The ReMarker | September 2019

the ReMarker REMARKER S T. M A R K ' S S C H O O L O F T E X A S • DA L L A S , T E X A S • V O LU M E 6 6 , N U M B E R 1 • S E P T E M B E R 2 7 , 2 0 1 9

V I O L E N C E

I N

O U R

W O R L D

• This number reflects the number of people killed in mass shootings in the United States in 2019 as of Sept. 19. A mass shooting is defined as an incident involving multiple victims of firearm-related violence.

Source: Gunviolencearchive.org

T

he students and faculty of Parkland High School thought their school was safe…until it wasn’t.

Citizens of El Paso thought their city was safe…until it wasn’t.

People in the Oregon Historic District of Dayton, Ohio thought their town was safe...until it wasn’t.

In today’s society, can anyone really feel safe with over 300 mass shootings in the US this year alone?

See coverage, pages 6-9 STORY Sam Ahmed, Colin Campbell, Sid Vattamreddy, Christopher Wang GRAPHIC Jamie Mahowald

DON'T MISS

Hooked

Under the bright lights

• With new reported deaths related to vaping

• Sights from the home opener football game

coming out in the past months, what effects does vaping have on teenagers? Pages 18, 19

as the Lions took on the Cistercian Eagles during Lion Pride Night Sept. 6. Page 31

Part-time Spartan •

Math instructor Jeffrey Hale spends the days helping students with algebra, but on weekends, he competes in Spartan races. Page 36

2

@remarkernewspaper

• Podcast: A conversation with the Superfanmen

Inside

Renovation + innovation

Evaluating the cut-off

Over the summer, facilities all around campus were updated, including a brand new locker room and a nationally-renowned science building.

• Examining the school’s policy concerning the distinction between a flat A and a flat B. Is 0.1 percent too slim of a margin?

4

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

focalpoint on iTunes/Soundcloud

ISSUES

3

BULLETIN

• Instagram:

NEW AGE Teachers and board members gathered Aug. 21 for the rededication of the Winn Science Center.

Powering off • As other schools turn to more unique phone policies, have we implemented the most effective strategy for productive cell phone use?

DISCOVERIES

13

Making a Makerspace

OVERHAUL The refurbished McDermott and Green Science Quadrangle now connects to the Winn Science Center

• Discoveries editor Cooper Ribman sat down with the new face of Makerspace: former filmmaker Stewart Mayer.

10600

15

New teachers on campus • Getting to know the 19 new faculty members that are joining the community in the new school year.

WORLD CLASS The stateof-the-art locker room features LED lights, ventilation systems and power outlets in each locker.

• “My first impression is that people in the community are living our values.” — New Head of Upper School Colin Igoe

22

CULTURE Revamp Dallas

• Seniors Eddie Raj and Charlie Rubarth’s journey in creating a concert that will benefit a local charity and feature prominent artists from around the country.

OPINIONS

26

NEW AND IMPROVED Only inseason athletes can take advantage of the new space.

Keeping things clean • The school has done its part in providing Marksmen with world-class athletic and academic facilities. Now students must do their part to keep them that way.

Say what?

SPORTS

29

Middle School lifting

‘

• What are the unknown risks of student athletes continuing to lift weights at younger and younger ages?

35

My forearms are getting huge from foosball.

— Senior Romil Mathur

For the sports junkie • An in-depth look at SPC standings, Marksmen stats and upcoming games.

In brief • A TOURNAMENT OF DEBATE. The annual Heart of Texas Invitational Debate Tournament will take place from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20. There will be no classes that Friday. The school will have two teams in the varsity division and the entire debate team will be there to help staff the tournament. Schools from across the country, including Greenhill and Highland Park High School, will also be participating in the tournament.

Comments overheard from all around campus

‘

‘

Eminem is a genius for using absolute phrases.

— Trustee Master Teaching Chair Lynne Schwartz

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You can’t spell English without “F.” — Junior Kit Colson

My advice to the kids who haven’t started vaping yet: I promise it’s not worth it.

If you say you don’t vape, people are not going to judge you. — MIKE, ANONYMOUS MARKSMAN STORY ON PAGES 18-19.

honor.

• SENIOR AUCTION. The annual Senior Auction will take place Oct. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. The co-chairs of the event are seniors Sam Goldfarb and Matthew Raroque. Items up for auction are being finalized and will be ready to present on the date of the event. Proceeds from the auction will be used to benefit the Class of 2020 and are also the primary source of funding for the senior gift.

• COMMUNITY SERVICE FOOD DRIVE. The Community-Service-Board sponSCHOOL CLUBS sored Food Drive will take GENERAL •UPPER FAIR. The Upper School place from Oct. 7 to Oct. 21, NEWS clubs fair will be held Oct. when the food collected by 1 at 10:30 a.m. in Spencer Middle and Upper School Gym. A variety of clubs, advisories will be sent to the such as Physics Club Salvation Army. The food and Elevated Cooking Club, will be collected will benefit people in need at offered to students. To start a new club, the Carr P. Collins Center. students or advisors had to fill out a Request for Charter form, found at • BOY SCOUTS COURT OF HONOR. the Upper School office, and turn it in Senior Mason Antes, junior Sam

by Sept. 26. There will be donuts and Morgan and sophomores Pranay music from the Blues Club at the event.

Sinkre and Ekansh Tambe received Eagle Rank at Troop 730’s Eagle • SUMMER SCIENCE TRIP. Science Court of Honor Ceremony Sept. 22. instructors Dan Northcut ‘81, Zach The ceremony was in the Chapel and Smith and Green Master Teacher Dr. was followed by a reception in the Stephen Balog took seven students on Great Hall, where students’ projects, a five-day astronomy and earth science including a self-published book on trip to Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, borders and a storage facility for a NM and the McDonald Observatory in non-profit clinic in South Dallas, were Fort Davis early in June. This was the on display. Chuck E. Cheese’s CEO fifth summer trip in the last six years.

Thomas Leverton was the guest of

• NEW PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO. • INTERNATIONAL BOYS SCHOOL Through donations over the years, CONFERENCE. Eight teachers the photography program has traveled to Montreal, Canada accumulated high end, professional over the summer to teach at the lighting equipment such as Dynalite International Boys Schools Coalition strobe heads. Photography instructor Annual Conference The teachers Scott Hunt is teaching his honors spoke to representatives from class to use this equipment for them more than a hundred schools at the to have complete control over their conference. pictures. With the completion of the Winn Science Center, space opened • PERFORMANCE. The upcoming up in the north wing of Coffehouse is set to be the Cecil Ida Green library hosted by the Hockaday for a photography studio School Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. where this equipment can SMacapella will be bringing ARTS be used. The studio will their talents and putting on serve as a place to shoot an acapella performance, NEWS and make pictures on along with many other campus. singing, dancing and acting productions from various • SOPHOMORE TAMBE’S other groups. Hockaday PHOTO PRESENTATION. Sophstudents will also be displaying an art omore photographer Ekansh Tambe exhibit for students to enjoy. gave a presentation about his photojournalistic projects around the • TREATS FOR INTERNATIONAL globe in front of a sold-out crowd GOOD. The WE Charity club met Sept. 19 at Story 2019 in Nashville. its goal of raising $5,000 by hosting Story 2019, a two-day conference five bake sales this past school year held at Schermerhorn Symphony and receiving a $1,500 donation. The Center, showcased 32 presentations club held a bake sale most months, and several breakout sessions offering treats ranging from soda to hosted by various storytellers from chips to candy. The club members across the nation. Tambe has visited decided to use the money they raised and documented the immigration to help children living in rural China. struggles of six borders around The club, made up of approximately the world, including the Korean 50 middle school students, was led Demilitarized Zone and the border in by mathematics instructor Amy between the United States and Mexico.

Stanbury.

track competition at the AAU Junior • MS SPORTS. Middle school athOlympic Games this summer from letic teams have started their seasons July 24 to Aug. 3 in Greensboro, North looking to have success in the fall.

Carolina. McGowan competed in the Both seventh and eighth grade football 4x100 relay event with Team Quest, faced coaching changes from last year. the team he joined at the beginning On the seventh grade team, former of the summer. Team Quest placed coach John Perryman left the school, fourth in the relay with a time of 41.4 so varsity basketball coach Greg Guiler seconds and was given All-American has taken his position as head coach. honors. McGowan plans to continue On the eighth grade team, last year’s his practice of track and field in order head coach Hayward Lee moved up to compete in the games to varsity head coach, and next year. former assistant Nicholas Sberna also moved away • JV SPORTS. JV football’s from the school, leaving SPORTS record is 1-1 after opening Corey Mack ’00, an assistant this season in a loss to last year, as the head coach.

NEWS Cistercian.

The team The eighth grade bounced back, defeating football team played their Trinity Valley 14-6. The season-opening game Sept. team’s next game was Sept.

5, winning in dominant 25 against Greenhill at Hunt Family fashion against Cistercian Preparatory Stadium (results not available at School, and both the seventh and eighth presstime). grade volleyball teams lost to the club team TBVA. • COLLEGE BASKETBALL SCOUTS. Within the week of Sept. 16-20, • COMMITTED ATHLETES. Seniors college scouts from the universities of Paxton Scott and Billy Lockhart have Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Baylor, verbally committed to play Division Ohio State, Memphis, Washington, I sports for Dartmouth College to Tulane and Northeastern came to scout continue their athletic careers. Wide the basketball team. Specifically, the receiver and football captain Scott will scouts came to watch senior Andrew be representing the Big Green on the Laczkowski, junior Harrison Ingram turf, and crew captain Lockhart will be and sophomore Colin Smith. Memphis rowing during his time at Dartmouth. head coach and NBA all-star Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was one of the • JUNIOR OLYMPIC GAMES. Senior notable coaches on campus.

Titus McGowan participated in his first

ISSUES

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

Technology Use

SAT News

Old vs. New

Texas Laws

Summer Jobs

A look at a California school that has banned phones on campus.

Page 4

The College Board’s new score: Landscape.

Page 5

Does it matter what grade you came to this school?

Page 10

The effect of the new laws in Texas on the everyday lives of Marksmen. Page 11

Examining the trends and importance of the summer job. Page 12

83.0 91.6 99.1 79.5 85.3 94.4

89.5

89.4

That crucial half-point makes a big difference A student with an 89 receives a 3.0 GPA, and a student with a 90 receives a 4.0 GPA. Should students with almost identical grades have completely different GPAs?

M

ost every Marksman knows about the 89.5.

Half a percentage point can be the difference between a 3.0 and a 4.0.

The 89.5 is a bridge between two different worlds. Between two different representations of an entire year’s worth of work.

••• The current grading system does not factor pluses and minuses into a student’s GPA. An A-, A and A+ are all counted equally. According to Headmaster David Dini, the school used to employ a system of checks and minuses where a plus or minus attached to a particular letter indicates a different GPA score.

“There have been periods and times where we’ve taken a really thorough look at whether we should have pluses and minuses or the system we have now,” Dini said.

When the school decided to change from a system that included pluses and minuses, it discovered a flat letter grade system was more advantageous to the student body.

“The evaluation of data at the

time determined that the system of not they getting stronger? How did they counting pluses and minus actually do on the final [exam]? I don’t have a favored [the] GPA [of the students],” hard and fast rule.”

Dini said.

For Milliet, the number a student Since the current policy only receives on the GPA scale in a certain mandates that a 90 holds the same class is less important than what the weight as a 99, and an 80 student learns from the class. holds the same weight as Milliet has even started seeing an 89, teachers are given colleges ignoring weighted The breaking the freedom to decide their GPAs, nullifying the effect point of own rounding policies, as honors and AP classes have grades. long as they are consistent on a student’s transcript. to every student.

“The colleges in the “We have a grading admissions process, a lot of policy, but we don’t require an them don’t like to look at weighted approach for individual teachers for GPAs because schools do them all rounding,” Dini said. differently,” Milliet said. “And that’s Not every teacher has the same an issue for kids who are in honors and rounding policies. Some rely solely on AP courses because they’d like to have the number grade and do not round. those weighted numbers in there.”

Some will round up at the 0.5 mark.

So, if a student is not rounded up Some, such as Suzanne and Patrick at a borderline A grade in an honors or McGee Family Master Teacher Joe AP class, his transcript could show the Milliet, will even round lower grades same GPA score as a low B in a nonup if they believe a particular student’s honors class, although the difficulty consistent effort throughout the year of the class would be taken into merits a boost. consideration by the college.

“If I see a kid on the borderline, College Counselor Veronica I try to look at the body of work, the Pullido believes colleges review trend of the year,” Milliet said. “Were students’ applications and GPA scores

within the context of the environment they’re in. A GPA score at one school is going to differ from a GPA score at another school even if they use the same system because of course difficulty and course selection.

“Regardless of whether it’s a 4-point, 5-point, 100-point, or no-point scale, [colleges] just want to figure out the rigor of a curriculum, what courses are available and how well a student did among his or her peers within that particular high school,” Pulido said.

Junior James Carr has had multiple grades hover around the 89.5 mark in his Upper School tenure. He ended his sophomore year with low 90s in math and history which earned him A’s but saw an 89 in Spanish rounded down to a B. “Being right on the edge in those classes did put a lot of stress on me,” Carr said. “Knowing it was a difference between a letter grade. But it was a pretty good feeling knowing that I would still get an A, even though I was right on the James Carr Junior edge. It was the same A that any other kid would get, even with a 95 or above.”

Carr also recognizes that prioritizing certain classes can have a large effect on the numbers that go on his transcript at the end of the year.

Too much time and effort devoted to a particular class could harm his performance in others.

“If I had known from the beginning of the year that I would finish Spanish with a high B, I could totally have put off all the work I put in that class and then focused really hard on some other classes,” Carr said.

At the end of the day, regardless of what grading system is used, the GPA score is just a number. Dini believes there is so much more to school than just grades.

“You hear us talk a lot about character and leadership development because I think, in our minds, collectively, that’s going to matter more in the long term.” Dini said. “It’s going to be more important to you than a plus or a minus on your transcript, or how that affects your GPA, and whether that lands you in this college or that college.”

‘‘

IT’S TOUGH TO MAKE AN A AT ST. MARK’S, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON’T ADD TO THE ANXIETY

BY DIFFERENTIATING AN A VERSUS AN A-.

— COLLEGE COUNSELOR VERONICA PULLIDO

THE COMPETITION

How do other independent schools compare?

Greenhill

Hockaday

Cistercian

An A+ is equivalents to a 4.33 GPA.

An A+ is equivalent to a 4.3 GPA.

An A+ is equivalent to a 4.00 GPA.

An A is equivalent to a 4.00 GPA.

An A is equivalent to a 4.0 GPA.

An A is equivalent to a 4.00 GPA.

An A- is equivalent to a 3.67 GPA.

An A- is equivalent to a 3.7 GPA.

An A- is equivalent to a 3.75 GPA.

STORY Henry McElhaney, Robert Pou ARTWORK Jamie Mahowald

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THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

4

ISSUES

Jenkins named to Adams Master Teaching Chair

TECHNOLOGY

Ditching phones during school

Appointment rewards 14-year classroom veteran

San Mateo High School, a public school in California, has started locking up students’ phones during the school day to eliminate distractions.

I

t’s a Friday afternoon. You’re sitting “The phone is a tool to be used for phones within a few minutes. at a Harkness table in Centennial. Encertain purposes, for Quizlet or whatev“In our community, I feel it glish class. The last class of the week. er else it may be,” Associate Headmaster wouldn’t be good to keep a kid’s phone You’re trying to pay attention, your John Ashton said. “So, the thinking was, from him in case of an emergency focus shifting from various grammatical identify those social gathering places situation,” Katsulos said. “If there are terms to the football game that night. and have the guys do it there versus weather-related emergencies – we hear Your phone buzzes in your pockopening up all of campus.” the tornado or fire alarm go off – they et, the perfect distraction. You have to Although students are allowed to need their phones. In a school shooting check it. use their phones for academic purpossituation, God hope that never happens Has your favorite NFL player been es while in the Centennial here or anywhere else, but These phones are traded? second-floor the world being what it is, just computers in Does your friend want lounge, the would you like to take those our pockets. to hang out tomorrow?

Science Foyer, extra couple minutes to get John Ashton Has your club meeting the Hoffman secyour phone unlocked? I been canceled? ond-floor lounge wouldn’t, and I have a son You figure you can and the Senior Lounge, the that goes to school here.” sneak a quick peek the next library, intended to be a The privilege of using phones time the teacher turns his space for quiet study, is a at school can be counter-productive Te re s a K a t s u lo s back. strict no-phone zone. as well, as there is a real potential to Technical Services Librarian Twenty minutes later, “In the library, if a kid distract students from interactions with you’re in the Upper School really needed to use his peers. office, explaining why you violated the phone and knew he was going to get it Phones can steal attention from Acceptable Use Policy. confiscated if he took it out,” Technical teachers during class as well as prevent ••• Services Librarian Teresa Katsulos said, students from using free periods to start San Mateo High School in California “he would come and ask one of us [the homework or go to teachers for help. has implemented a new phone policy librarians] if he could use his phone, and “We need to use [phones] and learn completely prohibiting the use of celluwe’d give him an office to have some to use them responsibly,” Ashton said, lar devices during the school day. privacy.” “not just use them and give up all other Students magnetically seal their The Acceptable Use Policy has interactions and relationships and eye phones in pocket-sized pouches when evolved over the years, alongside vast contact and hanging out with friends. they arrive on campus and unlock the improvements in technology.

We don’t want to create a culture where pouches at the end of the school day.

After all, the first iPhone we’re walking across the “Everyone else was socializing and only became available in Quad, and everybody’s just eating lunch together,” Brad Friedman, 2007. on their phones.” a teacher at San Mateo High School, told “We added mobile deSmart phones also have ABC News. “That’s what I wasn’t seeing vices at one point to the Acthe potential to distract stuenough of when phone usage was at its ceptable Use Policy because dents from school work. worst.” it wasn’t a thing, but we “San Mateo deciding Unlike San Mateo, Upper School always had the Acceptable to completely free their Evan McGowan ’22 students here are allowed to use certain Use Policy,” Ashton said. students from the distracSophomore aspects of their phones but only in cerSmart phones, although tion of phones could lead tain common study spaces. sometimes distracting, have to a more focused student many benefits for academic use. body,” sophomore Evan McGowan said, “These are computers in our “but the practical sense of getting rid pockets, and they’re great devices of phones entirely is too extreme, in my for calendaring, for note-taking, for opinion.” accessing assignments in support Schools in China and France have of everything you’re doing here,” banned phones in public schools, but p e r c e n t Ashton said. “The point being to in the United States, San Mateo High acknowledge that these are incredible School’s phone policy is the first of its Most smart phone users will check their tools that should be used and that we kind for a major public school. device while speaking to friends and family. use all the time.”

It’s the largest American public the number of times the average school to completely ban phones so far. smart phone user checks their San Mateo’s new policy has raised “Every school has to make up guidephone every day. several safety concerns. In case of a lines and rules and expectations that family or school-wide emergency, are right and work for their school, and unlocking devices have been placed they’re different places,” Ashton said. in all classrooms.

“So, what would work for one school the average amount of time smart phone According to ABC News, all might not work here. What we do here users spend on their phones each day.

1,700 students are able to unlock their may not work for another school.”

SOURCE: BANKMYCELL.COM

“

by the numbers

86

63

171 m in u tes

STORY Robert Pou, Peter Orsak ARTWORK Cooper Cole

by Austin Williams iddle School humanities teacher Rebecca Jenkins is the next holder of the Thomas S. Adams Master Teaching Chair, announced by Headmaster David Dini during in-service meetings in later August.

Dr. John Perryman, who left at the end of the previous school year, was the first holder of the Chair.

“To me, the Master Teacher position was a recognition of those people THROWN who have invested a great AWAY At the deal of time and energy in start of the the art, craft and science of day, some teaching,” Jenkins said. “I students saw it as an honor given to across the people who did a fine job country are required to and also made a signifiput away cant commitment to the their phones. profession.”

Jenkins holds a bachelor of science degree in education and is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

She was a recipient of both the Murrell ExcelRebecca Jenkins lence in Teaching Adams Master Teacher Award and the Ackerman Character Education Award, as well as a finalist for the Ralph B. Rogers Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Jenkins has long been a student advocate.

“I just feel like it’s important to do the best job that I can,” Jenkins said. “I am responsible for providing the boys in my class and their parents with the very best experience they can have.”

The day Jenkins was called into the Headmaster’s office was already a day very close to her heart.

“The day they called me in also happened to be my wedding anniversary as well as the day that my first granddaughter was born,” Jenkins said. “So May 9 was a very interesting day in my life.”

Jenkins, a humanities teacher, advisor and class sponsor for the sixth grade, feels each and every one of the Master Teachers deserves recognition for their own abilities, but one name stands out to her.

“Tom Adams, for whom my chair is named, was someone who exemplifies the qualities of a fine Marksman,” Jenkins said.

“To me, he was an intellectual. He was an interesting human being. He had tremendous admiration for the community and love for the boys, and that was returned. I think he’s the person that I will continue to try to emulate.”

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THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

ISSUES

5

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS

The value of adversity

ADVANTAGED STUDENT

DISADVANTAGED STUDENT

80%

20%

The College Board introduced Landscape as the Adversity Score’s successor. How will this impact Marksmen and in the college application process?

H

200k

is neighborhood’s median family income is $60,000.

His SAT score is in the 68th percentile at his high school.

His neighborhood has a low crime rate.

While some of these statistics are out of a student’s control, these details and more will now be part of every college-seeking teen’s application with the addition of Landscape, the College Board’s new approach to provide high school and neighborhood information about applicants.

Veronica Pulido College Counselor

N e d Ta g t m e i e r Junior

“

Landscape is a resource to colleges and universities that provides more consistent high school and neighborhood information.

James Montoya

James Montoya College Board Official

••• After receiving criticism from educators and families alike, the College Board announced it was abandoning its Adversity Score and replacing it with Landscape Aug. 27.

According to James Montoya, the College Board’s chief of membership, governance and global higher education, the College Board realized that a single score was confusing and added to the misconception that the high school and neighborhood information in Landscape is specific to an individual.

“Landscape is a resource to colleges and universities that provides more consistent high school and neighborhood information for all applicants so that admissions officers can fairly consider every student, no matter where he or she lives,” Montoya said.

Landscape consists of three information categories: basic high school data, such as senior class size; test score comparison, which puts a student in a percentile at his or her high school; and high school and neighborhood indicators, including categories of household structure, median family income and community

PROBABILITY OF COLLEGE ATTENDANCE

40k

MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME

0.9%

15%

TWO-PARENT HOUSEHOLD

SINGLE-PARENT HOUSEHOLD

NEIGHBORHOOD PROBABILITY OF BEING A CRIME VICTIM

crime levels. The high school and neighborhood indicators are grouped into two averages on a scale of one to 100.

“Colleges have been using high school and neighborhood information as a part of admission decisions for many years to understand the context in which students live and learn, so this is not new,” Montoya said.

Landscape is a part of a holistic approach to college admissions, a concept which has been a longstanding practice among many colleges and universities.

“Landscape is simply providing colleges and universities with more consistent information, which in some cases will lead admission officers to give a deserving candidate a second look,” Montoya said.

With an increase in the number of college applications, colleges have difficulty finding information about the high school of every applicant.

“Many schools do not even provide a high school profile; thus, colleges asked us to provide more complete high school and neighborhood information,” Montoya said.

Starting in 2020, high schools, students and parents with a College Board account will be able to access the same information about their high school and neighborhood that colleges will see.

While this information helps colleges identify students who take advantage of the opportunities they

HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE

are given, a challenging background will not be the only reason a student is admitted to a college.

“Landscape is one of many factors taken into consideration,” Montoya said. “Those colleges using Landscape agree that the information will never be used as the primary or sole determinant of an admission decision.”

Junior Sam Morgan, who took the SAT in October 2018 and plans to retake it next month, thinks Landscape has good intentions.

“I’m relatively ambivalent to it, but I think the change will net a positive for the representation of underprivileged kids,” Morgan said.

“It’ll allow colleges to pick them up on their radar.”

Morgan doesn’t believe Landscape will harm the school’s students in the college application process.

“I’m not really concerned that Marksmen are going to start becoming displaced from colleges because of the privilege that they’re born with,” Morgan said.

However, junior Ned Tagtmeier, who took the SAT last month, doubts whether Landscape is necessary.

“Colleges have the resources to get a much more accurate deal for this kind of thing,” Tagtmeier said. “I’m not sure the College Board is best-

BACKGROUND

An example of the landcapes of two different students.

suited to do this because from what I understand, they’re just taking information like your zip code and having you check all these boxes for the application. I don’t think it actually provides a full picture that’s particular to the student.”

But College Counseling Director Veronica Pulido said Landscape won’t be a critical component of the college application process.

“Colleges will use that still as just one piece of the puzzle — and I know colleges are wise enough to do that,” Pulido said. “I hope that the perception is that it isn’t going to make or break an application either.

It’s one more piece of the equation that’s going to be offered but not necessarily as the main factor.”

While Pulido says students should be aware of Landscape, she doesn’t believe they should take it upon themselves to extensively research it.

“You should not be concerned,” Pulido said. “Ultimately, we as an institution are going to show the colleges what we’re all about and highlight the strengths of our individual candidates. The most selective colleges are still looking for various factors, and our candidates are still going to bring lots to the table with or without this particular indication.”

IN THEIR OW N WORDS What do you think of Landscape, the replacement for the ‘adversity’ score in the College Board application process?

‘

There are many individual or familial difficulties that won’t show up in the neighborhood or school data.”

