The ReMarker | May 2017

|THE REMARKER | St. Mark’s School of Texas | Dallas, Texas | Volume 63, Issue 7 | May 12, 2017|

Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just affect the elderly. When a loved one is diagnosed, family and friends mold their lives around the disease. And without a cure, the United States is expected to spend $259 billion caring for those affected.

But the greatest price of Alzheimer’s isn’t the money — it’s the feeling you get when your loved one looks at all your cherished family photos and sees nothing at all.

Editor-in-chief Kobe Roseman, managing editor Zach Gilstrap, issues editor Blake Daugherty and assignments editor Andre Arsenault share the story of those affected by Alzheimer’s. page 6-7

Editor-in-chief Case Lowry, issues editor John Crawford, features editor Kobe Roseman and copy editor Andre Arsenault explore internet privacy. page 12-13

THE REMARKER

Head of Middle School Warren Foxworth ’66 to retire | page 3

Cafeteria faces total overhaul | page 16-17

Freshmen impacting varsity sports | page 26

|THE REMARKER |news| May 12, 2017|

2 Where do I start?

COMING HOME

An ode to the man who made me who I am today.

“I sometimes get the feeling that Blake doesn’t want the other boys to know how smart he really is. He is a creative and inventive writer and he prepares well for his history quizzes and tests...Yet he sits back and tries to stay out of the spotlight. That is fine for now, but it will benefit him and St. Mark’s both if, in the next few years, he takes more of an active leadership role in the class.

And I don’t just mean humanities class; I mean the Class of 2018. He can be a guiding force in such a positive direction. Welcome to St. Mark’s Blake. We are fortunate that you are here.” –Warren Foxworth’s comment to fifth-grader and first-year Marksman Blake Daugherty. ’m not sure how to put into words the impact that Mr. Foxworth has had on me. This one comment he gave me after my first year at St. Mark’s in the fifth grade has been something that my dad has pointed to in times where I felt like I couldn’t handle the workload here.

“Clearly he thinks you can do it,” my dad would say.

In fifth grade I was new to the St. Mark’s community. I knew a couple of guys before I got here, but my first year here was one of adjustment and observation. I avoided standing out as much as I could, both in personality and in actions, and as a result just came across as a sort of blank canvas: ready to change at a moment’s notice into whatever people wanted me to be.

Fortunately for me, Mr. Foxworth saw right through my disengaged facade and BLAKE uncovered the curious DAUGHERTY and engaged boy I Issues Editor was hiding. It took me a couple of years to build the courage, but in the seventh grade I really spread my wings and threw myself into this school.

Middle School in general is hard. Kids that are doing incredible things are ridiculed for being weird or nerdy. I must confess I was one of those kids that dealt out the ridicule in the fifth and even sixth grades. I found myself making fun of kids for playing a video game I secretly played. I found myself snickering in the back of the classroom because a kid clearly knew all of the answers to something I did as well, but I was too afraid to speak up and look like a “try-hard.”

But in late sixth grade and early seventh grade, I found myself having a change of heart. For some reason, be it Catholic guilt or a feeling of responsibility to my old teacher, I always found myself thinking back on what Mr. Foxworth believed I could become. Before entering seventh grade I made a huge choice.

To take Chinese. took Chinese because I wanted to do something different. I wanted to force myself into an uncomfortable place to finally become the student Mr. Foxworth believed I could be — and the one that I wanted to be. That year in seventh grade I became friends with so many new people, I played three sports, I made straight A’s for the first time. I finally saw that when I engaged myself with my classmates and in activities, I got more out of them.

Because of my confidence gained from seventh grade that continued through my St. Mark’s career, I have a lot of opportunities that I never thought I would have in fifth grade. I have gotten a lot of help along the way. From Mrs. Oprea in seventh grade proving to me I could succeed with a responsible work ethic to Mr. Rummel in eighth grade spending almost every day with me after class explaining why cinnabar is important or going through the objectives he posted on his wiki, lots of teachers have helped me here. I do credit Mr. Foxworth with instilling in me the desire to seek these teachers out and for inspiring me to embrace the culture of teachers and people we have here.

Thank you Mr. Foxworth, from myself and all of the students you have taught at this school, for truly teaching what it means to be a Marksman, and for directing me down a path of engagement in this school that has given me friendships and experiences I will remember long after I graduate from this place.

I consider myself very fortunate to have had you in fifth grade, and to have had someone with your level of support and belief in my corner throughout my time at this school.

I hope you remain a part of my life in the years to come.

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I

NEWS

Various alumni celebrated their reunions by listening to Richard Mullen ’87 speak during the anual Alumni Chapel, kicking off Alumni Weekend April 20-22.

a peek INSIDE

at a GLANCE

Inside the news section

3 4 5 7

A brief look at the news events on campus

WARREN FOXWORTH ’66 A look back at Foxworth’s 47 years at 10600 Preston Rd. PRESTON ROYAL UPGRADE A preview of the new shops and restaurants coming to the newly renovated Preston Royal Shopping Center.

CUM LAUDE Nineteen students were inducted into the Cum Laude society April 26.

NEW STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT CANYON KYLE The new Student Council president, Canyon Kyle, talks about his goals.

STUDENTS INDUCTED INTO HONORS SOCIET Twenty-seven students were inducted into the Spanish Honors Society on April 20 after performing highly in honors Spanish courses this year.

Sophomores Shreyas Annaswamy, Rhys Arana, Parker Davis, Sahit Dendekuri, Chase Honaker, Joshua Kang, Carter Langbert, Robert Newman, Connor Pierce, Ayush Saha, Jonah Simon, Mark Tao, Alex Tate, Seth Weprin and Matthew Zhang were inducted.

Juniors André Arsenault, Jordan Cox, Blake DeSantis, Mateo Díaz, Clay Morris, Reece Rabin, Tucker Ribman and Sammy Sánchez were admitted. Seniors Zach Cole, Corday Cruz, Vikrant Reddy and Luke Rogers were also admitted.

Students with a previous B+ average in normal Spanish courses, an A average in their honors course and those who show a love and profession in the language are inducted, according to Foreign Language Department Chair Nancy Marmion.

Around the CORNER • JFK CENTENNIAL PROGRAM

Where: Sixth Floor Museum, 411 Elm St., Dallas, TX 75202 When: May 17, 6 p.m.

What: Listen to Stephen Kennedy Smith, President John F. Kennedy’s nephew, talk about his uncle’s life in honor of JFK’s 100th birthday.

• HOMEGROWN FESTIVAL 8

Where: Main Street Garden, 1902 Main St. Dallas, TX 75201 When: Tomorrow, noon What: Listen to 12 native Dallas musicians in the eighth iteration of the Dallas Homegrown Festival.

say WHAT?

DEBATERS HOST NOVICE TOURNAMENT The debate program held its annual novice tournament on campus April 28-29.

The goal was to give the younger students a taste of what it’s like to debate competitively and one last opportunity to debate before the year is over.

Debate coach Timothy Mahoney helped run the tournament and hoped the novices had a good team bonding experience.

“It’s definitely a good bonding experience,” Mahoney said. “It’s bonding not only internally with your squad, but also with people from different debate communities that you get to know at tournaments like ours.”

BLUE AND GOLD DAY THIS MORNING Lower School’s Blue and Gold Day will take place in various areas around Lower School this morning. Lower School students meet in the Lower School parking lot for the opening flag ceremony.

They will move to the fields for an hour of games including tug of war, Hockadaisy hula and basketball. The day will conclude with popsicles and a cookout.

“We are looking for all the things we look for in PE classes – having fun but being good sports and remembering that we always have our unconditional positive respect at the foundation of everything we

do,” Lower School head Sherri Darver said.

CAMPUS TO UNDERGO RENOVATIONS This year, energy-saving projects like upgrading the central plant and installing capacitor banks will be emphasized during annual Maintenance Department summer renovations.

“Everything that we do, we try to think about reducing power consumption,” Physical Plant director Mark Webb said.

The Great Hall will also undergo major renovations.

In addition to a brand new energy-saving dimming system, the now-carpet flooring may be changed to wood, tile or stained concrete.

Other major projects include replacing the Hunt scoreboard, remodeling the Commons locker room and the restrooms, refinishing the Hicks Gym floor, resurfacing one set of tennis courts, replacing the metal gates in Spencer Gym with doors and installing five more security cameras on campus.

“I consider this [the school] a Class A property, and in my position, I walk around this campus and I see things every day that need attention,” Webb said. “So I am never satisfied. I don’t see us ever slowing down.”

— Brett Marsh, Christopher Wang, Tianming Xie, Ishan Gupta

comments made by students, faculty and staff around campus

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I try to set everything up to where if you put my shoes in a mirror everything would be reflectively symmetrical.

Freshman Andres Arroyo on how he ties his shoes.

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Get in mathematical order by last name!

Math instructor Clara Ann Norman, meaning to say “alphabetical”

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You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t make.

Sophomore George Lamb

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If you don’t sleep at all for a month then you get used to not sleeping.

Sophomore Jason Peng

I didn’t know Egypt was in Africa until this map quiz.

Sophomore Nick Walsh

Farewell, Mr. Foxworth.

AFTER EIGHT YEARS AS A STUDENT AND 47 AS A FACULTY MEMBER AND ADMINISTRATOR, WARREN FOXWORTH HAS BEEN A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. FIVE DECADES Just as he’s done for the last 47 years, Warren Foxworth spends many of his lunch hours watching students play on the Perot Quadrangle.

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hen Warren Foxworth ’66 first stepped on campus, there was no Centennial Hall.

No Nearburg. No Hoffman. No Library.

No Hicks Gym. When Foxworth stepped onto campus as a brand-new fifth grader, he could not imagine walking onto campus 59 years later, still a part of his daily routine.

Eight years as a student and 47 as a teacher, Foxworth has been at 10600 Preston Rd. longer than the Path to Manhood statue has stood watch in front of Centennial Hall, longer than Hoffman has faced the quadrangle and longer than the lights have shined down on the turf of Hunt Field.

After the school year ends, Foxworth will walk off campus no longer a member of the faculty or student bodyfor the first time in over half a century.

Since Foxworth’s time as a student, he’s lived in both Ohio and Massachusetts, eventually I NEVER moving back to THOUGHT Dallas with his I WOULD wife to raise their BE GOOD family.

ENOUGH TO Once in TEACH AT Dallas, Foxworth ST. MARK’S, HAVING BEEN began teaching at Greenhill.

A STUDENT After four years, HERE. then St. Mark’s — WARREN headmaster Ted FOXWORTH Whatley offered him a job, and his career in leading Marksmen took off.

He joined the school as an English instructor and yearbook adviser. After working in these positions, Foxworth moved into the Development Office and served as the director of development for four years. Not long after, Foxworth was moved into the Middle School office where he has worked for 29 years.

Foxworth believes the people on campus are what have driven him to stay here for 47 years.

“It’s a great place to be because it’s so supportive of everyone,” Foxworth said. “The faculty and staff are very supportive of each other, and there’s a great group of kids.”

He chose to lead Middle Schoolers because they have a balance between impressionability and maturity.

“I really like working with Middle Schoolers,” Foxworth said, “because I think you can teach any ages in the classroom, but with middle schoolers there are more opportunities to teach outside the classroom, teaching them how to become men.”

Earlier this year, Foxworth announced he will retire at the end of the school year. For 2018, current assistant head of Middle School Dean Clayman will step into the position of interim head of Middle School, and humanities instructor Jason Lange will serve as interim assistant head of Middle School.

To prepare for his departure, Foxworth has been helping Clayman learn skills needed for his new position.

“He [Clayman] handles grade level meetings, disciplinary and academic aspects of grades five and seven,” Foxworth said, “but we both work together on everything. My main way of mentoring him is to allow him to be an active participant in the decisions we make. It allows him to understand how the process works so he can do it just as well, if not better, than I have done.”

Unlike his relationship with Clayman, Foxworth did not have the chance to mentor Lange owing to Lange’s recent appointment to the position. Although he did not work with the thirdyear instructor directly in an administrative environment, Foxworth believes Lange will succeed in the position.

“I think he [Lange] will do a great

job because he knows boys well,” Foxworth said. “He has such a wealth of experience, he’s been all over the world.

He has a passion for the boys not only in the classroom, but you also see him cheering at sporting events, sponsoring the hockey club, refereeing hockey games in the Dallas area, coaching cross country, track and field and lacrosse.”

Foxworth already has some plans for his retirement, but he is unsure about what he’ll do in the long run.

“My daughter is about to have a third child in Connecticut,” Foxworth said. “My wife and I are going to spend some time helping them. I like to play golf and I like to read. I am aware that I need to find something to do, and it will probably be a volunteer activity.” hen he is gone, Foxworth believes the school will continue to excel in embodying the goals constructed by its founders.

“In the future,” Foxworth said, “I hope St. Mark’s will continue the same thing that’s been happening in the past.

Producing fine young men of not only intellectual ability, but more importantly character, that want to give back to their communities and the wider world.”

A beloved and respected figure on campus — the 2007 Marksmen yearbook dedicatee — Foxworth says the school should not lament his departure, but rather look ahead and embrace the positive and necessary effects of change.

As someone who has witnessed change in faculty, students and even buildings throughout his long career, Foxworth knows the great effect change has on a school.

“I think that change is the way schools are,” Foxworth said. “People are telling me that things are not going to be the same without me here, but I tell them that it will be better. We need new blood, new ideas, new thoughts. We can’t just stay the same all the time.”

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MIDDLE SCHOOL CHANGES

New leadership Meet Dean Clayman and Jason Lange, next year’s interim head and interim assistant head of Middle School.

Can you describe your relationship with (retiring head) Warren Foxworth? What have you learned from him?

