The ReMarker | November 2012 by St. Mark's School of Texas

NEWS Senior ARTs The Milan Savani and Legendary robotics p. 4 ProfHITs p. 14

SPOrts Volleyball looks to take SPC title p. 27

senior jimmy papin

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I hate to say it, but they need to find someone responsible, and they need to bring them to justice and show an example of how you can't get away with this. Page 4

remarker student newspaper

St. mark's school of texas | DALLAS, TEXAS | VOLUME 59, ISSUE 2 | Friday, NOV. 2, 2012

CHEATING | INSIDE Does this generation of students have looser morals, or is cheating just more readily available? • page 21

a question of

cheating Cheating scandals have rocked prestigious schools around the country, with students showing no remorse. With smartphones, tablets and the internet full of data, has it become too easy? Or is it time to re-think what cheating is?

PHONY ANSWERS Because the majority of students own smartphones, they have all the information necessary to ace the test at their fingertips. Constant developments in technology — along with a shift in values among youth — might suggest a disturbing trend of more and more dishonesty and re-interpretation of the rules.

rom Lance Armstrong’s doping allegations to the cheating scandal that rocked New York’s

elite Stuyvesant High School in June, dishonesty and scandal have dominated the headlines since Marksmen reported for orientation in August. The fall of 2012 marked a banner season for cheating, scamming and corner-cutting. As the workloads of Upper School students begin to increase and assignments begin to pile up, the temptation to cut corners increases exponentially. Whether it’s ripping a paper from Sparknotes or texting a picture of a finished precalculus assignment, opportunities for academic dishonesty abound across every department.

Continued, pg. 21

▶ by Paul Gudmundsson and Will Moor, managing editors | photo illustration by Michael Doorey, head photographer and Robbey Orth, graphics director

Headmaster informs Upper School students in assembly

New container policy bans all off-campus drinks By Andrew Goodman Visuals Director The school expanded its ban on drink containers brought from off-campus sources to include all after school activities — not just spirit parties — according to an announcement by Headmaster Arnie Holtberg during an Upper School assembly Oct. 5. “[The expansion of this policy] is a result of us wanting to be more consistent across the board at after school events,” Assistant Head of Upper School Dr. John Perryman said. Holtberg echoes Perryman’s perspective on the new policy. “It was just one of those things where we look around and become aware of things, not that we weren’t

INSIDE

aware, that kids could be putting the wrong drinks in their cups, which is a common issue around the world,” Holtberg said.” We want to make sure that we are making the school the most wholesome, safe environment possible.” Students will still be allowed to carry drink containers during the academic day. “The policy is not meant to, and I think this is were there was some legitimate confusion, it is not meant to keep students from bringing a water bottle to school between 8 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. if it is something they refill because a coach wants them hydrated through the course of the day which we do understand,” Perryman said. The policy change was not a reNEws | 2-9

Arts | 10-16

sult of a recent issue but rather something the school felt they should reinforce because of the many after school activities during the fall. “We had talked about these things after Homecoming last year and decided to just keep our eyes on things,” Holtberg said. “Now is the time with football games and Homecoming coming up to say ‘Gentlemen, slow down.’” According to the initial plan, spirit parties will remain the only after school event where students must pass by a checkpoint. “Due to the nature of the other events we will not have a single table where everyone that enters must pass by,” Perryman said. “It will be more teachers, observing and asking students to throw certain things away.”

Commentary | 18-20

a question of cheating | 21

Homecoming A Night to Remember Hundreds of Marksmen and their dates flocked to the Hilton Anatole for the annual Homecoming dance which concluded activities Oct. 26-27. Here’s a look at some of the festivities that took place last weekend. Friday The Lions demolished the Greenhill Hornets 497. Juniors Malcolm Bowman and John Webb led the offensive frenzy against the Hornets.

Saturday Dylan Kirksey and Lexie Hood were named Homecoming King and Queen at the dance at the Hilton Anatole. See photos on page 9.

sports | 22-27

overtime | 28

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

NOW. news around campus

Senior Warren Smith

<Tom Adams page 6

This year was the former senior master’s 19th time auctioneering the Senior Auction for the Senior Class.

THE REMARKER | Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 2

upcoming

ALDEN JAMES PHOTO

the

newsfeed

Photography instructor and four-year member of the Texas State Guard Scott Hunt has a chance to become one of only six shooters to have ever won top honors in state marksmanship competitions for pistol, rifle, sniper and machine gun categories. Each year, Hunt participates in a statewide competition that crowns the best marksmen in Texas. Having already won the sniper, pistol and rifle categories with his unit, he only needs to win the machine gun competition to accomplish

small talk

weekend

Radium Girls, the fall play, premiered last night at 7:30 p.m. Directed by drama teacher Marion Glorioso, the lead actors are seniors Will Altabef, Michael Gohlke and Charles Thompson. The play will also show tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

▶ Have too much

< Senior Will Altabef practices for his lead role in “Radium Girls.”

▶ The first West Coast

candy from Halloween? You can donate some of your extra sweets to the Community Service Candy Drive, which began yesterday and continues through Nov. 6. The candy will be donated to the Salvation Army and J.C. Phelps Community Center.

▶ The Upper School

orchestra will play a prelude song at 6:40 p.m., 20 minutes before the Evensong service begins. It will begin at 7 p.m. in the chapel Sunday.

Alumni Event held in Los Angeles, CA starts at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

his goal.

•••

The annual all-school Open House will be held Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. for those applying or considering applying to the school p.m. Guests will listen to several speakers, including Headmaster Arnie Holtberg, and they will be offered a variety of programs ranging from tours and discussions to live demonstrations. Members of Lion and Sword and the Lower School Ambassadors will conduct the tours to the prospective parents.

•••

The Green Library has donated around 500 books since the beginning of the school year to Girls Inc. and Readers to Leaders, organizations that help empower girls and help children in West Dallas. Books are donated when the Green library receives updated copies.

▶ The second West Coast

▶ ‘I guess I have to actually listen to this wom-

Moor

▶ The third and final

West Coast Alumni Event will be held Tuesday in Palo Alto, CA.

▶ Prospective parents will visit the campus at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday during the Admission Open House.

▶ The first trimester ends Nov. 8.

▶ The community

service event Feast of Sharing will be held Nov. 8 at Austin Street Centre.

▶ Lower schoolers will

get Nov. 8-9 off school for parent-teacher conferences.

•••

Headmaster Arnie Holtberg will receive an excellence award from the Dallas Historical Society for his work in education. The event recognizes the accomplishments of 11 recipients and will take place Nov. 13 at the Fairmont Hotel.

•••

Arnie Holtberg

comments made by faculty, staff and students around campus

▶ ‘When I’m thinking, I forget to breathe. My friends are like, ‘Amy, breathe!’’ — Math instructor Amy Pool to her honors precalculus class

will

Alumni Event will be held Monday in San Francisco, CA.

and Thomas B. Walker III ’73 Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet travelled to the Northeastern United States to reconnect with former students the week of Oct. 14. More than 150 alumni flocked to the seven events held. More teachers will be touring the country next week, but this time on the west coast. Events will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, San Francisco on Monday and Palo Alto on Tuesday.

Teachers including Stephen M. Seay ’68 Science Department Chair Stephanie Barta, Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Master Teaching Chair Bruce Westrate

opinion

next week

a quick look at news around campus

More than 1400 pounds of electronic waste were recycled in this year’s E-Waste Collection Drive. The electronic waste drive, lead by Director of Environmental Studies Dan Northcut, was held Sept. 20 on campus. People brought things such as old phones, iPods and any other electronic devices.

•••

startingout

things to do in the week ahead

today

“

I don’t want to be part of the generation that causes the downfall of the United States, and I think the next four years will really make an impact on the next 50 years of our lives. Page 3

▶ ‘Yes ma’am.’ — Senior Carl Dickson to physics instructor Stephen Houpt

an-child to find out what all the fuss is about.’

▶ ‘Where are we going to keep the taxes?

— Victor F. White Master Teacher David Brown to junior John Caldwell talking about Taylor Swift’s new album

AP U.S. history class

In an old shoe somewhere in the White House?’ — History instructor Bill Marmion to his

Am I done yet?

olumns are not easy. I’ve written a column for almost every issue of The ReMarker since I took the position of Sports Editor the May of my freshman year, all the way up to my current position of Managing Editor. That’s a ton of columns. So basically, for two and a half years, it’s been my job to come up with something that hopefully makes you stop and think. Maybe you laugh. Maybe you cry. Maybe you skip to the next page around paragraph three. (Please don’t, it normally takes me a few lines to get warmed up. I’m like Verlander. Mid-80s in the first inning, 102 by the last out.) Sometimes, these ideas fall right into my lap. That’s happened like twice. Other times, a current event triggers my mind and the ideas eventually work themselves in there. More than anything though, I yell at staff members until they come up with something good that I can steal. Just kidding. Sort of. But issue after issue, at the end of the day, an idea makes it down into my notebook, and I hit it with a pink highlighter when I decide I’m going to write about it. When the idea is wellthought out, relevant to the school and lends itself well to personal reflection, that’s when it gets the green light. These are not those column ideas: Six Ways to Keep Third Graders from Taking the Parmesan Cheese at your Lunch Table. This one actually made it to the draft stage. Not many journalism advisors have had the opportunity to say “There is no proper angle at which one can roundhouse kick a nine year old.” You’re welcome, Westbrook. Seriously, What’s Playing in your Headphones? A Journey Inside the Mind of Steve “Hollywood” Walker. Research on this one ended rather early for liability purposes, but apparently it’s mostly late Baroque concertos: Vivaldi, Handel and so forth. Also there’s like three Panic! At the Disco songs, so take that as you will. Reactions during My First Viewing of “Breaking Bad” This show is actually terrible. I pretend to like it so every single person in the Upper School doesn’t yell at me, but it is just awful. I’m watching 46 minutes of this guy coughing and doing chemistry for two minutes of cool stuff. Absolutely not. How to Snag the Hockadaisy of Your Dreams. For a long time, I’ve wanted to publish my ground rules for squiring damsels. The rest of the editorial board just laughed for about three minutes straight. One member compared this to a concussion patient co-authoring a thesis on particle astrophysics with Carly Rae Jepsen. Still single, ladies. My Six Favorite Kinds of Monkeys Still pretty bitter about losing this one. Do you know how much I know about monkeys? So much, you guys. A Critical Analysis of Pre-2009 OJ da Juiceman. I’m in my second year of AP English and still cannot make head or tails of “I got stamina like animals/Hannah Montanama in the club dog/ getting home and I feed on some squirrel meat.” This is the real Finnegan’s Wake. “Breaking Bad” is Still the Worst There is an unnamed staff member whose sole job is to remind me when I’ve come up with the same stupid idea twice. I call him Walter Jr. because I hate him. Texas-Sized Heart: My 18 Years with Big Tex Couldn’t stop crying long enough to write it. Shut up. And of course my most recent idea. So You’ve Started and Scrapped Four Terrible Columns and your Editor is Breathing Down your Neck. Is this 500 words yet? Good. I’m going to Shabooms.

NEWS around campus

Campus Theft

THE REMARKER | Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 3

Earthwalkers Charities

Debate

Global Online Academy

Dean Clayman

Homecoming 2012

With Election Day drawing near, many seniors will be making their first trip to the voting booths. We explore the differing methods these first-time voters have to decide how to vote – or not to.

Too young

Warren Smith isn’t quite 18 yet, but still pays close attention

hile the Senior Class is divided on which candidate or party members support, there is one other division among them. As about half the Senior Class (and two juniors) heads to cast their ballots on Tuesday, the other half — students who aren’t yet 18 — will have to wait four more years before they get the opportunity to vote in a presidential election. Even though half the seniors won’t be eligible to participate in this election, many of them are still taking the election just as seriously as those who can. Among those who can’t vote, senior Warren Smith has still followed the election coverage closely and remains undecided. “I am pretty disappointed that I cannot vote in this election, but I’m taking it seriously because it deserves my attention,” Smith said. “I don’t want to be part of the generation that causes the downfall of the United States, and I think the next four years will really make an impact on the next 50 years of our lives.” What Smith believes is most disappointing is the tendency many students here and around the nation have for simply reiterating their parents’ views. Coming from a strong Republican background, Smith was encouraged this summer by his brother, Andrew ’06, who plans to vote for Obama, to keep an open mind. “It is a Warren Smith little unfortunate how many kids just vote whatever their parents think, and it seems like a lot of people in our community are so narrow-minded that they refuse to listen to the opposing party’s arguments,” Smith said. “I’m trying to encourage them to keep an open mind, listen for validity in the candidates’ arguments, and help them make the decision they think is right.” Ultimately, though, Smith says the responsibility for encouraging independent thinking should fall on the shoulders of the parents themselves. “I think that the responsibility is on the parents to not infuse their political views into their child’s mind,” Smith said, “but rather show him the debates and keep him involved in the political world so that he can make up his own mind about what he thinks is right.”

Decision 2012 Undecided Obama Indifferent Romney Ineligible Parents On his own

Sitting out

Hunter Book splits away from his father’s views and political influence

Seniors Hansen Kuo, Mitch Lee find candidates don’t resonate with them, decide not to vote Tuesday

or many first-time voters still living at home, their political opinions tend to reflect those of their parents. Many are content to vote for the same candidate as their parents and are not eager to think independently. Senior Hunter Book, however, won’t be one of those people. When he goes to the voting booth next week, Book is going to vote differently than his father. After researching the candidates and educating himself on the key issues, Book found that his beliefs differed from his father’s. “As soon as I realized I was going to be able to vote in this election, I also realized how little I knew about politics,” Book said. “But instead of just listening to what my mom or dad said about each candidate, I started watching CNN, Fox News, etc., and that’s how I formulated my own political opinion. It just so happens to be different from Hunter Book my dad’s.” Book, who will vote for Romney, is not shy about discussing his differing political views with his father, who is an Obama supporter. The two frequently talk about politics over dinner and watched the debates together. “He is very aware that I am not voting for President Obama,” Book said. “While he may try and change my mind, ultimately, he is fine with my choice to vote for Romney.” Despite their differences, however, there isn’t much tension in the Book household. “Our difference in voting is not that big of a deal,” Book said. “We just have differing opinions on how this government should be run.”

voting information LOCATIONS in 75230 Zip Code • • • • • • • •

Ewell D. Walker Middle School Unity Church of Dallas Northaven United Methodist Church George B. Dealey Vanguard Arthur Kramer Elementary School Preston Hollow United Methodist Church Benjamin Franklin Middle School HIllcrest High School

12532 Nuestra Drive 6525 Forest Lane 11211 Preston Road 6501 Royal Lane 7131 Midbury 6315 Walnut Hill 6920 Meadow Road 9924 Hillcrest Road

• For other locations, see Dallascountyvotes.org/election-day-information

DATE, TIME • Dallas County voting booths are open Nov. 6 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

s soon as most people turn 18, they jump at the chance to participate in their first election. But a few Marksmen have chosen to waive that right. Seniors Hansen Kuo and Mitch Lee, though they are old enough to cast their ballots, will not be making a trip to the voting booths next weekend. “I haven’t resonated with either of the candidates,” Lee said. “Thus, I have no clear-cut choice, especially considering I agree with different aspects of both agendas.” While both Kuo and Lee feel that they do not identify particularly with either candidate, Kuo also feels that he has not done enough research to know which candidate he prefers. “I don’t have much of an interest in politics, so I’m not quite sure who to vote for,” Kuo said. “Neither of my parents are voting, and I’m fine with that.” Lee also feels that until he is living on his own, his opinions cannot be fully formed. “I think I know where I associate within the political spectrum, but I also believe that my opinion may change once I am fully independent, living own my own and

supporting myself financially,” Lee said. “I don’t want to vote until I know for sure.” Both Kuo and Lee, however, will vote in the future. “Honestly, I don’t think the reality of that responsibility has sunken in yet,” Lee said. “The ability and responsibility to vote still feels pretty alien to me, and I think I hesitate because voting represents taking that final, definitive step into adulthood.”

Hansen Kuo (above) and Mitch Lee (left).

Close to home

Mark Senter and Trè Walton hold same values as parents after researching candidates

ike father, like son, or like mother, like son, many Marksmen tend to hold the same political views as their parents. The vast majority of eligible seniors indicated they will vote the same as their parents, according to a ReMarker study. Senior Mark Senter, a Republican like his parents, has found he shares the same political views as his parents in large part because of his faith. “A lot of my views come from my religion,” Senter said. “My family is Catholic, and a lot of those Christian values and principles are something we look for in a candidate. Naturally, we tend to support the same people.” On the other side of the political aisle, senior Trè Walton supports President Obama like his mother. But instead of letting her son vote for Obama just because that’s who she supports, Frances Walton encouraged her son to form his own opinions, which just happened to reflect hers. “My mom said, ‘Listen Trè, you know who I’m going to be voting for, but you

make your own decisions about who you want leading. This country is going to be yours for longer than it’ll be mine,’” Walton said. Walton has found many benefits in being forced to form his own opinion, even though in this election they happen to be the same as his mother’s. “The advantage of making my own choice is that now I know about politics, which is valuable on it’s Mark own,” Walton Senter said. “Before (above). I didn’t really Trè know much. Walton Now when I (left). see something on TV about politics, I know what’s going on.”

decision 2012 story by Stephen Rambin, issues editor and Rachit Mohan, special projects editor | artwork by Zuyva Sevilla, staff artist | photos by Daniel Hersh, editor-in-chief

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

on - c a mp u s

the f ts

‘Disbelief’ After four thefts totaLling approximately $3,000 in LOST GOODS, students have begun to question campus safety. BROKEN Marksmen have long held faith in the security of the campus. But with each successive theft, that faith is eroding. Frequent assembly announcements from assistant head of Upper School Dr. John Perryman remind students to keep their valuables secure.

enior Parker Matthews was at school at 7 p.m. on a Thursday working on Homecoming videos with senior Michael Doorey. Aside from the security guards, cleaning crew and a few teachers, they were alone. Before leaving his office to shoot some footage, Matthews casually slipped off his watch and stowed it in his desk drawer. Setting them in to the drawer, he locked the door to his office and went to shoot some extra film.

