The ReMarker | October 2018 by St. Mark's School of Texas

the ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS DALLAS, TEXAS

remarker

silence ECHOES OF

Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing brought to light unanswered questions about consequences of high school actions, teenage relationships and sexual assault. Page 16–17. STORY Parker Davis, Lyle Ochs, Kamal Mamdani PHOTO Kyle Smith, Adnan Khan

VOLUME 65, NUMBER 2 NOVEMBER 2, 2018

agenda

Inside 3

In brief

Issues

Previewing the upcoming midterm elections, 3 A deep dive into the school’s policies on academic dishonesty, 4, 5 Looking back to the ISAS self study, 6 Evaluating the school’s history curriculum, 7 Yet another classic college conundrum, 8

9 Discoveries

Where should parents draw the line between kids and technology? 9 Everything on, of and about the school’s robotics team, 10

10600

Jeff Miller ’82 took a crazy ride to his corner office, 11 Two students are helping build houses — one cup of lemonade at a time, 12 Diving into two of campus’s newest clubs, 13 English instructor GayMarie Vaughan is taking her education up a level, 14 A history of the sophomore retreat, 15 Being a high school boy in a post-Kavanaugh world, 16, 17

Diversions

Art shows and fall activities and excursions, 18

Trimester end The first trimester ends Friday, Nov. 9, which by tradition and school policy

GENERAL NEWS > LOWER SCHOOL TECH UPGRADES. Last year, touchscreens installed in the Lower School have assisted teachers in the classroom. They allow teachers to better incorporate class events such as daily calendar updates and planning, and have led to new games and activities for Lower School students. Now, the touchscreens have been fully implemented after a trial period last year. > SENIOR AUCTION. The Class of 2019 Senior Auction, which took place Sunday, Oct. 7, reeled in $50,000. Among the most popular items sold were lessons for cooking, music and sports; a performance from a senior jazz sextet; and an autographed photo of the senior class. The money accrued goes to fund four main purposes: paying off the class’s debt from past events, funding for future senior events, funding for future reunions and legacy gifts to the school.

means a no-homework weekend for students. This policy is intended to give Marksmen two weekends each year that are completely free of academic responsibility. Another reprieve for students and faculty will come Nov. 19 when school will be out for Thanksgiving break. Classes will resume Nov. 26.

19 Culture

> ALUMNI EAST COAST EVENTS. The Development Office hosted the first of a series of alumni events Oct. 15-22. Nearly 150 alums currently on the East Coast attended the events in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, New Haven, Princeton and Philadelphia, all of whom met Headmaster David Dini, Suzanne and Patrick McGee Family Master Teaching Chair in Mathematics J.T. Sutcliffe, strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth and English instructor Scott Gonzalez. Future alumni events have been scheduled for February, when a few faculty members will travel to the West Coast

for events in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Palo Alto. > DEBATE TOURNAMENT. The Heart of Texas Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament took place Oct. 12-13 on campus. More than 500 high schoolers from around the country came together for nearly 30 hours of speech and debate events, including extemporaneous speaking, congressional and policy debate, public forum and Lincoln-Douglas debate. The debate team participated for the first time in the tournament, fielding two varsity teams, each finishing with a 3-3 record. > MCDONALD’S WEEK. This year’s McDonald’s Week will be held from Nov. 12 to Nov. 15, with All-Day Day on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Juniors Christian Duessel, Jackson Singhal and Thomas Loose, this year’s co-chairs, all hope for a successful McDonald’s week and the fulfillment of this year’s goals. > SEVENTH GRADE CAMPOUT. This year, the seventh grade campout, led by Wilderness Program Director Nick Sberna, will take place on Nov. 8-9. The trip will visit Cross Timber’s Trail at Lake Texoma. Students will leave campus that Thursday morning and return to campus on Friday afternoon. The seventh grade campout is a hiking trip that introduces equipment and procedures necessary for the future Pecos trip, as well as provide an outdoor education for students. > CANDY DRIVE. The annual Candy Drive began Nov. 1. Donated candy will benefit underprivileged children at the Salvation Army, West Dallas Community Center and Martin Luther King Community Center. Candy can be dropped off before school at Nearburg Hall or the Lower School Circle. > LEADERSHIP LOOPS. Leadership Loops, a new section of Ethos this year, has

‘

I just needed to be on stage. It was more about me needing to express myself. I love to perform, I love to inspire, I love to express myself to people. That’s what I enjoy most, interacting with people.”

The newest social media trend: Instagram museums 19 Leo Weiser skipped college to pursue theater 20

— LEO WEISER ’17, WHO SKIPPED COLLEGE IN ORDER TO PURSUE THEATER STORY ON PAGE 20.

A look inside the play 21 Nancy Marmion dances to her own beat 22

23 Opinions

Buzz: the best places for your next caffeine hit, 23 Editorial: event security in light of Homecoming, 24 White: a word on Kavanaugh, 25 Guevara: Etiquette and manners, 26

Sports

How to own an NFL team, 27 Spending game time on the bench, 28 Looking back at the 2013 SPC champion volleyball team, 29

Sophomore Alexander Emery sets sail, 30 Pre-SPC updates on fall sports, 31

32 Back page

Junior Jackson Singhal’s clothing line, 32

CHOWING DOWN Seniors Robert Newman, Blake Rogers, John Harbison and Connor Pierce (left to right) compete in a pie eating contest during a Lions’ Pause Sept. 25. The seniors ate “State Fair” themed fried food and participated in other State Fair activities.

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

met with the Middle School Sept. 12 and Oct. 24. Two upperclassmen work together to create a lecture coupled with an engaging activity in which the boys compete. Meetings will continue throughout the year. Ethos sponsor Martin Stegemoeller is coordinating the group with seniors Alex Baker, Sahit Dendekuri and Robert Newman and juniors Sam Ahmed, Colin Campbell and Devan Patel. ARTS NEWS > FALL PLAY. The first play of the year was the play adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” a mystery story set in England in 1939. It was presented on the weekend of Oct. 26-28. The cast included eight actors from here and three actresses from Hockaday, who were selected from an auditioning cast of 25 actors and actresses. > JUNIOR AKBAR WINS ART CONTEST. Junior Obaid Akbar won the Nasher Sculpture Center’s annual “Make Your Mark” art contest this summer. Participants were asked to design a bookmark inspired by their favorite experiences at the sculpture exhibits. For his prize, Akbar received a $250 NorthPark Gold Coin and his bookmark was printed and given away at the center. > EVENSONG. The choir will perform choral Evensong on Sunday in the school chapel. This Evensong will feature the school’s former organist Daniel Stipe along with Director of Treble Choristers and organist Glenn Stroh in the musical accompaniment. The music for this Evensong was chosen for the feast days of All Saints and All Souls, occasions to commemorate those who have passed away. The service begins with an organ recital at 6:30 p.m. > FOURTH GRADE SHAKESPEARE. Fourth graders will perform an evening of Shakespeare from

6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 14 in Decherd after practicing since the beginning of the school year. Three of Shakespeare’s plays based on shipwrecks — ”The Tempest,” “Twelfth Night” and “A Comedy of Errors” — will be performed by the fourth grade. To make sure that everyone is involved, some students will act as the chorus and the narrators. SPORTS NEWS > MS SPORTS. Middle school sports teams have enjoyed success to start the season. Eighth grade volleyball has been victorious six times this season, while only falling in matches to Greenhill and Texas Boys Volleyball Association. Due to rainouts, the seventh and eighth grade football teams have had two games canceled this season. However, both teams defeated Fort Worth Country Day at home Oct. 4. The seventh grade team won 40-36 and the eighth grade team 22-18. The eighth grade football possesses an impressive 3-0-1 record with a tie against Grapevine Faith Sept. 27. Both seventh and eighth grade cross country teams have participated in three meets so far, traveling to Hockaday, Greenhill and McKinney. The eighth grade team has been victorious in all three while the seventh grade’s best finish is second. > SOPHOMORE RANKED NATIONALLY. Sophomore Harrison Ingram was recently named as the 24th best basketball player in the nation for the class of 2021 according to the sports news website, Rivals.com. Additionally, Ingram is currently ranked as the third best player in Texas. Ingram will look to lead the varsity team here to a successful season along with other strong underclassmen such as junior Andrew Laczkowski and freshmen Colin Smith and Noah Shelby.

At a glance: Senior Night What

Honoring seniors on this year’s football team.

When

Nov. 2 during halftime of the ESD game. Gametime is 7 p.m.

Where

Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium.

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Before the ballot

How does the school prepare Marksmen to be responsible and engaged citizens—especially in today’s heated political scene?

isleading reports. Personal attacks. Polarizing views. Today’s political scene is daunting for anyone to step into — let alone a young Marksman and a firsttime voter. But exercising the American citizen’s right to vote is almost an obligation. Guided by three points of the “Civic Responsibility” principles outlined in Goals IV, the school’s statement of objectives adopted in early 2017, the classes and culture of 10600 Preston Rd. are preparing students to take their first steps as true citizens.

“We’re going to provide that opportunity in the fall and provide that opportunity in the spring,” Ashton said, “and just make it an ongoing thing that we do for voter registration, which raises awareness but also provides a good service.”

• “Design new course offer-

ings that prepare students for public service, civic leadership and governance.”

• “Seek opportunities for

students to become engaged in civic activities.”

he school helped faculty and seniors register as voters Oct. 5 to prepare for the midterm elections Nov. 6. A voter registration table, headed by Marksman mother Rebecca Wilson and a handful of volunteers, was set up in the Commons, and citizens older than 17 years and ten months could stop by to register. “When we look at something as simple as voter registration, it’s a very specific action that really contributes to the realization of Goal VI [the sixth stated objective of Goals IV] at the school, which is Civic Responsibility,” Upper School Head John Ashton said. In fact, an often-overlooked 1985 law in the Texas Election Code mandates that public and private schools help students register to vote. The law is, for the most part, unknown and rarely enforced. According to the Dallas Morning News, only 34 percent of high schools requested voter registration forms from the state of Texas since October 2016, which is one of the first steps of the law. “Like most schools, we didn’t make a decision not to do something,” Ashton said. “It just was something we weren’t doing. Frankly, I give all the credit to Mrs. Wilson and the parent volunteers.” In the table’s first year, 24 students and faculty registered, and now Ashton plans on having the table set up twice every year.

istory and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher believes his department is the most efficient at helping students develop their own opinions because it has the most opportunities to discuss current events. “It is very specifically the job of the History and Social Sciences Department to educate students to become informed and active citizens in this country and in the globe,” Fisher said. “I’ve made it something that I want us to do more of and to be more aware of as our mission as teachers.” Although there are only three required history classes for Upper Schoolers, the department offers five additional electives for students to pursue their individual interests. These electives focus on analyzing more recent events, just like the new international relations and comparative government course Fisher hopes to introduce in upcoming years. “This department is making a strong attempt to become more engaged, most explicitly in the type of courses that we’re offering” Fisher said. “You see the new courses coming out, like Spec Ops, are about contemporary events. Economics is popular, I think, because it’s contemporary. I think when we introduce Comparative Government, it will also get takers because it’s about how the world works.” Fisher, who understands political debates often appear in his classes, supports civil discussion based on facts and values. He believes teachers need to be unbiased when confronting delicate topics like the midterm elections if they expect their students to also be unbiased. “Teachers have to show that they’re willing to change and to be ed-

ucated,” Fisher said. “There’s a problem sometimes that we believe education can change the way people behave and think. If we didn’t believe that, we wouldn’t be educators. But often, we’re hypocrites.” As long as the conversation remains civil, Fisher encourages informal discussions in the classroom. In his mind, those necessary discussions are safer within the structure of the classroom environment than out in the real world. “For democracies to function, we have to have informed citizens who know the consequences of voting, who understand how the David mechanisms Fisher History and Social work, who unSciences derstand the Chair position of the United States in the world today,” Fisher said. “And I think for that to happen, a lot more of what we teach has to be contemporary.”

• “Encourage a regular and healthy public discourse among students regarding public policy issues and solutions.”

or students who want to become more engaged, political discussions don’t have to be limited to the classroom. There are multiple other opportunities on campus for students to have conversations with their peers. “Can [political discussions] also happen in organizations and clubs and extracurriculars?” Fisher said. “Yes. We have Political Forum. We have Model UN.” Senior Gabe Bankston finds that as a member of several politically diverse groups around campus, he’s able to have respectful, level-headed conver-

sations in any environment. “I’d say choir has been the most liberal environment I’ve been in at St. Mark’s,” Bankston said. “I’m also in football, where I’d say the majority of guys are conservative… Overall, having discussions with students and teachers on campus, it stays pretty civil.” For senior Noah Carr, his goal in political conversation isn’t to change others’ opinions, but rather to expose others to his viewpoint and expose himself to others’ viewpoints. “The conversation’s most constructive if it’s you and one person, maybe two other people, because that keeps the conversation a dialogue where it’s possible to talk without anything getting heated,” Carr said. Although he’s too young to vote this November, Carr still appreciates the importance of exercising the right to vote. “I think it’s important to be excited about politics,” Carr said, “and I think just being able to cast your vote is an opportunity that a lot of people undervalue.”

TOUGH DECISION Now eligible to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, many seniors will face this chioce for the first time.

By the numbers

people registered at the table

percent of seniors eligible to vote

seniors registered to vote Source: poll of 40 seniors

STORY Ishan Gupta, Sam Goldfarb, Robert Pou ARTWORK Matthew Coleman

Comparing the candidates

An overview of the Texas midterm elections based on the candidates’ opinions on controversial topics

Senate

Ted Cruz

· In favor of the border wall · In favor of abolishing Department of Education and giving power to the state · Supporter of the Second Amendment · Pro-life

Republican (Incumbent)

Beto O’Rourke Democrat

Governor · Against the border wall · In favor of increasing federal aid to public schools in low-income communities · In favor of getting rid of “weapons of war” such as AR-15s · Pro-choice

House of Representatives

Pete Sessions

Republican (Incumbent)

Colin Allred Democrat

Republican (Incumbent)

Lupe Valdez Democrat

· In favor of legalizing medical and recreational marijuana · Against the arming of teachers · Against implementing state income tax to manage the budget · Pro-choice

Attorney General

32nd District

· Against reducing defense spending to balance budget · In favor of lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth · In favor of repealing ObamaCare

Greg Abbott

· Against legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use · In favor of the arming of teachers · In favor of implementing a state income tax to manage the budget · Pro-life

· In favor of reducing defense spending to balance budget · Against lowering corporate taxes as a means of promoting economic growth · Against repealing ObamaCare

· Supporter of the Second Amendment · In favor of ensuring tax money is spent correctly · In favor of investigating Medicaid fraud Ken Paxton Republican (Incumbent) · Pro-life

Justin Nelson

· Aims to confront gun violence at schools · In favor of ending political lawsuits that deny Texans access to healthcare · Pro-choice

Democrat

Photos courtesy candidates’ websites and Creative Commons

issues

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Courage academic honor

HEADS TOGETHER Juniors Neal Reddy, Christian Duessel, Arjun Nair and Jack Trahan work through physics problems on the second floor of the Green Library.

Asking a friend for help on math homework. Discussing how difficult the test was. How do we define the gray area that exists between collaboration and cheating?

Just look it up – the easy way out Online sources can provide students with quick answers but violate school policy and undermine schoolwork.

S 33

Percent of high school students who admit to using the internet to plagiarize

Source: plagiarism.org

parkNotes. Cliff Notes. Slader. Grade Saver. Google Translate. As technology becomes more and more readily available to students, so do online tools and websites that can be used as shortcuts to doing the work and finding the answer individually. Important questions arise in classrooms around the country: How can educators limit cheating in a society where technology makes resources so accessible? Where is the line drawn for what constitutes cheating as the use of online materials increases? One tool that many teachers here utilize is Turnitin, an internet-based plagiarism detection service. “[Turnitin] facilitates checking things off of the internet,” computer science instructor Kurt Tholking said. “It’s a way for teachers to quickly see if a work is similar to something that has been written before by someone else.” For Victor F. White Master Teaching Chair David Brown, the online service has allowed him to easily reference how similar a student’s work is compared to other works in the Turnitin database. “As soon as I open a paper on Turnitin, it gives me the similarity percentage,” Brown said, “which has allowed me to catch a number of things.”

Although Brown sees the use of technology contributing to an increase in cheating, he recognizes that plagiarism was still a problem even when online tools were not so readily accessible. “Even though I didn’t have technology like this when I was in school, there were still plenty of ways to shortcut reading the whole novel,” Brown said. “Now, technology just makes it a lot quicker.” Despite technology providing more sources to facilitate cheating than ever before, Tholking believes the number of opportunities to cheat are still around the same as in the past. “SparkNotes was around before the internet, and if I copied something directly from there, that was still plagiarism,” Tholking said. “It’s easier to find those sources, but the opportunity to cheat isn’t any greater now than back then.” Tholking believes it is up to the educator to both know about these online tools and lay out to what extent students can use them. “New apps come out all the time,” Tholking said, “so a lot of it may just be education on the teacher’s side of what’s out there, and then having the teacher educate students on what they should and should not be using.” Because computer applications is a required

course in Lower and Middle School, Tholking and other computer science instructors are able to facilitate some of that education through their teaching. Specifically, the department highlights students’ digital citizenship and managing their digital footprints, while also going over what is cheating in terms of technology and how to properly look things up. However, Tholking believes it is primarily up to each teacher to instruct students what is cheating and what isn’t. “That is where each department needs to figure out how they address that, as far as figuring out the technology side of research and how it pertains to the department,” Tholking said. Ultimately, Tholking strongly discourages any form of cheating, whether it be through technology or not, since doing so defeats the purpose of going to school and learning. “If you’re not learning the process, then you’re just cheating yourself in the long run,” Tholking said. “That’s what we’re trying to prevent with plagiarism because you’re not doing the work. You may find that shortcut, but you’re not getting the long term gratification of getting the work done, properly learning and getting a good grade later on.”

The ones who make sure it never happens again Discipline Council members play a critical role in determining consequences and helping students get back on track.

A “

Your integrity is an integral part of who you are and what it means to be a complete person.” — Nancy Marmion

student walks into a conference room alongside his faculty advocate. Seated before a group of students and faculty, he’s guilty of committing a serious infraction of school policy. The quiet chatter of the congregation quickly dies down. The room turns silent. Please state your case. ••• Comprised of 15 Upper School students and four faculty members, the Discipline Council aims to thoroughly evaluate a level three violation of Lion Tracks perpetrated by a student and to provide a recommendation to Headmaster David Dini as to the punishment for the infraction committed. When approaching a case, Student Chair senior Alex Baker believes the thorough procedure of the council is crucial in helping the group make the most appropriate decision possible. “In a meeting, an administrator will walk in, Alex inform us and then leave,” Baker Discipline Baker said. “We talk for a Council Student second, and the student Chair comes in with a faculty advocate of his choosing who speaks on the student’s behalf as a bastion of moral support. We all ask questions, take notes and try to figure out what’s happening, and after the

student and his faculty sponsor leave, we discuss some more to reach a decision.” Specifically, Baker notes previous punishments serve as an important reference on a recommendation made on a similar case. “Generally we make decisions based on precedent,” Baker said, “so if there have been similar cases in the past that help the council decide what the punishment will be, we will use those decisions as a guide. When looking at similar cases, we see where this case falls; is it on the more severe side or on the less severe side, and then we would discuss and arrive at a punishment based on that.” Faculty Chair Nancy Marmion believes the council’s recommendation plays a crucial role in the ultimate decision made by Headmaster David Dini and the administration. “The ultimate decision is Dini’s decision,” Marmion said, “but if he weren’t going to take into account the recommendation of the Discipline Council, then we probably wouldn’t have one. Sometimes he may think the council’s decision is too severe or too lenient, and then he’ll adjust it one way or the other, but in my experience, the administration respects the work of the Discipline Council.” Regarding academic dishonesty, Marmion hopes for students to avoid situations which put them in a position where cheating is tempting. “I think a lot of times when cases specifically

STORIES Sahit Dendekuri, Sid Vattamreddy, Christopher Wang PHOTOS Rohit Vemuri, Ryan McCord

pertaining to academic dishonesty come before the Discipline Council,” Marmion said, “they are when students make a bad decision in the heat of the moment; when they’re under the gun for some reason.” Moreover, Baker stressNancy es how cheating is not only Marmion Discipline a violation of school policy, Council but also a poor display of Faculty Chair personal character. “Cheating is getting the better grade on an assignment at the expense of character and honor,” Baker said, “but cheating also harms the person who’s not cheating. If you could get a better grade by cheating, you’re only harming yourself by not being honorable and not doing the right thing. Realizing the detriment of cheating deserves respect.” Ultimately, Marmion says it’s all about integrity. “Our goal as a school is to help students and faculty make bad decisions as seldom as possible,” Marmion said. “Your integrity is an integral part of who you are and what it means to be a complete person, and you don’t want to have to sacrifice that for something as ephemeral as a grade on a test, lab report or paper. Your character is much more important than any of those things, and if we can communicate that to people, that would be our goal.”

issues

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Different disciplines, same spirit: academic integrity Department chairs, administrators discuss balancing healthy, constructive collaboration between students and minimizing the potential for academic dishonesty.

