to block, tackle and execute.

It’s the same [here] as it is at HP.” However, there are still a few major differences between the two programs.

Big public schools like Highland Park compete at a higher level and tend to promote the game more, while at St. Mark’s the primary focus is on academics.

“At larger schools, you know Allen, Southlake Carroll, Cedar Hill [and] DeSoto football is kind of the priority, whereas here, there’s a lot of participation in a lot of sports in the fall, and I think each one gets a lot of attention.”

The current JV team consists of 13 players, while Highland Park has the numbers to continually field a varsity team along with multiple JV and freshman teams. Although this number is low and the experience is different than Hale’s previous coaching experiences, it is definitely not an issue for him.

“You always have to go to battle with the guys that want to be out there,” Hale said. “In terms of the large team, small team, it’s just about the boys want-

ing to play and trying to learn how to be better athletes… I’d rather have 13 boys that want to play football versus 20 boys where some of them are kind of just out there.”

On the varsity level at Highland Park, Hale specifically coached running backs. His role on JV here at SM will allow him to coach both offense and defense, something he hasn’t done since his days as a middle school coach.

“I haven’t coached defense in MAKING a long time, so that YOURSELF may be the biggest THE BEST difference. [Now] ATHLETE I’m coaching both YOU CAN sides of the ball,” BE IN YOUR Hale said.

SPORT IS Despite the WHAT IT’S obvious differences ALL ABOUT. between the two -JEFFREY schools, Hale has HALE picked up on many similarities.

“Really I would say both schools are pretty similar,” Hale said. “I think when you’re in an affluent area, for St. Marks and Highland Park the main focus honestly is continuing your education at a

STORY ANDRE ARSENAULT, JOSH DANIELS PHOTO RYAN NORMAN

higher level after high school.”

Although the two teams differ greatly in size and ability, the competitive nature that the game promotes is no different at Highland Park than it is here.

“I haven’t come across an athlete whether it be football or just in class here in the last two years who said ‘Eh, if we don’t win it’s okay,’” Hale said. “I haven’t come across that. I feel that the boys in athletics: cross country, volleyball, football, whatever it may be, are putting in the time and have that desire to compete and want to win.”

Hale’s passion for football and love for coaching has drawn him back into the sport after a two year hiatus. But at the end of the day, the most compelling reason to return to the field, Hale insists, is the relationships he develops with the boys and their families.

“I love being around kids, and I love trying to teach kids not just football, but also the importance of being a good young man,” Hale said. “Football gives me another opportunity to do that, and I’m very thankful to St. Mark’s for the opportunity to get back into the coaching realm.”

SPORTS

|THE REMARKER |sports| September 23, 2016 |

28 29

Track coach competes in Olympic trials for heptathalon

by Jahaziel Lopez

A

ssistant track coach Tiffeny Parker qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the heptathlon this past summer.

After relocating from California to Texas in January, Parker undertook a rigorous schedule that involved extensive training and unconventional job hours.

“I practice about six to nine hours a day, six days a week unless I have a meet.” Parker said. “Because it is pretty much impossible to have a 9-5 p.m. job training from track, you have to find jobs that allow you to be on the track that long.”

Parker also credits her success to the facilities and culture that is found on campus. She sees a different perspective from working with the boys, and relishes the relationships that are made through the sport.

“The guys at St. Mark’s are amazing and so supportive,” Parker said.

“It’s really cool being able to help them understand their sport, and at the same time give them an example of what it takes to master it. It’s about the relationships that you create and that is what St. Mark’s prides their community on.”

One thing that Parker hopes to instill in the boys is that the process can

sometimes be better than the result. Furthermore, Parker feels it’s the time spent with teammates and the hard work and effort put into the harder things that matter most.

“If you can take it you can make it,” Parker said. “Some things in life may come easy, but there are also things that no matter how you go around it you must work for.”

The world championships are her goal, but off the track is where she plans to make an even bigger impact. Parker hopes to find an outlet to help inner-city adults and underprivileged children.

“I also want to kick start the base

of my non-profit for inner city adults,” she said, “and a program that will help underprivileged children with education test preparation and sports specific skills.”

A challenging path lies ahead for Parker, but she knows process, and she is ready to embark on it.

“It will be a journey but like I said before, the process of how you get there and who you help and meet along the way will bring you the most joy at the end of your life.” Parker said. “If track is that avenue to help me reach that, then I am totally blessed and excited to see what the future will bring.”

