The ReMarker | Sept. 2024

BUSINESS GOOD FOR

T he school’s continued focus on character and leadership has, for decades, prepared students to enter the workforce not only competent in their fields of study, but also prepared to lead. With the finance industry growing in the city, the school remains confident that its emphasis on developing capable leaders will enable them to thrive in any environment, in the realm of business and beyond.

SEE COVERAGE, PAGES 16-17

Photo by Winston Lin, Illustration by Joseph Sun and Joshua Goforth

Senior Carson Bosita’s artistic ventures

Texas’ widepread water shortages

Learning leadership with Kris Lowe

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A LIP-PILLOW PROBLEM

The growth of nicotine pouches has altered the landscape of the nicotine addiction in the US. The issue: this alternative is prevelant with kids.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Students in Upper School must have 15 hours of community service per year, but this requirement can disassociate the service from its actual goal.

RETURN TO THE WILDERNESS

Students were once again able to venture out on the Pecos trip this past summer, yet their time in the wilderness was complicated by weather.

23 SCHOOL SAFETY

As our country continues to stuggle with gun violence in schools, the unfortunate truth is students must prepare for the worst.

LAWRENCE GARDNER Enterprise Editor

Every time someone asks what grade I’m in and I say I’m a senior, the response is almost always the same, “Enjoy it, it goes by fast.” It feels like just yesterday I was in my pajamas watching Polar Express with Mrs. Broom in first grade. Like it was only a week ago when I was decorating gingerbread cookies in Mrs. Morris’ classroom. And now, here I am, walking around in my blue shirt. I’ve spent nearly my whole life on this campus, and now it’s all coming to an end.

Lately, the word “last” has been weighing heavy on my mind. My last first day of high school. My last orientation day. My last opening high school

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WINN ‘64 OPENS COSM

The new complex in Grandscape offers an immersive entertainment experience for visitors.

GRANDMASTER IN THE MAKING

Freshman Eric Liu has defeated some of the best chess players as he continues to excel at the game.

TAKING FLIGHT

Senior Andrew Xuan, a member of the Civil Air Patrol program, learns aircraft operation skills.

SCORING FOR PROGRESS

The President and the COO of Trinity FC, both alums, share the story of founding the first professional womens soccer team in Dallas.

football game. And I know there are many more “lasts” to come. For 12 years, this place has been shaping me into who I am, and now this is the final chapter. It’s bittersweet. I feel this pressure to do more, to leave some kind of mark, to give back to the community because this is my last shot. My last chance to make a difference.

But why am I so stuck on the ending? Is it because I wish I had done more? Or maybe it’s just the uncertainty of what’s next — St. Mark’s has been my community for so long that thinking about what’s beyond it feels daunting. Endings make you reminisce, wondering if you did all you could. However, they also highlight what you’ve taken for granted, all the moments and people that have made this time special, and I think that’s where I’ve been getting it wrong.

Instead of focusing on the “lasts,” maybe it’s time to see this year for the “firsts” it brings. We’ve got this amazing senior lounge. We get to be big brothers to the younger kids and mentors they’ll look up to. We get to connect with our little buddies and make memories that will last long after we’re gone.

This isn’t just a year of endings; it’s a year full of new beginnings. This will be my first time standing on the field for senior night. My first chance to pull off a Senior Prank Day. My first time being a senior leader on the IDLC. I now realize this isn’t just about wrapping things up. It’s about stepping into new roles, embracing new opportunities, and growing into the person I’m meant to be. It’s a chance to make a lasting impact and enjoy every first that comes with it.

NEWS IN BRIEF

CHOIR EVENSONG Led by Glenn Stroh, the first choir Evensong of the school year took place at school Sept. 15, which began with an organ recital then transitioned into the choir’s main program. The choir’s repertoire included Preces and Responses, the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. Looking ahead into the near future, the choir will sing the national anthem before the Homecoming football game on Oct. 4.

MCDONALD’S WEEK LEADERSHIP The week before Thanksgiving Break, students have the opportunity to visit the school’s local McDonald’s and grow closer as a community. For the junior class, McDonald’s Week is an opportunity for the grade to bond through teamwork. There are several designated groups working under the guidance of Weston Chance, Sam Blumenthal and Dilan Koganti, who lead the McDonald’s Week Council.

COMMUNITY SERVICE The Clothing Drive collected new or gently-used clothing for donation to St. Vincent de Paul and North Dallas Shared Ministries from Sept. 9-20. Clothing items included baby’s, women’s, kids’ and men’s clothes. This year, pickup locations included the Lower School Circle, in front of Nearburg and the student parking lot. The initiative encouraged students to declutter their closets and donate to communities.

HEADLINES

Reviewing this month’s news from around the world

WHAT HAPPENED: Alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

WHEN: Sept. 15

RELEVANCE: As investigations are ongoing, Ryan Wesley Routh’s alleged assassination attempt on Trump sparked scrutiny on gun laws.

WHAT HAPPENED: SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew concludes historic spacewalk mission.

WHEN: Sept. 10-15

RELEVANCE: As the first-ever private spacewalk, this Polaris mission aimed to conduct research on human health during spaceflight.

FIVE MINUTES WITH

Drama Instructor Katy Tye

“Some people like to do improv, generally, in class, and it’s a different way to be creative than I think people are used to when compared to other arts like drawing or ceramics. Improv is asking your brain to think outside the box.”

“I really like to let students kind of come up with their own stuff. A lot of directors are very ‘you go here and do this and do that.’ I don’t like to do that, because I like to see what the students come up with, and when they’re like, ‘Oh, it feels really cool to cross that line.’”

“Theater is a collaborative art, and I think students are told too often how to create art instead of being encouraged to explore it in theater.”

Zyn drives new nicotine craze

With a rise in Zyn usage amongst teens, these addictive nicotine pouches have led to calls for increased regulation, health concerns and public awareness.

BY JOSHUA GOFORTH AND RONIT KONGARA

Fifty years ago, it was common to see students smoking and sharing cigarettes in school, the parking lot, parties or in any other social settings. Today, smoking has fallen out of style — students half a century ago lived on the tail end of the age of widespread smoking, as eye-opening articles such as the Surgeon General’s 1964 report linked cigarettes directly to an early onset of lung cancer and heart disease. According to the CDC, the percentage of adult smoking in the U.S. between 1965 and 2019 fell from 42 percent to 14.2 percent. But even as cigarettes disappear, nicotine has found a way to stay around.

The latest trend in the nicotine industry has spread like wildfire throughout the United States: oral nicotine pouches, meant to be placed between the gum and upper lip. One of the most popular brands of these pouches is Zyn. Though marketed exclusively for ages 21 and up, Zyn has made its way into the hands of teenagers, with around 400,000 adolescents nationwide using nicotine patches, according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Upper School Counselor Dr. Mary Bonsu is no stranger to nicotine products and their effects on teens and young adults. As a member of the Marksmen Wellness Center Team, Bonsu has dealt with students struggling with nicotine addictions in the past, especially from vapes, and has educated students on such products through Health and Wellness classes.

“It’s habit forming,” Bonsu said. “The brain starts rewarding the person for using nicotine, and the more the reward systems are strengthened and the brain structures that are responsible for cognition, memory and emotion are damaged, the more easily people can form a dependence on it.”

Student voters shape elections

BY CHRISTOPHER GUFFEY

As the Nov. 5 election approaches, student engagement in voting grows.

For Amy Peck, Parent’s Association Voter Registration Chair and St. Mark’s parent, ensuring that eligible students exercise their civic duty is of utmost importance.

Being the mother of a senior who is eligible to vote, Peck observed that in addition to her son’s impending college decisions, this election has sparked a newfound interest in politics.

“The combination of this huge election year, plus the fact that Oliver is a senior and looking at colleges and being thoughtful about where he wants to go after St. Mark’s, is causing him to be a little bit thoughtful about what’s going on in the world, in our country and in our state,” Peck said.

A student’s vote is no more or less important and impactful than that of an adult in America. Peck said she believes it is crucial for students to take this election seriously and fully use their right to vote.

“It is your civic duty as an American,” Peck said. “Many people around the world would love to trade places with an eligible voter here in the U.S. just to be able to live in a democracy that works. Our democracy only works if people show up to cast their vote. So we get what we get, and it’s 100 percent dependent on participation.”

For Peck, voting is an act that becomes easier and more habitual the more you partake in it.

She said she believes that beginning the voting process as early as high school can build a foundation for good voting habits in the future.

“Voting begets voting; it’s a little bit like going to the gym,” Peck said.

However, this election isn’t just for the president. Students and voters alike will be given the option to vote people into various levels of government.

“You’re not just choosing the president, you’re choosing our senators,” Peck said. “You’re choosing all of your congressional representatives. Texas legislative people and even judges are on the ballot. It’s an opportunity to vote for a whole lot of people who collectively impact how we govern in Dallas, in Texas and in the United States.”

Local races also are on the ballot.

“Other candidates for smaller positions deserve considerable amounts of attention too, because they will affect the current generation’s parents and even this generation further down the line,” Peck said. “It’s the people toward the bottom of the ballot that actually impact your every day, your neighborhood, your county and your precinct, more than whoever is senator or president.”

However, many new and unfamiliar names on the ballot can sometimes be daunting for many first-time voters, especially for students who aren’t well-informed.

“You can’t just show up on Election Day and wing it,” Peck said. “There are a lot of names on the ballot, and you don’t want to waste your vote if you don’t know who you’re voting for.”

Peck emphasizes the importance of students being well-informed and making thoughtful decisions when casting their ballots.

In addition, she said she believes students should ensure they digest news information from reputable sources.

“Social media is not a valid news source. I would encourage everybody who’s voting to go to real, trusted news sources and not through social media,” Peck said.

With increasing concerns about the consequences that these nicotine pouches may have, experts warn about its nature and long-term impacts.

Winn ‘64 redefines live entertainment; co-founds, opens Cosm Dallas

With dreams inspired from the addition of the school’s telescope, Cosm co-founder Steve Winn ’64 completed his quest of creating immersive, virtual-reality entertainment.

BY KEVIN HO AND TEJAS ALLADA

Nebraska is on the 12-yard line.

The crowd’s deafening noise reverberates all around you, intensifying each moment as the gold and red jerseys collide with each other at the line of scrimmage.

The hand-off unfolds right in front of your eyes. Every single split-second movement is hyper realistic, pulling you into the heat of the moment.

You see Nebraska’s offensive line creating a path for their running back.

He hurtles towards the end zone with relentless momentum.

He crosses the goal line.

The stadium erupts in an explosion of thunderous roars.

You look around, and you find yourself sitting on the field behind the goalposts, next to the photographers and media personnel rapidly clicking their cameras to capture the first touchdown of the game.

For a few seconds, you can touch the turf with your hands. Call out to the players. Feel the fans’ energy pulsing through Memorial Stadium.

You take a sip out of a cup in the armrest of the chair you’re sitting in, and as the digital scoreboard appears on the dome-like screen, reality finally pulls you back.

You’re cheering with 100,000 people in the

stadium, but you’re also more than 500 miles away from it.

This is the future of immersive entertainment. And it’s exactly what Steve Winn ‘64 envisioned with his company — Cosm.

Steve Winn’s dream began to take root before his junior year of high school, inspired by the cutting-edge telescope installed in the McDermott Green Math Quadrangle.

With that addition of technology to the school, Winn found his inspiration, setting the stage for developing his vision for Cosm.

But this inspiration wouldn’t truly take off until several key milestones were reached.

After graduating from the school, Winn attended UT Austin, then made a mark as CEO of Computer Language Research. From there, he spent a year as President of the Research Institute of America and founded the property management software company RealPage in 1998.

Yet, throughout all these ambitious endeavors, Winn still held on to his inspiration that he discovered years ago, which was still lingering in the back of his mind. And soon, this spark of an idea turned into a passion and finally began to bloom in 2016.

“I began to research planetariums,” Winn said. “And after a while it occurred to me that planetariums weren’t thinking correctly — you sat in a dark room and you looked at the ceiling

‘WOULDN’T THAT CHANGE THE USE CASE THAT PLANETARIUMS WERE BUILT FOR?’ THE ANSWER IS YES, AND THAT’S WHAT WE DID HERE.”

Steve Winn ’64, co-founder of Cosm

above. So I asked myself, ‘What would happen if you rotated the dome on its side and lit it up with LEDs so that you could see it during the day without needing it to be dark? Wouldn’t that change the use case that planetariums were built for?’ The answer is yes, and that’s what we did here.”

But to truly begin the journey, Winn believes that an essential piece of the puzzle to making Cosm a reality was Jeb Terry Jr., a fellow Marksman who went to school with Winn’s son.

With a distinguished resume consisting of playing five years in the NFL and founding a live broadcast company that he sold to Fox Sports, Winn believed that Terry had the capability to bring Cosm’s vision to life through his expertise in sports broadcasting.

“We began to research if it would be possible to broadcast live sporting events at 12k resolution and 120 frames per second from anywhere in the world, with five to 10 seconds of latency

Football fans watch the Colorado vs. Nebraska game. The curvature and bright LED lights that Cosm features on its screen create a feeling of actually being at the game.

Photo by Dilan Koganti

from the field to the pixel,” Winn said. “Jeb was able to put the technical team together to actually make that happen.”

Up until this point, Cosm was still only an idea, but this all changed when the Cosm Experience Center officially opened in 2020.

Initially, the Experience Center was constructed to serve as a prototype for future domes and venues. Although the center did not emphasize sports viewing, a large focus was placed on the one-of-a-kind technology it featured.

“We had over a thousand people come through to see the test dome,” Winn said. “Without exception, they all looked at it and said, ‘This is a new form of entertainment. It’s not like an arena, it’s not like a stadium, it’s not like a sports bar — there’s nothing to describe it. It is the equivalent of being at the event without really being at the event.”

For Makerspace Director Stewart Mayer, the advanced immersive technology of Cosm is a familiar subject.

Considering Mayer’s extensive background in cinematography and videography, he is particularly interested in its capabilities for enhancing viewer experience.

“It’s like a giant immersive theater,” Mayer said. “It’s very similar to our planetarium in that aspect except it adds more. It’s not just 180 degrees above you. It actually goes further so you can see in front of you as well, which makes that kind of virtual-reality experience even more realistic.

In addition, Mayer believes that these virtual-realistic features can create a unique viewing environment that can promptother people who work in the field of videography.

“You can put an ultra-high-resolution camera system at the Super Bowl, and if (the camera) is placed at a seat that has good tickets, you get the view from that sweet spot,” Mayer said. “From a filmmaker’s point of view, it’s pretty amazing.”

With each successful step forward, Winn and

“ YOU COULD LITERALLY SEE IN THE EYEBALLS OF THE SNOWBOARDERS AS THEY JUMPED UP 50 FEET IN THE AIR. YOU COULD EXPERIENCE BEIJING IN REAL TIME.”

Steve Winn ’64, co-founder of Cosm

his team gained more confidence that Cosm was going to be revolutionary in its industry. Two years later in 2022, with assurance that their technology was truly captivating, Cosm broadcasted its first-ever sporting event open to a small group of spectators — the Beijing Winter Olympics.

“I remember that the first moment we lit up Beijing live, it was one of the biggest reliefs for us,” Winn said. “We were transmitting the snowboarding event and you could literally see in the eyeballs of the snowboarders as they jumped up 50 feet in the air. You could experience Beijing in real time. It was live within 10 seconds and was in such a grand resolution that you could see everything around you. You couldn’t tell you weren’t there. Up until that point we thought the idea would work, but when we saw that we knew we had it.”

After Cosm’s major success in broadcasting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the entire sports entertainment industry took notice.

Nearly a year after its first immersion experience, Cosm took significant strides forward in reaching a wider audience by signing multi-year broadcasting agreements with several professional sports organizations.

“I think the real pivotal moment was when the NBA came in and saw it and wanted to be the first league to enter into a business relationship with us,” Winn said. “Once they came in, the UFC came in.”

With early partnerships secured and plans to establish 50 venues by the end of the decade,

Winn envisions expanding the sporting events currently available at the current LA and Dallas venues.

In his eyes, deploying Cosm around the world will have the potential to open up not only live sporting experiences to hundreds of thousands of people, but also other forms of art entertainment.

While these opportunities for growth will increase Cosm’s variety of entertainment, Mayer also believes that Cosm will create a new path for people to take when it comes to seeking new ways to view live entertainment.

“I think (Cosm) will add another option to the entertainment industry,” Mayer said. “Obviously, going somewhere is a lot harder than sitting in your living room, but it adds a really cool option for people to go to.”

Yet aside from the impact that Cosm is capable of achieving in broadcasting entertainment, Winn believes that it is also a form of science and education — a source of inspiration for people.

Similar to how his curiosity for telescopes and planetariums inspired him to develop Cosm, Winn hopes to spread the same sense of wonder to the aspiring youth.

“It’s the children and young adults that are most open to molding their thoughts and careers around science and education,” Winn said. “Getting that spark to fire in the mind of a young student so that they say to themselves, ‘I love what I see here, I want to change the world.’ Cosm’s technology can spark the imagination of our youth, and we need that spark, especially around science and education.”

Located in Grandscape, The Colony, Cosm’s modernistic exterior look can currently be seen at two different venues across the nation.

Photo Courtesy Cosm

Viewers gaze upon the large screen displaying the Colorado vs Nebraska game, transported into the game as if on the field themselves.

Photo Illustration by Dilan Koganti and Andrew Ye

PFAS contaminate water, threaten public health

‘Forever chemicals’ used in common consumer goods are contaminating

nearly half of U.S.

tap water, posing significant long-term health risks including cancer.

BY KEVIN HO AND ANDREW YE

Packaged fast-food boxes, non-stick pans and even backpacks are a few everyday products that make our lives easier. But these conveniences have a cost.

To produce these consumer goods, man-made chemicals known as Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS) are added even though some PFAS are toxic.

According to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey, at least 45 percent of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of the chemicals known as PFAS. Due to the slow decomposition of PFAS chemicals both in the environment and in our bodies, they are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.”

Under current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restrictions, manufacturers do not have to disclose to consumers that they are using PFAS in their products, and the EPA hasn’t yet changed its code to regulate most of them.

“I think only recently we put a lot of attention on PFAS because decades ago, there was a sort of limitation on this knowledge,” Senior Engineer at

are very expensive, ion exchange resins, another medium to remove PFAS and nanofiltration by way of reverse osmosis, which requires tons of energy. The third way is to shut down water wells.”