What are the specific guidelines for each of the academic departments? Making sure that when students are doing their work, they’re true to the spirit of the learning that needs to be happening when they’re doing their work, so not seeking help or using translators or seeking help. — Foreign Language Department Chair Zachary Erwin In English, our focus is often making sure that if you do obviously take someone else’s words, you quote that language and cite it. Also, if you take someone else’s idea, let’s say from a literary criticism or something of the sort, even if you’re not using the words themselves, you still need to cite and give credit to that person or author for the idea. That is, I think, an important part of the English approach. We use Turnitin for all papers written outside of class, and what Turnitin tends to catch is both use of language that’s not quoted and references that aren’t made. — English Department Chair Michael Morris In our department, the math department, we ask that each faculty member address their academic integrity philosophy and rules in their first day handout. They’re free to say how they’re going to govern it, but it has to be in the first day handout. We have to be careful about the language that we use because students shouldn’t be put in an ambiguous situation. — Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet Where we are probably most concerned about it, is in take-home essays, research papers, like the English department, we advise students 'you have to attribute your sources, whether it’s direct quotations or paraphrases.' Anything that’s borrowed needs to be attributed to the original source. But that’s difficult, and there’s a learning curve behind doing that. I think what we are doing to is build up an awareness about what does constitute plagiarism. — History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher

Where is the line drawn between collaboration and cheating? The concern that I would have with allowing collaboration on homework and not on a test is it’s almost a different game all of a sudden. Maybe students start to rely on collaboration, which in some ways is great, but when the test comes along, they might, in a sense, be unprepared. It’s hard because so much of the world that you’ll move on to is collaborative, so much

more work is done collaboratively now, you know teams and projects. You’ll find that in the business world, and you’ll find that in all walks of life. We really want to try and encourage it, and we want to make sure that we’re faithful to that ethic in the way that we assess too. — Michael Morris The way we are phrasing this is on our formative assessments collaborate all you like but on the summative assessments no. I think what we are also hearing is that it really does depend on subject to subject and topic to topic. If the spirit is being violated, then you have an academic integrity issue. Teachers in their first day handouts should be as clear as possible about what constitutes cheating, but I think you still have to give yourself some wiggle room because I’m suggesting it will depend from assignment to assignment and maybe that’s the next step. Be clear when the course starts and then when you have an assignment, be clear also about what constitutes cheating and what doesn’t. — David Fisher We encourage collaboration on homework. We think that’s good if two kids are in a math class together that they sit down and help each other learn, not copy the other person. We define collaboration as you’re working together to solve these problems and you’re not copying off of each other. We don’t allow collaboration on assessments like quizzes or tests. — Joe Milliet

What do instructors do to discourage and prevent cheating? From a student perspective, for any assignment, be it a major test, a major paper, all the way down to a daily homework assignment, a student should say to himself, 'What is it that I’m supposed to be getting out of this assignment?' The way to avoid a breach in academic honesty is to make sure he’s not going to do anything that’s going to forestall that goal. That might be getting help from somebody else or that might be looking at SparkNotes. He needs to make sure he’s not robbing himself of that opportunity to learn. — Zachary Erwin Speaking for myself and most people in my department, the sit-down, in-class work is going to count much more than the homework. When I grade my homework, I’m very generous. You should attempt and try. If what you’re going to do is copy someone else or go online to get it, you’re missing the point, and it will come back

to bite you at some point. That’s sort of the point with extended assignments too. If I were to give an AP DBQ [Advanced Placement Document Based Question] that probably is online somewhere, you could Google the answer, write it, and for that homework assignment do very well. But what’s going to happen once you do my unit test? That's something for which you couldn’t have prepared ahead of time for. — David Fisher They’ll end up punishing themselves when they [are academically dishonest], for that exact point. If they don’t see what they’re supposed to be learning from this, the guiding principle, they’re gonna get burned in the long run. — Joe Milliet

What measures are taken to cultivate an environment of academic honesty? We really try to develop the relationships that enable students to feel comfortable to come and ask. In my class, the policy is, if you fall behind, let me know before class. If you’re forthright about it, it’s fine, we will work out a makeup schedule. What I hope is all teachers certainly in my department and across this school have that open-arms approach: Come talk to me before you do something you shouldn't do. I hope that can deal with a lot of the gray area issues, that willingness to talk about it, that openness to setting some parameters that make sense. We don’t want it to be this taboo, terrifying thing that lurks in the dark and might bite you at some point. I think we tend to realize around here you John Ashton guys are so busy, you’re doing so Interim many things. I hope that you guys Head of Upper get the sense that the faculty here School appreciates how pulled you are and that we’re accommodating as much as we can. — Michael Morris That’s why we keep saying, as a constant reminder, and ask the teachers to constantly remind you guys: ask. If at any point you’re about to turn something in, and you aren't a 100 percent sure, ask on the front end and everyone in that room is going to partner with you guys and help you turn in work that is authentic. — Interim Head of Upper School John Ashton

TABLE TALK Foreign Language Department Chair Zachary Erwin, English Department Chair Michael Morris, Interim Head of Upper School John Ashton, History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher and Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet share opinions, experiences and perspectives addressing academic dishonesty inside and outside the classroom.

Growing boys, growing responsibilities

Is this cheating?

As Marksmen grow older, cheating becomes a more serious problem.

Middle School

College

“

We don't have a large number of academic dishonesty issues here, but the first step must be a one-onone discussion. Sometimes Dr. [Gabriela Reed] gets involved depending on what's at the heart of why he was dishonest.

Sherri Darver Lower School head

What we have to be very clear about is when we are intentionally doing something academically dishonest. We need to reinforce that over time, and the more opportunities we get to have discussions, the better off we all are.

Dean Clayman Middle School head

I would say colleges are much harsher. You're looking at failing an entire course, potentially, and you're looking at possibly being expelled. I've been saying that in college, punishments for plagiarism are much, much higher.

Here are three scenarios. How would you respond to each? (answers below) 1.

2. 2. 3. 2.

4. Dr. Jerusha Westbury History instructor

5. 3.

A student in a class is stumped on homework so he texts a friend about the answer to a problem. His friend thinks he has it, but he tells the boy they'll work on it together the next day. The two later discuss how to solve the problem but do not share answers. A student writing a research paper is constantly taking information from another essay online, but not directly copying and pasting the words onto his own paper. Two students are assigned as a team on a lab report. One agrees to do the experiment while the other prepares the diagrams and graphs in the report. They copy each other's work into their lab books and turn them in. 1. no 2. yes 3. yes

Lower School

issues

ISAS promotes, upholds, and advances the highest educational and professional standards for the region’s independent schools. We offer our members an exceptionally rigorous, authentic, and meaningful accreditation process, along with energizing professional development opportunities, a nationally renowned arts festival, and a warm, generous community devoted to creating the best possible educational experiences for our students. ISAS promotes, upholds, and advances the highest educational and professional standards for the region’s independent schools. We offer our members an exceptionally rigorous, authentic, and meaningful accreditation process, along with energizing professional development opportunities, a nationally renowned arts festival, and a warm, generous community devoted to creating the best possible educational experiences for our students. ISAS promotes, upholds, and advances the highest educational and professional standards for the region’s independent schools. We offer our members an exceptionally rigorous, authentic, and meaningful accreditation process, along with energizing professional development opportunities, a nationally renowned arts festival, and a warm, generous community devoted to creating the best possible educational experiences for our students. ISAS promotes, upholds, and advances the highest educational and professional standards for the region’s independent schools. We offer our members an exceptionally rigorous, authentic, and meaningful accreditation process, along with energizing professional development opportunities, a nationally renowned arts festival, and a warm, generous community devoted to creating the best possible educational experiences for our students. ISAS promotes, upholds, and advances the highest educational and professional standards for the region’s independent schools. We offer our members an exceptionally rigorous, authentic, and meaningful accreditation process, along with energizing professional development opportunities, a

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

School hosts open house for prospective families

ASSESSING PROGRAMS Visitors evaluating the school will look to see how we compare to the extensive report faculty members wrote last year.

SELF STUDY

A time of reflection Following the guidelines set by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the school hosted visiting committee members. James Rogers: What does the school do for the ISAS self study? John Ashton: The self-study year consists of members of the school working in small groups to review their departments and all areas of school program and processes. Each group reviews an assigned area, provides an overview, identifies areas of strength, areas to improve and plans and priorities for the future, and the groups write a report that reflects their discussion. In addition to reports, St. Mark’s conducted surveys: faculty and staff, parents, students in grades 5-12, young alumni and Board of Trustees. Data from the surveys is used to inform discussions. JR: How are these reports about each department written? JA: Everything we do undergoes a committee reflection with questions that prompt discussion that lead to identifying strengths, areas to improve and plans and priorities for the future. Those committee conversations take place between now and February. For example, March 1 is a deadline we have set out for each committee to write its report by. All committees then write a three-page report that consists of an overview, strengths, areas to improve and plans and priorities for the future. JR: What will the visiting committee do on campus? JA: What happens over the course of the three days is the visitors come to campus and they’ll interview people, observe in their assigned areas, sit in on classes, talk with a select group of students, talk with a select group of parents, talk with a select group of Trustees, meet with department people and attend a department meeting. They’re just looking at and understanding the full program that we offer here and then reflecting on that. Luke Piazza: Do you expect any surprises from the visiting committee? JA: The self study is required every ten years of all ISAS schools, but at St. Mark’s we’re always asking the question and doing a sort of a review on our own of how can we get a little bit better? Every year, we’re asking departments in our programs where can we get a little bit better for next year. So because we have that habit as just part of our makeup here at St. Mark’s, there aren’t surprises. JR: What will it be like having other teachers and administrators from other schools on campus reviewing us? JA: Imagine a real collegial process where colleagues from other schools come to your school. Some you might

know; some of them you’re meeting for the first time, and their whole job is to say: ‘Hey, we do this work too. Let’s see how you’re doing it. Let’s see the way you do it. We’ll give you some feedback based on what you said. How do you continue to strive to get to get better, which is what we do all the time here.’ JR: Will students be able to see the study? JA: After the self study is done, we always have a hard copy in the library so you guys could go look at this. LP: What do you think the ISAS committee will like about St. Mark’s? JA: The strengths that we’ve seen have been consistent even ten years ago, like strength of mission clarity and mission alignment. There’s a great sense here at St. Mark’s across all adults, and I would even say with students as well and parents and trustees, that we have a really clear sense of who we are, and what our mission is, and purpose is, and how we go about that. LP: What will ISAS recommend St. Mark’s continue to work on? JA: The things we’ve identified [in Goals IV] are also emerging in our self-study as things that we know, we’ve self identified and want to develop in these areas. We want to expand the curricular integration of character and leadership education and continue to broaden that work. We want to strengthen and enhance the program a little bit at a time where there’s opportunity to do so. We want to provide greater access to the campus to the students in the Metroplex who are qualified to be here. So, to answer the question, allowing increased financial aid resources to students over time. LP: What is the most valuable aspect of the self study? JA: I think one of the best parts of the of the ISAS self study accreditation process is the year that we spend as a community discussing our programs, reviewing our programs, thinking about our programs and identifying where our strengths are, where areas we want to improve and prioritizing plans for the future. I think the year leading up to the visit is a very valuable year for reflection and conversations that in the end make us better.

INTERVIEWS James Rogers, Luke Piazza ARTWORK Matthew Coleman

by Henry McElhaney he school’s annual open house for families who are interested in applying to the school will be held Nov. 7, prior to the school’s application season. According to Director of Admission and Financial Aid David Baker, the event begins with a large meeting with all of the expected 800 or so visiting guests, then splits into individual programs for parents who are interested in a certain aspect of the school. “Our guests will be greeted by the headmaster [David Dini] and Student Council president [Landon Wood],” Baker said. “Following introductions, we will invite guests to select programs for each session and send them on their way.” Families have the option to stay behind and talk with a number of administrators and teachers in the Great Hall. Lion and Sword members are also available to help by offering directions and tours. “Maybe a tour of the Lower School followed by a science program and ending with a discussion about student life at St. Mark’s,” Baker said. Baker believes Programs the Admission Office is most effective offered when they let the • The St. Mark’s Writing teachers connect Conference with the visitors. • The Wilderness Experience “Our teachers • Student Travel Programs — their passion, • A History of Military expertise and Special Operations • And the Answer Is: The authenticity — are St. Mark’s Academic our best recruiters,” Team • Scholastic Journalism: Baker said. “They Pressing Matters accurately depict the • Physical Science Center life of our school, • Lower School CATS testing which is naturally • Middle School student attractive to polife tential admission • Upper School student life candidates.” • Scientific Discovery Tour The school’s • Chemistry Live! • The athletic program focus on teaching during the open house is a crucial aspect of helping to give an accurate glimpse into the life of a Marksman. “We believe our open house represents a wonderful opportunity to engage potential applicant families and present them with an authentic look at the school,” Baker said.

122

Pages in the ISAS Self Study Report, published September 2018.

issues

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Committee to review schedule

REMOVING HISTORICAL FIGURES

Texas public schools have removed 63 influential figures from history curriculum. Important questions arise about how the school picks who stays and who doesn’t.

by Alam Alidina ndependent School Management (ISM) will conduct interviews on campus the week of Nov. 26 as a part of the school’s review of the schedule. Associate Headmaster John Ashton sees this as another important step in a long series of evaluations the school has conducted concerning its schedule. “We set a goal to review and assess the daily schedule,” Ashton said. “That surfaced through community, student, alumni and faculty discussions.” Ashton said the process started early last year with the release of Goals for St. Mark’s IV, which saw the need for the school to rethink its schedule. “One of the items was to do a comprehensive schedule review,” Ashton said. “Does it achieve what we want it to achieve? In what ways does it, and in what ways does it not?” Throughout the summer and fall of 2017, Ashton worked with the rest of the school’s Scheduling Committee, comprised of Headmaster David Dini, the division and department heads and Director of Academic Information Systems Paul Mlakar, on the decision to use ISM as a part of the schedule review. ISM’s senior consultant, Roxanne Higgins, presented research on scheduling to the faculty January 2018, resulting in discussions through the start of the school year. “Our main questions were: What are the things we hope to achieve with our schedule changes? And what might we do that would strengthen our ability to accomplish these goals?” Ashton said. At the end of November, a small group of ISM consultants will conduct interviews to gain a better perspective on the culture at the school. These interviews will culminate in three specific recommendations to the Committee at the end of the week. The Scheduling Committee will likely come to a final decision on the schedule at the end of January, with an aim at implementation in the 2019-2020 school year. Ashton is eager to find a solution to the issues in the schedule, no matter how significant the change. “At the end of the day, there’s no perfect schedule,” Ashton said. “I’m excited for the process and have really valued everyone’s input along the way.”

Lost to history

RIPPED OUT With the new changes to the history curriculum, teachers won’t be required to teach certain parts of their textbooks.

“

You’d be robbing a student of knowing the fuller picture of history.” Jack Trahan, Junior

homas Jefferson. Gone. Five million students won’t learn about the founding father writing the Declaration of Independence in world history. Christopher Columbus. Gone. Five million third graders won’t hear about the Italian explorer crossing the Atlantic. Eleanor Roosevelt. Gone. Five million students won’t be inspired by the former First Lady’s activism in U.S. history. More than five million students are enrolled in Texas public schools, the second largest school system in the U.S. Because of the state’s size, any decision made by the Texas State Board of Education creates an impact nationwide. When the Board took a preliminary vote in September to eliminate 63 historical figures from Texas’s required curriculum, members questioned the slate of people taught across the state. To do this, the Board ranked the importance of the 448 figures in the Texas history curriculum on a scale from one to 20 to determine which people should be removed from kindergarten to 12th grade courses. Members cited wasted class time teaching names and dates and excessive rote memorization as reasons for the change. The Board will take a final vote Nov. 13. “Our task was to simplify… We tried to make it as objective as possible,” Misty Matthews, a teacher in Round Rock, told The Dallas Morning News. “[Students had to learn about] hundreds of people.” For History and Social Studies Department Chair David Fisher, this decision calls into question the way a history

curriculum should be designed. “I’m open to a degree of oversight by an examination board or a government entity that cares about education,” Fisher said. “It’s this degree of specificity that I find burdensome, annoying and ultimately stupid.” On campus, Fisher sees a benefit in giving teachers more freedom to design their courses. “Our history courses are not linked to any external structure, but we still arrive at some degree of coherence,” Fisher said. “We’re encouraging teachers to teach the things they feel they’re interested in and want to spend some time on. That encourages experimentation.” In his classes, Upper School history instructor Bryan Boucher uses this leeway to practice his method of studying events and people. “For me it really comes down to, what are lessons that we can learn that present interesting dilemmas or questions [so] we can have relevant discussions that have meaning for my students,” Boucher said. While the board’s decision came as a shock to Boucher, he doesn’t think it restricts instructors’ choices in the classroom. “That [decision] still gives teachers the ability to integrate those important individuals where they see fit,” Boucher said. “And hopefully they will continue to do so, especially where appropriate and as it relates to other historical events.” He believes a curriculum is only meant to address basic material that will appear on standardized tests, such as state and Advanced Placement exams. “Curriculum is the bare bones of what needs to be taught,” Boucher said. “I don’t

think any good teacher looks at a curriculum guide and says, ‘that’s the only thing I’m allowed to teach.’” Boucher wants his students to question and explore the complexities of history, using interactive activities and discussion-based strategies in his classroom. While he doesn’t lecture often, all instructors utilize the approaches they prefer. But junior Jack Trahan believes while teachers may exercise freedom in the classroom, they’re still obliged to present a reasonable amount of information to students. “Teachers are going to bring their own bias,” Trahan said, “but it’s the teacher’s job to try to minimize that bias. [They should] make sure that as much is covered as possible and it’s covered the most objectively without bringing personal feelings into it.” Rather than merely ‘teaching for the test,’ Trahan thinks teachers should emphasize what they consider important and allow students to formulate their own ideas. “My goal in history is always to have everything fit together into a narrative rather than being these floating aspects that you have to learn about for an assessment,” Trahan said. Because a large part of history’s curriculum demands a knowledge of facts and figures, teachers can only address so many subject areas. If a student is interested in a particular subject, the classroom isn’t the only area to satisfy his curiosities. “The goal when I run into that frustrated student is to explain to him that this is not the only opportunity you have to learn this material,” Boucher said, “and hopefully that’s something he can pursue on his own. One of our jobs here at St. Mark’s is to really ignite that passion.” Although studying many topics is essential for history classes, a curriculum shouldn’t simply revolve around memorizing names and dates. Humanities Department Chair Nick Sberna believes civic duty plays a significant role. “When we study history,” Sberna said, “and when we study literature, we’re learning how to write, we’re learning how to read, we’re building a platform for those skills. We talk about cultural literacy, the type of informed, content knowledge that will make you a good citizen.” Sberna says the school’s deliberate approach to history and social studies policies is an advantage. “Part of what makes St. Mark’s great is that we go slow,” Sberna said. “We don’t act impulsively. Ultimately, that slow, thoughtful decision-making process has served the school really well.”

STORY Alam Alidina, Sai Thirunagari PHOTO Kyle Smith

In my opinion out a lot ‘ Itof takes important as-

pects and shows an incongruity in knowledge between us and other states because I’m sure other states will be teaching about Helen Keller and different figures like that. Sam Morgan sophomore

Students give their take on the removal of certain figures from history curriculum

What’s the point of

history if ‘ teaching something happened

by this person, but you don’t know how that came to be? Henry Dobbs eighth grader

I just think it wouldn’t

fair because some ‘ bepeople would be learning and some people wouldn’t be learning [the history]. Will Barker first grader

People think that if you

learn history, you’re ‘ don’t doomed to repeat it. But there’s going to be more history, so you just have to remove some parts and move on.

Benjamin Chen sixth grader disappointed ‘ I’m because I’d want to

get the best education I could. If you cut out stuff, you aren’t learning about all you can.

Patrick Minnehan sixth grader

issues

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

outh Dartm n t e rd Princ o n Stanfo Brow e n n m e a P D U Notre hicago

Say what? Comments from all around campus

MAGNETIZED While many students have their eyes set on big-name colleges, many often overlook the school that would be the best fit for them.

Rice Emory MIT h CalTec WashU bilt ll Vander Corne mbia estern olu w C h t r o N town Yale George rd Duke Harva

‘

My name is Ballin’, don’t call me Colin. — Freshman Colin Smith

‘

NAME BRAND UNIVERSITIES

I had a student one year who walked into a tree.

— J.J. Connolly Master Teaching Chair Nancy Marmion

Finding the best fit Distracted by prestige, some students miss the college right for them.

oah Bricker ’10 entered his senior year with a goal: he would attend one of the large, “highly-ranked” colleges his friends all talked about. The initial list of colleges on his radar included UPenn, Georgetown, Northwestern and Duke, among others. In Bricker’s mind, the college admissions process was an overwhelming period filled with potentially conflicting input and opinions from his parents, classmates, professors and siblings. At first, the temptation to conform to the most accessible way of distinguishing colleges from one another dominated Bricker’s feelings. “Out of that sea of information, I latched onto what seemed to be the one tangible differentiator between schools: ‘rankings,’” Bricker said. “Like many of my classmates, I started out thinking mostly about the name.” However, throughout the admission process, his views on the next chapter of his life drastically changed. “With time and a few failures, I came to understand the importance of fit, community, opportunity and challenge along with academic prestige,” Bricker said. After attending the accepted students weekend in the April of his senior year in Upper School, Bricker finally decided to attend the smaller, lesser-known Davidson College in North Carolina. Bricker says he couldn’t have made a better choice. “Davidson’s small class sizes, intimate community, academic rigor, exceptional professors, reflective curriculum and authenticity won me over,” Bricker said. Davidson offered him a unique plethora of personal interactions and experiences. The small class sizes allowed him to pursue his interests while receiving an exceptional amount of individual attention, an advantage only possible at a small school. “I worked one-on-one with an economics professor to publish research, traveled in the Middle East as a part of the budding Arabic program, ate dinner with an array of impressive speakers on campus and, most importantly, learned more about who I was and who I wanted to be.”

dents coming from 10600 Preston Rd. will naturally want to attend higher education institutioins of prestige. “In any highly-academic institution, students are going to focus on colleges where the next step of their path has a similar or better reputation than where they are coming from,” Gendason said. “And that’s what often leads to wanting to focus on name and reputation of colleges.” A college education is also going to be expensive nearly regardless of the institution, requiring family financial contribution. “There’s such an investment that it’s hard to shed the belief that the name of the college is going to be what sets you up for life,” Gendason said. Gendason observes that college visits near the end of a student’s time in Upper School generally carry greater importance and influence on a final decision. “That period of personal discovery typically happens during the senior year,” Gendason said, “when the process feels more real and the reality that you’re headed to college soon is on the horizon.” The college application process will be difficult to all types of students seeking admission to all types of universities, but Bricker emphasizes the importance of a good mindset regardless of all factors. “The process is a crucial part of self-development,” Bricker said, “as cruel as it may seem, and each member of the St. Mark’s class will find their place. Take a positive attitude, and no one will be able to stop you.”

Newbery Medal-winning author Kelly visits campus

I told myself that after this week I’d stop procrastinating. — Junior Matthew Raroque

Despite his recommendation, Gendason notes that stu-

STORY Henry McElhaney, Michael Lukowicz ARTWORK Michael Lukowicz

by Robert Pou ewbery Medal winner Erin Entrada Kelly will arrive on campus Nov. 7, to discuss her award-winning book, Hello, Universe. Described by The Washington Post as “a charming, intriguingly plotted novel,” the book won the most prestigious award given for children’s literature in January. According to Assistant Director of Green Library Cinda Thoma, The Association for Library Service to Children awards the Newbery Medal to “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” “It is the absolute top award that can be given for a children’s book,” Thoma said. Thoma reached out to Kelly at the beginning of last spring to secure a date for her visit to the school. “It is very unusual to be able to book an author visit during the year that they won the Newbery because they are so popular,” Thoma said. “Everyone’s trying to get a hold of her, so St. Mark’s is very lucky.” Kelly will be talking to the lower schoolers in addition to the middle schoolers, even though her books are recommended for fifth and sixth graders. “Here at St. Mark’s, the younger boys have

‘

Associate Director of College Counseling Casey Gendason’s advice was well-received by Bricker’s ears. One of Gendason’s main roles in the college application process is to ensure students find the college that will fit them best, now and later in life. “Focus on what you are good at and what you want to improve,” Gendason said, “then find colleges that have an environment and are going to have resources for you in plentiful ways to have a fulfilling college experience.”

a high interest in her book,” Thoma said, “and the seventh and eighth grade boys will have an appreciation for what she has to say about the writing process.” Hello, Universe, a book about bullying and friendship, tells a story from the point of view of four middle schoolers, two boys and two girls, which makes it especially relevant for younger students. Kelly has a written a number of other books, including Blackbird Fly, The Land of Forgotten Girls and You Go First. Her most recent book, You Go First, also a New York Times Bestseller explores the relationship between two middle schoolers who live 1,000 miles apart and meet online through a game of Scrabble. “It is another book about navigating the waters of making good friendships, and I hear it is even better than Hello, Universe,” Thoma said. Kelly will also be visiting St. John’s and Good Shepherd in the days after her visit to 10600 Preston Rd. Kelly, who currently lives in Delaware, will thus be able to visit multiple schools in the same trip. “Primarily, she will talk about her own life, the writing process and her inspiration for writing,” Thoma said.