STRENGTH PROGRAM

COMING BACK STRONGER

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Repping out a set of curls, Dilworth shows his athletes proper form.

After taking a full time position as the strength coach last year, Kevin Dilworth has changed the culture around Lion sports teams—and the results are evident.

Over the last year, what impact has the new training program had in the community?

The guys are totally understanding that once you get involved into something that’s going to benefit you, it makes you want it even more, especially when you start tasting something.

Like the first time you had a piece of cake, and it tastes good. You’re like, “Oh, man! I want more.”

This is the way it has been here in the weight room.

Once they start seeing the benefits and start seeing the muscle gain, start seeing their strength levels, then that ought to allow them to want to come back even more and do more for that.

Now they have an idea of what it is to train.

Have you seen any real change in our athletic program since the strength program started?

I have, in some aspects. Last year was our first year of having it. In some areas it has built confidence as far as individuals coming in.

Now the individuals have to connect back into the team and plug it in so the whole team can feel this. The team is not really doing everything that that one individual is doing.

Once the entire team gets involved, then that’s when we’re going to truly see a total change in our teams as far as here at St. Marks.

THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE FOR THESE GUYS IN ORDER TO BUILD THEM. NOT JUST PHYSICALLY. —KEVIN DILWORTH

Who is an athlete who has really bought in to the system?

[Senior lacrosse player] Nehemiah [McGowan]. Nehemiah has totally done that. I remember the first day that he walked into my office.

He was 155 pounds, long, lanky, had all the great levers. But once he came in here and committed himself to the weight room, to the training, to the eating regiments.

He’s now 178, he’s squatting over 300 lbs., he’s benching over 200 pounds.

So to see that change happen within a four month period of time lets me know that this thing really does work.

What has been the goal over the last year with this program?

My main goal is to basically get the weight room and the program off the ground. Get people coming.

Just come.

It’s like when In and Out Burger first

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came. The lines were long around the corner. Kids say, “Oh my gosh. I’ve got to get a taste of In and Out Burger.” That’s the way I want this place to be.

I want the line long and say, “Man, we can’t get it. It’s too many people in here.”

My goal is to try to get it off the ground so some people could see, so I did a lot of changes in there.

For one, to make it available, to make room so that you notice it. “Man, it’s nice” and you look and I say “Man, I may just go in and take a little view.”

My goal is to make it very comfortable for a big athlete and to make it feasible for them.

What is the main purpose of the strength program?

The main purpose of this program is to build character, for one.

Training and changing your body builds character. It gives you a positive self and high self esteem.

Once I feel stronger, once my body changes and I know that things are different in my life, oh man.

That’s the one thing I think helps. The next thing is it’s going to build total team camaraderie.

Anything we do, we do as a team. I look at the team as a long chain of links.

Links of the chain are all connected. As strong as that chain is, is as strong as my team’s going to be.

Every link on that set is committed and they’re obligated to work because each one of those links went through a process and guess what?

They went through the same process, or they got junked before they actually saw results. No chain is sold if it has a weak link because you know it’ll break somewhere along the line.

What are your future plans for the program?

My future plans for the program is basically to get our younger kids involved.

Getting them to understand we are overall a boys school and we transcend from 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, so we see these guys.

I can start with the 5th graders and get them in the same mindset. If I get them in the same mindset then I won’t have a problem when they become upper schoolers.

They already know what the deal is.

They already see how the program’s working so all they do is say, I can’t wait until it’s my turn.

INTERVIEW JAHAZIEL LOPEZ, NICK WALSH PHOTOS KYLE SMITH

Taking it to the

NEXT LEVEL AFTER YEARS OF PLAYING LACROSSE, SENIORS NEHEMIAH MCGOWAN AND JAKE VAUGHN HAVE COMMITTED TO PLAY DIVISION THREE COLLEGIATE LACROSSE.

HOUSTON ENGLEMAN PHOTO

S STEPPING UP McGowan and Vaughn are getting ready to lace up their cleats and play at the next level.

Drew Taylor ‘16 rows on national team, earns second place

by Zach Landry

D

rew Taylor ’16 shut his eyes for a moment.

He thought of all the sacrifices, the regattas and the grueling work that led to this very moment.

The buzzer sounded and all he could hear was the blaring sound of the blades slicing through the water.

The race, held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was a chance at gold, a chance to achieve national greatness and a chance to bring pride and glory home to his country.