But each of these solutions currently in place have significant drawbacks — water dilution is only a temporary bandage to a much larger wound. Chemical mediums are tagged at notoriously high prices, often seen by manufacturers as cost-inefficient. And closing water wells will induce sudden widespread water supply disruptions.

In Ji’s eyes, all of the three solutions that municipalities implement to mitigate PFAS contamination all share one common link — they’re all costly. For him, the cost-effective innovation that some people hope will better combat PFAS in the near-future is wishful thinking, especially for the sector that he dedicates his time to.

“I don’t feel very optimistic that there will be a treatment in the near-future without pricing issues, because the water industry is very conventional, not high-tech,” Ji said. “It’s traditional. Everything takes time, especially when developing new technologies while trying to lower costs.”

Ji’s economic concerns highlight the broader challenge of implementing affordable solutions

I DON’T FEEL VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THERE WILL BE A TREATMENT IN THE NEAR-FUTURE WITHOUT PRICING ISSUES, BECAUSE THE WATER INDUSTRY IS VERY CONVENTIONAL, NOT HIGHTECH. EVERYTHING TAKES TIME, ESPECIALLY WHEN DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGIES WHILE TRYING TO LOWER COSTS.”

Patrick Ji, Engineer

“In my perspective, water will be a very big political issue in the next 20 to 30 years,” Ji said. “Given that climate change is another problem, it will also impact the water supply industry a lot. We have to improve our conventional treatment technologies. We have to think about the future and think a couple steps ahead when dealing with these uncertainties.”

Currently, water on campus is connected directly from the Dallas city, which has PFAS levels significantly under the new regulatory limits imposed by the EPA.

“As of right now, I would be more worried about

Junior wins American Heart Association impact award

BY ARMAAN NEWASKAR AND GRAYSON KIRBY

Marshall Bagley has always been a leader. His skills were recognized as early as third grade, and in his junior year of high school he has proved them once again. Due to his hard work and dedication, he was named the American Heart Association Dallas 2024 Teen of Impact Winner.

Nearly 10 years prior, Bagley was asked to undertake a similar task and raise money for a school program involving the American Heart Association. When given the opportunity to do so again by his family, and on an even bigger scale, Bagley was prepared and excited to help out.

“I just thought it would be a good opportunity to help out a really good cause and then just get experience myself by leading the American Heart Association,” Bagley said.

While he showed the skills of a leader from an early age his experiences at St. Mark’s helped cultivate his talents in a variety of ways. Despite having diverse interests, the lessons he learned from pursuing them remained consistent.

“I kind of took away from all my team experiences and from trying to have a community and trying to have a team emphasis that while yes,” Bagley said, “each person is individually fundraising and trying to make money we’re still all fundraising.”

As the head of the project, he had to make sure that he was constantly on top of things. While navigating a difficult school year, he also had a team to manage and direct. And yet, despite it all, he thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Bagley’s favorite part of the project was the collaboration aspect, which he is only able to experience through highly efficient communication.

“Not everyone was in Dallas, so I wasn’t seeing everyone every day like if I was doing a school project,” Bagley said. “I had to really be on top of emailing people and really be on top of communicating and making sure people knew what was going on.”

His greatest asset was Microsoft Teams, which allowed him to maintain cohesion

within the group and direct the squad’s efforts towards the ultimate goal.

“People had other things going on in their lives beyond this fundraiser,” Bagley said, “so making sure to coordinate with them while they’re still working a job or while still going to school was really important. Being on top of communication and making it really as personalized as we can was what helped this thing run smoothly.”

Following his rousing fundraising success, Bagley hopes to continue to work with the American Heart Association and raise awareness for these problems by using the skills he learned and enhanced through this experience to better his approach.

Pictured is a dirty glass of water. Adobe Stock, Staff Illustration

Marketers discuss advertisement impacts

With social media driving modern marketing, professionals reveal how data-driven strategies are influencing consumer behavior.

BY ANDREW YE AND MICHAEL CHANG

“Just do it.”

“I’m lovin’ it.”

“Let’s go places.”

Just three words are enough to completely define and industry’s landscape and send people racing over to buy a product. Those three words alone, however, wouldn’t have made any impact unless it was backed by something that was centuries in the making: advertising.

Since its conception, has evolved from billboards to newspaper ads to mobile banners, and companies today are still finding innovative ways to attract new customers.

The process of creating an ad is multifaceted - the shiny billboards and reels that consumers see are typically the sole survivors of simulations designed to weed down hundreds of proposals into just a couple.

“You have to pretty much out innovate others in terms of the flavors and packaging, because people get bored of old ads,” former PepsiCo - Frito-Lay Marketer Rose Kaur said. “Making a proper ad is a big investment, so a lot of things are tested every step of the way to make sure, ultimately, that the ad you have is appealing to your end consumer.”

Teenagers, in particular, are a prime interest of many companies. Since these younger customers tend to have shorter attention spans than adults, advertisements catered towards them undergo even stricter screening regiments.

“The colors and music of ads, they’re all important,” Kaur said. “You want to make sure your product is extremely appealing to them. “

However, directly advertising to children is becoming more difficult.

“Now, there are a lot of rules and regulations about how you advertise to kids,” Kaur said. “If you do not follow them, or if you get caught, there are penalties.”

PEOPLE CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. PEOPLE APPRECIATE GENUINE STORIES. MARKETING IS POWERFUL, AND IT’S ALMOST ALWAYS A WIN-WIN.”

David Soames, Co-founder of The Shop Agency

Young consumers are also growing more vigilant when it comes to unethical advertising. Advertisements that do not conform to the moral standards of consumers hurt the brand as a whole. As a result, companies work extremely hard to create ads that both appeal to customers and avoid crossing moral barriers.

“If you’re a brand that sources products from unethical practices, consumers will drop your product,” Kaur said. “It’s not just about having a good product. It’s also making sure that the values you say you have are being followed throughout the process.”

However, there are subtle external factors that companies use to draw consumers’ attention. Brands do lots of

research to find what excites customers.

“The most effective advertising, especially on social media, is the advertising that doesn’t look, feel or sound like, advertising,” Co-Founder of The Shop Agency David Soames said. “People just really enjoy seeing non-artificial videos on social media, since, to them, it’s uncanny. A lot of our raw content generates more traffic than our polished content.”

Soames’ team uses early advertisements to focus specifically on the customers of different companies and understand their purchase behavior.

“We collect metrics like where do they make their purchases, are they doing it online or are they going in person,” Soames said. “There’s a lot of research that factors in and finding the best spots where we want to hit them, target them, and then we tailor our creative marketing accordingly. When it comes to social media marketing, it’s just constant testing and learning.”

A lot of their data streams comes from their marketing on social media, as companies have access to metrics such as click-through rates and watch-time, making it easier to track individual purchase behavior.

“Social media marketing is arguably one of the most important right now, and that’s because that’s just where the world’s gone,” Soames said. “It also makes it a lot easier

for us to judge how much traffic specific posts generate rather than a roadside billboard, which makes taking advantage of the algorithm and getting brands in people’s faces repeatedly a lot easier and less varied to luck.”

But the key to generating a loyal customer base is by adapting content to what they want to buy, and having a face for it.

“Trends change literally every single day, so we’re having to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s current all the time,” Soames said. “And this leads us to the power of influencer marketing. We reach out to influencers all the time to advertise for different clients because, again, people connect with people, so customers are more likely to listen.”

To Soames, products always make their way to the people who want them, and advertising is just a booster for efficiency.

“Even if we market to customers who don’t end up buying our product, their retention still boosts our clients’ brands standing in the algorithm, potentially showing our product to people who would want to buy it,” Soames said. “We just love helping speed up the process. To us, marketing is art.”

Nicotine pouches gain popularity among teens

continued from page 3

Zyn, given its more potent and immediate delivery of nicotine due to direct contact with capillaries and ease of use and concealment, can more easily lead to a nicotine addiction.

“It’s impacting memory and cognition, everything that you need to be able to organize yourself and function well,” Bonsu said. “Memory is a big part of your learning, and so is processing information. If all those things are compromised, you’re not going to meet your goals.”

Part of the popularity of Zyn can be attributed to the apparent lack of visible harm to the body compared to other forms of nicotine products such as vapes and tobacco.

“Most people are going to go, ‘It’s just nicotine. It’s not hurting my lungs, right?’ Well, we can show you damaged lungs,” Bonsu said. “But unless we put you in a functional MRI, and then give you tasks and show you how things are lighting up and how they’re probably not lighting up if you’re addicted to something, it doesn’t really hit home.”

Additionally, unlike those other forms of nicotine, Zyns are discreet and easy to conceal. Designed to fit within the lip, Zyn pouches can be difficult for police to detect.

“I think the size of the pouch definitely reduces the stigma,” a Zyn user who requested anonymity said. “When you buy one and walk back to your car, it’s much harder to notice than, for example, a beer bottle.”

Although the physical effects of nicotine may not be as visible as a blackened lung, they are still just as prevalent.

“The main factor that made me quit was that it suppresses your appetite, and I was barely eating at all,” the Zyn user said. “It was very hard to sustain myself.”

Another reason nicotine is so attractive to young people

YOU WILL NEED SUPPORT TO GET OFF OF IT, IT’S NOT GOING TO BE SIMPLY A MATTER OF WILLPOWER. YOU HAVE TO EXPLORE THE BIG PICTURE AND IDENTIFY THINGS THAT ARE CAUSING THE ADDICTION. THEN, WILL YOU HAVE POWER OVER IT.”

Mary Bonsu, Upper School Counselor

is because Zyns are not perceived with the same distaste in society as other substances might be, and certain peole believe they can help them feel accepted in social settings.

“Zyns are way cooler than vaping,” another user who requested anonymity said. “I started using Zyns last summer; I would say it was my peers who got me into it, but it wasn’t peer pressure. It was a personal choice. Socially, I would say, there’s an enticing benefit—it’s like evidence that I’m chill.”

While some may be unaware, many Zyn users realize

how damaging their addictions can be, yet they consciously choose to continue because of how others perceive them.

“The first thing one of my friends, whenever they would come in town, would ask me was, ‘Do you have any nicotine?’” the user said. “If the answer was yes, their response was, ‘I need some right now,’ and if the answer was no, it was, ‘Can you take me and get some?’ They were pleading.”

Even Zyn users who actively want to quit are thrown into an unhealthy loop of leaving and coming back.

“There’s so many times I’ve seen someone say, ‘I’m quitting, I’m throwing it away, I’m flushing it down the toilet,’” the user said. “And then, two days later, it’s back. The part about quitting is that if you quit for a while and then you start again, it feels way better. It encourages a cycle.”

And for every student that overcomes their addiction to nicotine, another always seems to take their place.

Zyns and other oral pouches have reached their peak in popularity—according to another recent evaluation by the National Youth Tobacco Survey, total usage of tobacco products among students has dropped significantly in recent years. As more and more people quit, the hard reality has become clear: there is a path for those struggling to overcome addiction, though the journey may not be easy.

“It’s easy to just pop one in when I’m studying or just chilling,” the user said. “I like the buzz, and they just really help me focus. I quit them once, but I don’t really feel like quitting them again.”

Everyday, we see on average 4,000-10,000 advertisements from a multitude of sources, mostly from social media, according to Yankelovich Market research. Illustration by Josh Goforth

Parent participation boosts volunteering

Many service opportunities offered to grant double hours if they bring a parent along , but some question if such opportunities incentivize students to treat doing service solely as a way to rack up hours.

BY KEVIN HO AND WYATT AUER

For some upper schoolers, community service deadlines spring up out of nowhere. During these frantic situations, students often scramble to find last-minute community service events that will save them from an impending detention.

Sometimes, students will scour MobileServe for events to no avail. But on other occasions, with the clock ticking down, they might spot an event that offers double hours for those who bring a parent — a golden opportunity ready to be taken.

Picking up trash at Bachman Lake, cleaning up debris around White Rock Lake, sorting through litter on local trails. Typically, these sorts of activities all qualify for the double-hour benefit if a student brings a parent to accompany them in the effort.

Though these opportunities have the surfacelevel value of more service hours to record, there is another purpose that goes beyond meeting requirements with the least amount of effort possible.

For Community Service Vice Chair Ben Standefer, these opportunities intend to encourage participation and expand community involvement, rather than to randomly offer more hours or give students chances to narrowly escape community service deadlines.

“I don’t think they should be required for every event,” Standefer said. “But for the events that we have them implemented in, we do (so) purposely — it’s usually because the organization specifies that it’s a larger event that benefits from a lot of different participants.”

Not only does adding parents to the participants increase the number of total people, but this it also enhances the impact of community service.

“When you get the parents involved, you’re

getting the community involved,” Standefer said. “You go with your parents to pick up trash, and maybe at the dinner table, when you talk about your day, you mention how you made a difference with your family. Then, that thought turns to ‘what other kinds of activities can we do to make a positive impact in the community?’”

In addition, Standefer believes that chasing hours is a distinctly separate concept from the true core values that community service represents.

YOU GO WITH YOUR PARENTS TO PICK UP TRASH, AND MAYBE AT THE DINNER TABLE, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR DAY, YOU MENTION HOW YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR FAMILY. THEN, THAT THOUGHT TURNS TO ‘WHAT OTHER KINDS OF ACTIVITIES CAN WE DO TO MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY?” COMMUNITY SERVICE BOARD VICE-CHAIR BENJAMIN STANDEFER

“I think some people misconstrue the purpose of community service a lot at St. Mark’s,” Standefer said. “It’s not a give-and-take exchange system or supposed to be this calculation of doing the minimum number of hours to fulfill a requirement. The whole point of the St. Mark’s community is that we embody our core values every single day.”

Similar to Standefer’s perspective on the purpose for double-hour community service activities, Spanish Teacher and Director of Community Service Jorge Correa believes that these events resonate with the goal of fostering deeper connections.

“I would say that the (double-hour) opportunities started with Habitat, because some students had their parents drive them over there,” Correa said. “So if they stay instead of just living for the shift, we give them the opportunity to work side by side with their son, which I think is a great opportunity to bond.”

Along with the shared ideal of the benefits of parent-son community service, Correa believes that community service is about giving to those in need.

“We all have the time, talent and resources. You can share all of those three, or just one of them. Pick one of them — just choose whatever you want, and assist and work together with people in need,” Correa said.

Ever since Correa took leadership on the Community Service Board, the overarching importance of community service has shifted into the limelight.

“People think differently. They take care of themselves in terms of mental and physical health and give time to themselves and their families,” Correa said. “The job is important, but it’s not your life — it’s part of your life. So all of those things that are changing in terms of the global culture of the world, these new generations, will affect the way in which we engage with other people who are not, or were not, born in the same situation that I was.”

This school year, the Community Service Board hopes to encapsulate some of that shift in a new meaningful mission statement.

“I look at every new year with the hope that one of the guys we get brings something new, something different — a fresh outlook,” Correa said. “One thing that we’re doing this year is making the work we do very obvious by looking at three areas: one, using your mind to think, two, using your heart to love and three, using your hands to serve.”

Student parking transitions underway amid construction

BY KIRAN PARIKH

Stepping outside, the harsh sunlight and clouds of dust burn the eyes. Crushed gravel and blocks of concrete lay on the ground. At the end of the day, this place is complete chaos. But it’s no barren wasteland — it’s just the student parking lot.

Since the construction of the new athletic complex began, student drivers have been cramming into the temporary parking lot.

To make matters worse, students

aren’t the most careful of drivers. Despite being rare, car crashes were still problematic last year. According to students, multiple crashes have occurred, from minor dents to fender benders.

Entering the new school year, the parking lot looks completed — leaving the driving portion of the student body with the unanswered question of why it hasn’t opened yet.

“They can’t come in from the neighborhood…that means (the construction workers) have to come through the main parking lot,” Headmaster David Dini said. “Even though we have re -

developed some (of the parking lot) it’s not open yet because...they still have to use that access.”

However, the future looks bright — at least for some.

“Until we move into the new building (in) the second semester of the school year, all that construction access will (remain),” Dini said. “By mid year we’ll move some of the student parking, probably, starting with the seniors, back over to the main parking lot.”

As for the rest of the students? Dini isn’t sure yet, especially since the deci -

sion is months away. Of course, there are plans for future renovations after the new parking lot. But before reverting the current student parking lot to the field it used to be, the school has plans to update some of its other facilities.

“Once the new construction is finished…we’re going to do renovation of the existing athletics board, so the wrestling deck and the existing pool is going to be converted into a field house,” Dini said. “That work will happen starting in January, and will likely be completed during the summer.”

Community Service Board Members recieve a donation while calling students being dropped off to donate to the annual Clothing Drive.

Photo by Arjun Poi

ACADEMICS

NEWS IN BRIEF

COLLEGE DEADLINES Seniors are nearing critical deadlines for college applications. Early Action and Early Decision deadlines generally fall between Nov. 1 and Nov. 15, providing opportunities for early admissions notifications and potential advantages. Regular Decision deadlines occur between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1, offering no technical advantage. During the 2022-23 academic year, 53 percent of high school students committed to Early Action, 13 percent applied for Early Decision, and the remaining 34 percent chose Regular Decision.

QUIZ BOWL TOURNAMENT The Quiz Bowl team travelled to Shreveport, Louisiana on Sep. 21 to participate in the Tal Atkins Memorial Quiz Bowl Tournament. their first national tournament of the year. The St. Mark’s A team, composed of senior Surya Dinesh, junior Tejas Allada, sophomore Tony Lu and freshman John Paul Hanks won the tournament with a final record of 8-0, while the St. Mark’s B team, composed of senior Jeremy Mau, juniors Aryaman Lahoti and Andy Li and freshman Sebastian Garcia-Toledo placed seventh overall.

THE GALLERY

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE by Wyatt Melvin WHAT INSPIRED THIS CREATION?

WM: “I was using a reference image that Mrs. Wood (the art instructor) gave me. I used colored pencils, and I felt really comfortable with them. I ended up moving through the project much faster than everyone else. I think that this was undoubtedly the best piece I put out all year and I hope to work with wax-based colored pencils again sometime soon.”

PAGE TURNER

Librarian Tinsley Silcox recommends The Passage by Justin Cronin available in the Green Library.

TS: “In the late 2010s, there’s a major event that changes the face of the globe. Then the book skips forward to 93 years later, and then picks up again a thousand years later. It’s a long read, but it’s a fascinating book: a great character study, and just so well put together.”