‘

— History instructor Bryan Boucher on the movie Independence Day

“

You want to focus on who you are and who you want to become.” Casey Gendason, Associate Director of College Counseling

It’s a dog. It should die.

‘

I definitely repel women. — Sophomore Daniel Wu

‘

Who brings an avocado to a football game?

— Junior Jack Trahan in the bleachers

discoveries

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

PARENTAL CONTROLS

Digital constraints

With students spending more time on screens, parents are creating stricter digital restrictions. But to what extent should students be confined in their device usage?

SCREEN TIME With Apple’s new iOS 12 program Screen Time, students can be limited in how much time they spend on certain apps.

gain, the McAfee notification pops up. The URL is listed in categories that are not allowed by your administrator at this time. URL Categories: Games. Again, he has to interrupt his dad from work to get permission to access Sheppard Software, a website to help him study for a geography quiz. Again, he has to wait another 30 minutes for his dad to change the restrictions for one website. It happens every single time. Technology is becoming more and more accessible. But at the same time, stricter parental control programs are becoming more and more prominent. With new features such as Apple’s screen time function, giving parents the power to not only limit how much time kids can spend on an app but also set when the device itself will shut off, the question arises: how much should parents restrict students in their use of technology? ••• For junior Sean Zhao, after a few months of parental restrictions on his worn-down Windows computer, the entire regulating system began to fall apart. “The restrictions were just not good for everybody,” Zhao said. “My parents just ran out of patience since I had to get them to put in all the passwords, and me and my brother got really mad because we could only do subpar schoolwork on our computers because it was so slow.” The technological restrictions Zhao’s dad set up on his first smart device, an iPad he received at age 13, served as a weapon against screen addiction. “People just have a natural tendency to play games and do social media,” Zhao said. “Since I never had a device before, at first I was like, ‘Wow I missed out on all this stuff beforehand.’ It came as a big shock. My world opened up, but it was also damaging because I got addicted to it.” Lower and Middle School counselor Gabriela Reed believes that parents should restrict their kids’ technology usage to some extent early on in their lives. “Too much of anything is bad for you,” Reed said. “For anything in the world, moderation is best, and it has to start early because kids are not naturally

able to moderate themselves due to brain development. Every family does it differently, but I do think parents need to be thoughtful from the very beginning about how much technology they are going to expose their kids to.” Middle School Head Dean Clayman agrees restrictions on technology will vary from family to family, but the issue should be a topic of discussion within each household. “Much like anything else, I think a lot of it depends upon the capacity for each boy to manage his own responsibilities well,” Clayman said. “Much like when you go to sleep, or when you can get a driver’s license, those are family decisions that are made hopefully based upon the best interest of the boy and the family together, but certainty the use of technology should be a topic of conversation and negotiation with each family.” As a parent himself, Clayman and his family created some guidelines for the household, such as to turn off devices one hour before bedtime.

“

The problem with technology is that it gives you everything right away. Passive entertainment is much easier than working hard to solve something. — Gabriela Reed, Lower and Middle School counselor

“We felt, and there’s a lot of research that says this, that screen time is obviously very engaging,” Clayman said. “It’s very stimulating, and to be stimulated as you are ready to go to sleep is not the most ideal thing. So, we talked a lot about taking care of personal responsibilities first, about how there are things you need to do for work before you can have leisure.” Besides impacting sleep schedule, Reed says another consequence of students spending time on screens is that they are losing time they could spend interacting with friends and others. “If we’re on our screens, for say an hour, we’re missing that exact hour we

STORY Matthew Zhang, Dylan Liu PHOTO Kyle Smith

could be face-to-face with friends,” Reed said. “We’ve missed out on wiring our brains for an interaction, which is important, because the better you are at face-toface interaction, the more likely you are to be a leader in your community and your career in the future.” According to Reed, a large impact of technology usage is that students are becoming more impatient and more unwilling to face challenges because of how accessible the internet is and how easy it is to just look up solutions. “The other cost of technology has to do with growth mindset,” Reed said. “Growth mindset means that you are willing, even when things get hard, to keep trying. The problem with technology is that it gives you everything right away. We come to expect even very complicated things to come easily. Passive entertainment, like the kind we get through screens, is much easier than working hard to solve something. There are lots and lots of reasons overexposure to technology is not great for us, especially when young brains are developing.” As students grow older, though, Reed thinks parents should consider giving their children more autonomy and power to make their own decisions. “The older kids will say, ‘All my friends have Snapchat,’” Reed said, “or ‘They all have Instagram and I want that as well.’ So parents need to ask the questions and make the decision based off of what’s appropriate for their child and their family. But giving older kids more autonomy in that and more decision making power, like to say, ‘I think I can do this-- if I can’t prove that to you, then maybe you should help me regulate that more,’ is key.” Zhao, now a high school student, has noticed that while his device restrictions haven’t completely disappeared yet, they have at least relaxed a little. “Instead of restricting it at home,” Zhao said, “they told me that ‘Yeah, you can stay at school until six and do whatever you want on your computer, but when you come home, you have to ask us to use it.’ That sort of works, because I have more freedom and my parents can do whatever else they want at home.” Recently though, Zhao has begun

viewing these restrictions as a blessing in disguise. “I’m pretty satisfied with the setup I have now,” Zhao said. “When I’m at home I can actually focus with what I need to do. Not being able to use my computer at home has actually helped me a lot. All of my homework used to not get done or be super rushed, but now it’s flipped on its head and it’s worked out pretty nicely.”

The Numbers

66 percent

of parents say their kids spend too much time on screens

percent

of screen time is on mobile device for tweens

percent

of screen time for children under eight is spent watching TV SOURCE: NBC NEWS

discoveries

10 Environmental science classes to incorporate new greenhouse, labs by Michael Lukowicz long with the Winn Science Center’s opening this January, the environmental science program will have more lab opportunities, an upgraded greenhouse and a more structured Lower School science curriculum. Environmental science instructor Dan Northcut looks forward to new environmental science opportunities with updated resources and accessibility in the growing area of study. The new greenhouse will move closer to classrooms and house different climate simulations, providing increased accessibility to agricultural research and observation. “The greenhouse will be split into a display half,” Northcut said, “where we’re going to have two different ecosystems in the display halves: tropical and temperate. One half is temperate or desert, and the other half is a work greenhouse for research work where we can actually take our classes in.” Environmental science will have its own classroom next to the upgraded greenhouse in the Winn Science Center. “My [AP Environmental Science] class will have immediate access to the greenhouse, so we can begin doing planting type experiments right away,” Northcut said.

CLUB PROFILE

Robotics revamped

Science in the Lower School has historically lacked a defined, structured curriculum, but the new program will ensure even exposure to all disciplines taught here, including environmental science. “In the past, it’s been just the small amounts of environmental science here and there as they go through,” Northcut said. “But this is going to be an overall coordinated first-through-fourth type of experience. It’s a serious science curriculum from grade one.” Additionally, new Lower School science specialist Matthew Dillon will start by teaching fourth grade next year and then shift to be managing science classes throughout the entire Lower School. “[Dillon] is creating a whole science curriculum for just the Lower School grades,” Northcut said, “and there will be a Lower School science classroom in the new science building.” With environmental concerns growing in our current world, Northcut emphasizes the need to inform students about the changing environment and how we can help preserve it. “[Environmental science] is becoming a course and a subject that we actually need to look seriously at,” Northcut said, “maybe with Middle School required courses in the future. But for the past hundred years, we’ve been slowly but surely messing with the environment—and we live in it. It’s just now beginning to show, and it’s not usually positive.”

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

With the Winn Science Center, Robotics Club will have access to a variety of facilities that will improve its performance and solve some of its space issues.

THE LAB SPACE Although the current workspace is crowded, in the Winn Science Center the team will have more space for tools and eperiments.

“

We have a bunch of St. Mark’s robotics relics. There’s a lot of cool history and we’re trying to honor that and everyone who has worked in the program before us.” William Haga, Robotics Club president

aser cutters, 3D printers, milling machines. All these will be part of the new robotics facilities in the Winn Science Center. There will be a makerspace and a shop on the first floor, as well as two technology labs on the second floor. “These labs are carpeted and multipurpose,” robotics sponsor Douglas Rummel said.“This is where you could teach coding or set up a robotics field. Essentially, this quadrant upstairs and the front two rooms are your STEM spaces dedicated to design and engineering.” The new labs are designed and built with cutting edge technology in mind. “When we designed the functionality of the makerspace, we didn’t look at other high schools,” Rummel said, “We looked at Georgia Tech, MIT, places that are doing collegiate level labs and modeled them after that.” Further, the new rooms will be made to accommodate new technology as advancements are made. “The labs will be designed so you can break it apart and put it back together if something new comes along,” Rummel said. “There’s no fixed lab bench in the center. It can all be moved and changed depending on what we want to do and what we have available.” The new spaces will offer a multitude of new opportunities for the team. “It’s a lot more really sophisticated tools,” junior captain Faraz Asim said, “like laser cutters, 3D printers, milling machines, more stuff that can be automated with software. We’ll be able to do way more high quality pieces on our robot once we get those.” In addition to the added tools, the extra space will be

a huge asset in helping the team create their robots. “We have little to no storage in the portable where we are now,” senior captain William Haga said. “We had to get rid of some tools when we moved there from the old science lecture hall.” The new space will also put the robotics lab in full view of the school. “No one really knows where we are now,” Asim said. “But once the new science building comes and the glass walls will be there, everyone will see us.” The captains think the new space will increase the participation on the team dramatically. “It will completely change the dynamics of robotics,” Haga said. “I think the cramped space deterred people these past years. I’m guessing that we’ll have a lot of new signups because the space is going to be so much more inviting and more open to a larger group.” The team hopes to maintain the rich history of the program in the new and improved space. “The thing that matters to me the most is adding that character and history back into the new room,” Haga said. “This club has been around for a while and we have a bunch of St. Mark’s robotics relics. There’s a lot of cool history, and we’re trying to honor that and everyone who has worked in the program before us.” Although Haga will only be able to spend the last half of this year in the Winn Science Center, he believes robotics club has a positive future. “I cannot tell you how jealous I am of the underclassmen that will get to use the new room for their entire high school career,” Haga said. “But I’m also happy that I at least get to use it the last half of my senior year.”

STORY Cooper Ribman PHOTO Rohit Vemuri

Fourth grade visits Perot Museum instead of Sky Ranch

WINN SCIENCE CENTER UPDATE

Numerically speaking

80 approximate seating capacity of new planetarium

235+ number of seats in lecture hall in new building

3 zones in new greenhouse (tropical, arid, classroom)

by Dylan Liu embers of the fourth grade visited the Perot Museum Oct. 5 as a part of a new series of field trips throughout the year. During their trip, fourth graders performed a heart dissection and walked through exhibits featuring Homo naledi and other species related to anthropology. “We have the Perot Museum here in town, and so we need to take advantage of all it has to offer,” Head of Lower School Sherri Darver said. “I’ve been encouraging the teachers to look at the curriculum and see how it lines up with all the things that the Perot Museum has.” After going to the Perot museum, fourth graders will travel to Austin March 21 to learn more about Texas history. “In the trip to Austin,” Darver said, “they’ll visit the Capitol to get a great history lesson that ties in much more directly to what they’ve learned in their fourth grade classes. It’s a full but fun day for those

guys.” Part of the reason behind the Perot visit and the other trips was to help Lower School instructors synthesize the concepts they teach in class with real-world interactive experiences. “[Lower School instructor] Shannon Nadalini is the one who spearheaded the organization of these new trips with the idea that we have the Perot at our fingertips,” Darver said. “We need to take advantage of all it has to offer in addition to giving segway for [Lower School science isntructor Matthew] Dillon to think about the curriculum down the road.” Though this is the first year for the series of field trips, Darver hopes that these will become a regular activity in the future, especially since the fourth grade Sky Ranch trips have ended. “I’ve tried to encourage every grade level to add a field trip to their agendas if they don’t already have one because boys learn so much out of the classroom through them,” Darver said.

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

ROPING SCHOLARSHIP

From cowboy to CEO After receiving a rodeo scholarship at McNeese State, Jeff Miller ’82 climbed to the top of Halliburton by doing the jobs that nobody else would.

hrough the years, Marksmen have found a variety of ways to earn college scholarships. But only one alum can claim a singular distinction: the only Marksmen to ever receive a college scholarship for rodeoing. As unusual as that might be, that’s what Jeff Miller ’82 did — and that scholarship took him on a path that has led him, ultimately to president and CEO of Halliburton, one of the largest providers of product and services to the energy industry, a position held in the past by former Vice President Dick Cheney. “My parents took me to the Mesquite rodeo when I was very young. I watched and thought, ‘I just have to do that,’” Miller said. “Neither of my parents had any interest in horses or rodeo. I eventually worked in Texas with a horse trainer, and he taught me how to rope.” After learning the basics, Miller kept looking for more opportunities to further his passion in rodeo and horses. “It was a series of ‘be willing to work for nothing if required because it was an opportunity to advance,’” Miller said. “I took care of a horse for somebody, and as I got older, I actually moved myself and got involved in other ways.” One day, while competing in the Texas high school finals rodeo in his senior year, a recruiter from McNeese State offered Miller a rodeo scholarship. “I did not [know I could get a scholarTaking a look at the ship for rodeoing],” Miller said. “It’s career path of Jeff proof that you can do Miller, current CEO anything you want to of Halliburton do if you want to do it bad enough.” However, be1982 cause a professional Graduated rodeo career could from St. Mark’s not sustain him in the long term, Miller 1983 quit rodeoing to Attended invest his time in McNeese State finance. on a rodeo “I absolutely scholarship loved rodeo, and I was okay at it — 1988 rodeoed professionGraduated from ally,” Miller said. Texas A&M “But I also knew that Mays Business school was always School job number one. I finished undergrad1997 uate school with an agricultural business Joined Halliburton degree. Rodeo was highly competitive, and so I let go of the 2004 past and grabbed onto the new — went Country Vice President for to work at Arthur Indonesia Andersen.“ At Arthur Andersen, Miller took 2010 what he had learned Assumed from rodeo and his executive posts St. Mark’s education in Houston and used it to make his way to Halliburton in 1997. 2014 “St. Mark’s President of taught me that your Halliburton horizons can be as broad as you want,” Miller said. “The 2017 school teaches leadCEO of ership from a young Halliburton age because you are around leaders and

Jeff Miller

THROUGH TOUGH TIMES Appointed president of Haliburton in 2014, Jeff Miller ‘82 gives a speech at Halacademy in San Antonio the following year to lead the company during rough times in the oil industry.

have friends who share that boundless horizon.” Miller credits his success to a few major factors: one being his proficiency in Spanish, and the other to his international travel that defined his early years at Halliburton, with roles in Venezuela, Angola, Indonesia and Dubai.

“

I was probably not the first person they asked to go live in Angola, but I was the first to say yes. I learned more than I ever dreamed I would by saying yes. — Jeff Miller, current CEO of Halliburton

“[I got] my first big job at Halliburton because I spoke Spanish, and I went and lived in Venezuela — ran the business development there,” Miller said. Miller believes meeting the workers in the field face-to-face is not only a way to respect the men and women working at Halliburton but also a significant part of his responsibility. “I didn’t start out as CEO of Halliburton,” Miller said. “I worked my way up, and so I know my way around. I want to know the people that work for Halliburton, and I want them to know me. I’ve got immense respect for what the men and women of Halliburton do—it’s very hard work that we do. A lot of the good ideas that are important, we hear from the people on the front line.” Miller also believes that seeing the horizon and having confidence is crucial for success and that the students on campus have been instilled with this characteristic. “One of the saddest things for me as a leader and developer of people is to see someone who has all of the capability, but because they don’t know what the horizons are, they’re limited,” Miller said. “They fail, not because they lack ability but because they can’t see themselves achieving. I think everyone that leaves St. Mark’s has zero fear of an inability to go as far as they can go.” The toughest challenge through Miller’s rodeo and CEO days? Being honest with yourself in terms of where you are and what you need to do to be successful or to lead people or to solve a problem. In terms of balancing his responsibilities as CEO of Halliburton as well as his responsibilities as a father of two, Miller has always incorporated his family with his work life, even through multiple moves.

STORY Tianming Xie, Nathan Han PHOTO Courtesy Jeff Miller

“I would say that work-life balance is a bit of a myth to a degree,” Miller said. “I think work life balances internally. You can’t turn one off and turn the other on. It is how you blend the two. By that I mean engagement with your family, listening and participating is not a quantity question, it’s a quality question. Work-life balance is so often measured in quantity when, in reality, it is a question of quality. I’ve been married 31 years so I will stand behind that statement.” In the end, Miller regards his grandfather’s guidance as the best piece of advice he’s ever had: take the jobs that other people don’t want, treat every job like it’s your last and always continue learning. “Get to work,” Miller said. “Go start doing something, but realize that you have to earn your credentials. You’re not going to start out as the boss. I was probably not the first person they asked to go live in Angola, but I was the first to say yes, and it was a very important time in my career. I learned more than I ever dreamed I would by saying yes.” EYES ON THE PRIZE As a senior participating in the Texas high school finals rodeo competition, Miller ropes a calf as he dismounts his horse to tie up the calf’s legs in a matter of seconds.

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

GIVING BACK

When life gives you lemons Inspired by a local church initiative, two brothers started their own lemonade stand to help raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

ourth-grader Wyatt Hanson and fifth-grader Owen Hanson wanted to make a difference. More than just collecting coins and putting them in a piggy bank. They made posters, fliers and bookmarks. They sold toys. But that wasn’t enough. So they started a lemonade stand for Habitat for Humanity. ••• One hundred homes built, 100 more on the horizon. Highland Park United Methodist Church had successfully built 100 homes through Carpenters for Christ, a non profit organization that helps build the homes for Habitat for Humanity. But 100 wasn’t enough. One week during Sunday School, Wyatt Hanson and Owen Hanson received piggy-bank type containers to help fund the next 100 homes. “They handed out these little cardboard boxes that were shaped like a house — they were little piggy banks,” their mother, Cindy Hanson said. “They encouraged the kids to give money to Carpenters for Christ.” But Owen and Wyatt wanted to do more than just collect coins for boxes. Their new idea was a lemonade stand. “We wanted to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, and a lemonade stand was something that we could accomplish

on our own,” Owen said. Cindy thinks the lemonade stand was a perfect idea, especially for Owen. “Owen has always been a builder,” she said. “He loves Legos, he loves art, he loves any type of project where he can use his hands.” Wyatt learned a lot from his older brother Owen. “Wyatt was encouraged by his brother,” Cindy said. “The two of them made a good partnership in doing it together.” Owen and Wyatt wasted no time. They set up the stand that same Sunday afternoon. “They realized how much they appreciated just having a home,” Cindy said. “The Habitat for Humanity charity just spoke to them and their hearts directly.” After a successful first year, Owen and Wyatt knew they had to go for a second year. And a third. Now, as their fourth year selling lemonade to help build houses approaches, the Hansen brothers are more confident, setting an annual goal of $100, while also looking to the future. “Our ultimate goal is to fund a whole house and then work on it when we’re old enough,” Wyatt said. Brian Hansen, father of the two boys, is ecstatic about his sons’ accomplishments. “I’m happy that they’re thinking of

STORY Cristian Pereira, Han Zhang, Trevor Crosnoe PHOTO Courtesy Cindy Hanson

STAND SELLING Fourth grader Wyatt Hanson and fifth grader Owen Hanson eagerly await thirsty customers as they run their lemonade stand. Wyatt and Owen started their lemonade stand after being inspired by their church.

others,” Brian said. “To have that mentality engraved in your head is amazing.” Although credit goes to the two brothers, Brian believes parental guidance was instrumental in helping the boys achieve the goal they had set for themselves. “Follow your kids’ lead, and help them to realize how they want to give,” Brian said.

Cindy thinks the stand would not have been nearly as successful without the eagerness and passion the brothers showed for this endeavor. “Whatever charity or cause or issue in the community speaks to you is what you’ll be passionate about and ultimately what you’ll be successful at contributing to,” Cindy said. “That’s something that is near and dear to your heart.”

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

JUGGLING CLUB

Seniors start student outreach committee to help new freshmen by Sai Thirunagari eniors Alex Baker and Richard Shen have formed the New Student Outreach Committee, an organization that helps new freshmen become accustomed to the school. They reached out to the new students this summer and held their first meeting Aug. 21. The committee meets once a month to guide new students and answer their questions. “We typically try to get one [meeting] in where there are important dates like homecoming registration or when course selections get locked in –– stuff like that,” Shen said. “We make sure that [the new freshmen are] not missing anything really important.” Grant Uebele ‘16 and Tim Skapek ‘16 led this program when Baker and Shen were freshmen. “Whenever I needed help with something, had a question or just saw them in the hallways, [they were] someone I could say hi to –– a familiar face,” Shen said. “It felt good to feel welcomed and to feel like there were older guys there who were looking out for me.” Toward the end of their junior year, Baker and Shen consulted Associate Headmaster John Ashton and Upper School Assistant Head Chris Disimile to formally establish the committee. Baker and Shen are currently the senior chairs, and Christian Duessel and Nicholas Cerny are the junior representatives. “If we can get a repeated stream of seniors and juniors that are willing to help the new freshmen and want to be there to do it,” Baker said, “then the longevity of the program will improve.” Baker and Shen were motivated to create this committee because of their experiences with Uebele and Skapek. “Really, really emphatically saying, if we hadn’t had [Tim and Grant’s] help, our St. Mark’s careers would be entirely different,” Baker said. “We want to do that for someone else because that was really impactful for us.” Paradoxically, Baker and Shen believe they’ll have fulfilled their mission once the new freshmen will no longer need to attend the club. “If they email us or text us beforehand,” Shen said, “and they’re like, sorry, I can’t make it. I’ve got a journalism interview, or a debate tournament, orchestra, a club to go to, then we’ve done our job. They’ve found their own place –– their own niche in the community. That’s what we’re striving for.”

The juggle struggle

It’s more than just tossing balls up in the air, says Michael Lukowicz, who has formed a Juggling Club to spark interest.