Dean Clayman: Mr. Foxworth is a valued colleague, a thoughtful mentor and a dear friend. I have great respect for the contributions he has made to St. Mark’s. Mr. Foxworth is the embodiment of patience, empathy and flexibility. Going forward, I am committed to maintaining these virtues in the Middle School.

What mark do you hope to leave as an administrator?

Jason Lange: I’d like to work with Mr. Clayman to establish a clearly defined set of boundaries that a Middle School boy can operate in. I’d like them to know those boundaries, but I also want them to learn that Middle School is a time where they can learn from their mistakes.

DC: My hopes for the Middle School include further development of our advisory and class meeting structures as well as greater integration of leadership and character education into all of our classrooms.

What do you think you will enjoy the most in this new job?

JL: I’ve been in the classroom for 15 years, and I’ve always seen what administrators have done from afar. I’ve always been interested in how decisions are made and having an influence on programs that affect a wider group than just my students. I look forward to seeing how those decisions are made, being part of those conversations and getting a bigger picture of a school.

Dean Clayman Interim head of Middle School, 20172018 school year

Jason Lange Interim assistant head of Middle School, 2017-2018 school year

STORY KAMAL MAMDANI, LYLE OCHS, JAMES ROGERS PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

DEPARTING FACULTY AND STAFF

Virginia Arsers Business Office coordinator

What is your fondest memory of St. Mark’s?

My son’s graduation in 2002.

What’s your favorite part about St. Mark’s?

The camaraderie that the students here have.

What are your plans for retirement?

I am going to try to spend more time on my ranch.

Ryan Parker

From 4 million meals to Blue Shirt Day, they’ve seen and done it all

Lukas Rahlson

Humanities instructor

Science instructor

What’s your favorite memory of St. Mark’s?

When the basketball team went down to SPC and played Kinkaid last year and pulled off an incredible come back and beat them.

What’s your favorite part about St. Mark’s?

The sense of community and support that I’ve lived in for the past five years.

What’s your favorite part about St. Mark’s?

The quality of life the school provides for its students and faculty.

Students have an incredible amount of free time and are capable of handling it.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m moving to San Francisco and working at the Cathedral School for Boys, and I’m going to be running their Wilderness program and teaching fifth and sixth grade science.

Sally Stephens Director of Food Services

What’s your favorite memory of St. Mark’s?

The Christmas party. Every year, that’s my favorite thing, when the seniors carry the little boys. That’s the greatest tradition.

How many meals have you served?

Somebody asked me that the other day, and I counted up the number of years and number of school days, and I counted about 4 million.

May Sykes

Food Services What’s your favorite memory of St. Mark’s?

Blue Shirt Day, because the guys are excited to be seniors. It’s the best thing seeing the looks on their faces.

What’s your favorite part about St. Mark’s?

It’s a community where everybody knows everybody. It’s a family. I’m a family person, so I’m at home when I’m here.

Janet Wadkins

Fourth grade humanities instructor What is your fondest memory of St. Mark’s?

Being interviewed for NPR when our Word Masters team won the national championship.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m going to join a book club, I’m going to play mahjong, I’m going to take piano lessons again, I’m going to plant flowers in my front yard and I’m going to spend more time with my kids.

NEWS

| May 12, 2017 |news| THE REMARKER |

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RETIRING TEACHERS

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|THE REMARKER |news| May 12, 2017 |

PRESTON ROYAL

A ROYAL UPGRADE DYNAMIC DUO Co-owners Nancy Perot and Jeremy Ellis (above) plan to open Interabang Books in July in the Preston Royal Shopping center (right).

COMING THIS SUMMER, MARKSMEN WILL HAVE NEW SHOPPING AND DINING OPTIONS AS PRESTON ROYAL SHOPPING CENTER UNDERGOES EXPANSION.

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n the summer of 2017, the Preston Royal Shopping Center will undergo a series of new upgrades—from restaurants and casual eateries to cooking and book stores—transforming the 59-year-old Preston Hollow institution.

On any typical weekday, juniors and seniors can be found clad in white and blue oxford shirts shopping, eating and socializing in Preston Royal Village. The shopping center, a second home for Marksmen, was built in 1958, dotted with small stores and chic restaurants for Preston Hollow’s many families.

For years, few things changed.

Until now.

Under new ownership—South Carolina-based company Edens— Preston Royal Village is set to house a slew of new businesses in the coming months. From popular New York burger chain Shake Shack to Dallas’ European style eatery eatZi’s, to an indie bookstore, Interabang Books, shoppers frequenting the Preston Royal area are sure to see some new faces.

Interabang Books, named after an old printmakers term for a question mark and exclamation point, is co-owned by Nancy Perot, daughter of Henry Ross Perot, and Jeremy Ellis, a veteran of the Texas literary scene. Both have high hopes for the new store.

“This town has needed an independent bookstore for a long time now,” Perot said, “and I think there’s a real interest and desire for that in the community in a literary city. And independent bookstores

offer such a different experience as they’re very specialized and customer-friendly. And the relationship between the book-buyer and the bookseller is much more in depth.

A smaller store can be a very special place with really knowledgeable people.”

The idea for Interabang came when Perot became acquainted with Ellis, who had worked in many bookstores in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Their new partnership allowed for Perot’s longtime interest to come to fruition.

“For 25 years, I’ve kind of pursued this interest,” Perot said, “and through that effort and Jeremy wanting to open a bookstore here in Dallas, we were introduced through a great series of coincidences and found each other. It’s been a great partnership, and we’ve been working on this for about five months.

We found a great location and have a great staff—nine people on staff— and we’re almost there.” lthough the store will face competition from book giant the nearby Barnes and Noble book store, Ellis believes Interabang can stand out and thrive.

“We will do different kinds of authors than Barnes and Noble would normally do,” Ellis said.

“We’re going to do parties and author meet and greets. And we’ll also

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New stores and restaurants ahead for Preston Royal Shopping Center

carry different kinds of books. We’ll certainly have the things you’ll recognize, but we’ll also have things you don’t recognize too.”

To Ellis, the distinguishing factor of an independent bookstore is the chance to explore new options not carried by book giants.

“The discovery aspect of a bookstore is that you go in not knowing what you need and then find ten things you never knew existed that you have to have,” Ellis said. “Books are a portal into a conversation. You can start with an idea on the page that everybody approaches in a different way that can lead to things that don’t relate to the book, to more interesting conversations.”

According to Perot, another advantage of independent bookstores is the community aspect driven by a mutual interest in books.

“The literary scene in Dallas is really vibrant,” Perot said. “There’s a real hunger and deep interest in all things literary here in town. You know, Half Price Books was founded here, and they’ve got a huge following, so I think this is a great way to approach it. It’s curated, and you’ve got people that want to be a part of the community.”

Ellis and Perot hope an independent bookstore will drive students and parents alike to explore new books and pursue new interests.

“We just want to inspire readers and give them something new to look at, to interact with,” Ellis said.

INTERABANG BOOKS—

will offer a new refreshing take on the traditional bookstore—hosting author meet and greets and limited cafe service.

STEEL CITY POPS—

offers a wide selection of seasonal fruit-based popsicles, ranging from hibiscus to avocado to espresso.

EATZI’S—market and

bakery will bring a small European style eatery to Preston Hollow, serving up fresh, readily prepeared meals.

SUR LA TABLE—is

a high end culinary store that specializes in cooking utensils and in-house cooking classes.

PAPER SOURCE—

satisfies all your stationary needs, from personalized greeting cards to journals and—obviously— school supplies.

SHAKE SHACK—

started in New York as a stand but quickly grew into a nationwide burger giant.

STORY ANDRE ARSENAULT, ZOHEB KHAN PHOTOS RILEY SANDERS, ANDRE ARSENAULT

The 2017 exam schedule Monday, May 15

Tuesday, May 16

Upper School English in-class writing

Upper School English in-class writing

Wednesday, May 17 Middle School and Upper School Reading Day

8th grade math 8-10 a.m.

Monday, May 22

Tuesday, May 23

Upper School history 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Upper School math 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Fine arts 4 p.m.

NEWS

Wednesday, May 23 Upper School make-up exams

Thursday, May 18 Upper School science 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Friday, May 19

8th grade science 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Upper School Spanish 8:30-10:30 a.m.; Advanced Spanish Honors 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 25

Friday, May 26

Blue Shirt Day

No classes for students

Short classes Upper School

Faculty workday

‘Sign this!’

Marksmen yearbook distribution Monday, May 15 All three lunch periods In front of Nearburg Hall’s canopies

| May 12, 2017 |news| THE REMARKER |

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CUM LAUDE INDUCTION CEREMONY

Laude and proud TAKE A LOOK AT THE CUM LAUDE SELECTION PROCESS AND HOW 18 INDUCTEES EARNED THEIR SPOTS AFTER HARD WORK AND LONG NIGHTS. THE OLD AND THE NEW The 28 members of Cum Laude, composed of 18 seniors and 10 juniors, stand on the chapel steps. No more than 1/5 of the Senior Class and 1/10 of the Junior Class are allowed into the society.

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unior Jesse Zhong sat in the chapel, anxiously waiting for the names to be announced.

Throughout the opening hymn, only one thought circled his mind: will I be inducted into Cum Laude?

Utter silence fell upon the crowd, not a single whisper breaking the tension.

When Zhong heard his name, he felt a surge of pride and relief.

All his hard work was realized at last as he joined his brothers on the stage.

“I was happy that I was enabled to be recognized for how hard I worked,” Zhong said, “and proud to represent the class and be a leader in the academic field.”

Along with his fellow inductees, Zhong always pushes himself to take challenging classes to learn the most he can, but he suggests focusing more on learning than trying solely to get good grades.

“I don’t think that people should strive just to get good grades,” Zhong said, “but I think that it’s important to challenge yourself and think about why certain things work to gain success in academics. I try to think deeply about concepts I

learn and ask questions.”

St. Mark’s Cum Laude Chapter President JT Sutcliffe is often considered the leader of Cum Laude at the school, as she coordinates all the major events. She sees all committee leadership roles as very service-oriented.

“I basically make sure that we get meetings called,” Sutcliffe said, “that we get the data collected that we need—but I have no more influence over the people that are elected than anybody else.”

The induction process starts with GPA and then a several hour-long meeting among the committee to discuss other factors like extracurriculars.

Seniors will often chime in to support one of their peers.

“The coolest part is I don’t teach all of the students,” Sutcliffe said, “but I hear so many wonderful things. I almost never hear a negative comment, almost never.”

Former St. Mark's Cum Laude Chapter Secretary David Brown remarks on the responbilities behind leadership roles within the committee.

“The list of the responsibilities for secretary is probably about five or six pages, single spaced,” David Brown, who previously coordinated the group, said, “and the job lasts throughout the entire year.”

Since most potential Cum Laude members take honors or AP classes, the decision is made by a group comprised of faculty who teach those classes.

“The reason the faculty are chosen is because they teach a lot of the juniors and seniors in

honors or AP courses and know who should be nominated and elected,” Brown said.

Since honors and AP courses create discrepancies in GPA, they could unbalance students who are not offered those courses. The committee tries their best to accommodate for those situations.

“They’re both doing equally well in their subject areas, but they don’t have the honors option, which would give them a bump,” Sutcliffe said. “So we try to take into account things that would create differences that are not fair to the students.”

Sutcliffe believes that regardless of GPA or whether someone is part of Cum Laude, there are so many students who give it their all and bring as much as they can to class every day.

“If you ask the faculty in general why so many people stay so many years at St. Mark’s,” Sutcliffe said, “it is because we have so many students who may not have the highest GPA, but who do so much to make it fun to teach classes here at St. Mark’s.”

Inductees From the Class of 2017 Josh Bandopadhay Bryce Blinn Cameron Bossalini John Crawford Killian Green Gordon Gunn Kaden Han Jonathan Libby Shailen Parmar Thomas Zhang From the Class of 2018 Abdullah Akbar Davis Bailey Ben Clayman Kevin Feng, Andrew Li Kannan Sharma, Niteesh Vemuri Harris Wilson Allan Zhang Jesse Zhong

in in Inducted Inducted from from Senior Class Junior Class New inductees join the eight seniors who were inducted in spring 2016.

WAITING GAME Waiting for results, the student body sits in silence as Chaplain Stephen Arbogast delivers his introduction.

STORY MICHAEL LUKOWICZ, CHRISTOPHER WANG PHOTOS KYLE SMITH

Winn Science Center to begin construction over summer

by Tianming Xie he new 75,000-square-foot Winn Science Center, which is projected to expand past the greenhouse and batting cages into the secondary lacrosse field, will begin construction mid-June.

Stephen M. Seay ’68 Science Department Chair Fletcher Carron said by June 1, building materials containing pollutants will be removed before the actual demolition.

“There are two phases of construction,” Carron said.

“Eighteen months for the Winn Science Center, which will take us to December 2018, and one more semester to renovate

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[the] McDermott Green [Math Science Quadrangle], and so the whole facility will be open for the school year starting August 2019.”

While the center is being built, three portable buildings will substitute for the biology section, designed to house both lecture and lab components. When complete, biology classrooms will expand from 1000 square feet to about 1360 square feet.

“The most significant consequence of being in the portable buildings is that we chose not to offer the DNA science elective for the upcoming school year,” Carron said.

Other concerns are the noise and hazards that construction brings to campus, as construction will be in process during the day.

However, the workers, some of whom built both Hoffman and Centennial, have considerable experience working on school campuses.

“There will be construction fences to make sure it is clear where the construction site is,” Carron said. “For any activities that are known to be very noisy, the contractor will make plans to work with the school to coordinate those or do them in after hours or on the weekend.”

In addition, the field right in

front of the Wynn Science Center will not be available during construction.