Filling the void

In the wake of Dan Northcut ‘81’s retirement, with the support of the science department, two teachers have stepped up to share the responsibilities he once managed.

BY DOAN NGUYEN AND NICHOLAS HUANG

For 37 years, Dan Northcut ‘81 was the life of the science department. He was dedicated.

Dedicated to the fish tanks that required time and care even on the weekends.

Dedicated to the greenhouse, where he organized plants and blasted music that could be heard from the student parking lot.

Dedicated to his AP Environmental Science class, in which he educated Marksmen on the rights and wrongs of humankind’s effect on the world.

And in May of last school year, he retired.

Despite an extensive search, the school didn’t hire someone new to take his responsibilities.

Yet, despite losing such a lively member of the community, the Winn Science Center and its spirit haven’t wavered. With support from the faculty, each shouldering a portion of the burden, the building slowly reinforces and gets stronger.

Cecil H. and Ida Green Master Teaching Chair Mark Adame loves the outdoors—camping, biking and hiking are all passions of his. Now, the school greenhouse is going to be monitored and cultivated by Adame, who is excited to start executing his own plans.

“I’m going to clean it up and make it more presentable,” Adame said, “There’s a lot of plants that need homes.”

Adame’s ideal plan for the greenhouse is completely different than Northcut’s, but with two AP classes and a freshman biology class, the needed

COMMENTARY

WILLIAM KOZOMAN Head Writer

Gaining a new sense of gratitude

Day in and day out, we go through the motions of student life, and everything that comes with it. It’s easy to get a feeling of monotony from it all.

At the end of last year, I was exhausted, too. But as I walked off campus at the end of May, I wasn’t about to enjoy a long summer vacation.

Instead, I would be back on campus in a week. Earlier that year, I signed up for the Brendan Court ’06 Summer Enrichment program, which the school hosts every year in June. It’s a free educational program that lasts a few weeks and is meant to supplement the education of rising seventh and eighth grade boys while also giving them something fun to do.

My role there was to be a teacher: the one providing this education and managing the experience that the boys would have.

We only get only about a week or so before switching from school to, well, more school. And that included middle schoolers that might prefer a summer off. Things actually turned out pretty well, though. Not only was it a nice way to have fun, help others and better myself, it also gave me something to do and a chance to earn community service hours doing something I cared about. I walked away really enjoying the way I spent my time, even though it was quite the commitment — I plan on returning again next year.

What surprised me most, though, was the new perspective I got. As much as it was an educational experience for the kids, it was one for me, too. Having to teach the boys and guide their behavior took so much more involvement than almost any other volunteer experiences I had ever gone through at that point, and this was repeated over the course of weeks, not hours. On top of this, I had to maintain their focus and attention during a summer they could be using to play or go on vacation with. Most of all, though, this experience made me appreciate the people who tirelessly do this job for a living: teachers.

I learned how much more there is to teaching than just giving the lesson – it’s planning the days out, adjusting those plans, working with each student, finding a way to make them engaged and doing all this while still trying to enjoy my normal life.

The road is bumpy — some students need unique strategies to work effectively, others move faster and others move slower. The adjustment and level of care I needed to give quickly became a lot. I suddenly found myself needing to learn how to teach in a place where I had only ever been a student.

At the program’s end, I was already worn out, even though it had only been a couple of weeks. I left with a new appreciation and admiration for the countless people who do the work almost every single day for their entire career, and whose work so often goes criticized, unappreciated and undercompensated.

I know that I will continue my student life with an entirely different perspective of my own teachers. It’s one thing when you’ve just been around them, but it’s entirely different when you’ve been in their shoes.

Photo by Winston Lin

Newly appointed AP Environmental Science teacher Ryan Brewer instructs his ninth grade biology class on Francesco Redi’s experiment.

Mastering the royal game

Freshman Eric Liu, a chess prodigy, has had an illustrious chess journey and is now an International Master, just one step below the esteemed title of Grandmaster.

BY ARJUN POI AND MARSHALL SUDBURY

He’s competed in chess tournaments across the world, from Hungary to Philadelphia to Croatia.

He’s defeated 7 Grandmasters.

He won the 2024 Pan American Youth Championship U16 Tournament.

And he’s showing no signs of stopping.

Freshman Eric Liu is a chess International Master, one of only 4,000 worldwide. After his mother introduced him to the world of chess when he was 7, Liu quickly took a deep interest in the sport and began competing in tournaments when he was 8.

“I was mainly just playing for fun.” Liu said. “I just wanted to play as many tournaments as I can.”

By age 9, Liu had already reached an Elo rating of 1900, a remarkable feat for his age. But when the coronavirus came, he stopped competing in tournaments. Instead, he became dedicated to getting better and developing his style of play.

“I studied chess online,” Liu said “I’m more on the conservative side, but I do occasionally attack when the position calls for it.”

Once the pandemic passed, Liu was off to the races.

“In 2022 I got National Master,” Liu said. “Then in 2023 I got FIDE Master. This year I reached International Master.” Liu has been working with Grandmaster Babbakuli Annakov for the past three years. Annakov, who has also been the Lower School chess club coach for 20 years, believes Eric has specific qualities that set him apart from other players his age.

“He handles winning and losing in pretty much the same way,” Annakov said. “He does not get over-excited or upset much. He has nerves of steel. He doesn’t lose control, and that’s very important.”

MOVING UP THE BOARD

Despite being so young, Liu’s accomplishments are highly regarded, with him standing just below the 2500 rating points required to become a chess grandmaster.

Alongside his ability to deal with pressure, Annakov praises Liu’s work ethic. In fact, after finishing his homework, Liu spends two hours a day on the weekdays studying chess and puts in more time on the weekends.

“He’s very academical,” Annakov said. “He has a very deep knowledge of openings and endgames. He has won a lot of beautiful games by showing patience and waiting until his opponent makes a mistake.”

While Liu has enjoyed plenty of success, the road to becoming an International Master was not all sunshine and rainbows.

After two rounds of playing in a tournament in 2022, Liu realized his rating could surpass 2200, meaning he would get

the National Master title if he continued to have a successful tournament. Yet by

HE HANDLES WINNING AND LOSING IN PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WAY. HE DOES NOT GET OVER EXCITED OR UPSET MUCH. HE HAS NERVES OF STEEL. HE DOESN’T LOSE CONTROL, AND THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT.”

Babbkuli Annakov, Chess Grandmaster

the end of the tournament, his rating had lowered once again.

“I ended up not getting the National Master title that tournament, and it took me three to five more months to get

Teacher’s passion births sports literature elective

BY CHRISTOPHER HUANG

Upper School history and social sciences teacher Bryan Boucher has always loved sports. As a kid, he would try to get his hands on any sports literature he could find, a habit he kept as he grew older.

Finding that his passion for sports was shared by many students, this year, Boucher created a new semester-long history elective called Sports in Literature & Society that explores sports literature and the impact of sports in society. The class is for seniors exclusively, and it counts as half an English 12 credit while also being a history elective. Students in

senior year must take two semester-long English related classes, and Boucher’s new class is an option.

This school year, Boucher already has one class per semester of Sports in Literature & Society.

“We’re off to a really good start. I’m really enjoying (teaching the new class,)” Boucher said.

The course is focused on American sports, but it does cover some international subjects, like the Olympics. Students analyze certain crucial windows of sports history along with their study of literature.

In class, Boucher holds frequent discussions, and he plans to cover topics

such as race relations in sports, identity in sports and the economics of sports.

“We can often learn more about what’s going on in our culture by thinking about some of the trends we’re seeing in the sports world,” Boucher said.

Boucher

The class covers lots of nonfiction writing about sports, in the form of long form magazine pieces, newspaper writings, and even biographies. This is different from most other English courses, which are heavily focused on

there,” Liu said. “That was a big setback.” Liu has figured out how to deal with challenging situations. They don’t bother him because he knows that no one is successful 100 percent of the time.

“I like the feeling of going up and down because it’s impossible to go up every time,” Liu said. “We call it grinding – I like that. When I have a setback, I just try to keep on going. And if I have a setback during a tournament, then I just try to forget about it before the next round.”

Despite Liu’s setbacks throughout his chess career, his primary goal remains the same, and his passion for chess shines.

“I want to be a grandmaster, with hopefully at least a 2600 FIDE rating, but my main goal is to keep playing for my whole life,” Liu said.

fictional works. Similar to other English courses, the students discuss readings and produce their own pieces of writing.

“(The class) is a great opportunity to introduce students to a type of writing and to writers that they’ve never read before, and perhaps pique their interest in a topic that they’re already interested in,” Boucher said.

Boucher is optimistic about the future of the class, and he plans to continue teaching it if enough interest is shown by students.

“It’s definitely a course that I’ve put a lot of effort into already, so my hope is that it continues into future years,” Boucher said.

Photo by Bryan Li

In the library, Liu studies the board intently and considers his next move. He has learned to balance his rigorous school life with the demands of high-level chess.

Bryan

History instructor

Math ‘Leader’ visits Marksmen

Renowned mathmatician and Cambridge professor Imre Leader comes to campus as this year’s Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholar, introducing interesting concepts and spreading his genuine love for mathematical challenges.

BY KAYDEN ZHONG AND DOAN NGUYEN

Red hats, blue hats and a perfectly random voting system.

Tiling a chessboard with tetrominoes of all shapes and sizes.

Counting infinity.

To any ordinary student, every concept is deceptively tricky.

Questions that make them sigh and turn the page. And Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholar professor Imre Leader can’t help but be fascinated by them.

Growing up in Britain, Leader attended the all-boys St. Paul’s School in London. Though a very enjoyable experience, cold and often miserable weather meant there were never too many outdoors activities available, so Leader turned to a boyhood passion.

“I always liked maths, as far as I can remember,” Leader said. “In Britain, the way (competitive mathematics) works is that there are these maths competitions which most people don’t even know about, but if you’re keen on math you get into them the last two or three years of high school.”

When Leader was participating in competitive mathematics in the 1970s, there were no math camps or summer programs for students like him—students scouring for a challenge. There were so few opportunities for working together with other students, in fact, that when Leader participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in 1981, he met his teammates for the first time at Heathrow Airport.

“These were names that I’d seen in lists, that I’d competed with, but only in terms of scores on published lists,” Leader said. “My absolute best friends in the world are the people I met on that day.”

Leader won a silver medal at the IMO that year, marking him as one of the top 50 high school mathematicians in the world. That same year, he matriculated at Trinity College, a transition he found exciting.

“In school, you have friends who like math and great teachers, but being around a nucleus of other kids who (excel) is what’s really fun,” Leader said. “Kids who come up to Cambridge to do math have all been the top math person in their school, maybe the top person in the last five years, even 20 years. Then they meet people who are as good as or better than they are.”

For the next eight years, Leader worked extensively in mathematics research, earning his Ph.D. in 1989 for work on combinatorics. He took interest in everything, unexpectedly stumbling across a magazine article on Othello, a board game reminiscent of checkers.

KIDS WHO COME UP TO CAMBRIDGE TO DO MATH HAVE ALL BEEN THE TOP MATH PERSON IN THEIR SCHOOL, MAYBE THE TOP PERSON IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THEN THEY MEET PEOPLE WHO ARE AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN THEY ARE.

“When I was about 17 or 18, a friend of mine found an article about how to play (Othello) well,” Leader said. “And then we started playing from there. It’s conceptually beautifully simple, but what’s weird about it is that the basic idea is unobvious. In Othello, the official aim is to have more pieces at the end, but the main idea of play turns out to be something that’s so counterintuitive.”

As of 2024, Leader is a 16-time British Othello champi-

on, a 6-time European Grand Prix Championship winner, and in 1983 he was placed second in the world individual championship.

Leader’s main focus has always been on his research, Yet he finds a welcome mood lifter and relaxation in teaching.

“It’s really fun to communicate (ideas) and talk to people, and it keeps you interested in things,” Leader said. “For some postgraduates, teaching is nice because it’s a fixed point in the week and they feel they’re doing something. Often, if they’re just doing their research, for maybe weeks or even months, you get nothing. But when teaching a class, you feel like you accomplished something.”

Although the jump from high school-level extracurriculars to college-level research can seem daunting, Leader believes that it’s a good challenge.

“I think the main thing for high school students is that if they like the stuff, it almost doesn’t matter what they do; it’s the number of hours that matter,” Leader said. “The number of hours you spend, say, in math, is just good for your math brain. It makes you more mature, and it almost doesn’t matter what you study. So just spend time (doing what you like).”

PREVIOUS VISITING SCHOLARS

Over the past years, the school has hosted many impressive Robert E. Dennard Visiting Scholars, each with their own unique expertise in a wide variety of fields.

2023

2020

2019

Departments continue to adapt to new AI capabilities

BY JACKSON BAILEY

The development of artificial intelligence over the last year has created opportunities for it to develop into a useful learning tool, but it has also become an easy way to cheat through assignments. Particularly, with the advent of OpenAI o1, a language model capable of complex reasoning, problems previously thought unsolvable with AI are now easily crackable.

In response, department policies about AI have become stricter, though they remain centered around Lion Tracks, which considers the usage of AI presented as one’s own work as plagiarism.

“The AI policy is representative of what is present in our Lion Tracks,” History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher said. “That essentially means any unau-

thorized use of AI which involves the presentation of work that isn’t a student’s own will be considered plagiarism.”

This rule against AI plagiarism is universal among the departments, also being a major concern for the English Department.

“We rely on the Lion Tracks statement,” English Department Chair Michael Morris said. “Which is pretty clear and definitive: presenting AI as if it’s your own writing is very basic plagiarism.”

According to Fisher, the plagiarism problem relating to how AI is used is not new and has been a problem for quite some time. Tutors were also responsible for doing some work for students, making the new AI problem not too different from those of the past.

“In one sense, this is not a new problem,” Fisher said. “That problem existed before. AI just makes accessing that

tutor a lot easier.”

While AI poses plagiarism related problems, it also promises to be a tool that can be useful in the classroom. Fisher acknowledges the usefulness of AI early on in works, especially in the planning stage of papers.

“It’s entirely possible that during the first of those steps, where you are looking for a subject or trying to organize your thoughts and so forth,” Fisher said, “you’re using AI in the classroom with the teacher as a way of organizing those ideas.”

While AI can be beneficial to students, in line with AI guidelines it can not be required for any assignment.

“The problem there has to do with privacy,” Fisher said. “We don’t want students to be put into a situation where they’re putting in information that is personal to them.”

Leader talks to the Upper School through a problem about a random voting system (Top).

Leader lectures to the Upper School Math Team about a difficult game theory problem (Left).

Photos Courtesy Development Office

Arshay Cooper, author and rower

2022 Michelle “MACE” Curran, US Air Force Thunderbird pilot

Bryan Miller, author and journalist

David Shoemaker, astronomer and astrophysicist

Imre Leader, Visiting Scholar

Grande propels new flight club

BY HOLDEN PURVIS

Hands gripping the knobs and control stick, feet locked on the pedals, with the soft hum of the engine buzzing in the background, the aircraft begins its descent. The classroom fades away, as his mind locks in on the approaching runway. With a slight jolt, the plane touches down, and he relaxes.

Starting last year, the Aviation Club, which is sponsored by computer science instructor Ivann Grande, began using a flight simulator during their meetings. Donated by alumnus Victor Vescovo ’84, the flight simulator, which can simulate various different types of aircraft, comes equipped with a simulated air traffic control tower, foot pedals, multiple monitors and cockpit views. Grande’s interest in the simulator was sparked last year when two sixth graders expressed interest in utilizing it.

“It was sitting there for years without anyone touching it,” Grande said. “Then two of my sixth graders reached out, asking if I’d be interested in sponsoring an aviation club and using the flight simulator. So, I said, why not?”

As interest in the simulator has expanded, Grande believes that the concepts taught in his class will help develop his students’ understanding of the technology behind the simulator.

“I think it gives them a good perspective,” Grande said. “They see the flight simulator as a piece of equipment, and for the most part, once students kind of get used to it, they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s just a flight simulator.’ But I don’t think they really grasp the concept as to what exactly is going on through the programming, through the actual hardware, through the software being used.”

While not explicitly being used in the computer science curriculum, Grande does introduce his students to the basics of virtual reality, and he believes that an understanding of the principles of hardware and software will allow his students to recognize and value the complexity of the simulator.

Grande knows that there is immense potential for cross-disciplinary learning, especially when it comes to integrating the simulator into both computer science and robotics.

“Right now, with the robotics team looking into competition stuff, it wouldn’t surprise me if in the next year or two we had some students wonder how they can use their programming skills or their robotic skills for something like this simulator, especially if they wanted to build a moving rig for the simulator,” Grande said.

As the simulator continues to be integrated into the classroom and extracurricular activities, Grande is excited about what the future holds. Whether it’s inspiring a new wave of flight enthusiasts or programmers, the flight simulator is finally earning its wings.

“It helps them kind of visualize just how much effort is put into something like this,” Grande said. “I think it gives the students a newfound appreciation for it.”

Students struggle to manage summer reading assignments

Teachers often assign schoolwork over the three-month long vacation to prepare students for the upcoming year. Despite these assignments, however, students almost inevitably suffer a loss of learning.

BY ROHAN KAKKAR AND KIRAN PARIKH

During the three short months that summer offers, some students forget a year’s worth of teaching – as summer races by, math formulas, verb conjugations and vocabulary words disappear.

To combat this schoolwide slip, some teachers assign summer assignments to help students retain information from the previous year, as well as provide an introduction to the themes of next year’s curriculum.

However, many students procrastinate these assignments till the end of the summer, defeating the purpose of the assignment.

In order to prevent this effect, J.J. Connolly Master Teaching Chair and AP Spanish teacher Nancy Marmion assigns a series of blog posts for students to complete throughout the summer, hopefully eliminating the effect of putting them off until the last minute and helping to retain key grammatical and vocabulary topics.

I THINK SUMMER READING IS GREAT. I WISH GUYS WOULD DO MORE SUMMER READING ON THEIR OWN INSTEAD OF WHAT’S JUST ASSIGNED.”

Cameron Hillier, English Teacher

“There was a change in the AP exam to a format similar to the one now, where it’s based a lot more on reading news items,” Marmion said. “And the reason that I give (AP Spanish students) that (assignment) about spreading it out over the summer is I found that the students came back much better prepared.”

Although the blog posts serve as a way to keep students from losing their language skills from the previous year, they also help students prepare for the AP exams in May by providing an overview of key topics tested.