BALLING OUT Practicing their skills, members of the juggling club showcase their tricks.

Mateo Guevara: What gave you the idea to start this club? Michael Lukowicz: I started juggling almost two years ago, and since then, I’ve maintained it as a hobby on the side. Sometime last summer, I considered starting an official Juggling Club to find people with a similar interest. The mass of people next to my desk at the club fair let me know that I had at least struck curiosity in the community. MG: How did you start your hobby, and why do you want to share it with others? ML: Juggling has given me a way to relax for a few minutes on busy nights and just do something fun. Learning new tricks and teaching others are the most rewarding parts of juggling; development is always satisfying. MG: How long does it take to become proficient in these skills? ML : Anyone with patience can learn how to juggle well in just a few weeks of light practice. From then on, it’s just about adding skills and tricks to the extent of your desire. MG: What plans do you have for the future of the club? ML: Depending on how it goes this year, an interested junior might decide to continue with the club next year. If our coffeehouse performances end up a hit, I can definitely see a small group of jugglers performing regularly in the coming years.

MG: What’s the longest you’ve ever juggled? ML: My record for a three-ball cascade, no tricks and no drops, is 24 minutes. It’s all about mental endurance. Paul Sullivan: How long have you been juggling? Devan Patel: I’ve been juggling for about two weeks. I started with the start of the club. PS: How fast have you progressed? DP: Well, I started out not even being able to juggle two balls, and now I can juggle all three. I’m currently learning tricks. PS: Is it hard to get started? DP: It is hard if you don’t have a good direction, but Michael has been teaching me so we kind of went in steps and now I can actually juggle. PS: What gave you the idea to join Juggling Club? Aaron Weiser: I started juggling sophomore year and I think it’s fun and when I saw juggling at the club convention, I was like, ‘yeah, might as well do this.’ I’m pretty good at juggling, so I thought it’d be a chance to teach other people and learn new tricks. PS: How did you start juggling? AW: My uncle actually juggles and my brother and dad know how to juggle, but don’t juggle regularly. Randomly, my dad just bought three juggling balls on Amazon, and so I started trying to juggle. I could juggle three balls before that, but I’d never tried to do anything like new tricks or anything like that. So I just started juggling when I came home from school and stuff like that, and I got better and better.

MG: What’s the weirdest item you’ve ever juggled? ML: Probably avocados. I’ve juggled all kinds of fruit and even water bottles, but avocados are relatively heavy, and there’s extra pressure not to drop them. Honestly, small oranges are my favorite things to juggle. I usually stick to tennis balls though.

PS: How long did it take you to get proficient?

MG: What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever juggled?

AW: About two months. PS: What’s the weirdest item you’ve juggled?

ML: I don’t plan to ever hurl torches or knives around, so the most dangerous things I’ve juggled are probably rocks. Camping is another one of my hobbies, and trails and campgrounds are always littered with rocks and pebbles; I just have to be especially careful not to hit anyone.

AW: I juggled lots of Classic Coke bottles. PS: What’s the most dangerous item you’ve juggled? AW: Probably the Coke bottles, since they’re glass.

MG: How many things can you juggle at once? ML: Comfortably? Three. With some difficulty? Four. One of my goals this school year is to work my way up to a five-ball cascade, but that’s going to be tough. The fundamentals are the same as with three balls, but it’s just a lot more to handle with two hands. STORY Mateo Guevara, Paul Sullivan

PS: How many things do you think you can juggle at that once?

AW: I can consistently juggle three balls forever. I can juggle four just not forever. I’m worse at that than three and then I can juggle five for a short amount of time. PHOTOS Nathan Han

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14 TEACHER TO STUDENT

Student Store revamping by Paul Sullivan fter taking over as Student Store manager, Nancy Goldberg has changed the way the student store operates. “We are now taking credit cards, and people can use that to pay off their store accounts at the end of the month,” Goldberg said. “We have a refrigerator for cold drinks. We’ve lowered all the prices.” In addition to revamping the store, Goldberg played a big role in setting up the store for the new school year, which included giving out textbooks to students and organizing and cleaning out the store. “One whole part of it was getting the textbooks ready for textbook distribution and most of that happened in Nearburg,” Goldberg said. “We donated a lot of things to the Lion’s Closet so they were able to have a really great choice of items for people, and we also organized the supplies.”

Living a double life

On top of that, Goldberg has been working on adding more products for students to buy. When getting new items, Goldberg often knows what the kids want, and when she doesn’t, she receives requests from students. “We are getting in new merchandise all the time,” Goldberg said. “Sometimes, I have people show me what’s new. Some things are just things that I know people want, or people come in and ask me for things, so then I try to find them for them. And some things I just get more of what we’ve had because people liked what we have.” Goldberg is proud of her new additions to the merchandise. “We have new Yetis [drinkware], we have new metal yard signs and we just got in some brand-new Vineyard Now Vines bow offering ties,” GoldCold drinks Lower prices berg said. Lions Closet “We’re getNew items ting some Yard signs more ties in More ties some great new colors and we’re getting lots more quarter zips and sweatshirts for winter. We’ve also gotten in a lot of new clothes. The whole store is more organized.” Overall, Goldberg is excited to be a new part of the school’s community. “It’s been great,” Goldberg said. “I’m so happy to be here. I love this school and the community and the boys and it’s been really nice just getting the store ready for school.”

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

In addition to her duties on campus, English instructor GayMarie Vaughan taking classes at SMU to reach the coveted goal: a PhD.

S Vaughan’s reading list Here are three of the books Vaughn is reading en route to earning her doctoral degree.

The Great Transformation Karen Armstrong

The Meaning of Human Existence E. O. Wilson

Religion in Human Evolution Robert N. Bellah

he sits in a study at a desk on a Saturday, a stack of books to her left, a stack of papers to her right, and begins writing. “When I think about it in the short term, it just seems so daunting,” English instructor GayMarie Vaughan said. “Can I keep up this pace for several years and not have it just crush me?” But to Vaughan, a future PhD signifies much more than an intimidating group of letters or a twelve-step plan to success. It is a continuation of her passion for learning that demands a don’t-waituntil-tomorrow attitude, one that provides her with empathy from teacher to student, one that reinforces a mantra she keeps with her classmates: stay on the bus. ••• As part of her application process to Southern Methodist University (SMU), Vaughan set forth an idea for study, a years-long process that culminates in her dissertation. “[My idea], and it can be tweaked along the way, is how we can develop ethical individuals and ethical institutions in a world that is no longer creed-based,” Vaughan said. “For years, we had the basic Judeo-Christian rules for ethics. And that was how we decided what was right and wrong. But since the majority of people don’t associate with creeds anymore, well, what do we do?” Starting in August, as required by SMU, Vaughan takes two classes a semester for the next three years: “To Be Human” from a historical perspective and “To Be Human” from a psychological perspective. After this three-year obstacle, however, she can slow down to one class a semester, placing her graduation in the ballpark of seven years. “As I get going,” Vaughan said, “it’s going to lead me down lots of interesting paths, I know. And I’ll have resources from all the colleges, so I imagine there will probably be some law classes, maybe some business ethics classes, and maybe some religion.” Simultaneously teaching classes through the day and taking class through the night is not a new experience for Vaughan. After finishing her second master’s degree from the University of Dallas (UD) in 2009 while heading the English Department at the Prince of Peace School, she came here in 2012. But Vaughan has always viewed education as a lifelong pursuit, one that doesn’t end after she walks the stage to receive her diploma, whether high school, bachelors or masters. And working here has given her plenty of support. “This environment respects education and hard work and applauds any effort in education,” Vaughan said. “And we, as teachers here, all of us, every department, across the board; we always say to our students, ‘you need to be lifelong learners.’ So I think we demonstrate that in a real way, we practice what we preach. There are so many teachers who already have doctorate degrees, and they haven’t stopped learning either.” But a doctorate is not the same as a masters, as Vaughan has known. “I’d say there’s more reading [compared to UD],” Vaughan said, “There are fewer papers, but they’re a lot meatier. It’s insane. The reading list is so long, especially for the psychology [classes]. From way back in the day, people like Aristotle, all the way through [psychologists such as] Freud and Jung, and then into current times.” Teaching four periods (two English 10 and two AP literature classes) in addition to sponsoring the Junior Class has put enough STORY Jamie Mahowald PHOTO Blake Broom

GETTING TO WORK During her busy day, Vaughan grades students’ papers in her office.

on her plate. But, as both Vaughan and English department chair Michael Morris explained, the process has allowed her to better empathize with the demands set forth here. “[Mrs. Vaughan] is, as a teacher, benefiting from the experience of being back in the classroom,” Morris said. “And her focus is on ethics, so as an English 10 teacher and as a twelfth-grade teacher, she’s getting to read, write and think a lot about virtues and character, the big literary questions we face in English classes.” And now, to be back in school, to be back having a plethora of assignments and

especially to be going through the application process alongside her seniors lets her empathize with, almost commiserate in the shared workload. Now she’s back again, back for nearly a decade of grades to both give and receive that ends in those three coveted letters, PhD. But until then, she will stay on the bus. “Keep going one day at a time, just keep plugging along,” Vaughan said. “Ahead, you have all this work, but you can’t look at it that way. And the best news about it is I’m incredibly curious about all of it. So that makes it a pleasure.”

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

SOPHOMORE RETREAT

Senior starts Origami Club

From boys to men

Sophomores take the day off at Double D Ranch to evaluate where the class of 2021 has been and where they are going.

leepy sophomores stumbling onto a bus early in the morning. Grade-wide ultimate frisbee games. Three-on-three basketball tournaments. A day of brotherly bonding, discovery and goal-setting as a grade. All staples of the now iconic sophomore retreat, which acts as a catalyst for the Sophomore Class to begin their involvement in Upper School. Thirteen years removed from the creation of the retreat, here is a look at how this iconic activity has progressed and pioneered. ••• Assistant Head of Upper School John Ashton recalls the first retreat and the progress that has since been made. “When I was the Assistant Head of Upper School in 2005 and Mr. Gunnin was the Head of Upper School that was the first year we put the sophomore retreat in place,” Ashton said. “It is exciting to see here over a decade later that it continues and that people continue to strengthen it by adding elements to it over time.” One of those elements of the retreat is the ability to reflect and discuss goals as a class. “There are a couple fundamental parts of that day. One is that, as a class, you can reflect upon where

you’ve been as an individual and as a class so far in Upper School,” Ashton said. “Then you can imagine where you want to be with the years left during your Upper School career as a class and as individuals.” A way to reflect as a class is through small scale discussion. These discussions which have been led by alums in the past now are led by current members of the Junior Class. “The first years we actually had alums, a decade or more removed,” Ashton said. “They came and talked to the guys. We had them share their perspective from ten, 15 years or more. The shift to the juniors, however, has really shaped the experience because it has great value for both the sophomores and the juniors.” The sophomore retreat is better known for the quality time and bonding that a class can experience. The sophomores participated in a talent show, which class sponsor Michele Santosuosso described as a fun activity and moment. “This was the first time we have done a talent show,” Santosuosso said. “It was fun for us to see people doing things we never knew they could do. I liked how we organized it with the serious stuff first and then the more fun stuff later on.” This year’s retreat was a great day for students to learn about their

STORY Mateo Guevara, Luke Nayfa PHOTO Carr Urschel

classmates, which sophomore Mike Mendoza admits was a fun time. “It was great,” Mendoza said. “I think I got to learn alot about the other guys. Their opinions of our school and our current situation as sophomores helped me realize how we come together as a class. Because of the sophomore retreat, we made a large group text where we can all communicate and support each other.” After the discussions and class activities, Santosuosso reflects on the state of the Sophomore Class. “Overall, everyone gets along,” Santosuosso said. “The groups consisted of different friend groups, and everyone got along. At lunch, everyone sat together and during playtime everyone was having a good time. As far as the discussions, from what I saw there wasn’t anyone resisting the questions, and everyone contributed in some way.” The fundamental purpose of the sophomore retreat remains as a way for classes to become stronger together through shared experiences. “The sophomore retreat is one of many intentional activities that we do to put guys in situations as classes to continue to strengthen the relations you have with each other,” Ashton said. “At the end of the day, that is the goal.”

by Eric Hirschbrich ince senior Shreyas Annaswamy was young, the Japanese art of folding paper—origami—has been one of his favorite hobbies. The process of carefully folding and creasing paper to create art was first introduced to him by his grandmother, who also enjoys crafts. Ever since then, Annaswamy has worked on projects alone and never pursued origami outside of it being a hobby of his. However, when he learned that many of his classmates were interested in origami, he decided to formally establish a club. As a result, this year he founded the Origami Club, seeking to inspire other Marksmen to enjoy origami. Originally consisting of a few members, the club has built up a community of regular attendees. Annaswamy prefers to always do club activities that his members request and always brings an origami workbook to allow his members to choose the folds that they want to do. “Right “When I was really young now, it’s very in India, my grandmother informal and showed me how to fold I just bring a basic stuff like a crane and a ninja star and flowers and book full of origami inthats when it started. I’ve been doing it ever since. ” structions and — senior SHREYAS models and ANNASWAMY they choose whatever they want to fold,” Annaswamy said. Annaswamy makes sure to provide a variety of folds for the club to do together, as well as other activities that the members opt for. Club activities include learning some of the folds that Annaswamy has experience with. Using the experience from one of his outside projects, he has taught the origami club to classic process of folding origami cranes. “I’m currently working on a 1,000crane origami tree,” Annaswamy said. Additionally, members of the club, like senior Rhys Arana, have learned to make various animals, paper airplanes, flowers and much more. “Going to origami club once a week with a couple friends has been really fun,” Arana said. “Shreyas is a great guide, and I look forward to making more origami throughout the year.” A growing attendance has encouraged Annaswamy to begin to expand his plans for club activities. Annaswamy said as the year continues and more members participate, the origami club could likely create a large project. “We might do bigger projects that we would work on as a group.” Annaswamy said. “If we make some pretty cool group project designs it would be nice.”

THINK TANK Each small group of sophomores was led by a junior facilitator. Jack Trahan (blue shirt) leads a group of sophomores in a short discussion after lunch.

perspe

16, 17 COVER STORY | continued from page one

silence ECHOES OF

The Brett Kavanaugh hearings and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testimony left unanswered questions about the weight high school behavior should play on people's future, the misconceptions about rape and false accusations and how boys are supposed to learn about relationships. STORY Parker Davis, Kamal Mamdani, Lyle Ochs PHOTOS Kamal Mamdani, Parker Davis, Kyle Smith

S False allegations

‘As a parent and as a lawyer, it is concerning that someone can easily falsely accuse you and no corroboration is required’ —DEBBIE SANCHEZ, PARENT

omeone’s word could put you behind bars. Because in Texas, in cases involving rape and sexual assault, no evidence beyond the accuser’s testimony is required for the accused to be convicted. Simply put, it’s ‘your word’ against ‘theirs.’

“I have seen criminal cases where someone is convicted and ultimately ends up going to the penitentiary based on someone’s testimony. Period,” criminal defense attorney Debbie Sanchez, mother of sophomore Daniel Sanchez, said. “If a jury believes the person who’s making an outcry about an event that happened ten days ago, ten years ago, 20 years ago, if the jury believes beyond a reasonable doubt that it happened, that is enough to convict.” While someone may not make an accusation until decades down the road, Sanchez believes that presents no inherent issues. However, situations like those present certain risks lawyers, jury members and onlookers alike must be aware of. “There are a lot of legitimate, sound reasons why people do make a delayed outcry and something did in fact happen, and that’s why the statute of limitations

is such because people do make delayed outcries for various, legitimate reasons,” Sanchez said. “The other side, and the danger of that is that someone can claim a delayed outcry, and they have some sort of motive to make up a false allegation or they were under the influence of some sort of a substance or of alcohol and they don’t remember all the facts of what happened.” Through his experience in the courtroom, criminal defense attorney Juan Sanchez, father of sophomore Daniel Sanchez, has seen many cases with shaky accusations. However, they all involve one key factor: alcohol. He sees abstaining from—and staying away from social situations with—alcohol as the best way to avoid accusations. “With the Kavanaugh case, alcohol was a big component,” Juan said. “And also in my cases that I’ve handled where I truly thought my client was accused falsely, there’s always drugs and alcohol involved for some reason.” The best way for students to steer clear of future accusations, senior David Vallejo believes, is through using common sense to avoid people and situations that have the potential to tarnish each others’ character further down the road. “I really don’t think about it at all,” Vallejo said. “Following these allegations,

I’ve given it a casual thought, but I haven’t changed the way I go about my business because I’m not going to put myself in a situation that would lend itself to something like that.”

culture,' wh how you m things, beca it other tha crime.’ All

ONE IN SIX AMERICAN WOMEN VICTIM OF COMPLETED OR ATT While senior Jack Katz agrees, he also believes Marksmen, for the most part, don’t need to change the way they think or act to avoid accusations because of the high standards they are held to by the school, family members and classmates alike. “While we make stupid decisions sometimes, there are certain moral and ethical lines we won’t cross,” Katz said. “In that sense, I think a lot of people should be comfortable going through the rest of their lives. There’s a certain moral code that I think everyone here lives up to.” Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie believes some of the biggest dangers lie in addressing rape indirectly, which can not only lead to misunderstandings, but also lessen the significance of what is truly a criminal act. “Our language is so important," Van Drie said. "When we speak of a ‘bro

logical conc actually is. Those i Sciences De er believes the same 19 allegations thing he ex Portsmouth Catholic da Island, and vations of s “Male c hell of a lot that I exper 1980s that w Prep,” Fish “I know did, I know that were d said. "And today. Do I ior here? Ye

Another perspective

‘Remove the stigma. Remove the shame.’

—DIRECTOR OF COUNSELING BARBARA VAN DRIE

ore than 300,000 people — both men and women — are the victims of rape or sexual assault every year. That’s the number suggested by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence network. Despite taking extreme measures — carrying a sound grenade, never wearing two earbuds in public, never walking alone in unfamiliar locations — Hockaday senior Tosca Langbert is still worried she could be next. “I’m afraid something will happen even if I take those kinds of measures,” Langbert said. “So really no matter what you do it’s kind of like Russian roulette. I know I could be one of those unlucky women.” Hockaday senior Charlsie Doan feels the same way, despite the numerous measures she takes to ensure her own safety. She also sees a large part of the disconnect between men and women as a result of the fact that mens, for the most part, don’t have to take the same measures. “The reality of the situation is that girls have to be way more careful than guys,” Doan said. That disconnect, in Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie’s eyes, extends far

that changes.” Whether or not someone chooses to speak out about their sexual assault, they still carry the trauma with them for decades after the event. “You don’t relive it just through the memory,” Van Drie said. “It’s just there in your life. Especially if they haven’t talked about it, processed it, told people. I think when people don’t acknowledge it when it happens, I think that brings the most difficulty for people. It changes the course of people’s lives.”

beyond the issue of personal safety. She sees that as the reason many girls and women who are victims of rape hesitate to share their stories with the public. “Our society participates in maintaining silence,” Van Drie said. “What’s happened in the last year or so, is the ground has shifted around maintaining silence. Because we’ve said in the past there’s shame for people in being the victim of sexual assault. The only reason there’s shame is because there’s been silence. And once you remove silence, then

out there, especially men, get falsely accused of rape and it can destroy their lives, I think that it’s the lesser of two evils.” For Hockaday junior Kate Woodhouse, there is a simple solution that can better the lives of both men and women. “Think about what the girls might be thinking in these situations,” Woodhouse said. “Think about what the girls might want or what the girls might be thinking. Think about both sides before you make a decision.”

According to the FBI, about two percent of all investigated rape charges are proven to be false. At the same time, according to RAINN, ten percent of all rape victims are male. Although for most men, the most prevalent concern may seem to be the thought of being falsely accused, senior Jonah Simon recognizes the emotional toll and likelihood of either scenario render those thoughts mostly invalid. “Even worse than being falsely accused of being raped is being raped. That is an unimaginably horrible thing to happen to someone,” Simon said. “While it is also terrible and extremely unfortunate that people

ONE IN 33 AMERICAN MEN HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF COMPLETED OR ATTEMPTED RAPE.

THOUGH

kavan

Students from her share their opinio Kavanaugh hea Christine Blasey

I don’t think his judicia inconsistent with ho person could interpre so I think he’s the e give him deference o on that, I would con the sexual assault alleg that calculus. — sen

As a justice, I don’t agree of the Constitution. Howev the right of the President Senate to confirm him. And him, I think he deserves to be agree with him. — s

I think that he should not have been of what Dr. Ford said, but also h the stand. I don’t know if that’s th making some of the biggest d — Hockaday junior K

The whole thing was handled think she was treated well, I d well. I am thinking of Judge and Dr. Ford’s sons and be for them. It’s such a think it could have bee respectfully. — Hockada

ectives

hat is meant? Sometimes, it’s make it okay to say and do these ause you use other words for an ‘I’m going to perpetrate a you have to do it take it to its

HAVE BEEN THE TEMPTED RAPE.

clusion, use the language that it Its sexual assault. It’s a crime.” ideas, which History and Social epartment Chair David Fishare largely representative of 980s culture that fostered the against Kavanaugh, is somexperienced during his time at the h-Abbey School, a prestigious ay school in Portsmouth, Rhode d also characteristic of his obserstudents here. culture in this school is not a t different from male culture rienced at similar school in the was very much like Georgetown her said. w those kids, I know what they w the mentality and attitudes dominant during that time," he here I am working at St. Mark’s I still see elements of that behaves.”

HTS ON

naugh

re and Hockaday ons on the Brett arings and Dr. Ford testimony.

al opinions were ow a reasonable et the Constitution, expert, so we could on that matter. Based nfirm him. Obviously gations would change nior David Vallejo

e with his interpretation ver, I know that it is fully within t to nominate him and for the even though I don’t agree with e on the court whether or not I senior Jack Katz

n confirmed. It’s not just because his demeanor when he was on he kind of person I would want decisions in the country. Kate Woodhouse

d extremely poorly. I don’t don’t think he was treated e Kavanaugh’s daughters how horrible this must sensitive matter that I en handled a lot more ay senior Charlsie Doan

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Sex ed curriculum

‘In today’s society, it is no longer enough to teach anatomy and general contraception and have that be a sex ed curriculum.’ —SENIOR DAVID VALLEJO

he school’s sex education curriculum revolves largely around the biological process of sex in units covered in sixth grade Life Science and ninth grade biology. But, as Marksmen prepare to leave behind the safe, all-male confines of 10600 Preston Rd., many feel unprepared for the other facets of relationships that lie ahead. “I think there definitely has to be a greater emphasis on not only reinforcing all those concepts, but more what it’s like to be in a healthy relationship, what it’s like exploring intimacy,” senior David Vallejo said. “Dos and don’ts of consent. Those are all things that, if for nothing else, we should be taught so we can be informed of how others expect us to behave.”