Returning 30 minutes later, Matthews was so focused on completing the video that he didn’t think to check his for his valuables. But at 10:30 p.m. when Matthews was leaving, he notices his barren wrist and checks his drawer. Emptied. “It was confusing at first,” Matthews said. “I assumed I’d put it somewhere else, but I checked with Michael and he confirmed that I put it in the drawer like I thought. Then I just had a helpless feeling. You can’t really describe it until it happens to you. Just knowing that you can’t do anything about it really wakes you up to reality.” The $1,000 he lost sent him into shock for the next few days. But it wasn’t just the monetary value that bothered him. It was the sentimental value, too. “I don’t really know how to describe it,” Matthews said. “Especially because I was so attached to the watch. I had saved my own money for that watch for years as a kid. It was a reminder of what I could achieve with work. It’s just disappointing. It was pretty tough to sleep that night. And the night after. You can’t really do anything about it though.” Despite the emotions concerning the incident, Matthews realizes he must let the world take its course. “These things work out in the end,” Matthews said. “Either they’ll be replaced or I’ll replace them when I can afford to. They’re only objects. Meaningful, symbolic ob-

jects, but still objects.” Like Matthews, senior Lendon Hall lost a prized possession one Thursday afternoon. For Hall, it was his money clip, a family heirloom, with $50 in it. Before Hall left the Hicks Gym locker room at 3:50 p.m., he placed the money clip in his backpack, which he left vulnerable below his locker. When Hall returned at 5 p.m., the zippers on his backpack were unzipped and someone had clearly shuffled through the contents. Searching for ten minutes all over the locker room, he realized his valued clip, passed down from his grandfather, was gone. “The money clip was a family heirloom, so losing that made I was so attached to the watch. I had saved my own money for that watch for years as a kid. It was a reminder of what I could achieve with work. senior parker Matthews

me angrier than losing the money,” Hall said. “The first thing was disbelief, and then anger quickly took its place. I was furious, and it ruined my day. I wanted to find the person who had stolen my money clip and teach them a lesson.” Hall reported the theft to the Upper School Office, yet not much could be done. He even considered making an announcement at assembly and granting the thief im-

munity if he returned it. “Hopefully, they would realize that the money clip was actually important to me,” Hall said. “However, I realized that the theft could not necessarily have been done by a student.” nitially, Hall hoped his belonging might turn up, yet as time has passed, his optimism has decreased. “I had almost no hope of getting it back, but I fantasized that I would see someone pull it out of their pocket, and I could just take it back,” Hall said. “I have been angry and sad, but by now I have moved on. I still want it back, but that hope is disappearing.” A thief struck again the following Thursday also during the athletic period, stealing $80 out of senior Oliver de la Croix-Vaubois’s wallet. Like Hall, de la Croix-Vaubois had left his wallet near his locker. “My wallet was in my back shorts pocket, on the ground underneath my bag,” de la Croix-Vaubois said. “I do not even know how someone would have even have thought to look there. When I saw that all the money was gone I was shocked. I tried to look around Hicks Gym and the locker room, but obviously nothing was found.” Beyond the shock, de la Croix-Vaubois was disturbed by the fact that a student could have committed such crime. “I mostly just thought ‘If it were a student, what type of St. Mark’s student would actually do that?’” de la Croix-Vaubois said. “It

would make me feel better to know that it wasn’t a St. Mark’s student, because we all pride ourselves on brotherhood and not stealing from each other. I was sad that it could have

identity of the thief. He feels that the school should install more security cameras to avoid confronting situations where the thief ’s identity cannot be determined. “I just want enough security

Notable Stolen Items • • •

Dress Watch Laptop GoPro Video Camera

been a student. If it were a student, I would have felt betrayed.” The Thursday thefts, however, have not been limited to thefts of wallets and jewelry. Senior Jimmy Papin left his backpack outside of the Hoffman Center after school from 4 p.m. to roughly 7:30 p.m. When he returned, however, his entire backpack was missing. After searching intensly, Papin went home and returned the following day. He found his backpack returned to where he had left it, except for the laptop he stored inside. “First, all I felt was disbelief,” Papin said. “I couldn’t grasp how much work I have to redo. Then anger, if I catch that person, I want revenge. And finally, just disappointment that at a place like St. Mark’s, there’s this kind of stuff going on.” In addition to losing an expensive laptop, Papin lost his primary college essays, his English essay due the next day and all his class notes. Papin talked to the school administration, but there were little evidence or hints suggesting the

$1000 $1400 $600

cameras that you can tell where people are on campus,” Papin said. “If something happens, you can see if an incident occurs in a certain area, and you can figure out who was involved in a certain areas.” Until a solution is found, victims such as Matthews, Hall, de la Croix-Vaubois and Papin are left powerless. Papin feels that unless the culprit is found, he cannot trust community members. “I definitely will not bring a laptop to St. Mark’s again,” Papin said. “I hate to say it, but they need to find someone responsible, and they need to bring him to justice and show an example of how you can’t get away with this. So many incidents have gone by that the more that happens and the less people are seeing things being done about it, the more people feel like they aren’t being watched.”

• See editorial, “Campus thefts merit further investigation,” page 18

‘DISBELIEF’ story by Andrew Goodman, visuals director, Henry Woram, editorial director and Rachit Mohan, special projects editor | graphic by Robbey Orth, graphics director

Robotics Team advances, prepares for competition next weekend

FOCUSED Preparing the team’s robot for next weekend, senior Milan Savani fabricates a component.

By Alex Kim Staff Writer The robotics team will compete in the Texas Boosting Engineering Science and Technology (BEST) Regional Competition Nov. 9-10 after winning the Dallas-area competition last Saturday. The objective of this year’s BEST annual competition is to build a robot that can climb up and down a pole while carrying objects, a challenge very different from any before. “In the past years, the robots had to drive on a X-Y plane on the ground,” senior co-captain Shivum Agrawal explained. “But this year, they removed that aspect and put a z-axis, which has another set of problems, but our team tends to be really strong in addressing these kinds of programs.” The goal for the team is to get into the final round, which consists of the top four teams. The best the team has ever done was fourth place. And this year, it is only getting tougher with more than 60 teams showing up at state.

“It’s a bigger field this year,” team co-sponsor Doug Rummel said, “We’ve got teams close to Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico coming here, so competition can be a little stiffer than it has been in years past.” Many of the teams come from schools that offer robotics as a whole class and provide funding. But, the toughest competitors are often home school teams. “At the state level, it gets more competitive simply because homeschool teams have a substantially greater advantage than we do,” Agrawal said. “And it’s just hard to compete against them because they can put a lot more time in these kinds of things.” But the competition itself isn’t the only thing setting this year’s robotics program apart. The demographics of the team itself are different than they were in the past. “We have six seniors this year, which is a lot more than we usually do,” Agrawal said,“which gives us a lot of strong experience from the start. And then we have a little gap in junior year, but

then we have a huge sophomore and freshmen force.” The large number of new hands at this point is rare since not everyone sticks with the team. The retention of these members can only make the team stronger in the long run, according to Agrawal. “It gives [freshmen and sophomores] an advantage in later years when they become juniors and seniors. The team would be much stronger with all the experience,” he said. “And so the biggest task alongside building a great robot and all that good stuff is teaching these younger guys the entire process and how to best work out solutions so that when we leave, they will be in a really good position.” This will be the team’s ninth year going to the state competition. The team has consistently performed well at the local level, qualifying for state every year except for only one. “We always strive for the best engineering processes that we can,” Agrawal said. “And we always enjoy it.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

E A R T H W A L K E R s

C H A R I T I E S

One step at a time Alarmed by the barefooted children he saw during his many visits to India, senior Aarav Chavda responded by starting a non-profit organization, Earthwalkers Charities, which provides shoes to thousands.

he children in rural China and India walked to school barefoot. They crawled over mountains of trash and walked across dusty roads. They stepped in puddles and exposed themselves to diseases like schistosomiasis and hookworm. Those diseases entered their bodies through their feet and sometimes never left. After trips to India in 2006 and 2008, senior Aarav Chavda repeatedly noticed the problem and decided to do something to change it. “He [Aarav] was young and he saw several kids running around in the hot summertime and no shoes and it was burning,” Deepak Chavda, his father, said. “He kept it in his mind for a long time. He decided he wanted to do something about it. That was the first that he thought about it.” Aarav Chavda cites the way many of his relatives, now living in America, grew up as an important motivation in starting his efforts. “I’m very familiar with the affliction of barefootedness in third world countries,” he said. “Many of my relatives I see and talk to every week grew up that way.” Aarav Chavda decided to start a shoe drive to change that. “I thought, ‘Hey, let’s do a shoe drive.’ I was planning to raise a couple hundred [shoes] and we raised over 500,” he said. “And not only that, but we raised thousands of dollars in donations. I talked to one of my adult mentors, and he recommended I make it a non-profit to be tax-free and collect more donations in the future, but for me at this time, it was still a short-term project.” Once more shoes and money came in, he decided to look overseas, because many Americans have trouble understanding the need.

“From an American perspective, many people think, ‘Shoes? People don’t need shoes’” he said. “Most Americans don’t understand that even the most basic amenities don’t exist in other places.” The problem was worse than he initially expected. “During these trips [to India], I really got a sense for the need,” the Community Service Board Vice Chair said. “Then I did a little bit of research and found that there are more than a billion people on this planet, one out of seven, who don’t have access to shoes.” As a result of that research, Earthwalkers Charities, a named coined by Aarav’s brother, Kahan Chavda ’12, was born. Most Americans don’t understand that even the most basic amenities don’t exist in other places.

senior Aarav Chavda

“The physical shoes, we donated locally, but the money, we decided to spend overseas,” Aarav Chavda said. “That led to our first international trip to India in March 2012. We went to

THE GIVER Chavda and his non-profit, Earthwalkers Charities, work to give shoes to impoverished people around the world.

three cities: Ukai, Bangalore and Sarangpur.” For Chavda, watching the charity develop from an idea to a government-certified non-profit organization was the most important part. “I had been part of this project from the conception of ‘Hey, let’s do this idea’ to ‘We’re in India giving out these shoes,’” he said. He expanded Earthwalkers to China when he spent five weeks in Beijing last summer teaching English to migrant children. “In Beijing, we sent 900 shoes to the Xingwang School for Migrant Children,” Aarav Chavda said. “These are children who study for three months of the year and take the really long train ride back to farms in South China to work with their families. When they went back to the fields, they were working without shoes.” Aarav Chavda’s work has impressed his family members. “It seems like it’s a real passion with him, helping people,” mother Pallavi Chavda said. “He’s always talked about

the gratification and the satisfaction and the feel-good result. It’s not a question of it becoming, it has become quite a passion in his life.” Over Christmas Break, Aarav Chavda, through his charity, is planning a trip to South Africa with former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Eric Bost who Aarav Chavda met through a mutual friend to give shoes there. Aarav Chavda is looking beyond that trip, however, and toward his future involvement with the organization he founded. “During our India trip, I realized this has such potential,” he said. “This is making such an impact. I don’t want to leave this behind. I realized that this is something I want to continue to do throughout my life.”

How to help • Visit www.earthwalkerschar-

ities.org or www.earthwalkerscharities.net to donate money online • To donate shoes, contact info. earthwalkers@gmail.com

one step at a time story by Ryan O’Meara, news editor | photo courtesy Aarav Chavda

things to know about the student store

By Alan Rosenthal News Coordinator

• Although the student store began to sell food when it was located in Davis Hall, it was able to expand its menu when it relocated. “Food is probably our biggest seller,” Key said. “When they decided not to operate the snack bar, we became the afternoon spot for snacks.” • The student store is a real business. It has a budget, makes profits and pays attention to its customers. “This is an institutionally owned bookstore,” she said. “We operate for the benefit of the school. So any money we make is returned to the school.” • Key’s favorite part about working at the student store is the people. “I really like the people,” Key said. “The boys and the St. Mark’s community in general, it’s a fun group to work with. I’ve seen a lot of boys graduate, move on and become successful young men.”

MICHAEL DOOREY PHOTO

• One of store manager Sarah Key’s favorite memories was in 2007. The then sixth graders, now seniors, made a deal with humanities teacher Rebecca Jenkins that if they paid their student store bills on time, she would wear the school uniform and serve a detention. “[Senior] Milan Savani was the one who was leading the charge to get everyone to pay,” Key said. “It all got paid off at the 11th hour.”

IN CHARGE Before becoming the student store manager, Sarah Key worked as the volunteer chairman of the Parent’s Association.

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

D E B ATE

Back talk? The debate squad hosted more than 500 high school debatErs at the st. mark’s heart of texas invitational speech and debate tournament here oct. 19-20. TOP 10 Comprised of junior Charlie Marshall and senior debate captain Zach Burdette, this debating duo is ranked among the top 10 policy debate teams in the country.

•••

“We focus exclusively on being good hosts and running the tournament,” debate coach Tim Mahoney said. “The tournaments we go to don’t happen by magic. They

happen because people work really hard to make them happen. We think it’s important that [our debaters] know that.” In hosting, Mahoney and his army of debaters reap the rewards of tournament preparedness. Just last year, the National Association of Debate Coaches recognized the Heart of Texas Invitational as the debate tournament of the year. Of course, this seemingly unnatural attention to tournament planning happens for a plethora of reasons. Mahoney can name all of them. “We want to return the favor to all those schools that [host tournaments] for us,” Mahoney said. “It’s kind of community service. It’s kind of a thank you. It’s definitely an educational experience for all of us.” Though Mahoney is modest in his approach to hosting such a prestigious tournament, senior debate captain Zach Burdette credits this type of community service as the catalyst for an extremely competitive environment. “It’s just a tournament that everybody loves to come to, so it automatically becomes more competitive,” Burdette said. “We cater in food just for the judges, and it incentivizes a lot of coaches who enjoy our hospitality to bring their We want to return the favor to all those schools that [hosted tournaments] for us. It’s kind of community service. debate coach tim Mahoney

teams. That escalates to a better, more competitive tournament experience.” his hospitality acts as bait for the most elite debate judges. “And we hire really good judges,” Burdette said. “It’s shockingly hard to get qualified people in the debate community to come; you have to fly them out, and we spend quite a bit of money to get the best ones. Past college-championship debaters will fly in so that they can provide higher quality judging experiences.” The name of the game is incentivizing. “It’s simple,” Burdette said. “We provide the most incentives, so we get the best judges and debaters.” The weekend of Oct. 20 was consumed by debates over transportation infrastructure. As handfuls of college recruiters dolled out full-ride scholarships to some of the leading participants in the Heart of Texas Invitational tournament, school debaters occupied empty rooms in the corners of Centennial in hopes of protecting the campus. But school debaters were by no means under-qualified for the tournament that they hosted. Burdette can speak to the raw talent pulsing through the 2012-2013 team. “Overall, we have a really deep team, in that we have teams who are really competitive,” he said. “Tim [Mahoney] thinks that one of our teams is in the top ten, another in the top 20, and a third in the top 30.” Top in the what? “In the nation.”

Bush Institute partners with Heart of Texas tournament

artnering with the Bush Institute, the Southern Methodist University presidential library and the Dallas Urban Debate Alliance, the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational Speech and Debate tournament hosted the inaugural Bush Institute Economy Debates at the Westin Park Central tournament hotel Oct. 21. “The Bush Institute is particularly interested in increasing the economic literacy of high school students,” debate coach Tim Mahoney said. “They want kids to be debating about economic issues, so they came and asked if we would help them put this event together because they knew the reputation of our tournament.” Students from across the country gathered in front of panels of economic experts in hotel conference rooms to debate private property rights and its role in the economy. Senior debate captain Zach Burdette recognizes the importance of spurring economic literacy in the high school setting. “They’re looking for kids to become more involved citizens and to figure out how to solve these issues and have awareness of the different proposals,” Burdette said. “A lot of kids, especially at St. Mark’s, have no idea what they’re talking about. “The Bush Institute wants

DANIEL HERSH PHOTO

he busy campus could finally breath easily. As the sun fell below the horizon on the evenings of the Oct. 19 and 20, more than 500 highschool debaters from all around the country wearily trotted back to their tournament hotel, exhausted from hours of participation in the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational Speech and Debate tournament, one of the most — if not the most — prestigious debate tournaments in the nation. Yet some remained. Their shirts conspicuously labeled “St. Mark’s Debate” in bold yellow letters gave their identity away. They combed the campus like police dogs. No, it was not in search of the number-one-debate-team-inthe-country Stratford Academy’s debate notes on transportation infrastructure, nor was it for anything even remotely related to the event that had consumed the campus just hours before. They were looking for trash, cleaning the campus that 500 highschool strangers had littered with crumpled papers drowned in political policy. And as the most grueling debate tournament of the year came to a close on the morning of Oct. 21, the school debate team hadn’t even won a single match. The reason? Well, for one, they didn’t even compete.

THE MAN HIMSELF Forty-third President George W. Bush kicked off the economic debates by hosting a dinner Oct. 20. to raise awareness of the complexity of the economic issues at hand and to actually encourage in-depth discussions of that rather than just nebulous ramblings.” Senior Noah Goetz represented St. Mark’s in these debates, winning two of the three he competed in. According to him, the learning curve was quite large. “I think that there were three categories of students there,” Goetz said. “Students like myself and other policy debaters who knew a lot, kids who knew a little, and kids who didn’t know anything about economics and learned a ton for this experience. There was a big learning gap.” — Noah Yonack

BACK TALK story by Noah Yonack, news editor | photo by Michael Doorey, head photographer

Funds to cover past McDonald’s Week, senior retreat and senior shirt expenditures, AMONG OTHERS

By Cyrus Ganji Staff Writer The Class of 2013 hosted the annual Senior Auction Oct. 7 in Decherd Auditorium, marking the official kick-off of the event-filled senior year schedule. After months of prior planning, coordination and execution, Senior Auction co-chairs Noah Yonack, Warren Smith, Sam Libby and Dominic Garcia, along with Senior Class sponsors Joe Milliet and David Cox, stand atop $56,000. However, the money served only as a side-incentive. “We don’t focus on the dollar figure going in – we focus on class unity and having everybody working together to accomplish something,” Milliet said. “And then, the dollar figure just is what it is. This year it just

happened to be quite successful.” Despite the inexistence of a money-motive, Senior Auction raisings play an essential role in both past and future senior affairs. The total earnings will balance debts accumulated by the Class of 2013’s McDonalds Week activities, senior retreat and senior shirt expenditure. The money will also cover future expenses for senior-buddy excursions, holiday decorations, future class reunions and a graduation legacy gift to the school. “How much you’re able to do on those later events is a function of how much money you raise [in the Senior Auction],” Milliet said. “So we’re hoping that this means that we can do great things for the school.” Accompanying the auction’s variety in attendance and use, the Senior

Class offered a various assortment of items. “We had a great array of items,” Milliet said. “We didn’t have an overkill of one particular thing, which makes it hard to get the bidding up. So I think very few things got duplicated and there was a lot of originality.” Items up for bid included an aviation tour of Dallas and a safari trip down to Glen Rose’s Fossil Rim.In addition, an assortment of sports lessons and individual musical performances from senior bands Athens and the Enharmonic Quartet were offered. With the Senior Auction’s successful passing, Garcia considers himself and fellow seniors fortunate and looks forward to the opportunities the money will provide. “[The Senior Auction] was definitely something I was looking for-

ward to,” Garcia said. “That’s because pretty much the output of this is what we can put into senior year. Whatever we do – if we do anything that has a significant impact – it’s going to be because we laid the groundwork with this.” Milliet remains grateful of the community and views the auction as a fit representation of the school’s mission. “I tell the Class of 2013 all the time that I feel like they really get what St. Mark’s is all about – and that is serving and giving back for all that’s been given to them,” Milliet said. “You put together this shmorgishboard of items, show up on a Sunday afternoon and then three hours later have $56,000 in your class funds. It’s just overwhelming how generous this community is.”

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

Senior Class raises $56,000 through Senior Auction, pays off debts

CASHING IN Sporting his signature orange sports jacket, auctioneer Tom Adams helped the Senior Class rake in more than $56,000 in funds for the school by facilitating the bidding process and telling jokes.

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

G L O B A L

O N L I N E

A C A D E M Y

after more than a century of teaching classes in brick-andmortar schools, the school has joined the global online academy, a consortium of schools moving toward the frontier of online learning.

SCREEN TIME Students who take online classes through the school’s new alignment with Global Online Academy, will be monitored by a system called Haiku. The system is used to track students’ online participation and assignments.

Breaking out of the classroom

or the past 106 years, the courses offered here at 10600 Preston Road have been taught in classrooms. Now, though, the school administration has decided to make a turn with the future and incorporate online classes. Students can now apply for online elective classes through the Global Online Academy by emailing Provost and Dean of Campus Scott Gonzalez. “The Global Online Academy is something that we’ve actually been looking at for a while,” Gonzalez said. “At the end of the year, last year, Mr. [Headmaster Arnie] Holtberg proposed that we have a proposal go out to all our faculty to create online courses that we would use internally.” In the proposal, Gonzalez and others listed several reason to look into the future with online classes. “Online learning has really exploded,” Gonzalez said. “It’s taken off and if you look at the major universities you’ll see that they offer online courses. There are some schools, like Stanford for example, that actually offer online high school degrees.” The school wants to give students the opportunity to test the system of online learning and see if they like it enough to use it in college. “When our students go to college there are a number of colleges and universities that use online courses as a matter of how they run their system,” Gonzalez said. “And so to give you all the opportunity to see what that’s like and to see if that fits your learning style then it makes sense to go ahead and do that.”