“That’s what they call the ‘laydown area,’ and that’s where they have the parking, the construction trailers for their personnel and materials delivered by trucks,” Carron said.

Extra rooms will strive to incorporate classes that will be the future of science in the next 50 to 60 years, just as the McDermott Green building did when it opened in the early 1960s.

“We will add additional labs for physics, chemistry and environmental science along with a dedicated room for Lower School

science,” Carron said. “We are adding a dedicated biotechnology lab capable of supporting research. We will have engineering spaces—right now, our engineering activities are done in storage spaces behind the Science Lecture Hall. We’re adding two rooms that we are calling technology labs, which will both support engineering activities and computer science classes.”

Additionally, the iconic periodic table will continue to live on in the new building. Like everything else, even the periodic table will be updated, now containing the elements renamed or discovered since the 1990s.

NEWS

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|THE REMARKER |news| May 12, 2017 |

CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

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t first, it’s the small things.

Not remembering the store clerk’s name. Where they placed their keys. Forgetting they’d already purchased paper towels.

Then, it’s the bigger things—

‘Cherish every moment’

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or junior Tucker Ribman, Alzheimer’s came crawling into his life, slowly but quickly turning one of the brightest people he knew into a shell of his former self.

Once a brilliant engineer, Ribman’s grandfather, Hal Ahlberg, is one of five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s.

“We saw a steady decline in his mental health,” Ribman said. “So we took him to the doctor, and they diagnosed him. It was about two years ago, maybe longer. At the time, I didn’t really know what it meant. I knew old people lose their mental adeptness, but I didn’t know it had a name like that.

t didn’t hit him until he saw the front door wide open one weekend.

He rushed out of the house and looked across the front lawn.

Nothing.

Arif Khan, father of sophomore Adnan Khan, hopped in his car and crossed Hillcrest Road to look for his mom, Meera Khan.

He turned the corner and saw her standing confused in the middle of the road as cars weaved to avoid hitting her.

That’s when it hit him—Arif realized the family was “living in a fool’s paradise.”

None of the inappropriate answers to questions or signs of memory loss had told them her condition was this bad.

But in the middle of Hillcrest Road it was all too clear—Meera’s Alzheimer’s was worse than they had thought.

but within the past couple years, he doesn’t even know where he’s living anymore.” hlberg came from humble beginnings, growing up in the deep South on the Mississippi River. An intelligent guy with a strong work ethic, he was the first person in his family to attend college.

“He was just a genius guy, offthe-charts IQ,” Ribman said. “He was kind of a role model in our family. He started his own company and got the ball rolling for our family. He was an engineer—tested materials for some companies—and sold his company a while ago.”

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Looking back at the past few years, Ribman reminisces about certain memories with his grandfather: going on a safari in Africa—“one of his [Ahlberg’s] passions growing up”—conversing with him in their family home—but more importantly, Ribman has picked up many important life lessons from his grandfather’s battle with Alzheimer’s.

“We’ve learned to not take people for granted,” Ribman said, “and just make the most of everybody while they’re still well. It’s important to cherish every moment with your family.

I try to show as much support as I can because no matter how hard it is on us, it’s probably ten times harder on them.”

Family of sophomore Adnan Khan determined to care for beloved grandmother at their home

When Arif brought his mom back to the safety of their home, life for the Khan family changed.

“We changed all the knobs in the house, got locks put in, and we realized that, yeah, she’s missed a lot of stuff over the year or two,” Arif said. “You know, there was this symptom and that symptom and we just didn’t realize it. We took all the precautions, and because it’s a progressive condition, it only deteriorated from there.” oday, Meera has been living with Adnan’s family for over eight years.

When she initially moved from India to Dallas, she was able to recognize people, go to dinner with the family and even travel on the occasional family vacation.

But today she can’t have a conversation. She rarely leaves her bed.

She’s unsteady and insecure. She needs help with anything she does and needs

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day they are told they have Alzhiemer’s disease. From this point on, it doesn’t get better. It won’t get better. The forgetfulness progresses into a maze of unknowns.

Soon, the world becomes an

For junior Tucker Ribman, it’s about appreciating all the times with his grandfather

He was one of the smartest people I ever knew. To see him have such a fast decline was pretty shocking and sad.”

Alzheimer’s, a neurodegenerative disease, acts by interrupting normal cell interactions in the brain, causing brain function to deteriorate rapidly. Ahlberg, once a healthy, adventurous grandfather, now lives in an intensive 24-hour care facility.

“I used to spend a lot of time with him and go to Africa with him,” Ribman said. “That was one of the things that we did together. He used to make these solo trips to Africa not too long ago, maybe three of four years ago, by himself which takes a lot of skill,

A fool’s paradise

I

things that make them forget who they are. The faces of friends and family. Where they live. Then, it’s languages and births, marriages and deaths.

It keeps getting more and more pronounced—until that

someone with her 24/7 to make sure an accident can’t happen.

“Essentially, you’re dealing with another toddler,” Arif said. “That’s what it is in the late stages.”

When Adnan was a kid, he used to ask his mom, Yasmin Khan, for her phone to make videos with his grandma.

“We’d have a lot of fun and even though I knew she had Alzheimer’s she was still able to just be a fun person,” Adnan said. “She’s just great. I mean, sometimes she would have a little mood swing here and there, but it really sucks that she’s just gone—that there’s a person there but there really there isn’t.”

But taking care of his grandma everyday has given Adnan the inspiration and skills needed to start volunteering every Saturday at Brookdale Hospice Care Center, working with a woman

with dementia, Katie Smith.

Even though Adnan’s parents agree that, with Meera’s Alzheimer’s, they “have lost a whole human being,” Arif is still determined to give her care everyday.

WE HAVE “We have DECIDED decided that she is THAT SHE going to be with us IS GOING until the end,” Arif TO BE WITH said. “Most people US UNTIL at this stage would THE END. go to a memory care — ARIF or a nursing home, KHAN but she was a single parent. She brought us up. We were two boys, and I think that this is the least I can do for my mom. I think it is more of a privilege that I am able to look after her and take care of her in her most vulnerable stage in her life.”

FACTS & FIGURES Mortality rate in Texas due to Alzheimer’s

25%

Number of people over 65 who have Alzheimer’s

in

5

MILLION

Number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s

SOURCE: Alzheimer’s Association

NEWS

WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND Family members of individuals with Alzheimer’s and dementia remember all too clearly the people their parents or grandparents used to be. Athletic trainer Doc Browning (left), circa 1958, smiles with his mother and father. Junior Tucker Ribman, pictured as a young child, (middle) bonds with his grandpa. Arif and Yasmin Khan (right), parents of sophomore Adnan Khan, reflect on the impact of Alzheimer’s on their family.

| May 12, 2017 |news| THE REMARKER |

7

STORY KOBE ROSEMAN, ZACH GILSTRAP, BLAKE DAUGHERTY, ANDRE ARSENAULT

unfamiliar and hostile place. Any person who enters their world is a stranger—another stray piece in their scattered puzzle of life.

Students and families here are devoting their entire lives to loved ones with Alzheimer’s—helping

them put on their clothes, brushing their teeth and hair, giving care 24 hours a day, doing whatever they can to give some degree of comfort.

Whether they’re open about it or not, that student sitting next to

Two ladies and a Toyota

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thletic Trainer Doc Browning has come to terms with the state of his mother and her dementia. “Mama,” as he refers to her, is 97 years old and lives in assisted living as her illness has progressed to calling 63 year old Browning as little ten year old Bobby.

“My little saying about her is, ‘She never knows where she is, but she’s happy to be there,’” Browning said. “My mother has been very sweet and happy in her spirit with her dementia. A lot of people when they get dementia get very mean spirited and paranoid. That has not been my mother.”

While Browning says he is fortunate for his mother’s happy disposition, he struggled with adjusting to the new person his mother has become as the illness progressed.

“It’s hard to see your parent be so confused,” Browning said. “It’s hard to watch the deterioration. That’s a piece

of it, just being able to process the fact that they are not really your parent anymore in some ways.”

After coming to terms with the deterioration of his mother, Browning was able to find happy moments MAMA in this time DOESN’T REALIZE THAT despite the A LOT OF HER situation.

“There BROTHERS have been AND SISTERS some HAVE PASSED AWAY. — DOC funny moments BROWNING with this,” Browning said. “With dementia in particular there is a lot of sadness to it, but there is also humor in it, some joy in it.”

As Browning said this, a smile tugged at his lips, and he began chuckling to himself as he told a story of two old ladies and a Toyota.

“Mama had a 107 year old next door neighbor named Hazel in the next apartment over,”

The matriarch

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he signs were there all along. Katie Riddle, mother to Tosha Pearson and grandmother to junior Avery Pearson, loved to sing and recite poems, often rattling off many from memory.

Known as “LuLu” to her family, she is known for her humor, love and passion—as well as for making “the best potato salad.”

However, to Tosha, her mother’s behavior before her Alzheimer’s diagnosis made the realization more obvious in retrospect.

“She was very forgetful and she would do repetitive things,” Tosha said. “She would misplace things a lot, and she would spend countless hours looking for a piece of paper that should’ve been easy to retrieve. ” Tosha wasn’t shocked to hear the diagnosis—as a nurse, she’s seen many of the same symptoms in the Alzheimer’s patients at her hospital.

Additionally, being that her mother was 88 years old at the time, she recognized it was

Trainer Doc Browning still finds joy with ‘Mama’ Browning said. “Her mind was sharp as a tack. Hazel decided she wanted to go out driving with Mama. Here’s 93 year old Mama with dementia out driving with a 107 year old Hazel. I’m sure Hazel was telling Mama where to go.” rowning’s smile continued to broaden as he pictured his mother and Hazel cruising the streets.

“There’s no way with my mama’s mind that she would have remembered how to get back,” Browning said. “Could you imagine these two little old ladies out driving around in Mama’s little old Toyota? That had to be something to see.”

This story took place in 2014. Browning’s mother can no longer drive a car or even walk. With a recent contraction of pneumonia, Browning has come to accept the possibility of his mother’s death.

“It’ll be a blessing when mama dies,” Browning said.

“That’s been a hard thing for

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me to struggle with. You don’t want your parents to suffer. I don’t want to see her like this.

She’s not herself anymore. She can’t take care of herself. She’s just lost. It would be wrong for me to want to keep my mother around a lot longer.”

Through his mother’s disease, Browning has reflected on what made his mother special to him—and now, he tries to live his life with the same kindness she gave others.

“I love my mother so much,” Browning said. “My mother was an angel of mercy to the dying. There are probably about 20 family friends, relatives, members of her church that my mother was instrumental in the end of life care for them. That makes it hard for me because I feel like my mother was there for all of these people, and I don’t know that I’ll be there for her when she dies. I will always carry with me the kindness of my mother.”

Junior Avery Pearson looks for ways to help grandmother

“just a part of the process.”

However, despite the diagnosis, her mother continues to help around as much as she can.

“She likes to stay busy,” Tosha said, “so I INTEND TO she folds VISIT HER AS clothes MUCH AS I and washCAN SO SHE es dishes, DOESN’T because FORGET ME. she wants — TOSHA to contribPEARSON ute to the family. She’s still a very pleasant person to be around.” osha’s brother, Charlie Riddle, is her mother’s primary caregiver, accompanying Katie nearly every waking hour.

According to Tosha, this continued commitment makes her mother feel at home, and that’s what’s most important. “[Charlie] made the agreement [to care for my mother] with my dad when he was sick and passing away, and my dad was comfortable knowing my mom was with

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you, that teacher you pass in the hallway or that coach urging you on from the sidelines may be going home and giving loving care to someone with Alzheimer’s.

Even if that someone can’t love them back.

him,” Tosha said. “My brother has a set up in the house to help her out. It just works out that way, and she’s comfortable there.” hen Tosha first broke the news of her mother’s condition to the rest of the family, most were in denial, saying “no, no, no, mama’s okay.”

Avery’s reaction was different—he recognized the symptoms, but the diagnosis didn’t match the “LuLu” he remembered.

“I was confused, because she had a great memory of so many things,” Avery said.

“She knew a lot of songs and poems, and she still knows some of those today, but it was more short-term memory that she would forget in an instant.”

On a few nights earlier in the year, Avery and his sister, Gabria, took care of their grandmother themselves.

During those nights, Avery threw pressing homework aside and accompanied his grandmother—learning

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new things about her along the way.

“Me and Bria wanted to go get food,” Avery said. “Bria said she wanted to get a hamburger, and my grandmother said the same thing. My mom told me later that my grandmother wanted to be like us.

She wanted to be kid-like and share moments with my sister and I.” After the death of her husband in late 2016, Katie set the goal of reuniting with her brother and sister—a goal that, according to Tasha, signifies peace and reassurance for Katie, something that is needed now more than ever.

“She’s made mention that she wants to visit her brother and her sister, who are still living,” Tosha said. “Once she’s done that, she’ll be at peace and be happy. She’s aware that time is winding up for her, so I know that in the back of her mind she still wants to take that trip to go see her brother and her sister. Those are our next plans. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”

The future of

HEALTHCARE INTERVIEW WITH PETER LYNCH ’80

Executive director, Presbyterian Communities and Services Foundation

Did you hear about any of the new technological related cures of Alzheimer’s?

There is so much going on in the biotech realm.

All of this hit hyper-speed when the human genome was fully unravelled and with the ability to fully explore the genetic components of how some people end up with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

They’re able to do more and more things to try to figure out exactly what’s causing it.

There is a pretty good chance that there will be ways to reverse damage done even with people who have had dementia damage already.

I think that is still a while down the road. You never know, they might be getting ready to announce that today.

Do you have any advice for a student whose grandparent is going through dementia or Alzheimer’s?

That’s tough on a family. For the generation that is watching that happen to their grandparents, I’d just say to be aware that it’s just part of the aging process, and it’s unfortunate but it is a very natural thing.