‘ senior Reid Goldsmith

‘

It’s hard to measure every student’s socioeconomic background with one set of standards.”

With Landscape, the academic consistency of students’ scores can be altered because of something out of a kid’s control.”

junior Michael Anderson

‘ junior David Yang

I think the change will net a positive for the representation of underprivileged kids.”

junior Sam Morgan

STORY Henry McElhaney, Sai Thirunagari ARTWORK Charlie Rubarth

PAGES

6,7 VIO L ENC E I N O U R W O R LD / F R O M PA G E O N E

T

he students and faculty of Parkland High School thought their school was safe…until it wasn’t.

Citizens of El Paso thought their town was safe…until it wasn’t.

People in the Oregon Historic District of Dayton, Ohio thought their city was safe...until it wasn’t.

In today’s society, can anyone really feel safe with over 250 mass shootings in the US this year alone?

It happened here

Violence can strike anywhere, even in the backyard of the campus: Preston and Royal

A

But the fear still isn’t totally gone.

“I think it’s too easy to see the news and feel alienated from it, that you’ll never see that part of the actual world,” Vashi said. “I think that day really opened my eyes because it happened on Preston and Royal, a block away from school.”

Vashi has been back to the lot several times since the incident.

“I’ve gone back a couple of times, just for Eatzi’s and stuff like that,” Vashi said. roes, a woman over a foot and “Every single time I walk by a half shorter than the Vashis’ it, it’s kind of awkward.” attackers, placed herself as Since that day in May, a physical barrier between Vashi has gained an underVashi’s mother and the constanding that anything can victed felon right happen at any in front of her. time. That said, he doesn’t live in To this day, fear.

Rahul wonders “I’m not parhow much worse anoid, I think it’s things could have just an awareness gone if it weren’t that you have to for the presence of have that you’re Rahul Vashi Senior the people in the not immune from parking lot that these incidents,” day.

Vashi said. “You just have to When the police arrived, be aware that anything can they were quick to dismiss happen. It’s not something the drivers of the Chevy that’s only in the news. It’s Sedan. Nothing was filed. pretty random and can catch The Vashi’s recognized the you off guard.” potential danger of involvFor Vashi, the school ing themselves further with offers the protection that the felons. Rahul went from intersection was missing that fearing for his mother’s life to day. attending a math exam review “I feel like St. Mark’s is in a matter of minutes. in a bubble in a good way be-

nd for senior Rahul Vashi, getting through exam season his sophomore year was routine.

Until it wasn’t.

A routine trip to Eatzi’s Market & Bakery took a drastic turn when a blue Chevy sedan backed into Nina Vashi’s car as they waited to turn onto Preston Rd. at the same, comforting corner of Royal and Preston home to some of Marksmen’s fondest memories.

An intersection that takes boys back to the days when they walked single file with Doc, hoping for an ice cream cone from McDonald’s.

For members of the school community, Preston & Royal is just like home. Safe.

But after that terrifying May afternoon, Vashi will never feel the same.

BURSTED BUBBLE Just 700 yards from campus, the Central Market parking lot, the site of the incident, is a frequent shopping center of families in the Preston Hollow area.

At first, the crash just seemed an inconvenience.

The damage was limited to a ding on their car. But Rahul and his mother soon found out that the driver of the car — a young man no older than 20 — didn’t have proper identification or insurance. The driver’s father, situated in the passenger seat, immediately pressured Vashi’s mother into attributing the accident to the properly licensed father.

As soon as the Vashis refused, things turned life-threatening.

The father moved his nose but an inch from that of the mother. His words were charged with racism and aggression.

Go back to your country.

We have a gun in the car.

We aren’t afraid to use it.

Soon, witnesses in the area noticed of the developing scene. The unlikeliest of he-

THE TIMELINE October 27, 2018 Anti-semitic truck driver enters a synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA and kills 11 and wounds 6 others.

Deadliest anti-Semitic attack in US history according to the Anti-Defamation League.

cause we don’t have to experi- person across the nation as ence that,” Vashi said. “But it became the deadliest mass when it happens so close, it shooting of 2019. Today, El changes your perspective. St. Paso natives and humans Mark’s is so tight-knit that it’s across the world have given hard to imagine that happentheir support to the border ing here. We know everyone. town.

We see each other everyday.

After hearing the news We’re all brothers August 3, Clayton here.” stood in shock, Vashi’s biggest never expecting takeaway going that her hometown The intersecforward is to could be the subject tion at Presalways be diligent of a violent mass ton & Royal about trusting new shooting. faces and situa“El Paso is tions. always a warm, welcoming First impressions aren’t community—you could show always true,” Vashi said. “I up at anybody’s door and saw someone not that much they would feed you and take older than me, someone I care of you even if they had could sit next to on a collittle themselves,” Clayton lege campus. He didn’t look said. alarming. But people can Rather than waiting for change quickly under fear or change to come, Clayton’s stress. I think relying on first family members and friends impressions can be misleadwho are still there have coning.” tinued to make the best out of such a tragedy.

“You would think events For native El Pasoans, like this would separate you shock, hope, resilience from faith and empathy and harden you to the harsh realiFor interim Humanities Deties of the world, but I find for partment Head Danielle Clay- those most affected, typically ton and Humanities instructor the opposite is true—it brings Katherine Magruder, both them closer to their system of native El Pasoans, they grew faith and to their families and up never expecting the worst a sense of renewed peace,” to come to their hometown Clayton said. “I find that my communities. On family members and friends Aug. 3, Cielo Vista that still live in El Paso have Mall Walmart was not resorted to any kind of under attack by an cynicism but instead action Allen native who and positive action at that.” drove nine hours The strong nature of El to carry out the Pasoans is a feature of people intentional shootthat Clayton believes can be a ing of 22 people powerful tool in such a time at Walmart and of tragedy. injuring 24 others.

“They’re looking for ways El Paso, to take hurt, pain and uncerranked one of tainty and turn it into positive the top ten safest action,” Clayton said. “I think metro cities in the the response of those families US according to should be a director for us in a study conductour everyday life and create a ed by Safewise, balm for our soul, even if it’s a safety website not for something as awful as using FBI statisa shooting.” tics, captured the Even though Clayton was attention of every emotionally hurt in her Continued, page 7

Here are some of the most devastating mass shootings and gun reforms put in place since October 2018.

November 6, 2018 Washington state approves new gun regulations raising legal age to buy semi-automatic rifles to 21 from 18.

November 7, 2018

January 1, 2019

12 killed and 18 injured as a former US marine opened fire into a restaurant in Thousand Oaks, California.

California raises minimum age to buy rifles and shotguns from 18 to 21 with a few exceptions.

February 15, 2019 Factory worker killed five coworkers and injured one other in Aurora, Illinois a manufacturing plant in suburban Chicago.

March 26, 2019 Federal ban on bump stocks, like seen with the weapon used in the October 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting.

May 31, 2019 Gunman opened fire inside a municipal building next to City Hall in Virginia Beach, VA. and killed 12 people and wounding 6 others.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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SPORTS COLUMN

The power of the game, uniting two communities

by Jack Davis t was, by far, the most security I had seen at any high school football game.

Fifteen security guards and policemen using a handheld metal detectors scanned fans as they entered The Star, the Cowboys’ practice facility and the home of many past Frisco ISD games.

But it was expected with the history of the El Paso vs. Plano football game.

A little over one month before the game was scheduled to be played, 22 people were killed at a Walmart in El Paso; the attack struck at the heart of the El Paso Eastwood community as it was only a few blocks from the high school.

Then a connection formed between El Paso and Plano as police learned that the alleged shooter’s high school was from Plano ISD. Plano residents quickly wanted to fix this terrible link between the two communities, and they planned to do so during the game.

Following the shooting, the football game made news during the weeks leading up to it because the Plano ISD administration canceled the game. The administration explained that they believed it was too soon after the tragedy and they choose to prioritize the safety of the players, fans and families.

After backlash came from both communities on Twitter, the administration— only 25 hours after the cancellation—rescheduled the game for a new time and location, September 5 at the Jack Davis Star.

Sports Editor The game gave El Paso a chance to unite as a community. It also gave the Plano community an opportunity to offer support in any ways they could: all players wore #ElPasoStrong stickers on their helmets, fans wore shirts commemorating the game, and the Plano halftime show was dedicated to the people of El Paso.

I

Continued from page 6 immediate reaction after hearing about the shooting, she emphasizes in the grand scheme of things, a tragedy anywhere is a tragedy, no matter who was killed or where it was.

“I would say this affected me no less than it affects me when I hear it happens anywhere,” Clayton said. “It is just horrifically tragic anywhere it happens, that to claim that because it happened close on the streets that I know well makes it no more or less affecting than when it happens anywhere else.”

For Magruder, having grown up in El Paso, the news of the shooting was completely different than any feelings she had before.

“We have had so many mass shootings in this country recently, and you realize Katherine Magruder Humanities instructor it could happen anywhere, but once it actually happens in your hometown, it hits you in a completely different way,” Magruder said.

“It stays with you, it sits in your mind for a long time— it’s still there.”

Magruder believes the tragic event will create Danielle Clayton long-lasting effects on the Interim Humanities Department Head people living in El Paso.

“Talking to my friends who still live in El Paso, they told me that the atmosphere is still a little tense—people if they’re at a big store or at a mall, they’ll kind of look for the exits and make sure that everything feels normal where they are, so it really sticks with you.”

Though Magruder is impressed with the nationwide response, she believes action needs to be taken to ensure an incident like this never occurs again.

“I think the immediate reaction to the shooting has been doing whatever they can in the moments responding to need—donating blood, donating money, donating time,” Magruder said. “Long term, I think this event will stay with people for their entire life. We’ll have to stay hopeful that there’s positive change, big structural change so that this will never happen again.”

August 3, 2019 Gunman kills 22 at a Latinofrequented Walmart in East El Paso, Texas.

Possibly linked to anti-immigration motivations on the border town.

August 4, 2019 Shooter kills nine and injured around 27 people in Dayton, Ohio.

Sister of shooter was among those killed.

COMING TOGETHER. It was something, perhaps, that only Friday night lights could bring forth: a long-scheduled football game between schools in El Paso and Plano. No one could have predicted that these two communities; however, would be connected in tragedy, with the alleged killer driving across the state to kill 22 El Pasoans Aug. 3. In the spirit of healing, the schools decided to continue with plans for the game, which was scheduled for Sept. 5. Showing unity and support, the two communities came together for the game (see sports column, at right). Bands from both schools (above and below) performed at halftime, with the theme of reconciliation dominating the performances.

15

33

Do you feel safe in your world or community?

percent

Yes No or along the lines of “Most of the time”

85

SOURCE: A POLL OF 240 UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS AND FACULTY MEMBERS

of American adults say that fear prevents them from going to certain places.

SOURCE: AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

KICKOFF The Plano Senior High football team kicks the football off to the other side after their offense scores, giving the Wildcats a 16-point lead.

PHOTOS Charlie Rose, Jack Davis

August 31, 2019

September 1, 2019

Gunman shoots over 20 people and kills seven in the Odessa and Midland areas of Texas. The second mass shooting occurring in Texas in August.

Series of new gun laws easing restrictions on guns in Texas comes into effect less than a day after the Odessa shooting.

September 3, 2019 Walmart announced the end of the sale of ammunition for handguns and some types of rifles.

Not only did the game bring the El Paso community back together, but it strengthened the bonds between both communities.

After both halftime shows, the Plano band stayed on the field in a random-looking order. The announcer then explained that the bands and drill teams from both schools met and practiced a joint halftime routine.

The Eastwood band and drill team moved onto the field. Once the two bands finally came together, their shape became clear. They formed an “E” at midfield with a drill team in a square on each side.

The bands played the El Paso fight song before shifting into a “P” for their performance of the Plano fight song.

The communities grew closer through the performances, the teams, and the game itself.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In Texas alone, football has brought together not only the El Paso and Plano communities after the recent tragedy, but also unified two Corpus Christi schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane which flooded much of the Houston and coastal Texas area and killed at least 106 in 2017.

Eighteen years ago, the New York Yankees made a similar decision to help their communities heal by playing their scheduled baseball game after the horrific tragedy that devastated the entire country in the attack on the twin towers Sept. 11, 2001.

No matter the sport, these teams unified their communities with a simple gesture: playing another game.

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Hackbarth:

‘If you see something, say something. Then do something.’

I

t’s 7 p.m. on a Thursday. A freshman forgets his algebra textbook again, and this time his mom is mad. He gets on campus, calls security and in five minutes he’s in and out, ready to face the consequences.

But what he doesn’t notice were the eight security guards around, protecting the campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Their constant presence on campus is what makes 10600 Preston Rd. such a protected environment.

Head of security Dale Hackbarth always encourages parents and visitors on campus to wear their name tags or check in, but there are moments when not all visitors take those necessary steps.

“There are times where a visitor does go directly to Centennial, but I think that is few and far between,” Hackbarth said.

“That’s why, if you notice, we have beefed up security. They are going to stop, question and offer assistance.”

Always working on improving the staff and officers he has working, Hackbarth feels fortunate to have the support from the administration to bring in high level officers to protect the campus.

“There’s five retired Dallas police officers with a minimum of 25 years of experience for each,” Hackbarth said. “There is 130 plus years of experience on this campus.

Knowing what to do during a crisis, the maturity level is crucial. They don’t sweat the small things. Every special event I add the DPD officers. I pinch myself when I talk about my staff because I am fortunate to have the quality of individuals with the longevity, experience and commitment to the school that I have.”

ReMarker roundtable

From the community

Administrators and students share their views on safety on campus and solutions for the future.

Sam Ahmed: After we put out our poll, we got responses from the question, “Do you feel safe in your community?”, and some of them were along the lines of ‘I feel safe, but I shouldn’t at all times. How should St. Mark’s address those worries?

Senior Jackson Singhal: I think St. Mark’s is perfectly safe, and that we have a lot of security there to prevent anything from happening, but as a general matter, I don’t think that it should be necessary to have the comfort and protection of a $30,000 a year education to prevent you from the risk of being shot on campus.

Senior Alex Piccagli: Something that makes me feel safe is the support system we have around the boys. Every kid at the school has at least one or two teachers that he can reach out to and talk to personally. That support that we have in our campus is the reason that I feel 100% safe as soon as I walk on.

Associate Headmaster John SHARED OPINIONS Explaining his stance on campus security, John Ashton: We can’t Ashton outlines administration’s goals on keeping the campus safe. eliminate risk in Junior Michael Anderson: The atmoour lives in any way, but there is a desphere that you’re around every day gree that we can continue to mitigate is very positive. No one wants to be risk. We know what to do in a time of negative or on edge, but it’s definitely crisis, and by knowing what to do, we a downside of having such a positive gain increased sense of peace of mind. place and can be hard to put that the front of your mind.

Head of Upper School Colin Igoe: The other piece that is important to Senior Nicholas Cerny: focus on is our connectivity as a comWhen there are lots of people on cammunity. When people feel connected pus, you don’t really think that much to a place, that’s really important. about it. Everybody starts blending That’s one of the strengths of being a in and you can’t really see that. As a one through 12 school, so if you feel school we talked about what to do that loneliness, or if you feel unsafe and how to respond, but there could you know the places to go. be more about how to read situations and what the immediate call to action SA: In a story The ReMarker did is. in response to the Virginia Tech shootings, Mr. Holtberg said, “How does one protect a campus that is fairly open?” What do you think are the biggest challenges with an open campus?

CLOSING THE GAP Talking about the pros and cons of the open campus with Head of Upper School Colin Igoe, senior Alex Piccagli shares his views as a student.

Although Hackbarth can talk about the great staff and measures he has put in place, he says it doesn’t matter unless the members of the community on campus feel safe.

“I can talk and talk and brag about it, but it doesn’t do any good if the students don’t feel safe, the parents don’t feel safe, and the visitors don’t feel safe,” Hackbarth said. “If they come on campus and they don’t feel safe, I’m doing something wrong, and I have to address the issue.”

When it comes to the overall security on campus, Hackbarth emphasizes security on campus also falls on the shoulders of students, faculty and visitors on campus.

“I’m always asked, ‘Who’s responsible for the security on this campus?’” Hackbarth said. “It’s very easy to point fingers and say, well you are the director of security, it’s you Dale Hackbarth and your staff. But security on Head of Security this campus is everybody’s responsibility: students, parents, everybody. Everybody should be able to question something that doesn’t look right.

If you see something, say something, then do something.”

Understanding that 10600 Preston Rd. does have an open campus, Hackbarth deals with the pros and cons of it everyday but predicts that the open campus is here to stay with some minor adjustments.

“I foresee us maybe having a vehicle management system with a fob on windshields or a toll tag reader for access and identification,” Hackbarth said. “We want to have gates that are better secured but aesthetically pleasing with convenient access.”

Although Hackbarth has taken notice of ALL the amount of mass shootings in the United AROUND Discussing States, his plan for security has remained the constant and unchanged. importance “I think the fact that I added more staff of during the day and to special events wasn’t community, just in response to recent news, but has senior Nicholas been the plan since I became director,” Cerny gives Hackbarth said. “St. Mark’s has always his own been way ahead of the curve on school insight. security.”

Head of Security Dale Hackbarth: I’m asked a lot about the open campus. We don’t have a hard perimeter.

It’s very soft, natural, and we like that.

It is warm, welcoming. From four o’clock till 10, every school has the same concern of making students and guests feel safe. I beef up the staff on special events and during big games for sure.

SA: There are a lot of links between loneliness that leads to violence.

How does St. St. Marks try to make sure tries to make sure that no one feels excluded?

From the headmaster Headmaster David Dini elaborates on what safety at 10600 Preston Rd. looks like.

• There’s a temptation to want to create walls and boundaries around environments to try to insulate them as much as possible, but that can also give you a false sense of security and safety. Our approach has been that we value the culture that exists here greatly.

You want boys to feel safe walking across the quad or playing Spikeball, and that’s part of the ethos of the culture of this place.

• Our belief has been in investing in quality people with experience and firsthand knowledge and extensive training. Our clear objective is to make sure we’re doing everything possible to create as safe and secure of an environment as possible, so that both boys and adults don’t have to focus time and energy on whether or not they’re safe and secure here.

We want everybody to be able to answer the questions, ‘Do you know me? Do you care about me? Are you committed to my success?’ That’s part of the strength of this community is that we pay careful attention to one another, and that’s something you can never take for granted.

• We do a tremendous amount of work and research to consider the best practices. In order to create that sense of freedom, we invest heavily in many other things.

We’ve invested more and more as time has gone on, so that we’re better prepared to respond to any potential outcome that we might experience.

PHOTOS Jerry Zhao, Charlie Rose

Lower Grade Counselor Gabby Reed: We do our bullying survey, and we do that to keep track of how things really are. We see our numbers fairly at or below the national average, and we have counselors at all the levels.

JA: The first act of leadership is to care for those around us. On a daily basis, every one of us needs to come on the campus with our antenna just a little bit wider and a little bit more open to how’s everyone doing around us.

SA: How do you guys feel about that balance of security and openness?

MA: There were only two entrances at my old school, and that definitely had a less safe feel. It’s really hard to find the balance between the community feeling you want and the sense of security because they both have their benefits.

I don’t think of it as a completely zero sum game. Seeing officers on campus doesn’t detract from that feeling. If anything, it strengthens it.

JA: You’re constantly strengthening, assessing, strengthening, assessing.

We are constantly talking about balancing those two equations out so we don’t lose or diminish a sense of security or sense of community.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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V I O LE N C E I N O U R W O R LD

Alan Cohen ’01 co-chairs city of Dallas’ task force on violence Combating the alarming issue of violence, alum is tackling city’s problem from the inside.

A

s the issue of violence in America grows increasingly prominent, citizens of Dallas like Alan Cohen ’01 have taken it upon themselves to prevent a tragedy from happening in their own backyard.

“When there’s violence happening every day at the levels that we’re seeing in Dallas, it becomes an issue that affects all of us,” Cohen said. “This is not an issue for this neighborhood or that neighborhood. It’s going to require a collective effort and collective will to make sure that we keep every neighborhood in our city safe. Ultimately, that’s in everyone’s self interest.”

Cohen, who serves as the head of the city’s Child Poverty Action Lab and was recently named co-chair of Dallas’s task force against violence by Mayor Eric Johnson, asserts there are victims of violence everyday, outside of the hundreds of mass shootings this country has seen. Cohen has experience in this field, having served as assistant superintendent of early childhood education for Dallas ISD. “What I want everyone to understand is that every day we’re losing the lives of boys and girls to gun violence,” Cohen said.

“This is not a new issue; it’s an issue that needs to be dealt with, and it needs to not just be dealt with for the victims of mass shootings. It needs to be dealt with for all the lives that are being lost one

at a time as well.”

Cohen believes part of the reason the issue of violence is so hard to solve is the complexity of it and the fact that there is more than just one main factor.

“It’s not just gun policy, it’s not just poverty, but all of these things together are creating a lot of the conditions that allow for bad things to take place,” Cohen said. “The question as a community and as a country is, ‘do we want to continue to focus on Band Aid solutions?’ The city is bleeding, and when you’re bleeding, you do want to put a bandage on it, but at the end of the day, I think what we need to focus on are long term root cause solutions.”

Cohen assures citizens increasing the number of arrests will not be a part of the solution.

“I’m not sure that I want to live in a city that tried to take on violence by just arresting as many people as possible,” Cohen said. “That doesn’t seem like the most aspirational vision for Dallas that we can come up with. I’m much more inspired by the kind of city that tries to lift up every child and give them opportunity and pathways for prosperity that don’t involve going down a path of violence.”

Alan Cohen ’01 Co-chair of task force Cohen sees two main goals for the task force: against violence to reduce the overall rate of crime in the city and to bridge the gap between those being affected by violence and those making decisions on how to stop it.

“We should be judged by whether violent crime in this city ultimately decreases,” Cohen said. “Additionally, we are looking at how do we involve more stakeholders to bear a problem with this complexity. The individuals that have lived experience are going to see patterns that I can never see just looking at Excel spreadsheets.”

Cohen urges the residents of Dallas and the members of the school’s community to look to play a big part in the needed change.

“With the amount of affluence and influence the St Mark’s community has, we can make a real difference in determining the path we take,” Cohen said. “We can go down a path of trying to create a city where it would never make sense to turn towards violence, or whether we continue to allow the kind of disparities where one of three kids in Dallas grows up in poverty and has an incentive to resort to violence.”

For true change to occur, Cohen suggests people with different backgrounds and beliefs should come together and communicate in a meaningful way.

“What I would recommend above all else, is that people start talking to one another, especially people that disagree with one another,” Cohen said. “We’re talking past each other in this country, and we’re talking in echo chambers. Unless people who have honest disagreements can get in a room and try to work on solutions together, we’re not going to get to our greatest outcomes.”

Ultimately, Cohen reiterates that change cannot be achieved without everyone doing everything they can, and he hopes to see the nationwide reaction of shock and horror be channeled into a force of good.

“When given the opportunity to be part of the solution, it’s easy to sit back and point the finger and say these folks should have done this, or they should have done that,” Cohen said. It’s easy to be a critic, but if you have the opportunity to be part of a solution, to take some action that can be helpful, I hope you’ll try and that’s what I’m going to do.”

SHARP SHOOTER During the NRA convention held in Fort Worth Sept.

6-8, a father teaches his son how to fire a pistol, starting a new generation of pro gun vs. anti gun sentiments.

Texas legislature

LAWMAKERS CHANGE GUN POLICIES One day after the deadly shootings in Midland and Odessa, the Texas legislature passed bills loosening gun laws.

Senate Bill 535: allows Texans to carry guns in churches, synagogues and other places of worship, unless otherwise banned by those places with proper signage.

Senate Bill 741: prohibits property owners’ associations from banning storage of guns on rental properties.

House Bill 121: provides a legal defense for licensed handgun owners who unknowingly enter an establishment that bans firearms as long as they leave when asked.

House Bill 302: prohibits landlords from banning renters and their guests from carrying firearms in lease agreements.

House Bill 1387: loosens restrictions on the number of school marshals who can carry guns at public and private schools in Texas.

House Bill 1177: allows Texans to carry handguns without a license during a state of disaster.

House Bill 1143: prohibits school districts from banning licensed gun owners from storing guns and ammunition in their vehicles in parking lots.

House Bill 2363: allows certain foster homes to store guns and ammunition in a locked location.

SOURCE: KERA NEWS

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred: Sam Ahmed: Why do you think there is such opposition to some form of gun control in America?

Colin Allred: Part of the problem rests with inaction by politicians in the (U.S.) Senate who have refused to act. However, when I meet with folks across North Texas, people say they want to see common-sense gun safety measures passed. The two bills I voted for that strengthen background checks passed the House with bipartisan support. There is actually a lot we agree on as a nation in terms of gun safety. We can make our nation safer while protecting the second amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.

SA: In the current political climate with Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell blocking Senate votes left and right, do you think it would be possible to pass gun legislation to stop these mass shootings, and what form do you think those laws would come with?

CA: I think it is possible, and I am doing everything I can to get something done and signed into law. The House’s approach was bipartisan from the start, and I think there is no reason the Senate shouldn’t immediately take up the bills we have passed. It is important that everyone who wants to see action taken does

Background checks, bipartisan solutions for gun control their part by calling their Senators and asking them to support these bills.

negative ways?

CA: The gun lobby and their allies have opposed bipartisan measures every step of the way. They do this by drowning out the voices of the American people through lobbying and campaign contributions.

But everyday folks have power, too, and eventually voices cannot be ignored.