“

I think we need to have comfortable, safe scenarios in which you can speak freely with your teachers. — senior Jack Katz

Much of that feeling of unpreparedness stems from the fact that students here lack many of the daily, casual interactions with girls that, in most cases, help to prepare students for professional and social lives after their education here, something History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher experienced

attending an all-boys boarding school in Rhode Island.

“The sex ed could very much be empathizing with situations with

EVERY 98 SECONDS, ONE AMERICAN SEXUALLY ASSAULTS ANOTHER. “It’s not really great training for the real world out there where you are going to have to interact with women as equals and in some cases your betters,” Fisher said. “How do you interact with a woman on a date, at a dance, or in the workplace? And if we don’t have experience doing those things, it becomes difficult.” The lack of interaction with girls is part of the bargain of single-sex education. According to Director of Counseling Barbara Van Drie, one of the best ways to offset that is through empathizing with the other sex. “You’re not sitting next to girls day in and day out,” Van Drie said. “You’re not thinking from someone else’s point of view very often. Do perspective taking. That is a skill you can develop. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. The more you play those mental gymnastics, the better your skill at it. It becomes a lot more difficult to be insensitive when you’re taking the other person's perspective.” Dr. Martin Stegemoeller, Ethos program faculty sponsor, sees opportunity for ways to improve how the school teaches boys about the numerous sides of relationships beyond the current curriculum.

you and someone else,” Stegemoeller said. “It’s that middle ground that every guy can avoid if he’s got his wits about him, and we’d love for him to avoid that. We can probably do better at St. Mark’s at helping guys understand that.” Senior Jonah Simon believes the school can do a better job of preparing students with realistic lessons of what they are going to encounter in the future. “The fact that we don’t learn about consent, ethics and the other societal parts of reproduction and relationships is appalling,” Simon said. “It leaves St. Mark’s young men unequipped, at a deficit going into the world having relationships, having sex and doing things people do.” As a senior, Vallejo is finished with his sex education here. But as he nears graduation, he wishes he had been provided more of the tools he feels will be necessary in college and beyond. “There’s no downside to it,” Vallejo said. “We’re going to go to college. We’re going to be adults. Some of us are adults. It’s something that is necessary to know, and I don’t think St. Mark’s provides that right now.”

High school consequences

‘It depends on what you did, but if redemption means anything, it’s that a person doesn't have the mark of Cain put on them when they’re teenagers.’ — DR. BRUCE WESTRATE

ne of a few central questions in the Kavanaugh hearings was about teenage maturity: Should something a person does in high school come back to haunt them even decades after they’ve moved on? History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher believes the debate isn’t so clear-cut.

SIX OUT OF EVERY 1,000 RAPISTS WILL END UP IN PRISON. “In a holistic sense, everything counts,” Fisher said, “but in another sense, you’re supposed to make mistakes as a teenager, and they shouldn’t count for as much as the mistakes you make as an adult when you’re a fully formed person.” Senior David Vallejo believes the answers become more obvious when looking solely at the severity of the committed offense. “I think definitely if you did something like that, if you were a perpetrator of sexual assault or some crime like that during high school, the time, meaning like if someone comes and calls you out 35 years later, I don’t think that’s an excuse,” Vallejo said. “You should definitely be held accountable for what you did. And, you know, looking at how I do things now, certainly I’m a lot more careful about how I conduct myself: what I say, what I do, how things can be interpreted.” While there is still much debate on whether high school choices should affect men and women decades later, the reality is that these choices have continued to do

so in cases like Kavanaugh’s, and there is, thus far, no end in sight. “For some, I think it is kind of scary that, 30 years out of high school, someone can come back and say you did something to them,” criminal defense attorney Juan Sanchez, father of sophomore Daniel Sanchez, said. “And at the same time, it also goes to show you that if you did do something bad when you were in high school 30 years ago, it could come back to haunt you.” Years down the road, as the Upperand Middle-schoolers of today enter the business world, Westrate believes they will be affected by their past lives to a greater degree than any generation to come before them. “Young people have to be very, very cautious about putting themselves out there in social media,” Westrate said. “And I know I come from a different generation— people were less prone to do things like that. People were much more private, and privacy is something which young people are not really that well acquainted with just because of the waters they swim in.” Vallejo sees new technology as the key point students should be aware of as they mature and move beyond their high school careers. “Now there’s social media, there’s internet, there’s electronic databases where there are records. There are chat logs,” Vallejo said. “I could go on and on. So obviously, yes, we have to be a lot more careful nowadays in what we say or what we do because it’s not, ‘Will they come back?’ It’s, ‘They will, and you’ll be held accountable for it.’”

diversions

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Weekend adventures Need a study break? Here are two fun outings you can can do with friends.

Psychedelic Robot

Still want more art after seeing Yarckin’s gallery? Walk a couple hundred feet over to Hotel Crescent. Towards the back of the hotel you’ll find one of the coolest interactive pop-museum and art galleries you’ll go to. Originally supposed to run through Sept. 29, Psychedelic Robot was so popular, it’s been extended through Nov. 15. Over fifteen different artists are featured in the exhibit, some local and some internationally-recognized. Tickets are $35, which gives you a full hour to walk around, take unique Instagram photos, and trip out on some cool art and visuals.

LIANA YARCKIN

Showing her colors St. Mark’s mom Liana Yarckin has been painting for years. Later this month, Stanley Korshak will be hosting a show featuring her work.

hrough the house and toward the back of the yard is the studio. Liana Yarckin sits at one of her two long fold-out tables, working on a watercolor painting. She’s surrounded by colorful bottles, dirty brushes and sketches of ideas. One of her paintings is printed on the scarf draped around her neck. Behind her, there are dozens more of her paintings. Some are framed, and others lean against easels.

Several paintings of Yarckin, mother of senior Jake Yarckin, will be featured in a show at luxury department store Stanley Korshak Nov. 9. However, Yarckin hasn’t always been a painter. “I went to school to train as an architect, and I got into drawing and art classes in architecture school at [Texas] A&M,” Yarckin said. “I was focusing on architecture, but I got exposed to drawing.” Later in her life, she began painting with watercolors. “Watercolor is really transparent,” Yarckin said. “It’s like layering a lot of colored tissue paper on top of each other, and then they make one interesting color. When you put water on the paper and drop watercolor paint it spreads out. You can drop in another color, and they’ll mix together. Depending on the science properties of the pigments, they do different things. It’s kind of like a science.” For Yarckin, something about painting is therapeutic. “I find it to be very relaxing,” Yarckin said. “The way it stimulates my brain, it’s like a challenge. Some people like crossword puzzles or mind games, and that’s what watercolors are for me. At the end, if it all works out, looking at the colors and the result is really rewarding.” But Yarckin is no amateur. Her art has been featured in local galleries for over five years. “The way I first started getting into galleries is by getting involved in the art community,” Yarckin said. “Lots of times there are groups of artists that work together and have group art shows in a gallery. That’s how I first got into galleries. You can

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

also submit your artwork to galleries. Then it’s kind of who you know and networking and making relationships with gallery owners.” Although she’s been featured in many galleries, it isn’t always easy for artists to show their work. “Dallas offers a lot of art shows that you can enter, but the art shows are outside and they are just for one weekend,” Yarckin said. “Dallas is very open and supportive in that way, but the art galleries bring in other artists from out of state. It would be great for a couple art galleries, even if it’s only one week in a whole year, to come together and decide they will only feature local artists.” It may be difficult to get one’s own work in a gallery, but Yarckin says going to galleries as a patron is important. “I think it’s really good for, whether male or female, business people or people who are leftbrained,” Yarckin said. “People who have non-creative careers should experience the right side of the brain in some way. A lot of the people I know who paint are attorneys or business people. When you do something like painting, playing the piano, or some other type of art form, I think it helps a person see something that’s going on at their job in a different way. It helps them think outside of the box and be more open minded.” Whether a seasoned gallery connoisoeur or an artistic knownothing, Yarckin believes Dallas has something for everyone. “You should go to an outdoor art show,” Yarckin said. “Those are less intimidating because there is a lot of people around, and there’s lots of action.”

STORY Andy Crowe PHOTO Will Rocchio

“I’ve been making scarves (above) with my paintings for about three or four years. Printing them on scarves and note cards (left) helps more people be able to buy my art. I’m able to spread my art and let everyone get to be a buyer.”

You may not be a big nature fan, but if you go to the Dallas Arboretum this month you’ll become one. Located next to White Rock Lake, this is by far the best time of year to visit the 66-acre garden with your family or even a date. Their famous Pumpkin Village is back in full force and contains 90,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds, perfect for some seasonal family photos. The Dallas Arboretum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and tickets are $15. Go on a Sunday to avoid crowds, and make sure you pick a dry day.

The grid

There are plenty of pre-Thanksgiving events and activities to get you in the holiday mood.

What

Liana Yarckin Art Texas Taco Fest & Gift Collection

Football Game

Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot

H-E-B Feast of Sharing

Liana Yarckin watercolor Food & entertainment show presenting her festival with plenty of paintings, scarves, tacos and taco themed and note cards. activities

Home game and Senior Night against ESD

5K and 8-mile races that support YMCA community programs.

Holiday celebration and feast serving people in need in the Dallas area

Timed Entry: $43 Untimed Entry: $38

Free

Price

Free

$10

Location

Stanley Korshak

Texas Live!

Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium

When

Nov. 9 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Nov. 17 - 18

Nov. 2 7 p.m.

Who to bring

The whole family

Foodie friends

Only Lions fans

The race begins at Dallas City Hall Plaza

Nov. 22 Start time: 9 a.m. Serious runners only for the 8 mile race. Family, friends, and even babies (in strollers) for the 5K

Free to volunteer

Centennial Hall at Fair Park

Nov. 8 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Anyone who can serve a big ol’ Thanksgiving meal

culture

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

UPDATED MUSEUM

New age exchange M

The facts We took a look at some social media facts for Paul Schneider and the Dallas Museum of Art’s new exhibit.

Instagram Followers

12k Paul Schneider

78.4k Dallas Museum of Art

49.6k Dallas Arts District

Amount of Instagram posts 670 Paul Schneider 167 #dallasart 3,608 #kusamapumpkins 30,109 #dallasmuseumofart

percent RISE IN FACEBOOK ENGAGEMENTS

4,909 views on one of Paul Schneider’s ceramics video SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

MAINSTREAM MEDIA Visiting the Yayoi Kusama Exhibition in the Dallas Museum of Art, senior Ayusha Saha shares his experience through his Instagram.

useums typically hold old things: paintings, sculptures, artifacts— monuments to the past and stills of the present. The young, viral generation consumes, craves instant entertainment via social media suhc as Instagram, but some museums have failed to capture this younger market—until now. Combining the connectivity of social technology and the convention of the art world, museums in New York and Los Angeles are starting to expand their horizons to the new age. Spending only tens of dollars for online hearts and comments and followers and popularity. Spreading love for paintings and sculptures alike. But, it’s not just these new pop ups that are attracting the digital generation. One of the most influential places that has tapped into this new market is only 9.9 miles away at the Dallas Museum of Arts [DMA]. ••• Having just worked with the museum for his own collection of student artwork, senior Ayush Saha appreciates the museums new vigor. “Everyone I worked with to organize the event was tapped into what my generation feels is important by keeping heavily updated with Instagram,” Saha said. “It made for a smooth and fun process to both advertise the gallery with my peers and get people to attend the final product.”

certain things. It was an intelligent move, and it’s basically free marketing.” Although Schneider understands that Instagram is a powerful tool, he would rather spend more time in the day devoted to other tasks. “I should pay more attention to it, and I should exert more effort towards buildingup a following on Instagram, but I’ve got to push myself to do that,” Schneider said. “You only have so much time and energy each day. I’d rather spend that time and energy doing other things that I enjoy more than trying to figure out how Instagram works, but at the same time, I get a lot of business from it, so I should probably spend more time on it.” The DMA’s William M. Lamont Jr. Board of Trustees Chairman Catherine Rose, mother of junior Charlie Rose attests to social media’s potential for lucrative growth.

On the flip side, Paul Schneider ‘02 has developed a love-hate relationship with Instagram, using it to promote and market his ceramics pieces. “With what I’m doing as a small other artists small business owner, you’ve got to wear the hat of marketer so you have to pay attention to advertising marketing,” Schneider said. “[Instagram] is a channel to market and you got to take advantage of it, but I don’t necessarily enjoy it that much.” For Schneider, the DMA using Instagram to their advantage was an extremely smart marketing move on their part. “I don’t really see anything wrong with it,” Schneider said. “You can gain access for free, and they also charge for

“

We are able to share more information about the works, exhibitions and activities at the museum through social media than we could ever afford to do via paid advertising. — Catherine Rose, president of the Dallas Museum of Art

In addition to its viral Frida Fest— which invited people of all ages to visit the Frida Kahlo painting dressed in homemade homages to the famed artist—the DMA’s use of social media has increased its popularity. “[The] DMA posted 1304 times on Facebook and generated 43.3 million impressions and over 173,000 engagements [which is] up 77 percent from the previous year,” Rose said. Rose notes the Frida Kahlo event is just one example of the kind of experimental activity that draws in people to the museum and invites them to engage. “The DMA’s marketing team has been working to better understand the audiences we are trying to reach on each platform and making sure the Museum’s content, timing, approach [and] language resonates with that audience,” Rose said. “In other words, aligning the right message with the right audience.” However, despite the growth, the DMA has re-

DMA

In recent years, the Dallas Museum of Art has broadened its horizons to attract a new generation of art lovers.

MONEY’S WORTH Museum-goers can now spend only tens of dollars not only to enjoy the artwork but also to post at their hearts’ pleasure their favorite pieces for social media likes and shares.

ceived critique for its increasing use of social technology since their viral success. “I think for some people, using social media to show work of art at the DMA may seem superficial or not appropriately intellectual,” Rose said. “That an art museum should be serious. However, we are able to share more information about the works, exhibitions and activities at the museum through social media than we could ever afford to do via paid advertising.” For Rose, whether or not the museum’s new shift seems “superficial” doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t be a reason to not try new methods of connecting the people in the community. She also notices other museums making the progressive shift as well. “It’s a medium that can make the museum appear less formal and less stuffy,” Rose said. “Social media is primarily a visual mediCatherine um and therefore Rose DMA very well suited president for museums to use.” With more venues utilizing sites like Instagram, communication between museums has become more collaborative and instantaneous. “In Dallas and Fort Worth the museums are very collegial and work together in many ways,” Rose said. “I suspect all of them watch what the others are doing on social media to try to understand what works in connecting with larger audiences.” As more contributors enter this progression, Rose expects the DMA to continue its mission to provide to the city of Dallas. “In Dallas, the ability to connect people across time and cultures is unique to the museum because our collection is so far ranging,” Rose said. “I think the aspiration is for our museum to be well loved by our community — to collect and exhibit the best world of art for the benefit of our city and all of its citizens.”

STORY Sam Ahmed, CJ Crawford ILLUSTRATION Chad Kim

culture

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

COLLEGE ALTERNATE

Ceramics added as fine art for middle schoolers

The road less traveled

Leo Weiser ’17 foregoes college to spends time in New York City and all around Scotland to pursue his acting career and to write literature.

veryone takes the same path. Graduate from high school. Get a degree from college. Find

a job. High school. College. Job. High school... But what if somebody turns off the path? What if somebody trades in colleges for curtain calls? Pencils for plays? Desks for dramas? But that doesn’t happen. Because everyone takes the same path. Everyone except Leo Weiser. ••• It was halfway through senior year. Halfway through his college applications. And Leo Weiser ’17 had made up his mind. “I was answering the questions,” Weiser said, “and I was thinking, ‘This is awful. This is not what I want.’ It crept up on me that I didn’t want to go. Just the process of actually applying really tipped me over the edge.” While all his classmates were stressing through applications, Weiser escaped to his haven: Drama. Weiser’s affection for theater dates back to his sophomore-year performance of The Tempest, when he auditioned on a whim, hardly expecting a major role. But sure enough, Weiser got the role. He found his purpose in the open-air performances in the amphitheater. “It’s undefinable–It’s like that feeling when you get in the zone during a game,” Weiser said. “That’s what happened to me, and I told myself that this is a high that I want to chase. I became an addict for performing. I spent all my time thinking about it and dreaming about it, and all I wanted to do was drama, drama, drama.” After realizing that he wanted to actively pursue drama, Weiser made the decision to move to New York. “I’d only been one other time,” Weiser said, “and there was this aura around it. I thought it was what I needed to figure myself out. I’d be exposed to stuff I had never been exposed to in Dallas. So I thought what better place to be than in New York?” Just like that, Weiser began a new chapter of his life. Staying with his uncle, Weiser immediately got to work — finding work. “I arrived in New York in early September 2017,” Weiser said, “and the first two weeks were spent settling in. I just needed a job. That’s what I wanted to do, so I scoured the web for jobs.” Eventually, Weiser found a job working as a bouncer at 48 Lounge, a Times Square club, but with

CURTAIN CALLS Linking arms with other cast members of the 2017 spring play Mister Roberts, Leo Weiser ’17 smiles after his last Upper School play performance.

never-ending auditions, agents and roles, he found himself sidetracked from his initial purpose. “With the job I had, I would work for 12 hours, and it would drain all my energy,” Weiser said. “I was so desperate for a job. I made good money, and it was actually fun, but it sucked away all my energy from what I actually went to do that I lost sight of becoming an actor.” Weiser’s desire for a stage, for inspiration, for interaction led to him trying his hand at stand-up. “I just needed to be on stage,” Weiser said. “It was more about me needing to express myself. I love to perform, I love to inspire, I love to express myself to people. That’s what I enjoy most, interacting with people.” Weiser came back to Dallas for a few months to regroup after his time in New York. Switching from play scripts and stand up routines, Weiser found new inspiration in writing. “I started to gain some sort of idea I could actually write something,” Weiser said. “So I started to write several books. Eventually, I found one I wanted to write.” Soon enough, New York came calling Weiser’s name again, but this time, another door opened itself. A new chapter. “That’s when Scotland came up,” Weiser said. “I’d never been outside the U.S. before. I wanted to write, but it was more about getting away from everything.” Flying into Edinburgh and taking the train up the east coast, then back down the west coast, ending his month and a half journey traveling from hostel to hostel, Weiser found himself outside his comfort zone in a

PLAYS LEO WORKED ON •Mister Roberts • The Hound of the Baskervilles • The Tempest •The Physicist •Of Mice and Men

new country, but it was liberating. Going there with half of his book finished, Weiser took the time to work on it as well as cleared his mind. A few months after his lifealtering decision, he was at peace. “Even though I chose not to go to college, it was still lingering in my mind,” Wesier said. “When I got to Scotland, I stopped. I look back now at Scotland and New York and wonder whether I’m better for it. Maybe. Was it the best decision? Maybe, but I learned something from it. I never regret not going to college, and I don’t regret going to Scotland or New York.” Weiser doesn’t know what is next. He is thinking about jobs in Dallas. College is still an option to keep his mind sharp, but he’s looking for his next opportunity, whether that be a person or another journey. “I haven’t really planned much in my life,” Weiser said. “I just want to go with the flow of it. I’ve been very lucky and fortunate with the people I have met, especially in my travels. That’s what I’m hoping for. I’ll meet some people and they’ll give me some more insight into what I should do.” Ultimately, Weiser credits the risks he has taken to the happiness he has found in his life, from The Tempest in the amphitheater to New York, Scotland and whatever lies in the future. “The most important thing anyone can do in their life is to make themselves uncomfortable,” Weiser said, “to put themselves in an uncomfortable situation, because that’s when you know you’re experiencing something.”

by Siddhartha Sinha eramics has been added to the list of fine arts offered to Middle School students this year. The class, currently offered to seventh and eighth graders, will be taught by ceramics instructor Scott Ziegler, who has been pushing for the addition of this course since before he joined in 2016. “The reason why I started the Middle School course is I know photography offered a Middle School class as an introduction,” Ziegler said. “The wood and metal program. Drawing and painting. Film. I questioned why there couldn’t be a Middle School ceramics class when I first started here.” Ziegler’s desire for a Middle School class can be attributed to his own personal experience as a student at Northern Illinois University, where he took his first ceramics class as a junior. “I think about [my experience],” Ziegler said, “and think about what St. Mark’s has to offer and what ceramics has to offer and I think, ‘Let’s have students see what clay is. See what clay is about. See if they like it.’”

“

The greatest part about drama is that you have to risk something to do it. You have to be vulnerable.” Leo Weiser ’17

The course, which Ziegler formally introduced to middle schoolers at class meetings last spring, has been met with excitement. 60 students have signed up, allowing for two basic Middle School classes each trimester, where students will be learning techniques necessary for preliminary success. “Whenever somebody starts taking the beginning ceramics course,” Ziegler said, “I assume they know nothing about clay. We start out with the basics.” But the basics haven’t involved the note-taking most introductory courses involve, as students began working with clay immediately. “The first class, I gave them clay,” Ziegler said. “I gave it as extra credit, but they had to build a tower. They were working with clay first day. We’re six weeks in, and today was the first day I asked them to take notes.” Middle schoolers will still have the the opportunity to work as much as upper schoolers, as they will have all-day access to the ceramics studio for any work, both in and out of school. “They can come in whenever they want,” Ziegler said. “I have seventh grade students coming in the morning if they need to catch up on something. I have a student who’s making projects outside of what I assign for a birthday present.” Expansion to fifth and sixth grade students has not been planned yet, but it hasn’t been completely ruled out by Ziegler, who is using the seventh and eighth grade introductory classes as his own introduction to teaching middle schoolers. Ziegler hopes students enjoy the course as a fun introduction designed specifically for middle schoolers, and while there may be students hesitant to deal with a new unknown, Ziegler has made sure they feel comfortable with his new class. “I had a couple of worried students the first couple of days,” Ziegler said. “One student wanted to drop the class because he knew nothing about clay, and I said, ‘That’s why you’re here.’ This is a time where you can figure out whether you like it or not.”

STORY Siddhartha Sinha, Sam Ahmed PHOTO Courtesy Marion Glorioso-Kirby

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

CONCERTS

VIDEO GAMES

Fallout 76 Battlefield V Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Release date

Nov. 14 Nov. 20 Dec. 7

Twenty One Pilots Kyle Travis Scott

ALBUMS

MOVIES

Concert date

Nov. 7 Nov. 9 Nov. 15

Bohemian Rhapsody The Grinch Ralph Breaks the Internet

Release date

Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 23

Glory Sound Prep, Jon Bellion Delta, Mumford & Sons Yandhi, Kanye West

Drop date

Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23

culture

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

LOOKBOOK

Under the spotlight Directed by drama substitute Haley Nelson, the cast of the fall play performed an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s ‘And then There Were None’ Oct. 26-28. The 20th century superlative mystery comedy featured ten guilty strangers trapped on an island — and one by one they are accused of murder. And then they die. PHOTOS Rohit Vemuri, Jerry Zhao

IN THE BEGINNING Act 1 scene 1, General Mackenzie (far left: Beto Beveridge), Captain Philip Lombard (behind: Will Mallick), Sir Justice Wargrave (left: Duncan Kirsten), Anthony Marston (middle left: Thomas Loose), Mr. Rogers (middle: Jonah Simon), Dr. Armstrong (behind: Daniel Uglunts), Mrs. Rogers (right: Leah Segal) and William Blore (far right: Will Hunt) discuss various clues.