“I think the most challenging part of the AP Spanish exam is that cultural comparison question where you have no idea what they’re going to ask you,” Marmion said. “The more you know about the Spanish speaking world, the more you can pull on

that well of knowledge to answer that question. And so maybe it’s an article you read over the summer, maybe it’s something we did in class, but from that perspective, I think it just adds to (the skill set) students take to the exam.”

For Marmion, the work the boys put in during the summer is exemplified during the first couple classes of the year, when the summer reading assignments are discussed in class.

“One of the things I really like is that the second day of class where I have guys go into groups and talk about (their) articles, for the most part, I walk out of that class feeling like there was real communication going on,” Marmion said. “Guys could really explain in their own words these articles. They’ve learned vocabulary and content, without even realizing that they were necessarily doing that and the level of Spanish that I hear during those conversations, I walk out of there every year saying, ‘Wow.’”

While Marmion has been assigning summer reading assignments for years, Thomas B. Walker III ’73 Mathematics Department Chair Shane May recently introduced practice problems for students heading into Algebra II, trying to help students retain critical knowledge from the previous year of math.

“We want boys to have fun and relax (during the summer) because they work hard during the year at St. Mark’s. That being said, you lose some of your math knowledge over the summer,” May said. “Unfortunately, the Algebra II teachers say a lot of guys come (back) and they have not seen algebra not in two months, but in a year.”

The packet, however, is completely optional – boys have the option to work through a portion of it if they wish to. The goal of the packet is to reduce that transition time from summer to school and maximize learning during class.

“Maybe there’s two little sections you need to work on, and that’s fine,” May said. “The idea was if you had 10 weeks and you had a weakness, that’s a nice easy time to solve that issue rather than when you have six classes and time is limited.”

Similar to Marmion, English teacher Cameron Hillier ’13 also avidly supports assigning summer reading.

“I think summer reading is great. I wish guys would do more summer reading on their own instead of what’s just assigned,” Hillier said. “Guys might actually find that it’s a good time to find books that are more in your strike zone.”

Like May, Hillier hopes students complete their work over the summer. He challenges Upper School students to resist seemingly unavoidable procrastination.

“Reading one book in three months is pretty doable, and writing work over the summer will take two out of 10 weeks,” Hillier said. “Pick up something you’re interested in and go for it. It’s a great time to do that. You don’t have any other homework, you know?”

As a more recent alum, Hillier understands the grievances of students. In fact, he admits he and his peers used to complain about summer reading too. However, he adds that when his students file into class and discuss summer reading, most admit they liked it.

“Students are always going to complain about summer reading,” Hillier said. “When I was a student, we complained about summer reading. It’s what you do. (But in) my junior and senior (classes), guys show up to class and they’re like ‘Okay, but it was actually pretty good.’”

SUMMER READING

Students often leave their summer reading assignment to the last minute, which can reduce the benefit of such assignments.

Photo by Sam Morse

Workloads limited by requirements

Restrictions

BY KAYDEN ZHONG AND WILLIAM KOZOMAN

Should I take AP US History? Is it better to double up on Algebra and Geometry next year? Should I really be taking this honors class?

Am I making the right decision?

Every year, in March, each non-graduating student sets the trajectory of their next school year. From the opening of the course selection window to its closing, the process takes some two weeks.

Students look over the classes available to them, make their decisions and finalize them in a conference with their advisor.

By the end, most people get what they want. But requirements on graduation credits and the six-course restriction put limits on what students can do with their days.

To some, it’s perfectly fine. To others, it’s frustrating. To the school, it’s just the way things are. But the reasons beneath the surface tells more about why these rules exist and what might change in the future.

For Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar, it’s up to him to enforce the rules — and deal with the complaints and questions that follow.

Specifically, a source of many gripes has been the sixcourse limit, putting a cap on students who wish to take extra courses to supplement their learning experience. The limit, though, was intentionally maintained with the new school schedule implemented in August of 2020 — one specifically designed to lessen students’ workload.

“We knew that our kids were exhausted,” Mlakar said.

“We had kids coming back from college saying that Upper School was just really, really hard because of the way our schedule worked and the fact that classes met every day and how much work they were getting in those classes every day. We saw that something needed to change for the health and wellness of our kids.”

For the Upper School students that have lived with the new schedule for their entire tenure, the change has just become normal. The school, however, continues to stand by the original purpose intended with the change.

In addition, the overhaul of the schedule led to some alterations of credit requirements. With physical education, under the old system, which operated by trimesters, students had to participate in a sport or P.E. every trimester, or otherwise seek a tutorial to earn their credit outside of school.

The implementation of the cumulative requirement of five credits over the course of all four years in Upper School thus gave students notably more freedom with how they could approach physical education.

Other changes have been made as a result of shifting priorities regarding curriculum. According to Mlakar, the addition of a middle school computer science credit requirement was the result of a goal set for learning standards.

“(Computer science) is also a continued goal for Upper School, but it’s not yet a graduation requirement,” Mlakar said. “Something that’s always on the forefront of our minds is, ‘are our graduation requirements meeting the needs of our students?’”

According to Mlakar, the school reevaluates the graduation requirements for Upper School students every 10

years. One particular priority is ensuring that each and every student can be well-rounded, while still giving students enough freedom to choose.

“If you look at the graduation requirements, by the time you reach junior year, you’ve got a lot more flexibility in your schedule, and by senior year, the only requirement for senior year is really your English 12 classes, so the other four to five classes that students choose to take is really completely up to them,” Mlakar said. “So we do have the flexibility to let people, if they want to, to ‘specialize.’”

But one common phenomenon has risen from these tight credit requirements. Occasionally, students will take courses during their senior year simply to earn a credit to meet their graduation needs.

Senior Asher Babilla is one of the many seniors who are taking Acting I, normally a class for freshmen, their senior year in order to earn a fine arts credit. Because participation in the journalism program does not count towards the fine arts credit, Babilla was unable to take economics like he had hoped. In light of the stresses of senior year, however, he ultimately believes that acting was the better decision.

“I think it would have looked better to whatever colleges I applied to if I had AP Macroeconomics or AP Microeconomics on my transcript instead of freshman acting on it,” Babilla said. “But for actual enjoyment of the year, (acting)’s a stress reliever compared to other classes. It’s not a free period where I feel like I need to be getting all my homework done, but I’m not sitting in the middle of math class taking notes. I’ll be glad that I took it.”

Adame, Brewer continue Northcut’s legacy

continued from page 9

renovation would take too long with just two hands. In the corner of campus, many students have yet to visit the lively room. Adame wants to resolve this by offering opportun ties to work on projects in the greenhouse.

“I’m hoping to have students setting up hydroponics or even aquaponics out there as well,” Adame said. “I’m going to open up some space for other classes.”

Hydroponics, a process that uses nutrient-rich water instead of water to nourish plants, is a time-consuming project but would garner interest from several students. In addition, Adame is looking into an installation of aquaponics, using the school fish tank’s waste products to water the plants.

“I want to make it self-sufficient with solar panels powering it, but that’s a pipe dream,” Adame said. “I want to get those things set up out there, or have it opened up for students to grow plants.”

Aside from having to manage the greenhouse and the

fish tank, science teachers also have to teach Northcut’s classes. Biology & Life Science Teacher Ryan Brewer now has to take over a class he’s never taught before: AP Environmental Science. And he’s unsure whether or not a replacement will come into the science department soon.

“At a school like this, you want to make sure that you’re bringing in the best,” Brewer said. “You want to make sure that they fit into the community.”

New faculty member or not, Brewer is focused on providing the best material for his students.

“I’m always going to give 100 percent to whatever I do,” Brewer said. “So in my mind, I’m building a curriculum that I will be teaching for years to come. If I really don’t put in the effort, then that just doesn’t benefit anybody. That does a disservice to the students in the class.”

And AP Environmental Science is a class with immediate real world applications. By teaching this class, Brewer hopes to also have a positive impact on his students.

“A lot of it is me now looking as an adult and trying to encourage the younger generation,” Brewer said. “These are the problems that we were experiencing when I was

younger, and they’re only getting worse in some aspects. I’m trying to empower the change.”

Stephen M. Seay ’68 Science Department Chair Fletch Carron, who has taken the role of monitoring the fish tank, believes that this extra burden will only make the science department teachers more connected and cohesive.

“I have full confidence that going into other roles makes us all better, even if it’s hard in the short term.” Carron said. “Mr. Brewer had to pivot and spend some of the summer that he wasn’t planning on spending to prepare for a class he hadn’t taught before.”

People retire from teaching positions all the time, and each time the science department slowly recuperates while the teachers grow more and more resilient.

“If we got permanently worse every time somebody retired, then where would that lead over the years?” Carron said. “We’re all growing and getting better — a little bit each year — and that’s our way of making up for the big losses.”

Drama instructor Katy Tye teaches an Acting I class largely composed of seniors.

Photo by Arjun Poi

NEWS IN BRIEF

COMMUNITY SERVICE DEADLINE This year’s first five Community Service hours are due on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Marksmen can find service opportunities on their MobileServe app, the bulletin board in front of C117 and the weekly email sent out by the Upper School Community Service Board too all Upper School students. The various community outreach, education, environment and homelessness-related programs allow every Marksman to ensure that they’re earning their hours in a timely manner.

MINI SCHOOL On the evening of Sept. 4, parents hustled across a lively campus as they attended Middle School Mini School. Mini School gives parents an opportunity to meet their sons’ teachers and visualize what the academic year has in store for them. Similarly, Upper School parents attended Upper School Mini School on Sept. 11 to see the rigor of the new school year.

PARKING LOT UPDATE With ongoing consturction for the upcoming Zierk Family Athletic Complex, the old student parking lot is still being used for industrial purposes. The temporary lot, located on the east face of the Winn Science Center is getting use for some more time. The exact date for the return of the old parking lot remains unknown; however, steady progress has continued.

OVERHEARD

This month we listened to people around campus. Here is what they said:

Through rain and thunder

While on the Pecos, inclement weather plagued sophomores as they trudged through trails, with some groups even losing the solo experience.

Photo by Bryan Li

BY ERIC YI AND SHIV BHANDARI

The feeling of loneliness is only broken by the occasional thunderclap that rattles his whole body.

Cold and afraid, sophomore Blaize Schumacher is pelted with a barrage of hail. The near golf-ball-sized pieces of ice tear through his shelter–a single tarp tied between two trees with a line of paracord–forcing him to curl up on the damp, freezing ground.

For years, Schuhmacher has looked forward to his Pecos experience, an opportunity that both faculty and friends have sworn will change his life and give him a new insight into himself.

But when he finally makes it, there’s no quiet introspection, no journaling of his thoughts and no time for the pondering of his future.

There’s only the cold and the hail.

The thunder and the dirt.

The river and the rain.

Often deemed the most important part of the St. Mark’s Wilderness Experience, the 24-hour solo that all Marksmen must complete to graduate has given students the unique opportunity to embrace the wilderness and be truly alone with their thoughts. It’s something that all alumni, no matter their age or occupation, have in common.

see WEATHER on page 20

“Laoshi hao!”

These same words echoed throughout the classroom every day from Monday through Friday. These same words were always followed by a bow and beaming smiles from elementary school kids who were not just willing to learn but excited to learn, an important distinction which, in my experience, is the root of the strong respect students have for their teachers.

This last summer, I spent four weeks in New Taipei, Taiwan, two of which, were spent teaching Taiwanese kids at Bali Elementary School. When I was first accepted into this volunteer program, I was absolutely elated.

Before arriving in Taiwan, I spent two weeks as a teacher’s assistant at a UTD summer camp, and my most challenging task during my time as a TA was without a doubt classroom management. Although the kids were understandably full of energy, dealing with rowdy kids felt like a full-time job.

With this experience fresh in my head, I had mentally prepared myself for the same dynamic while I was teaching in Taiwan. What I ended up experiencing could not have been further from what I had imagined.

Although I was familiar with the importance placed upon respecting teachers in Eastern Philosophy, witnessing it firsthand as well as being on the receiving end of the respect truly opened my eyes and woke me up to how different

Not only did the children genuinely seem like they were excited about learning, but the issue of classroom management went completely out the window. All of my students were incredibly respectful of me, not once interrupting me when I was speaking, and never interrupting their peers when they were talking. I was completely blown away by the stark contrast between my experience teaching in Taiwan and my experience teaching back in the U.S.

Although the students in Taiwan were some of the most well-behaved elementary school students I have ever met, I realized that there is power in challenging authorities and questioning your teacher. There is a fine line between questioning your higher-ups and disrespecting them, however many students in the U.S. use this to their advantage,by engaging in healthy discussions and debates with their teachers. This phenomenon that doesn’t only exist in the U.S., but also is responsible for much of Western philosophy as well as to the growth of society and the driving force behind innovation.

On the other hand, this culture and philosophy in the modern day has contributed to many people flat out being disrespectful to their teachers, especially because this persists from a young age. The kids I met in Taiwan were instilled with values of respecting their elders from the moment they were born, and although this concept does exist in the West as well, it is not rooted deep into the rudimentary cornerstones of society like it is in the East.

Even though I was sent to Taiwan to teach, it appears that I am the one who learned the most.

I am not saying all students in the United States are incapable of respecting their teachers. The same goes for Taiwan. What I am saying is this: Both the Eastern and Western philosophies on education have their respective flaws and strong suits, but by being too quick too judge the other side, by being too naive and short sighted not to recognize the flaws of your own perspective, we will not move forward. If we are unable to take a page, or even a chapter out of the other side’s book, we may find ourselves stuck reading the same old story when we could be writing a better one together.

Students carrying 50 pound backpacks filled with food, shelter, water and clothes hike through a variety of terrains, from woods to plains.

VIKRAM SINGH Head Writer

JACK THOLKING SENIOR

Proper nutrition powers performance

Especially in the Texas heat, athletes sweat out electrolytes and use up their nutrients, underlining the importance of diet, hydration and family.

BY CHRISTIAN WARNER AND HOLDEN PURVIS

Athletes are pushed to their limits during practices and games, and they require a certain level of nutrition and hydration to maximize performance. In the Texas heat, temperatures frequently reach upwards of 100 degrees, causing athletes to sweat more and burn more calories.

Maintaining a high level of athletic performance requires strict preparation. Like most young athletes, junior rower Ian McGowan relies heavily on the support from his parents. Because McGowan is the sibling to two Division I collegiate athletes – his older brother Evan McGowan‘22 and older sister Abby Grace McGowan – the whole family understands the importance of a healthy diet.

“I think about what he’s got coming up and going on and try to make it a protein heavy meal,” Dana McGowan, Ian’s mother, said. “But if I know he’s got a piece (rowing workout) coming up, then I’ll try to make it so he has an equal balance of carbs and protein.”

While nutrition remains important, it does not remove the necessity of proper hydration. Texas athletes can experience heat stroke, heat exhaustion and muscle cramping, leaving some physically unable to perform. Even a small amount of dehydration can affect an athlete’s physical abilities.

“A one to two percent dehydration will result in a significant decrease in performance,” licensed dietician Meridan Zerner said. “Being underfueled, meaning not enough total calories and certainly not enough carbohydrate energy, (leads to athletes) typically not being able to go as long as they might be able to go at (their regular) level of intensity.”

Head Athletic Trainer Matt Hjerstedt and Zerner agree that tracking hydration levels are extremely important. They are also easy to track by simply checking the color of one’s urine or weight before and after activity. Like hydration, many experts recommend also tracking caloric or macronutrient intake, yet many athletes do not.

“I don’t track my calories like specifically counting them,” Ian McGowan said. “I try to make

sure I’m in a general area in calories where I know I’m not in a significant deficit (or at all), but I do track my protein, and, if anything, I’m overdoing it with carbs.”

Supplementing performance enhancers like creatine and beta alanine has helped Ian McGowan with his sport. Using electrolyte additives like Nuun and Vitamin Water have also helped him.

NOT GOING TO HELP WITH PERFORMANCE AT ALL.

Meridian Zerner, Dietician

Sports drinks can help provide the necessary electrolyte levels to help an athlete maintain enough water. Sports drinks are specifically designed to have the correct ratio of electrolytes (mainly sodium and potassium) to keep one’s blood sugar and energy high, proving useful for optimal athletic performance.

“Sports drinks can be good if they’re used appropriately (for) activities that last longer than two hours,” Hjerstedt said. “It’s providing sugar for energy, and then it’s providing some of those electrolytes…if you are taking in salt, it’ll help you retain more water.

On the other hand, caffeine ingestion negatively affects an athlete’s hydration levels, causing them to urinate more.

“Caffeine infusion is going to have the opposite effect (of sports drinks),” Zerner said. “It’s not going to help with performance at all.”

While each athlete requires different amounts of energy, based on their height, age, weight, sport and position, each athlete will need the right balance of macronutrients, carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

“We have to get the right amount of energy going in, and that’s going to be based on age, height, weight, gender, what sport they’re playing, what position they’re playing in that sport,” Zerner said. “Then, we look at the breakout of the energy.”

The impact of quality meals goes beyond just

health for the McGowan family. They stress the importance of eating together, whether that’s with their family or friends, and their involvement in community service reinforces this idea.

“For people who are homebound or seniors who can’t get out it’s two things: isolation and not having access to healthy food,” Dana McGowan said. “If you don’t have access to healthy food, that creates other issues in your life like diabetes, depression and all sorts of things that can result from not having adequate nutrition. I feel like we do something good by taking those meals to these people, (getting) to know a lot of them, and they’re just awesome and grateful. Sometimes we might be the only face they see that day, and being able to spend a minute with them as we deliver their meal is really important. It’s almost like creating a little bit of a dinner table for them.”

CAFFEINE INFUSION IS GOING TO HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT (OF SPORTS DRINKS). IT’S

A student shops with his nutrition needs in mind. Keys to a healthy lifestyle for teens include a nutrient-rich diet as well as hydration.

Photo by Winston Lin

HOW TO MAKE A CLASS

FALL

Administration asks the department chairs whether anyone within the different departments wants to offer a new course for the next year.

WINTER

New course proposals are looked at within each department. Courses can only make the list if students are interested in taking the course for the next year. For example, the History & Social Sciences Department sent out a survey last year to gauge student interest.

SPRING

Students select their courses for the next year in their Advisor conferences. According to Ashton, student interest is the main driver for course making.

FOLLOWING FALL

New classes with enough student interest are formed. This fall, English 12 - Sports in Literature & Society, English 12 - Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales and Folklore in Literature and AP Art History were added.

Illustrations by Joseph Sun

Educator inspires passion for science

John Milam has traveled around the country his entire life, leaving his mark on instutions and students along the way.