Thanks to coalitions of parents, students, teachers and faith and business leaders there is more political will than ever before to act to reduce gun violence.

SA: After these recent mass shootings, members of those communities have often repeated some form of the phrase “we thought it could never happen here.” How do you think we can rewrite that narrative so that no one has to feel constant worry? Do you feel compelled to “do something” after the chants in Dayton during their Gov. Mike DeWine’s speech?

CA: As a new father, this is something SA: Often now political figures have to I think about everyday. I think Con‘take sides’ How are your colleagues on gress must act and continue to remain both sides of the aisle reacting to this Colin Allred US Congressman focused on this problem. There is no situation? single solution, but we know where CA: When I talk to colleagues on both sides there are problems and loopholes in the system. I of the aisle, there is heartbreak over the tragedy that believe we should start with background checks and communities are facing and real urgency to get somecontinue to work in a bipartisan way to address this thing done. Republicans and Democrats alike are problem with solutions like red flag laws and ensursupportive of measures to reduce gun violence and ing weapons of war remain off our streets. the measures I have supported have been bipartisan.

As we keep working to get something signed into SA: How do you think the NRA has affected polilaw, I believe our coalition, which is determined to tics and controlled politicians in both positive and get something done, will grow larger.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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ISSUES

NEW STUDENTS

Old and ever new

study, there is no statistically significant correlation between grade entry and ‘success’ in terms of positions and awards.

For example, Student Council vice-president Aaron Weiser is a 12-year student, having attended the school for two-thirds of his life. Student Council president Taylor Hopkin, on the other hand, entered as a sophomore just two years ago.

The following are edited excerpts from an interview with Weiser and Hopkin:

New students trickle into classes every year, but is their experience much different from a 12-year?

O

ne came in first grade. He’s been here for 12 years – two-thirds of his life – and he knows the school like the back of his hand.

The other is new. He just transferred from a school close by, and he’s still learning the traditions.

He’s making new friends, taking new classes and learning from new teachers.

Which student is better off?

••• In response to a theory that the school’s admission process can’t predict how younger applicants will do in school later in life, the Office of Admission and Financial Aid conducted a study comparing student achievement across entry levels using ten years of senior classes.

The team analyzed academic and athletic data to estimate students’ success. Although Admission Office personnel don’t claim it to be a perfect system, the results clearly show the success rates among students who entered in Lower, Middle and Upper School are all even. There’s no statistical difference.

“The grand total was 818 boys that graduated from St. Mark’s from the Class of 2000 through the Class of 2009,” David Baker, director of Admission and Financial Aid, said. “And the question was, ‘When did they come to St. Mark’s? And did that make a difference?’”

But there was one factor that hadn’t been considered — the school’s admission process itself.

“As a result of selectivity, we end up with boys who are already very bright,” Baker said. “That tends to narrow the margins of where these boys end up as

YOUNG AND OLD After a long day of classes, Senior Taylor Hopkin and second-grader Finn Fisher talk on the quad.

they perform through Upper School.”

Class of 2019 valedictorian Harris Wilson, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, was one of the students who entered his freshman year. Coming from Greenhill, he noticed a pattern in some of the other freshman-year applicants he admired.

“Two of the guys I was closest to went to public school, and then St. Mark’s,” Wilson said. “They understood the difference and how fortunate they were, juxtaposed with their previous school. Realizing they had this excellent opportunity in front of them, that was probably a factor to their success.”

That realization still wasn’t completely lost to 12-year students. But there were other, more practical reasons that Wilson cites as making a difference to his ultimate success in his senior year.

“For kids who’ve been at St. Mark’s for a long time, it’s extremely difficult getting placed into a higher level class,” Wilson said. “As a kid that came in ninth grade, that was a big advantage for me. I was a year ahead in Spanish and math, so in terms of becoming valedictorian, that’s the reason my GPA was higher than everybody else’s.”

With all these factors and the Admission office’s

STORY Ishan Gupta, Axel Icazbalceta PHOTO Kyle Fisher

Axel Icazbalceta: Do you think coming here your sophomore year affected your StuCo campaign?

Taylor Hopkin: I’d only been here for two years, but I felt like everyone in my grade knew me pretty well. Even if we weren’t good friends, we still had interactions with each other, and that goes for kids in other grades. So I think that the relationships you need to vote for someone, I was able to make in two years, so I didn’t think that was necessarily against me.

AI: Do you think knowing your classmates more helped you during the election?

Aaron Weiser: I don’t think the number of years really matters. It’s really more about the speech you give and if people can trust the words you say. Being here 12 years affected how I wrote my speech because I had things to say in it, like what St. Mark’s means to me. So it helps writing the speech, but I don’t think it affected how people saw me as a candidate.

AI: How long did it take you to transition into what you saw as being a Marksman?

TH: I think academically, it took a while. It was just learning how to manage my time, learning

how to study for St. Mark’s tests, that took a while. A big factor for me was English 10, that really helped. I was in Dr. Steg’s English 10 class, and I thought that was the best class I’ve ever taken in my life, and that was a big deal for me and becoming what I consider a Marksman to be.

AI: Do you feel like you had a certain point where you transitioned into a Marksman, or has it just been gradual since first grade?

AW: Tenth and eighth grade, the beginning of school, those transitions weren’t hard in the ‘St. Mark’s not accepting me’ way, just me accepting what my role here is like. Smaller ones over time, and more of just my self-reflection. A lot of my experience at St. Mark’s has been, “How honest am I going to be with myself and others?”

AI: How difficult was the transition?

TH: The way kids are raised here makes transitioning socially very easy, I think. And the teachers will help you transition academically.

Everyone talks about, “How difficult was the transition?” That question’s always asked.

And it’s difficult, but St. Mark’s makes it very possible.

AI: Has being here for 12 years made your St. Mark’s experience any different?

AW: These people around me and the teachers and students that aren’t even in our grade just feel like constants in my life. It just becomes something I’m so used to, but it still surprises me every day. Those relationships that I’ve built over these 12 years are just the most incredible thing, I think.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

ISSUES

11

TEENAGE ADDICTION

Is tobacco safer later?

A new Texas law aims to change the legal smoking age from 18 – an age when nine out of 10 smokers smoke their first cigarette – to 21.

W

hen Texas legislators voted to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 in May, they joined 17 other states in an attempt to crack down on teenage smoking. But what difference do those three years make?

According to nurse Julie Doerge, the new law will reduce the risk of smoking at ages when young adults are most vulnerable.

“I think one of the biggest [risks] is that their brains are far more susceptible to nicotine addiction because they’re still pretty plastic,” Doerge said. “If you don’t start smoking till you’re 21 or older, your chances are a little bit better of not becoming addicted to the nicotine.”

She believes the continued development of the brain between 18 and 21 can lead to better decision-making about smoking.

“We know that you’re less impulsive, Doerge said.” There’s probably less peer pressure on you than there is when you’re young.”

Counselor Barbara Van Drie agrees.

She believes teenagers are heavily marketed to in order to convince them to start using nicotine products.

“No one starts using nicotine at the age of 30,” Van Drie said. “Adults are not the market. If [tobacco companies] can’t get you to start using before the age of 21, they know the chances of ever getting you during your lifetime are slim.”

For Van Drie, the worst effects of smoking come from the lifestyle an addiction to nicotine forces If you don’t start smoking teenagers to live. till 21, your chances are “The question a little bit better of not becoming addicted to is what road are nicotine. you on?” Van Barbara Van Drie Drie said. “Is it about working out and eating good food and exercising? Or is it about not taking care of my body or getting enough sleep or doing health-promoting things?”

“

She believes an addiction to nicotine can also be coupled with other addictions.

“Often people will end up pairing nicotine, a stimulant, with alcohol, a depressive,” Van Drie said. “They use one to offset the other, but end up with a psychological dependence on both.”

For users of two substances, withdrawal and rehabilitation become even more difficult.

“The standard nicotine withdrawal is 72 hours of unpleasantness,” Van Drie said.

“But when people with alcohol addictions stop using nicotine, every time they use alcohol they go ‘Where’s my nicotine?’”

Doerge hopes the move from 18 to 21 provides similar discouragement to teenagers as the increase in the legal alcohol age in 1986.

“When my sister was 18 it was legal for her to drink and then they changed the age to 21,” Doerge said. “It was so difficult for her to get alcohol she just quit. She just was like, ‘This isn’t worth it. I’ll wait.’”

How do other states compare?

New Texas laws enacted Changes to hundreds of Texas laws went into effect Sept. 1. Here are that may reach campus.

1

Driver responsibility program ended The Driver Responsibility Program, an initiative that led to 1.3 million Texans having their licenses suspended, is coming to a close on Sept. 1.

The system required drivers to pay annual charges following certain traffic offenses on top of paying off the fines and penalties resulting from the offense.

This led to people with less money getting overwhelmed with fees and having their licenses taken away.

Statistics from the CDC and lung.org

2 A NATION DIVIDED While states consider legislation to move the tobacco age to 21, laws vary across the country.

Smoking age 18 Smoking age 21 Smoking age raised to 21 Sept. 1 Smoking age to be raised to 21

Tobacco 21 By the Numbers Source: CDC & Lung.org

223,000 deaths raising the tobacco age to 21 could prevent

12

percent predicted decrease in

50 40

percent reduction in smoking initiation

percent of the population that lives with the Tobacco 21

STORY Alam Alidina, Austin Williams ARTWORK Jamie Mahowald

Free speech on campus As of Sept. 1 schools are required to allow students to engage in “expressive activities” in common spaces outdoors.

This new Senate bill is aimed to prevent the repression of certain political views and allow for more student freedom.

3

Telemarketers banned from fake numbers Ever gotten a call from “Apple” or another popular company?

These troubles should end, as the Texas House passed Bill 1992 prohibiting caller ID spoofing.

This means it should be easier to spot the pesky telemarketers’ calls, and it prevents them from disguising their identity.

4

Stiffer penalties for stealing packages Under newly issued House Bill 37, one can now go to prison for stealing mail off of people’s porches.

Taking letters, postcards, packages, etc. will leave you with a felony and a large fine, so don’t try to make this a start-of-school moneymaking project.

If someone is caught enough times, they could spend months to years in jail.

5

Lemonade stands now legal Finally, children trying to run their own lemonade businesses are no longer breaking the law.

Previously, one needed a permit to sell food, even just for lemonade, but Bill 234 makes it completely legal, as long as the beverages aren’t alcoholic.

— Austin Williams

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

12

ISSUES

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

The summer job slump Teenagers with summer jobs work long hours for low pay, so it’s no surprise many are looking to other options.

58

Teenagers with summer jobs (%)

57

57 52

46

35

GIVING NOTICE Teenagers are leaving summer jobs for other options such as internships and summer camps on college campuses.

30 1963

1948

1978

1989

2000

2010

2018

SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER ANALYSIS OF U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS DATA

H

15

percent amount of teens who say they “want a job.”

SOURCE: PEW RESEARCH CENTER

e woke up. Saw the red numbers on his alarm clock. It read 4 a.m.. Three hours before the sun was set to rise.

As he rolled out of bed, he realized he’d do more by the time his friends got up than they would by the end of the day.

But his summer job was worth it — and so was the little slice of independence that came with it.

••• Assistant Head of Upper School Chris Disimile sees a summer job as valuable exposure for students who aren’t sure what career they want to pursue.

“I think it’s important to see what’s out there, to get used to it,” Disimile said.

“The sooner you do that, the sooner you’ll understand what path you might want to take in your life.”

Disimile’s most memorable summer job was during his freshman year of college, when he worked a 4 a.m. to 1p.m. shift loading ice cream trucks bound for While in school, missing supermarkets homework can be overlooked. across town.

Dropping the ball at work costs real world money.

“It was tough. It was 20 Michael Anderson below. We had to wear polar boots and our big onesie snowsuits,” Disimile said.

“But it was a good job and paid well.”

Disimile’s experience was far more common then than it is now. According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of teens with summer jobs has dropped 17 percent since 2000. For many students, this is due to an increasing conflict between earning money and volunteering or pursuing unpaid internships.

“

For junior Michael Anderson, working a summer job helped him obtain skills he couldn’t have gotten at an internship.

“I think a paid job teaches unique lessons,” Anderson said, “like how to manage your money and work over a long period of time for a goal.”

Anderson worked for journalist Robert Riggs, helping him scan documents and manage spreadsheets. He enjoyed the exposure the job gave him. “[Riggs] has lived a fascinating life, traveling to multiple war zones like Afghanistan for news agencies,” Anderson said. “And because he shifted from legacy news reporting to helping businesses maximize their online presence, he shared his lessons on the future of tech and business.”

On the job, Anderson quickly learned the importance of personal responsibility.

“While in school, missing homework can be overlooked,” Anderson said, “but dropping the ball at work costs real-world money.”

Statistics from Pew Research Center note that only 15 percent of teenagers are interested in pursuing a summer job. Anderson finds this disappointing.

“It shows a decline in students’ ambition,” Anderson said. “Even when you’d rather just hop on the Xbox in the moment, I think kids should definitely make an effort to find a job for their own good.”

Sophomore Grant Jackson agrees. Over the summer, he fit his job working at Little Caesars into a busy schedule.

“I would have running in the morning with the cross country guys,” Jackson said. “And then, I would work five to 10 or five to 11.”

He felt the job was worth it.

“I think after working, I was able to understand how people handle business in the real world, how to handle customers, how to store stuff,” Jackson said. “And I made a lot of money over the summer, which is good. I was happy to make that.”

Grant Jackson Jackson, who Sophomore wants to be a doctor when he grows up, believes working in a crowded pizza joint helped him prepare for the pressures of the job.

“Calming customers down as a cashier when they are a little bit rowdy Friday night or Saturday evening could be applied to the stress and intensity of an operating room,” Jackson said. “I can see how to work in the real world.”

Most importantly, Jackson feels his summer job gave him opportunities to exemplify the values he was taught here, values he hadn’t yet found a real-world application for.

“At times, like on Friday nights, customers demand pizza or money back or want their pizza ASAP, but I would courageously go up to them,” Jackson said. “I got to learn what hard work is – diligence and ethics and leadership.”

That’s largely why Disimile encourages Marksmen to find summer jobs.

“I think the greatest value in a summer job is that it will often reinforce some of the principles that St. Mark’s is trying to put in place,” Disimile said. “It sets expectations for behavior and dress that are preparation for thriving, for contributing to everyday life.”

STORY Alam Alidina, Toby Barrett INFOGRAPHIC Alam Alidina

Senior recognitions given at Commencement in May

School’s top prizes awarded to three graduates at end of year ceremonies; valedictorian recognized

Headmaster’s Cup

Citizenship Cup

School Flag

Valedictorian

2014 - Lucas Williams 2015 - J. Carrington Kyle 2016 - Jackson Cole 2017 - Gopal Raman 2018 - Davis Bailey

2014 - Dylan Clark, Ryan O’Meara 2015 - Mason Smith 2016 - Philip Smart 2017 - Edward Yang 2018 - Zach Gilstrap

2014 - Vishal Gokani 2015 - Nathan Ondracek 2016 - Alden James 2017 - Andrew Lin 2018 - Canyon Kyle

2014 - Halbert Bai 2015 - George Lin 2016 - Akshay Malhotra 2017 - Patrick McGee 2018 - Harris Wilson

I just did my work and paid my dues, and to be recognized for that with such a high honor was absolutely unforgettable.

Though I definitely didn’t need that type of recognition for me to be proud of my time at St. Mark’s, it felt amazing.

I’m glad people in the community felt I was able to leave St. Mark’s just a little better than I found it.

Being named valedictorian was an amazing honor, especially in a highachieving environment like St. Mark’s.

“

“

Seth Weprin ‘19 Headmaster’s Cup

Parker Davis ‘19 Citizenship Cup

“

“

Shane Ndeda ‘19 School Flag

David Vallejo ‘19 Valedictorian

DISCOVERIES THE REMARKER SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

13

Research John Mead’s research of a boiling river in the Peruvian amazon Page 14

ENGINEERING

The Makerspace man

H

e’s an engineer! No, he’s a filmmaker! No, he’s a teacher!

Well, actually, he’s all three.

A renaissance man if ever there was one, new Makerspace Director Stewart Mayer has truly seen it all.

•••

Even before his formal education, done, I realized I could control as many Mayer was always an engineer. axes as I wanted.”

“I was always a natural builder Mayer published his invention on at heart, and I built all sorts of crazy the internet and soon received offers to wacky things in high school,” Mayer buy the machine if he were to make it. said. “Of course back then there was no “I changed careers a little bit,” such thing as STEM or a makerspace, Mayer said. “Instead of being a so I did all that stuff completely on my filmmaker, I started making equipment own.” for other filmmakers. In 2008 I After apprenticing with a master started my own little company called machinist in a machine shop while in Camblock that builds a modular junior high, Mayer went on to study motion control system for film and engineering in college. television. That involved all “I went to SMU to go sorts of machining and to engineering school,” building electronics and People loved it and Mayer said, “but I wanted programming.” they said 'Hey if you something a little more Mayer’s project ever make it, I'll sell it.'

Stewart Mayer creative, so I switched to caught on in the film and tried to become a documentary world, and filmmaker. I traveled the world doing he soon found himself traveling along some TV series around the U.S.” with his machine.

Mayer’s career in film brought “I got to film with it on some pretty him to Dallas, where he mixed his cool projects,” Mayer said. “I did some knowledge of engineering and film to National Geographic stuff in Palao, make a unique motion capture device. filmed polar bears in the Arctic, been to “I started working on a Abu Dhabi and Italy and Turkey and documentary for a park here locally, lots of other places filming with it.” which is the largest collection of Art After traveling the world with his Deco architecture in the U.S.,” Mayer invention, Mayer settled in Dallas. said. “To make the documentary film, “As I was starting my family, my I wanted to have a camera move in a traveling career became more and more controlled way for motion time lapse. difficult,” Mayer said. “I knew I wanted I invented this very simple one axis to change. The last two years I’ve been motion control system, and when I was focusing more on education, teaching

“

after-school science programs primarily at my son’s school.”

After teaching at the elementaryschool level, Mayer knew he wanted to make the switch to working with older students.

“I was trying to figure out where in the world I could use all these weird skills that I’ve accumulated,” Mayer said. “It pretty much needed to be a college or school that had ambitions to have a college level Makerspace program.”

Mayer chose St. Mark’s for its advanced Makerspace and was hired as its director prior to this school year.

“My primary goal over the next couple months is to get the new machines in and working,” Mayer said.

“Even though we have this great space, there's very few of the new machines.

Along with that, I’ll be helping the other teachers that have projects that are STEM related.”

Mayer also recognizes the use of the Makerspace for projects outside STEM. “There are classes that you might never associated with STEM, like psychology, that can benefit from the Makerspace,” Mayer said. “We could build our own polygraph machine.

There’s virtually no subject out there that can’t benefit from that hands-on component.”

Mayer is optimistic that he and the Makerspace can have an impact on the school.

“I hope that other teachers can use this space, and that we can work together to take advantage of it,” Mayer said.

STORY Cooper Ribman, Ethan Borge PHOTO Collin Katz

LASER WORK Stewart Mayer engraves a piece of wood using a laser cutter and engraver. Mayer's skills in film and engineering drew the attention of school officials.

Making it work

WHAT THE TECH?

PHOTO BLAKE BROOM

Stewart Mayer brings experience in film, engineering to his position as Makerspace director.

T

he Makerspace currently includes Mayer's personal laser engraving and cutting machine.

The instrument can be used to imprint patterns on and cut everything from wood to metal and has been used for personal art projects as well as projects for the robotics team.

Mayer plans to upgrade the laser cutter and engraver in the near future, moving to the Epilog FusionPro laser system model 16000.

The FusionPro uses a higher wattage than the current machine, meaning its more powerful laser will be more efficient at cutting and engraving.

The new machine is set to arrive in the coming weeks.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

14

DISCOVERIES

Dr. David Shoemaker to appear as Visiting Scholar Oct. 7-8.

by Han Zhang

V

RIVERSIDE John Mead stands in front of the Boiling River with Kyle Smith ‘19, who was also a member of the expedition.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Summer science Eugene McDermott Master Teacher in Science John Mead researches life in Peru’s ‘Boiling River’

I

n the middle of the Peruvian Amazon, more than three hours away from the nearest town, lies a river. This river isn’t the creek in someone’s backyard or the rivers flowing through the Pecos mountains. At nearly 200 degrees Fahrenheit, this river is almost boiling -and it’s Eugene McDermott Master Teaching Chair John Mead’s job to find out what lives there.

Known as Shanaytimpishka in the native language, the river was first discovered by Peruvian scientist Andrés Ruzo in 2011.

“This trip was taken to the Boiling River in the Peruvian Amazon,” Mead said, “which is about a three-hour drive from the town of Pucallpa, a frontier town in the north central Peruvian Amazon.”

Over the summer, Mead was asked to be part of a team of scientists on an expedition to study the ecosystem that exists in and near the river.

Accompanied by Kyle Smith ’19, Mead was asked to join after Ruzo became interested in his work in microscopy.

“I went there to work with a team from National Geographic, led

by National Geographic explorer Andrés Ruzo.”

Mead said. “We were there to do a number of things. First of all, to get more information about the geology and the water quality of the river. That’s an ongoing part of this, to better understand why it exists where it is.”

Specifically, Mead served as the expedition’s lead microscopist.

“I was going to be recording video of what we saw under the microscope

in the field while things were still alive,” Mead said. “Then our team was going to take the rest of the samples back to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to do genomic work, to study the DNA of these creatures that are living in very hot water, which is a very rare and unique thing.”

“

Ruzo saw my microscope work with our microsafaris...so he recruited me for that.

John Mead

The team also had a special interest in the insect population in the area, which is largely composed of extremophile insects that can withstand the heat of the river.

“We had the world experts in praying mantises there with us from Brazil,” Mead said. “They would go out everyday and collect samples of insects, with a special interest in the praying mantis populations. They found over 70 in the area, and they collected them and took them back to study them.”

The expedition was composed of several teams besides the microscopy team, each of which had different tasks to perform on the trip.

“We had a paleontology team looking for fossils in the Amazon, and we had a drone team that did flyovers of the entire Boiling River ecosystem for mapping purposes,” Mead said.

Although the expedition lasted 12 days, their work is far from over.

“There’s much more work to follow up with,”

Mead said, “but we were able to get great samples.

We were able to see all sorts of things living in the river that we didn’t necessarily expect, so lots of sciencing to be done on those in the coming months.”

The team is also planning an expedition for next summer.

“I’ve been invited to come back for the next field season, but it’s still too early to know details on that,” Mead said. “I’m also looking at next summer heading to Africa for a three-week tour of human origin sites, which is a dream come true for me, so that’s another big thing in my future.”

Though the work is not done, Mead is excited about the potential impact of the trip, which may be able to benefit people around the world.

“One of the things from our Micro Amazon project that we hope affects people’s lives is that we may find out that these extremophile creatures are producing various proteins that may be helpful in biomedical research or even in other industries, whether it be cosmetics or nutrition or the like.” Mead said.

Mead has already begun sharing his experience in Peru with his classes.

“I’ve already started teaching classes about my experience at the Boiling River.” Mead said. “The limitations are that we have to do some of the science before I can speak too publicly about what we’ve discovered, but once we get the science done — once we get clearance from National Geographic to publicly talk about it — I’ll be able to share a lot more of that.”

STORY Cooper Ribman, Han Zhang PHOTO Courtesy John Mead

by the numbers

12

Days spent working at the Boiling River

40

People who took part in the expedition

11 Expeditions taken to the Boiling River

97 ° C/ 201 ° F

The Maximum temperature reached by the Boiling River

6. 24K / 3. 8M

The length of the boiling section of the river SOURCE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

isiting Scholar Dr. David Shoemaker will be here to discuss his work with the entire Upper School. Dr. Shoemaker is the Director of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Lab at MIT, a large-scale observatory that recently confirmed the theory of gravitational waves.

He will be here Oct. 7-8.

“He’s an astrophysicist, and his work has to do with verifying Einstein’s theory of relativity,” director of the Visiting Scholars Program Marjorie Curry said. “He worked with LIGO from 2001 to 2016.”

Although his schedule has yet to be fully established, some of the topics covered in his Upper School assembly have already been confirmed. His talk will cover subjects related to his work and its potential applications and benefits.

“Shoemaker will talk about the LIGO detectors, how he got involved with LIGO, data analysis, and how to talk about science with non-scientists,” Curry said.

Dr. Shoemaker was selected out of a pool of potential Visiting Scholars after being recommended to Headmaster David Dini by Nick Anderson ‘61, a relative of Dr. Shoemaker. The Visiting Scholars Student Advisory Board also provided input on the decision.

• Dr. David “I receive Shoemaker, astrophysicist, recommendations Oct. 7-8. throughout the year and I meet • Bryan Mealer, with the Visiting journalist and bestselling auScholars Student thor, Feb. 20-21.

Advisory Board in the spring,” Curry said.

“Then, I discuss the recommendations with Mr. Dini, and he decides who the Visiting Scholars will be.”

During his visit, Shoemaker will also be able to visit certain classes, where students will be able to interact with and ask him questions, in addition to helping him with data analysis from LIGO. “Shoemaker’s visit will spark an even greater interest in science and scientific communication among students,” Curry said. “Certain classes will be able to assist with analyzing data from LIGO.” In addition to his work in physics, Shoemaker is also a writer and has given talks on the confirmation of gravitational waves at LIGO. His work as an author has enabled him to help bridge the gap between the scientific and non-scientific worlds.