We love to think that someday it could be fixed, but right now it can’t and so just be patient and try to make sure you’re helping support the right decisions and create a safe environment for that patient more than anything else.

What should they do for the grandparent and how should they handle the diagnosis?

In situations where you have a diagnosis like that, I would always encourage anybody to spend as much time with them as you can.

Spend the time with them while they have that opportunity.

The other thing that is hard for people to understand sometimes is that when somebody has any form of dementia, obviously there is no specific intent on their part, they’re not going out of their way to try to make things complicated for everybody else. It’s just that they’re almost existing in a different realm.

NEWS

|THE REMARKER |news| May 12, 2017 |

8

Upper School Quiz Bowl takes Small School National Championship

by Lyle Ochs he Upper School Quiz Bowl team won first place in the Small School National Championship April 29-30 in Chicago.

Seniors Patrick Magee and John Crawford, junior Abdullah Akbar and sophomore Connor Pierce went a perfect 13-0 on the weekend.

On the first day, the team played nine matches and won them all but were seeded behind Miami Valley A from Dayton, Ohio.

According to team sponsor Paul Mlakar, the Lions faced a tough opponent in St. Martin’s Episcopal from Metairie, Louisiana on Saturday.

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“They had one strong player who answered most of their tossups,” Mlakar said, “but he was also penalized five times for incorrect answers throughout the match. We played clean and won by 150 points, which is really only about a two-tossup difference.”

After a bye in the first round, the team faced Parish Episcopal of Dallas and Mounds Park Academy from St. Paul, Minnesota.

The match against Mounds Park Academy came down to the final point.

“They actually beat Connor [Pierce] to the buzzer on a current

events question,” Mlakar said, “but gave the wrong answer.

Connor had known it, buzzed in, and secured our win.”

The Mounds Park Academy team challenged a ruling over an answer by Patrick Magee, but the challenge was overruled, and the Lions went on to play number one seeded team from Miami Valley A. The Lions went on to win the championship after beating Miami Valley A. In addition to a championship victory, Magee won fourth place overall in the tournament, scoring, on average, 88.35 points per game according to Mlakar.

In order for the team to put themselves in contention for a national championship, the members study far beyond lessons that the school provides.

“These guys on the A-team are constantly studying material outside of their regular classes,” Mlakar said.

“Abdullah [Akbar] is learning all he can about as many works of literature as he can. John [Crawford] studies art, history, economics and geography.

Connor is our current events, history, sports and politics guy, and Patrick studies just about everything.”

According to Mlakar,

Magee started participating in Upper School Quiz Bowl when he was an eighth-grader.

“In his lifetime as a player, he’s made over 15,000 online flashcards,” Mlakar said.

The team participated in the Texas State Championship in Houston this past weekend, and won the competition.

The team will also compete in the High School National Tournament in Atlanta May 26-28.

Last year, the Quiz Bowl team finished in 13th place according to Mlakar.

“Our goal is to do better than that this year,” Mlakar said.

STUDENT COUNCIL

ASSUMING the OFFICE

AS THE SCHOOL YEAR WINDS DOWN, JUNIOR CANYON KYLE PREPARES TO TAKE OVER AS STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR. Plans for the Future: “My goal as president is to create a greater sense of community and oneness for the entire Upper School. I hope to help make 2017-2018 the best year yet for our school and one in which all of us find a way to invest in St. Mark’s.”

Following in his Footsteps: “I have always looked up to my brother. He set an example for me by which I have tried to live. Running for Student Council president was different though. Since my freshman year, I have seen student government as the place for me to make a difference. Student Council president was the place I saw the biggest opportunity to follow through with this.”

Looking up to his Brother: “I was a freshman when [older brother] Carrington was Student Council president. Watching him and the other Student Council presidents after him gave me a chance to see what I thought worked well and what I would do differently. I feel privileged to have had the chance to be a part of the Student Council for the past three years so that I could learn from these different Marksmen.”

Bridging the Gap: “I believe that inclusion is the key to connecting the Student Council and the student body. I want all of us to feel as if we have a say in the plans for 20172018. To accomplish this, I will lead the Student Council in reaching out to the entire student body for input on our decisions.”

Bringing People Together: “My biggest goal as well as my biggest challenge is to move as close to 100 percent participation in every event. Every student in this school is important, regardless of his place or role. I do not want anyone to finish his time at St. Mark’s and not have made the most of it. This school will mean more to each of us if we invest in all that happens at St. Mark’s.”

Big Plans: “I am excited about so much [for next year]. I look forward to Homecoming and the planning for that event. I cannot wait for the pep rallies each week. I look forward to the Gift Drive and the difference we can make in the lives of those who do not have as much. Next year is going to be great, and I cannot wait until it begins.”

LET’S GET STARTED Newly-elected Student Council President Canyon Kyle is ready to lead the weekly Upper School assembly. The four year Student Council member ran unopposed.

Meet the squad.

INTERVIEW WASEEM NABULSI PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

Senior Class

Junior Class

Sophomore Class

Freshman Class

Vice President: Jimmy Rodríguez Secretary: Kannan Sharma Representative: Sammy Sanchez

Vice President: Davis Yoo Secretary: Kamal Mamdani Representative: Seth Weprin

Vice President: Toby Nwafor Secretary: Neal Reddy Representative: John David McClain

Vice President: Blake Hudspeth Secretary: Sai Thirunagri Representative: Cristian Pereira

President: Edward Ro

President: Landon Wood

President: Colin Campbell

President: Aayan Khasgiwala

2017 Student Council and class officers

Student Council Executive Officers President: Canyon Kyle Vice President: Niteesh Vemuri Secretary: Joshua Kang

NEWS

9

COMMENCEMENT AND BACCLAUREATE

| May 12, 2017 |news| THE REMARKER |

STEPS TOWARD THE FUTURE AS THE END OF THE YEAR APPROACHES, THE CLASS OF 2017 AND THOSE WHO KNEW THEM BEST HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THEIR LEGACY. A NEW CHAPTER Graduating seniors will soon walk across the Commencement stage and leave 10600 Preston Road.

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n May 19, 92 seniors dressed in white tuxedos will wait for their name to be called by Headmaster David Dini and walk across the Commencement stage for their first and last time.

Though they are leaving 10600 Preston Road and going out into the world to work, learn and have new experiences, wherever they go, part of St. Mark’s goes with them.

Memories of surviving Pecos, hosting McDonald’s Week or playing ping pong in the senior lounge will be remembered by these seniors. However, these boys will be bringing more than just memories. Whether in their leadership, work ethic or integrity, a piece of St. Mark’s will remain with them as they start the next chapter of their lives.

Seniors will participate in Commencement, one of the school’s most widely anticipated and ceremonial events, May 19 in the Green Commencement Theatre on the Perot Quadrangle.

The event celebrates the seniors and their accomplishments throughout the past few years, and it has given seniors like Scott Smythe the opportunity to look back on how much their class has grown over the past few years.

“Since freshman year and coming in to high school, I’d say we’ve definitely grown a lot more together,” Smythe said. “All the things we’ve done as a grade: like in ninth grade it was Pecos; tenth grade was the sophomore retreat; eleventh grade was McDonald’s Week; and then senior year is like everything, all the things that we’ve done. It helped us grow as a grade.”

With Commencement and other end-of-year activities nearing, Senior Class President Shailen Parmar has realized that his days of wearing the blue shirt are quickly coming to an end.

“Those feelings of nostalgia are just

now starting to hit me,” Parmar said.

“It’s so easy to just keep your head down and go from test to test until you realize we have about two and a half weeks left of class. The hardest part is knowing I won’t get to see all of my friends everyday next year.”

Similarly, Smythe realizes the atmosphere of college may be entirely different than the one he’s been used to.

“When I came to St. Mark’s, I noticed an immediate camaraderie amongst all the students,” Smythe said. “St. Mark’s is really demanding and the academic load is really tough, but at the same time everyone is really willing to help and very eager to help out their friends...I think that’s one of the main differences I’m going to see outside of St. Mark’s in college.”

For Parmar, the onset of Commencement and other final senior activities has allowed him to make the most of his remaining time with his friends and classmates.

“There has been a new wave of class spirit because we are realizing we don’t have a lot of time left together,”

Parmar said. “We are starting to really value each moment with each other whether it’s playing ping-pong or [Super] Smash [Bros.] or all going out to a rock-climbing place.”

Senior Class co-sponsor Joe Milliet has also seen the Class of 2017 come together in more meaningful ways. “[The seniors] came early one morning and did a breakfast for the cafeteria staff where they brought the food, served it and decorated and so forth because they had been served all these years,” Milliet said. lthough the stresses of junior and senior year such as grades, college exams and extracurriculars can be taxing on the students and faculty alike, Milliet believes that a strong relationship triumphs and makes it harder to say goodbye.

“Commencement is kind of bittersweet,” Milliet said. “You’re happy for them, and there are days when things don’t go well and you’re going, ‘okay, let’s get them out of here.’ But there are many, many, many more days where you just want to say, ‘don’t leave, please don’t leave’ because you know you’re not going to get to see them much anymore.”

Baccalaureate will take place May 16 and is considered to be one of the final times the entire St. Mark’s family will gather.

“The only people at Baccalaureate are the boys, their parents and the faculty and administration,” Milliet said.

“And so, our St. Mark’s family gets to have a very spiritual event that is just so heartwarming...and it just feels like such a special event because it’s just

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us.”

As these events proceed in the coming days and the seniors’ time as students is about to end, Parmar believes it’s important they remember the ones that helped them along the way.

“At the beginning of this year, I went back to talk to my fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Darver,” Parmar said.

“That was a really amazing moment to go back and talk to my roots at St. Mark’s. She showed me a drawing that I made for her in fourth-grade. It was on her wall in her office. Even though we have accomplished a lot as a grade, it’s all really because of this foundation and the teachers that cared for us.”

Commencement Event

Commencement for Class of 2017

Date

May 19

Time

8 p.m.

Location

Green Commencement Theater in the Perot Quadrangle

Speakers

Bush Center President Ken Hersh ‘81 Class President Shailen Parmar Valedictorian (to be announced)

Awards to be presented Reception

Headmaster’s Cup School Flag Citizenship Cup

Follows in Great Hall

Baccalaureate, a religious service for seniors, their immediate families and faculty will be held at 7 p.m. May 16 in the St. Mark’s Chapel.

STORY ANDY CROWE, ANTONIO IVARRA PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

NEWS

|THE REMARKER |news| May 12, 2017 |

10

MALECALL

THIS ISSUE

REMEMBERING MOM BEST GIFTS

Taking you back to the basic fundamentals of all things manly

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nita Martinez will severe dementia at age 97, Mother’s Day: It’s an entire day devoted to celebrating and always have a special Doc has taken advantage of place in her son’s, Inhis off time to visit his mothspending time with your mom. Whether it’s sending terim Assistant Head of Upper er in Lynchburg, Virginia. her flowers, making her breakfast in bed or giving her School Scott Gonzalez, heart, “That’s one of the great free hug coupons, it’s a time to love the one who loves especially after passing away things about working at you the most. But amid the gifts and the flowers, for some in 2014.

St. Mark’s is being able to it’s a day of remembrance — a day to cherish those After a work-related accispend time with both of my dent in high school, Martinez parents,” Browning said. memorable moments formed while growing up. battled through adversity “Especially after my father to earn a master’s degree in passed away in 2004, I really Day in a similar way with his own wife by treatspecial education and to continue a 36-year took every single break that I could to spend ing her to a nice meal. teaching career. time with my mother.”

“Usually we’ll go out and have something “She got a master’s degree when my sister Working at the Jim Dandy Garage Sale nice to eat and she’ll talk to the kids either by graduated from high school,” Gonzalez said. hosted by St. Mark’s, Browning’s mom would instant message, phone or FaceTime,” Gonzalez “They celebrated graduating at the same time. volunteer to work the boy’s clothes department. said. “It’s pretty chill.”

Education was something really important to “Nobody wanted to do that because it was Gonzalez advises current students to spend her.”

Mother’s Day really getting to know their moth- so much folding and bags of clothes,” Browning Martinez enjoyed traveling all over the said. “She was like a hero that year. Even when ers and learning about their past experiences. country and experiencing the world with her “Ask her questions about how she grew up, she would come back to visit, all those moms son. And Gonzalez attributes his love of travel who her best friends were [or] about some expe- would take my mother out to lunch.” to her. rowning believes that her kindhearted spirit riences she had in high school, middle school or “She instilled the love of travel in me,” also helps comfort those in times of trouble. college.” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said. “I can’t tell you the number of “My mother had this wonderful character Working right outside Gonzalez’s Centencountries she visited, but it’s something like 40. and ability to comfort people in the last days, nial Hall office door, Assistant to the Head of I have also traveled to a lot of countries, and weeks or moments of their life.” Browning said.

Upper School Susan Alterman shares a thriving I’ve traveled to all 50 states.”

“Even when families didn’t know what to do, relationship with her mother, who recently Gonzalez inherited many of his traits from my mother could just step in and make them turned 100. his mother. Growing up in a strict household, comfortable. She was a wonderful lady in that “I have a great relationship with my mom,” Martinez expected a lot out of her kids. regard.”