Compared against Khan Academy and other forms of online learning, Global Online Academy is more interactive. “Nothing against Khan Academy, but Khan Academy serves a whole different purpose that what we’re looking for,” Gonzalez said. “We’re looking for interactive teaching, we’re looking for project-based teaching, we’re looking for collaborative work across different schools and high schools. And also gender because there will be females in the class as well. I think it’s a win-win proposition for us.” Whereas at Khan Academy students simply watch videos and replay them if they don’t understand the material, at Global Online Academy teachers and students communicate and work together through projects and discussions.

We still believe that even interating with individuals on a one-onone basis in real time and face-to-face is really important to us. Provost Scott Gonzalez

“This teacher will post videos, and you have to post videos in return,” Gonzalez said. “You have to submit essays or projects by a certain time. You have to take assessments. You’ve got all that going on very much like a regular class. These are real classes. It’s not

a blowoff thing that you can take and get an easy A.” The online classes are taught by screened, independent school teachers, who will follow a model of teaching similar to that of St. Mark’s. “They have high standards, they expect a lot from you and there is accountability as well,” Gonzalez said. In addition, through a program called Haiku, Global Online Academy will track your class work. If a students falls behind in his work, representatives will call the school and report that the student is falling behind. “They’ll call and say ‘By the way, this boy is not keeping up with his work and we’re really worried,’” Gonzalez said. “Because in the final analysis, that information is going to go onto a transcript and it’ll be on your permanent academic record. With Khan Academy, there’s nothing like that.” ome of the work through online classes is asynchronous, meaning that students respond to teacher’s videos with their own personal work or videos. “There are other times where you’re going to have to interact with the instructor and with two or three other students at the same time,” Gonzalez said. “And you’ll set up an appointment. And that’s why we’re concerned — and they, too, by the way — that you can’t take a course at Global Online Academy on top of a full course load at your school.” Because of the toughness of the classes, students cannot take them on top of a full course load of six classes. For now, the courses will count as only

elective credits. “We still believe that our graduation course credits are what is important to us philosophically as an institution,” Gonzalez said. “We still believe that even interacting with individuals on a one-on-one basis in real time and face-to-face is really important to us.” Some teachers here have already even submitted applications to teach online classes. “They’re leading the way for St. Mark’s,” Gonzalez said. “They’re also showing that St. Mark’s is not only dedicated to teaching children in this new methodology but that we too can be leaders in online education.” The school will not let the addition of online classes take away from the Marksman experience. “We believe in the entire program here and the interaction between the students and the faculty in the community service program, in our fine arts program, in our athletics program, in robotics,” Gonzalez said. “Those kinds of things to us are really important, and we’re not going to give that up anytime soon. We think that that’s essential.” The addition of online classes to the school’s course options will not, however, affect the St. Mark’s classroom experience. “The main thing that we’re looking for here is giving the students the opportunity to engage in courses that we don’t offer here,” Gonzalez said. “There are some of my colleagues who are fearful that this means wholesale sellout of their profession. And nothing could be farther from the truth.”

BREAKING OUT OF THE CLASSROOM story by Alexander Munoz, copy editor | artwork by Nic Lazarra, graphics director and Zuyva Sevilla, staff artist

Senior Chandler Burke nominated for Morehead-Cain Scholarship By Aarohan Burma Staff Writer When Senior Chandler Burke wrote his name down on the Morehead-Cain Scholarship sign-up sheet this September, he didn’t know if he was going to make it or not. He didn’t even know if he would receive the school’s nomination. Now, in the fall of his senior year, Burke still doesn’t know if he’ll win the scholarship. But he was nominated by the school for the program, and he’s hoping for the best. “Hopefully I’ll make it as a finalist,” Burke said. “But beyond that, I have no control. We’ll see what happens.” The Morehead-Cain is the oldest merit scholarship in the United States. Established in 1945 by the University of North Carolina and inspired by Oxford University’s Rhodes Scholarship, the Morehead-Cain provides a peerless undergraduate experience that includes four years of college fully funded with unique summer community service experiences.

Over 1500 people, domestically and internationally, compete for the scholarship each year. But with an acceptance rate of 3.4 percent, it isn’t easy to get in. The program only accepts around 50 students each year, 25 from in-state, and 25 from other states and countries. Along with the requisite standardized test scores, students must demonstrate success in the classroom and on the athletic fields. According to Burke, the application takes a minimum of five hours to piece together and includes three separate essays. And even that doesn’t guarantee whether one will get to the interview stage of the program. “Above all, I think a love of learning is the most important thing if you apply,” Burke said. “You can’t just be focused on getting the A, you’ve got to enjoy the whole process.” Burke isn’t the only senior who has been nominated for a merit scholarship. Senior Parker Matthews has been nominated for the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholarship, while other members of the class of 2013 have been nomi-

nated for the Washington University at St. Louis’s Danforth Scholars program and Emory University’s Emory Scholars program. “There are a lot of students here performing at a high level and pushing themselves to succeed every day,” Burke said. If he gets accepted into the program, Burke is interested in figuring out the nuances of how the brain works. “Majoring in electrical engineering could help me pursue that,” Burke said. “But I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to do. But the great thing about the Morehead-Cain is that you’re given the freedom to do whatever you want to do.” And while Burke will have to wait until April to find out whether he will be a member of the Class of 2017, he’s confident that he’ll go far, and he has advice for those considering merit scholarships in the future. “St. Mark’s is a great school with so many opportunities,” Burke said. “Just take advantage of each and every opportunity.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

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cl a y m a n

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sons

Mr. Dad As if grades five through eight aren’t challenging enough, what do you do if your dad becomes the new assistant head of Middle School? Ben and Sam Clayman know that feeling.

WALKING IN One of Dean Clayman’s favorite parts of his days as assistant Middle School head is greeting students in morning carpool. Sons Ben and Sam walk with their dad back through the courtyard.

s the familiar chapel bells sing a familiar song every day at 4 p.m., 332 exuberant middle schoolers leave their last classes and take off from sports. Most of them walk to carpool. All of them go home. Yet two other boys are sitting in the Middle School office. Across from them, new Assistant Head of Middle School Dean Clayman peers up from his office chair and gives them a brief, fatherly look. But these boys aren’t in trouble. In fact, they’d likely face Middle School Head Warren Foxworth if they were. They’re just doing homework in their dad’s new office.

Seventh-grader Ben Clayman and eighth-grader Sam Clayman have been coming here since their father told them about his new job. “I kind of was surprised at first,” Sam Clayman said, “but I was really excited for him because I knew he wanted it really badly. I was proud of him.” Last year when former assistant head Will Forteith announced his departure to become Middle School head at the Walker School in Marietta, GA, Dean Clayman jumped at the chance to apply for the position. After months of waiting, the school selected him for the job. Previously the assistant head of the Admissions Office, he’s used to working where his kids go to school. “They are very accustomed to having

me work with them,” Dean Clayman said. “Many folks don’t know that previous to my work here, I was Director of Admissions at St. Alcuin Montessori School, and my sons attended school there. Their reaction was quite positive.” The difficult part of the job happens when Dean Clayman has to give out detentions and either of his sons is on the list. So far that situation hasn’t occurred, but Ben Clayman has put some thought into it. “It’s all about not being biased to other people,” Ben Clayman said, “And I think he’s done a good job of that, not like putting us on a pedestal. I think he would punish us if we would misbehave, but hopefully we won’t.” Along with the new position, Dean Clayman has taken the traditional role of fifth grade humanities teacher.

“One of my friend’s brothers is in his class, and he said he really likes his style of teaching and that he’s really fun,” Sam Clayman said. “I think he’s done a really good job of being strict but also kind of joking around with people.” o far, students have been supportive of the change, but Dean Clayman has talked with his sons about how to respond if other students act negatively towards them. “I’ve discussed with them that boys who are truly your friends will not treat you any differently,” Dean Clayman said. “For those who do treat you differently, it can be telling as to the true nature of your relationship with

He’s not sitting in his office all day just waiting for a deadline to do work. He’s enjoying teaching and walking around campus. Eighth grader Sam Clayman

them.” He also spoke about what is perhaps his most recognizable role on campus: greeting arriving students at the carpool line. “My job doesn’t require me to stand at

carpool,” Dean Clayman said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been doing it since I was in the Admissions Office. It’s especially to shepherd students who are new to the school and to greet Middle School boys as they begin their day.” Having a parent so close by has proved useful to both sons, who see both the pros and the cons of going to school where their dad works. “He’s always right there,” Ben Clayman said. “If you need anything, like a quiet place to work during lunch, you can go to his office. If you want talk to him, you can always go see him.” Dean Clayman prefers not to be penned up all day in the new office, though. Instead, he likes to walk around campus and play a more active role. “He’s not sitting in his office all day just waiting for a deadline to do work,” Sam Clayman said. “He’s enjoying teaching and walking around campus.” While he has not yet spent a full trimester in his new position, Dean Clayman is enjoying the new responsibilities. He doesn’t think he could have gotten where he is without the help of his sons. “I have a fantastic team that I work with,” Dean Clayman said, “and I’m very lucky to have two sons that are so supportive of my endeavors.”

Mr. Dad story by Jacob Chernick, staff writer | photo by Andrew Gatherer, staff photographer

Math Team adds new, younger members in a push toward the future Strong Middle School ‘farm system’ is key, Rowan says By Nabeel Muscatwalla Staff Writer With five new members, the Math Team hopes to increase team unity and participation in local tournaments, as well as include more weekly preparation in its training strategy. Senior captain James Rowan says the team is working to make each meeting more relevant and productive, starting with working out practice problems that commonly come up on tests. "We've found that there tend to be certain topics that get tested all the time in contests that usually don't show up in practices," Rowan said, "so we are preparing handouts with solved examples and practice sets to help teach people new tricks.” Rowan is happy with the increased membership, which he attributes to the work of the Middle School math program. He hopes that having more students means having a stronger team. "The influx of new members comes from our strong ‘farm system’ in the Middle School primarily," Rowan said. "I think it also helps that as our Math Team has gotten better in recent years, new and prospective students are more likely to know about the program and come out." However, Rowan notes the gap in experience between newer and older members and stresses the need to cater to both ends of the team.

"We have people of varying degrees of interest and ability," he said. "We want to make sure we neither bore the top students nor confuse the newer ones, so we work to make one of our weekly practices accessible to everyone and the other one more challenging." One of these newer members is freshman Tim O'Meara, who joined the Math Team this year because of his love for the subject. "I really enjoy doing math," O'Meara said. "Joining the Math Team allows me to improve my abilities by learning from the captains and other team members." Other new members, like senior Noah Yonack, have taken more math classes, but still joined only this year. “Last year, I became really interested in math and physics," Yonack said. "This, in turn, made me want to pursue engineering in college and beyond. I joined the math team as a way to satiate my newfound love of math and science." However the most important change this year is a greater emphasis on team unity, which is a big part of success in tournaments. "We want to make sure everyone views themselves as part of the same team and not as isolated individuals," Rowan said. "Team unity has been a big strength for us, and we want to make sure it is emphasized.”

PROVEN Senior Math Team captain James Rowan works out a proof at a math team practice while freshman Tim O’Meara looks on. The team is working to prepare for an important competition at Texas A&M, which will be held next weekend in College Station.

Math team competitions • • • •

Texas A&M Competition Rice University Competition Harvard-MIT Math Tournament American Regions Mathematics League

Nov. 9-10 Feb. 2 Feb. 15-17 May 29-June 2

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

H omecoming

2 0 1 2

A Night to Remember H

Homecoming court:

omecoming weekend kicked off with

a 49-7 football victory against Green-

hill, the introduction of the Homecoming court and the spirit party at senior Bear Goldstein’s home. The weekend concluded with the Homecoming dance at the Hilton Anatole on the evening of Oct. 27. Marks-

men walking in were greeted by the cus-

tomary receiving line of Student Council members and faculty.

7 1. Ramie Payne and Paul Gudmundsson 2. Christina McConville and Kendrick Spraglin 3. Lexie Hood and Dylan Kirksey 4. Ashley Deatherage and Dominic Garcia 5. Jordan Thomas and Taubert Nadalini

1. Juniors Nick Brodsky and Mac Labhart point out their matching vests. 2. D.J. Wish plays in front of an iceberg background. 3. D.J. Wish and his assistant mix music as a mob of students dances. 4. Queen Lexie Hood and King Dylan Kirksey share a dance after their crowning. 5. Sophomore Mason Smith and senior Andrew Goodman give the OK sign. 6. As confetti falls from above, junior John Caldwell gets the party started. 7. Senior Parker Matthews, Hockaday senior Ashley Deathrage and sophomore Ben Wilner pose together. 8. King nominees Taubert Nadalini, Dominic Garcia, Kendrick Spraglin, Dylan Kirksey and Paul Gudmundsson celebrate Kirksey’s win. 9. Senior Kendrick Spraglin break dances in front of a crowd. 10. Junior Lukas Jendele gambles at one of the casino tables.

A night to remember story by Ryan O’Meara, news editor | photos by Andrew Gatherer and Riley Graham, staff photographers

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Lower School Chapel Committee formed By Shourya Kumar Staff writer To provide younger students with leadership opportunities, Head of Lower School Barbara York and school chaplain Michael Dangelo have formed a Lower School Chapel Committee. Beyond just involving more of the student body in chapel activities, Dangelo believes the committee will help the school’s basis on leadership and ethics. “One, it’s a great leadership opportunity for some of the Lower School boys — gives them a chance to lead,” Dangelo said. “Second, to get them involved in the faith matters that we tend here at this school.” According to Dangelo, one of the main goals of the committee-to-be will be to design and run a chapel service of their own. “[The Committee is] a very

practical and tactical thing right up front,” Dangelo said. “And that is, we’re going to get some boys, hopefully from both the Upper and Middle School to help guide them in designing a chapel service.” York’s vision has taken shape in her work with Dangelo, and the two believe the committee will be positive. “I talked with the last couple chaplains about it,” York said, “and then when Reverend Dangelo was a candidate to become the chaplain, we talked about it during his interviews. The first time we talked about it, he was very much in favor of it.” York believes it is important for the younger students to take charge and be given the opportunity to have a say in school matters. “I love to have the boys have a chance to express their opinions and have a say in what goes on,” she said.

According to York, towards the end of the year, boys in the third and fourth grade who are interested will be given the opportunity to write a paragraph about why they would like to be a member of the committee. “And one boy from each third and fourth grade homeroom will be selected — five total,” York said. York’s understanding is that chapel activities are fundamental to the development of a Marksman. And starting early is that much more beneficial. “Chapel is so important in the community,” York said. “It’s an element in our lives that gives a whole additional dimension to the St. Mark’s experience. And to have the boys to have a chance to be represented in the conversation directly with Father Dangelo, I think is just a wonderful opportunity.”

Rod Blaydes page 15

Drama Instructor Rod Blaydes’ year started out like every other had in his career. But then something went horribly wrong.

arts. Fine arts around campus

THE REMARKER | Friday, nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 10

upcoming

sketchbook

Photography students submitted photos to the Association of Texas Photography Instructors fall photo contest Oct. 26. Students entered digital images from various categories such as advertising and landscape. ••• Twenty five Marksmen will participate in the Dallas Piano Solo Competition Nov. 17. More than 400 students from all over Dallas will compete at their respective grade levels. The repertoire for the competition was chosen by the Dallas Music Teachers Association and will represent the four eras of music: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. ••• International Week was held this week. The activities included the Middle School assembly trivia contest. In addition, there was button making, a poster contest, the star contest, the phrase-of-the-day contest and the lunchtime trivia. Like last year, International Week overlapped with Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday held in the beginning of November. •••

the

darkroom HIS WORDS

Richard Eiseman: “This picture shows some children who live very tough, impoverished lives deep in the center of Cambodia. It’s extremely special because their lives are just so completely different from ours. The whole experience of the trip was phenomenal.”

hits like Purple Swag and Peso are sure to dazzle fans with clever rhymes and beats and make them want to get cool grillz like him. House of Blues, tonight, 9 p.m. >Cowboys If you haven’t made a pilgrimage down to Jerryworld yet this year, you should. When they host the lowly Browns Nov. 18 it will be a welcome respite from Tony getting sacked and Dez not living up to his potential. Go Cowboys. Cowboys Stadium, Nov. 18, Noon. >Waka Flocka Flame Going to a Waka Flocka Flame concert

is (probably) like going to Narnia. You don’t know what to expect, and once you’re there it’s probably hard to get out. Still, the mastermind is worth $5 million more than any of us are, so maybe he’s doing something right. House of Blues, next Friday, 7:30 p.m. >Thanksgiving Break Nov. 17-25 Our last break (Debate Tournament) didn’t go so well with the whole “#BigTex is on fire” debacle. This time we hope no cultural icons burn down. Even if they do, Christmas break is coming. Everywhere, Nov. 17-25.

a roundup of people’s artistic accomplishments

St. Mark’s students comprise one quarter of the Texas Private School Music Educators Association All-State Jazz Ensemble. Five students were chosen from a field of over 70 at Saturday’s judging at the Greenhill School. Sophomore Nick Buckenham made Tenor Sax II, sophomore Chris Carter made Baritone Saxophone, senior Jorge Hinojosa made Tenor Trombone III, senior Chris Hicks made Bass Guitar and sophomore Umer Nadir made Drum Set II. The All-State Jazz Ensemble will perform during the TPSMEA All-State concert Feb. 2, 2013 in San Marcos, Texas. ••• Wade Davis, a visiting scholar, will come on April 9-10 instead of March 19-20. He will be here to tell stories after a month-long National Geographic expedition to Oman, Bhutan, Palau, Laos, Maldives, Botswana, Rwanda and Spain. Davis is a Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous

cultures, especially in North and South America. His work particularly involves the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants. Davis came to prominence with his 1985 best-selling book “The Serpent and the Rainbow” about the zombies of Haiti. ••• The fall play, Radium Girls, premiered yesterday at 7:30 p.m. in the William Eammon Lacey Black Box Theatre. There is another showing tonight. Director Marion Glorioso will lead the play that is anchored by seniors Will Altabef, Michael Gohlke and Charles Thompson. The play also has a Sunday matinee showing at 2 p.m. ••• The iCelebrate YouTube contest is ongoing. Each month, students are encouraged to upload videos that demonstrate the best parts of the St. Mark’s community. There will be a $500 Apple Store prize each month for the video with the most likes, and a grand prize of $2500 will be voted on and awarded at the iCelebrate - St. Mark’s Auction April 13, 2013.

“

To be respected as an artist, I had to change the perspectives of my peers. Everything I've done has definitely been worth it though. Page 14

just

hangin’ out

with Justin jones

Sophomore Justin Jones is well known for his rapping ability and his many nicknames. He’s also a running back for the Lions, and a four-year drama participant. Staff writer Teddy Edwards sat down with Jones to learn more about his interests.