“In 2016, he testified before the House of Representatives to celebrate the detection of gravitational waves,”Curry said, “and to explain their benefits to future scientific innovation.”

visiting scholars

10600

Summer camps

Brothers Aayan and Aadi Khasgiwala run a camp for children in Dallas.

Page 16

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

19 new faces

Lauren Pepe

Sarah Choi

Fourth-grade humanities

• Coolest job: working on a horse ranch in Wyoming.

• If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be Billy Joel.

• On a Friday night, I would be found at a concert or singing karaoke.

Varied interests abound in newest faculty, staff

Orchestra Director

Summer trips

Mountain climbing

Students led trips to France, England, China and Morocco.

Page 17

Douglas Brady

Dansby Erwin

• I’ve played the cello since I was eight years old.

• Coolest job: I played with Adele on her tour.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be my wedding reception because everyone I loved and held dear to my heart chose to travel from their corners of the world to be in one room together celebrating with me.

Development assistant

Veeral Rathod ’97 shares his journey in the retail diamon industry.

Page 21

Laura Sowells

Campus security officer

• On a Friday night, I would enjoy a nice meal with my husband and friends — sometimes we let the kids come, too.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be… tricky question.

I try to live each moment to its fullest. I don’t need to relive one, but I do dream about future moments.

• I would describe myself as a good friend and someone who loves a good laugh.

15

New CEO

Science instructor Zach Smith traveled to Africa over the summer.

Page 20

Interim alumni coordinator

• If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be with President Barack Obama.

• One day I want to return back to school in pursuit of a doctorate in performance psychology.

• One lesson I learned when I was in the Dallas Police Department involved treating all people with dignity and respect.

• Coolest job: making coworkers very happy by distributing Mavericks, • Coolest Rangers and Stars tickets, job: making including World Series and co-workers NBA Finals. veryplace happyinbythe world: • Favorite distributing outdoors enjoying nature Mavericks,spring or on a beautiful Rangers and Stars fall day.

• If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be Abraham Lincoln.

Sean Lissemore Athletics Director

• In college, I met my wife, Chelsea.

• One lesson I’ve learned from being a football player in the NFL is sometimes the only thing you can control in life is your attitude and level of effort. Hard work coupled with a positive attitude definitely pays off.

• One day I want to write a book.

Kate Wood

Middle and Upper School visual arts

• Coolest job: teaching field drawing for a study abroad program through UNT [University of North Texas] in Chile. As an artist, I collaborated with both philosophers and scientists for Tracing Darwin’s Path.

• Favorite place in the world: the big island of Hawaii, under the ocean with the manta rays and watching the sun set up above the clouds on Mauna Kea. • One day I want to exhibit a solo art show internationally.

Erica Hershner Third-grade

• In college, I was a heptathlete on Kansas State University’s track team.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be qualifying for 4x400m finals at the NCAA Outdoor Champs in 2014.

• I would describe myself as adventurous.

Ellen Back

Research and outreach librarian

Fine Arts Wing

Nearburg

Linda Liu

C h a p e l

Lower School

• Coolest job: World Wildlife Fund Panda Ambassador — and I still do it!

• On a Friday night, I would do course readings for an Open Course I am currently doing through Yale University.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be finishing the Cowtown Ultra Marathon.

Part-time Chinese

Commons

Hoffman

Green Library

Audrey Murray

Long-term Latin substitute

CAMPUS MAP The 19 new faculty and staff teach and work across every building.

Stewart Mayer

Winn

• Coolest job: I worked at a micro-winery for a day when I was 22. I had to funnel wine into the bottles and then slap the labels on. I did horribly. I spilt so much wine that day.

• When I’m not teaching, you can find me coming up with excuses to skip my boxing lesson.

• One day I want to look back at a happy life that served God, family, country and hundreds of children.

McDermott-Green

Centennial

Makerspace Director

• Coolest job: the virtual reality filming of a promotional film for Etihad Airlines. I built a custom virtual reality rig in my workshop and flew to Abu Dhabi to film on an Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

• If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be my grandfather who died back in 2003. He was an amazing man with an infectious personality — a doctor, a writer and even a Pearl Harbor survivor.

• One day I want to sail around the world.

• Coolest job: teaching a Chinese class to 20 students from eight countries with the age range from 16 to 65 years old.

• In college, I chose aerobics dancing for my P.E. class and won an aerobics dance competition.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be the first time I heard my daughter call out “MaMa”.

Fred Jackson Interim part-time biology

• If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be Adam and Eve. • In college, I played football for TCU. • I would describe myself as laid back.

Don Kiehn

Fifth-grade physical science

• I’ve been a teacher for 41 years.

• I would describe myself as the type of person that likes to help other people.

• If I could relive one moment, it would be another chance to spend time with my mother.

Shane May

Walker III ’73 Mathematics Department Chair

• My favorite thing that I have on my desk is my ‘Ask The Unicorn Button.’

When he says, “Never stop believing... miracles are everywhere,” I feel like I can conquer anything.

• When I’m not teaching, you can find me watching a good movie, exploring a new town or visiting with friends.

• One day I want to be on Shark Tank, put on a great presentation with a terrible idea and have Mr. Wonderful say, “You’re dead to me.”

Andrea Hamilton

Katherine Magruder

Mason Smith ’15

• Coolest job: working with kindergarteners in a school library — I laughed most of the time.

• Favorite place in the world: by the ocean, preferably early in the morning or late at night.

•One day I want to live in London.

• Favorite place in the world: Fort Tryon Park in New York City.

• In college, I got to study with my academic hero, and he made me want to be a teacher.

• When I’m not teaching, you can find me bicycling, cooking, reading, watching hockey, and playing music.

• In college, I sometimes missed a day of classes to ski fresh powder.

• One lesson I’ve learned from my time at St. Mark’s is I can learn anything if I am motivated and have the discipline to put in the work.

• One day I want to climb Mount Everest.

Upper School history

Sixth-grade humanities

Teaching fellow

New Upper School Head Colin Igoe: ‘We are preparing for life’

N

ew Upper School Head Colin Igoe has trekked a long journey to becoming part of the faculty here at 10600.

After graduating from Wheaton College, Igoe acquired a job in insurance but felt unfulfilled from the work he was doing. Knowing he wanted something new, he tried to become an English teacher but couldn’t find a job in the U.S. Igoe decided to go abroad and teach at the Ayutthayanusorn School in Thailand. After a year there, he returned to the U.S. in hopes of finding a job, but yet again couldn’t get one.

Igoe moved to Philadelphia with his girlfriend at the time and now wife, Molly. But he needed a source of income, so he worked as a server and bartender at a restaurant while finishing graduate school.

Throughout that year, he found jobs in public schools and eventually his first full-time teaching job.

Now, after teaching for eight years at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, Igoe joins us at 10600 Preston Rd. He sat down with The ReMarker about his journey, first impressions and goals.

His path to studying English in college.

It took me a long time to decide I wanted to be an English major. I started in Northeastern [University] as a communications major, and then I transferred to Wheaton College. At Wheaton, I originally thought I was going to be a biopsychology major. I didn’t enjoy my classes, and I kept finding myself in English classes as electives.

I thought, here’s the path I was going to go down: I’ll study biopsych. But I kept enjoying my English classes. Finally, at the end of my sophomore year, I stepped back and thought, I really enjoy all these classes, I’m doing well in these classes and I’m struggling to get through this other track. Why wouldn’t I do the thing that I’m most interested in and that I enjoy the most?

His adjustment to Dallas.

My family arrived in late June, and we’ve really enjoyed being here.

It’s hot, but we knew that. It’s fun to explore a new city and to have a

lot of family time on the weekends, particularly in the summer before school started. We’re trying to explore something new each weekend.

What has made the transition so easy is that the people are so welcoming and genuinely nice and warm. We can tell, whether it’s folks at St. Mark’s or our neighbors, the community really wants us to feel at home and feel supported, and we’ve felt that.

His reaction to the campus.

The campus is beautiful. The facilities are gorgeous. Obviously, we have a brand new science center, state-of-the-art. That’s important, but it’s nothing without people. All you have to do is come here in the summer, stand in the halls in July, and there’s no students around and no teachers around. It’s not a school, it’s not an institution, it’s not a community without people.

He’s no longer living on a school campus.

Aside from my own children, no one is going to knock on my door

STORY and INTERVIEWS Sai Thirunagari, Darren Xi ARTWORK James Shiao PHOTOS Jerry Zhao

at two in the morning if there’s an issue in a dorm. It’s different now that we own a home in Dallas. What’s not a change is that schools are made of people and communities. Even though we don’t live on campus, at St. Mark’s the community has already become such a part of our lives that it feels like a family.

His impressions after the first few weeks of school.

The faculty are very committed and really talented educators. The students are very hardworking and conscientious and also realize that we are developing character and leadership. We are studying math, science, arts, languages, history and English, but not exclusively. We’re not just preparing to get into college.

We are preparing for life. My first impression is that people in the community are living our values.

His goals for this year as an administrator.

At our first Upper School faculty meeting, I called this a year of anthropology. One of my goals is to

learn as much as I can. It would be kind of foolish on the second week of classes to say here’s what needs work and here’s something new we need to do.

I’m trying to approach it as a year of understanding. Each year we’ll sit down as an Upper School office, as an administrative team, as a faculty, and think, “what do we need to improve?”

His message to Upper School Marksmen.

I see this job as trying to help students become fully realized.

Oftentimes in high school you look at an administrator and create this binary dichotomy of ‘us versus them.’ For me, the reason I became a teacher — the reason I’m in education — is to try to help students grow and learn.

To do that, it has to be a partnership. I would like students to know they can come here [to the Upper School office] and be heard.

I respect what they say, I respect their voice and I want to be out there engaged and interacting with students as well.

LIONS SPIRIT New Head of Upper School Colin Igoe and Harry, the younger of his two sons, cheer on the Lions at the Sept. 20 football game. “The community has already become such a part of our lives that it feels like a family,” Igoe said.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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10600

SUMMER CAMPS

Making a difference in Dallas

Brothers Aayan and Aadi Khasgiwala run a summer camp for less-privileged children in South Dallas.

Three students represent school in national math competition

by Ethan Borge ver the summer, sophomore Jeremy Yu, senior Nicholas Tsao and Dylan Lu ‘19 attended American Regions Mathematics League (ARML), a national math competition located in Iowa.

Founded in 1976, ARML is a contest in which the top math students from all over the country come to compete and hone their math skills. A team consisting of 15 different people from a region or a state will compete against a total of 120 plus teams.

Tsao believes this is a unique experience, as the competition does not function like a normal math competition.

“It’s not what you imagine as a normal math competition,” Tsao said. “It does not feel like a test in which you have to do well when you take it. It is more based on a team dynamic.”

The events for the math competition are spread into four different categories: a team round, a power question in which a team solves proof-oriented questions, an individual round, and two relay rounds in which a contestant solves a problem and passes his or her answer to another team member, who uses this answer to solve another problem and a super relay.

“It’s very unique and I haven’t seen many others [math competitions] that do the format like that,” Tsao said. “They will grade them as you go, and you have to raise your hand if you got it right. I think that it promotes you to be confident in your answers.”

ARML also seeks to introduce their participants to different types of unusual mathematics.

“The power round is a round in which they give you a topic that no has ever heard of.” Tsao said. “One year it was taxi-cab geometry, which is geometry in which you can only move in horizontal or vertical lines. It’s interesting because it introduces you to unheard-of math. Why would you look up taxi-cab geometry?”

The relay round is unique to ARML. It forces the participants to work together as a group of three on a series of problems.

“Each person gets a problem, you solve it, then you have to pass it back to the person behind you.” Tsao said.

Tsao believes ARML is a great way Marksmen to satisfy their hunger for more math.

“It’s a really good opportunity for math team members who want a little more rigorous competition,” Tsao said. “Some people may find it intimidating. However, there is always a need for new people so if you’re looking for a rigorous but fun experience, this is a great way to achieve that.”

O

HELPING OUT Reading to a group of campers,, junior Aayan Khasgiwala spent the summer working with underprivileged children at TR Hoover. Khasgiwala, who was joined by his brother, Aadi, found out about the opportunity through his mother.

J

unior Aayan Khasgiwala had three questions going into the summer.

What community service can he do?

Where can he make a difference?

How can he impact other people’s lives?

He found his answer in running a summer camp for underprivileged children.

60

••• Aayan and his brother, freshman Aadi Khasgiwala, spent their summers volunteering at TR Hoover, a camp for underprivileged communities in student Dallas. volunAayan did his Eagle Scout teers project at TR Hoover and decided to continue his relationship with weeks worked them by working out a summer camp. He worked to get the project listed on x2Vol so other Source: uscis.gov students could help.

“My brother and I were assistant student directors at the camp,” Aadi said. “It’s located in South Dallas, so they don’t get that many volunteers because it’s kind of far.”

At the beginning of the summer, they worked with the organization to help prepare for camp.

“Throughout the summer, before we started volunteering, we began working with them by Aadi Khasgiwala Freshman collecting stuff,” Aayan said. “We would collect food and snacks for them just so they didn’t have to go out and buy them.”

The brothers participated in a variety of activities.

“We created schedules for them and played games with them,” Aadi said. “Some of them are educational, but the majority of them are not. It’s just kind of building exercises.” kids attended the camps

7

8

The Khasgiwalas’ mother also played a role in spreading the idea and helping out with the children at the camp.

“My mom had more connections with adults, so she would ask her community and also throughout the neighborhood like our next door neighbor,” Aayan said.

Throughout their time at camp, both brothers learned to deal with things they didn’t expect to deal with when deciding to work with children.

“I quickly realized that with four to nine 11-year-olds, it gets really loud,” Aadi said.

Sometimes the kids would get into arguments, but they always had fun with each other.

“They’re little, so it’s funny to see them interact with each other,” Aayan said. “A lot of fights broke out, but it was funny to see them sort of mess around with each other.”

Aadi found out about the opportunity through his brother, Aayan, and became even more involved once Aayan was out of town during the summer.

“My brother started working there first because he did his Eagle Project with them, so I got involved later,” Aadi said.

“I think I was a little bit more involved with this project than he was because he was out of town a little more.”

Aadi’s desire to get involved led him to search for a possible

STORY Eric Yoo, Will Pechersky PHOTO Courtesy Kaitlin Kelly

opportunity.

“I wanted to do community service over the summer, and I had no idea how to,” Aadi said.

“I was looking for ways to get involved, and I thought this was a great opportunity.”

Aadi enjoyed the process of bonding with the children throughout his experience. He also developed a new perspective from the lives of the kids he was working with.

“Just the fact that you get to make relationships with these kids if you’re there consistently, you’re dedicated,” Aadi said.

“They often don’t have role models to look up to and get to know.”

Although Aadi earned over 100 community service hours throughout his service at the camp, he says that isn’t what’s important to him.

“I wouldn’t be able to do something like that so consistently if I didn’t love what I was doing,” Aadi said. “It was enjoyable, it was for a good cause and the kids loved it. It gave me and the other leaders there a lot of leadership experience.”

Leadership was one of the most important qualities that Aadi developed throughout his service.

“The big takeaway was the leadership with helping them out,” Aadi said. “If you get something out, and they get something out, it’s just a win-win situation.”

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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17

>

A UNIQUE SOUND “My favorite stop was definitely Salisbury Cathedral. I got to sing in one of the most famous religious buildings ever built. It was a giant space that resonated all sound that the choir sang. Every note rang through the entire building, and this site left a lasting impression.” – sixth grader Ethan Yau

>

China

FAVORITE SPOT “I really liked the Great Wall because it’s very impressive to see in person, and it literally stretches on forever. It’s very winding. It’s very physically demanding though because on some of the stairs you feel like while you’re walking up you’re going to slip and tumble all the way back down.” – senior Justin Kim

MORE THAN SINGING “I will remember this experience forever. The singing was incredible, the people even more so. The chaperones were amazing, and we came back from England with many fond and funny memories and new friends.”

– seventh grader Akash Manickam

>

>

COMMUNITY SERVICE “In ChengDu there’s a very famous panda base. People just call it the ChengDu Panda base, and they have giant pandas, red pandas, which was what I really wanted to see there, and black bears. We got really lucky because we got to see both of the black bears together.” – senior Justin Kim

England

SUMMER TRIPS

Globe trekkers >

LEARNING TOGETHER “I enjoyed bonding with all the other classes that I normally don’t get to interact with. Being in another country really drove us together, and the chance to enjoy a new environment completely different from Dallas as a community from St. Mark’s and learn so much about one another was a great opportunity.” – junior Jerry Zhao

Marksmen traveled to England, France, China and Morocco over the summer — doing community service, honing skills and absorbing history

Morocco

>

FIRST IMPRESSIONS “When we first arrived in the Sahara and finally saw how beautiful the sand dunes looked, everyone stared in awe. The sheer size of them and how they appeared to go on forever was mesmerizing. I remember we all rushed to our cameras to take as many photos as we could the instant the dunes began to rise in the distance.” – junior Abe Echt

LUCKY FIND > “We were walking on Dunkirk, and I was looking at the ground and stumbled upon a British shell casing from the war. I was hoping to find something like that during our trip in France and so I was glad to find something from the war that I could take home.”

– junior Jacob Bell

France

ON THE FRONTLINES > “The beaches were all interesting, especially Utah Beach because the tide was really low, the way it would have been during the invasion. And it was all stormy and cloudy. It felt real. It lived up to my expectations and then some.”

– junior Jacob Bell

INTERVIEWS Luke Piazza, Siddhartha Sinha, Eric Yoo PHOTOS Courtesy Glenn Stroh, Jason Lange, Scott Hunt, Michelle Santosuosso, Janet Lin, Abe Echt

PAGES

18,19 VAPING DANGERS INCREASE

‘If you’re just around it too much, you get...

M

ike* drives to school every day. He walks to first period, tired.

He plays Spikeball on the Quad during his free period, and quickly tucks in his shirt as he grabs his backpack and rushes to his next class, barely reaching the room on time.

He goes to practice for hours after school, and then drives back home with a five-course load of homework waiting for him.

And when he starts dozing off or loses concentration, Mike glances behind him, making sure nobody’s watching through the door.

He opens his drawer, reaches inside and pulls out his Juul.

Mike’s a Marksman. And he’s

* Mike is a pseudonym for an unnamed Marksman who prefers to remain anonymous.

W

ith vaping becoming a widespread phenomenon in the past couple years, especially with the introduction of Juul into the market, research into the long-term effects is still ongoing.

Through the hospitalization of over 400 people between June and September, the world has been awoken to the potential immediate health risks associated with vaping. Pulmonologist from UT’s Southwestern Medical School Johnathon Dowell said the lack of data is a part that is worrisome.

“We worry about whether there are long-term effects regarding cancer,” Dowell said. “At this point, there’s just not enough long-term data to know what the cancer risk is associated with vaping.”

As of Sept. 21, a reported 530 cases of vaping related lung illnesses have been reported, with the first death linked to vaping occurring in Illinois. Many of the cases can be attributed to THC-infused vapor, with Vitamin E acetate becoming a central focus for investigators as a primary cause of illness. However, not all the recorded cases reported the using of THC products.

Having vaped on and off for two years, Mike sees stories in the national news of the health concerns of teen vaping and is petrified.

“I always knew it was bad for my health, and I knew I shouldn’t be doing this,” Mike said. “But my mom was a smoker. She only smoked for a couple years, but I look at all these stories about smokers and I thought, ‘people usually only get cancer if they smoke for 10 or 15 years.’ But I’m seeing these news stories of kids who vaped for a year or two and their lungs are collapsing and it’s terrifying.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, symptoms of lung illness from vaping may include shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever or weight loss.

...hooked

Although these symptoms are not conclusive, they can point to potential risk for lung illness.

However, a major hurdle to stopping vaping is simply the concentration of nicotine combined with young teenage brains susceptibility to addiction. Nicotine affects students’ ability to focus, memory and learning. School nurse Julie Doerge says that the age of the user and their executive function plays a major factor.

“We’re just so much more quickly impacted with nicotine at 16 than at 21, your addictive qualities of it just go up tenfold,” Doerge said. “If you’re 21, making this decision, It’s a lot better than if you’re 16 making this decision about drinking, vaping, or whatever else.”

Mike estimates that as of now, he goes through roughly half a Juul pod per day, spending $15 a week. However, he is currently in the process of trying to hold back. At the height of his addiction, he thinks he was vaping a full pod, even a pod and a half, per day, spending $30-$50 a week.

Mike thinks teen vaping has become so common because of its accessibility.

“Honestly, it’s easy to get,” Mike said. “The age limit has been 18. Everyone knows someone who’s 18. I guess it just now changed to 21, but Julie Doerge still. Also, there’s less School Nurse stigma. With cigarettes, you could get them if you wanted, but you smell, and no one thinks that’s cool. You don’t smoke a cigarette at a party. But with vaping, there’s nothing that seems wrong with it at first. Right now, I’m trying my hardest to quit, but isn’t everyone?”

The recent incidents surrounding vaping have provoked a response from various authorities, such as The National Association of Independent Schools, of which this school is a member, that has released a presentation informing independent learning institutions about

the dangers, and how to combat vaping at schools.

The Trump Administration has made motions to ban flavored e-cigarette cartridges from sale. In addition, Juul attempted to send lobbyists to Trump to discourage the ban.

However, a ban wouldn’t fully address the problem. The cases of lung injury are results of possible tampering with the fluids vaporized. The black market will still prove to be an issue, as with all forms of prohibition in the United States.

Dr. Harold Urschel ’77, the chief medical strategist at rehabilitation center Enter Health, focuses on treating all types of addiction. But he knows very well about the effects of vaping.

“There’s no quality control on the liquid that goes into these devices,” Urschel said. “There’s no quality control on the manufacturing Hal Urschel ’77 Chief medical strategist at of these devices.

Enter Health Rehab center That’s why the batteries blow up - because they’re cheap.”

Urschel describes recent episodes of people being admitted into the ICU with the symptoms of breathing in the toxic gas from an 18-wheeler on the highway.

That gas gets into your lungs and messes with your heart. The only common factor between these 120 people? Vaping.

“The liquid that goes into your body with vapes can have all kinds of chemicals,” Urschel said. “Even though it says a certain dose of milligrams of nicotine, there’s no way to know if it’s half that, or twice or even more.”

When Mike first started vaping, he found its appeal in the “buzz.” If he vaped enough, he said he felt light-headed for a few seconds. But now, the only reason he vapes is his addiction.

“I get a little jittery if I don’t have [my vape] for too long,” Mike said. “It’s also a calming agent. I’ve done my own research on these things. It can ground you. It can

settle you, once you’re already addicted.”

E-cigarettes are often marketed as containing less nicotine than cigarettes, and are sold as a less dangerous nicotine source.

But a University of California San Francisco study compared Bigger c 100 students - some who vape, bigge some who smoke and some who do neither - and their results don’t match with the marketing suggestion.

“That study showed that the same cancer-causing chemicals that are in cigarettes,” Urschel said, “those same

STORY Ishan Gupta, Aaron Thorne, Wallace White ADDITIONAL REPORTING Sai Thirunagari PHOTO ReMarker Staff

THE TIMELINE May 2015 Juul Labs is founded, from the former Pax Labs, marking the start of its meteoric rise in the e-cigarette market.

July 2018 Juul Labs is valued at $15 billion, setting it on course to dominate competitors by owning 73% of the e-cigarette market share.

December 2018 Altria, partner company to Marlboro, buys 35% stake in Juul, joining the e-cigarette company to Big Tobacco.

April 2019 Illinois and Wisconsin state government start tracking 53 cases of lung illness related to vaping, with a median age of 19.

August 2019 First vaping-related death reported in Illinois. The patient suffered from a mysterious illness after vaping.

September 2019 The FDA starts its investigation into Juul after reports of seizures potentially associated with their products.

September 21, 2019 As of this date, there are a reported 530 cases of lung illness associated with vaping.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PERSPECTIVES

The local picture A poll was taken of 258 Upper School students regarding their experience with vaping. The results are listed below.

78

percent

d.’

‘‘

MY ADVICE TO THE KIDS WHO HAVEN’T STARTED VAPING YET: I PROMISE IT’S NOT WORTH IT. IF YOU SAY YOU DON’T VAPE, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO JUDGE YOU. — MIKE

depression problem,” Urschel said. “It all takes about an hour or hour and a half.

We give them recommendations, and most people can stop using in about ten days.”

cancer-causing chemicals are in the vapes.”

Since E-cigarettes are relatively new, with about six years on the market, there is a lack of evidence to prove how dangerous they are or aren’t. But given the clouds, circumstances and substances er risk found in vapes, Urschel thinks history is seeming to repeat itself.

“A long time ago, cigarette companies lost huge lawsuits and had to pay billions,” Urschel said. “The reason they lost the lawsuits is because they got caught raising the dose of nicotine in

cigarettes. They were told not to, because the more nicotine, the more addicting it is.

They didn’t listen to that.”

Now, e-cigarette companies are doing the same, but it’s worse.

There are toxic gases and metallic nano-particles going into people’s lungs.

There are nicotine addicts, born from the surge of vapes, now looking for recovery help. At Enter Health, Urschel has seen nicotine addiction for a while, even before the rise of e-cigarettes, and he knows the treatment process.

“We give them an assessment to see if they have an anxiety problem or

Mike has been trying to quit, trying to hold back. But, realistically, he knows he’s addicted for life.

“I hope that I can stop actually doing it, but I think it’s always going to be a potential trigger,” Mike said. “I quit before, for about four months. If you’re just around it too much, you get hooked again.

I think it’s always going to be one of my weaknesses.”

Since teenagers have a higher risk to addiction, it makes quitting a difficult task.