THE INTERROGATION Meeting each other for the first time, William Blore (right: Will Hunt) questions Dr. Armstrong (left: Daniel Uglunts) about his activities on the island.

CRACKING THE CASE Act 2 scene 1, Captain Philip Lombard, (left: Will Mallick) Emily Brent, (behind: Isabella Lambert) Sir Justice Wargrave, (middle: Duncan Kirsten) Izzy Page, (middle right: Vera Claythorne) and William Henry Bloor (right: Will Hunt) unravel the plot.

ABOVE IT ALL Working on the catwalk, junior Judson Dommer manages the sound cues and other background technicalities throughout the production.

FLIRTATIOUS CONVERSATION Discussing the other characters that are planning on coming to the house, Captain Phillip Lombard (right: Will Mallick) and Izzy Page (left: Vera Claythorne) have a conversation.

INSIDE THE GREEN ROOM Owen Simon, playing Fred Narracott, a boat driver, applies his “old man” makeup.

Cast List Rogers — Jonah Simon Mrs. Rogers — Leah Segal Fred Narracott — Owen Simon Vera Claythorne — Izzy Page Philip Lombard — Will Mallick Anthony Marston — Thomas Loose

William Blore — Will Hunt General Mackenzie — Beto Beveridge Emily Brent — Isabella Lambert Sir Lawrence Wargrave — Duncan Kirsten Dr. Armstrong — Daniel Uglunts

SETTING THE STAGE Organizing nails for the set, stage manager Alex Estrada works to put the final touches on the stage.

Crew List Director — Haley Nelson Assistant directors — Henry Exall, Jack Genender Stage managers — Alex Estrada, Simon Unglaub Lights — Judson Dommer Props — Ajay Schlehuber, Zane Bhimani

culture

My Instagram

SPANISH DANCE

Dancing in rojo

A peek into Middle School Assistant Head Jason Lange’s Instagram account, @jasonmlange, where he posts pictures from his frequent international travels. In his own words:

past summer I headed to New Zealand ‘toThis do some skiing. Skiing is one of my passions.

It’s something I share with my father. We’ve been skiing every year for 27 years in a row. We’ve never missed a season. We set up shop in Queenstown for a few weeks, eventually hired a helicopter and decided to go helicopter skiing on the Southern Alps because we thought, ‘Why not?’ It’s an epic place to do that. The scenery is dramatic. The weather was great. They had just gotten three feet of fresh snow. We just went on a whim. We landed on top of a mountain, skied about 3000 vertical feet, and the helicopter would fly over us, pick us up at the bottom and fly us to the top of another mountain.

Since her first lessons in flamenco, Spanish instructor Nancy Marmion’s 24-year-long passion has enriched her cultural connection with Spain.

FUN FACT In Japan, there are more flamenco academies than there are in Spain.

“

This was actually taken with [Headmaster ‘David] Dini in Australia. Mr. Dini and I and

about seven other St. Mark’s faculty were in the city of Gold Coast, Australia for the [International Boys’ School Coalition] Conference this past summer. One of the afternoons, we had some free time to explore the area, and one thing Mr. Dini, Mrs. Dini and I had never done but always wanted to do in Australia was see a koala bear. So we found this nature preserve about 30 minutes out of town, and we went down there, and they let us get pretty close to koala bears. We actually held a koala bear. They are very cute, adorable creatures. I’ve actually been to Australia four times, and this was the first time I’ve seen a koala bear.

This was taken a long time ago. This ‘is probably ten to 13 years old. I remember

going with some friends from St. Louis. There were about six of us who were going to explore their Czech heritage which was from this small town of Český Krumlov. It’s a storybook town. It has a prominent castle up on a hill, and there is a tower on top of that castle and the view from the top is looking down over the town. The rolling hills, the red roofs, the medieval architecture all come together in what a lot of people picture as idyllic Europe. This is one of those undiscovered gems in Europe. People go to the big cities but the small towns are where the authenticity is.

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

We’re a group of people that are very supportive of each other. So, if somebody doesn’t get a step, somebody else is happy to help them.” Nancy Marmion, Spanish Instructor

tomping her feet, twirling her arms, she wears a long, polkadot dress and heels with nails on the bottom. Behind, a group of guitarists, snappers and clappers set the beat as Spanish instructor Nancy Marmion beams to the crowd in the women’s museum at the State Fair of Texas Oct. 14. Flamenco is all about the beat, the passion, the balance between seriousness and lightheartedness and the hidden complexity of the art form. ••• Since she moved to Dallas roughly 24 years ago, Marmion began taking lessons for flamenco dancing at Daniel de Córdoba Bailes Españoles. “I saw an article in the paper about two people who taught flamenco here in Dallas,” Marmion said, “and I thought, ‘Oh, that would be fun.’ I had danced growing up—ballet when I was a kid—and then modern dance when I was in college. The year that I lived in Spain when I was in college, I also learned just a little bit of a dance called sevillanas, which is a dance from southern Spain that’s more like a folk dance than a true flamenco dance.” Marmion, who recently stepped down as Foreign Language department chair, values the connection with Spain and the culture of Spain that flamenco offers as well as the people she dances with. “I enjoy the artistic outlet and the passion that flamenco dancing has,” Marmion said. “It’s a very complex art form, more complex than it appears at first glance.” Flamenco is divided into two parts: flamenco dance and flamenco music, which is divided even further into cante (singing), toque (guitar playing), jaleo (vocalizations and chorus clapping), palmas (hand clapping), and pitos (finger snapping). Both the dance and the music originated in southern Spain and has a fusion of Arab and Gypsy influence because those cultures were in Spain during the 15th century. Some dances even have Jewish influences. “When you dance flamenco, you’re often doing one rhythm with your hands and another with your feet,” Marmion said. “It’s a play of rhythm

STORY Tianming Xie PHOTO Courtesy Maretta Hill

and counter rhythm.” When she started out, Marmion did not have an inherently strong sense of rhythm, which is what flamenco is all about. With time and lessons, Marmion has

significantly improved, even though she hesitates to call herself a “good” flamenco dancer. “My sense of rhythm has improved over the years,” Marmion said. “We started off with very basic things, by following somebody else. Frankly, I am not a person who can just get up and hear music and be inspired and put my own choreography together. I can’t do that because I don’t have a good enough sense of rhythm or a good enough understanding of the art form itself. That’s my fault because I haven’t invested enough time.”

In addition to the rhythm and counter rhythm, the styles of flamenco dancing contrast. The most serious style, or palos, is known as cante jondo while lighter, more frivolous forms are called cante chico. Lastly, forms that do not fit either category are known as cante intermedio. “Flamenco can be very fast and very happy, and it can also be very slow IN PERFORMANCE Wearing a traditional and very flamenco dress, Marmion prepares her fi- expressive nal stance for her flamenco performance. of suffering

DANCE OF CULTURE Indoors in the women’s museum, Marmion performs flamenco alongside her dance group, Daniel de Córdoba Bailes Españoles, at the State Fair of Texas Oct. 14.

and pain,” Marmion said. “I am probably better with the cante chico, but I really like both of them. I probably do more of cante chico because it’s easier.” Flamenco also has all sorts of different costume designs as dress designs range from polka dot to flowery to black with red fringes. “In general, however, it’s a long dress with a full skirt so that you can move it when you dance,” Marmion said. “Traditionally, there are a lot of polka dots on the dresses but not always.” Besides the artistic and cultural aspect of flamenco, Marmion also enjoys the experiences she shares with the diverse and positive group of dancers she performs with. “We’re a very international group of people,” Marmion said. “Over the years, I’ve been with people from basically all over the world from Japan and China and Iran and all over Latin America, not to mention Spain. The people that I dance with now—we all like each other, and we all get along with each other. In any art form, particularly performance art, you can get personalities where people think they’re divas, but I think we’re a group of people that are very supportive of each other.”

buzz

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

A quick morning jolt

Your ‘Odyssey’ Players will be captivated by the open world in the newest entry of a decade-old franchise.

While seniors are getting ready for the final push before Nov. 9 and other students are perpetually cramming, we recommend a cup of coffee. Here are some places you can go.

Einstein Bros.

Starbucks Coffee

very shopping center’s got one. Every aspiring writer’s been there. Of course, we’re talking about Starbucks. With everything from sandwiches to coffee to cake to coffeecake, Starbucks has everything you could want while trying to cram for the end of the first trimester. While the coffee is freshly ground, good, and decently priced—unless you’re going for a triple mocha caramel macchiato with chocolate and whatever—the more substantial foods, breakfast sandwiches and paninis, are never prepared well. While whoever is at the counter may try to convince you they are freshly made, the sandwiches are frozen and almost always heated poorly. Don’t go looking for breakfast or lunch unless you want a mouthful of frozen, sometimes stale, sandwiches. But, this is a review of coffee, and the coffee on its own really is great.

B+

Starbucks

Preston Hollow locations: • 102 Preston Road Shopping Center. • 11919 Preston Road. • Hours: 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Einstein’s

Preston Hollow locations: • 12050 Inwood Road • 6011 Royal Lane • Hours: 6 a.m to 4 p.m.

trawberry shmear, a warm bagel and pretty decent coffee: can you think of a better breakfast? Probably, but Einstein Bros. never fails to satisfy with the endless combinations of bagels, shmear and various proteins to top it all off. Unlike some other restaurants on this list, Einstein Bros. offers free refills on your choice of decaf, dark or medium roasts, all tasting...goodish. The coffee isn’t what draws people to this restaurant, though, so it really becomes more of a side attraction. At the end of the day, however, the coffee is drinkable and gives you the caffeine you need, and isn’t that what really matters? If you are looking for a complete breakfast or lunch—they have lunch bagels as well—keep Einstein Bros. in mind. It’s delicious, and its coffee does the trick. Just remember this review when you’re looking for an advisory snack.

B-

BuzzBrews

uzz Brews has one advantage over competitors in the coffee game—flavors. They can make lattes and different breakfast drinks, but I cannot write this review without mentioning the insane amount of flavors and blends Buzz Brews brings to the table. Fudge, peanut butter, French toast, blueberry cobbler and hundreds of thousands of millions more flavors to try. The food that will most likely accompany your coffee is, to be honest, delicious. The price, however, is not as delicious. With smaller portions, the cost eventually adds up to be more than you originally anticipated. The coffee’s price, though, is reasonable—especially when the free refills are taken into account. The breakfast menu is fairly diverse, with everything from crepes to eggs to their famous griddle toast. I personally have not fact-checked the fame of their toast, but they assure me it is famous.

A-

Preston Hollow locations: • 4154 N Central Expressway •4334 Lemmon Avenue • Hours: Open 24 hours

The Crooked Tree

Uptown location: • 2414 Routh Street • Hours: 6 a.m to 9 p.m Mon.Thurs., 6 a.m to 10 p.m Friday, 7 a.m to 10 p.m Saturday, 8 a.m to 9 p.m Sunday

Top Pot

ou simply can’t get better ingredients than the ones used in Top Pot’s coffee, from the hand-roasted beans in their espresso to their home-made flavoring (they don’t use pre-packaged syrup). Because of this, you end up with coffee that is strong, bold and fresh. I was extremely impressed by their lack of sugar. I’ve always criticized mediocre coffee shops for adding sugar to mask the flavor of their below-average coffee. That being said, if you’re used to putting sugar or lots of milk into you’re coffee this place may not be best for you — adding milk and sugar won’t mask bitterness as much as you’re probably used to. Top Pot’s flavors are bold, yet they still maintain the classic bitterness that I love. But if you’re not a fan of bitter coffee – maybe stick to something you’re more comfortable with.

A-

Drip

University Park, Oak Lawn locations: •4343 Lovers Lane • 3888 Oak Lawn Avenue • Hours: 6:30 a.m to 6 p.m, 7 a.m to 6 p.m weekends

BETTER WITH BAGELS Although not the best coffee you’ll ever have, Einstein Bros. Coffee goes great with one of their freshly baked bagels.

The Crooked Tree

f you’re looking for the taste of homebrewed coffee, the attention of a small business and the comfort of a family-owned restaurant, Crooked Tree is your place. Delicious coffee and food at a good price is all you can hope for in a coffeeshop, and Crooked Tree delivers. Open seven days a week, the coffeeshop really just provides a nice, quiet, comfortable place to relax or meet a friend. As a coffeeshop that isn’t as busy as larger chains, you can be assured that the environment will be perfect for work. In addition, the Crooked Tree coffeeshop serves delicious sandwiches, wraps and other foods that you can be assured are made fresh and perfect for any type of day. The range of drinks is like any other, with coffee and espresso, but they bring their own twist to some of their colder drinks—something that puts them above their competition.

Top Pot

Dallas locations: • 8611 Hillcrest Avenue • 2397 Greenville Avenue • Hours: 6:30 a.m to 5 p.m Mon. - Friday, 7 a.m to 5 p.m weekends

Drip

oasting roasts from different regions depending on the season, you can always be sure that you’ll get a flavorful experience from every cup of Drip you drink. Even if you don’t normally enjoy coffee, Drip’s got something for you. With dozens of flavors ranging from classic vanilla to coconut, you really can make it your own. Personally, I’d recommend a latte, no added sugar, no flavors, nothing – the espresso is just that good. But if you’re not so keen on coffee and you end up here, I’d give the caramel latte a try. You’ll think it’ll taste like every other caramel latte you’ve ever had, but wait until you try it. Despite it being syrup, the caramel tastes real, and it’s even got a hint of that burnt flavor you get from real caramel. All in all, whether you like coffee or not, you should still give Drip a try.

REVIEWS Duncan Kirstein, Cristian Pereira PHOTOS Courtesy Creative Commons

NEW AND IMPROVED Even if you aren’t a fan of the Assassin’s Creed series, the most recent title in the franchise is worth a try and maybe even a buy.

n eagle soars past the camera, and players are introduced to the sprawling landscape that will serve as their home as they take control of either Alexios and Kassandra—two descendants of the Spartan Leonidas—on their journey to bring peace and justice to Ancient Greece. Immediately, veteran players will notice a huge difference from previous games. For the first time ever, the player is given a choice between two protagonists—Alexios or Kassandra. While the gameplay and story remains the same regardless of who the player chooses, I should mention that Kassandra’s voice-acting is far superior. While the voice-acting for Alexios isn’t necessarily bad, it sometimes falls short, feeling almost comical in its dramatic nature. On the subject of choice, the player’s decisions have more of an effect than one would think. In addition, choices aren’t always as straightforward as one might expect. Often, the consequences of a good action are worse than those of a crime. The gear system from Assassin’s Creed Origins makes a return as well,

with color coated rarities and different types for various gear types. The most important aspect of the game, however, is its story. An open-world journey facilitated by the return of naval combat, this story is engaging and large in scale. The size of the story actually seems daunting at times, but Assassin’s Creed Odyssey does a good job of waiting to introduce players to new environments and islands only when they are ready. Exploration in Assassin’s Creed has never been so rewarding, with dense landscapes and meaningful side missions that feel like more than just a quick task to retrieve something. Combat itself is very similar to that of the previous entries into the series, but there is now a new aspect: skills. As the game progresses, players are able to unlock and assign various special abilities based on an energy bar that builds up through battle. With many aspects of Origins returning and improvements to combat and exploration, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is one of the best entries to the series to date.

editorials

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

remarker STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS. 10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TEXAS 75230 214.346.8000 editor in chief

Security concerns at Homecoming reveal need for consistency in off-campus events

managing editors

Recent lapses show more diligence, new policies, procedures are needed

KAMAL MAMDANI

PARKER DAVIS SAHIT DENDEKURI LYLE OCHS

tudents were surprised and dismayed at Homecoming Sept. 28 to see three uninvited students at the event at the House of Blues in Uptown Dallas. From reports from students—and later documented by administration officials—at least three people (two males, one female) were able to get past checkpoints and enter the Homecoming Dance, an event traditionally limited to Marksmen and their dates. This incident certainly calls into question the security standards set in place, not only for Homecoming, but for all school events in which large numbers of students and invited guests are in attendance. In today’s world, it’s almost a given that the safety and security of students — during the school day and at school-sponsored activities — be of prime concern. Assuredly, Homecoming is a complex event to organize. Student Council leaders put hours into planning the appropriate theme, selecting bands and/or deejays and a myriad of other decisions. After conversations with administrators, we feel the following things should be done at all school-sponsored off campus events: 1. Venue. First, the venue

head photographer KYLE SMITH

assignments editor JAMES ROGERS

creative directors JAHAZIEL LOPEZ MICHAEL LUKOWICZ

communications director C. J. CRAWFORD

opinions editors CONNOR PIERCE WALLACE WHITE

opinions specialist DUNCAN KIRSTEIN

senior writer MARK TAO

10600, culture editors SAM AHMED TIANMING XIE

discoveries editor MATTHEW ZHANG

focus editors

NATHAN HAN CHRISTOPHER WANG

issues editors

ISHAN GUPTA SID VATTAMREDDY

sports editors COLIN CAMPBELL AARON THORNE

perspectives editor SAM GOLDFARB

diversions editor ANDY CROWE

graphics director MATTHEW COLEMAN

copy editors

ERIC HIRSCHBRICH DYLAN LIU

research director NICK WALSH

business manager PAXTON SCOTT

staff writers

ALAM ALIDINA WILLIAM ANIOL TREVOR CROSNOE JACK DAVIS MATEO GUEVARA RAJAN JOSHI JAMIE MAHOWALD HENRY MCELHANEY LUKE NAYFA CRISTIAN PEREIRA LUKE PIAZZA ROBERT POU COOPER RIBMAN SIDDHARTHA SINHA PAUL SULLIVAN SAI THIRUNAGARI ERIC YOO HAN ZHANG

artists

CHAD KIM COLE ARNETT

photographers

BLAKE BROOM COLLIN KATZ ADNAN KHAN RYAN MCCORD TYLER NUSSBAUMER KATHAN RAMNATH WILL ROCCHIO CHARLIE ROSE CHARLIE RUBARTH DANIEL SANCHEZ LEE SCHLOSSER ROHIT VEMURI

adviser

RAY WESTBROOK

headmaster DAVID W. DINI

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selected should be thoroughly vetted—and not just by sponsoring organization’s leaders and sponsors. An administrator should check — and ultimately approve—the site. Things to consider would include location, degree of privacy and a minimal number of entrances and exits. Because House of Blue is a public restaurant, patrons of the restaurant were able to mill around, making it difficult to ascertain who was from the school and who was not. An isolated venue, like the 2017 location at sixty-five hundred, a destination-type party venue near Love Field, offered much more control. 2. Reporting. Students should be advised to be “on the alert” and report suspected violators at any event immediately to an administrator. If students had alerted administrators Sept. 28 about the uninvited guests present, the problem could have been dealt with expediently by school officials. 3. ID checks. There needs to be closer attention paid in the admittance process to off-campus events.

School IDs are required for entering other school events, yet no one was checking for student IDs at the door at the Homecoming event. Surely, the safety of students is strong enough that this should be done—each and every time. It should be noted that in only one of these three suggesitons might involve increased expenditures. The more secure venues that are specifically designed for special events may be more expensive. However, this is a small price to pay for our security and saftey. Certainly, Homecoming weekend and the dance are treasured traditions at the school. We urge organizational leaders and administrators to adopt the above-stated recommendations as policy when planning off campus events in the future.

BLUES. Homecoming 2018 was held at the House of Blues in Uptown Dallas.

Teachers must make online grades available Administrators should institute a policy mandating this key form of student transparency

or the past few years, the school’s website has given teachers here the ability to display students’ grades online. The website provides teachers a variety of options for how they can do this, ranging from displaying all grades, including the cumulative year grade, the grade for the trimester and each individual assignment grade, to displaying only individual assignment grades. This availability allows students to keep track of how they are doing in class, while at the same time giving both students and teachers a way to ensure that each grade is entered correctly into the grade book. Students in classes of teachers who display this online grade book are able to keep track of their academic standing in a way that previously wasn’t possible, alleviating much of the stress of not knowing what their grades are. While many teachers have utilized the online grade book for the mutual benefit of themselves and their students, many teachers, for various

legitimate reasons, such as students constantly questioning their grades and grades changing over the course of the year, still refuse to make students’ grades available online in any capacity. This leaves students unnecessarily worrying and stressing about their academic performance throughout the year, as they are left without the transparency that online grades provide. While we understand that teachers have reasons not to display grades online, we believe this pivotal form of transparency must be made available to students in each of their classes, as the advantages that the online grade book can provide to students and teachers alike greatly outweighs its potential drawbacks. To accomplish this, we believe that administrators must create a policy mandating that teachers make grades available online — in some capacity. As a compromise, teachers should not be required to make all functions of the online grade book viewable for students, but each and every teacher

must at least allow students to see their individual assignment grades as part of this policy so that students can see the outcome of their work and so that students and teachers can ensure the grades are entered correctly. At the same time, as a condition of this increased transparency, students must commit to restraint in constantly asking teachers about their grades. If students have a legitimate question about the outcome of an assignment or their final grade at the end of the trimester or the year, they can and should ask teachers about that. That being said, students should not misuse the benefit that the teachers are providing them by badgering their teachers throughout the year over relatively minor issues. If students and teachers can follow these new requirements and commit to using the online grade book for its intended purpose––giving students the ability to check up on their academic standing––we believe that everyone’s classroom and academic experience will be fairer, less stressful, and greatly improved.

editorials/opinions

THE REMARKER •NOVEMBER 2, 2018

STAFF EDITORIAL

Improved school detention policy needed

Administrators must make detentions more uniform and productive.

tudents feel that some detention punishments are arbitrary, unproductive and not relevant to the offense committed. Oftentimes, students will be convicted of a violation of Lion Tracks and then be given a Saturday detention that has punishments that, in the grand scheme of things, alienate the student. When a student commits an infringement of Lion Tracks, the punishment can range from a minor punishment for wearing the wrong socks, to multiple Saturday detentions or even more extreme, suspension or expulsion. However, when students do receive Saturdays, they often find themselves doing tasks that, to them, seem unhelpful and punitive. If the school is going to portray the

detention system as a way for misbehaving students to do some work for the good of the school, their punishments should reflect that and not be a busy task that really adds no meaning to the punishment. These menial tasks include sharpening pencils indefinitely, copying down documents endlessly, and more tasks that serve no purpose but to occupy the student’s time. Punishments shouldn’t be purely punitive, they should be relevant to the infraction at least on some general level. Although we understand why these punishments are busy work, in order to discourage students from committing those offences again by the fact that they are at school on a saturday, it is not the most effective.