Sophomore Justin Jones

< Mavericks vs. Charlotte Bobcats The NBA is on tomorrow as the Mavs play their home opener against last year’s worst team — the Bobcats. If you’re still traumatized by the Rangers’ collapse and have already given up on the Cowboys, check out the Mavericks tomorrow. American Airlines Center, tomorrow, 7:30 p.m. >A$AP Rocky Considered by most experts to be the smartest human alive, A$AP Rocky comes to Dallas tonight. A$AP’s beautiful lyrics will entertain screaming fans of all ages. His timeless

Mavericks’ forward Dirk Nowitzki

the

things to do in the Month ahead

Senior JEVON OLIVER

NICKNAMES It’s tough to pick a favorite. I wanna say I have eight – Prodi-j, Kid-j, Midnite, Non-Stop, Kryptonite, Nickname, Shugie-Ray and All Day. Non-stop’s my favorite. I made it up and it caught on. FOOTBALL My biggest inspiration is Jim Brown. He only played nine years of football, I think, and he was still a threat, then he just quit. He was that good, that he could just quit. I don’t think I, nor anyone, will ever be as good as Jim Brown, but I still want to strive to be the best I possibly can be. My dad is a big inspiration as well. He got me hooked on football and has taught me everything I know. HOBBIES Besides rapping, there’s really none. I like to go to church, hang out with family and hoop with friends in Pleasant Grove Park. When I come out with my new single, it’s going to actually be a real rap, not like my old one. TV SHOWS I’d have to say my favorite is either “Fresh Prince of Bel-air” or “The Wayans Bros.” They’re just hilarious. A lot of people say I look like Carlton from Fresh Prince, but I’d rather be Will Smith. BOOKS My favorite book is probably Bud, not Buddy. I didn’t even finish it, but I really liked the part I read. DRAMA I haven’t been in any plays yet because of sports, but last year at ISAS I decided to join drama because when I was a little kid I use to like to go in front of the church and recite speeches from people like Martin Luther King Jr. This is going to be my fourth year in drama.

top photos chosen from photography instructor scott hunt’s program

what

A group of young children walking along a dried riverbed with food and supplies.

where

Part of the Tonle Sap, a freshwater river and lake system in the heart of Cambodia.

arts around campus

THE REMARKER | Friday, nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 11

Blue Man Group 12

Radium Girls 13 F O od

SERVING THEIR COMMUNITY The 16 members of the Food Service staff work hours preparing, serving and cleaning up after lunch. Howard Stewart prepares

Legendary ProfHits 14

One goal. They beat us to school every morning. They serve more than a thousand meals each day. They’re working to make lunch better in the future. But who are they? An inside look at the why the Food Service staff works so hard to fufill their one goal: feeding the community here... their community.

to grab a hot tray of freshly cooked food while Sally Stephens (far left) looks on. Three members of the staff (second from left) work cleaning dishes and preparing them

for the next round of students. Howard Stewart and May Sykes (second from right and far right) have been here a combined 57 years, serving generations of Marksmen.

ne thousand blue and white shirts stream into the cafeteria for lunch each day, and Director of Food Services Sally Stephens goes to great lengths to keep them all fed. She is even using the help of a renowned area chef in an effort to keep the menu fresh and exciting. “We are working with chef Jeff Mann from Maggiano’s to help us with recipe development,” Stephens said. “It’s part of Michelle Obama’s program ‘Chefs Move to Schools,’ and he will be coming to help with recipes and see how we operate here. I’m hoping he can get up and make a presentation or demonstration to the school about food or cooking, too.” Mann will be working with Stephens and the rest of the staff in order to improve the menu and operation behind the scenes of the cafeteria. Food Service member Howard Stewart knows that it’s important to use this opportunity to provide the best meals he can to the students and faculty here. “We base some of our food off of other restaurant’s’ food, and we get the most expensive food and ingredients, and we prepare them high quality,” he said. “You don’t want to waste experience so its got to be prepared well and the kids have got to like it.” It takes a lot to feed a thousand, and the food service staff steps up to the challenge each and every day. The food The food is hot from when Stewart opens the towering wooden doors at 10:45 a.m. until the last sixth period lunch stragglers make their way into the W. W. Browning, Jr. Great Hall near the end of the day. For Stewart, it’s important that his meals are well-received. “I enjoy cooking, and I try to get some of the best stuff so people can be satisfied and happy,” he said. In addition, student input is encouraged. Starting in this month, students can participate in the Youth Advisory Council and have input in the cafeteria’s offerings. “For students expressing dissatisfaction with the food served I would encourage them to participate in the Youth Advisory Council,” Stephens said. “We love suggestions from students, faculty and staff and our goal is to serve food that most like.” They’re also trying to make the food healthier and fresher, using produce from the school’s own land.

“We are serving more organic and local food this year and working on our garden to be able to get some salad bar produce and fresh herbs from the garden,” Stephens said. Dedication Howard Stewart has been working in the cafeteria for 35 years, and any student who has eagerly waited for the doors of lunch to swing open will recognize his call for “blue shirts” to go first. That is when lunch starts for the students. But for Stewart and the other cafeteria staff, preparation for the meal starts while most Marksmen relish the last hours of sleep before a busy day. “I come in like 5:30, and I just start preparing and getting stuff ready, getting stuff prepared for lunch,” Stewart said. “I put 100 percent effort in each day.” Martha Roman, mother of junior Jassiel, is another member of the staff who arrives in the early morning—she gets here more than four hours before any meals are served. “I get here at 6:30 in the morning and leave at 4, maybe 4:15,” she said. “It’s a long day. It is a 30-minute drive too. But I love St. Mark’s so much, so I keep coming back.” After a full day, Stewart looks forward to having completed his daily job. “After 1:30, it’s happy time because you’ve already prepared the lunch, everybody’s been fed, so it makes you feel a little better,” he said. The problems It’s a veritable challenge to feed a thousand people each day, and the planning and preparation that the Food Service staff does is very in depth. Stephens has duties ranging from planning menus and ordering food to keeping

lunchables • •

ONE GOAL story by Dylan Clark, arts editor, additional reporting by Aarohan Burma, staff writer | photos by Corbin Walp, staff photographer

• • •

Reviews 16

S ervices

O 16 people. 240 years’ experience.

John Einsohn 15

The 16 members of the Food Service staff average 15 years working here. Seven of the 16 have been here for more than ten years; four have been here more than 30. The Food Service division has an annual budget of $600,000. They serve between 950 and 1000 meals each day. The staff works eight hour days — three of which are spent serving lunch to students, faculty and staff members.

stats on how many people eat and how much each meal costs. Still, with many factors affecting how much food is required for lunch each day, they can run into a few problems. “There should always be the same choices regardless of which lunch period you have,” Stephens said. “Unfortunately, we have a number of people who eat at more than one lunch and with some entrées, it is hard to gauge how much will be eaten.” Students most often run into this problem during sixth period, so Stewart tries to alleviate the disappointment over running out of an entrée by cooking replacements that most students enjoy. “Now when we run out, I get something that they really want, like chicken tenders or something to back up whatever we run out of, and then they don’t complain,” Stewart said. Fortunately, running out of food hasn’t been an issue for them this year. “This year has been really good compared to last year,” he said. “We haven’t been running out of anything. Last St. Mark’s is a very important place. It’s really important because I come in here every day, and the people here let me become part of their family. HOward stewart

year was really bad.” Why they do it While the task of feeding so many every day is an arduous one, the staff of 16 enjoys being such an integral part of the community here. “To me as a person, St. Mark’s is a very important place,” Stewart said. “It’s really important because I come in here every day, and the people here let me become a part of their family.” Because many of the Food Service staff has been serving the boys at 10600 Preston Road for more than ten years, a sense of belonging and family has been fostered between them. “Considering that more waking hours are spent here each day than at home,” Stephens said, “St. Mark’s has become my family away from home.” Martha Roman echoes the sense of belonging and her reason for working here. “Sometimes I get tired and sometimes I get stressed,” she said. “But everybody’s so nice and everybody treats you with so much kindness. Yes, at the end of day, I’m so tired, but it’s all for the kids. I do this for the kids.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

B L U E

M A N

G R O U P

BLUE OUT Geoffrey Stanbury, seventh grade humanities teacher, worked a variety of jobs for the Blue Man Group. While promoting the show, Stanbury embraced the bizarre quality of the Blue Man Group and enjoyed the experience.

blues Feelin’ the

Students around the school are just now getting to know first year instructor Geoffrey Stanbury. When they talk to him, they’ll learn something unique about his past — he spent time as a member of the Blue Man Group.

lue Man Group is one of the most iconic performance shows in the country. With thousands of performances over the last 25 years, the unique Blue Man Group has entertained millions of fans with the show. Geoffrey Stanbury, a first year humanities teacher, knows what it feels like to be involved with this famous show. He knows the feeling that comes when the curtain goes up and the lights come on. As a teen in Boston, Stanbury worked on the set of Blue Man Group before later getting paid as a promoter of the show. Arts editor Aidan Dewar spent time with Stanbury to learn the details of his involvement with Blue Man Group.

Describe the details of your involvement with the Blue Man Group.

“My involvement began as a week-long high school internship during my junior year. I spent the week shadowing most of the technical positions (e.g. lighting operator, stage manager, various backstage positions, etc.) in order to develop a sense of how a professional theater operates. After my internship ended, I kept going back on most Saturday nights to help out; generally, I would take on some of the routine pre-show prep work, such as stuffing bananas into long lengths of plastic tubing, tying knots into crepe paper rolls, etc. “I also got to perform at the climax of each show by painting my face and going out into the crowd, where I’d rock out and ensure that audience members stayed more or less seated. I also helped out a little bit when Blue Man Group recorded their first studio album. After about a year of that, they hired me on for a new summertime position wherein I went to free concerts around Boston and basically promoted the show. Apparently, ticket sales went ‘through the roof ’ that summer, so I guess I did something right.”

How did you get involved with Blue Man Group?

“I got involved during junior year high school. At my high school in Massachusetts, Commonwealth, every student gets three weeks off in March. At least one of the weeks must be dedicated to some kind of independent study. Some students

worked on photography, community service or research. Blue Man Group was in Boston at the time, and I knew someone who was involved with Blue Man Group, so I got an intern position. I went to Blue Man Group every night of the week. I followed different positions of Blue Man Group to see ‘how theatre operated.’ After that, I would just show up every Saturday night and see what they had to do.” What were your favorite moments?

“At the end of the show, high energy music starts playing and crepe paper starts falling from the ceiling. The Blue Men are going around quickly. I was in the crowd painted with glowing paint and I would be jumping around, throwing crepe paper, and having fun. One time, I sat with the Band during the show. I sat with the drummer right by me, and I got to watch him and the whole band do their thing. Every time I got to be backstage during the show, it was really cool.”

What was the most challenging part?

“The hardest part was the first day of promoting. I walked to a concert, and I had a bunch of promotional materials. I had no idea exactly what to do. I knew I had to get the word out, but I didn’t want to bother or heckle people. I kind of freaked out a little bit. But, I embraced the bizarre quality of the Blue Man Group. I became more comfortable talking to random people and I tried to get in conversations with people to promote it. “I didn’t want to just shove pamphlets in peoples’ faces. It got better, and some people even wanted my autograph. I told them I wasn’t a celebrity, but they were just excited about this popular show.”

Describe your journey from post-Blue Man Group to St. Mark’s.

I didn’t want to just shove pamphlets in peoples’ faces. It got better, and some people even wanted my autograph. I told them I wasn’t a celebrity, but they were just excited about this popular show.

“For College I went to NYU and then transferred to Sarah Lawrence. There, I concentrated on Music and Theatre. Eventually, I went to the University of Chicago and got my masters’ degree in humanities. After that, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. There was an info session taught by [History Department Chair] Byron Lawson, talking about teaching at Private Schools. His advice was invaluable. I taught first at Elgin Academy in Illinois. When I felt it was time to take another step, I talked to Mr. Lawson who I had stayed in touch with. It so happened that there was a position open, and I was lucky enough to be allowed to teach at this school.” How did you go from theatre to teacher?

“I got into Blue Man Group because I was interested in theatre. I did it at NYU and Sarah Lawrence. But, at Sarah Lawrence, my favorite professors happened to be Literature professors. I didn’t have some kind of “plan” at the start. All of the pursuits were really interesting. “Even later, I worked for a record label and radio station before I was sure that I wanted to become a teacher. I chose academics because I felt I had more to gain. I had made big strides in my learning and felt it was the best path for me.”

What about your time with Blue Man Group has applied the most to teaching?

“One time, one of the three original Blue Men was talking about the philosophy behind the show. He believes that in order to achieve some sort of higher success, one needs to pass through a chaotic period where everything is about to fall apart. There are metaphors for this throughout the show. That really spoke to me. “I’ve taken a lot out of this belief that there is always room to take a step forward, but you have to go through a tough time first. You have to be brave enough to work through the hard times before you can achieve success.”

Other thoughts?

“It was just so cool to be a young kid hanging out with older people in a good environment. I was always the kid, but it was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot.”

Feelin’ the blues story by Aidan Dewar, arts editor | photo by Michael Doorey, head photographer

iCelebrate video contest to give prizes to video with the most likes By Alex Kim staff writer The iCelebrate contest hopes to raise money for the school and the Centennial Challenge Campaign and bring the school community together. Each year, the annual auction, which is open exclusively to parents, alumni, and friends, is a venue planned by the Parents’ Association to raise money for the school. The “auction” itself is actually more of a dinner party and has an entertainment highlight according to iCelebrate chair Kristin Simenc. The highlight this year will be top YouTube videos submitted by students and faculty. “We always wanted to include the boys,” Simenc said. “But because it’s an adult event, they can’t be there. So, we tried to figure a way for the boys to ‘be’ there. That’s how we thought of the YouTube contest.” Anybody in the school community, in-

cluding students and teachers, can submit a video to the “celebratesm” YouTube channel. “We want kids to submit anything,” Simenc said. “From their sports to them hanging out to a story to them doing some sort of talent.” Every month, the video with the most likes (dislikes don’t count) wins $500 worth of Apple Store credit, and at the auction itself, attendees vote for which of the monthly winning videos is their favorite. The grand prize winner will receive $2,500 of Apple Store credit, for a total of $3,000 for the winning video. In addition, iCelebrate offers what they call “iCelebrations,” which are pay-as-yougo parties. Students are not allowed at these parties except for those that are for father and sons. “They are really small parties,” Simenc said. “It’s very limited so it’s not overwhelming for the host but intimate enough so that hope-

fully people from a variety of different classes and grades can go.” The ultimate goal of iCelebrate auction is to help the Parents’ Association in its commitment to the Centennial Challenge Campaign of $1 million. The money goes to fund a variety of facilities, faculty endowment and underwrite the Parents’ Association.

MOST LIKES RIGHT NOW

• • •

Tips for an 219 likes exchange student “Skippin” 190 likes Rube Goldberg 64 likes

“This year, we’re trying to blow the numbers off,” Simenc said. “We would really like to make the commitment. But if we don’t make

that, the whole purpose is for everybody to have a great time and to feel community spirit and appreciation for St. Mark’s. And no matter what money we raise, that is really our goal.” iCelebrate offers more events and options including a raffle for $10,000 worth of Northpark Gold, which can be used as cash at all participating Northpark Center theaters, retailers, restuarants and spas, posting “iBrags” on the website to acknowledge someone or something and purchasing SM merchandise. Everything is explained online at www.celebratesm.org. “We want everybody from the entire school to get involved,” Simenc said. “It’s not just a group of people that do the auction; it’s the entire school. And we want the faculty to be involved in the videos, and we want them to know how much we appreciate them and we love them. We want everyone to feel a part of it.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

R A D I U M

G I R L S

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Cast members of the play “Radium Girls” rehearse under Marion Glorioso’s direction.

must ‘The show

go on’

When Rod Blaydes suffered a stroke as school was beginning, Marion Glorioso took over direction ‘Radium Girls,’ the first play production of the year.

ear after year, drama instructor Rod Blaydes follows the same back-to school routine. Year after year, he sits through the first day of faculty meetings and then walks from his office to the Great Hall for a beginning-of-the-year barbecue. Year after year, he heads through the doors to the Commons with the other faculty members, ready for the coming school year. But as Blaydes reached the doors to the Commons this year, his 35th year here at 10600 Preston Road, something inside him went terribly wrong. “I started feeling very tired, weak and a little nauseous,” Blaydes said. “I just thought that maybe I was hungry. It had been a long day. signs of a stroke

• • •

Sudden weakness Trouble seeing or walking Sudden dizziness

what to do in the event of a stroke

• • •

Call 9-1-1 Check for slurred speech Check for weakness on one side of the body

SOURCE — School nurse Julie Doerge

I sat down by the doors.” As Blaydes sat there with some pain in his chest and left arm, some faculty members asked if he was okay. Then, school nurse Julie Doerge saw him and knew something was wrong. “It was clear he was not okay and growing weaker,” Doerge said. “When he complained of a ‘weird’ feeling in his left arm, I called 911.” The paramedics took Blaydes to the emergency room, confirmed he had a stroke and used an IV to alleviate the pain. Blaydes seemed okay. Then he tried to talk to his wife, Dee Blaydes. “She started looking at me very

strangely,” Blaydes said. “I looked around and so was everyone else — looking at me strangely. Apparently, even though I thought I was saying words, I was not. I was clicking and screeching and talking gibberish.” And things only got worse when Blaydes’s left side went weak. “I couldn’t lift my left leg or arm,” Blaydes said. “I freaked out. I knew I was having a stroke and I did not want to become debilitated or worse.” Even Blaydes’s thoughts were affected. “My thinking process slowed and became scrambled,” Blaydes said. “The strangest thing is that I also seemed to be observing everything from a different place. I can’t explain it.” Blaydes said his “scramble brain” went away after a while, but his speech and thoughts were still slow. While Blaydes recovered in the hospital, his colleagues took on his class responsibilities. “They have made my recovery easier and my return seamless,” Blaydes said. “I owe them all a debt

of gratitude.” While Blaydes spent six days in the hospital and three weeks in therapy sessions, Lower School drama instructor Marion Glorioso took over as director of the Upper School fall play, Radium Girls, which premiered last night and continues through Sunday. “I love the theater and any chance I get to be a part of a show,” Glorioso said. “I want to get involved. Also, I am always happy to help the school in any way I can. As we say in the theater, ‘the show must go on.’” Glorioso, who called Blaydes “a talented director and an extremely creative man,” said directing the play was a challenge. “When I am working a show, the process of bringing the story to life is meaningful to me,” Glorioso said. “It is a challenge — but in a good way. I guess we are just adding to the drama.” Meanwhile, Blaydes recovered quickly in therapy and returned sooner than expected. He was back on campus Oct. 1. “One of the hardest things for

me to deal with was the fact that I missed the first month of school,” Blaydes said. “Suddenly, I couldn’t be where I was meant to be.” And Blaydes knows where he’s meant to be: in the theater. “Theater is my life,” he said. “And life is my theater.” HEALTHY RECOVERY Recovered and ready, Blaydes returned to campus Oct. 1.

‘radium girls’ The play premiered yesterday in the Black Box and will continue through Sunday. Show times are:

• •

Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m.

Drama instructor Marion Glorioso gave a plot summary: “The play is about a group of girls that went to work in the radium factories in the 1920’s and became sick,” she said. “It is very much an ensemble cast production.”

the show must go on story by Vishal Gokani, deputy editorial director, additional reporting by Jacob Chernick, staff writer | photos by Corbin Walp, staff photographer

Ray W. Gilbert, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist (Ret.) Polly S. Gilbert, M.Ed, M.L.S.