In addition to that, reaching out for help can also prove hard because of the possible ramifications. “[Students] don’t know what to do,” Urschel said. “They can’t go to the school because they’ll get in trouble, right? Or they can’t go to their parents because they feel like they’ll get in trouble. They get stuck.”

But in reality, it’s safe to go to a trusted adult - whether that be a parent, a teacher or an administrator. Assistant Head of Upper School Chris Disimile reassures students that the administration can provide help.

“We would to try to get them the help that they need,” Disimile said. “That doesn’t mean that we change the rules and let that person openly vape on campus, of course, but if somebody came and said, ‘I have a serious problem and am addicted to vaping,’ we would refer that boy to someone who could help with that, not punish the boys for that admission.”

For teens who have been vaping and are suffering from a nicotine addiction, Mike advises them to throw the device away and stay away from vaping as much as possible.

“Maybe even give yourself a week or two to not hang out with your group of friends, if that’s the circle that does that a lot,” Mike said. “Being around it is so much worse than just trying to quit alone. Just look at the news stories. You don’t want that to be you.”

The Rundown Research involving e-cigarettes has only just begun.

Here’s some of what we know.

1

One Juul pod equals the nicotine content of 20 cigarettes.

1 Juul pod = 20 cigarettes

2

The Journal of the American College of Cardiology says that e-cigaretted vapor is toxic to interior blood vessel cells.

3

Known carcinogens in Juul pods include formaldehyde, diacetyl and pulegone, among others.

of Upper Schoolers who vaped regularly admitted to feeling negative side-effects.

12

percent of Upper Schoolers admitted to having vaped regularly.

14

percent of Upper Schoolers admitted to having owned or still owning a vape device.

85

percent of Upper Schoolers admitted to knowing someone at the school who has vaped at least once.

30

percent of Upper Schoolers admitted to having vaped at least once.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

Reaching new heights

Science instructor Zach Smith traveled to Tanzania to scale Kilimanjaro, gaining 19,421 feet of elevation – and a new perspective.

O by the numbers

22

days spent in Africa

8

days trekking

19

thousand feet

ne ice sheet is left in all of Africa.

Mount Kilimanjaro, sitting on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, holds the only scrap of glacier left after decades of climate change melted away every other glacial field on the continent.

Over the summer, science instructor Zach Smith traveled to the continent and the mountain for a smattering of reasons, among them seeing Kilimanjaro’s ice before it, too, was gone.

But equally as important was an educational endeavor: to learn about Africa and its institutions, to figure out how a school in a developing nation is put together.

After the Kilimanjaro portion of his trip, Smith lodged at a school so he could understand how the African school system works, both public and private.

“One of my reasons was to climb up there [to Kilimanjaro],” Smith said, “but since I have a little bit of a background in education, I like to find out what other people are doing in other places and how they handle the same curricula, or how they handle different curricula, how schools are put together, how teachers are trained.”

Smith divided his itinerary between an eight-day summit of Kilimanjaro followed by a two-week sojourn near the city of Arusha, 50 miles outside the mountain.

WHAT’S LEFT The last glacier on the African continent remains on the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Most older glaciers have melted since the 60’s.

One of the most revered climbing adages is “climb high, sleep low.”

When summiting extreme UP AND UP Last July, science instructor Zach Smith held the school banner on the summit of Kilimanjaro, the elevations, the best highest peak in Africa, at 19,421 feet. He also traveled to see the mountain’s remaining glaciers. approach, according to Smith, is to climb JM: What exactly makes high during the day. Then, every JM: Why are the glaciers on education in developing night, the group would scale Kilimanjaro so important? countries different from more back down.

ZS: When those glaciers go away, industrialized countries?

“We did that for the next when there’s no more melt water, ZS: It’s very complicated in a four days.” Smith said. “On the agriculture goes away. So farmers developing nation’s education. Not last day, we left at midnight for all over the world are supported that there isn’t a huge amount of a couple reasons. One, the sun’s by the melt water, which is natural disparity here, but there’s a huge really intense. And when you’re from glaciers. When the glaciers range and disparity in countries at elevation, it’s very intense, are completely melted away, like that, where people really live and it could get really warm, and then the water gets used up, no on a dollar or two a day. it just saps your energy. It was more agriculture, and for a lot of So there are public schools, but a six-and-a-half, maybe seventhese places, that means no more there are a lot of private schools hour summit bid.” economy. that are foundations from Europe, On the eighth day, the group from the Americas, and so forth. traveled from their final camp at JM: What was your experience And so what I found was, that in 15,000 feet up to the summit at in seeing these glaciers like? my opinion, the system is a little 19,341’.

ZS: In fact, they will not let you backwards. Not that the education Jamie Mahowald: Why climb on ice and because it’s so per se is backwards, but there are Kilimanjaro? fragile, not that there’s much left. no jobs. Very few people get to go Zach Smith: A lot of my graduate But it’s just falling. It’s literally to college, and if you get to go to work was in climate change, my falling apart. And it’s become so college, the chances are you won’t emphasis on climate change is dangerous with rock falls and ice find a job in Tanzania, and you my interest in glaciology and how falls. won’t find one in your field. glaciers are affected by climate There are lots of classic change. Because of that, I’ve mountaineering stories about JM: Why did you go for this kind actually gone to South America to people, certainly in the 60s and of two-pronged trip? look at glaciers and Europe and 70s, even in the 80s and 90s, who ZS: A lot of people climb, and Montana and Alaska and so forth. have done these big ice routes, then they go home. And that’s So the glaciers were a big these big glacial routes to get to fine. But my time spent in Africa, part of it. I have a lot of technical the top of mountains. None of meeting people, going to schools, experience climbing ice and those exist anymore. They’re all to markets, to places where people on glaciers, but the snows on completely melted away. meet was a huge help. Had I Kilimanjaro may not be there in 10 just climbed, I would still know years or less, depending on how JM: What other work or travel nothing about Africa. climate change advances. I wanted have you done in developing to go before all of the glaciers countries? and of all the snow and Mount ZS: There’s a foundation in Kilimanjaro was gone.

Ecuador that I work with, and it’s been almost seven or eight JM: How long have you been times I’ve led groups down interested in climbing? there. I’ve trekked to Nepal and ZS: I have a pretty good worked with guides there, there’s background in climbing. I’ve a family I support in Kathmandu. summited lots of mountains, I’ve been to India, didn’t do very done a lot of technical climbing, much climbing there, but worked a lot of winter mountaineering. with schools there. I’ve worked Since I was 10 years old, I’ve with schools in lots of European been rock climbing and hiking countries and Scandinavian and climbing mountains. countries and so forth too.

STORY Jamie Mahowald, Jonathan Yin PHOTOS Courtesy Zach Smith

IN CLASS Students of an elementary school that Smith volunteered at after summiting Kilimanjaro gather near the city of Arusha.

Eighth grader Sukhatankar achieves long-time goal of National Spelling Bee championship

by Peter Orsak ighth grader Sohum Sukhatankar won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., along with seven other winners, on May 31. After exhausting the entire list of available words, the pronouncer was forced to give the title – and the $50,000 prize – to all eight finalists.

After making it to nationals in the previous two years, Sukhatankar was used to the pressures of the big stage.

“I made sure I was extremely calm and blocked out all the nervousness,” Sukhatankar said. “I just focused on my upcoming words in the final three rounds. When I realized I had won, I just completely relaxed,

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and I was really happy.”

To celebrate, the winners explored New York and enjoyed some Middle Eastern street food. Sukhatankar was also interviewed on various talk shows.

“After I had won, the people at Scripps put together a pretty nice celebration for us all – us eight,” Sukhatankar said. “They got us on a train to New York, and we went to be on (Live with) Kelly and Ryan. Then, we went to L.A. to be on Jimmy Kimmel.”

Sukhatankar has been competing in spelling competitions since he was eight.

“I started getting into spelling bees in second grade,” Sukhatankar said. “We would have class spelling bees and I would

usually win those. That’s when I realized I was good at spelling.”

Sukhatankar’s parents have played a major role in his success.

“I didn’t feel any pressure from my parents,” Sukhatankar said. “They were very supportive. They said, ‘we don’t have any expectations for you. Just do your best.’”

He also received lots of support from his classmates and teachers.

“All of my teachers last year and the year before gave me a lot of support,” Sukhatankar said. “I am very grateful for them.

Everybody at St. Mark’s was cheering me.”

With all of this built up knowledge, Sukhatankar is putting it to use by becom-

ing a coach himself.

“My spelling will live on through my students,” Sukhatankar said. “I coach over Skype, so my students are all over the country. Right now, I have two students – one in New Jersey and one in Virginia.”

Sukhatankar says competing has greatly impacted his life and hopes it will impact others’ too.

“It’s really helped with my work ethic,” Sukhatankar said. “It’s also helped me balance my time better – between the homework and spelling. I think it’ll also have an impact on other people’s lives because now I’ve gone into coaching, so I can help other people prepare for the spelling bee as well.”

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NEW CEO

Changing the game After building his own brand from the ground up, Spence Diamonds CEO Veeral Rathod ’97 is redefining the diamond retail industry.

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eeral Rathod ‘97 is the face of innovation.

The face behind the early success of three startups.

The face responsible for overcoming two economic catastrophes.

The face of a revolution in the diamond industry.

Veeral Rathod is the new CEO of Spence Diamonds, one of the leading retailers of lab-grown diamonds.

••• When Rathod graduated, he had a general idea of what he wanted to pursue as a career as well as the fields he knew he did not want to enter.

“I knew I didn’t want to go into a technical profession like medicine, law or engineering,” Rathod said. “I wanted to go into some sort of business opportunity, but I didn’t really know what that meant or how to get there.”

After four years of economic and international relations study at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, Rathod entered the field of investment banking, working mergers and acquisitions in the technology sector.

But after the dot-com technology bubble burst in 2001, Rathod had “a tough two years.” With little potential left in the technology sector, Rathod began looking for other opportunities. What he found was the springboard for the rest of his career.

“I happened to be home in Dallas with my parents for the holidays and was googling financial firms that are based in Dallas,” Rathod said. “I came across a startup company called Cogent. I reached out to them through their website, got a phone call back pretty quickly and had a job lined up within a few days.”

When Rathod made the choice to move back to Dallas in Jan. 2004, he joined a company in its early stages. A company “doing things no one else had done prior.” A company that challenged him, that gave him ideas of his own.

And it thrilled him.

“What I really enjoyed was doing something that was innovative,” Rathod said. “Building a company, driving that growth. In my late twenties, I think I was 27, I wanted to take an even bigger step and start a company.”

Rathod did just that, founding J. Hilburn, a Dallas-based custom menswear brand. But just like his time at Cogent, Rathod’s career was threatened by a crash. “[J. Hilburn] launched in June 2007,” Rathod said. “A year later, the great recession hit. We still managed to raise venture capital coming out of Silicon Valley. That gave us just what we needed to

keep the lights on and stay afloat, otherwise we wouldn’t have lasted the first 12 months.”

After fighting through the recession, Rathod enjoyed a familiar grind: going against the grain and directing an organization from the ground up.

“I had a great time,” Rathod said. “It was a lot of fun to be at the forefront of something that was exciting. I like doing things that are innovative, that are disruptive and solve problems for consumers.”

Helping two companies get off the ground was something Rathod took pride in, but his investment in those companies had taken its toll on Rathod’s family life, so after establishing J. Hilburn, he took some time off to focus on his personal life.

“I have two young daughters,” Rathod said.

“It was a really phenomenal six months to be around with my wife and my kids more. I had a chance to reconnect. I had done a poor job of being present while building J. Hilburn.”

But after about half a year of valuable family time, Rathod was itching to get back to work.

Through his private network, he connected with a London-based private equity firm in fall 2015 which introduced him to his next destination — Spence Diamonds.

With seven stores in Canada and the highest revenue among diamond retailers in the world, Spence was an intriguing option for Rathod.

“The macro trends in the diamond business are rapidly shifting,” Rathod said, “and that’s what attracted me to the opportunity. This is not an industry I ever thought I would enter, but where I saw an opportunity is that the diamond business is undergoing massive change right now.”

This massive change lies in the definition of a diamond itself. In Aug. 2018, the Federal Trade Commission ruled against the legacy mine diamond industry, declaring all diamonds, natural or not, to be composed of the same 100 percent crystallized carbon.

This ruling has put Rathod and Spence in a position where they can compete with big companies like De Beers in diamond retail, and Rathod loves the prospect of a new leveled playing field.

“What you have is the industry giant is trying to protect themselves and their supply monopoly,” Rathod said. “You have an entire challenger side emerging and changing what perception has been.

This is what is so fascinating and so mentally stimulating to me.”

Regardless of whether the customer buys natural diamonds from a blueblood like De Beers or “artisan diamonds” from Spence, Rathod’s goal is to educate the buyer about lab-grown diamonds in general.

“Whether [a diamond] is grown in the earth naturally or whether it is grown in a lab, it’s still the same outcome,” Rathod said. “It’s like me saying because a carrot was grown on a carrot farm, it’s not the same as a carrot you found in the forest. It’s categorically false.”

But like his time at Cogent and J. Hilburn, what keeps Rathod so invested in Spence is building a brand and giving the customer something beyond just the product.

“We are doing a lot of work on brand transformation,” Rathod said. “Really thinking about what we are delivering. Yeah, we’re selling a diamond. That’s tangible. We need to deliver something a lot deeper that connects emotionally with consumers. That’s how brands are built. That’s what really gets me fired up.”

STORY Siddhartha Sinha, Toby Barrett PHOTO Courtesy Veeral Rathod

Alumnus releases first historical fiction novel Oct. 8

by Darren Xi id Balman Jr. ’76 will release his first novel, Seventh Flag on Oct. 8 following two years of writing and editing.

After more than 30 years of journalism work as a diplomatic international security correspondent and a division director for an international development company, Balman decided to take the next step of his career.

“A couple of years ago, I felt like I had a novel in my back pocket,” Balman said.

“I took a leave from my job and decided I wanted to write this novel.”

His story follows a prosperous farming family and a Syrian immigrant family through four generations.

“These families have got some of the same things [as us],” Balman said. “They play football, they farm, they go into the military, they fight in wars, they get married, they have kids.”

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Even though he only began working on his novel two years ago, he’s felt like the book has taken up his entire life.

“I found a narrative thread to piece together my experiences,” Balman said, “and to convey what’s been going on in this country since World War II, a creeping radicalization — a polarization — between politics, gender, philosophy and religion.”

Before he began to write the novel, he took a two-month trip around the country to help him build the base of his novel.

“I spent time in west Texas, in a small town called Dell City,” Balman said. “ I spent time along the Texas-Mexico border and in Mexico. After two months the story really took shape.”

While writing the novel, Balman followed a strict schedule and as a result, was able to write the entire

book in about six months.

“I was disciplined in the writing process, so I would get up very early, like 4:30 a.m., do my workout and be writing by about 6 a.m., and my goal each day was to do one chapter,” Balman said. “In the late afternoon or evening, I would edit what I wrote that day.”

Balman will go on a tour around the country Oct. 30, speaking at Interabang Books in Dallas.

Through writing the novel, Balman has reflected on the condition of the country. At the end of the day, he believes America is still standing tall despite the changes covered in his novel. He tailored his writing to reflect this belief.

“At the end of the book,” Balman said, “the point I hope comes out is the true strength of our country and the fact that this vibrant democracy lies in family and community.”

LEADING THE CHARGE After leaving his own men’s clothing company, newly promoted Spence Diamonds CEO Veeral Rathod ’97 is taking on another challenge in his career.

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Halcyon

Music Tour

Popeyes’s Chicken Sandwich

The journey of a student DJ as he makes a name for himself.

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How a student went from performing at showand-tell to Lollapalooza Page 24

Is the sandwich really that good? Is it better than Chick-Fil-A? Page 25

CULTURE THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

YOUTH MUSIC

Composing a concert Seniors Eddie Raj and Charlie Rubarth saw an opportunity for a student concert, forming RevAMP Dallas to combat hunger.

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tepping out of the theater, Eddie Raj knew he had to see it again. One viewing of “Bohemian Rhapsody” didn’t do the movie justice.

And he watched it again. And again. And again. And after the seventh viewing and multiple weeks worth of Queen songs on loop, he saw something different. Not just the incredible story or the timeless music, but the Live Aid concert as a whole.

I can do this.

••• Senior Eddie Raj heard from his mother about her time at a charity event for the North Texas Food Bank, where they mentioned a desire for more direct youth involvement with the organization. Combined with the music-based movies like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Greatest Showman,” he started to realize that there was an opening for a youth charity music event in Dallas.

“So for me, looking at Austin City Limits, looking at all these big concerts and then looking at Dallas, we really have nothing on that scale, for at least young and up-and-coming bands and amateur bands,” Raj said. “And so I thought, ‘Why not do it for charity? Why not do it for the food bank?’ So I reached out to the food bank, and they were actually really excited about it.”

After reaching out to his friend and fellow cochair of RevAMP senior Charlie Rubarth, the pair started planning the beginnings of RevAMP, using Live Aid, a dual-location charity concert dedicating its profits to help the people of Ethiopia during the famine in 1985, as their inspiration.

“A lot of people think that since we’re reaching a lot of people right now it’s really rushed, but we started this process back in April,” Raj said. “We’ve been planning all summer and having meetings. And as it’s Eddie Raj Co-chair of RevAMP Dallas a first year event, you need to create the infrastructure. It’s very tedious work.

Not the most creative work, but it had to be done: creating a website, creating emails, confirming the venue, sending emails, getting people on the team, getting people excited about it.”

Realizing that this task would be too much for just the two of them, they began to recruit other students to help at all levels of the project. They soon brought on senior Daniel Ardila as their Marketing Coordinator and senior Christian Duessel as their

Sponsorship Coordinator alongside a multitude of “Everyone always goes to other places, but there’s promoters from both a variety of grades and schools hunger here, and it’s something we shouldn’t look around Dallas. But the work put in this year will past.” pave the way for future RevAMP concerts to grow Rubarth was similarly motivated to create this even further. opportunity by his involvement in music with the “We’re very much hoping that it’s not just a choir, acapella club and student band Due Tomorrow one year event,” Raj said. “And Do Tomorrow. obviously college will come in the “Eddie and I both have been way, but we’re hoping to pass it in choir together,” Rubarth said.

IT IS FOR CHARITY, BUT IT’S down. We will definitely help a lot “We both love music. We’ve been MORE OF A HYBRID EVENT next year because we already have working on composing some THAN ANYTHING ELSE. IT’S NOT things for outside projects. We the infrastructure. And it’ll be much A “COME AND DONATE” SORT easier to organize it and approach had weekly jam sessions in the sponsors and bands because we OF THING. IT’S GOING TO BE A orchestra practice room last year know what to do now.” where we just messed around PARTY, AND IT’S GOING TO BE the pianos. So I thought, why FUN. For Raj, creating this concert has not put something I’m interested — SENIOR EDDIE RAJ been inspired largely by his musical in and combine it with a great experiences. Raj has played in opportunity to help something multiple bands, sings in the choir and went to the that’s an issue in Dallas.”

Boston Conservatory to compose his own songs in a Rubarth ultimately wants to create a staple event more professional environment. for the community of Dallas that also has a good “Being in a band all those years ago, we always cause. looked for venues,” Raj said. “But I’ve always “So the main goal is obviously to raise as much wanted to create a showcase. Because you have say money as we can for the North Texas Food Bank [senior band] Due Tomorrow Do Tomorrow, and you and try to eliminate hunger,” Rubarth said. “But see them once at Coffeehouse, and everyone’s the also, if we can start something like an Austin City most excited for that part of coffeehouse. But what if Limits or SXSW, or some sort of good foundation there’s one at Greenhill? What if there’s one at ESD? that permeates throughout the Dallas community What if we had all of these people together? Not a and continues for years to come, that’d be fantastic. contest, but a showcase of Dallas’s youth. And then And we would love to be recognized as something it’s all for charity, so everyone is doing it for a good like that.” cause.”

With only two weeks until their work is finished, But his passion to drive the community to be Raj and Rubarth are nearing the end of seven months more involved and aware of the issues around us lies of hard work, but their final stretch may be the at the heart of the concert. hardest.

“We’re hoping to get some speakers from the “We’ve come far, but this is a work in progress,” food bank and from other charities in Dallas to speak Raj said. “We are going to be working up until the sometime in between sets about their experience last minute. I think on October 12, it will be pretty with hunger in Dallas, so it can be imparted on them exciting to see what comes with it. We’re definitely that the problem is right here in Dallas,” Raj said. working hard and making sure everything’s right.”

‘‘

IN THE SPOTLIGHT From the Wildflower Festival Battle of the Bands to Jimmy Kimmel Live, these artists, (clockwise from top left) CVBZ, DJ Halcyon, Langston Gardner and Fifth Phoenix, will perform on stage at RevAMP Dallas as part of the concert.

STORY Luke Piazza, Eric Yoo PHOTOS Courtesy Sean Jacobs, Ryan McCord, Coppell Student Media, Fifth Phoenix

THE LINEUP

THINGS TO KNOW

Four performing groups have been confirmed for RevAMP Dallas on Oct. 12. Follow @revampdallas on Instagram or revampdallas.com for more information about new artists and bands as they are announced.

From times to ticket prices, here’s everything you need to know about RevAMP Dallas.

When:

October 12, 2-5 p.m.

Where: Prices:

CVBZ Sean Jacobs, a.k.a. CVBZ, merges Alt-RnB and Pop into a unique blend that’s garnered over 150 million streams and two certified Gold and Platinum records in his first year.

Appearing at concerts and late night talk shows around the country, Jacobs joins Dallas RevAMP as its headline act.

Lank Dogg With his Michael Jacksoninspired RnB and Rap music, Coppell senior Langston Gardner, aka Lank Dogg, will perform as part of the event following his latest release of his newest album “Mystic Trail.”

Fifth Phoenix Consisting of Griffin Holtby on vocals, junior Collin Katz on guitar, Jackson Angarola on bass and Kyle Gershon on drums, Fifth Phoenix won the Wildflower Festival Battle of the Bands, sparking their latest single, “Burn,” and a multitude of performances including the upcoming RevAMP Dallas.

DJ Halcyon After a successful back-toschool House of Blues event, senior Ryan McCord, aka DJ Halcyon, is back for RevAMP Dallas to cover in between sets with his improvised mixes and 60 shows worth of experience under his belt.

Gas Monkey Live!

10110 Technology Blvd E $15 for General Admission $50 for VIP Admission $25 for RevAMP T-Shirts $35 for General Admission + T-Shirt Bundle $100 for Premier Table

Events:

Approximately eight student acts closed out by CVBZ, with DJ Halcyon playing in between acts. RevAMP hopes to have speakers from local charities to help bring attention to hunger in Dallas.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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alcyon is the next big thing.

His name HALCYON instantly registers with Upper School students.

From his back-to-school concert at the House of Blues that drew almost 500 guests, to his performances at countless mixers, the DJ is a staple of the school community.

However, Halcyon’s — better known as senior Ryan McCord — music career had humble beginnings.

His journey would lead to After years of DJing, senior him to selling out some of Ryan McCord – Halcyon Dallas’s biggest venues, all Dallas – is booking big shows. started with a Christmas gift his seventh grade year.

••• Originally, McCord wanted to be a producer thousand guests. to listen to the music and really just instead of a DJ, creating his own “Since starting, I’ve done probably have a great time and enjoy the art of music as well as mixing songs by around 60 to 70 shows, depending on DJing,” McCord said. “I know a lot artists. But when his first attempts size and venue,” McCord said.

“I’d of people didn’t really understand at creating music weren’t very say performances and shows, I’ve what was going on, but I do all my successful, McCord decided to take his probably done about 30 or so.

I’ve sets completely live, and that one was equipment to the next level. done I think 32 shows over 500 people probably one of my most complicated.

“I got a [soundboard] for and 17 over 1000.”

So being able to do that and have Christmas I think in my seventh grade McCord said most of his shows everyone sing along to that music and year,” McCord said. “I sort of selfare for high schoolers, with average just enjoy it while you’re up onstage taught myself the entire process of crowd sizes between 200 and 300 and get to see all these people out in just how to use it, what all the flashy people. front of you is pretty amazing.” buttons did, and things like that. And “I do a lot of high school shows McCord will also appear at the I like music so much that I just kept just because it’s easier, and I know the RevAMP Dallas concert Oct. 12, doing it. And instead of going into a crowd much better than most DJs do,” which benefits the North Texas Food studio and producing music, I did it McCord said. “Depending on how Bank. Although he doesn’t know live. And so now I mash music live.” important the gig is, I’ll create a set list what his exact role at the concert will After learning how to work his or go off of my preexisting playlists, be, McCord likes the concept of the soundboard, McCord’s first event and just as the party’s going concert and encourages people to go to was at a Young Life on, I mix and match music the concert. pool party, which he I looked up cool just how I feel it goes.

It’s “Because it’s more for live said didn’t go so well. words, and I think about reading the crowd.” music,” McCord said,” I’m probably the fourth word was McCord’s first major going to be there for covering while Halcyon. And I stuck event, his sophomore with it, made a logo One of the most famous bands change. Or I’ll probably do year Spring Fling, and called it my events of McCord’s among a 10 minute intro set or outro set, however, was a name. high schoolers is his backdepending on people, and how the Ryan McCord different story. to-school event at the House event is managed.”

“Canyon Kyle, of Blues, which occurred Aug. 18.