Alterman said. “The older I get, the more I “She was a very strict disciplinarian,” GonAs Browning ages, he realizes that the love respect her.” zalez said. “She had real high expectations for his mother has for him is invaluable. lterman enjoys talking with her mother us. Because she was an educator, she knew that “No one in your life loves you like your and listening to her experiences growing education was something that was gonna get us up. mother does,” Browning said. “It takes a while out of having to do menial labor.” for you to mature and realize that, but a moth“I think it’s a privilege to have her still in Despite her demanding personality, Martier’s love is very special.” our lives at this age,” Alterman said. “She obnez made many sacrifices to provide opportuni- viously has seen a lot, and we like to talk to her As a kid, Browning made crafts for his ties for her kids that she never had. mother on Mother’s Day. But as he aged, his about the good old days because she has seen “I appreciate the fact that she was always Mother’s Day gifts changed too. things and heard things that we don’t know willing to take the time and the effort to give us “Of course when you’re younger, you make anything about—most of the time we see it in a the experiences that she felt needed in order to little cardboard cutout things or whatever you history book—but she’s actually seen it.” be successful people,” Gonzalez said. “I hope would do in school for your mother,” Browning Along with her experiences, Alterman that we were able to live up to what she wanted said. “When I got older, I took her on trips. I cherishes the advice that she has received over from us.” would also always send her flowers. I’ve always the years.

Growing up, Gonzalez and his family spent enjoyed Mother’s Day.” “She’s always loved to laugh, sometimes Mother’s Day by going out to lunch and spendBrowning believes that spending quality she laughs at herself, and so I think I’ve learned ing time with family. time with your mother surpasses any gift. to always find something to laugh about,” “Most of the time we’d go out to dinner “Love your mother and appreciate every Alterman said. “Try not to take things too seriand have lunch after church and have a good moment of it,” Browning said. “Life is fragile ously, and if things are tough right now, they’re time together,” Gonzalez said. “I grew up in and you don’t know how much longer going to get better.” a little town called Mercedes down in South you’re going to have her. Make sure you hug Similar to Alterman, Athletic Trainer Doc Texas. We usually went to Harlingen, Texas and her and tell her you love her. That means Browning knows the importance of spending had a dinner.” more to them than any gift you’re gonna give all the time he can with his mother, Bertha Now, Gonzalez usually spends Mother’s her.”

Browning. After his mother’s diagnosis with

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STORY ZACH LANDRY ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA

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GIFT IDEAS

Don’t know what to get for your mom? These budget-friendly gifts will make this Mother’s Day a special one. Celebrate the mom you love with any of these four gifts.

NEWS

Jewelry

Flowers

Handmade Card

Breakfast in Bed

Guaranteed to make your mom feel special when she’s wearing one of these shiny, one-of-a-kind necklaces.

Head to your local florist and they’ll help you pick out an arrangement that’s sure to put a smile on her face.

It’s an easy yet thoughtful gift.

Nothing will make her happier than a classic, made-with-care Mother’s Day card.

Start her special day off right by surprising her with a warm, homecooked breakfast served right to her bedside.

Cost: $17

Cost: $33

Cost: $6

Cost: Priceless

Where: mud-pie.com

Where: Wild About Flowers

Where: Hobby Lobby

Where: Your Kitchen

HANGING OUT WITH

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Tinsley Silcox and Cinda Thoma

| May 12, 2017 |life| THE REMARKER |

LIBRARIAN STANDOFF SPOTLIGHT

PHOTO KYLE SMITH

The unwavering guardians of silence in the library, these two literary legends aren’t your typical librarians. Get to know the dynamic duo that makes the library tick.

Explain the competition between the Silcox’s Selections bookshelf and the Thoma’s Top Picks bookshelf.

Tinsley Silcox: It’s not really as much of a competition, as it is marketing to the younger boys that it is a competition, so they’ll be enticed to look and see what are on those shelved and to continue to be good readers.

I often look at The New York Times bestseller list for books for high school guys to read, and since Ms. Thoma finds books for middle school boys to read, I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if I put up a shelf, and you put a shelf, and we encouraged people to get our latest books off of there,’ and we decided on Thoma’s Top Picks and Silcox’s Selections.

Library Director Tinsley Silcox (left) battles with Middle School Librarian Cinda Thoma (right). Read about their Second grader Holden Purvis performs in front of an audience of parents in the Second faceoff in Hanging Out (far left).

Grade Fine Arts showing April 20.

Cinda Thoma: It was more of Silcox’s idea to have a dual cart competition.

OWEN BERGER PHOTO

Who’s winning the competition?

a peek INSIDE

TS: I am, of course, and I hope Ms. Thoma tells you the same thing.

Life stories on the inside

CT: I believe Mr. Silcox is, but I’d have to double check.

If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be?

TS: Edgar Allan Poe. CT: Harper Lee, I just think that she would be a fascinating person to talk with.

If you could have a first edition of any text, what would it be?

TS: Either Shakespeare’s First Folio, or the Gutenberg Bible.

CT: I think it would be To Kill a Mockingbird, it’s a book that I come back to time and time again.

at a GLANCE

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STAYING HUMBLE a look at the downside of continued success in school competitions

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A CELEBRITY PILOT Robyn Neuhoff’s experiences as radio host Tom Joyner’s pilot

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RESILIENCE Christian Cortes’s ‘15 battle with a rare skin disease and his recovery

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CLASS WARFARE History instructor Michele Santosuosso’s new “spec-ops” elective

A brief look at the events around campus CHOIR HOLDS FINAL PERFORMANCE The final choir performance of the year was held April 18 at 7 p.m. in the chapel.

Choirmaster Tinsley Silcox was very proud of his students’ work, even though he, as well as seniors Eddie Yang and Daran Zhao, were emotional.

“I could not have been more pleased with all that the boys put into it,” Silcox said. “Every year, I have to say goodbye to guys that I absolutely have had a blast with teaching, and that they have become friends as much as students.

It was an emotional night, and I could tell it on their faces after we finished our last piece.”

What’s your favorite book?

CT: To Kill a Mockingbird.

TS: My favorite book of fiction is [by] Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth. My favorite book of non-fiction is [by] Alexander Nabokov Speak, Memory. It’s a fascinating look into pre-Bolshevik Russia.

PHOTO ADNAN KHAN

If you could make any changes to the library, what would they be?

CT: I would like a fireplace in the library. I would love to teach classes in the winter time and have lovely chairs around a really pretty, warm area.

TS: I would make it larger so that we could have enough chairs for everyone who wants to be in here, and I would separate noisy collaborative study space from people wanting a very quiet study space. The best of both worlds.

BRUSH STROKES A painting by senior Shailen Parmar showcases his love of vibrant colors.

MARKSMEN BALL TOMORROW The Marksmen Ball will take place tomorrow evening at the Belo Mansion downtown.

The Marksmen Ball is a dance for graduating seniors and gives them special experience dedicated to the end of their St. Mark’s experiences, according to Marksmen editor-in-chief Andrew Lin. “The Marksmen Ball is special for me because it’s not only my last high school dance,” Lin said, “but it’s also the time to showcase the count-

less hours of work that the Marksmen staff have put together over the entire year.”

The yearbook’s dedicatee will be announced at the dance.

QUALIFIERS FOR MATH OLYMPIAD Seniors Kevin Choi, Kaden Han and junior Kevin Feng qualified for the USA Math Olympiad, while sophomore Dylan Liu qualified for the Junior Math Olympiad. Students took the exam April 19 and 20.

Han felt the problems got increasingly difficult during the USAMO test.

“It had a weird difficulty curve,” Han said.

“The first problem each day was pretty easy, but then the next two were really hard.”

The results came out May 5, and the Olympiad committee will choose students for the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program based off of their performance on the test. The summer program serves as a training camp for the International Math Olympiad said.

— Sam Ahmed, Mark Tao, Albert Luo, Sid Vattamreddy

What’s your favorite genre of literature?

artists in ACTION

CT: I like historical fiction. I do read a lot of non-fiction, because I’m always thinking that I need to learn much more than I know.

But, I do like historical fiction the most because I always think I’m learning something about a time period or about what people’s lives were like during that particular time.

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Who is your favorite author and why?

PHOTO ADNAN KHAN

TS: For my summer pleasure reading, Clive Cussler because I love his character Dirk Pitt. He’s a swashbuckling hero, and Dirk always gets the bad guy and he always gets the girl.

NEW MINI MARQUE ISSUE ON CAMPUS The Middle School’s annual literary magazine, the Mini Marque, published its fourth issue May 5 with a heavier emphasis on student arts and culture as opposed to its ancient-Mesopotamian theme from last year’s publication.

The publication

serves as a testament to the hard work and dedication that the staff members and Mini Marque co-sponsors Meagan Frazier and Geoffrey Stanbury have put into the publication.

“With a bigger budget given to us this year, we’ve been able to do a lot more with the Mini Marque,” Frazier said. “It was a lot of work, but I’m super excited to show the school what we’ve been working on for the past year.”

hours spent weekly on drawing or painting

SHAILEN PARMAR

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average numberof pieces created each year

“A lot of my inspiration for my art happens pretty spontaneously as I’m drawing. One technique that I really enjoy with an ink pen is drawing from observation until I see something interesting in the work, and then completing the rest of the drawing without a reference. It creates a really cool surrealist effect since the piece flows organically from idea to idea.”

— senior Shailen Parmar

LIFE

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|THE REMARKER |life| May 12, 2017 |

BEING HUMBLE IN VICTORY

The losing side of winning EVERYONE LIKES TO WIN — BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CONTINUED SUCCESS BREEDS ENVY FROM COMPETITORS? AS MANY SCHOOL GROUPS HERE HAVE FOUND OUT, THE ANSWER ISN’T ALWAYS PRETTY.

else in everything that they do.”

Because of the long-standing rivalry between the two schools, Weinberg thinks of outdoing St. Mark’s as an accomplishment in and of itself.

“There’s definitely a heightened sense of importance when you go into a game against St. Mark’s,” Weinberg said.

“The end goal is to win SPC or to win a state championship, but just having the ability to say you beat St. Mark’s is definitely something that athletes at Greenhill look forward to.”

But the water polo team isn’t the only program that has gained a unique reputation from its success. The school’s journalism program has gained national recognition for its strong design and content, according to former ReMarker editor-in-chief Case Lowry.

“When we went to [New York] last year on spring break,” Lowry said, “there would be schools that walked around with copies of our paper and sat in on our critiques, and tried to learn as much as they could from our paper while we were there, because it’s known around the nation as a really strong newspaper.” ike the school’s journalism program, the photography program has earned statewide recognition and various accolades from institutions that honor excellence in photography. “[The competitions are] a great opportunity for our guys to see how they stack up,” said Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teaching Chair Scott Hunt. “I know they’re producing good work, and so I want them to receive accolades for that.

It’s no different than an athlete who gets the big victory in the SPC championship to get that feeling of pride from hard work paying off. I think it’s important for our guys in the visual arts to have that same opportunity, and so I think that’s where the contests come in.”

Due to the success the photography program has had in the Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI)’s “Top Program of the Year” award (11 straight awards), Hunt briefly considered not participating in the competition, concerned that the repeated triumph of the program would discourage other schools from entering at all.

“After winning Top Program for ten years,” Hunt said, “I offered to withdraw from the competition because I was

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concerned that other schools might come to believe that they cannot beat us and subsequently choose not to participate.

That undermines the whole point of the competition. On the other hand, if we withdrew from the competition, it would have the same effect.”

Hunt believes not entering in a HOW THE competition out of BOYS sympathy for the CONDUCT THEMSELVES other competitors would comproAFTER ANY mise the integrity KIND OF COMPETITIVE of the competition.

“To put in EVENT IS THE MOST TELLING perspective,” Hunt THING ABOUT said, “if we had an athletic team that THEIR won SPC ten years COLLECTIVE CHARACTER. in a row, would they forfeit a sea— SCOTT son just to make HUNT other people feel better. It would cheapen it, right? You want to compete against the best people out there.”

Hunt believes some other program will someday win the “Top Program of the Year” award because of the increase in the caliber of work being produced by competing schools.

“Every class that comes along doesn’t want to be the class that loses [the ATPI award],” Hunt said, “but it’s going to happen sooner or later. The fact of the matter is that there are other schools that are producing incredible work, and if they are, so be it. Sometimes not winning is a better learning tool than winning (see sidebar for results from the ATPI competition).”

Although Hunt has high hopes of winning competitions both at the regional and national level, he believes it’s crucial to avoid overconfidence.

“I think it is important that our guys approach these top program competitions in a humble manner and recognize that we are at the mercy of the pool of judges,” Hunt said, “and they may not like the kinds of pictures that we like or present, and it doesn’t mean that those judges are wrong. Every competition is different, every judge is different, every personal opinion is different.”

And when Hunt’s photographers do win, they do so in a humble, modest and gracious manner.

STORY SAHIT DENDEKURI, MARK TAO GRAPHIC MATTHEW COLEMAN

LIFE

“I think it’s really important for us to do our best,” Hunt said, “but understand that winning is not the only thing, and if we do win, we need to do it graciously.”

Sharing a similar mentality to Hunt, Lowry believes in staying humble and putting in the work to win a competition.

“If you expect to win a [Columbia Scholastic Press Association] Gold Crown [award] every single year and you don’t put in a lot of effort,” Lowry said, “then you won’t win one. I think it’s really important to [stay humble] because you can’t ever expect to win anything. You’ve got to actually put in the work to get there.”

For Oprea, humility is a main virtue he attempts to inspire in all his athletes, believing it to be a crucial element of good leadership.

“We are respectful of our opponents,” Oprea said, “and I think that is the base of success: being disciplined and being humble. I think the best quality of a leader is to be humble. You cannot be a true leader if you’re not humble, so that’s what we’re trying to instill.”

Photography wins ATPI for the 11th straight year For the 11th year in a row, the school’s photography program has earned the ATPI “Top Program of the Year” award. With over 6,000 different entries from schools across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and California, the school hosted the event April 29.

“I think in some respects,” said Arnold E. Holtberg Master Teacher Scott Hunt, “it reaffirmed that we’re doing some of the right things, but I think more than anything else, it’s that sense of accomplishment and a job well done.”

PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

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he seventh-graders were apprehensive.

They knew what water polo coach Mihai Oprea expected of them.

He expected them to endure the grueling practices. He expected them to push themselves beyond their physical and mental capabilities.

But there was another thing that Oprea expected, something he valued above all else — humility.

From the very first day, Oprea made it clear that you’re either humble in victory and gracious in defeat, or you’re not on the team.

Arrogance has no place on an Oprea team, and he believes it has no place on campus.

For many coaches and teachers alike, consistently outperforming the competition draws envy from other schools. For Oprea, this negative attention he and his team receive from being repeat champions in both swimming and water polo is a challenge they consistently face in competitions.

“It’s hard to be the top dog because everybody wants to take you down,” Oprea said, “and everybody literally hates you, and that’s a big burden. Everybody’s trying to pull you down, and that’s difficult to deal with.”

Additionally, misconceptions stemming from another school’s desire to defeat Oprea’s team are other issues that he must address.

“We are respectful,” Oprea said.

“We play hard, but I know that people out there might think [of us as] these arrogant guys who win all the time, but we’re not. People also think we’re recruiting, which we just laugh off, because we know it’s not true. When you’re on top, people want to be like you, but they can’t be like you. So for that, they hate you.”

Greenhill junior Joe Weinberg, a 13-year student and next year’s editor-in-chief of the Evergreen student newspaper, believes Greenhill students have always had a strong sense of respect towards St. Mark’s and its programs. However, he feels that Marksmen, at times, do carry an air of arrogance and overconfidence.

“I think it’s still rooted in respect,” Weinberg said, “but I guess Greenhill feels like St. Mark’s kind of thinks of themselves as one notch above everyone

CHECKING Judges view entries in the ATPI competition on campus.

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| May 12, 2017 |life| THE REMARKER |

SUBSTITUTE TEACHER BARBARA CURRIER

Old school meets new school TOGETHER AGAIN Twenty years after having Dr. John Perryman in class at Greenhill, Dr. Barbara Currier is now a colleague of the Master Teacher — at least temporarily.

ONCE A STUDENT OF SUBSTITUTE BARBARA CURRIER AT GREENHILL, ADAMS MASTER TEACHER DR. JOHN PERRYMAN NOW WORKS ALONGSIDE HER AS SHE SUBSTITUTES FOR MATH INSTRUCTOR AMY POOL WHO WAS INJURED IN A CYCLING ACCIDENT LAST MONTH. Matthew Zhang: What was Dr. Currier like as a teacher?

John Perryman: Oh, she was fantastic; she was the chair of the department for many years at Greenhill. Knows her subject backwards and forwards, and even more importantly perhaps, she is an incredibly supportive, patient and kind teacher who would work with you to make sure you could grasp a concept after class.

MZ: What was the most important lesson you’ve learned from her?

JP: That you really are there to care about the student as a person as much as the student is someone striving to master and learn the material. You always got the sense that she cared about her students and that you could have some fun in her class, but she also ran a tight ship.

So there’s a good sort of combination of occasionally having some light-hearted moments but also moments when it’s time to get down to work and getting down to work.

But I do think that the thing that impressed me the most was that someone who was so good with subject matter, could run a tight ship but also you knew that this person cared about you at heart and was interested in your development as a good citizen of the community.

MZ: Did Dr. Currier play a part in your choice of becoming a teacher?

JP: I would say every good teacher I had played a part in that. I always appreciated the ones that followed the model that she exemplified: complete command of subject matter, great in the classroom, interested in the kid as a human being, generous and patient with time, help the kid learn the material and also a big supporter of whether it’s the play, musical or sporting events.

She was always a regular visitor and supporter at those so that’s always neat to see your teacher in the crowd cheering you on. So she embodied all those qualities that I think a top-notch teacher has to have.

MZ: Do you see how your current teaching reflects how Dr. Currier taught you?

JP: I do. I try to hold the kids accountable but also let them know that I’m an advocate for them, believe in them and want to be there to cheer them on all the great stuff they do on campus, whether it’s in the classroom in Decherd during an orchestra concert or in Hicks during a basketball game.

I think it’s so important to support the kids both academically and in their other pursuits and let them know we are here.

MZ: When Dr. Currier came to sub here, were you aware of it or were you surprised?

JP: No, totally surprised. I think I saw her sub last year, and I’ve seen a couple of teachers who’ve retired on campus subbing, but no, as far as being a longterm sub, that took me by surprise. It

was great to see her, and that was a pleasant surprise.

MZ: What was your most memorable moment of teaching Dr. Perryman?

Barbara Currier: The whole class was memorable. That whole group of boys against the black board who all was in that row they were all just cut-ups.

He seemed to resonate with my word problems because all my word problems were about baseball. He connected with that because I talked about sports in my word problems.

MZ: What was your funniest moment with Dr. Perryman?

BC: Maybe a year and a half ago, I had decided on a whim to spend an afternoon at the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, and I was standing there looking at a picture.

I happened to look next to me, and John Perryman was there with his mother. I wasn’t expecting to run into anyone, and to run into both Mrs. Perryman and Dr. Perryman was sort of fun.

MZ: What was your reaction when you found out Dr. Perryman was coming back to teach at Greenhill?

BC: I was ecstatic. One of his older brothers had been at Greenhill almost his entire life. Tom Perryman was already there, so it seemed perfectly natural that John Perryman would be coming.

And then I was very lucky. I know he taught my son, and if I remember right I

think he was the only English teacher in the Upper School to have my son twice.

And he was my son’s favorite English teacher.

MZ: When you came to sub for St. Mark’s, did you know that he was working here?

BC: Yes. In fact, every time I’ve run into him over the past several years that he has been here, I’ve chided him that he was here, at St. Mark’s instead of at Greenhill, but I know that he is happy here and it is a good fit for him. But I certainty wish he was back at Greenhill.

MZ: What were your most memorable moments as colleagues at Greenhill or here?

BC: The thoughtful discussion, the thoughtful comments that he would make in faculty meeting. He’s not one who would speak up quickly and frequently, as opposed to me. I always had something to say. When Dr. Perryman spoke up at meetings, it was always worth listening to. He was a deep person.

MZ: What’s it like working alongside a former student of yours?

BC: It’s sort of fun, it’s not all that unusual at Greenhill. I was counting up this morning and could come up with eight current Greenhill teachers that are alumns, two more that are coming. There have been a number in the past. It makes me feel good that former students are teaching.

STORY MATTHEW ZHANG PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

Changes ahead for Leadership and Ethics Program

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eginning in the fall of the 2017-2018 school year, all of the components of the St. Mark’s Leadership and Ethics Program will be a part of a new program, titled Ethos.

According to Malcolm and Minda Brachman Master Teaching Chair Martin Stegemoeller, the faculty leader of Ethos, now is the perfect time to bring all of the Leadership and Ethics components together into one program.

“I think that when you think of our character of leadership at St. Marks, we have really good curricular activities in place, with English 10 for instance,” Stegemoeller said.

“And the missing component in many ways is the hands [on work].”

For Stegemoeller, Ethos allows both the faculty advisors and students to make better use of their time.

“Because of what we call lack in bandwidth on both the faculty side and the student side—free time and energy to fully devote ourselves to those things,” Stegemoeller said, “the success of some of those enterprises was hindered by a lack of time and lack of support.”

Ethos is currently set to have 11 different committees, ranging from Telos 4, Telos 6, and Telos 8 to the “Committee on Chapel” and “Innovation Committee,” although more committees could be added.

By streamlining the Leadership and Ethics program, Stegemoeller hopes to avoid past issues like lack of commitment within certain committees.

“One of the things we will do is have a meeting every two weeks for the committee chairman to coordinate with their faculty sponsors,” Stegemoeller said.

According to Stegemoeller, committee chairs can decide whether they need a cochair, a secretary or any other position they might need, as everything will be based on specific committee needs.

Stegemoeller is looking forward to a great sense of flexibility, while at the same time providing more accountability for the individual committees.

“More freedom and more accountability at the same time,” Stegemoeller said. “That is the key. I’m just really psyched, and I just hope that if there are kids who are on a committee that kind of fizzled in the past, I hope they will give it another try.”

Applications for positions are to be filled out before the end of the school year, and committee chairs will be selected over the summer.

— Nick Malvezzi

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|THE REMARKER |life| May 12, 2017 |

14 FEATURES WORKS FROM STUDENTS, FACULTY

Senior Dhruv Prasad hosts Ceramics Gallery

by Sid Vattamreddy

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enior Dhruv Prasad hosted the school’s first ever Ceramics Gallery May 6. Over 30 of Prasad’s pots were featured in Nearburg’s Flex Gallery from 1 to 3 p.m.

Prasad came up with the idea for a gallery because he had never been able to showcase his art.

“There hasn’t really been a place on campus for peo-

ple in the Fine Arts program to show their work, and I really wanted to show my work,” Prasad said.

Ceramics instructor Scott Ziegler feels that the gallery was a great place for Prasad to showcase his work.

“This is Dhruv’s way to show what he’s been working on for the last four years,” Ziegler said.

Although the admin-

istration was supportive of Prasad’s idea, he found it difficult to set up and reserve space in the Flex Gallery.

“I talked to people in the Business Department and got to the head,” Prasad said.

“I wrote a proposal and sent it to her, and she told me she and Mr. Gonzalez decided St. Mark’s didn’t have the ‘bandwidth’ to host such an event.”

Prasad then talked to Ziegler, who pointed him to Fine Arts Department Chair Marion Glorioso. Glorioso helped Prasad turn the idea into a school activity.

“I wrote up a new proposal and sent emails to more administrators and they said no again,” Prasad said. “I was fortunate enough that Ms. Glorioso was able to talk to them again and get

it done.”

Ziegler hopes more visual artists can showcase their hard work in galleries like this one.

“The lacrosse player is able to exhibit his abilities on the field, and the performing arts are able to do their concert or show on stage,” Ziegler said. “This is a great opportunity for visual artists to exhibit work.”

SAHIL DODDA

IMAGINING GREATER HEIGHTS

IMAGINEERS After winning second place in the DI state competition in April, Dodda (second from left) celebrates with his DI teammates, ready to compete in the global finals in May.

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eventh-grader Sahil Dodda has been an active participant in Destination Imagination (DI), a program that aims to make ideas a reality through creative projects, for seven years.

In his first four years, he’s constantly dedicated his time to improving various projects for the program with his team, participating in tournaments at the same time.

In fourth grade, however, all the hard work paid off. He broke through the barrier.

Dodda and his team had finally qualified for the global finals, a feat that only 8,000 people around the world accomplish each year.

Not only that, in fifth grade, he and his team took first place at the global finals by making a project dedicated to fighting the ebola crisis.

And now, after qualifying for the global finals yet again in sixth and seventh grade, he’s ready to take on the international challenge again in late May for the fourth consecutive year.

••• Dodda first started his career in DI in kindergarten, when he saw one of his friends doing a project for the program.

“I told my mom I wanted to do the same thing too,” Dodda said. “There was already a team from the people I knew beforehand, so we just got together and started practicing.”

Now, Dodda goes to his DI meetings on a regular basis. During each team meeting, Dodda and his team have to accomplish many tasks in order to perfect their projects in a short amount of time.

“In the beginning of the meetings, we go on to a whiteboard, and we say what we’re going to do that day, so we

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SAHIL DODDA HAS BEEN TO THE DESTINATION IMAGINATION GLOBAL FINALS THREE TIMES WITH HIS TEAM. AND AFTER A GREAT STATE COMPETITION, HE’S READY FOR INTERNATIONAL OPPONENTS. try to complete what we said we were going to do,” Dodda said. “During practices, we just work on our project, and we also do something called Instant Challenges (IC). The program gives us a challenge, and we have to solve the challenge in five minutes or so. We do one or two of those every meeting, and at the end, we have snacks.”

Going into his first ever local DI contest in kindergarten, Dodda didn’t know what to expect. He knew what he came to do, but he didn’t know what would happen.

“I felt nervous and excited, both at the same time, during my first contest,” he said. “I was excited to do my best, and I was also hopeful because I wanted us to do well. Our coaches said that the contest had an actual awards ceremony, so I thought it was ranked. Since we were young, though, it turned out that they just gave everyone certificates for finishing the year.”

Until now, Dodda has been to more than ten tournaments. He’s done both lighthearted and serious projects, from making a Leaning Tower of Pisa out of pizza boxes in his earlier years to completing a project regarding the refugee crisis in sixth grade. his year, he and his team worked on a project about people with social challenges.

“For this project, we partnered with United Through H.O.P.E.,” Dodda said.

“In our skit, we had a peacock that had no color in his feathers at the beginning,

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and after giving the peacock confidence, he has color in his feathers at the end.

We’re giving the peacock confidence in the same way we’re giving people with social challenges confidence when we show them how to ride a bike or help them cross the finish line.”

In order to prepare for the global finals this year, Dodda and his team need to take their project that they presented at their regional competition and refine it.

“If you qualify past regionals, you just make everything better,” Dodda said. “You don’t re-do everything. You just work on your duct-tape work or make your costumes better or something like that. Right now, we’re working on our props, the paint job and all of that for the global finals. We’re also working on our IC’s since we didn’t do very well on those.”

Dodda is excited at the prospect of returning to the global finals.

“You always want to go to global finals,” Dodda said. “It’s a great experience. I’m just excited to go to globals, and I’m happy that I’m there with some of the best of the world.”

••• While DI has definitely helped Dodda improve his creative and problem-solving skills, it’s also taught his some valuable life lessons.

“The program makes you more organized and disciplined to follow your schedule,” Dodda said. “Preparing for globals forces you to do a lot of stuff.”