Library Consultant/Tutor Yavneh Academy and Good Shepherd Episcopal School of Dallas, 2008-Present Director of Libraries St. Mark’s School of Texas, 1985-2008 Coordinator SMU Summer Talented and Gifted Program, Four summers, 1988-1991 English Teacher, Head Librarian J. J. Pearce High School, 1975-1985 National Championship Academic Decathlon Coach, 1984 and 1985

Private Tutoring and Academic Coaching for Students of all Ages For over 20 years, TLC has provided academic coaching and tutoring for students from Akiba Academy, Bishop Lynch, Christ the King, The Episcopal School of Dallas, Fairhill, Good Shepherd Episcopal, Greenhill, Highland Park Schools, Hockaday, Jesuit, J.J. Pearce High School, and other Richardson Schools, John Paul II, Levine Academy, Parish Episcopal School, Plano Schools, Prince of Peace, Shelton, SMU, St. Mark’s, Trinity Christian Academy, Urusline Academy, UTD, and Yavneh Academy. Courses and Services • Algebra • Biology • Calculus • Chemistry • Chinese • College Admissions Counseling • College Essay Guidance • Computer Programming • Economics • English • Geometry • German • Government • Hebrew • Grammar • History/Social Studies

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ISEE, SAT, and ACT Test Preperation Japanese Latin Math Organization Physics Reading Research Paper Strategies Social Skills Spanish Speech Statistics Study Skills Teacher Pleasing Skills Time Management Skills Writing

TLC Faculty:

We have 26 dedicated professionals, including four retired St. Mark’s teachers, who teach with skill and “tender loving care.” They specialize in teaching bright students who have learning differences, ADHD, emotional difficulties, or particular challenges with study skills, organization, or specific subjects. Our teachers also coordinate correspondence courses for credit through the University of Texas and Texas Tech University. They work with students during the day at various schools, and afternoons, evenings, and weekends at the TLC office. The group also offers summer enrichment courses. Call the office for information and available schedules.

Please call 972-680-9279 for more information.

culture

page

the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

L egend a r y

P ro f H its

Legendary

caliber

For Senior jevon oliver and other members of Legendary Profhits, being in a Rap Group isn’t only about making music — its also about brotherhood.

randKid JEV walked out of PG Recording Studio in Garland Aug. 7 with a satisfied smile on his face. He was followed by Ari Cold, Quay and ATM, all of them wearing the same satisfied smile. The smile of an artist who has just finished composing a masterpiece, or in the case of the members of Legendary ProfHits, recording their first mixtape, “Curse the Caliber.” What had initially begun as a duo of senior Jevon Oliver (GrandKid JEV) and former St. Mark’s student and Lancaster High School senior Langston Chandler (Ari Cold) rapping just for fun has grown into a legitimate group of four artists recording music and performing for crowds. “We initially formed the group with just me and Langston on Jan. 26, 2011, Langston’s birthday,” Oliver said. “I rapped and he rapped, but when we decided we wanted to take it to the next level, we brought in Quay [Nicholas Barnes, freshman at Texas Tech] as a singer and ATM [Anthony Martin, freshman at Houston Christian University] once it got more serious.” Inspired by artists such as J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar, the members of Legendary ProfHits started off by recording a few singles. Their first, “Love of Money,” was quickly followed by “Bet-

ter Days” and a remix of Drake’s “Headlines.” “When we started out with ‘Love of Money,’ we were just doing lyrics,” Oliver said. “The beat we used wasn’t even our own, just some random beat we found. But after the singles, everything we worked on went toward the mixtape.” Although the members have a passion for music, it is not always fun and games—Chandler confessed that being in the group is a huge time commitment. “This is a life commitment,” Chandler said. “From planning and networking to telling people to follow us at @profhits on Twitter, I think about my passion every second of every day.” eleasing the mixtape, however, was the greatest time commitment of all. Coming up with beats and lyrics as well as finding a recording studio and perfecting the music took the majority of this summer. “Making the music was time consuming, not to mention that we all had jobs. Just getting the money to do stuff, like purchasing shirts, business cards and recording time, took lots of effort,” Oliver said. “There were nights when I just stayed up and wrote because I was on a roll. The industry presents the music as if it’s all party, but it’s a lot of hard work. Talent only gets you

COMMITTED TO THE GAME Members of Legendary ProfHits (left to right) Jevon Oliver, Langston Chandler, Nicholas Barnes and Anthony Martin plan to take their music to the next level by developing a new style

ten percent of the way, and the rest is business and figuring out what you want to do.” Curse the Caliber, which currently has 1809 views and 52 downloads on datpiff.com, was only a first step in terms of the group’s goals. Legendary ProfHits already The industry presents the music as if it’s all party, but it’s a lot of hard work. Talent only gets you ten percent of the way. senior Jevon Oliver

has plans to release another mixtape but with a different sound. “We are going to put our all into this project,” Chandler said. “Listeners will notice our growth to as we ‘hone and own’ a brand new style. We plan to bring back hiphop roots with a twist in our next

mixtape.” For GrandKid JEV, being in Legendary ProfHits has not only been about music; it has completely changed his life. “It’s like night and day,” Oliver said. “To be respected as an artist, I legitimately had to change everyone’s perspectives, including the perspectives of my peers. Everything I’ve done has definitely been worth it though.” Being in the group has helped Langston not only change his own life but also strengthen the bond between him and his father, L.C., a Public Service Officer within the Dallas Police Department “It has allowed us to spend more father-son time together,”

Top Legendary ProfHits Songs • • •

Love of Money Winning Legendary

Legendary Caliber story by Tabish Dayani, staff writer | photos by Michael Doorey, head photographer

Alum Bradley Travis joins Yale’s a cappella group “We’re not technically students this year,” he said. By Vikram Pattabi staff writer “It certainly makes taking these kinds of trips much Continuing a Yale tradition over easier.” The Whiffenpoofs plan on touring widely, with 100 years old, Bradley Travis ‘09 plans on touring the country with Yale’s prestigious collegiate a cappella a scheduled trip to Harvard for the upcoming Harvard-Yale football game and a 100-day international group The Whiffenpoofs. The a cappella group started the year with a per- tour next summer. “I did tour previously with my underclassmen formance at the international Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree Oct. 17-21, singing 13 concerts during their 11 day group The Baker’s Dozen, but it’s certainly not the same,” he said. stay at the IdaD e ho festival. s p i t e A l Tr a v i s ’s though as previous a Marksman ex p er iences Travis origitouring, the nally favored rich tradition of orchestra over The Whiffenpoofs choir, he discovsets a high standard ered a love for singfor him, one he’s not ing when he joined afraid to meet. the group his sophoTheir famous anmore year. For him, them, The Whiffensupport from his poof Song, has been teachers, and espeperformed by many cially Lower School famous artists including fine arts teacher Mary Ann ROBBEY ORTH, ZUYVA SEVILLA ILLUSTRATION Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley and Livengood, motivated him Louis Armstrong. in his pursuit of singing. “There are expectations everywhere we go since “Both her husband and she really motivated me and inspired me, as I’m sure they’ve done for many the Whiffenpoofs have been visiting these places for other boys,” Travis said. “I also found the musicals the last 15 years or so.” Considering he’s one of only 14 Yale seniors acwith Hockaday to be really enjoyable and important cepted into the prestigious group each year, Travis in fostering my love for singing.” And Travis’s love for singing has become an in- views a cappella as a commitment on par with acategral part of his time at Yale. Along with his fellow demics or athletics. “All of us [in the Whiffenpoofs] try to excel in Whiffenpoof singers, Travis took the year off academically in order to pursue a cappella, which, with trav- song just as much in other collegiate activities,” Travis eling and weekly practices, now takes up much of his said. “Hopefully, our practice and dedication can lead to a successful season of performances.” time.

L.C. said. “It has helped me to understand him a lot better through his music.” Even though ATM is no longer a member of Legendary ProfHits because of his school’s location, the group members share an unbreakable bond of friendship, and being in the group together has brought them closer than the proverbial band of brothers. “The brotherhood in our group is phenomenal,” Chandler said. “We always have each other’s backs, and the mutual respect between us is so great that I don’t think blood would bring us any closer. Not to mention that their loyalty makes them like family. I feel as if being in ProfHits is a blessing.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

J osh

E insohn

‘ 9 0

From our

Community to his Josh Einsohn ‘90 is making waves in the television industry. A casting director for NBC’s hit show Community, Einsohn has booked A-list actors and worked on other hit shows like Mad Men. Staff writer Cole Gerthoffer sat down with Einshohn to learn more.

ON THE LOT Having served as casting director on some of television’s most successful shows, like The West Wing, Mad Men, and Smash, Einsohn now resides happily in the Community casting office in Paramount Studios. There, he works tirelessly booking stars for guest appearances on the show, now in its fourth season.

kay, he’s in.” Those were the magic words — the words that Josh Einsohn ’90 had been so anxiously awaiting. Those were the words that meant legendary actor Malcolm McDowell was coming to work with him. “It was a fantastic victory,” Einsohn said, “to be able to email the producers, the studio, and the network to let them know we’d closed that deal.” The network in question is NBC, where Einsohn serves as a casting director for the network’s cult-smash show, Community. There, his job entails finding and booking the sitcom’s bountiful guest stars, ranging from John Goodman to Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito. Prior to his work on Community, Einsohn helped cast such critically acclaimed shows as hit political-drama, The West

“

Wing, and AMC’s current Emmy-magnet, Mad Men. However, signing McDowell, star of Stanley Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange and current star of TNT’s Franklin and Bash, holds a special place in the casting director’s memory. “This was my first season as full casting director on the show,” Einsohn said. “Having this deal come so early in the season, on every level that one was a victory.... Most of what we do seems to come St. Mark’s educates you to educate yourself. That foundation has served me well, and I think it’s one of the reasons I’ve been as successful as I am. Josh einsohn ‘90

without a grand sense of accomplishment, but when you close a deal with Malcolm McDowell, that’s what feels really good.” With Community, Einsohn enjoys the success of booking A-list actors, but before that, he was working on simply making A-list grades in school. “I remember all the way back to my second grade drama class with Ms. Gavin,” he said. “We acted out King Arthur. I definitely remember that class, and how that inspired me.” His high school experience, Einsohn believes, left other, non-fine-arts impressions on him as well, including one crucial life-lesson. “St. Mark’s educates you to educate yourself,” Einsohn said. “That foundation has served me well, and I think it’s one of the reasons I’ve been as successful as I am. Knowing how to learn is critical here, in an

industry that’s so fluid in how it operates.” insohn knows that this fluidity, this constantly-moving nature of his current job in television can be tough to manage, but he also cites it as part of his job’s appeal. “It’s never stagnant,” he said. “There’s always a new episode, and we’re always having to find new talent. There’s always something new to learn. And that goes back to my education. I may not remember seventh-grade social studies, but learning how to learn has absolutely stuck with me.” And, whether it’s assembling the perfect cast or simply discovering new feelings of success, Einsohn is always learning. “I don’t know how people do jobs where they don’t get to learn new things,” he says, “It would be so boring, and that is not my life. And it won’t be.”

From our community to his story and photo by Cole Gerthoffer, reviews specialist | graphic by Zuyva Sevilla, staff artist

Eichenwald ’79, father of three Marksmen, writes best selling book ‘500 Days’

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By TABISH DAYANI staff writer After five years of hard work, he was finally finished. Years of researching, interviewing, writing, editing and rewriting, had finally come into fruition for bestselling author Kurt Eichenwald ’79, father of Adam ’10, senior Ryan and freshman Sam. He had finally finished his nonfiction book 500 Days, which tells the story of what happened during the 500 days after 9/11 and was published Sept. 11 this year. Kurt Eichenwald, who has written for The New York Times and currently writes for Vanity Fair, said that he actually spent a year just learning about the intelligence world. “The first phase of writing a book is pure reporting,” Kurt Eichenwald said, “like doing research, getting information and putting things in timelines, mostly the boring side of it. The real reporting actually only started in 2007.” The writing step of the process is much more interesting for Kurt Eichenwald. “When it’s actually time to sit down and write, I have a rule that I write three pages a day, no matter how good or bad they are,” Kurt Eichenwald said. “The next day, I’ll fix the previous three pages and write three more, and so on.” After Kurt Eichenwald finished writing the book in late 2011, he decided to dedicate the book to third grade teacher Frank Jordan. “It’s a wonderful feeling,” Jordan said. “I feel very honored and jokingly tell him that I taught him all of his writing skills. I feel like he’s accomplished a lot and I feel very honored to have the book dedicated to me.” The author of other bestselling books, The In-

formant and Conspiracy of Fools, Kurt Eichenwald said he had wanted to dedicate a book to Jordan for a long time. “Mr. Jordan was really a pivotal figure in my life,” the author of 500 Days said. “He was the first teacher I had whom I also considered a friend. He really inspired my love of reading and was an important part of my childhood. We’ve never lost touch, and he continues to be a part of my family.” Jordan, who is a surrogate grandparent to Kurt Eichenwald’s children, senior Ryan, freshman Sam, and Adam ‘10, said that even though they didn’t always see each other often, their lives were “meshed together.” “We actually went to a mountaintop in Canada one summer in fourth grade and I learned a lot about myself,” Kurt Eichenwald said. “It was a really important trip for me, and I’ve actually taken [Ryan] on it and plan to take my other children on this trip as well.” Although Jordan got him started on the path to becoming a writer, Kurt Eichenwald really decided he wanted to be a writer during his sophomore year in Swarthmore College. “I didn’t want to be stuck doing the same thing every day,” Kurt Eichenwald said. “I considered going into law, but that seemed limited in how far you can go. In journalism, you can go and write about anything you want.” As for future plans, Kurt Eichenwald says he doesn’t have a definite timeline. “Right now, I love writing for Vanity Fair,” Kurt Eichenwald said. “They’re fun pieces, and I enjoy writing them, but I’m sure I’ll write another book. However, it usually takes like five or six months before I sit down and actually say ‘I want to write another book.’”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

[ T E levision

[ rest a u r a nt

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Bite Sized The best fried chicken in DFW Reviews compiled by Cyrus Ganji

If you’re ever on the other side of the Trinity, be sure to take a trip down Commerce and enter the first trailer park in sight. The venue’s parking lot may be a repurposed horse pen, but don’t let looks fool you — this chicken fried is as dirty (in a good

Chicken Scratch - 2303 Pittman Street

Dead off to bloody good start AMC’s tentpole horror-drama is still serving up the goods

MC is at it again. For a network that hits homerun after homerun, with shows like Mad Men, Hell on Wheels and Breaking Bad, it should come as no surprise that they’ve hit the third season of The Walking Dead out of the park. Dead’s fresh season solidifies the network’s golden track record—and the zombie-apocalypse drama certainly has gotten off to a delightfully gory start. The first crop of episodes—which take place months after Season Two’s dramatic finale— find protagonist Rick and his remaining band of survivors scouting an overrun Georgia prison. As they make their home, they see a place of refuge, not detention. It’s made very clear that the crew, while comprised of the same people as previous seasons, has grown a lot in their hiatus. The relationship between Rick and Lori is as

strained as ever, Carol has overcome the loss of her daughter, and Rick’s son, Carl, has grown from a helpless child into a man — or so he thinks. Everyone, though, is trying to survive with Rick at the helm. As we learned in last season’s chilling final moments, this isn’t a democracy, and Rick’s decisions are going to greatly affect how this season plays out. From the get-go, Rick makes his team push into the prison walls. But, of course, if they survived easily once inside, where’s the fun in that? Dead’s producers must have fun crafting such thrilling action sequences and deranged zombie violence. So far this season, we’ve seen the survivors clash with hordes of zombies, or “walkers,” play “finders keepers” with a group of still-human prisoners, and face challenges that make fans wonder who to root for in their game of survival. It’s intense, and it’s disgustingly entertaining.

The writers and production team have laid the foundation for an exhilarating season, and the actors appear ready to give it their all. Granted, the show’s not flawless. Anyone who watches the show has to make some allowances. Sure, a zombie apocalypse is a ridiculous idea (at least until Dec. 21, 2012, when anything can happen), and some of the show’s action sequences and personal drama seem manufactured at times. While a few tense moments pay off in somewhat predictable, almost cheap ways, these moments rarely detract from the show. Why? This is The Walking Dead. Fans, and anyone watching, can allow for one main point: this show is about zombies. We’re not asking for much. We just want the scares and gore, and everything else is just icing on the cake. If that’s the case, The Walking Dead is the most brilliantly-iced zombie show around.

Apparently the world’s first time machine is located on North Henderson Avenue. And it serves fried chicken. Sissy’s

Southern Kitchen will transport you back to the good ol’ days. From the walls to the bar, this venue’s Southern roots will inject you with a twang stronger than a badly tuned banjo. Just don’t forget your wallet.

[ M O V I E

A-

zombies on tv

Community’s no stranger to parody episodes, but this Season 2 zombieoutbreak, with the world’s most undeadly Halloween party, might be the their funniest, zaniest spoof to date.

South Park“Night of the Living Homeless”

The X-Files“Millenium”

It’s not South Park’s first zombie-episode, but this 2007 gem managed to hilariously satirize America’s disdain for the homeless while sending up the entire zombie genre to boot.

One of TV’s all-time freakiest shows, The X-Files never failed to scare. Their 1999 zombie episode, one of the series’s most-watched, upped the creepiness to a whole new level.

ilver Linings Playbook has all the right people going for it: triedand-true director David O. Russell (The Fighter); and a couple of rising stars in Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Cooper’s star may be rising a little slower than Lawrence’s, but, to be fair, she’s lost her childhood twice in Winter’s Bone and The Hunger Games, while he was still losing his mind in The Hangover and struggling in Limitless to recover

review ]

whatever was left of it. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, recently released from a mental hospital, where he was held after assaulting his wife’s lover. He’s determined to turn himself around and soon finds an equally wayward soul in Tiffany (Lawrence), a young widow whom Pat intends to use as a gateway to normality. Will he leave Tiffany behind? I won’t spoil it for those who’ve yet to acquire a rudimentary knowledge of rom-com cliches. Silver Linings certainly has its strengths. The actors, tremendously, take full command of their characters. Cooper performs with such panache, he seems ready to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and kill a manjaro on his way up. Russell steers away from the merest hint of profundity, no doubt in an attempt to save it for the end, when it will count the most. The trouble is, by then, it’s too little, too late. The movie’s overall tone is relentlessly upbeat. For two hours, Pat declares his utter faith in finding silver linings. This man, and the plot, have nowhere to go but up. And we know it. Funny and inspirational, movies like Linings have a place in the world, but not when they play it so safe. > Silver Linings Playbook opens Nov. 21

review ]

Lamar crafts instant classic, begins sure-to-be-epic career

ho is Kendrick Lamar? So goes the question behind Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, a brilliant story-album, rife with the themes of inner-city identity. However, while Lamar asks this question of himself as an existential self-examination, mainstream listeners may ask the same question of this upand-coming rapper with total sincerity. Most music fans have never heard of him, so seriously, who the heck is this guy? Well, Kendrick Lamar is a twenty-five-year-old Compton native, a member of L.A. hip-

hop collective Black Hippy, and Dr. Dre’s brand-new protégé. Rising from almost total obscurity, Lamar burst onto the scene last year with his stellar Section.80. Now, with m.A.A.d city, his major-label debut, Lamar is sure to make himself a star. Over the album’s twelve genius tracks, Lamar recounts one life-changing night from his past, narrating from the naive perspective of his seventeen-year-old self. The songs lead us down a spiral of the good kid’s bad decisions, and whether he’s touching on young lust, drug use, or gang violence, Lamar always has something to say. Spoken-word dialogue snippets punctuate most songs, lending the album a bizarre but appreciated cinematic quality. The album’s subtitle reads “a short film by Kendrick Lamar,” and, considering how cohesive, vivid, and well-executed the narrative is, that moniker is perfectly apt. Lamar’s great pre-album singles, “The Recipe” and

Sissy’s - 2929 Henderson Avenue

Movie REVIEW by William Sydney

TElevision REVIEW by Dylan Clark, arts editor

[ Alb u m

Playbook is predictable, but pleasing

Community “Epidemology”

Try These Instead...

way) as it gets, and it’s geared to make you eat. If the cholesterol doesn’t bludgeon you into cardiac arrest, you’ll come running back for more.