BY CHRISTIAN WARNER

His vision faded.

The silty and murky Curaçao harbor water blocked his view.

The ominous prowling of those endlessly spinning cruise ship propellers and whirring of nearby boats reminded John Milam of his peril.

Years of training as a scuba diver lended him the courage and experience to continue swimming towards the ship’s rotor. His best friend had messed up.

One of the docking lines was cut in half by the blades, and Milam needed to investigate the damage.

If the line was tangled, the ship could not depart.

He dove.

As he got closer and closer to the propeller, he couldn’t see any rope. An onset of relief came over him as he began to resurface through the silty, disgusting water, swimming through the tingling bubbles of his breath.

Science and engineering teacher John Milam’s childhood was unlike most kids. His father’s career path forced his family to move to a new city almost every two years, leaving behind the life he had previously known.

His father was mainly stationed in San Diego, where Milam was born, at the Miramar Marine Corps base, so he and his family would return to the coastal city every few years.

But he didn’t meet his father until he was six months old when he had returned from a stint in the Vietnam War. His father, a fighter pilot in the Navy, was called away to Brunswick Ga., serving as a flight instructor. Milam and his family were forced to move away from their home for

the first time.

Then just a few years later, Milam and his family returned to San Diego before moving back across the country to Newport, RI. Again, duty called Milam’s father to leave everything behind for Monterey, Calif. then San Diego and later North Carolina around the time of Milam’s 18th birthday.

Moving from place to place had a large impact on Milam. His connection with his family grew stronger each time it happened: his sisters became his best friends, always having each other’s back.

But even though the thrill and adventure of travel appealed to Milam, later playing an important role in his adult life, he reflects about what he missed out on: a home he could cherish, a neighborhood filled with friends and good memories, and seeing those same friends each time he might’ve returned from a break at college.

When he was entering his adult life, Milam was still unsure about what he wanted to do. Even with the constant travel and his seemingly nomadic lifestyle, at least one thing remained constant. He loved the water, from the cold, deep oceans in Rhode Island to the crystal coasts of San Diego, spending much of his time sailing, surfing and swimming.

At around 22-years old, he decided to pursue his passion for scuba diving. Milam describes it as like getting a master’s degree, taking lots of dives and spending countless hours training. He spent a couple of years rising through the ranks before finally achieving Diving Instructor rating.

The diving school progression has a dozen stages from Open Water Diver to Instructor. Each certification has its own minimum requirements to pass through, testing an escalating demand of skill. For

example, during his training for the Rescue Diver certification, Milam had to navigate through total darkness, rescue others and operate CPR while having a piece of duct tape over his goggles.

The final stage before earning the Diving Instructor certification entails two weeks of training in Florida for 15 hours a day under close inspection, and his final test showed his talents.

He was in about 40 feet of water, examining four students’ skills when a school of jellyfish swarmed the divers, stinging them like a hot wire searing the skin. Knowing the risks of pressure change, Milam desperately held on to their fins, forcing his students to endure the pain but saving their lungs.

“It seemed like a complete disaster, and I thought I wasn’t going to be able to be an instructor, but they said ‘you did fantastic because you saved them from hurting themselves,’” Milam said.

After a few years as a scuba diving instructor, Milam decided he wanted to go to college at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a focus on marine biology. He chose this field because it made sense given his love and experience with the ocean.

“I had this fantasy that I’d live in the Caribbean to research sharks and dive and do all this incredible research,” Milam said. “(I thought) that this is exactly what I want to do.

Because he did not meet all the school’s course requirements, Milam had to take on another class. And in this class, he unexpectedly found a new calling.

“(I was told to) go take an education course (because they thought that I would) enjoy the course,” Milam said. “Part of the course was I had to go observe classes out

in the public schools, and I was sitting there watching a middle school class, and I thought the teaching was horrible. There’s no way that any of these students were going to go into science as a result of the teaching that I saw.”

IT SEEMED LIKE A COMPLETE DISASTER, AND I THOUGHT I WASN’T GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE AN INSTRUCTOR.”

John Milam, science and engineering teacher

Milam subsequently redeclared his major to education, and he is often reminded why he began teaching through the work of his students.

“I was teaching an eighth grade science class down in Houston,” Milam said. “I was really pushing genetic engineering hard in this eighth grade science class. Fast forward about ten years later, I’m working at a university (in Cleveland), and I get this email that says, ’I just wanted you to know that your teaching in eighth grade about genetics had such an impact on me that tomorrow I’m graduating with my PhD in genetic engineering, and I owe it to you.’”

While studying for his masters degree in education at Texas A&M, one of Milam’s professors had a strong connection with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Milam was given the opportunity to work with NASA in which he would be partnered up with another scientist or engineer. Over six to eight weeks studying closely with the scientists, Milam would then use the information he obtained from their procedure to write science and engineering curricula for Texas public high schools and middle

Science and engineering teacher John Milam teaches his engineering class composed of upperclassmen.

Photo by Bryan Li

schools in a program called the Middle School Aerospace Scholars.

“(We would) bring teachers in over the summer and introduce them to astronauts and show them all the cool stuff at NASA, push the curriculum and how to use it in the classroom,” Milam said.”

Hundreds of teachers would attend the summer program and bring this new knowledge back to their classrooms. The program also had an online presence where teachers could learn the curriculum remotely.

Milam designed the curriculum to reflect the authentic, real-world science done at NASA. For example, his students have mimicked specific Mars rover missions.

“(Students would) design tires that would go through various surfaces and see how this particular tire design works in sand versus over rocks,” Milam said. “We would again use Lego robotics, but then we would modify the tires. However, the student designed the tire to be and then we would test it and collect data and evidence on different surfaces.”

Milam chose to express authentic science because he felt students were often misled to believe that science always has a correct answer similar to a subject like history. He wanted to give kids a chance to experience a more realistic look at how science is done at the highest level like NASA.

“We have this classroom science, which is very ’cookbooky,’ where you do a lab and you just follow the rules,” Milam said. “If you do it right, you get close to the answer, and we already know what the answer is (for that lab), but that’s not really authentic science.”

Milam emphasizes the unknown element in science: how there is no single correct answer to a problem but instead a better solution.

After his work with NASA, Milam went on to teach at various universities and

schools around the country from Minnesota to Houston. Notably while teaching at a school in St. Paul, Minn., a group of his students, who saw him as a close mentor, approached Milam, seeking his assistance to start a robotics program. Milam’s attention to systemic issues has helped promote innovation in the next generation of scientists.

“At the time, I was not technically a science or an engineering teacher,” Milam said. “I was a STEM teacher, so robotics became part of what I would do with that. (It was) more of Lego robotics at the middle school level, and those students wanted to go on and continue to get better and go to the higher levels of robotics.”

Just last year after his wife got the job as Head of School at the Winston School, Milam also looked for a position in the Dallas area. He met the Makerspace Director Stuart Mayer and instantly became close friends with him. Milam was ecstatic when he received the news of his hiring.

“I’ve been all over the place and have never seen such a special place as St. Mark’s. Not only are the facilities amazing, which in itself would be a reason to move here, but the truth is that the people are phenomenal. The people here are the best at what they do. So in the 27 years that I’ve been teaching, I’ve never had as good of a start to a school year as I have at St. Mark’s.”

After a long few decades of teaching across the country, Milam has decided to settle down in Dallas.

“My father was in the Navy when I was growing up, so we moved about every 18 months to two years, and that just led into my adult life,” Milam said. “It’s nothing to pick up and move to someplace else; I enjoy the adventure of that; I’m not intimidated by that. But I can say that now I’ve gotten to the point in my life where I’m ready to put down some roots and settle, and I think Dallas and St. Mark’s is the place to be.”

A WORD FROM THE NEW TEACHERS ON CAMPUS

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“I’ve been a nurse for ten years, and I just finished np (nurse practitioner) school in the spring. Last year I was finishing school, but three years prior to that I was a lower school nurse at hockaday.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m excited (about) being around this great community and getting to know all the boys, faculty and staff and being part of the traditions we have here. My son goes here, so I’m very excited to be here with him too.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“I have been teaching three weeks now and I’ve been a hydrologist (my previous profession) for about five-ish years.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m thrilled to be able to teach my favorite subject to the seventh graders. I’ve done quite a bit of STEM outreach and always enjoyed working with middle school students because they are so curious.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“This is my ninth year of teaching, and I also am a summer camp director in the summer. I work with children in the summer at a camp outside of Austin. I was at Hockaday, so I’m moving from all girls to all boys.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m most excited about all of the people who I’ve got to meet, so the teachers I’ve gotten to work with, new colleagues that I’m building relationships with and then working with working with the students (and their families) have been wonderful.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“I have taught since 2017, graduated in 2012 and worked first in a preschool in Birmingham Al. Then I took a job teaching kindergarten at Lamplighter. Then went to grad school and moved around teaching substitutes.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m most excited how everyone here wants to be here. Students have enthusiasm for learning and they are passionate about it; everyone is also really helpful.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“I have been working in education for roughly seven years. First, I taught yoga and meditation for about three years, and since then I have taught middle school literature for the last four years."

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“It’s hard to pick just one thing I’m most excited about here at St. Mark’s—the community is wonderful. Recently, I’ve been excited about opportunities to advance my own education; I would love to get my PhD through the school’s teacher enrichment program.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“Twelve years. So I taught in Virginia, then I taught at Hockaday and then I stayed home a little while with two kids. I have a first grader here and a 3-year old. I tutored quite a bit during that time and the first year.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m excited to see the boys and girl in the classroom and reach goals here, but I’m excited to stay a long time and see them progress through Middle and Upper School."

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“I’ve been working in this field for about 10 years. I worked at a school before coming here by the name of Hackley School, located in New York.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m excited about learning more about St. Mark’s. Even though I started in November, I had to attend all of the orientation for new staff and faculty in the beginning of this year because remember this time last year I wasn’t on campus so I learned a lot about the history of St. Mark’s and there’s a lot of rich history here which was very interesting.”

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TEACHING/WORKING IN YOUR FIELD?

“This is my 11th year teaching. I am originally from South Africa and was born and raised there. I started my teaching career there in Cape Town. I have worked at a number of schools, not only in Cape Town, but in Johannesburg.”

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR AT ST. MARK’S?

“I’m looking forward to all the big events like homecoming and senior night.. Experiencing McDonald’s week, apparently, is a big deal... Multicultural nights were something that I enjoyed last year.”

CHI-CHI ACHO SCHOOL NURSE

SOFIA AVENDANO

SEVENTH GRADE SCIENCE TEACHER

ELIZABETH BEACOM FIRST GRADE TEACHER

VIRGINIA BENTLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES TEACHER

OLIVER FOX MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES TEACHER

JULIE HARRISON LOWER SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHER

YVETTE INZAR ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL, REGISTRAR BRADD LODGE MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES

Milam watches over students as they work and watch a video.

Photo by Bryan Li

Milam shows a former student a chemical reaction during a lab. Photo courtesy John Milam

Weather complicates Pecos experience

continued from page 14

But this past summer, some groups of sophomore students were unable to partake in their solos when inclement weather descended upon the New Mexican mountain range, causing groups like Schuhmacher’s to lose an essential part of their Pecos experience.

“I was actually really excited for my solo,” Schuhmacher said. “I had heard a lot about it from upperclassmen, so I wanted to experience it for myself. It was a mixed bag of emotions. I was kind of excited and kind of nervous for it at the same time.”

Throughout the week, the weather had not been great, but the groups still trucked on.

“It just rained a lot,” Schuhmacher said. “We would get one to two hours of good, sunny weather a day, but it would always end up raining for the rest of the day and our stuff was always wet.”

On the day of the solo, however, the weather looked as if it had turned a new leaf.

“Surprisingly, when we woke up, the weather was great,” Schuhmacher said. “It was basically perfect. It might’ve been a little damp, but otherwise amazing. When we got to our new campsite, though, it started raining. At first, it wasn’t that bad. We were still gonna go (on the solo), but on the way to my site, it started hailing. There was so much hail (that) we had to lay down on the ground and put a tarp over us so that we weren’t getting hit as much.”

The situation got so intense that the group ended up sharing their shelters with a few other visitors.

“Two or three random hikers came to our site because they didn’t have tents,” Schuhmacher said. “They had to stay in one of our tents because it was just freezing and hailing.”

After another day of unceasing rain, the group said goodbye to their tentmates and trekked out to their solo spots under the gray clouds that loomed over the mountains, but due to the storm the day prior, they were only able to complete half of a normal solo, returning back to camp after half a day.

Although they missed out on a large part of their Pecos, the group arguably learned a lesson just as valuable as what they would’ve found on their solo: strength is found in the team, not in the individual.

“If somebody in your group is struggling, you can’t just leave them there,” Cameron Hillier ‘13, Director of the Wilderness Program said. “(You need to think) how we help everybody move forward. It’s not an individual experience, it’s a collective experience.”

Hillier believes that these atypical experiences on the Pecos are essential catalysts for the learning and growth that the week aims to cultivate, and in some ways, they may be more impactful than a sunny, vanilla solo with no confrontation or challenges.

“The Pecos is where the rubber hits the road,” Hillier said. “It’s all the stuff we talk about in the classroom, and (the Pecos) forces the issues. You have to have the guy

“THE PECOS IS WHERE THE RUBBER HITS THE ROAD. ITS ALL THE STUFF WE TALK ABOUT IN THE CLASSROOM, AND (THE PECOS) FORCES THE ISSUES. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE GUY WHO’S ALWAYS POSITIVE AND LAUGHING AND TELLING JOKES, AND IT’S GOING TO BE A TOUGH WEEK, BUT THE GROUPS THAT COME TOGETHER, THAT DO RECOGNIZE (THE LEARNING), THEY COME BACK (FROM) A GREAT WEEK.” Cameron Hillier, Director of the Wilderness Program

who’s always positive and laughing and telling jokes, and it’s going to be a tough week, but the groups that come together, that do recognize (the learning), they come back (from) a great week.”

Every single Marksman has a different Pecos. Some might enjoy a pleasant, 24-hour solo, some might hike thirty miles through biting rivers or some might not even get their solo at all. Regardless of what happens to them, though, every Marksman will return to 10600 with a story to tell, a story full of highs and lows, triumphs and failures and challenges and successes.

“If you’re scared to be alone for 24 hours with your thought, you’ve got things to think about,” Hillier said.

Drama students prepare for fall musical, ‘Guys and Dolls’

BY RISHIK KAPOOR

As the new school year starts, activities and clubs kick off again. Drama is no exception to that. The drama students have already started work on St. Mark’s Fall Musical, “Guys and Dolls”. The musical this fall will be followed by the play, “Into the Woods”, this winter. Both shows will be produced in conjunction with Hockaday.

“Guys and Dolls” was selected by drama teacher and director of the musical, Katy Tye.

“It’s a really, fun classic musical,” Tye said. “I’m going with a few classics for our shows this years.”

Producing a musical of this magnitude involves a lot of practice. Actors have to rehearse five days a week, everyday after school, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

This is frequenty a source of conflict for students with

other activities, such as sports.

“Students can’t miss sports to be in the musical,” Tye said. “I have to work around athletics.”

Because of conflict with sports, students often have to practice at different times, away from the main rehearsal.

“If somebody wants to be in the show, they have to come to me after athletics so I can work them into it,” Tye said.

The students also have to commit a lot of time outside of rehearsal to prepare for the musical. Commitments include remembering lines, practicing blocking, rehearse music and learning cues.

“It takes a lot of effort and outside practice to memorize everything we need to know for the show,” sophomore Luke Cathey said. “I would say that it’s like the commitment of a sport.”

This commitment only increases the week before the debut of the show, known as “Tech Week.”

“We get mics on and figure out lighting and so much more,” Cathey said. “Rehearsals go until 8:30 or 9:00 that week.”

Despite the rigorous workload that comes with the musical, it allows actors to connect with other people from different grades and students at Hockaday as well.

“Because we spend so much time working on this project, we end up growing super close with each other,” Cathey said. “I get to bond with people I didn’t know as well and it’s so fun. Every time I see someone I met from the musical, we start a conversation and they become some of my best friends.”

“Guys and Dolls” will be held on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available on the St. Mark’s webpage in a few weeks.

Students spotted a cow by the lake (top left). Students enjoy their day at the campsite (top right). A Pecos group poses for a photo (bottom left). The vast expanse of the Pecos Wilderness is pictured (bottom right).

Photos by Brian Li (Top Row, Bottom Right)

This year, the amount of rain during the Pecos was a lot more than it usually is. The following data is from www.wunderground.com during the Pecos trip each year.

Photo by Blaize Schuhmacher (Bottom Left)

Student cadets take flight through Civil Air Patrol

Senior Andrew Xuan and sophomore Paul Sumethasorn participate in Civil Air Patrol bootcamps, learning valuable skills in aircraft operation.

BY SHIV BHANDARI AND CHRISTOPHER HUANG

The sky looks beautiful at 3,000 feet.

A seemingly infinite plane of baby blue streaks dotted with little clouds of ivory fluff, the sky is liberating: there’s no ceiling to hit, no homework to complete and no texts to check.

All the daily concerns and stresses float away when dancing among the clouds, twirling and turning with the birds that tear through the air like scissors through paper as the ground turns into a distant mosaic.

Some might say that the sky’s the limit, but for senior Andrew Xuan and sophomore Paul Sumethasorn, members of the Civil Air Patrol program (CAP), it’s only the beginning.

CAP, a non-profit organization that operates as the official auxiliary to the Air Force, offers aerospace education, experience with emergency services and various other activities relating to leadership and the Air Force through its three separate missions. Cadets, who range between the ages of 12 and 21, can earn flying licenses and even gain qualifications to help with disaster relief and search and rescue missions through National Cadet Special Activities (NCSAs). Skills learned in the CAP can help the cadets in their future careers, military or non-military.

YOU HAVE TO COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND FEEL THAT THE OTHER GUYS ARE STRUGGLING ALONGSIDE YOU. THAT’S HOW YOU MAKE IT THROUGH ENCAMPMENT.”

ANDREW XUAN, CADET DEPUTY COMMANDER

Before gaining access to these NCSA opportunities, however, newly accepted members must go through an encampment, a boot camp that lasts a week, in which cadets go through highly regimented days that often leave them exhausted and worn out.

Despite that, though, Cadet Master Sergeant Sumethasorn views his time at encampment as one of his fondest memories from CAP, despite the early hours and excessive exercise that he was forced to endure.