STORY DYLAN LIU PHOTO COURTESY SAHIL DODDA

Putting together the project takes a long time, so you can’t just cram it in the weekend before. I guess it also makes you a better team player at the same time since you’re working with people at doing a project.”

Dodda is excited for the upcoming global finals, but he’s also happy with his long-term commitments to DI in the future.

“I want to do DI as long as I can since it’s exciting to do these different projects and be with the team,” Dodda said. “When I get older, I want to judge and maybe even see the younger generation perform their own projects.”

DESTINATION IMAGINATION

countries participating in the global finals

1,400

Number of teams in 2017 finals

150,000 the number of Destination Imagination participants in 2017

year the program was founded

15

PARENT JOBS

| May 12, 2017 |life| THE REMARKER |

TAKE OFF MARKSMAN PARENT ROBYN NEUHOFF SPENDS HER TIME FLYING HIGH-PROFILE CLIENTS IN JETS FROM PLACE TO PLACE — INCLUDING RADIO HOST TOM JOYNER.

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lying was always a big part of her family. Her dad was a pilot for Southwest, her uncle was a pilot for Delta and her cousins were also pilots.

Naturally, Robyn Neuhoff, stepmother of sophomore Colin Neuhoff, gravitated towards the adventurous profession at a young age.

After meeting her husband Brian, she joined his company, Neuhoff Aviation, and continued private piloting.

She flew several times a week for wealthy clients looking to travel the United States.

Robyn was used to flying high-profile clients—Tommy Lee Jones and Laura Bush are among the few she’d previously flown—but nothing could’ve prepared her for the phone call she received two years ago.

Tom Joyner, host of the nationally recognized Tom Joyner Morning Show, called.

And now she’s flying for him.

•••

Robyn, a veteran on the private flying scene, began her career flying privately on her own. After years of experience, her passion led her to high-class clients, including the then-presidential candidate’s wife, Laura Bush.

“I’ve flown some famous people,” Robyn said, “Tommy Lee Jones, Laura Bush during George’s first presidential campaign, athletes from back 15 years ago, David McDavid and his family.”

Robyn, however, first found out about the unique opportunity through a former colleague she had previously flown with, who recommended her to Joyner.

“There was a guy I flew with about 15 years ago who was managing [Joyner’s] airplane, and he knew I was qualified in airplanes,” Robyn said. “Tom Joyner started to call me about it because he knew I was qualified in that type of airplane, and we’ve just started flying together since.”

When Robyn started working for Joyner, he was traveling between Dallas and Chicago on a daily basis.

He’s since lessened his travel to Chicago and opened it to other cities, which has allowed for Robyn to fly for Joyner a few times a week on her own schedule.

“I fly him maybe once or twice a week,” Robyn said. “I’m in Dallas pretty often because I’m not full time, so I can pick and choose which trips I want to fly.

I don’t fly him on every trip, and I take it pretty easy, so if there’s something I want to be in Dallas for, I can just not fly that trip.”

Robyn works with three of four other private pilots who fly Joyner to various cities around the nation, whether it be New York City or Miami.

“His trips are strictly contract pilots,” Robyn said.

“He has nobody on salary, and you just get paid by the day per flight. There are about four or five of us among his main domestic captains, and we all fly.”

For Robyn, working with Joyner has been a pleasure, believing his friendly and compassionate nature to be a big part of his successful career.

“He’s very personable,” Robyn said. “He’s very amiable — he’ll always take pictures with people. He knows what’s made him successful is his cordiality, so he’s always ready for that kind of stuff.” side from his public personality, Joyner’s low-maintenance, sympathetic nature as a boss has earned him a reputation for being a “very respectable client,”according to Robyn.

“He’s a very understandable person,” Robyn said. “If there IT’S ALWAYS are issues, he won’t pressure JUST BEEN you to fly him. Some people are POSITIVE EXPERIENCES just like, ‘I have to get there no matter what,’ but he’s usually WITH HIM. FLYING GIVES willing to sit back for a day and tell you that it doesn’t matter, ME A SENSE that he can get there tomorrow.”

OF SELF. Looking towards the future, — ROBYN Robyn plans to continue flying NEUHOFF for Joyner as long as he needs a pilot. Additionally, she hopes to help her husband manage their private aviation company that Brian started before they got married.

“If you have a private jet and you want us to take care of it,” Robyn said, “you can hire us to take care of your jet. As for Tom, I’ll fly for him as long as he calls.

It’s always just been positive experiences with him. I’m very fortunate to always have had good clients, and I’ve always been treated very fairly.”

To Robyn, though, the main thing driving her aviation adventures is her passion for the profession and the self-fulfillment she gets from it.

“Most little girls just don’t think of flying an airplane for their future,” Robyn said. “I fly still because I really do enjoy it.

A

STORY ANDRE ARSENAULT ILLUSTRATION NAFTAL MAUTIA PHOTO COURTESY ROBYN NEUHOFF ADDITIONAL REPORTING ERIC HIRSCHBRICH, JASON PENG

SUCCESSFUL LANDING After a long flight, Tom Joyner (left) and pilot Robyn Neuhoff (right) land their Gulfstream plane in Miami.

Orchestra finishes year with Spring Concert

by Sam Goldfarb The orchestra finished a year marked with performances from upperclassmen and young players alike with their annual Spring Concert April 25.

Seniors Matthew Yang, Rohin Maganti, Christopher Chen and Patrick Magee were highlighted at the spring show, each playing a solo in their last high school performance.

“It got really intense leading up to the last night, and then it was all over,” Magee, who performed a piano solo, said. “The night before, it felt like just any other rehearsal for the past eight

years, but now there are no more shows to prepare for and no more music to learn.”

Orchestra Director David Fray, felt that this year’s Senior Class was one of the strongest of recent years.

“The seniors this year are some of the best of the best,” Fray said. “Most years, we have three or four who play concertos. This year, we actually had nine seniors who played at a high enough level to earn the opportunity to play a solo.”

But even with so much talent graduating this year, Fray isn’t at all concerned

for the future of the orchestra.

“We’ve got a freshman, Nicholas Cerny, who’s a phenomenal player, and Matthew Ho in eighth grade, who’s just as good, coming up next year,” Fray said. “They will reinforce the violin section, and we’ll have just as good of an orchestra as we’ve always had.”

There’s also a hidden benefit to the elite seniors moving on to their college careers.

“I’ve had too many cellos for the balance of the orchestra these past few years,” Fray said. “Even though we made changes to accommodate them, I

hope that the balance will go in favor of violins and violas, now that we’re graduating four senior cellos this year.”

Magee belives the lessons he has learned while playing for the orchestra here will stay with him well past graduation and serve as long-term memories for his experiences at this school.

“I hope to keep playing in college in some way,” Magee said, “but I think the dedication of having to practice every day, learning that progress is slow but that you’ll still get better, is the most important part of the experience.”

LIFE

16 17

SAGE

|THE REMARKER |Perspectives| May 12, 2017 |

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sk any teenage boy what he’s most concerned about each school day. Some may say “an upcoming test” or a “tough practice.” Nearly universally, though, each boy would be eagerly anticipating food... Lunch, that one time of the day without a commitment.

Now, after administrators announced the school cafeteria will be under the direction of Sage Dining Services, the era of chicken masala, pizza, holtbergers and yogurt bars might be a thing of the past. Here’s what you should expect next year when you sit down to have lunch.

SAGE

WITH THE RETIREMENT OF DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICES SALLY STEPHENS, THE SCHOOL HAS CHOSEN TO TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE WITH THE WAY IT

FEEDS STUDENTS AND FACULTY.

STORY MIKE MAHOWALD, DAVIS BAILEY, ALBERT LUO, REECE RABIN, ZOHEB KHAN ILLUSTRATION MIKE MAHOWALD PHOTOS KOBE ROSEMAN

I

n 1977, 18 year-old Howard Stewart was working in a restaurant at Northpark Shopping Center. He heard about an opportunity to work as a porter in the cafeteria of a local private school with a wage of $1.75 an hour. He sent in an application, and the rest is history.

For more than 40 years, Stewart worked his way up from moving trashcans and mopping floors to managing an entire staff of cafeteria workers.

He’s seen four headmasters, fed tens of thousands of students and even transitioned into a brand new building with a brand new director of food services.

Now, he will be facing what may be his biggest change yet.

The administration has confirmed that starting in the 2017-2018 school year, St. Mark’s will be transitioning to the family-operated company Sage Dining Services to feed the boys everyday.

In his 40 years on campus, Stewart has seen a generation of cafeteria workers come and go, but for more than half that time he has had one constant: Sally Stephens.

Stephens revolutionized the cafeteria. She removed deep fryers in favor of ovens. She added daily vegetarian options to the menu.

She stressed the importance of cooking healthy foods from scratch.

Twenty-three years later, she’s retiring, and her system is leaving with her.

“We’re what’s called self-op, so we don’t use a caterer or provider,” Stephens said.

“Everybody in the cafeteria is a St. Mark’s employee, and we generate the menus and we generate our own policies, procedures, our own rules and guidelines.”

Stephens’s departure signals a change in the cafeteria culture, most noticeably in the departure from staff-controlled menus to incorporating Sage.

PERSPECTIVES

Sage, a small family owned food-servicing company, works with private schools, colleges and universities across the country, including several in Dallas.

The company has been operating for 26 years under a husband-wife duo, and it serves nearly 100 percent of its food from scratch.

“Sage is the only food-servicing company I’m aware of that is privately owned and family-run and exclusive to schools,” director of finance and administration Suzanne Townsend said. “I really liked the fact that Sage had chosen its niche to be schools. They have over 250 schools that they serve nationally, so that says a lot for them, too.”

In the last decade, Sage has become a staple of the Dallas area, including its introduction into several other independent schools.

“They’ve been at Greenhill either 11 or 12 years,” Townsend said, “and Greenhill was the first locally to go with Sage. Since then, I think Sage’s biggest concentrated market is in Dallas because they have worked in schools such as ESD, Parish and Hockaday this year.”

HOWARD STEWART Excited for the changes Sage will bring

According to Hockaday junior Ali Hurst, their experience with the transition has been fantastic.

“I really appreciate the multitude of options every day,” Hurst said. “Even if you don’t like the main meal, there is usually another entire hot meal further down the line.

Also, at the salad bar, you can make your own salad or choose from premade salads. If all else fails, you can make a sandwich or use the panini machine to make a grilled cheese.”

With Stephens’ retirement at the end of this school year, Townsend and the administration were confronted with a difficult deci-

sion. Either they would hire a new director of food services or make the transition to a bigger company. or years, Sage had been approaching the school about possibly stepping in, so to Townsend, the company made perfect sense.

“I found that they were flexible on everything that I discussed with them, and they were like, ‘Well sure, we can make that work.’ I really liked that about them,” she said. “There are other food services available.

Sage is the only one I know of that is privately owned, family-run and exclusive to schools.”

Only one obstacle was in the way. In order for the arrangement to work, our staff of cafeteria workers had to remain employed by the school.

“Sometimes when Sage comes in, the food employees at that school become Sage employees,” Townsend said, “but we wanted our people to remain St. Mark’s people and have their benefits stay the same—retirement plans and all of that. Sage will be bringing in two of their employees who are a director of food services and an executive chef.”

Along with their two employees, Sage brings more benefits to the table. They have extensive training planned for each individual on staff as well as having an exclusive software program that provides heavily detailed analysis of each food item they serve. There are also possible plans of renovation in the coming year.

“They are going to come before the end of this school year to meet with our team and share information with them about Sage and how the beginning of the year will run,” Townsend said. “Over the summer, we’re going to do some renovations in the kitchen area and the serving area and probably some things in the Great Hall as well, like all of the carpeting needs to come up. So before the school year begins, probably when faculty are

F

Boiling it down.

What you need to k about the school’s lunch catering serv

Starting in the fall of 2017, Sa family-owned food service c pany based in Alton, MA, w serving school meals.

Sage is well - known in the D area, having providing cafe services for schools such Hockaday, ESD and Green

Sage will bring in one execu chef and one director of fo services.

All cafeteria staff members re employed by the school, w the exception of director S Stephens and longtime cafe employee May Sykes.

The Great Hall and Common will undergo various renova this summer to accomodate new operations Sage will br

g ...

know s new vice.

age, a comwill be

Dallas eteria h as nhill

utive ood

emain with Sally eteria

ns area ations e the ring.

What’s for lunch Meals that Sage-catered schools like Hockaday, ESD and Greenhill eat during a week THURSDAY Greek Lemon Chicken Mediterranean Brown Rice Lentils & Greens Rosemary Sweet & Yukon Potato Wedges Steamed Broccoli Turkey Corn Dogs

WEDNESDAY Herb-Crusted Salmon Grilled Whole Sweet Corn Steamed Array of Vegetables Whole Wheat Basil Penne Pasta Steamed White Rice Italian Baked Vegetables

FRIDAY Turkey Pot Pie Steamed Array of Vegetables Quinoa with Red Beans & Kale Steamed Green Beans Roasted Button Mushrooms Rolls

Cheese Pizza Pepperoni Pizza Italian Tossed Salad

California Salad Bowl Mac & Mash Bar

Beef Soft Tacos Roasted Vegetable Soft Tacos Tex-Mex Condiment Bar

Oreo Parfaits

Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie

Sopapilla Chips

Chicken Noodle Soup Baked Potato Drumsticks

Orange Chicken Steamed Rice Edamame Oreo Pudding

here for in-service training, Sage will come in and begin to work with our team.”

Ultimately, Townsend and administrators made the final call.

“I would say by the first of this calendar year we were pretty set on Sage,” Townsend said, “and then it became a matter of them giving us a contract, us reviewing it and agreeing to terms. That was easy. They were very concerned if there are any favorites that are sort of traditions that they might not offer those recipes.”