“Swimming Pools,” only appear as bonus tracks on the finished m.A.A.d city. The actual album tracks are all denser, longer, and much more context-specific, which is precisely why you’ll probably never hear them on the radio. (Only Drake-featuring track “Poetic Justice” has any real FM potential). His music really defies comparison, but if you listen long enough, Lamar eventually begins to resemble Dr. Dre’s other famous protégé. Both Lamar and his Detroit-based, Grammy-winning, Caucasian counterpart espouse their inner-city stories with impossible diction, surprising sensitivity, and an absolutely monstrous command of the English language. Take m.A.A.d city opener “Sherane,” where Lamar spits a love-gone-wrong story with no conventional meter or rhyme scheme whatsoever. He doesn’t rhyme. He just goes, and the rhymes sprout up like natural springs. And with such thoughtful, clever verses, those springs would seem like springs of gold.

On lyrical standout “Money Trees,” the good kid debates whether to pursue physical pleasures or spiritual ones. “It go Halle Berry or hallelujah,” he raps, “pick your poison, tell me what you do.” It’s a chilling sentiment, especially when he follows it up with such a genius look at gang violence: “Everybody gon’ respect the shooter / but the one in front of the gun lives forever.” The genius lyrics, paired with Lamar’s God-given flow, already produce one heck of a listening experience. The album’s incredible overlying story, though, is what elevates this collection of tracks far above the realm of “good” or even “great.” In fact, good kid, m.A.A.d city is the best album in years. So, who is Kendrick Lamar? On triumphant closing track, “Compton,” Lamar just might have an answer for us. The track begins with the introduction of “King Kendrick Lamar.” And even if he’s not a king yet, Lamar’s certainly on his way.

A+

Album REVIEW by Cole Gerthoffer, reviews specialist

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commentary on student affairs

Thefts 18

THE REMARKER | Friday, nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 18

Heat Index 19

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editorial

Campus thefts merit further investigation

e’ve always enjoyed a sense of security at St. Mark’s (evidenced by the backpacks spilling out laptops and iPods that are seen on campus). But theft does exist here. In years past, students lost laptops and backpacks. The majority of thefts, however, were student-based pranks that got out of hand — meaning the stolen goods were often returned. But the evidence this year suggests these new thefts are of a different, more serious nature. Not only are the thefts more frequent this year (six reported cases to the Upper School office since Aug. 22), they are more serious. Unlike the past, none of the items

stolen this year have resurfaced. With more than $3,000 in stolen goods, hallways, locker rooms and even locked offices are no longer safe. Even more disturbing, there seems to be a pattern in the thefts. Two thirds of the thefts this year occurred between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on a Thursday (see infographic). Patterns like this immediately narrow the host of potential suspects and should be investigated thoroughly by Assistant Head of Upper School John Perryman and other school officials. This type of pattern in the crimes could be ascribed to circumstance; but it also warrants a serious investigation. Students have

lost laptops with college essays on them, family heirlooms and valuable jewelry. They deserve a concerted and legitimate effort on their behalf. Director of Finance and Administration Suzanne Townsend is considering hiring Kroll Security, a company that performed a security audit for the school five years ago, to re-vamp the school’s video surveillance system. We support this move fully. With better technology we can stymie the increasing trend of thefts by pinpointing culprits. With cameras at every entrance to every building, security officials can monitor the flow of individuals into a building. Given a specific time frame, they can then narrow down

October Thefts

potential suspects. Students, too, can help. Students need to report thefts in a timely and detailed fashion to Perryman and director of security Julious Conner. Information is the only way administrators and security officials can proceed responsibly and with due haste in their efforts to stop the thefts. To bring back the old culture of safety here, we need efforts by students, administrators and security officials. We are a school with vast resources. Curbing these harmful thefts is by no means an insurmountable task. In fact, it is a necessary task.

Tues. Weds. Thurs. Fri.

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Outside of Hoffman

Macbook with college essays and homework

4-5p.m.

Locker room ROBBEY ORTH ART

$50 and a family heirloom (money clip)

4-7:30p.m. Hicks Gym

Editor’s Office

4-5p.m.

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$80 from a wallet

$1000 watch

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October 2012

Mon.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Political Forum fosters healthy discourse longstoryshort ith the presidential election 29 30 31 the coming closer, many seniors

editorial

concise opinion

GOOD

Lewis MacAdams visit

English Department Chair Bobbi Mailer masterfully utilized the resources visiting poet Lewis MacAdams had to offer. She coordinated hands-on sessions with all relevant classes and clubs. Visits like these should be used as models for the future.

the

SO-SO

drawn in seniors, but it has also lured several juniors and even a few sophomores into the mix. This influx of students who are politically aware is a drastic change from the student body earlier this year. We laud the student creators of the forum and its sponsor, history instructor Bill Marmion, for making even a small part of the community more politically aware. Because of it, more and more students have learned about the topics and can take part in one of the most sacred of American freedoms: to cast their vote for the president of the United States.

Homecoming pep rally

Cheerleaders are due credit for their impressive performance and the Middle and Lower School students for their contagious energy. But, Upper School students should have set an example by displaying more spirit for the special event.

the

BAD

Heating and cooling

Students complain about extreme temperatures in buildings, especially during the winter months. For example, in the Science Building — the windows often fog up because of the extreme heat inside. Daily monitoring of temperatures could easily solve this problem.

ZUYVA SEVILLA ART

TALKING POINTS Senior Zachary Burdette makes a point about the Second Presidential Debate. Founder Sam LIbby, a senior, presides over the Political Forum Club and keeps the discussions civil and grounded in fact.

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

— and even a few juniors — have researched the issues of the day and will cast their vote for president of the United States. Nine months ago, however, this student body, on the whole, was politically unaware. We addressed that issue in last April’s cover story, “Swing Vote,” in which we examined why the community seemed so politically apathetic. The article encouraged people to get involved in the electoral process and excited about casting their vote in this election. As school began this year, the Political Forum, which focuses on increasing political awareness, did just that. We applaud all the students and faculty members involved with the forum for their service to the school community. Because of the forum, many students have immersed themselves in the topics debated upon by the presidential nominees and are now able to cast an educated vote. The Political Forum, an offshoot of last year’s Current Events club, aims at increasing students’ knowledge about the critical issues of the election. Lately, the format of the meetings has been centered on the questions raised in the three presidential and one vice presidential debate. What started as a very small group of participants has quickly grown to incorporate more than 20 students, often overflowing the room. Not only has the forum successfully

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

rachit

Enough with the blame game

Mohan

e’ve seen a pattern now. Last week’s shootings at the Azana Day Spa around 11 a.m. Oct. 21 in Brookfield, Wisconsin, the Aurora, Colorado shootings of this summer and the horrendous Tucson, Arizona shooting of early 2011 all have one common theme. They were all mere appetizers to the shots that would be fired across the nation in the following weeks. The conservatives seized the opportunity, blasting President Barack Obama and his administration for allegedly creating a heightened level of rancor amid the people and used these terrible incidents as fuel for the gun control debate. The liberals fired right back, saying that the conservatives had painted a picture of America in which shootings such as these might be considered a logical course of action through their lax stances on gun control. Eventually, a consensus brought a halt to the volley. These shooters’ insanity made them exempt from human reason, so analysis of motivation is unnecessary. This put an end to the giant national blame game: nobody is responsible. The shooters think differently from the rest of us; they’re freaks, aliens. But am I truly to believe that their outbursts were due

solely to faulty mental hard-wiring? And were these incidents really only the fault of random societal outliers? Maybe not. What pushes evildoers to do what they do? Is it desire for personal glory? Sociopathy? Vitriol? Does the fault lie solely with them or with society too? One commonly held notion is the very optimistic one that wrongdoing is a matter of personal discretion. A criminal clearly chooses the path of crime over the various virtuous paths offered to him. The faults of an individual are solely a function of his own shortcomings. This principle is described by the Hindu tenet of Karma, one with which I have been affiliated since a very young age. Karma says that everyone chooses his own path and garners his own consequences. I, however, have always had a problem with this explanation. With this belief, society washes its hands of any responsibility, and with a clean conscience, we all focus on punishing the offenders instead of eradicating the problem. But why would a human go out of his way to disrupt the flow of things as they occur? We, as humans, seek love, acceptance, and fame. Thus, the idea that the responsibility

for personal action lies solely with the wrongdoer appears to be misguided or at least not entirely adequate. Would James Earl Ray have been dared to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. if not for the residual racism that existed in his society? To amend the words of the classic adage: it takes a village to raise a killer. Social expectations, prejudices and values bear a substantial burden of the responsibility for wrongdoing. Crimes are merely the culmination of malintentions as embodied by a single individual. I find it hard to convince myself that our hands are all clean of the blood shed in Wisconsin, Arizona, and Colorado. While I do not mean to suggest that we all bear the same burden of guilt as these killers breathe the same air we breathe, watch the same TV shows we watch, hear the same commentary Social expectations, prejudices and values bear a substantial burden of the responsibility for wrongdoing. Crimes are the culmination of bad intentions as embodied by a single individual.

we hear. Pretending that the opinions of the American people are not reflected in their behavior would be ridiculous. American ideals are not immediately negated when they reach the minds of mentally unstable people. Certainly, I do not suggest that taking a gun and firing at spa-goers are akin to Glenn Beck or Chris Matthews’s commentary. Nor do I suggest that the rancor we see in election-time commentary is in any way comparable to these killers’ deeds. By no means am I implying that the disrespectful comments of politicians are the same as committing murder in cold blood. We are, however, responsible for what we do and what we say. It is our America in which self-control is becoming a rare commodity. It is our nation where arms are easily acquired. It is our society in which people are urged to follow their emotional whims. Though only a few people who commit evil are guilty, we are all responsible. While it is easier to write-off accidents as someone else’s fault, we have to accept that we all have a hand in these acts of violence. The blame game doesn’t solve problems, it only makes them happen over and over.

The

heat Playoff season | Smoke show

What’s hot — and what’s not — around 10600 Preston Road

A Night to Remember | On fire

Ready the troops. Grab the vuvuzelas. It all comes down to this. Rain or shine, hot or cold, our Lions will be storming the field and going to battle tomorrow against the Kinkaid Falcons in the first football playoff game. It’s do or die, and those Falcons are charging up here from the carcinogenic coast that is Houston to kill our dreams of winning SPC. It’s time to rally, Marksmen. Let’s go, Lions.

What wasn’t to love? The food was delectable, our dates looked stunning. Marksmen, fists-a-pumping, moved rhythmically through the lazer pierced haze–it was transcendental. Well, it was at least more successful than the actual Titanic. Also, I don’t know if anybody else caught Mr. Cox dancing, but Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown are going to have some serious competition come McDonald’s Week.

Politicians on Social Media | Frosty Okay guys, it’s fantastic that you’re watching the debates and keeping up with the politics of the day. Kudos for that. But please, for the love of God, stop posting it on Facebook or Twitter or whatever other social media outlet you use. Believe it or not, when you post five different things in a ten minute span, it gets old. Seriously. So please, during political season, keep your 140 character rants to yourself. Your Facebook friends and Twitter followers thank you in advance.

Senior Fridays | Chilly Seniors, let’s step it up, and not let past classes show us up. If we are going to have these themed Senior Fridays, then what’s stopping us from going all out? Our fearless leader Dylan Kirksey is hung out to dry every Friday as he commits to these themes and shows up hopeful to school every week only to be let down. It’s time to take advantage of our new priveleges. Unite!

Dylan Kirksey cartoon Lion Tracks: “...all students must wear a conservative belt”

This is not my best work. This is NOBODY’S best work.

no more big government!

DYLAN KIRKSEY ‘CARTOONIST ’

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

‘...and this tall guy has his arm around my sister. Not okay.’

Daniel

Hersh

“How do I look?” she asks. It’s her freshman year Sadie’s dance tonight. “Has Dad seen this yet?” She ignores my question. He’s out of town. How can she go out in public like this? This is my little sister. She doesn’t do anything with guys. No. She just can’t. ••• I think back to the Slightly Stoopid concert. Short-shorts everywhere, and it looked like some girls thought wearing a shirt was optional. “These girls look hot,” I thought to myself. I didn’t judge, I didn’t care. Hell – I’ll admit it – I even liked it. They were just having fun at a concert, dressing however

iniature jeans shorts cling to her legs tighter than a first grader to his senior buddy’s neck at the Christmas party. As she struts through the house, the ends of her way-toolow-cut black AC/DC shirt flutter through the air. I stare at my “little” sister, Rachel. “…You’re wearing that?”

There is no way I’m going to let my innocent little sister go to Sadie’s with this random guy whom I have never met before. And this tall guy has his arm around my sister. Not okay.

they wanted. I didn’t care how they dressed, and I figured I never would. They were old enough to choose their wardrobe for themselves. I figured my philosophy would last for good. None of that over-protective parent stuff. I won’t be the parent who doesn’t let his kid go to concerts or who harasses him to do his homework every night. My kids will have a free spirit and lots of fun. I’ll be the cool dad. Laid back, but still able to raise an upstanding kid. It can’t be that hard, right? “Son, go have a good time. Be responsible. But have fun.” I’m not saying I won’t discipline my children when it’s needed, but I

don’t want to be the dad who won’t let his daughter go out because her skirt stops above her knee. But of course, remember who’s talking: an 18 year-old guy. I’ll trust her to make that decision for herself. As long as she is comfortable with what she is wearing, then I’ll be fine with it too. That’s my philosophy. ••• Well, that didn’t last too long. I try my best to stay upstairs while my sister and her date take pictures. Watching The Office takes my mind off what is going on down in the living room. But when I come down to grab some dinner, I catch a glimpse of them. Okay, her date is taller than me. Strike three. I don’t care if there’s no

strike one or two. I’m definitely not cool with this. There is no way I’m going to let my innocent little sister go to Sadie’s with this random guy whom I have never met before. And this tall guy has his arm around my sister. Not okay. I guess I’m not going to be as cool of a dad as I thought. I guess I’m going to give my kid an early curfew and get angry if she misses it. I guess I’m going to end up being one of those over-protective parents. Future daughter: Sorry. I know it’s not fair, but it’s non-negotiable. I apologize in advance. Now go change that skirt.

Talking heads

Matthew Brown

What do you think of x2VOL in general? x2VOL’s horrible. I know we had an introduction to x2VOL, but it’s still hard to use. It’s really stressful. Have you volunteered more or less hours now that x2VOL’s in place? Definitely less. It’s a lot harder to sign up, and you never know who’s going and who the project representative is. It also ruined the tradition of running to the community service board in Centennial to sign up for projects. What about the problems with x2VOL? The first time I tried to register and log in, it took forever. x2VOL also thought I was a Community Service board member. And some people haven’t even registered yet. How about the problem of full projects and people who drop out at the last minute? Most projects are filled up by people who know how to work the website. Then if they find out they can’t go, they cancel at the last minute. People who know how to work x2VOL better than others can get more hours because they get the spots first. Before, everybody knew where to go to sign up for projects. Now it’s just a matter of how well you know how to work x2VOL. Why’s the old system with the community service board better than x2VOL? Last year, I went to projects with friends, and we did the job well. But if you’re alone and don’t know anyone around you, you’re not as likely to work together. Most people I’ve talked to dislike x2VOL. The whole process makes it really difficult to help out the community.

What do you think of x2VOL in general? x2VOL is a well thought-out tool that is a necessary evolution of the old system. I understand the viewpoint of those who are against x2VOL: it was mine for a while. Change is hard, but it’s usually necessary. Have you volunteered more or less hours now that x2VOL’s in place? My level of volunteering remains unchanged by x2VOL. What about the problems with x2VOL, like issues with logging in? There is definitely something to be said for the old paper system. Humans finished debugging paper thousands of years ago; x2VOL is brand new. While there’s bound to be an issue at the outset, I think most have been resolved at this point. How about the problem of full projects and people who drop out at the last minute? The paper system required a higher standard of commitment. Now, guys can revoke their commitment with the click of a button whenever it’s convenient. This is an inherent flaw in the system, and something that should possibly be addressed as a matter of integrity. Why is x2VOL better than the old system? Despite the flaws, x2VOL is a great tool to get us more involved in and aware of community service. Having a 24-hour personal portal for community service is a definite improvement over journeying to the unknown realm of the community service board. Overall, I believe it will help to strengthen out school’s already deep commitment to community service.

▶

The Community Service Board’s new system of sign up procedures and reporting for various service projects, x2VOL has been met by Marksmen with both criticism and praise. We asked two students, junior Matthew Brown and senior Michael Gilliland, for their opinions.

Michael Gilliland

remarker student newspaper

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cheating

page

the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

As the school enters the 21st century with new technology policies and greater emphasis on group work, opportunities to violate the academic dishonesty policy are increasing exponentially. St. Mark’s teachers and students are looking for ways to stop the cheating before it starts.

be met with the same repercussions.” Mankoff, too, acknowledges the integration of technology into the school day as the leading cause for “new” cheating, realizing the increasing amount of options that arrive with the inundation of gadgets and devices. “I think that technology has definitely helped to define each of our opinions about cheating,” he said. “From my understanding of old TV shows and the perspective of my parents, cheating used to be looking at people’s answers during tests and copying homework. Now that we have our phones with us at all times, different avenues for cheating have been exploited.” Senior John Gilmore understands the new routes to dishonesty that have opened up and believes the definition of cheating should be adjusted accordingly. “Cheating should be re-defined as using any outside knowledge other than what the professor gives a student in order to have an advantage,” he said. “Which includes the use of cellphones, laptops or any means of possible electronic communication.” Gilmore proposes that the misuse of technology should be punished as normal cheating and met with a loss of privilege. “I believe that an individual who is caught misusing technology such as a laptop in order to obtain an advantage over his peers should be punished for choosing the effortless and disgraceful path of cheating,” Gilmore said. “Perhaps he should lose his privilege as a student to bring a laptop to school.” Because this new medium for cheating has complicated the process for regulating and disciplining plagiarism and academic fraud, Milliet views ethics education as the most effective deterrent against the crime. Once kids fall behind and do it once, and they don’t get caught, they’re just that much more inclined to do it again. The very best thing that can happen if you’re cheating is that you get caught.” Brachman Master Teacher Martin Stegemoeller

“The thing that we have going for us here at St. Mark’s to serve as an obstacle to cheating is our strong leadership and ethics program,” Milliet said. “We want to create and foster an attitude where students don’t even want to cheat.” For Brachman Master Teacher Martin Stegemoeller, who directs the Leadership and Ethics Program, students should have a clear idea of where the line starts with academic dishonesty. “The concept of cheating isn’t floating around waiting for us to hit it with a BB gun,” he said. “In 90% of the situations, you know you’ve done something wrong, and in the other 9.9%, you know it’s a grey area and you can always ask your teacher.” Stegemoeller also recognizes the picture extends beyond crime and punishment. The moral education he looks to impart to his stu-

dents is critically important. “When you cheat, you’re doing a lot of harm to who you are that you might not be aware of,” he said. “It’s a habit. Once kids fall behind and do it once, and they don’t get caught, they’re just that much more inclined to do it again. The very best thing that can happen if you’re cheating is that you get caught.” ccording to English Department Chair Bobbi Mailer, a key step in cheating prevention is knowledge of the rules about what can and cannot be done in regards to completing assignments. “I think there’s no excuse for cheating because the guidelines are stated so clearly in writing in several places and by every single teacher here,” Mailer said. “As long as a student follows the policies for his classes, he’s going to be able to get what he needs and shouldn’t need to step over the line into some form of cheating.” Moreover, Mailer doesn’t understand the motives behind cheating, knowing that each and every student is capable of succeeding on his own without the falsities and dishonesty. “I believe that every student at St. Mark’s is capable of coming up with his own interesting, profound, and important ideas. We just don’t have students who don’t have interesting ideas to share.” Mailer sees not only the harm that students, wittingly or unwittingly, commit on themselves, but the harm they do to the system they serve as students. “Plagiarism is the crime that attacks the very foundation of the academic institution,” she said, “in the same way that attacking someone’s human dignity shakes the foundation of personhood. Maybe for a bank the equivalent crime is embezzlement. You can go through other professions and think about the act that most undermines each one. For the academic institution, it’s plagiarism.” While the Honor Principle and other written rules serve as guiding hands for students over their course of study, Stegemoeller hopes to communicate a message that stopping academic dishonesty comes from within. “We want kids to realize the internal cost of being a cheater,” he said. “It’s breaking trust with a teacher, habitually not caring if your work is your work, taking a better grade than you ought vis-à-vis your peers. Those habits, when you explain them properly, kids really don’t want them as an adult man. They’re bad, bad habits.” Ultimately, the faculty believes that cheating habits must be stopped before students enter the real world, where consequences can be much worse than in high school. “When cheating and plagiarism happen in the adult world,” Mailer said. “people lose their jobs. Cheating is even more destructive in the world after school than in school because after school it causes a very public loss of personal and professional reputation and loss of occupation, while at St. Mark’s the penalty is suspension or expulsion. We don’t want to send young men out into the world thinking that being a cheater is a viable way to operate because it isn’t.”