Looking ahead to the future, when he was the StuCo [Student McCord wanted to organize an event McCord is taking a break until college Council] president here, asked me to to garner publicity ahead of his senior applications and early decisions are do Spring Fling,” McCord said. “That year. out of the way, but he’s planning three was probably my biggest [event so “I just called the House of Blues or four more shows for this year. In far] because I had been on the varsity and asked, ‘How does this work?

How college, McCord wishes to pursue the lacrosse team as a freshman and a does your venue work?’”

McCord music aspect of being a DJ and keep lot of the seniors were telling me, said. “It just slowly started building his established career as Halcyon ‘Oh, you should play this song, you into a contract.

And I just advertised Dallas in addition to his academics. should play that song.’ And so I was and got as many people to the point “I want it to really be still pressured to do a lot while still trying where we sold out and had a line of, prominent because you never know to make the administration happy. But I don’t know, 60 people at the door how the industry works,” McCord I went for it, and it just went really because we hit capacity in their room, said, “and if you do really well, you successfully.” which was pretty amazing.” can sell out venues, people will want Since those first shows, McCord “It was really unique to have a you to come and do things for them. has performed at a large variety of bunch of people I knew, a bunch of It’s a really fun and exciting job, and events, ranging from smaller high people I didn’t know, all there for me, the payout’s pretty nice as well.” school mixers to weddings with over a

Fine Arts to produce 1776, first musical in 29 years

In the spotlight

by Will Pechersky fter 29 years without performing a musical, a rare combination of singers and actors has led to a new opportunity.

When Fine Arts Department Chair Marion Glorioso and Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox found out about the students available for the fall production, they knew this would be a rare chance to perform a musical. They couldn’t pass up.

“It happened to be a year when many of my advanced acting students were also very good singers,” Glorioso said. “Many members of the Upper School choir have beautiful singing voices, and they’re also very talented actors, so it was just sort of the right combination of people.”

Leading the Tony-Award-winning musical, 1776, are seniors Will Mallick as John Adams, Henry Exall as John Hancock, Brett Marsh as Benjamin Franklin and Eli Yancey as Thomas Jefferson in the performance of the show.

A unique mixture of talent in the students allowed Glorioso to make the decision to perform a musical, opening the door for a collaboration of two experienced directors.

“It was the right combination of people, and it was an opportunity for me to get to work with one of my dear friends and colleagues, Mr. Silcox,” Glorioso said. “We wanted to collaborate on something, and this was a good opportunity for that.”

Serving as musical director, Silcox will work with students in preparation for the various musical numbers.

“The musical director of a show such as this is responsible for teaching the cast the big musical numbers where almost everyone sings and making sure the parts are all covered,” Silcox said. “It also means working individually with soloists on their numbers as well as preparing the instrumentalists to play for the show.”

With his extensive musical experience, Silcox is looking forward to the production.

“I served as musical director of my first show, a production of South Pacific, when I was only 22,” Silcox said. “Since then, I have served as musical director for many shows, including Annie, Get Your Gun, Cabaret, The Wizard of Oz, Chess and A Chorus Line, to name a few.”

In addition to its compatibility with the performing students, Glorioso also says the piece is relevant to society today.

“I think it’s an interesting piece of theater right now,” Glorioso said, “because so much of our democracy is being discussed in the news, and our political climate is pretty tense.”

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FRONT AND CENTER Ryan McCord plays his improvised remixes at his back-toschool party at the House of Blues Aug. 18.

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STORY Trevor Crosnoe, Axel Icazbalceta PHOTO Courtesy Ryan McCord

This photo has really grown on me since I shot it junior ‘year.

I didn’t think much of it at first, but I received positive

Interview by Siddhartha Sinha

A look into the photography account of Seth Weprin ‘19 sethweprinphoto, where he posts photos from his latest shoots. The 2019 winner of the Headmaster’s Cup, Weprin has been all over the world for his photography. In his own words:

this photo on a long drive up the North Fork of ‘theI shot Flathead River while I was in Montana this summer.

The two-lane road that follows the bright blue glacial water northward eventually turns into a bumpy dirt road, which you can take for about another hour before landing at the small outpost of Polebridge near the northwest part of Glacier National Park. Not enough people make the drive for the park to warrant manning the ranger station there, so anyone who makes the trip gets into the park for free.

After dragging myself out of bed at 5:15 am on my coveted day off from work, I drove up the road alone – totally alone, with almost no other cars to speak of – through massive canyons and burnt forests. The morning vapor in those parts of the country is often thick and lingers in the morning hours, and on the day I got this shot, the clouds were hanging low and creating what looked like ghost lakes on the valley floor. Once I got a clearing in the trees, I couldn’t not pull over and just stare on in awe.

reactions from [photography instructor Scott] Hunt and my family, and the high-key, black and white documentary look has actually become my favorite style. I shot this in the back room of a local 7-Eleven, where they wash all the pots and store all of the cleaning equipment that they refuse to use on the bathrooms. I had made enemies with a certain employee who worked at that location; he kept kicking me out every time I’d try and shoot, but I was working on a project and needed more photos, so I would keep going back, get in an argument with the guy, and eventually leave disappointed.

On this day though, I decided to try my hand at convincing the other employee on duty to let me in the back to shoot while her partner was in the restroom. She reluctantly let me shoot, and I am grateful she did because the repetition of commands on bottom and coffee pots on top created a really nice composition that, paired with the high contrast, seems to jump out at you.

I took this on the porch of the Walaker Hotel – a ninth ‘generation-owned hotel that’s been around since the sev-

enteenth century in Solvorn, Norway. The owner of the Walaker is a seemingly always happy bald man named Ole, and you can see him out biking up the hillside or giving his tour of the old barn and loft behind the hotel that he’s converted into an art gallery. I had come back from a walk on a relatively cloudy day and was sitting on the porch when all of a sudden, the sky revealed the most brilliant rainbow I’ve ever seen.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

PAGE

24

CULTURE

6 student films accepted into All-American festival

MUSIC TOUR

He’s halfway there

A

Junior Collin Katz performs across Midwest with School of Rock AllStars tour —and his Music Man Cutlass Guitar

I

t’s a big day for a third grader at ESD. His grand debut. His time to shine.

Ms. Esteve’s Show-and-Tell.

But Collin Katz forgot. He frantically realizes he has nothing to show and agrees with his friend, Jamie Mahowald, to perform their own song, “Fluffy Dog.” Satisfied with his quick thinking and impromptu performance, Katz heads home after another routine school day.

Eight years later, junior Collin Katz arrives back home once again, worn out not by another day of Show-and-Tell, but by six days of touring across North America, from Pittsburgh to Toronto to Cleveland to Chicago and back to Dallas again.

Not for half-asleep third graders and amused teachers, but hundreds and thousands of people in cafes, clubs and even famous concerts, eager to hear him and his School of Rock tour group play.

••• After two years at the School of Rock, an international music school that tours at festivals and clubs around the country every year and inspired both a film and Broadway production, Junior Collin Katz finally received a recommendation for the AllStars Tour, a six day tour across different regions of the United States. Before he Junior Collin Katz

could travel with his peers, he had to pass The tour culminated in his performance multiple rigorous audition phases over the at Lollapalooza, a four day concert based course of three months. in Chicago, where he played everything “The most nerve-wracking audition from heavy metal to Broadway music on was definitely the last live audition because stage. Despite the concert’s popularity and there were people from School of Rock prestige, Katz preferred the smaller venues Corporate there,” Katz said. “They’re just in Pittsburgh and Detroit over the festival very honest and very intimidating, at least experience. to me. They tell you they’re going to judge “Something I figured out about myself everything about you based by now is that I’m not a festival on that one audition, and they person,” Katz said. “I don’t like I will play whatever know it’s not fair. You can be playing festivals. I like playing show I can get. I just the greatest guitar player ever, inside. When we played the love playing music.

Collin Katz but if you fail the audition, Hard Rock Cafe, with the stage then you don’t make it.” lights and the fog machines, Following three stages there’s a lot more atmosphere of auditions and three much-anticipated than when you’re just out in the open. It acceptance emails, Katz earned his spot was cool to say I played Lollapalooza, but as one of the 25 musicians from across the it was definitely my least favorite show nation to tour across North America. actually.”

“I was incredibly shocked, if you Jumping from city to city, Katz was want to know the truth, because there’s so on his feet the whole tour, but amidst the many good guitarists out there,” Katz said. hustle and bustle he still found time to “I’ve seen, just in Dallas, dozens of other connect with his peers, both onstage and guitarists just as good as me, if not better. off.

I didn’t even think I was gonna make it. I “I was never bored on tour, even was doing it just to see how far I could get. on the six hour bus ride because all you But I was really happy when I did.” would do is talk to your friends the whole time,” Katz said. “So I didn’t know any of Katz has played around Dallas with his these people before, but then by the end band Fifth Phoenix, but going on tour with we were best friends. And we were like, five times as many musicians and audience ‘Damn, we’re not going to see each other members as he’s used to was a massive again.’ So it was very sad to come back. But step up for him. But Katz’s years of practice I was excited to get back in gear with my and performance kept him steady on every band because the whole goal of School of stage.

Rock is to prepare you for the actual music

“I’ve been performing for so industry. long now Although eight years seems like a long that I don’t time, Katz has taken another important step get nervous towards a professional music career. before shows,” Armed with this unique experience Katz said. and knowledge from the School of Rock, “Our hour he’s ready to keep moving forward in the and a half set had an music scene. intermission, and the second “I feel very honored to have made it, 45 minutes were always better than and it was a great privilege to go on tour,” the first ones because then everyone’s Katz said. “But I sort of see it as this tour in the groove. We’d jump around for five was halfway between ‘Fluffy Dog’ and minutes straight and just have a good time. making it in the music industry. And my So I never get nervous, but I always get goal is to do music full time with my band more into it as the show progresses.”

Fifth Phoenix, so this the halfway point.”

“

STORY Luke Piazza, Ethan Borge PHOTO Courtesy Collin Katz

Headliners Keep an eye out for these upcoming release, concert and drop dates.

VIDEO GAMES

FIFA 20 Ghost Recon Breakpoint COD: Modern Warfare

Release date

Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 25

by Jamie Mahowald record six student films were accepted into the All-American High School Film Festival in New York this year.

The films were in the ON TOUR genres of comedy: “GerThe ald” by Gabe Castrillon `19 midwestern AllStars and Antonio Ivarra `19 and tour played “Internet Sins” by Ivarra; in Detroit, documentary: “SkatePittsburgh, boarding” by senior Ricky Toronto, Cleveland Rodriguez; and drama: and Chicago, “A Life of Memories” by where they juniors James Carr and were the Sarbik Saha, “Fear Itself” opening by senior Jackson Singhal act for Lollapalooza’s and Saha, and “Springfield second day.

Publishers” by Singhal and junior Jack Genender.

More than 35,000 high schools enter into the All-American High School Film Festival, an event that runs from Oct. 11-13 in New York.

“All of these films that got in were the ones that they put the most work into,” film instructor Jennifer Gilbert said, “and they didn’t take shortcuts––they really pushed the limits and went for it.

Their passion for filmmaking, their attention to detail that they put into everything, their variety of talent we have in the film program all made it possible.”

All films were written, directed and produced by members of the Advanced Film class last year.

“I always encourage them to do whatever they want with their films as long as it falls within the boundaries I give them of appropriateness,” Gilbert said. “And giving them that freedom to really create whatever they want, emphasizing story over everything, goes to our success. And you’ve got to have that good foundation of a well-made story.

Because without a good story, it doesn’t matter how fancy everything else is.”

Nearly half of all films made in the Advanced Film class this year were accepted into a festival, marking the immense talent of the school’s filmmakers. “[My students] work so hard throughout the year on their films,” Gilbert said, “and it is very gratifying to see them getting recognized for their amazing work. What’s even more amazing is how much the boys support each other and celebrate each other’s successes.

They consider getting any of our films into a festival a win for the entire program, even if it isn’t our film. So far this year, each one of my advanced students has gotten at least one film into a film festival. I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”

CONCERTS

Billie Eilish Chance the Rapper Tyler the Creator

Concert date

Oct. 8 Oct. 22 Oct. 23

MOVIES

Joker Gemini Man The Lighthouse

Release date

Oct. 4 Oct. 11 Oct. 25

ALBUMS

Drop date

Jesus is King, Kanye West April 12 Herstory in the Making, Young M.A. April 19 Never Boring, Freddie Mercury May 3

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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BUZZ

25

SANDWICH REVIEWS

What’s trending?

From a chicken sandwich that’s sweeping the nation to a meatless burger that supposedly tastes like real meat, Creative Director Cristian Pereira compares these trending items to their more classic counterparts.

Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich Biting in to a fresh pickle

Grade: B

Impossible Burger The name says it all: 'impossible'

Grade: C

T

he only place I could find a Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich was at the DFW airport while I was waiting for my flight—boy am I glad I was able to snag one.

These things are selling out everywhere—and for good reason. Clearly made to rival ChickFil-A’s famous “Original” chicken sandwich, the Popeye’s version is an almost exact copy—chicken and pickles—with the only difference being that Popeye’s adds mayo to their sandwiches as well.

The chicken was, well, delicious. The quality of the meat itself wasn’t up to Chick-Fil-A standards, but it was deep fried, crispy, and well-seasoned.

The mayonnaise and brioche bun also really added to the overall flavor of the sandwich.

The most surprising part was the quality of the pickles. They were actual sliced cucumbers, and if they weren’t pickled in-house they were definitely pickled recently. But one major issue stood out.

When I picked it out of the bag, it wasn’t in an aluminum bag—it was wrapped in paper, dripping with grease. When I bit into it, I felt like my heart had just lost a good 11 years of its lifespan.

When I eat a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, I feel satisfied, but I also feel like I could go outside and play a soccer game an hour later. When I ate that Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich, I felt like Ronald McDonald when they made him eat the entire menu.

A

h, the classic Original Chicken Sandwich we’ve all come to love.

Sure, Chick-Fil-A claims to be the original, but original doesn’t necessarily mean better.

In this case, it does.

Biting into a Chick-Fil-A sandwich is like that feelGrade: A ing when you wake up stressed out about homework Doing and then realize that Saturday morning and you don’t have school. It’s a quaint, cozy taste that I haven’t simplicity witnessed anywhere else. right ChickWhile its Popeye’s competitor boasts mayo, a better bun, better pickles and more deeply fried chicken, the simplicity of Fil-A the food is a big part of why Chick-Fil-A is the third largest fast food chain 9386 Lyndon B Johnson Free- in the country. Not to mention the gift from God that is Chick-Fil-A Sauce, so don’t forget to grab one or two or three of those way (469) 330-8838 while you’re there.

At this point, I think everybody’s Hours: 6 a.m. 10 p.m., closed tried one of these things before. They make up probably about 50% of our on Sundays St. Mark’s team meals, and probably 75% of our out-of-school-meals—yes, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s a very popular consumption station.

Just stick with the classic bun, classic pickles, classic peanut-oil-fried chicken.

When the Popeye’s craze dies down and you happen to be near one, sure, go ahead and get it. But whenever you’re feeling like a chicken sandwich, Chick-Fil-A’s the way to go.

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

T

he only thing impossible about this burger is that someone would believe it’s real meat.

The Impossible Burger is a new method to capitalize on misled people who think eating processed, chemical-infused, and all-unnatural foods is better for you than eating real meat—look up the levels of processed protein, saturated fat and sodium if you don’t believe me.

Just last May it was reported that Impossible Foods, Inc. was worth $750 million and counting, so obviously people are falling for this profitable ploy.

When I asked the lady at Liberty Burger for an Impossible Burger and she gave me a really-you-actually-want-one-of-those look, I knew I’d be in for a ride.

I’ll give it to them, though.

It certainly looks like a burger. The patty’s definitely thinner than the traditional chuck and brisket one used at Liberty, but it looks like real meat. The taste, however, is a different story.

With the ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles it’s not too bad, but that’s because you can barely taste the actual burger.

The way I would describe it is very wheat-based, dry and with an aftetaste that screams “I am processed!” I genuinely could not recommend this to anyone.

If you can’t eat a veggie burger, don’t go vegetarian. Trying to replicate the real flavor of meat while hoping to reap the benefits of a meatless diet is, well, impossible.

Chillerno Burger Keeping it simple yields perfection

Grade: A+

Both burgers are from

Liberty Burger

5211 Forest Lane (972) 239-2100 Hours: 11 a.m. 10 p.m.

REVIEWS Cristian Pereira ARTWORK Jamie Mahowald PHOTOS Eric Yoo

I

f you haven’t a clue what a burger tastes like you’re either a) vegetarian or vegan—which I completely respect—or b) living under the world’s biggest rock—I thought it would be a waste of time to review what a burger tasted like.

Instead, after almost losing my valuable taste buds to the Impossible Burger, I ordered Liberty’s Chillerno Burger—infinitely meatier.

Highlighted as one of the best burgers in Dallas

by Texas Monthly, the Chillerno Burger is pretty simple: Liberty’s classic chuck-and-brisket patty—a beloved meat combination used worldwide, including in Gordon Ramsay’s very own “Perfect Burger”—topped with a mouth-filling layer of queso blanco, a flame-roasted poblano pepper, and homemade Chipotle BBQ Sauce, all within the confines of a brioche bun.

It’s a relatively simple burger, but it’s also one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. The patty is juicy like all the other (meat-based) burgers on the menu, but what really sets it apart is the mixture of flavors and textures that the cheese, pepper and barbeque sauce provide.

One downside to this burger—there’s no healthy aspect to it whatsoever. If you put lettuce and tomatoes on a regular burger at least you feel a little bit better about yourself. But let’s be real—if you’re trying to eat healthy, what are you doing ordering a burger in the first place?

A-list cast, crisp cinematography, dialogue elevate remake of 'It' to 'compelling' status movie review

It Chapter Two Grade: A-

Director Andy Muschietti Running time 2 hours, 49 minutes In theaters REVIEW Cristian Pereira

S

ewer-clown is back—make-up, creepy smile, big-sharp-pointy teeth and all.

It Chapter Two tells the story of the group of kids from the first It movie 27 years later when Pennywise—everyone’s favorite circus entertainer—comes back to haunt the town of Derry, Maine.

The A-list cast—featuring Jessica Chastain, Bill Hader (yes, the comedian), and James McAvoy— greatly helps the movie. The characters have surprisingly great chemistry on-screen, despite the fact they haven’t seen each other for almost three decades.

Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise is magnificent, more so than in the first movie. Casting could not have found a better man for the job, and every scene with the killer clown is more captivating than the last.

The cinematography is phenomenal. Some of the shots look

like they took ages to get, and as a result the movie looks great and the transitions are smooth. A lot of credit for the movie’s excellent look goes to the camera-work.

The movie’s weird. Like, weirder than a Tim Burton film.

Everything that Pennywise has happen to the characters is supposed to be personalized towards them to maximize the fear-factor, giving the filmmakers a lot of creative freedom with what they can use to scare the characters and the audience.

For the most part, it works in the movie’s favor, but just know that no amount of preparation will help you anticipate some of the strange things that happen.

The actual story of the movie is more compelling and interesting than the first movie. In It, the kids are dragged into the whole mess, leaving them no choice but to clean it up. In Chapter Two the characters

have more substantial motives, the stakes are higher and the protagonists are more capable and wiser as adults.

But the overall tone is all over the place.

I wouldn’t classify it as a horror movie, although it definitely has its scary moments. At some points, it’s a straight up comedy, and at others you don’t know whether to be grossed out, laugh, cry or leave the theater.

Also, the dialogue—especially in the first act—is, at times, atrocious. There’s a scene in a Chinese restaurant at the beginning in the movie that’s supposed to transition from heartwarming to menacing, but the dialogue—so bad that not even Jessica Chastain can make it work—constantly throws you out of it. This happens too much throughout the movie, even during the climax, but it’s certainly not as

bad in the second and third acts.

While on paper the story checks all the boxes on what should comprise a good plot, it was too slow for too long and then rushed into the climax. The whole “reminiscing on when we were kids” aspect of the movie drags on, and much of it isn’t that important to the story. It doesn’t even stimulate nostalgia in audiences, because the first movie came out two years ago, not 30.

It’s not the next The Shining, but it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination. At worst, it’s one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen all year, and at best, it's a well-made well-acted film.

I would definitely see It Chapter Two again. If you’re trying to make plans with some friends, it’ll be a fun way to kill three hours. Just don't expect your traditional horror movie.

26

Painted Nails

Heads Up

How 10600/Culture editor Siddhartha Sinha realized “camp is for the campers.”

Page 27

What’s going on with China–US Trade relations and how that affects our school.

Page 28

OPINIONS THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

REMARKER

STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS. 10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 214.346.8000

EDITORIALS

Students must take care of new facilities

EDITORIAL BOARD editor in chief SAM AHMED

assignments editor AARON THORNE

head photographer CHARLIE ROSE

deputy managing editor

OUR HOUSE New and renovated spaces around campus, like the Makerspace, Hicks Gym locker rooms and Senior Lounge provide opportunities for students — and the responsibility to pro actively maintain all of them.

CHRISTOPHER WANG

managing editors COLIN CAMPBELL SID VATTAMREDDY

opinions editors perspectives editor WALLACE WHITE

senior content editor ISHAN GUPTA

SECTION EDITORS 10600, culture

LUKE PIAZZA SIDDHARTHA SINHA ERIC YOO

discoveries

COOPER RIBMAN

focus magazine ALAM ALIDINA SAI THIRUNAGARI

issues

HENRY MCELHANEY ROBERT POU

sports

WILLIAM ANIOL JACK DAVIS

C R E AT I V E creative director

CRISTIAN PEREIRA

graphics director JAMIE MAHOWALD

artists

COOPER COLE CHARLIE RUBARTH JAMES SHIAO

ADVERTISING business manager PAXTON SCOTT

assistant business manager IAN MIZE

WRITERS

TOBY BARRETT, ETHAN BORGE, TREVOR CROSNOE, AXEL ICAZBALCETA, RAJAN JOSHI, SEMAJ MUSCO, LUKE NAYFA, PETER ORSAK, WILL PECHERSKY, AUSTIN WILLIAMS, DREW WOODWARD, DARREN XI, JONATHAN YIN, HAN ZHANG

PHOTOGRAPHERS

WYATT AWTREY, BLAKE BROOM, KYLE FISHER, BEN HAO, COLLIN KATZ, EVAN LAI, RYAN MCCORD, EVAN MCGOWAN, TYLER NUSSBAUMER, WILL ROCCHIO, DANIEL SANCHEZ, LEE SCHLOSSER, OWEN SIMON, EKANSH TAMBE, JERRY ZHAO

ADVISER

RAY WESTBROOK

HEADMASTER DAVID W. DINI

audience

The ReMarker is intended for the students, faculty, staff and alumni community of St. Mark’s School of Texas. Press run is 4,000 copies, with more than 2,600 of those mailed out to alumni around the world, courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions.

opinions and editorials

Editorials represent the viewpoints of the newspaper’s Editorial Board and are not necessarily those of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff. All personal opinion columns, bylined with the writer’s name and photo, represent the views of that writer only and not necessarily those of The ReMarker, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff.

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The ReMarker encourages reader input through guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for suggestions.

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Letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. They must be typed, signed and not exceed 300 words. E-mail submissions are not accepted.

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Photos Kyle Fisher

SAM GOLDFARB PAUL SULLIVAN

S

tudents were particularly excited to set foot on campus this school year with the completion of several projects around campus — and students should take advantage of these outstanding new facilities.

However, amidst the excitement, students must not forget to treat all of the buildings on campus with care and respect, not just the new ones.

Too often there’s a mess of textbooks and water bottles lying around by the entrance for days at a time in the common areas. Sometimes in the library, there are food wrappers (which aren’t supposed to be there, per school policy) and pencils lying on tables and floors, waiting for others to pick up. These messes only accumulate over the year, making shared spaces on campus even harder to maintain.

However, there are little things we should do that will not only make the campus look better all year, but also protect these buildings for years to come.

We urge all Marksmen to uphold the following standards.

Don’t leave your stuff behind It happens. Sometimes books, backpacks and other supplies are left when rushing to the next class. But it’s not too hard to return and collect them. Items like clothes, textbooks and water bottles

are seen scattered across campus, making unsightly messes that shouldn’t need to be addressed.

Writing a name and phone number on clothes, water bottles and other easily-lost items will ensure that someone else can return it to you. Currently, the lost and found room stuffed with unidentifiable items — but if everyone labels their stuff, the mess would effectively clean itself up.

Take initiative to clean up after others Students hear this all the time from administration, but it still needs to be said. If you don’t pick it up, then who will? If you see a piece of trash, pick it up. There’s trash cans everywhere, so it’s not a problem to dispose of it. If all of us, all 860 of us, picked up a couple pieces of trash here and there, there would be no trash left to pick up.

We understand that students here are busy. But the problem is that when students see trash and messes, we tend to push off the responsibility to the next guy who sees it. And the next guy.

But with that mindset, there will never be a next guy.

It’s up to you.

Take ownership of this campus and community.

Take responsibility.

Treat this place like it’s your second home.

Because it is.

BE ACCOUNTABLE AND PROACTIVE • ENSURE LONGEVITY OF NEW SPACES

Seek out faculty mentorship this year

A

n 8:1 student-teacher ratio. It’s a number that most colleges and universities around the country would envy.

But 8:1 is much more than simple division. It means community. It means connection. It might even mean friendship.

Students here have a unique opportunity to really get to know their teachers and coaches. Class sizes are small — often less than 15 students — and structured and unstructured activities outside the classroom bring students and faculty even closer together.

This year, students should strive to cultivate strong relationships with faculty members. The advantages of these relationships are threefold: Academic Building bonds with a teacher certainly helps in the classroom.