After being neck-and-neck during the entire race, Germany edged out the U.S. by a razor-thin margin, resulting in a silver medal for the U.S. “We were all pretty upset that we hadn’t won,” said Taylor, who will be rowing at Stanford this year. “We finished 0.03 seconds behind Germany, so that stung a lot. After a while though, I took a step back and realized the magnitude of being second in the world, and that’s when I realized what I had done was significant.”

According to Taylor, representing the United States in a foreign country is a feeling like no other.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Taylor said. “My ‘holy crap’ moment was the first time I saw the blades we were going to race with, with the American decal and everything. It’s a very overwhelmingly patriotic feeling.”

Simply qualifying for the event requires completing a rigorous and extensive selection process, which began in mid-June.

“You take the best 60 guys in the nation and bring them to Selection Camp,” Taylor said.

“Eventually, after a ton of on-the-water racing and erg testing, that 60 gets whittled down to 16 guys.

Then we get another month or so of two practices a day, with a handful of rest days, and that takes us up to racing in the Netherlands. So, in total, it was two months of the hardest training of my life.”

Taylor credits a variety of contributors, including the St. Mark’s community, that helped him achieve his lifelong dream.

“There’s no one thing that helped prepare me to get to where I am now,” Taylor said. “It was a combination of the gradual progression of regatta intensity, from community races to championships on the world stage, along with the support of family, friends and teachers that helped prepare me for such a high-profile event.”

Being Taylor’s first national event, he was amazed at the caliber of the opposing athletes.

“There was no comparison,” Taylor said. “Typically, you can go to a regional or state regatta and point out a crew that you know definitely won’t do well. In Rotterdam, there were no boats on the water that looked anything short of phenomenal.

Everyone was the best representative from their nation, so the competition was wild.”

enior Nehemiah McGowan tapped the end call button, and just like that, it was done. On the other end of the line, the head lacrosse coach of Amherst College had just offered him a spot on their team.

McGowan and senior Jake Vaughn verbally committed to play division three lacrosse at Amherst and Sewanee, respectively. Their journeys though, started much earlier.

Realizing his dream, Jake Vaughn commits to Sewanee.

E

ver since he was in eighth-grade, Vaughn knew he wanted his name on a collegiate roster. At the end of his junior year, that opportunity presented itself. He committed to the applications process at Sewanee University.

“I first got in contact with Sewanee late in my sophomore year,” Vaughn said, “and I just kept in touch with them. But since they’re division three, they didn’t recruit anybody until late junior and early senior year.”

As a D3 athlete, Vaughn believes playing at Sewanee will give him the chance to make an impact right away. It also gives him the opportunity to thrive in activities off the field.

“I chose D3 because it allows me to do extracurriculars outside of lacrosse like joining a fraternity,” Vaughn said. “I also will have a better chance to get on the field at an early age.”

I JUST WANT TO KEEP WORKING HARD AND EVENTUALLY SECURE A STARTING SPOT. ­—JAKE VAUGHN After a year of communication with the university, Vaughn had a small list of schools he was considering. Ultimately he believed Sewanee was the best fit.

“Sewanee was the best division three school I could get into and play lacrosse at,” Vaughn said. “The division one schools that were looking at me were schools that I didn’t have any interest going to.”

In addition to lacrosse, Vaughn hopes to walk on to the soccer team. As a student and an athlete though, Vaughn says he owes everything to his St. Mark’s experience.

“I think it has prepared me to handle the student-athlete aspect with the rigorous workload during the school year,” Vaughn said. “It has helped me manage playing sports and being a student at the same time, and that is so valuable.”

Looking forward to his future and college career, Vaughn just hopes he can make a significant impact on his new team.

“I just want to keep doing what I’ve been doing,” Vaughn said. “If I keep playing hard, I think I will be successful.”

STORY MIKE MAHOWALD, ZACH LANDRY

Nehemiah McGowan looks to thrive at Amherst.

A

fter visiting in the spring, McGowan instantly knew he liked the environment at Amherst. Their unique academic opportunities and strong lacrosse team gave him an easy decision to make.

“Amherst has open curriculum, which is something different that most colleges don’t offer,” McGowan said. “I want to major in sociology and political sciences because I want to go to law school eventually. I love the campus.

I love the environment. I like how it’s small, yet academically rigorous. They’re always one of the top D3 lacrosse programs in the nation.”