▶ by Paul Gudmundsson and Will Moor, managing editors | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

Scandals in the news JIM HENDERSON PHOTO

ith the growing integration of technology in the classroom and the growing acceptance of collaborative learning, the “letter” of cheating law becomes more blurry every year. However, members of the St. Mark’s community hope that the spirit that governs the school’s honor principle can guide students towards good decisions. Mathematics Department Chair Joe Milliet acknowledges the ever-increasing market for potential cheating, citing the ease of the cheating due to technology as the major cause rather than a growing ethical deficit. “When this generation finds information easily accessible through the web, it has facilitated cheating,” Milliet said. “In my day when you had to work in the library and look through books, you were much less likely to hand that over to somebody else. Now, research is much easier. The right-wrong issue had moved, it’s just easier to do now.” With the growing dependence on technology in and out of the classroom, the door to cheating opportunities has been blown off its hinges, creating a dilemma for teachers and administrators throughout the school. “The digital world has facilitated cheating, and I don’t think that the safeguards are in place to stop it,” Milliet said. “I worry a great deal about our new digital device policy, because when the phones were off, then if a kid tried to take a picture of a test, he had to get that phone out and turn it on. Now it’s already on and it can be done so fast. The test is out. I worry about that quick spread of information.” Although Milliet acknowledges that the potential for cheating has risen thanks to the digitization of the academic world, he suspectd the true problems are still on the horizon. “Cheating was around in 1976 when I started, it’s around now,” Milliet said. “What I’ve seen is because of the digital world, it’s easier to do. I think there has been a rise since I started, but I don’t think that the tsunami has hit yet. I think that the tidal wave is building, and we have to figure out a way to police that stuff to be one step ahead of the cheaters.” Contrary to Milliet, however, junior Bradley Mankoff believes he has seen an uptick in the amount of cheating he witnesses at St. Mark’s recently. “I see cheating that barely crosses the line on an almost daily basis, and more severe cheating about every month, but in past years I’ve seen it weekly,” Mankoff said. “But I would emphasize that I hear about that more important cheating weekly and am sure that it happens likewise.” Senior Kevin Bass credits that influx of cheating to cell phones, determining that the school should be sure to punish technological dishonesty. “With modern cell phones having access to the internet, cheating has become a lot more accessible to students,” Bass said. “The means of cheating are drastically different now than they were 20 years ago. However, the act of cheating is still the same as before and should

Who: 66 students at New York’s elite Stuyvesant High School When: June 2012 What: Cheating on a state-administered competence exam How: A student used his cell phone to photograph tests and sent the photos to dozens of classmates. Fallout: Students involved faced up to 12 days of suspension. BETNUZER HANS PHOTO

cheating

YOUR CHEATIN’ HEART Especially with the new cell phone and mobile device policy, access to the internet and communication with peers are ever more accessible during the school day. From homework assignments to final exams, cheating is easier than ever before. With all the new outlets for cheating, school faculty members believe that academic dishonesty must be stopped ahead of time through ethics education.

Who: Lance Armstrong, Seven-time Tour de France Champion What: Allegedly violating statutes set down by the World Anti-Doping Agency When: 2012 investigations ranged from 2011 to 1998 How: Armstrong was accused of using drugs like Erythropoietin and testosterone to enhance performance Fallout: Armstrong was stripped of all his professional racing titles from 1998 on.

ZEITNER MUNS PHOTO

a question of

Who: 125 students in Government 1310: Introduction to Congress When: May 2012 during Harvard’s final exam What: The students stand accused of cheating on a take-home final exam at the end of the 2011-2012 school year How: The university cites collaboration between students in person and over email the exam Fallout: Most students, many of whom were athletes, took leaves of absence for the current academic year. Investigations are ongoing.

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

sprint. sports around campus

Lions Football page 26

Coach Bart Epperson’s experienced squad is 7-1, and junior quarterback John Webb was the Park Cities Ford ‘Built Ford Tough’ player of the week.

THE REMARKER | Friday, NOv. 2, 2012 | PAGE 22

upcoming

Sporting Events in the week ahead

today

weekend

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

Led by senior captains Brandon Stetler, Carl Dickson, Oliver de la CroixVaubois and Alex Tassopoulos, the volleyball team has clinched the first seed in the SPC tournament, which begins next Friday at the Trinity Valley School.

the

< Junior Teddy Edwards celebrates after spiking the ball against Bishop Dunne. The team enters the SPC tournament next Friday as the top seeded team.

tip-off

▶ The SPC football

playoffs begin against Kinkaid at 3 p.m. tomorrow at home. The Lions look to secure their spot in the SPC championship next weekend.

▶ Both the varsity and JV cross country teams will have an SPC time-trial at Norbuck park, starting at 4:30 p.m. today.

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

•••

Saints and The Oakridge School. Although the eighth grade team finished the season on two losses, the seventh grade team finished with three straight wins.

•••

The Middle School cross country team started the season with one second place finish and three first place finishes. Eighth grader Daniel Cope finished first in the last three meets he has competed in.

•••

Seventh graders Jake Horigome-Pigg, Abdullah Akbar and Allan Zhang received silver and bronze medals, Freshman Matthew Placide respectively, in the Y14 mixed foil event at ••• the “North Texas Grand Prix” Both the seventh and eighth fencing tournament held at St. grade football teams finished Mark’s. Eighth grader Kaden Han 5-2. The eighth grade team had also received a bronze medal in two shutouts — the first against the Y14 mixed saber event. The All Saints and the second Middle School fencing team has against Oakridge — while the had 15 students participate in seventh grade team had four five different events. while suffering losses to All

hotshots

▶ Soccer, basketball and wrestling preseason practices continue. Those not playing a fall sport are expected to come to these practices. ▶ Varsity volleyball travels to Fort Worth to take on the best SPC has to offer. In this two-day tournament, the Lions look to bring home their first championship since 2009. The games will be played on Friday and Saturday. ▶ The SPC football championship (if team qualifies) will be played at 4 p.m., Nov. 10 at Pennington Field in Bedford.

•••

Senior Warren Smith and sophomore Timothy Simenc were named Water Polo AllAmericans this past summer, and seniors Michael Gilliland and Warren Smith and juniors Matt Mahowald, Bradley Mankoff and Jack Pigott all were named Academic All-Americans. Requirements for being an All-American include playing for a high school team and competing in regional and state tournaments. While being named Academic All-American is an easier feat to accomplish than being named and All-American, it is still a difficult task to achieve. A 3.6 GPA must be maintained throughout the year and it is required to compete in a state tournament or the annual Junior Olympics in California. Mankoff, Mahowald, Gilliland and Smith were also recognized as being Outstanding Achievers, meaning they maintained at least a 4.0 GPA throughout the year.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES IN LIONS’ ATHLETICS

Dominating the Dutch Junior John Caldwell caught four touchdowns – three in the first quarter – against Holland Hall Oct. 19. Caldwell leads the team with 1143 receiving yards and looks to carry the team through two more games — to the Lions’ first SPC championship since 2008.

“

Watching kids grow is just indescribable. I see them maturing from four-yearolds going to summer camp into lawyers and doctors. Teaching is the joy of my life. Page 25

timeout

next week

a roundup of studentS’ athletic accomplishments

Both the seventh and eighth grade volleyball teams had strong seasons, with the seventh grade team having seven wins and the eighth graders with eight. Both teams recorded wins against Ft. Worth Country Day and Trinity Valley School. Storming out of the gates under head coach Slade Manos, the JV football team finished its season 6-2. After defeating the Mart Panthers 32-28 and the Cistercian Hawks 14-6, they fell to All Saints 36-12 before winning their last three games a combined 99-0.

▶ The varsity fencing team will be competing in the Texas Interscholastic Fencing Association Championships tomorrow and Sunday at Hockaday.

LON "COACH" MCQUISTON

Fresh-cut Graass Freshman J.T. Graass took seventh place in the varsity three-mile run at the Trinity Valley Invitational Oct. 20 with a time of 16:23. Graass has established himself as an emerging star on the team, which hopes to reclaim SPC and defeat rival Austin St. Andrew’s.

Opinion

Sam

Khoshbin

The tennis playing astronaut fireman

he went up and down the row, asking us where we wanted to go with tennis. Our ages ranged from 8 to 17 years old. She started by asking the younger kids. With a smile, John Mee, the first boy in the lineup said, “I want to go pro.” The coach didn’t smile or frown. The look on her face just made her seem aloof. Looking back on it, it reminded me of the look on the face of the woman who worked at the DPS who gave me a driver’s license. It didn’t matter to her. The next kid, pro. The next one, pro. Then me, pro. But as the kids she asked got older, their answers changed. They went from, “I want to play Division I college tennis,” to “I want to be captain of the tennis team,” to, “I hope I can make the high school team,” all the way to, “I’m just playing to keep in shape.” Coach Lauren didn’t even seem startled by the last answer. At the time, I thought it was strange. It seemed to me that as long as I was going to tennis practice I might as well go pro. I thought the other eight year olds and me had it right. I still hadn’t figured out how I was going to fit being a professional tennis player along with being an astronaut and fireman, but I knew I had it right.

•••

I am now twice as old as I was when I answered that question, and I now know that I won’t be goIt seemed to me ing pro. Reality hit that as long as I me. was going to tennis So did school. practice I might And so did as well go pro. I the amount of still hadn’t figured hours in a day. out how I was A combination going to fit being a of losing naiveté professional tennis and gaining realplayer along with ism came upon being an astronaut me along with the and fireman, but I years. However, I knew I had it right. still have a shot at playing tennis for a college team. What if my goal as an eight year-old was to just play tennis to stay in shape? If that was my goal I may have never even reached it. The older me might have had to disregard that idea as stupid or too time-consuming. And what if I never lost all of my ability to be naïve? Having a lack of negativity may have made me a better player. Sometimes it can be a good thing to think like an eight year-old. A kid who is not totally in touch with the real world and expects more out of himself than might even be possible. I still don’t know if the older kids in that row of players, standing next to the hopefuls who stood just above their waistlines, were being realistic or pessimistic. I also don’t know what their answers were when they were still small. But I know that eight year-old could have gone pro.

sports around campus

Glanton family golf 24

Lon “Coach” McQuiston 25

Russell Labhart 26

Skybox 27

Overtime 28

MICHAEL DOOREY PHOTO

THE REMARKER | Friday, nov. 2, 2012 | PAGE 23

The all encompassing world of athletics Gatorade, Gatorade — and more Gatorade

78 MA OD GO

Lions’ football drinks more than 100 Gatorades during a game night and the cross country team gulps down gallons of powdered Gatorade.

NP HO TO

approximate number of Gatorades for volleyball and fencing per match.

We like electrolytes Despite the enormous role that the Athletic Department plays for all sports, parents and athletes in sports like volleyball and fencing pick up odds and ends like Gatorades. In an average game day, Lions’ volleyball may drink more than 50 Gatorades while Lions’ fencing may drink fewer than 30.

Price per sport for the athlete >

he Athletic Department’s budget is responsible for transportation, officials, travel expenses and much more. Each year, a large portion of athletics’ budget, which represents approximately five percent of the school’s operating budget, goes towards the uniforms and the equipment for the Lions’ teams. And each year, Director of Athletics Mark Sullivan decides what gets to stay, what has to go and what replacements need to be made. Although equipment and uniforms may not be as a large of an expense as transportation and officials, they are the most varied, intricate and detailed expenses. The coaches of each team usually request items, and Sullivan must approve their purchases. Extra items are provided in the popular spirit packs bought by the family, which are either

A look at how much the player spends for football, baseball and lacrosse

lacrosse football gloves - $40 cleats - $110 girdle - $40

$190

organized by the players, the coaches or the parents of the team. In general, the only necessary items that are not provided by the school are personal items such as shoes, socks, sorts of gloves and undergarments. Players coming ready with these personal items make the process of becoming prepared more efficient and easier for both the players and coaches. The effectiveness and ability to provide is thanks to the resources available to the Athletic Department. What players and coaches need to compete at a high level determines the size of the budget. It is not the size of the budget that determines what the players and coaches receive. And that is exactly how the amount of money each sport receives is determined: each sport is given what is deemed necessary.

shoulder pads - $75 elbow pads - $60 helmet - $200 gloves - $110 cleats - $90 stick - $150 bag - $80

$765

baseball batting gloves - $30 cleats - $100 helmet - $30 jersey - $20 pants - $40 glove - $90 bat- $250 bag - $50 belt - $15

$625 < Junior Malcolm Bowman

< Senior Evan Chang-Tung

Athletics story by Sam Khoshbin, sports editor, additional reporting by Ford Robinson and Teddy Edwards, staff writers

< Senior Michael Doorey

sports

page

the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

gl a nton

From family to fairways

mong the first things the Glantons will tell about tournaments is that they’re extremely fun. Not stuffy. Not boring. Not anything like you’d expect.

Sophomore Garrett Glanton: Definitely I had the same perspective you did about golf, that it was boring and slow, but watching those guys go out and play really made it look fun. They get really fired up. Garrett: At the Ryder Cup [2012] there were European planes that wrote things in the sky

f a mil y

gol f

Having a father on the PGA Board of Directors has its perks. For brothers Garrett and Brooks Glanton, no advantage has been bigger than getting to see golf’s biggest names compete for PGA Chamipionships and Ryder Cups — multiple times. After their father, Ronny Glanton, finished his term on the board this September, the three Glanton men reflect on all they’ve seen on the tours.

the PGA championship 2010] watching Bubba Watson, the crowd was egging him on to hit the driver because he had his hybrid [a type of golf club] out. So he finally takes out his driver and hits it 360 yards right toward the green. The crowd went wild. That’s pretty amazing to see. Ronny: At the PGA championship this year, I was the 18th hole announcer for the last two and a half hours, and that was a pretty cool experience. I was standing there announcing Tiger’s group coming in. And he’s on the green, and I announce his hometown, and I mispronounce it. I said Hob-ey, South Florida,

have gotten up close and personal with some of the tour’s biggest names. Some of them are endearing. Others? Not as much.

Seventh Grader Brooks Glanton: At the 2012 PGA championship. Garrett and I walked up to Tiger Woods, like five feet away, to ask him for an autograph, and he just said no. Just flat no. Ronny: Tiger won’t give an autograph. The European players seem to be a lot more respectful to spectators and more easy-going. The Americans seem a little uptight. Tiger just won’t give an autograph. Phil will give one if the camera’s on him. Ronny: One time I saw an older lady standing with a flag. Keegan Bradley walks by, and she says, “Would you mind signing my flag?” He said “I don’t have time” walking right by. I kind of lose respect for guys at that point. I guess they’re getting pulled on from so many directions that at a certain point they have to draw the line, but that still bothers me a little bit. Ronny: At the 2011 PGA Championship I was responsible for taking the players to the media center, and they asked me to take Jason Dufner. And he’s never won a major championship before and he’s leading, so he’s pretty excited. He calls his mom, and ROAD TRIPS The he says, “Mom, can you believe Glanton family — Ronny, Melissa, Brooks I’m leading?” And then he calls and Garret (above) — his girlfriend with the same enjoys the 2010 PGA emotion. This is a grown man just Championship, the first being so excited be leading this of five tournaments (left) that it visited tournament, taking the time to call during Ronny’s threehis mom and call his girlfriend. year term on the PGA That’s pretty cool. I became a board of directors. Jason Dufner fan after that. “I think the PGA

“SOMETHING YOU CAN’T PASS UP”

Championship made Garrett pck up the game of golf,” Ronny Glanton said.

like “Jason Dufner’s wife is hot #goeurope.” And we had a beach ball flying around on the 17 grandstand. We also roomed next to Rory McIlroy and he tried to get into our room on accident. Ronny Glanton: At Whistling Straits [at

and it’s Hobe [silent “e”] and they’re all laughing and I was a little embarrassed, but stuff like that is really pretty cool. Having had special access at several big-name tournaments, the Glantons

The family faced a decision between keeping the boys in school or having them go to big name tournaments like the Ryder Cup and PGA championships. Every time, it was a no-brainer. Garrett: I did have to miss school for the Ryder Cup, but there was no doubt that I wanted to go to these tournaments. You can’t

pass up nearly a century long tradition in golf be played out with the best players in the world. Ronny: I just think that when you can expose your kids to an environment like that, you have to do it. They have clubhouse access, they get to go to areas that not everyone can go into, and they can get up close and personal with some of the players. They really enjoy that and really enjoy being able to experience major championships, so I think that’s something you can’t pass up. For Garrett, witnessing these tournaments was more than an amazing experience—it was an inspiration for him to improve his game over the summer and look to be a star on the course. Ronny: It’s been a great experience for my family and my kids. I really think the PGA Championship and seeing guys like Ricky Fowler made Garrett pick up the game of golf and made him see how cool the sport could be. Garrett: Yeah so the first time I went to a tour event was three years ago at the PGA championship, and watching Ricky, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and others really inspired me to play golf. They seemed to really enjoy golf so I thought I would give it a shot. Garrett: My summer scores were not impressive, but golf was beating me mentally. The big thing I needed to overcome was letting the bad shots go. I was letting bad shots affect the rest of my round when I needed to move on, so keeping a positive attitude helps me do that. Ronny: It’s probably the most rewarding thing you can do—work with your son. Spend time with him on the range. Watching him develop into a player. He’s put a lot of energy into it— especially after seeing these tournaments—and really improved, and that’s amazing to see.

At the 2011 PGA Championship, they asked me to take Jason Dufner [to the media center] and he’s never won a major championship before. He calls his mom, and then he calls his girlfriend with the same emotion. This is a grown man just being so excited be leading this tournament. That’s pretty cool. I became a Jason Dufner fan after that. ronny glanton

FROM FAMILy TO FAIRWAYS story by Charlie Golden, sports editor | photo courtesy Ronny Glanton | artwork by Nic Lazzara and Robbey Orth

LEADING THE PACK Freshman J.T. Graass has shone on Turek’s squad, taking seventh at the Trinity Valley Invitational Oct. 20 and leading sophomore Chris. Carter at Flower Mound Sept. 15.

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

Turek’s cross country squad running strong through first seven meets By Richard Jiang staff writer sticking together has driven the cross country team to great heights. And after three years of coming up short of SPC, this year, the team looks forward to claiming the title. “I feel like we have a pretty legitimate shot this year [at SPC],” Turek said. “We have implemented more off weeks which enable us to focus better.” But winning isn’t everything for the SPC-hungry runners because, for them, doing their best and supporting one another is worth much more.