That’s not to imply that students should try to curry favor with teachers in an attempt to earn some sort of “favoritism”— teachers almost always see right through that.

A strong relationship with a teacher helps that teacher challenge a student in the way he needs to be challenged, making sure that the student is assessed on the right level.

Additionally, teachers will be more understanding of a student if they know him well, and they are

usually more inclined to grant extensions and other exceptions if they know a student really needs it.

Extra-curricular Faculty here bring a wide range of personal experiences, abilities and connections.

Getting to know a faculty member here might just be the way to get in touch with a professional in an interesting field, make contact with a collegiate coach, or find the perfect source for a research paper.

That summer internship, information about a new training camp or inspiration for a project could come from a teacher or coach here.

Personal Faculty here are more than just classroom instructors and professional resources. They can become mentors — and even friends — too. Ask a teacher what they did in high school. The answers might be surprising!

There are gamers, lacrosse players, musicians and sneakerheads on staff, but they won’t necessarily share it until asked.

They’re people who might just have gone through the same struggles — and they’ll have your back through yours, too.

Try to get to know a teacher, coach or member of staff. That relationship could be one that changes you for the rest of school — or even the rest of your life.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES • BUILD COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 2019 THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27,21,2019

PAGE PAGE

OPINIONS Struggling to find my truth in religion

T

he fire hisses, warms the air, devours the twigs in the steel bowl in front of me.

I face the flame, sitting on a stool three inches above the ground.

We’re close around the fire – Mom and Dad to my left. Seven priests complete the circle.

One of the priests in a frayed, orange shawl rapidly chants in Sanskrit, saying words I don’t understand. “…Swaha” . . . our cue to place the offerings into the homam.

Nervously, I drop the grains into the fire, trying not to burn my hand, trying to drop them at the exact same time as all the priests do.

I rest my hand on my knee, knowing I’ll have to continue the ritual for another hour until the priests finish taking turns chanting.

Ugh. Why can’t this be over?

But right away, I answer my own question.

Because my parents believe this is the truth, and it’s so hard to let them down. That’s why.

••• A few weeks earlier: It only works if you believe, Dad says. He always says that.

What if I can’t believe? Can’t have the same faith?

Can’t trust the rules and dogma other people — the priests — have created to govern my life?

I bite my lip, hold back, afraid I’ll spill to Mom and Dad what I’m really thinking.

Sai Thirunagari Focus Magazine editor

So I say, “Ok… I’ll do it.”

Mom breathes a soft sigh, smiles. She’s happy, satisfied, relieved.

Thank you. We’ll buy the plane tickets. She gives me a kiss. You know it’s only for your own good.

I look away because I know if I look them in the eye, I’ll say something I shouldn’t.

Say I don’t want to go on this 10-day pilgrimage to

India in July.

Say I can’t bring myself to commit to their version of the religion that’s been a part of me since I was born.

I’m too afraid to abandon the traditions, rituals, superstitions, beliefs Mom and Dad and their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents trusted their whole lives.

I love so much of my faith, but I can’t get over the rules that seem to hurt more than help me, seem to adulterate the beautiful purity of Hinduism.

••• Why do I have to do this puja — a worship ritual — and go all the way to India to do it?

It doesn’t make sense.

Because it’s good for you. Because it’s better if it’s done on holy ground, where the original temples are.

27

Because the priest said so, Mom says.

I oblige. Suppress my doubts, my disbelief, my disagreement. Pretend to believe what they say.

I can’t just blindly accept the little things that don’t make sense to me. I’ve tried, but I can’t keep feeling like I’m deceiving myself.

So Mom and Dad, please don’t be upset. I’m sorry. I can’t wear the lie anymore. Can’t let the superstitions – the man-made rules – govern my beliefs anymore. Can’t let someone come between the gods and me.

Please don’t think teenage cynicism is making me challenge my beliefs just to be a rebel. It’s not. I simply can’t bear I’m still a devout the weight — the pressure — to Hindu. I think I’ll conform to every single tradition. always be.

Sai Thirunagari I’m still a devout Hindu. I think I’ll always be — it’s such a fundamental part of who I am — but in a more spiritual sense. I’m letting go of the Hinduism where I follow customs only because I’m afraid of what’ll happen if I don’t.

I’ll still pray every day. Still believe in the lessons I’ve learned. Still try to be a good person — a good man.

Still trust in the gods.

I will still continue to genuinely search for the truth of God. But no more superstitions. No more compromises.

No more traditions I don’t believe in.

Only the truth.

“

Sally’s pigtails: understanding selflessness at summer camp I

’m surrounded — surrounded — by about eight campers.

Eight campers.

Eight girl campers.

Eight eight-to-ten-year-old girl campers — at their cabin’s lunch table, too.

And my first-year-counselor self has no idea what’s going on.

They’re screeching, question after question, demand after demand . . .

“Hold your head still! It’s hard to put this rubberband in when you’re moving so much!”

“Why are you such a meanie in our bedtime stories?!”

“Sally! Are you really from Texas?!”

••• The lunchtime conversation is all over the place.

From the correct way to eat a taco to whether a spoon or a knife is a more useful utensil, these girls can’t seem to keep their minds on the same topic for more than 15 seconds.

There’s a very real difference in energy between the quiet, Rubix-cube-playing eight-to-15-year-old guys in my cabin — whom I normally eat with — and these eight-to-10-year-old Energizer bunnies disguised as humans.

Boom! New topic. Now it’s the “girl name” I should receive as part of my initiation into the younger girls’ cabin.

I squint out of the corner of my eye. At least four girls putting hairbands in my hair, trying to convert some of my hair into something resembling pigtails.

I look in front of me. Four more girls interrogating

me. Talking over each other. I’m not really at my hair shouts, “What about Sally?” able to make out a complete question, but I And with one suggestion, the girls’ think they’re asking why Sid the Kid keeps silent-and-thinking switches are flipped. stealing things from the good guys.

The roller coaster starts again.

I give them my what-are-you-talking“Yeah! Sally! That’s a great name,” the about face. I haven’t stolen anything from story investigator yells in agreement. camp. I guess I’m supposed to know all the Hi Sally! Welcome to the cabin! Do you answers, but I have no clue where this came like your name? Your hair looks great! Can Siddhartha Sinha 10600/Culture editor from. you braid my hair? Can I braid your hair?

“What do you mean?” I fire back I’m asking myself some questions too. defensively. “I’m not a thief.”

Who the hell thought of this? Why? Just why?

“Well, you see,” says one of the girls, trying to Then I remember the answers. thoughtfully put into words why her whole cabin seems Remember a couple of hours ago when I asked staff, to hate me. “In our bedtime story, there’s a character “Wouldn’t it be a fun idea to swap counselors for lunch?” named Sid The Kid. He sounds a lot like you, and he Now, pigtailed, ears ringing, Sally is thinking, great steals everything precious from everyone good.” idea, genius.

Fantastic. These campers think I’m a thief. Just what Then I get to the why — because it was fun when I I need. was a camper.

The girls yanking my hair manage to put every And then the bigger truth hits me. The whole reason strand of my bangs in one of three different black, blue, I loved camp for the six years I was a camper. The truth red hairbands . . . and a bright red scrunchie. staff spent all of counselor training week drilling into “Should we call her Sydney?!” someone screams. our heads. The reason I don’t have anything to complain Right. Back to my girl name. I’m a her now, after all. about right now.

“No, it’s too close to a guy’s name,” one of the Camp is for the campers. bedtime story investigators says. “We need something So I’ll laugh when they tug on my hair, even though girlier.” it hurts.

For a moment, silence. Pure, golden silence. The I’ll spin stories about how Sid the Kid is really a good Energizer bunnies hush for a moment, thinking of girl guy trying to help people who need it. names for me. Names that start with the letter S. And I’ll let them clumsily spill metallic pink nail I take a deep breath, trying to wrap my mind around polish all over my hands. Let them giggle as they call me what’s happened in the last few minutes.

Sally. Let them laugh their hearts out at the four pigtails And halfway through my deep breath that’s sticking out of my head. supposed to calm me down, one of the girls still tugging Because camp is for the campers.

Around the Quad Students and faculty answer our questions Have you done anything differently for the environment after the Amazon fires and increased ocean awareness?

‘

I’ve almost completely stopped using single-use plastics for water consumption.

Stephen Arbogast, Chaplain

‘

I’ve started using a reusable water bottle instead of plastic water bottles.

Wyatt Awtrey, senior

Cartoon James Shiao

‘

I’ve begun composting all of my food and paper waste in my backyard.

Nick Kowalske, senior

‘

I’ve been trying to use less paper due to the deforestation that is happening there.

Rahul Banerjee, junior

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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28

OPINIONS

Coming to terms with the truth behind my hero

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reaking news: military car bombed by grenade.

He isn’t the cool uncle that fights for justice anymore.

American soldiers inside.

He’s the one that pretends like his nephew does not exist.

The TV is turned to CNN and my family stands It shouldn’t be that way. But it is. huddled around the screen. My eyes race across the I do remember one conversation though. signature red headline as my family stares at the screen in He’s in town, a rare occurrence, and I had just read quiet disbelief.

American Sniper. Finally, I could talk to him about someMy mom breaks the silence. thing. But when I show what I had read, he’s shocked.

“The State Department called Grandpa. They said He criticizes my mom for allowing me to read the vihe’s badly injured and being flown to Germany. But he’s olent content in that novel. He doesn’t yell, he never yells, alive.” he never needs to, but it feels like it.

My uncle was okay.

My only hope of bonding with him–-gone.

A reluctant sigh slowly escapes my lips.

After he leaves, I ask my mom why he was so mad.

He’s okay.

He’s dealing with some stuff right now.

I should be relieved. It should be a Another excuse. But the answer puzzles relieved sigh. But it’s a reluctant one. me. It puzzles me for a long time.

Reluctant because I haven’t seen my But then I see what happens to him on uncle for four years.

CNN. Reluctant because we never talk.

I understand.

Reluctant because I’m still mad at him.

It’s the first time I realize that his job isn’t ••• what I imagined as a kid. It’s not just fightPaul Sullivan When I was younger I always wanted ing bad guys. It’s real stakes, real risk, real Opinions editor to see my uncle. In my eight-year old mind, violence, real danger. The type of dangerous he’s a superhero–a black belt in Karate, an that can mess with your head. owner of pythons and piranhas, a classified black-ops How could I be so naive? sharpshooter.

A grenade under his Humvee is probably nothing Sometimes he sends pictures. Pictures of him in battle next to the stuff that he has to deal with. I see now that uniform, or with his gun or with his sniper rifle – I put he’s just trying to protect me from the horrific things he’s them all on my dresser like a shrine. witnessed–and maybe even done.

My mom tells me these stories whenever I ask about Now my anger, my frustration, at what I thought was him. Yet for all the stories, he’s never around for me to neglect is gone. In its place is sympathy and sadness– ask any questions. No matter how much I beg my mom sympathy for what he’s going through, sadness I still for him to visit us, it never happens. There are always can’t see him. excuses.

But also hope.

They sort of make sense, of course. He’s a military Hope that he can deal with any inner issues he may man that stays in Afghanistan for 6 months a year, so it’s have well enough that I can see him at least one last time. difficult to meet him. But the number of excuses my mom One last time before he gets bombed again. keeps relaying to me send a message: He doesn’t want to And this time not come back. see us.

HEADS UP • THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

War without weapons: The trade war with China, and why we should care

What: • The United States and China are engaged in a trade war.

Each country is raising tariffs, raising the price of goods from each country.

• The U.S. is trying to reduce dependence on Chinese goods in an effort to stimulate the American economy.

• At the same time, Washington is trying to target the expanding Chinese economy.

When: • April 7, 2017: President Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping meet to begin 100 days of trade talks.

• January 22, 2018: Trump imposes tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels, including Chinese ones. Tariffs on raw goods like steel and aluminum follow.

• 17 September, 2019: Tentative trade talks recommence.

SOURCE New York Times ARTWORK Jamie Mahowald

Why it matters: • So far, the average increase in U.S. household expenditure is between $450 and $1000.

• Continued escalation can drive that number higher.

Certain targeted items have already seen price spikes of almost 20%.

• If tariffs on toys, clothes or consumer electronics––important goods that China manufactures––are raised, costs could rise steeply.

Nothing matters more than this

I

t’s an average Friday night. My family’s at the dinner table, focused on their bowls of homemade Crock Pot chili.

“I’m going away to Mexico for a weekend to go see your grandfather.”

When my mother tells my sister and me that five years ago, it seems like a really random time to go. It’s not a holiday. It’s not anyone’s birthday. But my mother decides on that weekend.

Two days later, my sister and I sit on the couch – my dad on the end. I can tell he’s holding back tears.

And he just blurts it out. “Your grandfather fell asleep and didn’t wake up again.”

As soon as he says it, my sister’s crying.

Scooting over to hug my dad.

But me, I don’t move. Don’t shed a tear.

Not because I don’t love my grandfather.

He was one of the most incredible human beings I’d ever met.

He’d earned his own money to pay for Columbia University when his father had refused to pay for any college outside of Mexico.

He’d raised three kids.

Most of all, he’d made a coin appear out of thin air from behind my ear.

I loved my grandfather so much.

But I never thought he could actually die.

I sit there, and I guess it’s shock, because I almost forget how to breathe. So much is going through my head. I have no idea what it’s like to lose a family member.

It doesn’t sink in until two days later — Abue’s dead.

••• I stand in front of the black casket, white flowers littered all around it. My mother carefully opens the lid.

And there’s Abue.

Underneath his gray suit is a checkered shirt and a yellow tie.

He’s resting on a bed of flowers.

My mother leans in, hugs me.

“It’s okay Cristian, he felt no pain.

Cristian Pereira The night before I remember him Creative director saying that he wasn’t feeling the pain he normally feels.”

But it’s not okay.

It’s not okay because so many times my grandfather asked me to play piano for him.

Or read to him.

Or just plain talk to him.

But I’m consumed by a book, or my phone, or a good-for-nothing video-game.

And although I won’t say I didn’t spend enough time with him, I can definitely say I could’ve spent more.

••• I sit on my grandparent’s bed — my grandmother’s bed – two hours after the funeral. My feet rub along the gray carpeted floor.

And Vita’s beside me. I — in my 11-yearold way— am trying to ease the pain of losing her husband without bringing Abue up — I know she doesn’t want me to see her grief.

And there’s another thought in my mind as I rest my head on her shoulders, a promise I’m making to myself.

I’ve still got plenty of time with Vita.

I am not going to let any second of that go to waste.

••• Five years later.

I’m in my bed watching a YouTube video on that upcoming new Destiny expansion — important stuff for a dedicated gamer.

My phone buzzes on my bed stand. I pause the video and roll over.

It’s a message — I squint my eyes to see who the messenger is. Odette Perez-Verdia.

My grandmother’s urging me to watch a video about some pianist who paid a bunch of Incas — with sacks of potatoes — to carry a piano up a mountain. She says it made her think of me, and that I should never stop playing the instrument.

I don’t even pick the phone up.

I’ll watch it later, I’ll watch it later — so she won’t know I saw it and didn’t respond.

And I roll back, unclick pause and watch a virtual rocket launcher fire a barrage of purple explosions.

“Dang, this new gun is gonna be sick.”

SPORTS THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

New A.D.

Photostory

Coach Lee

Super Fan Men

Updates

What drew an ex-NFL defensive lineman to 10600 Preston Road?

Page 30

A photo recap of the Lions’ game against Cistercian from Sept. 6 Page 31

Twelve years later, Hayward Lee is back at the helm leading Lions football. Page 32

Luke Evangelist and Jack Trahan look forward to their year as Super Fan Men. Page 33

Fall sports are in full swing one month into the school year.

Page 34, 35

29

YOUTH WEIGHTLIFTING

Bearing the weight With value placed on strength training in sports, when should Marksmen begin lifting without risking their health?

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ast set, let’s go! Finish it out!

“The primary Head strength and conditioning thing with a coach Kevin Dilworth’s middle school kid booming voice is a staple of is mastering the the weight room, a place where technique, and if determined, driven and dedicated you do that, the Lion athletes pour out every ounce of load will take care sweat and effort to better themselves. of itself,” Edwards Dilworth’s home is also the said. “Let’s say home to dozens of Upper School you’re doing a athletes sacrificing themselves with squat and your one another, pushing each other technique and relentlessly to reach their maximum foundation are potential. poor, why would The room fills nearly every I ever give you period for midday lifts, and after more weight to school, entire teams lift together build on a poor before practice, while out-of-season foundation? athletes train in hopes of being able Because you’re going to set yourself to outrun, out jump and out play up for risk of injury. If the technique their competition. is solid, I have no problem adding In this space, championships are five to ten pounds to whatever lift it won, lasting bonds are made and is, as long as they’ve mastered that Lion athletes find out what they truly technique.” are made of.

This space is all too familiar for Beginning to lift heavy weights high school students, but should it without the proper technique can become familiar for middle school certainly be dangerous, as eighthLion athletes as well? grader Alex Barrett quickly learned ••• from his time spent in the weight Dilworth encourages Lion room. athletes to utilize their middle school “I’ve had some back problems years to begin to lay a foundation just from lifting too much and in the weight not lifting room, in the right preparation for way at the WEIGHT TRAINING IS VITALLY IMPORweight training beginning,” in Upper School TANT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU PLAY SPORTS. Barrett said. athletics.

ANYTHING THAT YOU DO AS FAR “It also hurt “It’s just AS TRAINING OR STARTING TO BUILD — a little bit like growing,” when I started EVEN IN MIDDLE SCHOOL — IS IMPORDilworth said. because being TANT. — STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING “You want sore right COACH KEVIN DILWORTH those gains, and after your you want that weightlifting strength level to go up, so you won’t makes it extremely hard to practice have the same strength levels you did and play sports.” when you were in the fifth grade. It Additionally, while Barrett gets them going. It’s the whole part underwent significant improvements of development.” in muscle building, he is also aware In Upper School athletics, of the positive effects it can have on Dilworth can see the difference in one’s mind. the improvement certain athletes “It has helped me a lot with my have made from their time and effort focus after school and being healthier poured into the weight room, a habit just gets me in a good mood,” Barrett that began in middle school. said. “As a result, I just think a lot of “Weight training is vitally energy is gone and I am able to focus important, especially if you play on my homework and studying.” sports,” Dilworth said. “Anything As far as when a boy should that you do as far as training or begin weightlifting, Edwards believes starting to build even in middle what’s “too early” depends on the school is important.” cognitive ability of the individual Shannon Edwards, a youth who is training. athletic development specialist at “I’ve worked with kids as young Cooper Aerobics, believes there as eight and nine, but every eight are four main areas in which a and nine-year-old is not the same,” middle schooler can benefit from Edwards said. “What determines the weightlifting: less risk of sportsideal starting age is their ability to related injury, improved athletic digest the instruction they’re given ability, increase in confidence and on how to do proper technique on building muscle mass. whatever strength exercise they’re Conversely, Edwards doesn’t shown to do.” see great risk associated with youth Edwards encourages middle weightlifting, as long as it’s done schoolers to prove they can perform right with good coaching. A middle human movement exercises just schooler must focus on mastering the utilizing body weight before adding proper technique, however, before weight, a form of strength training performing potentially dangerous which often goes overlooked. lifts with added weight.

“You must define what

‘‘

weightlifting is because a lot of people have a misconceived notion as to what it is,” Edwards said. “When a lot of people look at weightlifting, they immediately think of a bar on the ground with three big plates on each side and somebody doing a deadlift. And that’s one form of weightlifting, but it’s not every form of weightlifting.”

Both of Barrett’s parents worked with him and encouraged him during the process of weightlifting. Barrett’s mother, Deb Young, explained how their family thinks of it more as strength training rather than simply weightlifting and is just a part of his training routine.

“Strength training is part of his training plan along with skills development and aerobic activity,” Young said. “At home and with his baseball coach, he does a lot more body weight stuff, which is another form of weight training.”

While Barrett does work with other trainers, he focuses on weight training with Dilworth when he’s around campus, and Young expressed complete confidence in Dilworth’s methods.

“He’s got a really good plan up there for how to deal with middle school boys and high school boys who aren’t necessarily that far into puberty,” Young said. “I have a lot of confidence in his judgment about what weights the boys should Alex Barrett be using and Eighth grade athlete the goals of the boys.”

It is crucial for coaches to teach their athletes to focus on bettering themselves rather than trying to compete with each other, which is often deemed the most pressing issue surrounding youth weightlifting.

“What happens with middle school is it becomes about ‘how much weight I can lift because my buddies are lifting this much,’ and it becomes a competitive thing,” Edwards said. “I would say to compete with yourself to master the movement and whenever you do, to do the movement better each time you do it and know the load is secondary.”

STORY William Aniol, Jack Davis, SeMaj Musco PHOTOS Evan McGowan

BENCH PRESS Utilizing the proper technique and with sophomore Paul Valois spotting him, eighth grader Jimmy Francis benches 95 pounds for a football workout.

step by step

1 2 3 4 5 6

Warm up for five to ten minutes before each session If you are new to strength training, start with body weight exercises for a few weeks Work out with resistance about three times a week. Avoid weight training on back-to-back days.

Do two to three sets of higher repetitions; no maximum lifts

Focus on correct technique and always train with supervision Cool down for five to ten minutes after each session, stretching the muscles you worked out Source: kidshealth.org

GOING DEEP After bench pressing, Francis continues his weightlifting routine by deadlifting 65 kilograms before football practice in the weight room.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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30

SPORTS

LOOKING ON Watching over the Lions Football team take on the Kinkaid Falcons Sept. 20, new Athletic Director Sean Lissemore immediately makes an impact in his new role.

Immediately makes an impact in his new role.

NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

From NFL to 10600

Former Dallas Cowboy Sean Lissemore transitions from professional sports to the challenge of leading all Lion athletic teams.

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ew Athletic Director Sean strong relationships he developed Lissemore never considered over his 20 years in the role and the himself to be the best. joy of watching Lion athletes compete He didn’t think he was the best on the playing fields. athlete at his high school in the New “I’m excited for my new role and Jersey town of Dumont. looking forward to some different He didn’t think he was the best challenges and made things in my athlete in college, even as an Alllife, but I loved representing the American defensive lineman at the school as athletic director for the College of William and Mary. years that I did it,” Sullivan said. “We He definitely didn’t think he offer more sports and more teams was the best athlete in his time in than almost anybody in the state of the National Football League, even Texas, and so having the opportunity though he earned a starting job for to get to know a little bit more about the San Diego Chargers. those sports was just kind of a “But the one thing I’ve learned lifelong dream of mine.” from that is it doesn’t take talent to Sullivan’s strongest piece of have a positive attitude and to have advice for Lissemore is to understand good work ethic,” Lissemore said. and embrace the importance of Now, only 32 years old and flexibility in the athletic director retired from the NFL, Lissemore role, owing to the demands of the plans to take the lessons dedicated surrounding he learned from his coaches.

I’ve come to find out that football days and bring “He’s going to in every stage of my life, them to 10600 Preston have to have the football or academics, hard work and a positive Road. flexibility to be at a attitude has always ••• volleyball game one paid off.

What attracted minute, talking with Sean Lissemore Lissemore most to the those coaches and Lions’ athletic program those parents and those was its culture. athletes and be able to transfer that “In my previous career, I was out on the football field, or over to around athletes and coaches at the the cross country practice the next,” top of their game, and they always Sullivan said. “Listening to all the pushed a great culture,” Lissemore different people is a big skill and then said. “So for my next career, I was making a decision in the best interest looking for a place that fit that same of the institution moving forward, expectation of having an outstanding just keeping the focus of who we culture. St. Mark’s, across the board, are as a school and our underlying students, faculty, staff, parents, mission as his guiding principle.” everyone, just buys into that culture.”

Lissemore has been playing Lissemore always dreamed of a football since he was five years career after the NFL in the sports old. After a successful career at industry. He just didn’t know it Dumont High School in New Jersey, would be as an athletic director. he received a scholarship from the “I always had sports business as College of William and Mary. A four an approach as an idea of something year starter, Lissemore received Allthat I wanted to do down the road,” American Honors his senior year.

Lissemore said. “If I didn’t make it to He was drafted by the Dallas the NFL, I had a bunch of different Cowboys in the seventh round of the ideas in my head, whether it be 2010 NFL Draft, and played for the coaching, becoming a sports agent or Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers sports administration.” until 2016.

Lissemore’s move to 10600 For former Athletic Director Mark Preston Road simply makes too much Sullivan, he will most remember the sense considering his background

“

How I became a sports agent — ­ at the age of 14

by William Aniol am the reason my brother is playing Division I lacrosse in college.

Most players spend hundreds of dollars on recruiting services, but my older brother instead relied on his younger brother –– who aspires to be a sports agent.

Armed with only a MacBook Pro, iMovie and an account for a free recruiting website, I pulled off the unimaginable.

I got my brother recruited, with scholarship money, to the 2018 Metro Atlantic Conference (MAAC) Lacrosse Champions.

I proved that at the age of 14, I was now a bonafide sports agent.

Collegiate athletic recruiting truly is the roller coaster ride that people say it is.

Schools express serious interest, pledge to according to Sullivan, as his new watch my brother at summer tournaments position is just an extension of his life along the east coast –– only to back off that in competitive athletics. pledge and no-show.