It wasn’t until sophomore year that McGowan decided playing collegiately was a realistic goal. He gives the credit to former lacrosse coach Francis Donald ‘03 for switching him from a short stick to a long stick midfielder.

“I switched to long stick middie my sophomore year,” McGowan said. “Realizing God had blessed me with the talent, I knew I wanted to take it to the next level because of the community lacrosse provides.”

When it comes down to it, McGowan developed his passion for the sport through the athletic community. He gives all the credit to coaches Donald, Hayward Lee and Kevin Dilworth.

“I found the weight room pretty late the fall of my junior year,” McGowan said. “I worked really hard with Dilworth to improve myself.

He constantly challenged me to lift more and become faster every single time I trained. His guidance and words of wisdom have made me and will continue to make me be the best student-athlete that I can be.”

As McGowan looks ahead at his collegiate career, he realizes the D3 program allows him to set lofty expectations for both lacrosse and academics. And he is looking forward to making his mark on another campus.

“As far as my goals, I just want to reach my full potential and get that starting spot as quickly as possible,” McGowan said. “Eventually, I want to be the best player on the team and earn the highest possible honor I can at the collegiate level.”

SPORTS

|THE REMARKER |sports| September 23, 2016 |

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SPC realigns conference Placing St. Mark’s in the 4A division, the SPC has made significant changes to conference football.

by CJ Crawford

T

he realignment of SPC football teams is now in effect as the 2016 football season kicks off.

SPC announced the re­zoning of the conference football teams Oct. 8, 2015. Changes will include the split of the conference into two divisions—one 4A division along with a 3A division. The teams will then compete for a championship in their respective divisions, according to the conference newsfeed.

The varsity football squad has been placed in the 4A division, where they will be pitted against Episcopal High School, St. John’s School, Houston Christian High School, Kinkaid School and others.

This realignment was a result of schools’ concerns for consistency in the level of competition, squad ­size and safety.

Even with away games, where the varsity squad travels long hours to reach their competition due to the realignment, similar to this week against Kinkaid, varsity head coach Bart Epperson is excited with new challenges ahead.

“That’s what we thought when we were moved into the south [4A] division,” Epperson said. “It’s a challenge. When we face challenges, we work hard and do the right thing, and we will figure it out.

Good things happen when you see new challeng-

SPC’s new divisions.

How conference comes together SPC DIVISION 3A

SPC DIVISION 4A All Saints’ Episcopal School Episcopal High School Episcopal School of Dallas Houston Christian High School Kinkaid School St. Mark’s School of Texas St. John’s School Holland Hall and St. Mary’s Hall are no longer SPC members.

Casady School Cistercian Preparatory School Fort Worth Country Day Greenhill School John Cooper School Oakridge School Trinity Valley School St. Andrew’s Episcopal School St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Seventh grader Rana Thakkar represents his country in the Battle of the Border international squash challenge.

S

According to Epperson, the varsity squad will not see a change in program to accommodate the challenging competition.

“Player safety is first and foremost at all times,” Epperson said. “Whether we’re in the south division or north division, we will continue to do that whatever we end up doing in alignment in the future.”

Epperson said the team does a great job of listening, and they get what they put in every day of practice.

“They will always go out and give their best effort, and that’s all we could ask from them,” Epperson said. “I don’t see any change just because of a different alignment. We’ll just continue to prepare and get ready to play a game together.”

Varsity football captain Hyer Thomas said he definitely sees a difference in the work ethic of his teammates in response to the alignment switch.

“I think a lot of the football players knew we were going to be playing some tougher competition, so we came into summer workouts knowing we wanted to be better this season,” he said.

Thomas shares the same assurance in the varsity squad as Epperson does, saying that the team will rise to the occasion.

“No matter who we’re playing,” he said, “it doesn’t matter the difficulty of the team, we will just go out and play as best as we can.”

Squashing

competition

weat running down his face at the end of a grueling five game squash match, seventh grader Rana Thakkar leaned in to make a serve he had practiced countless times. He tossed the ball in the air and sent it flying towards the wall. After a rally, his opponent finally faltered, and Thakkar emerged victorious, three games to two.

Thakkar had just scored a point for his country in the “Battle of the Border” squash challenge. The tournament, which pits 24 of the best junior squash players in the United States against 24 of the best players in Canada, is held annually in Niagara-on-the-lake, Ontario, Canada. Despite Thakkar’s contributions to the team, the United States lost this year’s iteration in a nail biter, 13 matches to 11.