“I certainly don’t put the overall success of the season based on just the SPC championship,” Turek said. “That’s just part of the puzzle.” Senior captain Taubert Nadalini agrees with Turek’s statement. “It’s great to see your team grow underneath you,” Nadalini said. “And you grow with them as well.” However, with the SPC course changed from Norbuck Park to Trinity Valley, the team has had to reorganize their training to fit the less hilly environment of Trinity Valley. “The training this year is different because the SPC course is

at Trinity Valley,” Nadalini said, “We’ve had to alter the training to fit the SPC course.” Even though the course has changed, the runner had the chance to prove themselves at the Trinity Valley Invitational, finishing first among all SPC competing schools, with freshman J.T. Graass taking fourth place. Though the year looks successful so far, the team is never satisfied. “We’re on track to have a really strong SPC run,” Nadalini said, “But there’s always room for improvement.” Even though the team is off to a great start, the runners aren’t slack-

ening their pace. “As a team we are very strong and have a lot of depth,” Nadalini said. “There also very good teams out there. We’re not slowing down or lessening the intensity our training.” However, when it comes down to the final moment, Turek looks for his team’s best. “If you come up a little short but you get beat by a better opponent, I can live with that,” Turek said. “So, as long as we show up on Nov. 10 this year and run the race of our lives and do the best we can, then I can’t ask for any more than that.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

L on

“ co a ch ”

M c q u iston

heart JUST A KID AT

e see him everywhere. Walking around campus in his gym shorts and long hair with a baby, his granddaughter, Leighton, in his arms, or working in the secluded Summer Camp Office near the pool. What we don’t see is the story behind Lon McQuiston, the figure we are so familiar with as “Coach.” The one who has owned a T-shirt business, We’re Tops, for 27 years. The one who has coached former All-Star Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood, gold medalist softball player Michele Granger and other baseball greats. The one who, although may seem unusual at first glance, is a genuine person and a kid at heart.

Growing up in Richardson, McQuiston attended J.J. Pearce High School and was coached by legendary New York Yankee outfielder Mickey Mantle. “I played baseball with his son off and on for about three years,” McQuiston said. “[Mantle] was involved with the organization that I played with, as was a former St. Louis Cardinals coach.” McQuiston’s success as a shortstop led him to be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers during his junior year in high school. Having already signed a contract, he pursued a career in baseball after his senior year. “I played a couple years in the minor leagues and did independent ball for a while.” McQuiston said. “I went into coaching shortly after. That’s really how I got involved with coaching and getting involved in the lives of kids.” Having been involved with baseball training for over 35 years now, McQuiston has coached athletes ranging from ages five through 17. “I coached summer

league teams for a lot of age groups,” McQuiston said. “It’s hard to keep track of everyone, though, especially the girls because their names change once they get married.” After leaving the minor leagues, along with coachHe soon became a popular figure in the Lower School and I was really impressed by his help and great personality. HEad of lower School Barbara york

ing, McQuiston got involved in the supply business, supplying various parts to oil companies before deciding to start his own business. “I worked for in the supply business until about the mid-80’s,” McQuiston said. “Then, I decided to go into the T-shirt business, and I opened my own company, We’re Tops. I actually had the idea because the teams I coached all needed uniforms, and this way, I could

PHOTO COURTESY LON MCQUISTON

Lon mcQuiston has worked for more than a decade Helping kids mature in the summer camp and extended day programs.

THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH Relaxing in the front yard, McQuiston lounges on a golf cart surrounded by kids. Formerly part of the Lower School extended-day program, “Coach Lon” remains well-known throughout campus. Many students are familiar with McQuiston as a result of his renowned campus appearances, usually with his granddaughter, yet few Marksmen have had the chance to get to know him.

make the uniforms myself.” McQuiston first got involved with the school through the summer camps. “I first met him because of his T-shirt printing business,” Summer Camp Director Stephanie Barta said. “I have always supplied shirts for the kids that go to camp here. Then, I had a woman who worked for me through the Richardson schools and later she asked me, ‘You know that guy you buy T-shirts from, he’s really wonderful with children. Why don’t you talk to him? He might be interested in working at summer camp.’ So I did.” cQuiston started off doing Kid Fit in Summer Camp, a program for six to ten year olds that helps improve their general athleticism. Now, he assists Barta with logistics during Summer Camp, but he also used to run the Extended Day Program for the Lower School. “Once I found that Lon was very good with children, we hired him for the Extended Day Program,” Head of Low-

er School Barbara York said. “He would play games, talk and supervise the kids. He soon became a popular figure in the Lower School and I was really impressed by his help and great personality.” As for right now, McQuiston is content to live the life he’s living. He has three children, Cassidy, Ashley and Austin, all of whom have graduated college, and three grandchildren: Leighton, Matthew and Ethan. However, he still makes time to touch the lives of all the children, not only his own, and he genuinely enjoys it. “I like doing it all, every part of it,” McQuiston said. “Touching kids’ lives. Being able to work with them and get to know them is just fantastic. I used to do the YMCA camp in Richardson even in high school, so I’ve been doing this all my life. “Watching kids grow is just indescribable. I see them maturing from four-year-olds going to summer camp into lawyers and doctors, and seeing this is so touching. Teaching kids is the joy of my life.”

CARING Lon McQuiston sits in his office with his granddaughter Leighton in his lap.

JUST A kid at heart story by Tabish Dayani, staff writer | photo by Andrew Gatherer, staff photographer

Team finds success at North Texas Open, St. Mark’s Open

ANDREW GOODMAN PHOTO

Categorization, change in attitude spurs fencers entering competitions

POINTING FORWARD Senior Stephen Tsai makes a parry in practice.

By Richard Jiang Staff Writer With a goal of solid improvement driving them, the fencing team is approaching the season with a renewed sense of vigor. Incorporating more conditioning sets and strengthening their team bond, the team is eager to become a serious competitor this year. The success is partially due to the fact that the team has equally divided the fencers into the three categories of epee, foil and saber – a new rule introduced this year by varsity fencing coach Michael Kim. Senior Captain James Rowan has seen a significant change in attitude throughout the team due to this approach. “We’ve organized all our equipment,” Rowan said, “and we’re more focused in both competitions and practices.” The results speak for themselves. “We’ve had a lot of top finishes at the North Texas Open,” Kim said.

The Lions had many noteworthy bouts made by sophomores and freshmen such as sophomore Matthew Co and freshman Mitchell So. However, senior Steven Tsai made a very high fourth place individual finish and earned national ratings at the North Texas Open Oct. 6-7. And the North Texas Open was not the only competition the Lions had success in. The team also fared well at the St. Mark’s Open over the weekend of Oct. 20-21. Not only has the team experienced success in bouts, they have also strengthened their bond, which is a result of training together every day and road trips. “Our trip to San Marcos really helped bonding,” Rowan said. “Everybody was constantly cheering each other on.” Although the team is in better shape, Rowan acknowledges that there are some things the team can improve on.

“I think we’ve made substantial progress,” Rowan said, “but I think a lot of us still need to get our footwork down, and work on maintaining good form.” Kim agrees. “We can improve the most on technique,” Kim said, “fencing is a very technical sport.” But even though the fencers are taken more seriously this year by competing teams, the Lions admit they still have work to do before state is within their grasps. “We’re definitely in a better position than in past years and we’re going to be competitive this year,” Rowan said, “but I don’t think were there yet.” However, both the captains and the coach are excited that the reform had a good effect on the team. “We’ve started to take ourselves a little more seriously,” Rowan said, “and we have a goal to reach for, to get as many people to improve this year as much as possible.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

R u ssell

L a bh a rt

Labharts — father and sons — bleed Lion blue

t’s August 1989 — Defensive Coordinator Russell Labhart’s first year coaching. Their opponent is Coppell, a 3A school projected to go deep into the playoffs. Labhart has a team of 35, Coppell has 60. And he’s just been told personally that they’re going to lose. “They were screaming at us and calling us names,” Labhart said. “But I was just telling the kids ‘y’all don’t listen to these kids. Just keep your heads up!’” Coppell’s fans are already spilling into the visitor’s side of their stadium when the Lions win the coin toss. They receive, fumble, and end up second and 12. “Our coach looked at me and said ‘watch this,’” Labhart said. “So we run a toss to Luke Wilson ’90, who could run like a scalded dog, and he goes 88 yards for a touch, and we beat those jokers 72-7. And I mean beat ‘em like a drum.”

For Labhart, this is one of many stories he can tell over his many years of coaching. From the Wilson brothers to the Acho brothers, he’s coached nearly everyone, and things have certainly changed since summer of ’89. “The whole school was a lot different,” Labhart said. “The headmaster used to play at lunch with the boys on the end of the stadium. He’d go out there, take his coat off and play handball with them.”

ANDREW GOODMNAN PHOTO

Policies and the generally coach-player relationship have changed as well. “The last game of the seasons they’d throw the coaches in the shower and they’d smoke cigars in the locker room,” Labhart said. “It was really different—not different in a bad or good way, but different.” Through coaching, Labhart has met kids who have gone down so many different paths in life. Sam Acho ‘07 shocked Labhart his freshman year. “When Sammy was a freshman I asked ‘Sammy where are you going to spend the summer?’” Labhart said. “He said ‘coach I’m going to go visit my tribe in Nigeria.’ I said ‘yeah right dude, but really what are you doing?’” Labhart followed Sam and Emmanuel at the University of Texas and now watches them in the NFL. “Those two kids are just great human beings,” Labhart said. “I still text Manny and Sam both, just to check on them and tell them The whole school was a lot different [in the 90s]. The headmaster used to play at lunch with the boys on the end of the stadium. He’d go out there, take his coat off and play handball with them.

SWEET VICTORY Labhart walks the sidelines of Hunt Stadium during a 44-14 win over Holland Hall Oct. 19. This was the Lions’ sixth win of the season.

Russell Labhart

PHOTO COURTESY RUSSELL LABHART

Experience at its finest

college level Cole and Mac Labhart’s dad, Russell Labhart, who played college ball for the Texas A&M Aggies, wore number 97 in his position as linebacker. Here he goes up for a blitz against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

I’m thinking about them.” But Labhart doesn’t just remember those who went on to become famous. “There just hasn’t been one boy that I disliked,” Labhart said. “I could name a slew of kids who have just been great to coach.” When the time came, Labhart began thinking of having his two sons, Junior Mac and Senior Cole Labhart, come to St. Mark’s. But before they were enrolled, they were already part of the team. “I didn’t go here in Middle School,” Cole Labhart said, “but I was still at all of the games. When we were in third grade we were standing on the sidelines. We didn’t know any of the guys on the team, but we were always watching them play.” By the time they were old enough to play football, there was no doubt Mac and Cole would both be part of the team. “I wanted to play football because he

played football,” Cole Labhart said. “I wanted to play linebacker because he played linebacker. I’ve always been trying to do what he’s done. I learn from him, and learn how to play the game.” Russ Labhart played at Texas A&M University before becoming a coach. “I think of him as a coach on the field and a dad at home,” Mac Labhart said. “It gets confusing when I’m trying to ask another coach if my dad’s there. I don’t know whether to call him dad or coach.” Over his many years of coaching, Russ Labhart has seen many changes, and he now sees SPC as far more compeitive. “The level of play has really elevated,” Russ Labhart said. “I think we see a lot of kids who would not have gone to private school, but because of the academics we’ve seen a lot more and the level of play in the SPC has really gone up.”

EXPERIeNCE AT ITS FINEST story by Matthew Conley, staff writer | photo by Andrew Goodman, visuals director

Younger players continue to impress as Epperson’s squad improves to 7-1

Lions secure number one seed in SPC’s North Zone playoffs By Matthew Conley Staff Writer igh expectations from inspired seniors have led the Lions to a solid 7-1 start this season. With one loss to All Saints’, 23-45, coach Bart Epperson’s Lions still managed to secure the number one seed in the North Zone. For senior captain Dominic Garcia, his team’s record isn’t too important. “Us seniors have been expecting to go undefeated or nearly undefeated during the regular season,” Garcia said. “It’s not like we’ve been playing way above our expectations.” Due to their enrollment, All Saints’ has been placed in the Division Two bracket. However, the Lions — with a larger enrollment — will compete in Division One playoffs. SPC split the conference into two divisions last year, to provide parity in playoffs for schools with varying enrollment. This is the first year for the two division format. “We think that if we make the championship, we’re going to have to beat both Episcopal High School and Kinkaid to win it,” Garcia said, “and that’s what we’ve been thinking for a while now.” With the All Saints’ game behind them, the Lions look forward to their next opponent, Kinkaid, in round one of the SPC playoffs. “Every week we’ve prepared for an oppo-

ANDREW GOODMNAN PHOTO

SENIOR SPEED Outrunning two Greenhill defenders, senior Reid Thompson breaks off a 36-yard gain. Thompson had 103 yards on two receptions, including a 67-yard touchdown. The team captain has 533 receiving yards on 43 receptions.

nent,” Garcia said. “We’ve had the confidence to know that we can win, and it shows in the fact that we’ve only had one loss. Even then we held a lead for half of the game.” While a few injuries have put a few seniors on the sideline, other players have filled

their spots adequately. “Tommy Gudmundsson has really impressed me,” Garcia said. “When we lost Paul Gudmundsson for the year and I made the move to right tackle so Tommy could play guard, I thought Tommy would have a difficult time getting used to the speed of the game at this level, but he’s been progressing much more quickly than I did when I was a sophomore.” Along with replacements, new players have also helped the Lions earn their winning record. “All of the new members of the team, whether its guys like Kellam Hall and Danny Koudelka who quit for a year or two and came back or the rookies who have started some have been key to this season,” Garcia said. “Kellam’s been a force at outside linebacker and Danny’s been a great target for us. Also, Justin Jones was great when he had to take Malcolm Bowman’s place at the starting running back posi-

tion” Senior captain Jimmy Papin believes the entire team deserves credit for their success. “With the team we have, it’s all about team chemistry,” Papin said. “Our team is really firing on all cylinders right now, and that’s what a championship caliber team needs.” The Lions face Kinkaid tomorrow and hope to make it all the way to the championship game. “We started the season with a championship on our mind and each week we are still getting closer and closer to that championship game,” Papin said. “I can’t explain how proud I am of this team.”

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the remarker | Friday nov. 2, 2012

S k y bo x

Seventh grader Will Forbes

Best seat in the house

walks out of his backyard to join his friends on Silcock

Field while the

Lions battle on the

turf. His parents, Ross and Kerrie, remain in the comfort of their home because they have the ability to watch the game with their friends in their custom made skybox overlooking Norma and Lamar Hunt Family Stadium.

ELITE SPECTATORS Watching the Lions warm up before a game on Bailey Field, Ross Forbes and his daughter, Lily, a Hockaday fifth-grader, enjoy the comfort and convenience of watching a Lions’ football game from their skybox attached to their house.

How did the idea for the skybox on your balcony come to be? Ross Forbes: [Seventh grader] Will [Forbes] has been at St. Mark’s since first grade, and when his younger sister got into Hockaday we decided to move into this area. This house was a vacant lot. And after we saw some similar skyboxes in other houses on the market, we saw the perfect opportunity to make a skybox. How is the skybox utilized? Ross Forbes: Every home varsity football game we invite probably 30 or 40 people

up here to watch the game. Sometimes it’s only ten people here but no matter what, we always offer up the sky box and turn on whatever other sports games are on Friday nights.” Kerrie Forbes: We even offer the skybox to the St. Mark’s Auction, so we have ten people coming up here to have dinner and watch the Homecoming game. It’ll be a really good time. Ross Forbes: We haven’t sat in the stands in four years. We are planning to call [Athletic Director] Mr. [Mark] Sullivan or [Director of Alumni Relations]Mr. [Jim Bob] Womack to request a small scoreboard on the other side

of the field because so many people including St. Mark’s alumni come up here to watch game. What are your favorite memories in the skybox? Ross Forbes: I went to St. John’s. We hosted all the alumni from St. John’s last year in the skybox to watch St. Mark’s play St. John’s. It’s stuff like that that make this skybox such a great investment. Kerrie Forbes: A lot of the time we can hear coaches yelling before the game and at halftime.

best seat in the house story by George Law, deputy managing editor | photo by Corbin Walp, staff photographer

Volleyball sets up for SPC; camaraderie pushes team ahead By Cyrus Ganji Staff Writer Camaraderie and firepower have allowed the varsity volleyball squad to progress through the season’s October segment, adding eight wins to the team’s now 12-3 match record — not including match records from the team’s two tournament victories or the Oct. 30 Trinity Valley School (TVS) match. “In referring to last year, our team had a ton of talent,” volleyball co-captain Alexander Tassopolous said. “So for 2012, I thought we were going to be pretty good, but not quite as good as last year. Now I think my opinion has changed.” Tassopolous’ change in heart can be attributed to the talented involvement of young, rising varsity players. In the midst of

the team’s on-court success, however, several flaws persist in the Lions’ game. “We’ve been kind of up and down,” head coach Darren Teicher said. “I’m hoping for a little more consistency, but we’ve still had some really good highs and just a little more recently, some erratic play. A lot of that is also a function of losing big players to injury — Carl [Dickson] going down and things like that.” However, due to the presence of strong camaraderie, the squad has been able to adequately replace injured members. “I think it [the team camaraderie] has improved a lot,” captain Oliver de la Croix-Vaubois said. “We’ve been through a lot as a team, including some pretty hard defeats — particularly the Greenhill counter loss — but we’ve also done and accomplished

a lot together in winning two of our tournaments. Overall, we as a team have grown a lot and really matured.” Disregarding their disappointment, the squad views the 2-3 set Greenhill loss as a major learning curb. “We always try to set a high bar for ourselves, and if they’re ever occurrences like the Greenhill game that happen, we just try to better ourselves and improve our performances accordingly,” de la Croix-Vaubois said. “Our main problem though is finishing those games.” However, development in consistency is already evident after a 3-2 set counter win, again versus Greenhill, on Oct. 18. And, as always, the SPC tournament is in sight. Except now, it’s right around the corner.

“SPC’s going to boil down to us just playing – just us going out there, having fun and playing,” Teicher said. “If we do that, we’re going to win. I don’t see anybody who can matchup with our firepower, and if we just play to our potential and stay relaxed, we’ll have it.” Though the Lions remain confident of their chances, they also realize the significant development they can acquire. “I think the bar is still higher than where we are,” de la Croix-Vaubois said. “I think we can still achieve a lot more as a team at this point. We’re the favorites [for the SPC Championship], but only as long as we continue to stay together as a team while improving our camaraderie and level of play. If we can do that, then I’ll be very hopeful for the turnout of the SPC finals.”

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Flippin’ out

CORBIN WALP PHOTO

On a roll Lion cheerleader and Hockaday junior Miranda Ferguson broke the world record for most conscutive back handsprings, flipping 35 times, three more than the previous record. She later showcased this talent on NBC’s Today Show.

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the remarker | Friday NOv. 2, 2012

e r t i m e

DYNAMICS

of the game

For many in the community, Lions football games are about everything but football. From first interactions with Hockadaisies to burgers and hot chocolate in the concession stand, there are many aspects to Friday nights around Bailey field.

Half-time pile-up at the concession stand

Slightly less awkward eighth grade mingling

2826 passing yards thrown by John Webb over 7 games

Little kids playing where they shouldn’t

Alumni and faculty reminiscing of the old days

17:15 time beat by the top 10 runners on cross country to run a 5k

4 lbs 9 5 squatted by Mark Senter in after-school P.E

190 points

scored by Johnny Hunter in week 5 of fantasy football

Awkward mingling among the seventhgraders

Students singing along to the band

Band playing “Sweet Caroline” as the Lions wrap up another win.

Cheerleaders revving up the crowd as the game goes on

Intense fifth grade football on the back field

so far this season by senior defensive end George Law.

sacks

pounds

average increase in power clean per person in after-school P.E.

in ches

vertical of volleyball captain Oliver De la Croix-Vaubois

DYNAMICS OF THE GAME designed by Zuyva Sevilla, staff artist