Owing to the unique desires I never miss a game that summer of 2017, of the Lions’ athletic department, always on the sidelines, with the Baltimore Sullivan believes Lissemore’s NFL summer sun beating down on my pale skin background makes him best suited to –– burning me. take over at a position of unparalleled Strolling up and down the sidelines at stability on campus for the past 20 the Crab Feast tournament, I squint hard, years. trying my best to read the logos on spectating “Here we do things differently coaches’ baseball hats and polo shirts. than almost every place I’ve ever Trying to see if the coaches seen,” Sullivan said. “What I don’t I’ve been emailing with –– like think we would have wanted in I’m my brother –– show up. an athletic director hire would be I try to keep my brother’s somebody who would be coming spirits up as opportunities come to us from another institution and and go. I’m sitting right next to already have a preset vision of what him in that roller-coaster. we should be doing here. And I think But reality begins to set William Aniol the strength that Coach Lissemore in for me and my brother in Sports editor brings to our program is that he can December of his senior year at come into this program without any Plano West Senior High School. of those preconceived notions.”

He begins to lose hope as he only receives Just five weeks into the school offers to top Division III schools –– but no year, everything about this school has DI’s. exceeded Lissemore’s expectations.

But only one email, one coach, one “A lot of times, there might be believer –– is all it takes, they say. And that’s organizations that talk about culture, when everything changes. but actually living in and walking I’m hustling out of Hoffman 220 to make it into it, it’s a whole other story,” downstairs to class before second period.

Lissemore said. “100 percent that’s Doing my best to be discreet, I glance at done here. Without a doubt, everyone my phone, scroll through the usual endless lives the culture and one buys into it.”

Twitter notifications –– Adrian Wojnarowski, Under Lissemore’s leadership, Adam Schefter, Marc Stein.

Sullivan feels the athletic program And then I see it. I can’t believe my eyes. will not only continue at the level it’s In my brother’s email inbox –– Canisius been at, but also continue to improve College Lacrosse. and grow for years to come.

My eyes light up instantly. Finally, the “I’m really excited for him,” feeling I’ve been waiting for all this time. The Sullivan said. “I’ve feeling that makes every hour spent sending worked with him emails, creating highlights and monitoring now since July 1. the inbox totally worth it.

He’s extremely “OMG!” I text without a second thought thoughtful and to my brother and Mom. “CANISIUS has great insight E-MAILED! IT’S D1!” into things. Every But we are not to the finish line yet. program, athletics Together, we make it through his official visit included, thrives at in Buffalo, New York, prepared to answer a much higher rate every question Coach Miyashita throws at us. when you’ve got We knock down every single one. a leader that can And at 6:30 on a Tuesday evening, my come in and adapt brother called Canisius to make his THE TRANSITION Athletic best policies and commitment official –– he’s a Golden Griffin. best practices to our Director Sean Lissemore Today, it’s my brother and Canisius. holds his Dallas Cowboys specific institution.” helmet in one hand and a Tomorrow? Maybe I’ll be negotiating deals with NBA or NFL general managers.

Lions helmet in his other.

I

STORY William Aniol, Aaron Thorne PHOTOS Jerry Zhao, Blake Broom

Athletic facilities see significant improvements, including new state-of-the-art locker room

by Drew Woodward hirty Upper Schoolers crowd around the doors to the locker room, phones ready, just waiting for Associate Athletic Director Joshua Friesen to let them in.

It’s Aug. 9, and after months of waiting, the new locker rooms are finally about to be revealed.

Students have already seen the new branding on the visitors bleachers, the new blue and yellow home bleachers and the fresh coat of navy blue in the weight room, but this was what everyone had been waiting for.

Friesen and new Athletic Director Sean Lissemore both give small speeches

T

about how fortunate everyone is to have this and how much it will help them, and how all students have to make an effort to keep the area clean. Then, he opens the floodgates.

For the next 30 seconds, all anyone can hear is the overjoyed screaming of students seeing the most impressive locker room they’ve ever been in.

•••

Friesen said the impetus for the renovations was a generous donation from a group of anonymous donors.

“They donated the locker room in honor of the Class of 2020,” he said. “And asked to be identified as ‘people who are

passionate about the development of the ‘whole boy’ and are strong supporters of the scholar athlete and the mission of the school.’”

In addition to the sleek new look, the new locker rooms feature a variety of practical sanitary features.

“The benefits of the new locker rooms include forced air ventilation to help dry pads, no-slip, antibacterial carpet and lockers made from phenolic and stainless steel that are anti-microbial and are easier to disinfect after each season,” Friesen said.

The locker room will be available to in-season Upper School students on teams

that operate near the area, with preference to upperclassmen and students on varsity teams.

Friesen’s goal is that the students using the locker room recognize the magnitude of the gift they have been given, and they will make sure to take care of it for the athletes that come after them.

“We hope the student athletes and their families see a commitment to excellence in not just the classroom, but also in athletics,” Friesen said. “I love the projects that have been done so far and love seeing how excited our athletes are when they get to use them. I look forward to working on more in the future.”

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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SPORTS

31

SNAPSHOTS

Under the bright lights

The Lions defend their home turf defeating the Cistercian Hawks football team 37-7 in their season-opening game September 6.

STARTING RIGHT Led by senior captains Carr Urschel, Taylor Hopkin, Anthony Andrews and Paxton Scott, the football team rushes out of the tunnel.

KICK IS UP The Lions’ special teams unit lines up at the three-yard-line for an extra point after the offense’s first touchdown of the game, scored by senior quarterback Anthony Andrews.

EYES UP Running between two Lions, senior captain Anthony Andrews uses his teammates to navigate the Hawks defenders.

LION WALK Just before the game, the senior captains lead the team on their traditional procession through a sea of cheering fans from the locker room onto the field.

TANDEM TACKLE Stopping a run, senior Garrett Davis and senior captain Taylor Hopkin bring their opponent to the ground.

YARDAGE GAIN Taken out of bounds by a defender, freshman Blake Malouf moves the ball down the field for the Lions.

PHOTOS Evan Lai, Ekansh Tambe

BREAKING AWAY With a block from sophomore Samuel Eluemonoh opening the field, wide receiver Connor Duffy takes off toward the end zone.

THE REMARKER • SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

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32

SPORTS

Junior Leo Ohannesian competes for Team USA Water Polo

THE RETURN

by Rajan Joshi unior Leo Ohannesian was invited to represent the United States as part of the 17-and-under Team USA Water Polo squad in an international tournament in Budapest, Hungary featuring professional club teams from around the world.

Ohannesian began his journey with four days of practice in the northeast, where he met his teammates for the first time. The team then flew to Budapest, where they would be staying for a week.

The team played two games daily throughout their time in Budapest, though most games were scrimmages until the last day. On the last day they were there, the official tournament began.

Although Ohannesian believes Team USA His didn’t perform as well genuine affection as they had hoped, toward his finishing in fourth place, players it was still the memory is like no of a lifetime for him, and other and it shows he hopes to continue throughout competing in the future. his lacrosse “It was a great and football experience,” Ohannesian teams.” said. “I hope to go again Connor Duffy, this coming year.”

Sophomore The best part about competing in this tournament for Ohannesian was being able to represent the entire country.

“It was fun representing the USA for the first time,” Leo Ohannesian Ohannesian Junior said. “It was a huge deal for me because even though we never got to hear the national anthem, it was still very special for me when they called the team and said that we were representing Team USA.” Though it didn’t go as he may have hoped, Ohannesian is happy that he can still continue to improve and get better so that maybe one day in the future, he can be the reason Team USA wins the tournament.

“I’m going to continue to get better in the future so that we can win in the future,” Ohannesian said. “Representing our country was a big deal for me, and it was an amazing feeling to know I was part of the team, but I know it would be an even better feeling if I actually win the tournament for Team USA, so that’s a goal I have for the future.”

J

“

Back on the sideline Coach Hayward Lee’s impact stretches across campus, coaching five sports throughout 17 years around Lions athletics.

W

hen the members of the varsity football team walked into Nearburg 114 for the first team meeting Aug. 4, they were met with both new and old coaches. At the head of the room, however, stood a familiar face.

Many had been coached by him in eighth grade football. Others had spent years with him on the varsity lacrosse team. All of them knew him as a great coach and an even better person.

The players watched with anticipation as, for the first time in years, Hayward Lee stepped up to address them as the varsity football head coach.

••• Lee returned to the varsity football coaching job this year after several years as the eighth grade football coach, meaning nearly all the players on the team are ones he coached when they were middle schoolers, a fact he finds incredible.

“I love teaching the guys the game,” Lee said. “It’s so awesome now, reconnecting with them years later as their head coach and seeing that passion that we started to kindle, seeing how it has grown, seeing guys who want to go play in college, seeing guys who are our captains now.”

In his time at the school, Lee has coached a variety of sports, including football, lacrosse, soccer, tennis and golf.

The variety he has experienced is one of his favorite parts of the school.

“In my position, it’s easy to get pigeonholed, like, ‘you’re the lacrosse guy,’ that’s what you are, that’s all you do,” Lee said. “That’s very common in my world and that’s true in my case, except that I’m more than that, I’ve always been more than that. I’ve been more than that as an athlete, and I’ve been more than that as a coach, and I like doing more than just only one thing.”

Coaches at the school come from various different professional and collegiate backgrounds, but former Athletic Director Mark Sullivan hired Lee initially from a rival SPC school.

“Of course, we knew of his reputation as a lacrosse coach,” Sullivan said. “But he had worked in previous years at The Kinkaid School in Houston, and we knew of his coaching there and his general expertise.”

According to Sullivan, Lee’s focus on details and precision is what separates him as an elite coach.

“He’s gonna ask a lot out of his players.” Sullivan said. “He’s gonna drill, drill and drill until he feels like whatever skill he is teaching in that specific moment has become second nature to the kids.”

Additionally, Sullivan believes Lee doesn’t ask anything of his players that he wouldn’t put in himself, making him compatible with his players at all levels.

“He spends unbelievable hours behind the scenes, studying film, breaking down opponents, dreaming up schemes and plays for his own teams, and in some ways, he’s like the model gym rat coach.”

Sullivan said. “It’s what he spends every ounce of his passion focussing on while he’s at work.”

Although Lee has won nearly 77 percent of his games as a football coach, the highest percent in school history, athletic STORY Luke Nayfa, Drew Woodward PHOTO Ekansh Tambe

trainer Doc Browning sees his impact stretch far more than just the wins and losses.

“It’s about developing his kids into guys thats will grow into being great dads and great husbands and great leaders in the world,” Browning said.

“He clearly is an incredible X’s and O’s coach, but he also has a way to get into a kid’s mind and heart in a way that is not common among coaches.”

ON THE SIDELINE Varisty football coach Hayward Lee Browning has witnessed gathers the team around him before the first game.

Lee’s many coaching players is like no other and it really shows accomplishments, but none throughout our lacrosse and football of them compared to his lacrosse state teams.” Duffy said. “His focus on the championship in 2013. process rather than the end result is why “That championship is still my he is such an amazing coach.” number one championship even after Not many coaches have what it takes 35 years of me being at this school,” to coach two of a school’s largest varsity Browning said. “I also think going to five sports competitively and successfully, straight final fours in lacrosse is pretty which is why Lee isn’t like other coaches. impressive also.”

“Coach Lee has what I call the ‘it’ Sophomore football and lacrosse factor.” Browning said. “He has that player Connor Duffy considers Lee as a something indescribable, that something role model on and off the field. intangible that can’t be measured.”

“His genuine affection towards his

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Turner visits Chiefs during preseason

SUPERFANMEN

Faces in front of the crowd

A

Seniors Jack Trahan and Luke Evangelist prepare to lead Lions fans cheers during their final year in the student section.

Jack Davis: What are your biggest changes for this year?

Luke Evangelist: We’re bringing back the High School Cup (a competition between the classes where points are awarded for different competitions and attendance at sporting events), and we’re changing the social media platform. Twitter’s going to be more in-game updates, day-today highlights and retweeting offers.

Instagram will be big posts where we announce themes and talk about what’s going on – if someone commits, one of the faculty wins an award.

We need to set the tone and lead by example. It’s hard for us to ask people to take time out of their day if we’re not doing the same. We have no problem embarrassing ourselves up on stage if it means getting one or two more people excited about going to games.

Jack Trahan: Especially with underclassmen, games are much more of a social event, but you also need to remember to cheer and our presence as a student section is clear. For all the cheering that the juniors and seniors can do, it’s nothing compared to when we all come together.

LE: Our sophomore and freshman year, we were just there because everyone was going to the game. Now, especially for juniors and seniors, you have less than ten home football games to go to. We want to stress that it’s not going to be here forever.

There’s going to be your last home football game, so we want to make sure that we get everything out of our senior class and set a good example for the juniors and sophomores who are going to be going through this in the next couple years. We don’t want them to regret not going to another football game because you can’t get those back.

JD: What are your goals for this year?

LE: We’re trying to change the stigma that [being Super Fan Men] is all we do. We have the title of Super Fan Men, but all of you can be super fans in your own right.

You don’t have to have this official title and stand up at pep rallies to be a super fan.

JT: We’re both involved guys. For me, I was Literary Festival Chair. You can be Literary Festival Chair and really love English and history, and still be a voice at games.

Also, I understand that you’re not going to get to Denton at seven in the morning to watch a [cross country] meet, but we’ve tried to make sure that we do whole posts devoted to those sports.

LE: In those eight or nine sentences, we want to make you feel like you know what happened. We’ll make sure we tell y’all what happened and make it entertaining.

We’re just asking for a little in return.

Show some school spirit.

JD: What has been your favorite part of being the Super Fan Men?

INTERVIEWS Jack Davis PHOTOS Evan Lai

by SeMaj Musco thletic equipment manager Ron Turner visited the Kansas City Chiefs for their final home preseason game Aug. 24 against the San Francisco 49ers and was able to work with the team’s equipment staff for a game.

Clark Hunt ‘83, president of the Board of Trustees and chairman and CEO of the Chiefs, connected Turner and the Chiefs’ staff.

“The experience was great,” Turner said. “I worked with Allen Wright who has been an equipment manager for over 30 years in the NFL. I learned quite a bit. Just being around them and around the whole atmosphere of a professional ball club was an eye-opening experience.”

Wright, who has worked on the equipment side of the NFL for over 35 years, personally took Turner under his wing during his tenure with the Chiefs. Turner was grateful for the experience.

“It was great,” Turner said. “He has a very good working atmosphere. He’s very professional in what he does. It was an incredible sight. It was like clockwork, everyone does their job within the team. He’s just a great person to work with and work for.

Turner was also given an all-access pass to the Chiefs stadium and was able to tour the stadium and facilities. The pass give him access to virtually every part of the Chiefs’ facility.

“When I got there he [Allen Wright] walked me through everything from the field up to the press box, and during the game I was able to tour all over the facility. I thought the pass was an honor to have.”

Turner was on-hand for the pre-game routine of setting up the player’s locker room for the game. One of the biggest observations from watching the Chiefs staff Turner gained was their individual care with athletes and their individual needs.

“I learned how to prepare the locker room before the game, the handling of some equipment, overall just working with players,” Turner said.

In addition to working with the staff, Turner was also able to meet some of the stars from the Chiefs roster. “ Everybody knows [Chiefs quarterback] Patrick Mahomes. I met him.”

Turner said. “I was very close to head coach [Andy] Reid, but I didn’t get a chance to meet him. They treated me well, and I am a Chiefs fan for life. On top of that, I would like to thank Mr. Hunt for giving me the opportunity to do that.”

LEADING THE CROWD The Super Fan Men hype up the crowd in front of the locker room before the Lions Football team took on Cistercian Sept. 6.

The Lions defeated the Hawks 37-7.

to become part of the sports culture.

LE: At the end of the day, the best part LE: With the Athletic Director Sean is knowing or hoping our contributions Lissemore and all the changes, it makes it don’t fall on deaf ears. We make sure easy when you get new bleachers, signs, the other grades actually care about St. and locker room. There’s a promoted sense Mark’s. of spirit that the whole school is behind us.

It’s going to go fast, and one day, We came in at a really good time because we’re going to be walking down that it feels like the school is backing us, stage, and we’re no longer going to be in and what we’re doing is something that the student section cheering, so we’ve got becomes one with the school. to make sure that we take When people think of St. advantage of what we have.

Mark’s, we want them to think Jack and I are staring We have one of the of school spirit, driving out to smallest student at five or six football bodies in SPC, but Oklahoma City to take over games left, ten or 11 home we make sure that a student section, driving to basketball games. This we’re going to get Desoto for a basketball game. is the end for us, and we everything out of our JT: We wouldn’t have been students. want to make sure our last Luke Evangelist able to do this if we didn’t contribution to the school is receive so much support from something that the athletes the administration. Mr. Igoe and Mr. and the people watching can enjoy.

Dismile both talked with us so much JT: For me, the best part is having this about [being Super Fan Men], and they vision for what the student section were both really supportive. Parents and should be: music, everyone cheering, and everyone in gear. It’s going to take a bunch teachers, too. The students have been super supportive, and we couldn’t do it of work to make that happen, not just without them. hoping it comes together. Also, being able

“

RALLYING THE CROWD During the first pep rally of the year, Trahan and Evangelist hype up the student body Sept.

6 before the Lions competed against Cistercian.

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SPORTS

RUNNING THE DISTANCE Outrunning their opponents, freshmen Arjun Khatti and Sky Park approach the finish line at the Lovejoy Cross Country Festival Sept. 21.

OVER THE NET Rising above the defense to meet a set from junior Daniel Sanchez, senior Toby Nwafor lines up his spike. The Lions lost the game against the Trojans 3-1.

Cross country starts season strong through three events

Volleyball squad looks to rebound from early-season injuries

2018 SPC FINISH 2nd 2018 BEST FINISH 1st at Northwest Invitational at Discovery Park

2018 RECORD 13-9

2018 SPC RECORD 5-3

2019 RECORD 0-4

2019 BEST FINISH 3rd at Greenhill Relays NOTABLE Biology instructor Mark Adame has the highest attendance at cross country meets out of any faculty member; Suzanne and Patrick Magee Master Teacher in Mathematics Joe Milliet is a close second.

THEY SAID IT “We have started the season on a strong note. We will continue to build on that base.” ­—Head Varsity Coach John Turek

COMPILATIONS Jack Davis, Ethan Borge PHOTOS Tyler Nussbaumer, Blake Broom

NOTABLE Three players have been injured during practice and games during the beginning to the season. Senior captain Lincoln Dales, senior Matthew Raroque and junior Tristan Doan were all injured but have returned to the court.

THEY SAID IT “The injuries have given some of the other guys more chances to play in matches.

Everyone on the team has been getting much better thanks to the game time and the more competetive practice environments.” — junior outside hitter Tristan Doan

TEE TIME Junior Will Rocchio hits a ball into the distance with his iron. Rocchio is one of many juniors in the top ten of the power rankings of the team.

Golf squad finishes second at SPC in Austin

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ENDZONE Senior captain and quarterback Anthony Andrews finds the corner of the endzone with his legs during the team’s 37-7 home opener victory over Cistercian Sept. 6.

Backed with new leadership, the Lions blaze through first two opponents to open the season before falling to Kinkaid 2018 RECORD 4-4 NOTABLE The Lions have outscored their first two opponents, Casady and Cistercian, by a combined score of 81-20.

2018 SPC RECORD 2-4

THEY SAID IT “I really like the kids.

Having coached pretty much all of them at some point in time, having had a chance to affect them, football wise, hopefully by teaching them the game, it’s great reconnecting.”— head coach Hayward Lee

2019 RECORD 2-1

THEY SAID IT “Despite an early loss, I feel confident we will finish the season strong with two consecutive games in Houston coming up. We have a tough remaining schedule but I look forward to the challenge.”— junior defensive lineman Charles Wilson

THEY SAID IT “We played a great game against Kinkaid and the whole team showed great effort. Going foward, if we keep showing that effort we could really make a run at the championship.”— junior linebacker Abe Echt

COMPILATION Drew Woodward, Luke Nayfa PHOTO Jerry Zhao

Sports junkie A deeper dive into Lions sports for the fall season.

Statistics and records reflect games through Sept. 21.

11

TOUCHDOWNS

FOR QB ANTHONY ANDREWS THROUGH THREE GAMES

37.7

LOCKED AND LOADED Senior quarterback Anthony Andrews (left) runs for a first down against Cistercian in the home opener. Senior Aaron Weiser (right) winds up to serve the volleyball to the opposing Casady team.

Offensive PPG through three games

Total team touchdowns through three games Football

Volleyball

Cross Country Advanced stats:

Advanced stats:

Advanced stats:

The Sept. 6 game vs. Cistercian marked the 650th game in Lions history since 1950.

The squad placed first place in the silver bracket at the St. John’s Invitational in Houston.

Senior wide receiver Paxton Scott is responsible for eight touchdowns through three games.

In 2018, The Lions won their first volleyball SPC championship in five years.

SPC 4A Standings: 1) ESD (2-0) 2) St. Mark’s (2-1) 3) Episcopal Houston (2-1) 4) St. Johns (2-1)

Defensive statistics: The team has five interceptions through the first three games.

The team is allowing 15 points per game through three games.

Next up: Tonight @ St. John’s Oct. 4 @ Houston Christian Oct. 11 vs. Episcopal Houston

North Zone Regular Season Standings Greenhil Trinity Valley Casady FWCD St. Mark’s

1-0 1-1 1-1 0-1 0-1

Next up: Tonight @ Trinity Valley Oct. 1 @ FWCD Oct. 4 @ Casady

2018 SPC Finish: 2nd Coach John Turek begins his 24th year as a full-time coach.

Last three results: Aug. 24 Greenhill Relays: 3rd Aug 31 Marcus Invitational: 18th Sept. 7 Southlake Carroll Invitational: 9th

Word from the captains Senior football captain Paxton Scott

“The season has been going well for us so far. Our first two games helped prepare us for Kinkaid, and although we lost, that game brought out our teams character and willingness to continue fighting.”

Sept. 21 Lovejoy XC Fall Festival: 1st

Top three times: Andres Arroyo: 16:12.54 Pablo Arroyo: 16:17.59 Tyler Nausbaumer: 17:05.42

Next up: Sept. 28: Carroll Dragon Classic

Senior fencing captain Christopher Wang

“I look forward to seeing how our team grows together with the addition of so many freshmen this year. I hope that the upperclassmen can share their knowledge with the younger guys to help them improve quickly throughout the season.”

Senior volleyball captain Lincoln Dales

“We’re starting off the year way ahead of where we were last year. A lot of the young guys have really stepped up to fill the roles of seniors who graduated and other players who are injured and we’re looking poised for another SPC championship run.”

Senior cross country captain Pablo Arroyo

“I think that as a team we are better now than we were near the end of last year. Besides winning SPC, I hope each athlete finds his own personal role and importance to the team.”

‘Sports junkie’ compiled by Luke Nayfa

ON THE ATTACK Along the net, junior setter Daniel Sanchez sets up junior middle blocker Jack Davis for a spike against the Trinity Valley Trojans on Sept. 13.

The Lions would go on to lose by one set.

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

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Part-time Spartan

BACKPAGE

When he’s not in class, Mathematics Instructor Jeffrey Hale competes in obstacle-course-type Spartan Races.

What is Spartan Racing?

“Spartan Racing is obstacle course racing. They have four levels—I’ve competed in Sprint, Super and Beast [levels]. They also have an Ultra Beast, which is the Beast times two. What’s unique about Spartan Racing is that if you fail to complete an obstacle, you have to do 30 burpees.”

How often do you compete in them?

“I did my first one in the spring of 2014. There’s Spartan Races all over the world, but the ones I’ve done have been in Austin and Glen Rose. They typically return to those venues every year. I’ve done ten to 15 races.”

Why do you enjoy doing them?

“There’s a sense of accomplishment, as well as for me with my schedule and my kids and my family, I find that if I sign up for an event, I will do my best to train and prepare for that event, whereas if I don’t sign up for anything, the temptation to sleep an extra hour and a half before work outweighs getting up and just doing it for the sake of doing it.”

“But the finish—especially the Beast—when you look at your watch, and you’ve been out there for over four hours on the course—it’s a great feeling.”

— Spartan athlete Jeffrey Hale

How do you train for them?

“I train I would say anywhere from three to four mornings of about 45 minutes to an hour of a boot-camp type exercises. Then, I try to get some cardio and mileage in on the weekend. I also participate in 5K’s and half-marathons—mainly in the winter when it’s colder. I’m not a big fan of the heat and running.”

What are some of your proudest moments?

“Definitely finishing is my biggest achievement. But I do like getting all three races in a calendar year, just for my own sense of gratification. I also always try to complete an obstacle that I failed in the past. Every now and again, I’ll get in a race and I’ll be able to complete something I haven’t done in the past. That’s always an exciting time on the course because I haven’t been able to do it before, and I don’t have to do 30 burpees!”

Levels of difficulty Sprint: Obstacles: 20 Distance: 3 miles Hale: “Although challenging, it’s not quite as difficult.”

From the website: “The perfect distance for firsttime racers starting their journey.”

Super: Obstacles: 25 Distance: 8 miles Hale: “It’s grueling once you get up to eight miles.”

From the website: “The ideal blend between distance and speed.”

Beast: Obstacles: 30 Distance: 13 miles Hale: “The Beast that I did last year took me a little over four hours.”

From the website: “It will challenge everything you’re made of.”

Ultra: Obstacles: 60 Distance: 30 miles Hale: “The Beast times two—I’ve never done one of those.”

From the website: “If you can complete this, you can do anything.”

A GRUELING TASK (Left) Hale struggles to not let his feet touch the ground in a monkey-bar obstacle to avoid doing 30 burpees.

(Above) Sloshing in the mud, Hale crawls under barbed wire on his hands and knees.

STORY Cristian Pereira PHOTOS COURTESY Jeffrey Hale