“The first few days, there was a lot of pressure,” Sumethasorn said. “It was really hard emotionally and physically, and I kind of hated (it at) first, but then I started realizing how many opportunities it gave me. It was the first time I flew a plane, and that was the first time it kind of clicked (for) me.”

Over just a single week, cadets will hopefully come to realize that their future success in CAP and life as a whole will not come from their attributes or qualities but from their ability to rely on and support others.

“If you don’t bond with your teammates, you’re pretty much not going to make it through,” Cadet Deputy Commander Xuan said. “You have to come together as a team and feel that the other guys are struggling alongside you. That’s how you make it through encampment.”

After cadets make it through this boot camp, they gain access to a plethora of NCSAs that cover a wide range of topics and potential interests. From July 6 to July 13, Xuan was one of the 20 accepted cadets out of 320 applications who attended a glider camp through the CAP National Headquarters in Alabama.

“There’s no engine powering the (glider),” Xuan said. “The glider has to be towed up into the air by a powered aircraft, and once you’re released, it glides back to the (ground). You feel slight disturbances in the air very

space as an astronaut, and this glider camp is just another step he has taken towards that goal since he first joined CAP in three years.

accepted candidates out of 320 applications from cadets who attended a glider camp through the CAP National Headquarters

much, and it takes a little getting used to, but it was still a really cool flight.”

More valuable than the knowledge of how to fly a glider, though, is how Xuan’s experience at the camp offered him insight on how to dive into the uncertain with confidence.

“I think it was a big turning point for me,” Xuan said. “At every moment, every brain cell in your mind is thinking about potential risks or what happens if I mess up, but I was able to get over that (self-doubt). Once you’re up there and you’re forced to make that decision, messing up is better than not making a decision in the first place.”

Since he was young, Xuan has dreamed of one day stepping past the cobalt sky into the jet black of outer

“I was thinking about flying when I joined CAP,” Xuan said. “I stayed because of the people and because of the leadership. You’re forced to develop management skills and confidence, and you learn skills in the field that you can’t get elsewhere. Leadership doesn’t have to be the guy standing up at the front yelling at people: there’s a quiet side to leadership as well, and that’s something that’s more applicable to me as a student right now.”

Since he first jumped out of his bed in the early morning for his day of encampment over a year ago, Sumethasorn has learned just as much about himself and the type of person he is as he has about creating presentations on the fly, leading cadets in drills or operating aircraft.

“Before CAP, I was pretty timid,” Sumethasorn said. “All my teachers said I didn’t participate in class, and I think that I’ve been able to come out of my shell a little. I’m able to help those around me, and I think about the journey, not the destination because you have something to learn from every experience.”

New social media trend involves being bored on planes

BY DIEGO ARMENDARIZ

With the rise of social media, trends can come out of nowhere. Seniors Zachary Yang and Jack Frary were scrolling through TikTok when they saw a video of a man attempting the newest internet trend: completing an entire plane flight without any entertainment.

“You just sit in your seat on a flight, you don’t access your phone, don’t listen to music, can’t sleep, and you can’t talk to anyone,” Frary said, “just staring at the seat in front of you for the entire trip.”

Popularized in June of 2024, the practice quickly went

viral, with users uploading their experiences to TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter. For Frary and Yang, the decision to try the trend was made moments before their four-hour flight from the Hamptons to Dallas began.

“We were joking about doing it, but as we sat down, we were like, alright, let’s just do it,” Frary said, “I thought the boredom would be the hardest part but eventually it was really just an effort to stay awake.”

In contrast to other internet challenges, this one is more of a personal commitment towards a goal, lacking the negativity associated with the “devious licks” of 2021 or the Tide Pod challenge in 2017. Although both Yang

and Frary struggled to complete the challenge, they feel they have grown from their experience.

“Even though I fell asleep at the end, I’m proud of how far I made it, especially with less than an hour of sleep that night.” Yang said.

Even after Yang fell asleep, Frary still chose to power through the last hour of the trip. He knew that if he gave in right at the finish line, everything Yang and he had done would have been for nothing.

“Pain is temporary. You know, you just have to persevere.” Frary said, “I wanted to make Zachary proud, show him that I was able to actually complete it.”

Cadet Deputy Commander Xuan in the cockpit of a glider (Top) Xuan directs members in a CAP encampment (Bottom Left) Xuan’s glider flying through the sky (Bottom Right).

Photos Courtesy of Andrew Xuan

REVIEWS

Destroy Lonely’s latest album: A major shift in style

“LOVE LASTS FOREVER” is Destroy Lonely’s second studio album and his first album of 2024.

Although the album has some phenomenal tracks, it spans 23 tracks and runs for an incredibly long 1:10, with the deluxe album including an extra 10 songs, making it run for an additional 20 minutes.

Destroy Lonely has been an upcoming name in the hip-hop scene, signing to renowned artist Playboi Carti’s record label “OPIUM”, and he has also had an incredible amount of success with viral songs such as “NOSTYLIST” and “If Looks Could Kill.”

His rise to fame was mainly due to an incredibly unique sound which was driven by unique production from the likes of his main producer Clayco, who provided eerie instrumentals with a mysterious atmosphere as well as backing tracks of both acoustic and electric guitars combined with grungy basses.

However, on “LOVE LASTS FOREVER”, the entire album has been executively produced by lil88, cousin of established producing icon TM88. Lil88 is responsible for delivering some of the hottest hits of the new year such as “ss” by Ken Carson.

Although lil88 has certainly established himself as one of the hottest new names in the producing world, he fails to provide variety on the album, with many of the songs featuring similar drum patterns, which, over the course of over an hour, can feel quite mundane and repetitive.

Moreover, one of the selling points of Destroy Lonely’s music in the past has been the variety of production and the sheer intricacies of the beats he’s got on; however, this album doesn’t fall in line with this pattern.

This can mainly be attributed to Destroy Lonely’s attempt to try and move into the mainstream scene of hip-hop music, trying to tackle more familiar sounds that the average listener hears more often, but this inherently takes away some of the appeal of his music itself.

That being said, this album is still definitely worth the listen, especially for listeners more used to the mainstream sounds of artists such as Future and Lil Uzi Vert.

Garfield, Pugh star in stirring love story

Love is fleeting, and that’s especially apparent when one attempts to compress a lifetime’s worth of stories into a sub-2 hour film. That’s what director John Crowley and playwright-turned-screenwriter Nick Payne attempt to do in their new film “We Live in Time” to largely commendable results.

The film, told in a nonlinear fashion, is carried on the backs of its two stars, Andrew Garfiled and Florence Pugh even though the relationship between them serves as its true protagonist. Overall, the movie is largely moving, with its paint-by-the-numbers narrative compensated for by the stirring emotion throughout.

The film follows Weetabix salesman Tobias (Garfield), who gets run over fresh out of his divorce by restaurateur-chef Almut (Pugh). Despite the unconventional starting point, Almut and Tobias fall in love, eventually settling down and having a child together.

Things take a turn for the worse when Almut is diagnosed with cancer, threatening to rip the family apart. Normally, this plot turn would be a spoiler, but due to the unique story structure in which the events take place, the film doesn’t happen linearly, and the audience is presented with essentially all the information up front.

This unconventional approach to telling a rather conventional story livens up the material, but sometimes, especially in the first half, the movie feels a touch like a montage. Another drawback for the structure is the juxtaposition of sometimes wildly different tones, with scenes designed to make you cry tears of laughter and tears of sadness sometimes almost uncomfortably close together.

Once the film hits its stride, however, it finds an emotional balance that feels just right, with all the beats hitting exactly how Crowley seems to intend.

Pugh especially shines, her performance bringing humanity to a three-dimensional character that at times transcends the script. In the hands of a less capable actress, Almut could come off too soft or too hardened, yet Pugh walks a tightrope to make her actions convincingly justifiable. Garfield also has a respectable turn, with one argument scene in particular near that end that really stands out.

His character, though, is written in a way in which he never seems to be the bad guy, and, accordingly, I never quite bought some of the complex motivations that were intended for him.

Some of the film’s subplots are more compelling than others, but they all serve to illuminate Tobias and Almut’s relationship from start to finish, giving it a depth rarely portrayed in relationships on screen.

At times, the characters themselves feel living and breathing, in no small part due to the performances, but also because of Payne’s script that prioritizes character over narrative.

Despite its flaws, the film accomplishes exactly what it intends to do: make you sob. Emotion is the centerpiece of the film, its success defined by the lasting impression that feels like getting hit by a devastating train. Crowley’s direction is firm yet restrained, making coaching the raw feeling out of each heartbreaking turn in Tobias and Almut’s relationship look easy, so for that the film should be commended.

UPCOMING CONCERTS THIS MONTH

WEEZER

Weezer is continuing the Voyage of the Blue Planet tour, meant to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the “Blue Album”, their debut album in professional music with many of their most famous songs.

When: September 29

Where: American Airlines Center

USHER

Usher is continuing his Past Present Future tour that started in August, meant to support his newest album, Coming Home. Over the three days, Usher will play his new songs and many others.

When: October 3-5

Where: American Airlines Center

RHETT MILLER

Rhett Miller’89, an alumn who has revisited campus and played music for students multiple times, is hosting the Breathe Easy Concert to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

When: October 20

Where: Granada Theater

Photos / Creative Commons

Photo / A24 Films

VIKRAM SINGH Head Writer

COMMENTARY

CAM HURLEY Guest Writer

COMMENTARY

Student newspaper of St. Mark’s School of Texas

10600 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75230 214-346-8000

Editor-in-Chief

Hilton Sampson

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Editorials present the views of the 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 and only and not necessarily those of the ReMarker, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff.

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Marksmen need to be ready for any emergency

On Sept. 4, a Georgia 14-year-old carried out the deadliest school shooting in the state’s history, killing two teachers and two students. Hearing news like that just a week after school started forced us to think.

We are lucky to be at a school that provides a safe and secure environment built on trust. Marksmen have the luxury of knowing that nobody will randomly search their backpacks; we don’t have to knock to come back into class and we can let our guard down at school to make it feel like home. We have top-tier security 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

But the massacre in Georgia reminds us that we do need to consider what would happen in the event of an emergency here.

see STUDENTS on page 24

A call for fair parking solutions

The start of the new school year marks the arrival of dozens of new drivers on campus.

As early as 7:30 a.m., cars begin to flood the gravel parking lot in search of spaces, which aren’t always easy to find.

The later students arrive, the harder it is to find open spaces to park.

Just like dealing with traffic or accidents on the road, students need to budget time for this.

But sometimes, when students are running a few minutes behind or come to school late after a free first period, there are no spots left.

In such cases, kids are forced to either park in undesignated places, blocking other drivers, or rush to the main faculty parking lot in frantic search for a spot. This makes students late for class, causing them to rush and increasing the risk of accidents.

There needs to be more consistency in where teachers and students are permitted to park.

Faculty need to stop parking in the student lot, just like Marksmen are not allowed to park in the main lot.

While it may be more convenient for some teachers, faculty cars in the student lot prevent Marksmen from parking where they are supposed to.

Students have also been getting in trouble for parking in the main faculty lot because there isn’t enough space.

If teachers can park in the student lot, Marksmen shouldn’t be punished for parking in the faculty lot when there’s insufficient space.

A simple fix would be to open the new student parking in the main lot as overflow.

Although it is currently being used for construction parking, letting students who can’t find a space in the gravel to park there would be a temporary solution to the parking problem and keep students out of trouble.

As the year continues, students are eager to get out of the dusty gravel lot and be able to park in the main lot again.

MATTHEW HOFMANN Managing Editor

In their shoes:

working the student store

Once or twice a week, usually in the afternoon during a free period, I will walk along the brick pathways of the school and make my way towards the student store. I walk in the door, say Hi, Mrs. Goldberg, talk to any parents I know, pick out a snack, check out, and leave. The total interaction takes three minutes max, and I return to my free period to work on my homework with some food.

In those three minutes (or less), I am doted upon by the amazing volunteers and student store workers. What I didn’t see in the roughly three-minute interaction was the day-to-day upkeep required to keep the student store as spotless and well-running as it is.

However, after volunteering for two hours one afternoon, I can now say I appreciate the community the student store creates and the incredible store atmosphere that exists so much more.

On Sept. 17, I walked into the student store at 11:45 a.m. ready for my new job. However, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew I would be checking people out, but was unaware of what my other responsibilities were. As I walked in, I was warmly greeted by the Director of the Student Store, Nancy Goldberg, as well as two parent volunteers: Tammy Feferman and Kim Loftus. The three filled me in on what I would be doing during my shift.

I learned how to work the register, which surprisingly required keen attention to fine details to be run right. I often would scan an item when the cursor was on the name column, entering a random string of numbers and letters as the student’s name. After these learning opportunities, I completed my first sales and stood behind the counter, enjoying my experience.

Next, I learned the little details that make the student store what it is. Everything from refilling the refrigerator with new Gatorades constantly to folding shirts to fixing displays to moving items to and from inventory shelves, I quickly realized how much I didn’t know about daily work in the student store. These little actions keep the store well stocked and looking organized for any customers, something I had taken for granted before.

During my downtime, I sat with my back against the register and talked with the parent volunteers about their experience. I learned what the traffic patterns were likely and when the student store was its busiest, as well as their favorite memories from volunteering.

As I reflect on my experience, it was these fine details that led to a much deeper appreciation of what the student store is. To many students, the student store is a place to get a quick bite or restock some lead for mechanical pencils. The true benefit it provides to our community is often overlooked.

The real value of the store is in the community it creates. The student store is more than just a place to grab a snack; it is a vibrant hub where parents, students, and staff come together, fostering connection and shared experience. In its simple daily operations, it serves as a beacon of community, reminding us that even

interactions contribute to the

and bond that unite us all.

Students should prioritize safety knowledge, pay attention to drills

continued from page 23

It’s up tp us tp realize bad things happen everywhere and we need to stay alert. Our highly-trained security team is equipped to handle any threat on campus; still, most students would have no idea what to do in a crisis.

This brings up a question: are we as Marksmen prepared enough — not just in the event of an on-campus threat, but in any emergency scenario?

The school does a great job of preparing students for things like tornadoes or fires, with monthly drills that have become almost second nature to those who have attended the school for a long time.

However, when doing these drills, we as students need to pay attention and retain the information we’re given.

It is crucial that we learn these robust safety procedures, and practice them often, for any emergency.

Our knowledge on safety needs to extend beyond natural disasters.

After speaking with students on campus and asking, “Where is the nearest AED?” or “How do you perform CPR?” it’s clear that most students don’t know how to answer these questions.

Many of these students might have known the answers at one point, perhaps from lessons in sixth-grade Health and Wellness class or from outside of school.

Knowing how to make a tourniquet, for example, could potentially save someone’s life in a crisis. “Run, hide, fight” training teaches basic self-defense skills and what to do when faced with a threat.

Even if students never have to use it, these are life skills that can take them far.

Students also need to hold each other accountable for what they say, including on social media in our community.

Jokingly saying something without thinking, or allowing others to do the same, can be harmful to ourselves, our peers and our school. We need to be responsible for our own and others’ jokes, be mindful of our voice as a community and cultivate positivity to prevent actions that might hurt others.

As Marksmen, let’s hold each other accountable — to pay attention to our surroundings, to speak up when something is happening and to step in when someone needs help.

These measures can provide us with a plan for any emergency, or protect us from a potential on-campus threat until more common sense gun laws are passed. This does not mean a ban on guns – rather, a call for more protection for students and school employees.

Expanding background checks would ensure that weapons don’t end up in the hands of the wrong people.

For instance, the Georgia shooter’s father purchased and gifted a gun for his son’s 14th birthday, circumventing the system of age restrictions and background checks in place to allow his son to possess a gun. Despite being investigated by the F.B.I. just a year earlier for making threats online about a school shooting — which would’ve shown up on his son’s background check — he was allowed to possess and operate a firearm independently.

Other laws, like mandating safe gun storage will deny easy access to weapons for children like the Georgia shooter.

Making gun safety courses mandatory, like those implemented when getting a concealed carry license, will ensure proper training for all gun owners. Just like a driver’s license is required to drive a car — which is a machine capable of killing other people — mandatory safety courses will teach an owner how to safely handle their gun.

We can’t control everything, but as Marksmen, we must do our duty to control what we can.

Having a plan to be prepared for all emergencies, taking tornado and fire drills seriously, knowing how to perform basic life-saving techniques until medical help arrives or driving safely in our school zone and parking lots are all things we can control to make our community a safer place.

THE GRID

An oversimplified guide to what falls where in our hierarchy of events across campus.

For each other

For senior Linyang Lee, rowing is so much more than just a sport. It’s a burning fire of heart and resilience in times of self-doubt.

Our bodies — slumped. Our legs — burnt. Our breaths — heaving.

I thrust my feet, socks and all, off the sides of the boat and into the water.

It was 102 degrees out, and my shirt and shorts were already soaked with sweat. Who cared if I had to drive home with wet socks?

I could feel the heat leaving my body, but my legs and back were still smoldering with lactic acid.

My chest was still heaving. Sweat was still dripping off my nose.

I closed my eyes. Still trying to catch my breath.

The lactic acid just wouldn’t leave me alone.

It burned the last bit of our row into my mind.

This is where you meet God! Evan McGowan had shouted from the launch.

Any rational person would’ve stopped a minute into our piece.

But we kept pushing. Straight through the pain.

Not just for ourselves. But for each other.

As we caught our breaths, Evan’s voice came once again from the megaphone.

I didn’t really hear it.

Something about needing better togetherness. Good swing. Dog mentality.

I heard one word though.

Believe

I stepped out of the hotel shower. Skin red because I’d turned the heat all the way up.

Man, I was still cold.

Opening the door out of the steamy bathroom was like stepping into a freezer.

Why did this have to happen?

LE-DETENTION

I had chills. My throat was sore. I could barely eat. And there I was. Sarasota, Florida. The day before Nats.

The practice row already fried me.

How was I going to race?

The light steady state jacked my heart rate up. My mind didn’t work straight at all. No amount of Ricola could save me.

But Ian, our stroke seat, pulled me aside after.

I’ve got a good feeling about this race, he said.

He believed. Eli and Hewes believed.

Where was my belief?

I woke up the next morning, feeling a bit better. I’d stayed the night with my parents.

That tylenol helped. And orange juice.

I popped a few Ricolas and stepped into the shower.

Hey, no chills today.

As the water hit my face, I thought of my shower last night.