Thakkar’s road to playing on Team USA was not an easy one. He put in thousands of hours of training over the course of five years.

“I practice as many days as I can,” Thakkar said. “Usually, I prac-

es.”

tice every day of the week, twice on Saturdays and Sundays. I practice for an hour to an hour and a half.”

Thakkar has also competed in many different tournaments across the world, going everywhere from Michigan to New Jersey to India.

“I go to around seven tournaments a year,” Thakkar said. “I went to enough tournaments, and I won enough of them. I got my ranking high enough to ninth in the country. So, I was asked by Team USA if I could come and join and play for them.”

In addition to practicing and playing in tournaments, Thakkar attends a prestigious squash academy

the

every year.

“One of my favorite experiences playing squash is that I go to a camp called TOG,” Thakkar said. “Even though the camp is really hard, I’ve gotten to learn so much and get so much more experience.”

While at the camp, Thakkar receives lessons from Shaun Moxham, a former world top-50 squash player who previously trained the top squash player in the world, David Palmer.

“Getting trained by Shaun Moxham was a really good experience,” Thakkar said, “and it’s taught me a lot more about squash.”

In addition to playing on Team USA, Thakkar hopes to continue to be ranked in the top ten in the country in his age group, and he aspires to make a career out of squash.

“Hopefully, I can go to more tournaments with the national team

STORY CONNOR PIERCE PHOTO COURTESY RANA THAKKAR

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if I keep my rank this high,” Thakkar said. “If the circuit becomes big enough and more people know about squash, then I’d also like to go pro.”

NATIONAL QUALITY Thakkar follows through during practice.

During an average school week, he practices over ten hours, including at least one hour every weekday to maintain his elite skill level.

Falling into place As the fall sports season picks up, Lion athletes look to continue their momentum.

by Nick Walsh

W

ith the loss of 17 graduating seniors, the football team looks to the underclassmen to perform and benefit the team.

Senior captain Clarke Wood feels the team’s youth will help them in the long run.

“We have a very young team,” Wood said, “but as the season goes on I expect that we will improve and close out the season really strong.”

Head coach Bart Epperson is excited to watch his players grow over the season.

“Each player either gets better or worse every day,” Epperson said, “you never stay the same in my opinion. I look for them to get better every day at something at their position and to get better as a leader. It’s a joy to see our players get better at their positions which will then help the team get better.”

The team currently has a 0-3 record with losses to Greenhill, Casady and Episcopal High School, but the team looks to recover tonight at Kinkaid at 7 p.m.

Epperson believes a big key to rebounding after a few losses is having balanced

emotion.

“We talk a lot to our players about competitive composure,” Epperson said.

“We want to compete at the highest level with emotion and fire, but when bad things happen, we’ve got to have some composure. It is athletics, bad things happen, and we’ve got to work through it, control ourselves and not lose our composure and hinder the team or the St. Mark’s community.”

Epperson feels a major challenge for the team will be consistency.

“We have offensively two returning starters,” Epperson said. “So for us to have consistency on that side of the ball at a higher percentage than our first game is going to be one of our biggest challenges.”

Even considering the team’s youth and start to the season, Wood feels optimistic about the team and their success.

“This year the expectations are different,” Wood said. “The last two seasons we lost in the playoffs, and nobody really expects us to make the playoffs this year, but I feel like we can do it. I’m very hopeful.”

RYAN NORMAN PHOTO

Football looking to turn around after 0-3 start

MAKING PLAYS A group of Lion defenders led by Josh Daniels, Luke Rogers and Boyd Howard takes down a Greenhill wide receiver. The football team ended up falling short in their first game of the season Aug. 28, 27-42.

Cross Country places third in first meet

H

is teammates cheering him on, senior Daniel Cope dashes across the finish line at the end of the Greenhill Relays.

He looks up at the clock and sees his team’s time: 31:00. While they only placed third for schools 4A and under, the team of Cope, senior Scott Smythe, junior Sam Shane and sophomore Seth Weprin had just broken the school record for the six mile race.

The meet was the first of three the cross country team has competed in, along with the 5K Marcus I Invitational and 5K St. Andrew’s Invitational.

“I think this year’s team hasn’t really changed much because last year we only had one senior, JT Graass,” Smythe said. “So this year, our team is a lot closer because we’ve had a lot more time to bond. We’re just trying to get everyone as close as possible so we can improve as a team instead of just individually.”