Punishments that relate the the offense are most effective. We endorse practices already employed like personal reflection writing. Of course if a student refuses to learn, then maybe punitive punishments can be argued. Context is also very important to punishsments. If a student is a first-time offender, maybe the punishment should be normal, and for repeats, more severe. This will make sure that new saturday attendees don’t feel they are treated on the same level as chronic rule-breaking students. Also, if unruly student’s consequences aren’t ramped up, it only makes them get used to the punishments. Making punishments at the very least vaguely relevant to the offense would Coffeehouse: Steady rise

New student store items: Spike

Stocks to

Watch

The new items like snacks and clothes coming to the student store shelves have been a great addition to the variety and convienence of the store.

Coffeehouse has been a highlight of campus life and showcases the great talent that thrives within the Hockaday and St. Mark’s communities.

Coffee in commons in the morning: Incline

The bulls and bears of the stocks around campus

Exhausted students have been welcomed to a warm cup of joe being served in the Great Hall early in the morning.

Huge puddles around campus: Decline

Quality of carpool: Slight decline

In the rain, students and teachers alike find massive collections of rain in various points around campus, although this only depends on the forecast and only results in damp socks and shoes.

Teachers counting students late despite traffic issues: Crash

Sometimes the line outside to get into the school in the morning is quite congested, making it take 20 minutes to go from the gate to the parking lot.

Kavanaugh and the war on boys

oys will be boys. It was a phrase that used to be an admission of fact––that boys have natural tendencies to make reckless decisions, take enormous risks and have unbridled ambition. Now, that phrase is absolute heresy to some. Saying that one sentence could get you called a myriad of names from “sexist” to “rape apoligist.” In light of the Kavanaugh saga, the topic of the safety of our boys has come up again. Kavanaugh was put through a gauntlet of ridicule and slander. Even after an FBI investigation cleared him, he is still to this day called a rapist by some. Boys, now more than ever, have to be careful to a degree bordering on crazed paranoia. It kills the essential part that relationships play in the path to manhood. It’s not mentally healthy for boys. I am in no way dismissing genuine rape victims. I don’t think a single sane person in the nation would say that rape isn’t horrible. Rape is a vile and aggressive violation of basic human rights, and if a fair and just court rules someone guilty of rape, they should receive the harshest

punishments under the rule of law. However, ruining the life of a boy with simply making a false accusation is a transgression on the dignity of not only the accused, but the accuser as well. Boyhood in general is under attack in this nation. More and more boys are taught that their masculinity needs to be curtailed. Boys can’t be in relationships anymore in fear of being called a rapist. Wallace White Opinions Editor

In reality, it is best to harness these masculine traits and channel them for good. Sometimes, the world needs a risk taker or a great fighter. Sometimes we need a man with an indominable will to accomplish a goal. Boys can’t experience essential parts of their lives. They can’t be themselves. The phrase, “Boys will be boys” should not be used to excuse heinous crimes that infringe on the rights of others, but as an admission that boys will do stupid things sometimes.

not only help students learn more but also reduce resentment amongst students towards the people that administer the consequences. The punishments should be instantly understandable and sympathetic to both the teacher and the student, not just a teacher exercising arbitrarty power over the student. Busy work creates a disconnect between the offense committed and the punishment administered. When this gap opens, it only enables more bad behavior due to resentment and ill will among students. When the punishment and the offense are closely linked and recognizable, the student can draw these associations more easily and –– most importantly –– learn more from their mistakes.

And that’s ok. Yes, let boys make stupid mistakes. Of course, you should punish them for doing illegal or stupid things. However, never tell them that their very biological nature is flawed on a fundamental level. Yes, we have tendencies that seem to fly in the face of all things reasonable, but we can learn from our own innate tomfoolery, from one mistake to the next. And yes, of course we will have an untamable drive to pursue love to, sometimes admittedly, self-destructive ends. Again, none of what I’ve said here is excusing the tragedy of rape. Rape is a crime against the dignity of the human race. All I am saying is that we cannot continue to discourage and actively inhibit boys from simply expressing masculine traits. The reality is, you can never take the boy out of a man. The drive, the impulsiveness, the aggression. All innate and none replaceable. Don’t make our identity a devil on our shoulders. Instead, we should accept the reality that we can never take the boyish instincts out of men.

While students struggle to get to school through the congestion of Preston Road, some teachers still count them tardy even as they arrive.

Around the

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

Q In light of the Kavanaugh hear-

ings, do you feel it is the school’s role to educate students about appropriate conduct in relationships?

do feel it is the ‘ Ischool’s job to educate

about ‘ Education appropriate conduct

The school should try to ‘work it into the curriculum

‘ about morality, but in terms

us because we need to understand our actions today affect our livelihood for the next couple decades. Shane Ndeda senior

when it applies to the material we’re learning about. Ned Tagtmeier sophomore

establishes ‘School rules, but the morality

of it should be left to parents to teach. Parents should teach specifics with relationships. Bruce Westrate Marcus Master Teaching Chair

I don’t think they

‘ should take time

from useful teaching to learn being a rapist is bad. That’s common sense. Wheeler Sears senior

is a first step institutions should pursue in preventing disagreements. Sahitya Senapathy junior

St. Mark’s already teaches us of modern day interactions, we should be taught how to navigate these things. Connor Cheetham senior

definitely the ‘ It’s school’s responsibil-

ity. Rapes and other abuse are things we could avoid with teaching. Max Vafa freshman

They should. Usually

‘ males are the problem in sexual misconduct cases. It would be beneficial to educate students. Mason Antes junior

opinions

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

Manners maketh man: why we should all make an effort to be polite

itting at the dinner table when I was just seven or eight years old. I still remember my mom telling me to sit and how to properly behave at the table. “Siéntate y ponte la servilleta.” “Agarra el cuchillo bien. No así no, no es un lápiz Mateo.” Since I could remember, my parents have drilled into me how to be a gentleman. At home and wherever I find myself. Open the door and then hold it for ladies. Keep your elbows tucked in close to you while you are eating. Hold your fork and knife correctly. Always say your please and thank you’s. Brush your teeth three times a day. But most important of all. Never. And I mean never. Chew with your mouth open. The cardinal sin of mannerism.

I learned quickly as a little kid in Mexico that chewing while my mouth was open resulted in a swift strike to my knuckles or head. But don’t you worry. I persisted. Eventually the cries of “Cierra la boca!” and “Mastica Mateo Guevara con la boca cerraStaff da!” broke through Writer to me and I finally got it. Chewing with my mouth closed or holding the door open for the next person coming through became second nature to me. Being polite and behaved became a staple for me. Parents and teachers would comment to my parents on how well behaved I was. They said it was rare for someone so young to be so educated.

A rare trait in people and one which is sought for I believe it is a staple of the people here. It wasn’t until I came to 10600 Preston Road that I found a place where everyone I met possessed the same education as I did. We’re classified and self-classify ourselves as the best. So why do we not hold ourselves to those standards everyday? In that remark, I can always count on St. Mark’s to not slack. Although recently I’m sad to see we have been lacking. I’m sad to see people chewing with their mouth open and even talking with food in their mouth in the Great Hall. I’m sad to see trays full of food and trash left on tables, never to be picked up.

I’m sad when I walk into the senior lounge and I see chess pieces and snack wrappers strewn across the floor. I’m sad because I know we are better than this. So guys, I ask you in the most polite way I know to tighten up our act. To sit slightly straighter. Open the doors wider so others can pass. Say thank you to your teachers after every class. Thank the wonderful people who work in the cafeteria and clean up after us. Because at the end of the day, it’s the little moments that seem insignificant in your eyes that really count and make an impression. So remember to chew with your mouth closed in the Great Hall or I might just come by with a wooden spoon like my mom’s and give you a stern slap on the wrist.

New York, New York, trying to be a part of it

all has its ups and downs, to say the least. It feels good to put the Levi’s back on, to feel a cool breeze for a change. Simultaneously looking forward to and bracing for winter. It’s also pumpkin spice season… which can be infuriating sometimes. The obsession with pumpkin spice blows my mind. Doesn’t smell that good. Doesn’t taste that good. And you can’t go anywhere without it popping up. But I digress. Fall is also a time for reflection, for thinking back on the year, for spending time with family. These ideas never come to mind as much as they do during Thanksgiving, which, for me, has always been a challenging Sam holiday. The Goldfarb four of us Perspectives Editor moved away from the rest of the family ten years ago this month —my dad’s work in Texas kept him away from New York for weeks at a time, and it just wasn’t sustainable. We really left everyone. Both sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. We only get to see everyone twice, maybe three times a year, if we’re lucky. And it’s been that way for almost my whole life—all my years of growing up. Sometimes, staying in touch is easy. I text my cousins and follow them on Instagram, so we can keep up with each other just fine. When we do see each other, it’s like we never missed a beat. My aunts and uncles are on Facebook, so that’s not so hard either. But with my grandparents, though… With my grandparents, I feel guiltier and guiltier each year. I know that all it takes is 15 minutes on the phone. I know that’s all it takes to make their day, or their week. Just a hey, I’m alive and well, hope you’re doing well too, thinking of you, love you, bye.

But especially since high school started, it’s been so easy to find other things to do. I would call, but I’ve got to finish up my homework. I would call, but I don’t really have anything to say. (I have plenty I could say, but I pretend to myself that I don’t.) I would call, but I don’t know how to talk to grandpa lately… he’s still not back to his old self yet. I would call... I would call... I would call…

Even when I go to visit, I’m guilty of the same evasion. It was worse in middle school, when I’d retreat to a bedroom to play games on my laptop instead of being out. The past few times I’ve been up north, I’ve really made an effort to be out more, talking more, just being there more. It’s hard for me sometimes. It’s hard seeing my grandparents not being able to do the things they used to do. It’s hard for me to remind my grandfather, who could carry out a fluent conversation in Spanish, who wrote Spanish textbooks, who told me stories of Puss in Boots and Francis Drake and the Flying Tigers— It’s hard for me to remind him of what we were just talking about two seconds ago. But lately I realized something: It’s got to be so much worse for them. It’s hard for them to admit that they can’t do the things they used to do. It’s hard for my grandfather to keep his train of thought, and even harder to show that struggle in front of his grandson. All this time I’ve wasted—it isn’t coming back. They’ve been struggling with the void of barely seeing their youngest grandson as he’s grown up. And far from helping fill that void I only made it deeper. I’m fortunate enough to have had all four of my grandparents my whole life. I’ve let too much of that slip away. I can spare the 15 minutes. I don’t care about the test tomorrow. I don’t care about my plans for Friday night. It’s about time I started showing I was thankful.

The report card

Thoughts on happenings around campus Extra fourth lunch line

The addition of a new line to the cafeteria has made waiting in line for 30 minutes a thing of the past. Students can easily wait only 5-10 minutes to get their food now.

Voter registration booths

The voter registration booths in the Commons are not only a service to the seniors who are able to vote, but a service to the country, as well.

Lunch treats

Sweets have become a regular occurrence in lunch menus. While this may be a good strress-reliever for some, many raise concerns about too many sweets.

Card games in science lobby

While we understand why students want to play their card games, it has left many students struggling to find studying space during lunch. They’re still games after all.

Dry assemblies

Upper School assemblies haven’t been the place of high-school banter and student liveliness they once were. Now it’s simply an e-mail in seminar form.

Senior stress levels

With college applications in the works, many seniors find that the levels of work in their classes are increasing as the frist trimester closes. This has created unfathomble levels of stress.

A+ A+ B CD+ D-

I was awe-struck when I arrived in sixth grade, and that wonder has never faded

o me, St. Mark’s is an almost magical place. A pervasive, enchanting spell of sorts seems to linger in every faction and corner of the campus. I could sense it as a brand new sixth-grader, and I can sense it now. Of course, the nightmare of almost any middle-schooler is the first day of school. Leaving all of your friends behind, wondering if anyone will like you and hoping the lunches are better make up most of the things on your average newly-admitted sixth-grader’s mind. What was on my mind, however, was a little different. I was wondering how I was going to carry my books to my different classes,

mainly because I walked on to campus for the very first time with a broken arm. And, a few days after that, I ran into senior Matthew Pollock headfirst on the track and got a concussion. Now, they say that the new kid sticks out like a sore thumb, but I think that’d be a bit of an understatement for the way I stuck out. This sounds stupid to say especially now, but at the time, it was just about the most embarrassing in the world to ask complete strangers to carry heavy books for me and ask just about every single day what in the hell “Centennial Hall” was (thank you for your patience, Mr. Mead!). But it didn’t take me long for me to realize that I had nothing to be embar-

rassed about, for the strangers whom I’d been asking to help me around campus were happy to do so, and did Mark so with a wide Tao Senior smile on their Writer faces. It took me very little time for me to realize why each and every St. Mark’s student, alum or faculty member loved the institution in a burning and unwavering fashion. It was the strong sense of community and support that I consistently leaned on for my troubles and problems. By the end of the year, I realized that helping others and being a supportive

community member was, and is, all but an expected habit here. Six years later, as a senior, I’ve become more aware of how occupied everyone really is. Grades, extracurriculars and college apps were not part of the sixth grade orientation, and thankfully so. But as I look back on all of those times when all of those seniors, adults and classmates helped pick my book up for me when I dropped them or graciously guided me to the left wing of Centennial Hall, it reminds me of the commitment to support and helpfulness that every single individual on this campus harbors. And, at least to me, that’s what makes this place magical.

sports

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

FATHER AND SON Clark Hunt and his son sophomore Knobel Hunt (left) take in the atmosphere before kickoff of Super Bowl LII in East Rutherford, N.J. in February 2017. The two (above) soak up the action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia over the summer.

The chief of Arrowhead Alumnus Clark Hunt ’83, current owner of Kansas City Chiefs, and sophomore Knobel Hunt share their experiences behind the scenes as an owner and an owner’s son.

ophomore Knobel Hunt heads the soccer ball up to his dad, Clark Hunt ‘83, who launches it to Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker, who volleys the ball up to the punter, Dustin Colquitt, and finally hits a header to starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 1, 2, 3, 4... The five of them, circled around the arrow reading ‘KC’ embedded in the turf at the 50-yard-line of the Chiefs’ training camp facility, continue this progression for minutes. 27, 28, 29, 30… As the men get up into the fifties, keeping the ball in the air gets more difficult, as the ball begins to fly all over the circle. Their feet start to get hot on the turf of the field. As long as it doesn’t hit the ground, they are getting closer to reaching their goal.

“We have a record that every year we try to break and we have the same sheet from five years ago,” Knobel said. “Every year we update the record and try and break it. Our record is 141 with our heads.” 138, 139, 140, 141! Finally, when they reach 141, the three NFL players, NFL owner and son of a NFL owner feel a huge wave of relief and excitement rush over them. They have broken a year-long standing juggling record that the four of them try to beat during every training camp. For Clark and Knobel Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs football is more than just an opportunity for the family to sit at home and root for the team on television. The entire Hunt family has developed intimate relationships, both professional and personal, with the players over their years being associated with the team. The Hunts aren’t just any ordinary fans. They’re one with the Kansas City Chiefs. They own the team. •••

In the late 1950s, Clark Hunt’s dad, Lamar, approached the National Football League (NFL) about buying a franchise for Dallas. The NFL, which only had twelve teams at the time, told him they were not planning on expanding and that the Dallas market would never support pro football. Instead, he was put in touch with other prospective team owners in the league. “My dad was on the American

Airlines flight back to Dallas, and a thought struck him,” Clark said. “If there were other owners who were interested in a pro football team for their cities, why not go see those men and start a new league?” That’s just what Hunt did. He went around and rounded up seven other owners in cities across the US and started the American Football League (AFL) in 1960, which would compete with the NFL for a week. He additionally took ownership of the Dallas Texans in the new league, which soon became the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963. After competition between the AFL and the NFL ceased when the two leagues officially merged into one in 1970, one of the first things the leagues had to decide on was what to name the championship game. Lamar Hunt was at an owners meeting, discussing the new championship game. In reference to this game, Lamar said, “You know the last game, the fall game, the Super Bowl.” That’s how the Super Bowl was named. “My dad just came up with it on the spur of the moment,” Clark said. “He had been a big fan of college football, so he’d been involved with a lot of bowl games, which is probably where the word bowl came from, and then a couple years before, my mother had given me and my siblings, super balls, which were brand new at the time. My dad later said I probably put the two names together, super and bowl. So that’s how came up with the name.” Now, having taken up his dad’s position as owner of the Chiefs, one of Hunt’s favorite parts of the job is standing on the field during pregame

STORY Aaron Thorne, William Aniol PHOTO Courtesy Knobel Hunt

warmup. “You get a chance to feel the electricity in the building, feel the energy of the team and the opponent, and get a feel the energy that the fans bring to the stadium” Clark said. Clark recognizes that not only are the professional players among the best in the world at what they do, they all have a tremendous work ethic. “Just because they’ve made it as a pro player doesn’t mean that they slack off,” Clark said. “In fact, the ones who are the most successful, are the ones who spend the most time working out, practicing their craft, studying their opponents.” With great power comes great responsibility, and Hunt has been forced to make many difficult decisions, espe-

“

I think the relationships you build over many years with your players and coaches are really what makes it special. — Clark Hunt ‘83, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas.

cially when making changes in leadership positions. “Those are big decisions, and they have multi-year consequences,” Clark said. “I’m a big believer in continuity. If you can have continuity in your leadership team, you have a great chance at being successful.” The school had a profound impact on what Hunt ended up doing from a professional career standpoint. “I was lucky to be part of some very good teams at St. Mark’s,” Clark said. “Having the perspective of playing those sports helped shape my position about the importance of teamwork and how a team can be successful, which I still use today.” Similar to the NFL related childhood Clark Hunt grew up in, Clark recognizes that Knobel shares many of the same experiences. “Something that I experienced as a child was my dad taking me to Chiefs’ training camps back in the 1970s,” Clark said. “I developed very close relationships with the players who played then, and I’ve seen Knobel do

the same thing with the players that we have had over the last decade or so.” Hunt believes the relationships he built over many years with his players and coaches are really what makes the industry special. “The coaches, the players and the people in the front office are all really outstanding people,” Clark said. “Pro Sports really is a people industry — your assets are the people who work for the team.” One of Knobel’s favorite parts of his access to his family-owned professional sports teams is going behind the scenes to see who is getting the work done off the field. “Some of the coolest people I’ve met are the coaching staff and players and who’s really behind getting all the work done,” Knobel said. “I think that’s really cool to see how much time and effort the general manager Brett Veach for the Kansas City Chiefs puts in and head coach Andy Reid and how much time he spends putting the plays together, and getting to know them on a personal basis and knowing who they are and that they’re not just football coaches; I think that’s really cool.” Just like his father, Knobel’s favorite experiences every year is going to the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp and spending time with the players in the locker room and building relationships with them that last throughout the season. “I get to spend a bunch of time in the locker room, and I know most of their names and I think most of them know mine,” Knobel said. “I actually know the players well enough to where we communicate and talk over texts and stuff. It’s really fun talking about how they did. Not like I’m grading them at all, but I’m on a friendship level with them because I know them so well.” Knobel appreciates the circumstances of his family’s role in the professional sports world. Some of the opportunities we have are amazing because of the position we’re in and the success the National Football League,” Knobel said. “We have a platform that surrounds us, so we try and use our platform to help others and just spread joy.”

28 Acho ‘08 moves up as an analyst for ESPN2 by Jack Davis fter four years in the NFL and two years as an analyst on Longhorn Network, Emmanuel Acho ‘08 stepped up to become an analyst on ESPN2 over the summer. He filled a vacancy left when Chip Kelly was hired as the new football head coach at UCLA. “The big wigs up at ESPN and ESPN2 saw me and they brought me up,” Acho said. The transition was a smooth step up in the world for Acho. This new position is his next level as an analyst. “Longhorn Network is like the practice squad, the D-league, or the minor leagues,” Acho said. “It is a feeder system, so to speak.” When he began playing football, Acho saw his future in coaching at the collegiate level. However, his set of skills and abilities set him on a different path. “I was 6’2” and 240 lbs so I decided to play football, and I’ve been gifted with the analytical mind and the ability to compose my thoughts very succinctly,” Acho said. “That’s why I became an analyst.” Even though the initial decision to leave the NFL to become an analyst was difficult, Acho has enjoyed the new experience. “I simply get to change out my helmet for a suit,” Acho said. “I’m still on the football field on game days, or at least still watching the game, but now I don’t have to tackle people.” The biggest difference between his shows on Longhorn Network and his new shows on ESPN2 is the platform. His show is now televised on national television. “Now that I’m on ESPN2, I get to talk about all colleges, and people love college football,” Acho said. Some of his new shows include: College Football Live on Thursdays at 4 p.m. and College Football Scoreboard which follows after the 11 a.m. game and the 4 p.m. game on Saturdays on ESPN2. He also is on for about five minutes in the 11-12 hour. He appears during halftime of the 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. games. “I’m going to national television now from semi-national television,” Acho said. “My platform has increased, my responsibility has increased and my lifestyle has increased.” Acho attributes his promotion to all of his hard work. He put in many hours work on Longhorn Network and was pulled up to ESPN2. “Like anything, hard work and skill gets rewarded,” Acho said. “That’s not only for me as an analyst, but that’s for anybody at any level of their craft.”

ATHLETES IN ACTION

LEAVING IT ALL ON THE QUAD Seniors George Lamb, Landon Wood and Seth Weprin engage in an intense match of spikeball.

sports

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

The next men up They put in the work during practice, but they don’t get playing time in games. What’s going on in the mind of backups? Senior Kyle Smith spent last season — his junior year — as a member of Greg Guiler’s basketball team. While he never started a game, he has fond memories: “I was content, honestly, with the amount of playing time I got. Of course it was frustrating at times because I felt like I could contribute to the team, but at the same time I’m happy to just be here.” “By being benched, I was losing confidence in my skills as a player, but I was becoming more confident in my place on the team. On the court, I was really nervous when I did get to play, so it’s a vicious cycle. Toward the beginning of the season I was discontent with not getting playing time, but over time I talked to coach more about it. I realized what my place was on the team, so I grew too.” “I really enjoyed the time I spend with the guys on the team. They’re a great group of guys, and I just love the sport. If I get the opportunity to just play with some top tier athletes that we have in our program for two hours, it’s fun.” “I was happy to do it. They are some incredibly talented kids. They have so much potential. To say that just because he’s younger than me, I should have a level of seniority to play above him, even though clearly they are some of the better kids in our program, I think that’s just wrong…. I’m happy to sit on the sideline and watch them grow. “ Senior Emmett Berger joined the soccer team last year in a time of need. One year later, he examines his role on the team: “I’m not doing a fall sport this year, so I’m working with a bunch of other guys just shooting around and messing around. I’ve been getting a lot more experience which is pretty much the most critical thing. When you’re a goalie, you’re going to see different types of shots, and I’m learning and figuring out how to do different things by trial and error. Obviously, I’m not “god-tier,” but I think I’ve got a fighting chance to play some games.” “In counter-season games, when games actually matter, it was too risky to put me in because of my lack of experience. [Coach] Martin would use me as a tool. If Billy [Lockhart, starting goalie] was doing stupid things in goal, Martin would have me pretend to warm up just to get Billy nervous, so Billy would play better. That was my usefulness.” STORY Jack Davis, Colin Campbell PHOTO Colin Campbell

BENCH WARMERS Students who find themselves on the bench more often than in the game find other ways to contribute to the team and the success of the group.