Who would be crazy enough to race with a fever? Who would be crazy enough to even think about it?

Only me. That fired me up.

I was the first at the race course.

As the rest of the quad and coaches walked up to our trailer, I smiled.

How’re you feeling? They asked.

I gave a double thumbs up.

The thumbs up wasn’t enough to tell my quad how dialed I was, though. I added my pinky and made a double surfer sign. I was so ready to give everything I had for them. I was so dialed.

I believed.

Belief.

That’s what I love about rowing.

The foundation of rowing culture is that we know each of us is putting out and giving everything we’ve got for the boat.

It doesn’t matter if it’s Nats or just balance drills. The best rowers put out.

I’m far from being a perfect rower. But those days I know I put everything into the chain on the erg or into the water — that builds confidence.

Because I know I’m not just doing it for me. Because it’s for each other.

In a world with so much isolation and insecurity — it’s hard to find self-confidence without a team.

Last year, the Surgeon General released an advisory to call attention to the public health crisis of loneliness and lack of connection in our country. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

In the 44 years from 1972 to 2016, Americans lost trust in each other — going from 45% to 30%.

Surveys found that about half of U.S. adults report experiencing loneliness — with some of the highest rates among young adults. But we don’t have to live like that.

Find your team. Your tribe.

Become closer with your family. With your friends. Find a group of people you’d race sick for. Because that’s how you find belief.

The SMERGOS recovers on their way back to the dock after finishing 9th in the Time Trial, the highest placement in school history.

Photo courtesy Linyang Lee

Cartoon by Joseph Sun

COMMENTARY

LINYANG LEE Managing Editor

SPORTS

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

NEWS IN BRIEF

WATER POLO TRAVELS TO HOUSTON The Lions water polo team recently traveled to Houston to face off against some of the state’s best competition. They had three difficult games, but they didn’t shy away from the challenge. Their first game against Clear Creek ended as 12-12 a draw and with every game they performed better and better. The Lions bested Strake Jesuit 7-5 as well as earning a dominant 16-8 win over Brazoswood. The Lions are looking to keep up their high level of performance as the season goes on.

THE LION’S MANE The SuperFanMen granted the prestigious Lion’s Mane Award to Oliver Geheb Sept. 13 as he scored 14 goals in his water polo tournament. On Friday, September 6th the Lion’s Mane was awarded to senior, Carson Bosita, as he travelled to Columbus, Ohio over the summer, securing first place at Division II Men’s Sabre Summer Nationals. Bosita earned a B24 rating, which refers to a specific level of classification within the sport, winning himself first team All-American.

NEW WEIGHT ROOM SCHEDULE Starting this week, Marksmen will need to email coach Dilworth to gain credit for their lifts, if they wish to use the weight room during the school day. The new procedure is aimed at accommodating Dilworth’s busy schedule, which often includes teaching responsibilities and other commitments. These new rules ensure that Dilworth is aware of the activities and schedules regarding the weight room since there are so many students who use it.

THE SCOREBOARD

VARSITY FOOTBALL, 9/20

54 25

St. Mark’s TCA

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL, 9/19

VARSITY WATERPOLO, 9/21 3 0 12 11

St. Mark’s DASCHE

Pride in their pick

Harrison Ingram ‘21, was drafted to the San Antonio Spurs during the 2024 NBA draft

BY LAWRENCE GARDNER AND MICHAEL JIMENEZ

St. Mark’s El Dorado

MVP SPOTLIGHT

SPORT: Football

Dazzling suits and silver chains sparkled across the green room. For some, it would be a night of celebration and a leap forward in their journey, while for others, a minor setback. The air was thick with tears, laughter and everything in between. Countless hours of work all for this moment. For 58 individuals, their lives were about to change forever. Their dreams were about to become reality.

This was the case for Harrison Ingram ‘21 after he was selected 48th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2024 NBA draft.

Every step mattered for Ingram, each one bringing him closer to the top. And one of those crucial steps started when he was 8 on the AAU circuit.

Spurs undergo rebrand for 24-25 school year

BY SHIV BHANDARI

An explosion of noise.

Under the harsh lights of Hunt Stadium, the brown, beaten ball finds its way into the endzone.

Touchdown Lions.

The student section has become a wave of white, a buzzing amalgamation that shakes the stadium’s railings with its zealous cheers and chants.

And just in front of the roaring crowd, in their cowboy boots and blue shirts, a handful of Upper School students bound across the sidelines, waving their billowing flags in the warm, slightly humid air of the late September night.

The Spurs.

Since their inception dating back to the 1990s, the Spurs have played a key role in Lions Football for over three decades, and their iconic white shirts have become a familiar sight at home football games.

But now, with their defining white shirts being discarded in favor of a new, navy-blue button-down, and no seniors stepping onto the team to lead the underclassmen, there’s no doubt that the Spurs are going into a new, unpredictable chapter of their multi-decade service.

Junior Spurs captain Michael Finn McKool acknowledges the uncertainty that comes with the rebrand, but he’s confident that the changes will heighten the group’s level of connection within the community.

“Going into the summer, we didn’t have a lot of signups, so I realized that something had to change,” McKool said. “I want us to be part of the football program but also expand it to other things like McDonald’s Week or robotics tournaments, and that’s the biggest rebrand of it all.”

The Spurs are more than just hype men, though. They are an extension of the student council itself, and their influence reaches farther than Hunt Stadium or Spencer Gym.

“I have extremely high expectations of the Spur(s),” Student Council Advisor Michele Santosuosso said. “All eyes are on you, and the community holds you to such esteem. Having so many eyes on you, there are higher expectations.”

The Spurs have always been a unique part of the school’s culture. The energy they bring is so unmatched, so salient that it infects all in attendance, bringing them to their feet.

“It’s just exciting,” Santosuosso said. “We’ve even had Coach (Kevin) Dilworth grab a flag and run. You can feel (their) energy and push back on it.”

The blue polos and brown hats serve as more than just flashy visual changes, though: they’re an intentional effort to renew the Spurs, to create something as synonymous with St. Mark’s as blue & gold.

GAME: St. Mark’s @ Greenhill

DATE: Sept. 13

SCORE: Lions 38, Hornets 14

STATS: Parker had five catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns Mateu Parker

“Harrison’s AAU Coach was an integral part of his development,” Tyrous Ingram, Ingram’s father said. “Coach Thomas provided the platform for Harrison to play with and against the very best players in the country.”

As Ingram got older, AAU basketball became an even more vital part of his journey. The live periods drew in college coaches, and Ingram had to step up his game. While fans and social media praised his standout performances against elite competition, they didn’t see the countless hours of hard work he put in behind the scenes.

“Harrison had to sacrifice and be committed to getting better,” Mr. Ingram said. “It was not enough to be able to run and jump; you have to possess skill and embrace the fundamentals of the game.”

And Ingram didn’t stop at mastering the fundamentals, he continuously refined his skills and tested himself against the best of the best.

“Playing against high-level competition was the key to becoming the best player possible,” Mr. Ingram said. “Starting early paid huge dividends.”

Although Harrison’s physical ability and on court performance was exceptional, it was his mindset that truly set him apart.

“So many people have forgotten how we act and who we are, so I think that it’s time to bring ourselves back into the limelight,” McKool said.

Regardless of the color of their shirts or the age of their members, and whether it be under the lights of a Friday-night football game or the stage of a robotics tournament, the Spurs will continue to be who they’ve always been: that handful of Upper School students bounding across the sidelines, waving their billowing flags through the air.

“It’s a rare opportunity to be a part of a team that (deepens) your connection with your community in a way that other groups around campus haven’t done in the past,” McKool said. “We care about our community and every team, no matter how big or small (they) are. I (hope) that the Spurs will continue to grow into a beloved part of our community.”

Photo Courtesy UNC Athletic Department

Harrison Ingram ‘21 poses for a picture after being drafted to the San Antonio Spurs with the 48th overall pick in the second round of thr 2024 NBA draft

Parents influence participation in sports

Parents have a significant influence on the lives of their children, especially as they exert different pressures on them through growth and development.

BY NEIL YEPURI AND SAM MORSE

It’s always the parents.

Whenever an athlete wins something significant, like a championship, an award or even a specific game, they’re always eager to thank their coaches, teammates and their fans.

Almost always, though, there is time taken within those speeches to thank their parents — for pushing them, for believing in them and for sacrificing for them.

The level of dedication it takes to perform any sport at a high level adds another layer of dependency and strength to a parent-child relationship. The job requires both the mettle to push one’s child further than before, while also caring for and nurturing that child’s growth.

But, when that child blossoms into an athlete and reaches the top of the mountain, they’re always the first to credit the role their parents had in their development and eventual success.

In more recent years, however, it has become increasingly difficult to get involved in sports at later ages and advance to the necessary level to play in college or a professional league. There’s a balance each parent must find between exposing their child to new sports and activities and being overbearing in the pursuit of athletic success.

And, while each parent is different, Amy Laczkowski says it largely depends on the kid. She and her husband, who were both college athletes at WashU, St. Louis, have raised two college basketball players, Andrew ‘20 and Tate ‘22, and a senior, Luke, who’s received 13 offers to play college basketball next year. Andrew is even headed overseas to Poland for at least a year to play professionally.

“For our boys, we wanted them to play sports because they loved it — we didn’t say you have to play basketball or volleyball (like their parents),” Mrs. Laczkowski said. “So we were very, very open about whatever they liked. If they didn’t like sports and they wanted to do an instrument or musicals or plays, that would have been wonderful, too.”

But, there’s a special personal aspect when it comes to being a parent and a fan in the stands.

“Watching your kids is a whole different level of anxiety--you just want them to do so well,” Mrs. Laczkowski said. “It’s literally like your heart is out there on the court.”

As a former college athlete, Laczkowski understands the unique pressures that athletes face from outside influences. Her sons have endured more of this due to their athletic recruitment and the presence of social media within that process.

“We’ve learned, from Andrew, Tate and Luke,

that a lot of times they just need us to be their parents and smile at them and not be so critical,” Mrs. Laczkowski said. “They have a lot of voices out there, talking about them, especially on social media. So, we’ll try and point things out from a skill perspective sometimes, but mostly we’ll just try to be grounded at home and a lot of times, honestly, we don’t talk about (sports) too much.”

THE GREATEST TITLE I’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN IN MY LIFE IS ‘DAD’, AND IT’S IMPORTANT TO ME THAT I SHOW UP AT EVERY TURN AND THAT MY KIDS SEE ME SUPPORTING THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN.”

BRYAN WILBURN, FATHER

The Laczkowskis, according to Amy, are a competitive family that happened to be very sports-oriented. Though all three boys ended up pursuing basketball to its fullest extent at St. Mark’s, they weren’t required to do it from a young age.

“We just wanted them to have something they love and have a passion for what interests them,” Mrs. Laczkowski said. “Something they could pour themselves into along with school.”

Director of Mental Health Mary Bonsu has seen the influence parents have on their kids in sports. She believes that parents naturally want to relieve their kids’ worries, making it easy for parents to balance pressure with support.

“As infants, people are helpless, and if they experience something threatening, they cry. When they cry, it triggers a response from the parent to fight off the threat,” Bonsu said. “That doesn’t go away as the child gets older, it just becomes more complex. Parents still have the natural urge to protect their offspring.”

According to Bonsu, the messages parents send their kids have an immense effect on the kid’s wellbeing. Bonsu says if a message is continually repeated in a child’s life, the kids will most likely internalize the messages their parents tell them. Unfortunately, these messages can include criticism, which can lead the kid to pressure themselves too much in the pursuit of success.

Bryan Wilburn, a father of one St. Mark’s alumni and two high schoolers, believes that spreading these positive messages to his children help them throughout their athletic pursuits.

His sons, Asher ‘23, senior Ace Wilburn, and sophomore Archer Wilburn, all play or have played high school sports at a high level. As a

father, Wilburn attends every game they play, but also challenges them to challenge themselves.

“The greatest title I’ve ever been given in my lifetime is ‘Dad’, and it’s important to me that I show up at every turn and that my kids see me supporting the things that they have an interest in,” Wilburn said.

Wilburn believes that his role as a father is to support his kids by ensuring sufficient sleep, good nutrition and a good balance between work and life. Although Wilburn challenges his kids, he prioritizes helping them put forward their best effort, frequently asking if they tried their best in all of their endeavors.

“Sometimes it’s hard as an athlete to give 110% on every play or every series, and the accountability from a parent’s perspective is to have the relationship that I do with all three of my boys, just be able to look at them and say, ‘Hey buddy, did you do your best that time?’” Wilburn said. “And my boys are really straightforward and honest, and they do a great job of taking a self inventory of how they perform.”

Photo by Neil Yepuri

Spurs selected Ingram ‘21 in NBA draft

continued from page 26

“What was evident throughout his childhood was his drive to be the best,” Mr. Ingram said. “He always wanted to compete and win.”

It didn’t matter if he was up against a five star recruit in a packed gym or playing his brother in the backyardIngram always gave everything he had.

“HIs older brother Will, who played basketball at Middlebury, helped him in so many ways,” Mr. Ingram said. “He brought out Harrison’s competitive spirit at a very young age.”

While Harrison had many important influences throughout his childhood, the impact of the school has been undeniable.

“As a fourth grader until graduation, Harrison was fortunate to have had great instruction and guidance from St. Mark’s,” Mr. Ingram said. “The teachers, administrators and coaches poured so much into him.”

One of these key mentors was head basketball coach Greg Guiler, who coached Harrison from his freshman through senior year. Over those years, Guiler closely observed Harrison’s growth and is confident that he is ready for the next level.

“He’s such a smart, adaptable thinker,” Guiler said. “He’s always been able to raise his game to the level of the people around and I believe he’s going to do the same in the NBA. When he touches the ball, good things happen.”

Thus far, Guiler’s confidence in Harrison has been validated. Spurs summer league coach Chris Dial had the opportunity to work with Harrison over the summer and was impressed by what he saw.

”I think it’s safe to say that the staff was really proud of Harrison’s effort and his energy, and I think he sustained a really quality level of production,” Dial said. “He had great activity on the defensive end, he altered driving lines and he really shook up passing lanes. He deflected and did a lot of things that the staff was asking of the group.”

Harrison’s recent success is the culmination of years of dedication, stretching all the way back to those 8 year old AAU games. From the start, his parents made sure to build a strong supportive community around him to help him reach his full potential.

“We surrounded Harrison with good people,” Mr. Ingram said. “From coaches, trainers and parents, we have been extremely fortunate to have met some outstanding individuals along this journey. My relationships with Tim Laczkowski and Lee Smith is something

that I will cherish forever.”

Though many people have played important roles

HE’S SUCH A SMARTH, ADAPTABLE THINKER. HE’S ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO RAISE HIS GAME TO THE LEVEL OF THE PEOPLE AROUND AND I BELIEVE HE’S GOING TO DO THE SAME IN THE NBA.”

Greg Guiler, head basketball coach

in Harrison’s life , there are two who have stood by him every step of the way.

Two who have pushed him through both the highs

and lows. Two who will never turn their backs on him.

“As parents, it is our job to support our kids to help them reach their goals,” Mr. Ingram said. “As a father, being there was an absolute priority for me. We are very proud of him.”

For Harrison, it truly took a village. It wasn’t a single group that molded him into who he is today, but the united effort of those who believed in him working together to help him achieve his dream. And while that dream has become the reality, it is only the beginning of Harrison’s journey.

“Harrison’s dream was to become a professional basketball player,” Mr. Ingram said. “And now that he’s there, it’s time to get after it and work harder than ever.”

Senior travels to London for Maccabi Games

BY WESTON CHANCE

Racing down the field, surrounded by kids from around the world, Senior Alex Abel felt a tremendous amount of pride. He felt proud to be part of something larger than himself - representing both his country and his faith in the Maccabi Games.

The European Maccabi Youth Games (EMYG) gather the best Jewish athletes from around the world and place them on national teams to compete against one another. Over the summer, Abel played for the U18 United States Soccer team in the 2024 EMYG in London. Over the course of the week-long event, taking place July 28-Aug. 6, Abel came to feel a stronger connection to his religion through the many lessons he learned.

“I first learned about the event through my dad who attended the opening ceremony of the 1985 Maccabi Games held in Israel,” Abel said. “So when one of the coaches reached out to me, I was really excited to pursue the opportunity.”

Hearing about the long standing tradition of The Games, which were first held in 1932, from his father was what sparked Abel’s interest in competing. So when Abel arrived in London, he felt a stronger bond both with his father and his community. This emotion greatly contributed to Abel’s success on the field.

“We were able to go 2-2. We beat France and The Netherlands and lost to Argentina who won the tournament, and to Great Britain on a last minute penalty,” Abel said. “We finished a strong third overall.”

Abel’s most memorable moment came in the game against Great Britain, in which he was chosen to represent the U.S. as team captain.

“I got to be the captain against Great Britain, which I will definitely remember forever,” Abel said. “Shaking hands and doing the coin toss was really cool, and just being able to be a leader on the team was awesome. Plus, I was really happy to represent my country and wore that with a lot of pride. ”

Playing soccer was not the only aspect of The Games. Teams also engaged in a variety of off the field activities, allowing players to make friends from across the globe. These interactions were really special for Abel and he still keeps up with some of the people he met.

“Being with a bunch of Jewish people, I hadn’t really been in a situation like that, especially living in Dallas and going to St. Mark’s, so I hadn’t really had that kind of connection before, and it was nice,” Abel said.

Feeling a reinvigorated love for the Jewish faith is an often occurrence for players at The Games. Coach Barry Waranch has coached soccer in the DFW area for more than 25 years and served as one of Abel’s coaches at the Maccabi Games. Waranch has had the opportunity to witness the tremendous impact that The Games often have on his players.

“I think anytime you have any sort of international competition, it gives everybody an opportunity to see other human beings as people and not as adversaries,’

Waranch said. “So, I think it’s a great way to fix issues between people because eventually everybody sees that we’re all the same.”

Heart filled with this pride, Abel played a critical role in Team USA’s success.

“He’s a very smart player,” Waranch said. “He’s got what we call soccer IQ. He understands the game, the pressure points, how to move the ball, and where to go.”

In addition to Abel’s intelligence, Waranch praised his composure and

tendency to leave everything on the field. Beyond the game of soccer, Waranch appreciates Abel’s character and personality.

“He’s a great kid, and he’s just one of those types of humans that you want around,” Waranch said. “And he’ll do really well in life because of it.”