Coach John Turek also believes this year’s team can be just as good despite the loss of Graass.

“I think our two through seven runners are older, more mature, more focused and they’re

going to close the gapping between two and seven,” Turek said, “and that will definitely improve our chances towards the end of the season.”

This year, Turek is focused on developing the team by asking them to be cross country runners all day, every day instead of just during practice.

“My expectations are to get the athletes to buy into being a cross-country runner 24/7, not once in a while,” Turek said. “Nutrition, sleep, study habits, extracurricular activities, balancing everything and training all goes into being a cross-country runner.”

Turek believes if the team continues working hard, they will keep improving throughout the season.

“I’m just pleased with the guys,” Turek said. “I think [our season] has been better than expected. I think we have a lot more work to do. You have to be consistent every day and try your best. For the most part, the team is learning to do that, and getting better all the time, and it’s a work in progress.”

by Parker Davis

S

ADNAN KHAN PHOTO

by Connor Pierce

Fencing season kicks off tomorrow

Sophomore Cole Duffy

enior captains Kaden Han and Eddie Yang will lead the fencing team into battle when their season begins Sep. 24 in a jointly hosted Hockaday-St. Mark’s tournament.

This year, the team is bringing back strong fencers for their final year in Han and Yang, as well as senior Ivan Day, who has been affected in recent years to due various injuries.

Yang explained it’s difficult to predict just how well the team will perform until they have a chance to see each other compete in a tournament.

“Fencing’s a sport that you can’t really pick up quickly because most people don’t just watch fencing in their free time” Yang said. “We have to train them on all the basic footwork and a lot of the rules to because some of it, especially in sabre, isn’t really intuitive.”

While he would love to see the team end the year with a strong record, his goal is to truly change the way students see the program.

“I want fencing to be taken more seriously,” he said.

“I want people in the future, when

they sign up for fencing, to think, ‘I’m signing up for fencing. I’m going to take it seriously. I’m going to get better at it, as opposed to, it’s a sport. It looks good on my résumé, and I don’t need to put much effort into it.’”

Yang feels some students in the past have thought of fencing solely as a way to fill an athletic requirement. In the past, this has led to people putting in only the minimum effort at practices instead of trying to better themselves and the team.

“When you come to practice, you make a commitment,” he said.

“You have an obligation to set aside those two hours and just do fencing, do conditioning, do footwork, do drills and stuff like that, as opposed to having your mind on other things.”

Yang hopes to provide the foundation that teams will be able to build on for years to come.

“It’s obviously not going to be an overnight change,” Yang said.

“A lot of the people who signed up for fencing this year signed up with the mindset that they could blow it off and slack off during practice.

I think a gradual progression or push to more active participation is important.”

Volleyball hopeful after loss of four seniors

by Nathan Han

RYAN NORMAN PHOTO

A

ELITE HOPS Rising above the net, junior Clay Morris lets loose a spike

fter losing four starting seniors this year, the volleyball squad is hoping to find its identity this season.

The loss of seniors has been challenging, according to head coach Darren Teicher.

“Losing starters is hard every year,” Teicher said. “But losing the majority of our offensive weapons was particularly challenging.”

After failing to defend their title and secure a 4-peat, the team is focused on fixing mental errors. But after a tough 0-3 loss to Greenhill in their opening game, the team has progressed, winning their next two games and placing 4th at the Houston Cup. “Honestly, I think the team as a whole has stepped up this year,” senior

Killian Green said. “We’ve had to break the traditional varsity volleyball mold and play smarter. Through some initial injuries and position changes, I think we’re performing well together. We’ve come a long way even from our first game to now. And reflecting back on our elevated level of play at the Houston Cup, we have the very realistic ability to win SPC.” The rezoning of SPC divisions is a big challenge. The squad, however, is focused on using their extra time together during away games to their advantage.

“Even though we might not have any really aggressive and dominating players like Parker was, our team this year works well together,” Green said.

“Many of us have played together both on JV and on club outside of school, so

we’re comfortable and cohesive together.”

And with that comfort with the other players comes other advantages.

“Our biggest strength is our ball control,” Teicher said. “I put a lot of emphasis on being able to pass consistently and this team is truly excelling in that field.”

As the season progresses and the team makes more and more trips together, the team will look to come together.

“Despite the ensuing late nights and near-cram-sessions, our team is now forced to spend more time together, which is great for bonding and our team-dynamic.,” Green said. “As Cheryl, ­our ever-enthusiastic bus driver, says, ‘Teamwork makes the dreamwork.’”