“Billy was our starting goalie last year for all the counter season. I [was never frustrated I wasn’t getting in] because Billy’s pretty good, and I also knew that, compared to him, I was inexperienced and was more likely to make dumb mistakes. I never felt upset that I wasn’t in, and I understood my place on the team.” Assistant athletic director Josh Friesen spent time as a backup basketball player at the University of Kansas. He combines that experience with his current position to provide insight into a backup’s mind: “I played just because I loved it. I wasn’t playing for glory. I didn’t have an end game. I wasn’t a scholarship level collegiate athlete, so I played sports because I had a passion for it. Going to practice every day was the highlight of my day. I loved being a part of the team regardless of what my role was. I looked forward to being part of something bigger than myself.” “Once the kids are on the given teams, the goal is to still develop every kid, but at the same time, reward those who are putting in more work and who are growing at a faster rate, so they understand that it is a meritocracy. They earn their playing time based on how they perform every single day in practice. Sometimes it’s an uphill battle because they’re behind some really talented upperclassmen.” “Embrace being a member of the team and find ways to help. Obviously, your goal should be to practice hard and to grow, and hopefully work your way into the rotation, but that shouldn’t be the only goal. There’s lots of ways to help the team

along. By being a good supporter of the team on game days, high-fiving guys, supporting them, cheering for each other and being a separate set of eyes from the sideline when they come out, you can help them.” “I think that teams that have this culture, where there’s a mutual appreciation from the starters for the backups and the backups for the starters, are the teams that are the most fun to be a part of and the teams that will see the most growth over the course of the season.” Junior Romil Mathur practices hard with the cross country team every day but finds himself towards the back of the pack. That doesn’t stop him from working: “Even though I am not the fastest runner on the team, I feel like I am as important as our fastest runner. I understand the pain everyone experiences during workouts, so I try my best to motivate everyone to keep on fighting, which often actually helps me too. We are a true brotherhood that I am grateful to be a part of, and that is why our mottos are pride mentality and run as one.” “I actually often try to compete with the faster guys, which encourages me to keep running no matter the amount of pain in my body.” “Even though I want to go out there and compete every weekend, I understand that I have to stay positive and encourage my teammates. I often feel down that I don’t get to compete with my brothers, but I know the work I put in will eventually show in my performance. I have to stay patient and be ready when my opportunity comes.”

sports

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

29 The size of the fight in the dog

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Dig, set, spike, repeat

Celebrating the five year anniversary of the Lions’ 2013 SPC Championship victory—the second trophy within a trifecta of consecutive volleyball wins.

t’s the fifth and final set. Down 14-11. Only one point away from defeat. The Casady gym rocks louder and louder with each passing second. Chants and trash-talk flow freely from the stands and cascade onto the court. They can smell their Homecoming game victory. Then junior Tim Simenc ‘15 can’t lose. He won’t lose. Simenc remembers the SPC championship win the year before and the lofty expectations for this year. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. But one run later it’s tied at 14 all. And after converting on an overpass, the comeback is complete. And all the noise from the Casady fans. All the cheering. All the jeering. All the Homecoming energy. All of it, replaced by silence and stunned faces. In this moment, every member on the 2013 Lions’ volleyball team knew they were something special. They knew they could be great. ••• To Simenc, the game against Casady was crucial for their success in the rest of the season. “The comeback against Casady showed me our squad’s grit,” Simenc said. “It showed that we could be down with insurmountable odds and we were still going to win, so it gave us a ton of confidence afterwards. I think it is probably the defining moment of the season.” The 2013 volleyball team went on to win the SPC Championship for the second year in a row, beating out Casady again in the finals. For Simenc, the moment the team won SPC was something he will never forget

THE LINEUP Twenty members of the Lions 2013 Championship volleyball team flaunt their second consecutive SPC trophy after defeating the Casady Cyclones.

for a multitude of reasons. “When the last point dropped, we all just rushed each other,” Simenc said. “We were so excited. It was awesome. It was also funny because it was during November so everyone had gross facial hair.” To then senior captain Carson Pate, all his emotions after winning the championship boil down into one word. “Ecstasy,” Pate said. “I love winning. It’s so much better than losing. I’d be lying if I also said there wasn’t a feeling of relief. We dominated the entire year, so it really would’ve been a shame for the seniors if we weren’t able to get it done when it really mattered.” Compared to the students, varsity volleyball coach Darren Teicher had a different perspective to the championship win. “I had been there before but it is always fun to see the senior’s faces,” Teicher said, “especially the ones who hadn’t gotten a championship before. It is definitely something where they’ll be like, ‘man I don’t believe I did this’. It is just really fun to see their faces and see their reaction after the fact.” Simenc believes the identity of the team can be found in one mentality: a mental toughness founded after the first Casady game. “I think what people can take away from the year is that we were the most mentally tough team,” Simenc said. “If it’s not going our way, we’re not going to give up and let it all sputter out of control. For us, we’re going to get stuff done.” Along those lines, Teicher thinks the circumstances of the year affected their mentality. “It was an interesting year because we were kind of the favorites,” Teicher said, “so the biggest thing was maintaining our

motivation and maintaining our health.” Trying to become back-to-back champions has a major impact on the mindset of the team. Then senior captain Teddy Edwards ‘14 can see both the positives and negatives of this mindset. “When you’re the defending champs, it always puts some pressure on you to play well,” Edwards said. “We had a couple of times where we played a little cocky and got burned because of it, but I do think our attitude really helped us. It kept our energy up during the games, and it helped us be a really great team. It’s just about finding the right balance.” Edwards understands the high expectations to win again and how they affected the team’s goals. “It’s a great feeling to live up to your potential, which is what our team did in 2013,” Edwards said. “We set ourselves a high bar from the beginning, and we met and exceeded it throughout the year.” Pate believes the team’s chemistry was a big reason why the season was so enjoyable and impactful for many players. “I think the factor which made the 2013 team really special was a lack of ego,” Pate said. “We tried to craft a culture where there was really no hierarchy from the players. Overall, I think everyone got along really well on the team, which made every match we won more special because there was never any underlying drama amongst our team.” As a whole, Simenc feels fortunate for his time spent on the team and the many bonds and memories he has created because of it. “I loved the team,” Simenc said. “It was a joy to be on the court and play. We all loved being around each other. It was just a good group of goofball guys having a good time playing volleyball.”

STORY Nick Walsh, Rajan Joshi PHOTO Courtesy Teddy Edwards

Head football coach becomes second winningest in school history

by William Aniol ead varsity football coach Bart Epperson became the second most winning football coach in school history with 84 wins Sep. 7, after his team defeated Cistercian 34-17. In his 12th season at the helm, Epperson passed former head coach Jay McAuley, who also had a 12 year tenure. However, Epperson didn’t realize this feat was even a possibility until he was notified after the Cistercian game, as he’s more focused on the growth of his players. “I just keep going and do the best I can each year,” Epperson said. “But when it was mentioned to me after the Cistercian game, it was pretty special to know that I’ve been here that long and have accumulated those victories. Honestly, I was like, ‘Man, this is pretty cool.’” Epperson says he could not have achieved this level of success without his

assistant coaches. “I’ve had some great assistant coaches to help me along the way, which have allowed me to get W’s for St. Mark’s,” Epperson said. “Coach Russell Labhart has been with me ever since I started as a head coach, and he’s our defensive coordinator. Without him, the wins probably wouldn’t be as high as they are.” As a head coach, Epperson’s most successful season came in 2007 when he lead the Lions to a 9-1 record. Most notably, he has won two SPC championships with the Lions and one while at Trinity Valley. Additionally, Epperson extends gratitude to the school for letting him do what he loves year-in and year-out. “I definitely want to thank St. Mark’s for allowing me to continue what I love to do and that’s coach football,” Epperson said. “My passion and what I give everything to 12 months out of the year is to make sure that the guys when

they take the field are in the best possible position to have success.” Epperson gives much credit to his players, who are willing to use weight training as a means of success. “The kids we have are great, they’ve got the biggest hearts, and they’re going to give you everything they possibly have,” Epperson said, “but for us to continue this the success that we’ve had, because football is getting so much bigger, faster, and stronger, we’ve got to attack the weight room and lift year round so we can get out there and continue to have the success and to be competitive.” Superb play in the second half has always provided a boost to Epperson’s squad. “We’ve won a lot of ball games in the second half, sometimes late in the fourth quarter, because we have attacked the weight room and that’s allowed us to sustain throughout the course of the game,” Epperson said.

by William Aniol wearily jog to my slot receiver position — a 5-foot, 90-pound eighth grader looking the 6-foot-1-inch outside linebacker dead in the eye. Two seconds earlier in the huddle, the quarterback calls 3-90 on two — my play. The ball’s coming to me. “DOWN, SET, HUT!” I jolt out of the breaks, curl to the left on a bubble screen, look at my quarterback. I’m just standing there, waiting— death for any route, any receiver. Then, I’m leaping backward, hearing the Wilson GST whistle behind my ear. Reaching my puny hands out. Fingers making contact with the pigskin. That’s when his helmet nails me right in the side of my helmet. My head snaps right, really snaps right, and I’m falling backward. And I’m on the ground, eyes closed. Black. All I can see is black. Black like I’m sleeping. But I’m not asleep. And I know exactly what that black — that hit — means for me.

William Aniol Staff writer

“

If it’s not going our way, we’re not going to give up.” Volleyball Captain Tim Simenc ’15.

I’m worrying. Sitting on the bench through the rest of the game worrying. Riding home worrying. Sitting in my room that night worrying. Worrying till I’m sitting on another bench, the bench in the specialist’s exam room at 10:30 the next morning. A specialist in concussions. I sit there taking the impact test. Thirty minutes of brain games. The results? What I expected. But not what I needed. Results that mean a long three weeks of laying low, no physical activity, no Xbox, limited TV. But returning to play is by far the hardest thing I’ve experienced. That concussion was number two for me. I know if I get one more — it’ll likely be the end of my contact sports career. I’ve grown up watching and playing football, and I’ve picked up lacrosse as well. They’re what I love. I ride with my Mom the four hours down to Houston. A lacrosse camp in early December. And I’m happy — and nervous. Happy because I get to run out on the field with a lacrosse stick, play attack, score goals. Nervous because I know those metal sticks will be swinging, know those 160-pounders will be body checking me. I’m still smaller than everyone else — a 5-foot-2inch freshman last year on the high school team. But that inspires me to become the best lacrosse player I can be. If I can just not get that third concussion.

sports

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

SAILING

Nautical navigator

Sophomore Alexander Emery is a master of an unusual sport: sailing, an endeavor he started when he was eight.

called the Windward, which means you have the starting line in the center. Upwind, you’ll have one buoy and downwind of the starting line, you’ll have another buoy. You’ll start at the starting line and go upwind first, and you’ll round the buoy, and then you come back to the downwind mark and then up to the starting line, and you might do that for one lap or multiple laps. There are a bunch of variations on that with other buoys to help improve your point of sail. It’s really all about WINDWARD Sophomore Alexander Emery out on the water during the Pringle’s Cup. getting there first – back to the starting line. In a lot Aaron Thorne: For people who might not know how of races I’ve been in, they can come down to tenths of a sailing works as a sport, how would you describe second, in others, minutes. sailing? Alexander Emery: I had to deal with this for Mr. Sullivan last year because I did a sailing tutorial, and he didn’t believe sailing was a sport. I wrote an essay about it and sent him links to Olympic pages. In smaller boats, sailing really focuses on control of your body and the ability to make quick reactions and process tons of information in your head. In larger boats, it’s all about teamwork and being able to understand sail handling and navigation concepts. AT: How exactly does sailing as a competition work? How do you win? AE: When you’re racing, the most common course is

which do you like better and why? AE: Growing up on smaller boats, I really enjoy those. In Maine, I teach on a type of boat called a 420. It is a very demanding boat to sail. You’ll have people hanging off on a wire from the mast, and that’s called trapezing. That’s how I grew up and I really enjoy that. But on big boats, when you are sailing a circumTHE PILOT Emery prepares to race his boat against navigation around an island other sailors. chain like the Pringle’s Cup, it’s all about your seamanship skills, which is what I love even more than the racing. While fast-paced is fun, doing navigation and coming together as a team to inch it out against these giant 50-ton boats is definitely an experience.

AT: What have you achieved in terms of accolades?

AT: Could you take aspects of sailing into the future?

AE: Most recently, I’ve been a sailing instructor. Before that, this past summer, I won something called the Pringle’s Cup, which is a less formal race but with 50 foot sailboats and a crew of 14 people in the British Virgin Islands. I’ve also raced on White Rock Lake in smaller boats last year, and I got second place in the Rock the Regatta as well as a lot of informal races they hold on the weekends and on Wednesdays. I’ve also worked on pursuing my captains license, but I’ve already gotten my radio operator certification, which is a thing for sailing larger boats.

AE: Absolutely. I believe sailing is something in which you can mature and grow in as a person. I definitely want to continue to sail and teach sailing all through college. Eventually, I’d like to live on a sailboat one day. I’d like to go around the world and participate in an ocean race.

AT: You’ve sailed in both large and small boats, so

INTERVIEW Aaron Thorne PHOTOS Courtesy Alexander Emery

AT: What do you enjoy about sailing? AE: I think what I enjoy about sailing boils down to the thrill of being in control of the elements while collaborating with people you respect.

sports

THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

<Football looks to add

one more win to their .571 record through seven games 2018 RECORD 4-3

2017 RECORD 5-3

2017 SPC FINISH Did not qualify NOTABLE The Lions may be able to match their same record as last year by finishing with a victory against ESD Nov. 2. THEY SAID IT

“We’ve won a lot of ball games in the second half. Sometimes we’ve won them late in the fourth quarter because we have attacked the weight room, and that’s allowed us to sustain throughout the course of the game.”— head coach Bart Epperson THEY SAID IT

“I’ll definitely miss the very fun times I’ve had with the team through the hot summer practices and the games, but it has to end at some point so I hope our season can end on a good note.”— senior Will Kozmetzky AND THE ROCKET’S RED GLARE Minutes before the kickoff of the football team’s Oct. 5 game against Houston Christian, senior captain Landon Wood and his teammates senior John Harbison, sophomore Drew Woodward and senior Will Kozmetzky stand for the national anthem. The Lions won 27-7.

Volleyball eyes postseason after strong counter season 2018 RECORD 9-7 2017 SPC FINISH 3rd NOTABLE The Lions are 3-0 against perennial SPC foe Greenhill.

THEY SAID IT “We have a strong chance of winning SPC, but we have to stay focused and perform under pressure.” — sophomore Daniel Sanchez

MID-STRIDE Surrounded by nature, seniors Antonio Ivarra and Mujin Kwun push through the pain during a 2017 cross country meet.

Cross country starts the season strongly, led by dynamic ‘A team’

THEY SAID IT “As of now, we have a good chance at making the finals. Looking at the way the team has been progressing each day, our chances at a championship look better and better.” — junior Matthew Raroque

2018 BEST FINISH 1st at Northwest Invitational at Discovery Park 2018 NORTH ZONE FINISH 1st

2017 SPC FINISH 4th

NOTABLE Junior Pablo Arroyo finished second overall with a personal record of 16:18 in the Dallas Jesuit Classic Oct. 5. SPIKE Sophomore Tristan Doan hovers high in the air while spiking the ball in a match against Greenhill Oct. 5. The Lions won the game 3-0.

THEY SAID IT “We have had few opportunities to prove ourselves in the 5K due to weather issues, but our results in the Jesuit Cross Country Classic showed that we are very talented and competitive squad with the stronger South zone schools.” — junior Andres Arroyo

COMPILATIONS Colin Campbell, Luke Nayfa, Jack Davis, Rajan Joshi PHOTOS Will Rocchio, Charlie Rose, ReMarker Archives

For the sports junkie A deeper dive into Lions sports for the fall season. Statistics and records reflect games through Oct. 27. SPC football 4A LASER FOCUS Senior quarterback and captain Colin Neuhoff during a game vs. Houston Christian Oct.5

SPC volleyball

Kinkaid St. John’s EHS ESD St. Mark’s Hou. Christian Greenhill

7-1 5-3 6-1 4-3 4-3 2-7 0-8

The next one ESD

11/2

Advanced stats: Senior RB Jonathon Taylor’s last three games: 20 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD vs. Greenhill 15 carries, 106 yards, 1 TD vs. EHS 22 carries, 128 yards, 2 TDs vs Hou. Christian Defensive Linemen Carr Urschel and Taylor Hopkin this season: 19 combined sacks

North Zone: Trinity Valley St. Mark’s Casady Greenhill FWCD South Zone: St. Stephen’s EHS Kinkaid St. John’s St. Andrew’s

5-1 4-3 4-3 3-3 0-6

SPC cross country The next one: SPC Championships: 11/10

Advanced stats: 6-1 5-3 4-4 3-5 1-6

St. Mark’s finished with 7 runners in the top 11 at the SPC North Zone meet Oct. 26.

The next 3

Times for the 7 runners:

TBVA 11/6 SPC Day one 11/9 SPC Day two 10/5

2. Seth Weprin: 16:07.9

Advanced stats:

5. Tyler Nussbaumer: 17:14.1

Most digs on the team: junior Tony D’Apice

6. Andres Arroyo: 17:20.1

Most dumps on the team: junior Matthew Raroque Most aces on the team: sophomore Daniel Sanchez

3. Pablo Arroyo: 16:10.8

7. Julian Ivarra: 17:24.5 8. George Lamb: 17:25.6 11. Michael Lukowicz: 17:36.8

Fencing Notable:

The fencing team is seeking a victory in its annually-hosted tournament. The date for the tournament is still yet to be determined.

They said it:

“Practice has been good. We have two great fencers to look up to in [junior] Tianming Xie and [senior] Michael Then.” - sophomore Ethan Goh

Advanced stats: There are three different types of blades used in modern fencing: foil, épée, and sabre Format for direct elmination matches: Fencer with most points after three three-minute periods wins or first fencer to 15 touches wins

remarker

ROYALTY Senior C.J Crawford slow dances with Hockaday senior Trinity Naile after the two were announced as Homecoming King and Queen, respectively. The dance took place at the House of Blues Sept. 29.

the

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS 10600 PRESTON RD. DALLAS, TX 75230

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THE REMARKER • NOVEMBER 2, 2018

STUDENT-ENTREPRENEUR

Dressing for success After droping the designs for the newly created Telethon clothing line Oct. 1, junior Jackson Singhal talks about future aspirations, entrepreneurship and design. I was really looking to find an interesting way to leverage my design stuff into a new field as well, as a business, so I ended up choosing clothing because I’m really interested in streetwear. I’m also interested in modern clothing brands, so that’s why I ended up starting a clothing line.

drop. I’ve been working on designs all summer, and these were the ones that captured people’s attention most. And it was the stuff I felt proudest about. There’s no really unifying theme outside of the brand identity but it’s just the designs that I felt best about.

My work is inspired by the quiet surrealism of late-night TV, like the cheap infomercials, 80’s reruns and psychedelic cartoons. It’s the pervasive feeling of strangeness in obscure television content that really shapes my designs.

Streetwear is a massive category of clothing that’s chiefly defined by boundary-pushing design like what I’m trying to achieve with Telethon. When I design a piece, I try to create something creative and unique, and the only home for clothes like that is under the “streetwear” umbrella.

Most of my inspirations come on a whim. I’ll start out with an idea and then it’ll go through a couple iterations. For example, the shirt with a road on it. That started off as just a homage to low-budget 90s children’s TV and it had a lot more stuff in there. Eventually I simplified it down to three colors and that’s how it turned out. I’m actually doing it by myself. I founded it by myself. I had a friend that modeled for the photos but outside of that, it was pretty much all me. I went through a couple of names and none of them really fit the kind of aesthetic I was going for, and they didn’t really have that punch. They weren’t memorable enough. But eventually, while watching Parks and Recreation, I got to the episode with the telethon. It was just a catchy name and it kind of fit with my late-night-TV inspired aesthetic, so I decided to run with Telethon as the brand name. My shirts are manufactured locally, which helps with the cost. The website of course costs money to buy the domain

HANGING OUT Sitting down in the locker room, the model showcases the “Moonshot Tee.”

and keep it running. I keep my costs pretty low just by buying in quantity, so I have stickers, packaging, all that stuff just bought in quantity. I ended up with a little profit margin on each item that just pays back into the business. When someone orders a shirt, if we have your size in stock, I will package it up and ship it out. I package it up, stick some stickers in there and then ship it out, usually within a couple of days. If we don’t have your size in stock, I’ll wait until the end of the week, and then I’ll call the manufacturer. I’ll get about 60 shirts by Monday so I can give them to whoever ordered. This first drop was just an introductory

I think the computer head is a really compelling visual for how it hides the identity of the model and gives the image an otherworldly, technological feeling. To create the head, I bought an old computer monitor off of Craigslist, hollowed it out and painted it, then padded the inside to make it wearable, so it’s going to be a fixture over at Telethon for the next couple of years. We came in on a Saturday with a couple of locations in mind and shot the whole thing in a matter of hours. I couldn’t be happier with the way it shows off the clothing. Everyone knows about brands like Supreme and Palace, but the most interesting streetwear right now is from some of the more obscure clothing labels like Cav Empt out of Japan and Gosha Rubchinskiy out of Russia. I’m also a huge fan of Midnight Studios, A-Cold-Wall and Fear of God among others. Brands like those are creating some incredible clothing that blurs the line between fashion and art. I’m planning to collaborate with some people at the school to release limited edition t-shirts and hats to help other people get their work off the ground. Then we’re probably going to maybe do some other cool things in between. In terms of long-term goals, on the basic level, profitability, but more than that I’d like to see my designs mean something to other people. I’d like to see people wearing stuff that I designed which would be artistically fulfilling and creatively fulfilling. For the future, I don’t plan on going into clothing in the long-term, but I definitely plan on going into some combination of entrepreneurship and design. I’m thinking marketing right now, but that’s subject to change.

IN FOCUS Walking down the second floor of Hoffman, Singhal’s model shows off the “Media Tee.”

THE VISION Looking out during the photoshoot, the model showcases Singhal’s “FlyByNight Hoodie.”

INTERVIEW Jahaziel Lopez PHOTOS Courtesy Jackson Singhal