In the future, Abel hopes to potentially participate in the event again in the open age group. But for now, Abel continues to cherish his experience and all the relationships he made.

Ingram launches into the air for a tough shot versus Episcopal High School in the 2019-2020 Southern Prepartory Conference Tournament.

Photo Courtesy Development Office

Alex Abel made the trip across the Atlantic to represent his country and faith on the soccer pitch.

Senior Alex Abel hustles after a ball, repping team USA’s iconic red, white and blue.

Photo courtesy Alex Abel

Administration assists in P.E. semester selection for underclassmen

BY MARSHALL SUDBURY AND ARCHER WILBURN

Groups of Upper Schoolers play on the football field, lift in the weight room and run laps around the track during the school day. This sight is constant throughout the year since all ninth- and tenth-grade students are required to take one semester of physical education (P.E.) each year.

However, many Upper Schoolers prefer a certain semester for P.E. An extra P.E. class on top of a student’s already rigorous schedule can be burdensome for those who need an extra free period during the often more challenging second half of the school year. Others modify their P.E. so that their sports seasons don’t align with their scheduled P.E.

Paul Mlakar Director of Academic Information Systems

While these requests often cause changes in their schedules, Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar, who is in charge of creating and changing student schedules, as well as the Upper School office, are ready to help students in whatever way they can.

“It’s really not an issue,” Mlakar said. “We treat P.E. schedule changes like any other schedule change. If we can accommodate it, we’re happy to accommodate it.”

Each grade is offered four sections of P.E. per semester. Originally, students could choose which semester they wanted, but the high demand for first-semester P.E. was unsustainable for the Athletic Department. Now, students are randomly assigned a semester. However, they can request a switch, as long as it won’t overload P.E. classes.

“We don’t overload P.E. classes. We still cap classes at 16 …That’s one of the considerations, is there still room?” Mlakar said.

Of the 216 ninth- and tenthgrade students, 15 students elected to change their semester of P.E. with no clear pattern emerging. While not changing other classes, students switched to both first- and second-semester courses depending on their needs.

“P.E. is probably (the most changed class) because every ninth and tenth grader is required to take it,” Mlakar said. “Some kids, if they’re playing (sports) in the fall, don’t want to do P.E. in the fall… Some kids recognize that they can get their lift (for in-season sports) in.”

For now, Mlakar does not see any need for modifications to the current system.

“We’re going to leave it random and leave it open as any other schedule changes. We’re happy to make the change if we can accommodate it.”

Bowles, Hesse break barriers

Seniors Gavin Bowles and Hans Hesse are familiar sights at Friday night football games. Behind the lion costume and the exciting backflips, hours of practice and physical and mental challenges led to the unique opportunity.

BY RONIT KONGARA AND WILLIAM KOZOMAN

On a warm autumn evening under the Friday night lights, the cheer team takes its place along the sidelines. Their powerful stunts, synchronized moves and high-flying energy electrify the crowd. Among them, two figures who stand out from the rest: the two male cheerleaders on the team.

It wasn’t easy for them to join. Though some high school and many college cheer programs have strong male participation, it hasn’t been the same here. For senior Gavin Bowles, it took a step out of his comfort zone to go where no Marksman had for many years. And he was going to have to stand out from the crowd from the very beginning.

“I’ve been at an all-guys school over the last 11, 12 years now,” Bowles said. “ It’s a dynamic that I haven’t had to deal with before.”

His decision, though, was driven by two main factors: his experience with gymnastics and the ever-present need for graduation credits. Cheerleading, though definitely an unexpected route, matched these very well.

IT’S A DYNAMIC THAT I HAVEN’T HAD TO DEAL WITH BEFORE.”

Gavin Bowles, senior

“I’m a gymnast. I needed athletic credit, and the skill set matched,” Bowles said. “And then I was able to figure out a time commitment that worked with Coach McKenna. So I get my athletic credit, use the same skill set and represent the school.”

His longtime experience with gymnastics helped him to ease into the new sport – and also perform some pretty acrobatic maneuvers while at it. But, that didn’t make the transition easy.

“There’s a lot about being the only guy

on the cheer team that’s pretty uncomfortable at first. You just kind of have to buck up and get good at whatever you’re expected to do, so that you represent yourself and the school well,” Bowles said. “As the only guy on the cheer team, I was representing the St Mark’s guys.”

But Bowles wouldn’t be alone for long. Hans Hesse, who joined to play the role of Lenny the Lion, found it much easier with the knowledge he was following in Bowles’s footsteps. Originally choosing to only suit up as the mascot, he never expected to be an actual part of the cheer team. However, through some convincing, Hesse decided to give it a try.

“I viewed it as an option largely because Gavin was there,” Hesse said, “and I definitely don’t think I would have gotten involved in stunting if he hadn’t been there.”

Though initially it had been difficult and awkward to adapt to their parts in the cheer team, being the only two St. Mark’s students out of 31 cheerleaders, Hesse and Bowles eventually found their place and became central pieces of the team.

“I think it has totally changed the team dynamic. It is such a positive environment, and it seems like a family. I think they all have so much fun together, and it has been neat to see so many friendships form within the team. Gavin and Hans feel like they’ve been there just as long as everyone else has. It doesn’t feel different, or it doesn’t feel weird – it feels super normal,” head cheerleading coach Whitney McKenna said.

From McKenna’s perspective, what Bowles and Hesse are doing is not easy – constantly pushed out of their comfort zone in ways more than just physically –but their dedication highlights them as a role model for the community.

“So many people, I’ve heard from faculty members and other parents, look up to the two of them because it is a different situation,” McKenna said. “I think the boys here totally have respect and get even more excited when they see their own boys out there.”

By pushing past their initial discom-

fort, Bowles and Hesse have gained more than just an athletic credit in return. For those hesitant about joining something new and unknown, like cheerleading, for example, Bowles encourages them to just go ahead and take a chance.

“Try something new. Go. Get out of your comfort zone. Try something new and work hard on it. Don’t give up if it’s uncomfortable, because it will be rewarding,” Bowles said. “I’m so tempted sometimes to not be committed. But the thing about the satisfaction that you gain from staying committed and doing what you set out to do, even if it doesn’t go your way, is that every single minute is worth it.”

GAME WEEK

CHEER FAMS

After Tuesday practices, cheerleaders and their assigned football players gather for a post-practice snack.

LION WALK

Before kickoff, the cheerleaders gather around the gate to the field and form a tunnel for the Lions’ pregame run-out. As the team takes the field, they are accompanied by the backflips of the cheerleaders.

DURING THE GAME

As the game goes on, the cheer team builds the crowd’s energy through dance routines, chants, and acrobatic stunts.

HALFTIME

As the teams go into the locker rooms for the half, the cheerleaders for each school take turns for their halftime routines.

ALMA MATER

After the game ends, regardless of the result, the football players and cheerleaders gather in front of the student section. As the football players hold their helmets in the air, everyone sings the school’s Alma Mater.

Gavin Bowles and Hans Hesse are the two males on the school’s cheerleading team.

Photo by Winston Lin

Brothers found soccer team

Trip Neil ’03 and Charlie Neil ’08 recently created the first professional women’s soccer team in Dallas, Dallas Trinity FC, who will compete in the USL Super League.

BY NEIL YEPURI

Spectators fan themselves in the 90-degree heat, don their jerseys and queue up outside the concessions stand.

The sun is beating down on the field, and unforgivingly on the crowd in the bleachers.

It’s Friday night, in the Cotton Bowl. In September.

By all accounts, it is football season.

But, when Dallas Trinity FC, the first women’s professional soccer team in the city’s history, took the field, they didn’t seem out of place.

Maybe it was the crowd, watching just the second professional women’s soccer game in Dallas — ever.

Or all the people working behind the scenes on Dallas Trinity FC — people like team Chief Executive Officer Jim Neil, President Charlie Neil ’08 and Chief Operating Officer Trip Neil ’03.

The reporters, the photographers and the broadcast crew, linked to NBC’s Peacock for the current season, all help to add to the event.

But there’s something different being built here — some sort of credence that goes beyond

the crowd and hype. Although there’s 2,700 people in attendance, it feels like more. Instead of allowing the venue to swallow them up, the fans have embraced their situation — they command the empty space around them.

Despite the recent emergence of the team, it feels like it’s already a part of the community.

Many of the players on the team, especially within the starting lineup, are Dallas natives.

IT’S AN INVESMENT IN WOMEN’S SPORTS AND IN THE COMMUNITY. AND, HOPEFULLY AT SOME POINT, IT BECOMES A SUSTAINABLE ENTERPRISE.”

Trip Neil ’03, COO Of Dallas Trinity FC

And after playing careers all across the planet, they have come together for a new opportunity and a fresh start, right near home.

The idea behind Dallas Trinity FC emerged around six years ago, but bringing a women’s soccer franchise to Dallas had always been high on the Neil family’s priority list.

“(Dallas Trinity FC) wasn’t any one person’s idea,” Trip said. “You know, our family all had this idea, and we all have a lot of soccer in our background. And, it seemed like the right thing to do. It seems like the right place to be in this market is pro women’s soccer.”

The Neils are Dallas-based and involved in the sport of soccer. Trip and Charlie both played the sport here in high school, and both continued to do so in their respective college careers at Johns Hopkins and Yale, respectively.

They are also experienced with the administrative roles it takes to run a team. Charlie was drafted by the Detroit Tigers and played for three years in the MLB before pivoting into a career where he has worked as an investor, data miner and even in the Texas Rangers front office in baseball operations. Meanwhile, Trip has worked for 11 years as a President/Past President/Director of the US Deaf Soccer Association, where he was charged with the organization and funding of the US deaf national men’s and women’s soccer teams. He has also worked in real estate and other endeavors aimed at helping the deaf community.

So, even though the club may not be profitable at first, the potential for greatness is there.

“It’s an investment in women’s sports and in the community. And, hopefully at some point, it becomes a sustainable enterprise,” Trip Neil said.

Prior to DTFC’s addition, the only pro soccer team in the city was FC Dallas, which is run by the Hunt family. So, it was only fitting that St. Mark’s alumni were heavily involved in the creation of DTFC.

In fact, according to Trip, some of the skills involved in being the COO of a professional franchise can be traced all the way back to the school.

“St Mark’s feeds you a lot — I mean, there’s more to do than can possibly get done, so it’s about figuring out, ‘Okay, how do I invest and optimize my time? How do I best spend my time and resources to get as much done to be successful’?” Trip said.

So, it’s no surprise that they decided to bring Dallas Trinity FC to life, not only as a business opportunity, but as a service to the community – especially to one that had never experienced a professional women’s soccer team before.

“For a long time in our country’s (soccer) history, the women have outperformed the men on the national team level — just go look at how many World Cups and gold medals they’ve won,” Charlie said. “It’s long overdue to have that translate to the professional game, so providing more opportunities for players that have never had the opportunity to play professionally, undeservedly so, is something that Trip and I are both an advocate for.”

Since they both played the sport to a high level in their own lives, the Neil brothers want to extend more opportunities to women’s soccer that may not have existed before.

The Neil family felt 2024 was the right time to bring the team together, though, as women’s sports continues to grow in popularity across the country.

“The growth of women’s sports has now gotten to a point where it’s undeniable,” Charlie said. “We always use the term, it’s not a moment, it’s a movement. And I think that when you combine not just women’s soccer, but what is happening more broadly with women’s sports in basketball and volleyball — I mean, you’re seeing record breaking crowds across sport.”

Ultimately, the brothers hope that Trinity and its players can serve as a positive force in the Dallas community.

“Trip says it all the time: ‘If you can see it, you can be it’,” Charlie Neil said. “And so providing strong female leadership and strong female role

Sam Meza prepares to take a shot during Dallas Trinity’s game against Lexington Sporting Club. (above)

Photo by Winston Lin

The Texas Rangers’ mascot, Rangers Captain, wears a Dallas Trinity FC scarf in front of the DTFC logo, welcoming the new sports team to the North Texas region. Photo illustration by Joseph Sun

models for all of us to go out and watch, is a really important thing, and something that I know our fans will really start to grow and love.”

As the game kicks off, something is brewing. The stands are beginning to populate again. The team is seeing a lot of the ball — despite that, Trinity’s opponents from Lexington take the lead first.

Instead of being dampened, or letting their heads fall, the players push even harder — they will spend much of the half trying to force their opponents’ goal open.

It is an exercise in resilience. On multiple occasions, Lexington has the numbers for a counter-attack. On multiple occasions, these counters are thwarted. The defenders show a high level of steel and grace, as they do their part in keeping this game in check. The fans, always engaged, applaud each of these efforts.

After half an hour, the team’s hard work is rewarded. A ball lifted in from a set-piece is headed home by Allie Thornton, the team’s striker. It is her first goal of the season, and the third goal in team history.

Thornton’s expression is one of joy and relief. She, like many others on the team, has strong ties to Dallas women’s soccer.

She grew up in Arlington, and played at SMU in college.

Her goal breathes life into the Cotton Bowl. The fans are elated, and the team seems to gain a boost of energy through it.

This wave of enthusiasm, in fact, is so effective that in the second minute of stoppage time, after pinning Lexington back for what feels like forever, Amber Brooks’ lofted shot from outside the box is able to beat the keeper, who was off her line.

Despite going down early, the team was able to fight, and battle back. What a process it was to watch unfold.

Trinity lead at the half, 2-1.

For the Neil brothers, the development of a strong foundation within Dallas was paramount.

“We want to create our own identity and connect with the diversity that Dallas offers — that’s the arts community, that the multicultural community,” Trip Neil said. “It’s not just the soccer moms and dads that are out there, right? We’re really trying to connect with women. That’s a big part of our mission.”

In particular, Trinity and the Neil family have

WE GO OUT ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND NOW TO SOME SORT OF SOCCER TOURNAMENT OR SOCCER LEAGUES, JUST TRYING TO BUILD AWARENESS. THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE EXCITED THAT WE NOW HAVE A WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL TEAM AND THAT WE’RE HELPING FILL THAT GAP.”

Charlie Neil ’08, President of Dallas Trinity FC

been trying to tap into the massive community and resource that is youth girls soccer in Dallas and the surrounding areas.

“We go out almost every weekend now to some sort of soccer tournament or soccer leagues, just trying to build awareness,” Charlie said. “There are so many people that are excited that we now have a women’s professional team and that we’re helping to fill that gap.”

At the game, in fact, it is girls night. More than 500 girls and young women are in attendance, as part of Trinity’s effort to show off the game to the youth soccer scene.

Dallas Horne, a father of a player on the Dallasbased Storm FC girls club soccer team, is inspired.

“What’s exciting is that (attending the game) shows the girls that there’s other opportunities out

there in soccer besides just playing club soccer,” Horne said. “If they wanted to, they could work and play pro.”

But, the addition of Trinity to Dallas might mean the most to Chioma Ugobabu. She’s the team’s star winger and has had a lengthy career playing for top teams in Europe like Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur. She moved to Dallas when she was three years old, and grew up here before she went to college at Stanford and made a move to Arsenal to start her professional playing days.

Now, she’s returned to Dallas, getting a chance to play professional soccer in her hometown for the first time ever.

“I grew up playing recreational soccer here and club soccer here, and, you know, there was never a professional women’s team,” Ugobabu said. “That was something I was hoping would happen, and I was like, ‘Maybe it won’t happen when I’m playing, but it’s something I can support and be a fan of,’ so it’s amazing that in the last few years I’m playing, I can be a part of the first team to be playing in Dallas. I’m really excited to see helping the city gets behind us throughout the season.”

As eventful and exciting as the first half was, the second half had even more for the fans that night. It started pretty dull for Trinity, though. Just seven minutes after the break, Lexington equalized, knotting the score at 2-2 on a strong counterattack.

Again, a spot where Trinity could have faltered.

But, again, the crowd and team were able to rally. It was as if they were one — chants rang out across the pitch, and a sense of urgency was made obvious.

They were swiftly rewarded for this surge in the 56th minute, when Ugobabu tapped home a loose ball rebound from a parried shot. Then, 11 minutes later, she struck from long range, placing a shot past the Lexington keeper and making the score 4-2.

It took roughly a quarter of an hour for one woman, whose connection to Dallas is strong, to take over the game. She and her teammates, through strong tactical play and resilience, turned the game — and its momentum — on a dime.

And, the hometown girls weren’t done yet. The hero of the first half, Thornton, was able to both tap home another goal off of a rebound in minute 78 and complete her hat-trick, the first in league history, with a stunner in stoppage time. These three goals were Thornton’s first in the season and in the league.

The final score was Dallas Trinity FC 6, Lexington SC 2. To the boxscore watcher, it seems an average blowout — Trinity had nine shots on goal and 58 percent of the possession.

But, to those who watched, Trinity had to fight and overcome. They fell behind. They came back stronger. They took a punch to start the second half, and they responded, in full force, with a haymaker.

In many ways, the story of the game is similar to what a new franchise might undergo, with the ups and downs of attendance, attention, and fan interest in what that team has to offer.

If this game tells the story of Dallas Trinity, it’s only halftime.

The best is yet to come.

Allie Thorton celebrates after scoring her first goal. She would go on to score two more, making it the league’s first hat-trick. (Top Right) Trip Neil ’03 and Charlie Neil ’08 pose for a photo with Corindo Martin during a Dallas Trinity FC game. (Middle Right) Cyera Hintzen dribbles by her defender during Trinity FC’s game against Lexington Sporting Club. (Bottom Right)

UPCOMING DALLAS TRINITY FC GAMES IN USL SUPER LEAGUE

Photo Courtesy Charlie Neil ’03 (Middle Right)

Photos by Winston Lin (Top, Bottom Right)

Seniors meet little buddies

On Sept. 12, seniors met their first through thirdgrade little buddies for the first time. The pairs engaged in fun icebreakers with plenty of questions, drawings and conversations. This is just the first little buddy event for the school year.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Photos by Winston Lin

Senior John Householder asks his buddy Jack Caulkins IV ’36 a question. |2| Senior Jack Baker sits with his buddy Michael Epstein ‘36, deep in conversation.

Senior Sam Light smiles with his buddy Sioux Almond ‘36 after completing

activity. |4| The busy and

classroom buzzes with conversation as the seniors and buddies get to know each other. |5| Senior Akul Mittal points out a friend to his buddy Alexander Constantine ‘36. |6| Senior Alden Reagins grins with his buddy as they fill out the activity together. |7| Senior Shyam Maddakuri smiles for the camera with his buddy Austin Burton ‘36.