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LION PRIDE Senior spurs Rob Crow and Ben Budner play limbo with young Hockaday students at Lion Pride Night on Aug. 26. The Spurs cheer on the team at every home game and one away game each year.

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS

10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TX. 75230

THE REMARKER THE BACK SPORTS PAGE THE REMARKER FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 PAGE 32

FROM THE POOL TO THE COURT FLYING HIGH Making very little splash, assistant volleyball coach Dan Pitts practices his backflip dive at the SMU pool.

New assistant volleyball coach Dan Pitts isn’t all about volleyball.

In fact, for years it wasn’t even his main sport. But after years of college diving, the lessons he learned led him to coaching.

F

or him, diving was a hobby.

He’d never done it competitively, only when he was bored.

In his freshman year at Boulder Creek High School in Phoenix, AZ, Dan Pitts got cut from the golf team. Upon receiving the news, he walked from his house to the community pool. He was upset. He longed for competition. He longed for a team sport.

Pitts and his friend were goofing off at the pool, jumping, flipping and diving from the springboard. Looking for a new team sport, Pitts and his friend joined the diving team.

“I started diving because I had always jumped off the diving boards in the summers but never thought of it as a serious thing,” Pitts said.

For Pitts, diving wasn't a serious commitment until junior year when he realized his talent. He started thinking beyond high school, and developed a desire to dive in college. After offers flooded in from UC Santa Barbara, Arizona State, SMU, TCU and Denver, Pitts committed to dive at SMU.

“I made a tough choice but knew academics were a very important part to life as well.”

Pitts said. “The coach at SMU has been there for 28 years now and has coached multiple Olympians and national champions, and I really got along with him and the team at SMU.” As a result of over-training, Pitts developed two stress fractures in his back during his freshman year. The injury forced him to stop diving altogether freshman and sophomore year, but Pitts bounced back his junior and senior years at SMU and finished his diving career strong.

“I learned a lot of life lessons

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STORY RETT DAUGBJERG PHOTOS FRANK THOMAS

through diving at SMU, competing at the highest college level.” Pitts said. “I kind of struggled with the competition part of it as well as the injury aspect of it, but at the end of the day it was an awesome experience that taught me a lot about life moving forward as I retired from diving and moved into other sports and coaching roles.”

With the conclusion of his diving career, Pitts knew that his involvement in sports couldn't come to an end after college. He thought because sports had been such an influential part of his growing up, it was time for him to give back and try to instill in kids the same life skills sports had taught him.

“My heart for [coaching] came from when I was coaching the club diving team when I was in college,” Pitts said. “My desire to coach comes from creating strong men I WANTED TO who can learn a lot more than just GIVE BACK that sport, and who can be an influTO THE ence in their community and can YOUNGER grow up with the life lessons that GENERATION sports teach.”

His focus turned immediately AND SHOW to volleyball. His college diving THEM ALL team played sand volleyball as a WHAT SPORTS DID hobby, and Pitts knew it was something he was good at. He grew more FOR ME —DAN PITTS competitive in volleyball than his teammates and joined volleyball leagues, fueled by the competitive atmosphere and the team culture. He pursued both volleyball and coaching together and began looking for a coaching job.

Knowing there was an opening at St. Mark’s, a mutual friend of Pitts connected him with coach Greg Guiler, who then connected him with Athletic Director Mark Sullivan. Soon, Pitts was hired, and he immediately noticed coaching at St. Mark’s was different than any other place he'd coached before.

“Coaching at St. Marks is different because kids want to learn and have knowledge behind the sport they’re doing,” Pitts said. “It’s a little different because its an all boys school, and the kids have that natural competitive feel behind them. It makes it fun because they can joke around and push each other hard at the same time.”

Pitts knows the new opportunity at St. Mark’s will go beyond the court. And that through coaching, he can teach kids the same lessons sports taught him.

“I love teaching kids how sports can directly impact decisions they make in their life that have nothing to do with the sport. My love for sports and what sports teach, like the valuable life lessons, is always something I’ve wanted to give back and be a part of.”

5 3 2

Making a splash Number of college offers Pitts got as a result of his diving.

Stress fractures Pitts developed as a result of over-training in college.

Number of days per week Pitts practices diving at the SMU pool.

35

Divers out of the top 100 make it to Olympic trials.