Sage’s concern over student’s interests show what type of company they are.

And although fan favorites like Indian food will change with Sage’s cooking, Stewart is confident the company will leave the school satisfied.

“I think mini tacos could come back next year,” he said. “The kids have been crazy about the mini tacos. That might be something that comes back. Depends on if they get fryers.

It’s going to be kind of exciting once we meet everybody and learn what everybody does.”

The cafeteria will undergo some huge changes in a very short period of time. But luckily, the staff is used to it.

Before Stephens came, the school had served the boys by itself under various different leaders. After her arrival 23 years ago, the school lunch has seen many changes.

One of the first changes Stephens made to the menu was making sure it met a healthy standard by changing the process of preparing meals and the food itself.

“We make sure our menus conform to a health standard like the American Heart Association health standard,” Stephens said, “and previous to my coming here they didn’t do that, not to say that it was bad food, but it was just not going in a healthy direction.”

In addition to revamping the menu, Stephens has made it her priority to keep her staff

as professional as possible.

“She’s been a great inspiration to me and helped me come along with a lot of stuff since she came,” Stewart said. “She’s just been a good mentor. She let us go through college on the weekend to get certificates. We didn’t do that at first. It’s a certificate that lets you know you’re certified to be a chef. She’s been great.” ore than preparing food for the school, Stephens has become a valuable member of the school community.

“I’m not too happy that Mrs. Stephens is leaving,” Stewart said. “I do know that at some point people need to move on with their life. They just can’t stay in one spot, and I know she’s ready to go back home. She’s from North Carolina, so she’s ready to get back there.”

Stephens’ departure will not only be difficult for the school, but also for herself.

“I’ll miss the cafeteria staff, who are like my family,” Stephens said. “I spend more time with them than I do at home, and I’m going to miss the students and just the excitement you know. That’s the thing I like the most about it: that no day is the same.”

Before arriving on campus, Stephens had very little exposure to what working on the staff of a private school would be like. Now, the job has changed her for the better.

“Well I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned a lot from the boys, about what kinds of things they like to eat and just what a strong community St. Mark’s is and how loyal and courteous the boys are,” Stephens said. “I had no idea what it was going to be like to come to a boys school. I’ve found the boys to be very positive, have great ideas, be very willing to work with us when there are things you don’t like or things you want to have. Of course, I had no exposure to St. Mark’s before I came here, and I’ve learned so much about positive education with boys and in private schools.”

M

Out with the old A look at what students will miss the most next year.

Indian Food 64.1% Pizza 17.9% Chicken Pot Pie 10.3% Other 7.7%

RESULTS TAKEN FROM A POLL OF 117 STUDENTS

MUNCH Taking the adventure to Hockaday, juniors Davis Bailey and Kobe Roseman get a taste of what Sage’s food is really like.

|THE REMARKER |life| May 12, 2017 |

18

CHRISTIAN CORTES SKIN INFECTION

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Still going strong

ying on a cold hospital bed, Christian Cortes ’15 bears a flurry of emotions: anger, confusion and excruciating pain.

Just outside the room, a doctor delivers a few words to Cortes’s father in a hushed corridor. They take a moment to sink in. ...Patients like that just don’t make it.

The giant rash that engulfed almost half of Cortes’s body first began as a golf-ball-sized lump on his left thigh in mid-February.

Soon, Cortes developed what he considered to be “the worst headache and stomachache of his life,” as well as a number of flu-like symptoms.

Despite these conditions, Cortes still attended an ultimate frisbee tournament in Oklahoma that weekend.

“I had a 103-degree fever, and at that point I didn’t feel too bad,” Cortes said.

“The bump at this point was larger, golfball size, but I thought that was from inflammation, so I said I would go.”

In less than 48 hours, the tiny lump transformed into a frisbee-sized rash.

“I felt some stiffness,” Cortes said, “and realized I was having trouble walking. I remember it just being one of the worst nights of sleep I ever had. I was up, dehydrated out of my mind, and I didn't want to tell anyone because they all had a huge tournament.”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Cortes’s teammates took him back to Dallas, and his mother rushed him to an urgent care center.

“As soon as the games finished, they literally had to drive the car onto the field,” Cortes said.

After being transported to the hospital at 1 a.m., the medical staff identified Cortes in a state of septic shock, an infection causing organ THIS failure and dangerSCHOOL HAS SAVED ously low blood pressure, and they MY LIFE began operating on IN MORE WAYS THAN him immediately.

Struggling ONE, MORE WAYS THAN through some of the worst pain of his YOU CAN life, Cortes endured IMAGINE. — CHRISTIAN numerous medical procedures all within CORTES a couple of days.

Eventually, he needed to be put under the knife.

“That first time I was just so confused. I didn’t know what septic shock really meant,” Cortes said. “I didn’t feel

bad. The pain was there, but I didn’t feel like I was dying. I didn’t feel sick or anything. I just felt lost and very tired.”

The doctors outlined the inflamed tissue, which had now masked most of his lower left body, in sharpie marker.

They planned to remove all of it.

“They told my dad that they were going to have to cut all the tissue in essentially my whole left leg and wherever it spreads to,”Cortes said.

While Cortes was being left in the dark, his father and family were extremely worried about his near-death condition.

“So my dad went home, and he doesn’t drink at all. He drank,” Cortes said. “And he called the entire family to get ready to come, and he called my priest to come get me an anointing of the sick. He broke down.”

Miraculously, the next day, all their prayers were answered. The infection had receded an inch from the unpromising sharpie marks. The antibiotics had started kicking in, and the doctor told Cortes that surgery was no longer necessary.

Relieved, Cortes set out on the slow path of recovery, and after a few weeks, he was officially discharged from the hospital, unshaved and weighing 20 pounds lighter than before.

“Three weeks passed by, and at this point my movement had gone pretty well,” Cortes said. “One of the lumps went completely down overnight, but then it started hurting.”

Playing it safe, Cortes decided to consult his doctor.

“He just looks at it, and he said, ‘I hate sending people to the ER, but given the fact that they had no idea what caused it last time, we’ll have to send you to the ER,’” Cortes said.

And so Cortes once again found his way into a nursing bed.

“The surgeon came in, and he said, ‘We’re going to operate on you. I think you have a flesh-eating disease, but we’ll take it out. It should be fine,’” Cortes said.

Waking up three hours after the surgery, Cortes had again been saved from life-threatening circumstances.

“Then the doctor literally said, right then and there, ‘If you had waited until Monday, you’d be dead,’” Cortes said. fter a two-month roller coaster of surprises, tremendous pain and recovery, Cortes was finally discharged from the hospital for the second time and started returning to his normal life.

A

A deady infection on his leg forced Christian Cortes '15 into a three-week battle for his limb — and his life.

A FAMILIAR FACE A mentor and friend, Coach Phillips surprises Cortes with a visit as he recovers from surgery, bringing a volleyball as a token of good times spent together.

Throughout the entire wild sequence of events, Cortes found himself with an overwhemling amount of support.

“It means a whole lot when you’re at essentially your worst and most vulnerable moments to have people by your side and having a million people saying that they’re praying for you,” Cortes said.

But most significantly, Cortes treasures the tremendous support he received from all over the school community.

A huge number of his former classmates helped in a variety of different methods. Among them were Kyle Weinstein ‘15 and Shourya Kumar ‘15, whose fathers worked at Cortes’s hospital.

“Specifically, I got better treatment at the hospital because of St. Mark’s connections,” Cortes said. “I had the best doctor and surgeon because two kids in my grade have dads at that hospital.” ortes not only received support from his friends and family, but also from many other members of the school community. He had a visitor almost every day.

“A bunch of staff came," Cortes said. "[Thomas S. Adams Master Teaching Chair John] Perryman came, [Director of Alumni Relations] Alex Eshelbrenner came, Coach [Dwight] Phillips came,

C

STORY ALBERT LUO, NATHAN HAN PHOTO CHRISTIAN CORTES

STORY ALBERT LUO, NATHAN HAN PHOTOS COURTESY CHRISTIAN CORTES

LIFE

then [Headmaster David] Dini sent flowers, my scholarship program came—it was just great."

Ultimately, Cortes believes he could not have made it through his struggles without the massive amount of help from everyone.

“With an infection where you have no idea what happens, the fact that I was able to be discharged and keep my leg, that’s not something that I think came because my surgeons were good or because my doctors were good,” Cortes said. “That came by luck that came by the grace of God, that came through a lot of people having me in their thoughts, having me in their prayers.”

From this experience, Cortes has learned to love life.

“It’s just changed my perspective on life and people as a whole,” Cortes said.

“When you almost got your leg chopped off, you don't want to take any of that for granted anymore.”

Furthermore, Cortes acknowledges and thanks everyone standing by his side, including the entire school community.

“I owe a ton to St. Mark’s—almost everything. An absolutely huge thank you," Cortes said. "I truly couldn’t have gotten through this without them.”

Mister Roberts marks final play performance for seniors

by Sam Ahmed he spring play, Mister Roberts, starring senior Gray Wood as the captain, junior Sammy Sanchez as Mr. Roberts, senior Evan Baker as ‘Doc’ and junior Niteesh Vemuri as Pulver, debuted with a dress rehearsal 5 p.m. April 21 and shows 7 p.m. April 22 and 2 p.m.

April 23 in the Blackbox theater.

As the play quickly approached, Wood worried that the cast might not be able to pull the performance off.

“A week or two out from the play, I didn’t feel like we had it together at all, and this happens every single year,

T

where it really only comes together toward the end,” Wood said. “I had some doubts about it at first because it was such a big cast, and I wasn’t sure we would be able to fill all the roles.”

Fine Arts Department Chair Marion Glorioso was proud of how the seniors finished their last year as a member of a play’s cast.

“The seniors set a tone of high energy, risk taking and fun,” Glorioso said. “I think seeing the seniors having fun will inspire the kids to do the same going forward.”

Since this was Wood’s final perfor-

mance at the school, he began to reflect on his four years in the Blackbox.

“It’s so sad, and I’m at a loss for words for how to describe it because there are so many traditions that might die with us that I’ve remembered,” Wood said. “It’s truly an end of an era.”

Wood was also very appreciative of the work Glorioso did to help the cast, and he credits much of his success as an actor to her.

“I am very trusting in her capabilities, and she really wanted this to work,” Wood said. “We got a lot of seniors who had never done the play before, and she

helped get a lot of people to do it. She is really good at individually coaching people, recognizes their strengths and helps them foster that on stage.”

Wood ultimately believes more students should get involved with the program.

“The Blackbox is kind of tucked away in this little corner of the school,” Wood said, “And I think if more people knew that drama at St. Mark’s provided you with this opportunity, to do all this cool stuff and be part of such an incredible crew, that you would realize this is something worth doing.”

SANTOSUOSSO’S SPEC-OPS CLASS

A LESSON IN MODERN WARFARE AFTER HER BROTHER ENTERED THE MILITARY AS A NAVY SEAL, HISTORY INSTRUCTOR MICHELE SANTOSUOSSO IS OFFERING A NEW NON-AP SPECIAL-OPERATIONS FORCES BASED ELECTIVE.

A STRATEGIC BRIEFING Showcasing her course to potential students, Santosuosso explains the details of the Special Ops class for the upcoming school year.

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he pressure was on.

A brand-new elective proposed by history instructor Michele Santosuosso was getting approval from various administrators and faculty members across campus.

But the idea for this special-operations (spec-ops) based history elective had been in Santosuosso’s mind for years.

But it wasn’t until her brother, Josh Cohen, enlisted as a Navy SEAL that the war on terror became of great interest to Santosuosso, ultimately inspiring her to pursue the first non-AP history elective offered in years.

Santosuosso’s interest in spec-ops started when she began studying education in history at her Master’s program at Southern Methodist University, where she first became interested with world history.

“After getting my first job in a non-American history course,” Santosuosso said, “my course work shifted more towards world, and I would say late Masters was when I really started getting interested in history of the Middle East, history of Asia.”

Of course, this interest was heightened when her brother enlisted as a Navy SEAL in March 2011.

“Naturally we’re very close,” Santosuosso said. “We communicate every day even if he’s overseas, unless he’s

occupied. I like his opinion because he’s actually seen a lot of [the war on terror].”

However, to officially transition this interest into an approved course for the next school year, Santosuosso met with the rest of the History Department faculty members to discuss how I THINK [THE COURSE] COULD this course could become reality LEAD TO MORE for interested ELECTIVES IN HISTORY WHICH students.

“It was first COULD GIVE brought up in STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO our department TAKE ELECTIVES at an early August meeting IN DIFFERENT FIELDS AROUND that we offer some pretty THE SCHOOL. fantastic AP — MICHELE SANTOSUOSSO electives,” Santosuosso said. “We have [AP] econ, [AP] psych and [AP] Euro, but we don’t have any electives that someone could possibly take that didn’t want the rigor of AP, but still really likes history.”

History Department Chair David Fisher sees the course as an opportunity for students interested in spec-ops to learn about the topic.

“I would like students to come out with an understanding of how special operations can be used as a tool of state,” Fisher said.

To Fisher, learning about the strategies employed by modern governments to avoid mass conflict is useful to all students.

“We are now past the age of mass conscription where we use large armies to achieve our ends.” Fisher said. “The public no longer has the stomach for long, protracted wars where the mass of the population is involved.” ow that the class has been fully approved for next year, the biggest question Santosuosso faces is the level of interest in the spec-ops class among students.

“I’m pretty new to this school,” Santosuosso said, “and there are no regular

N

MICHELE SANTOSUOSSO Wants more classes tailored to student interest

history electives, so this is such a new concept, and the most nerve-wracking aspect of it all is, ‘Is there even an interest for it?’”

In addition to low interest, Santosuosso knows a lack of AP credit might scare some students away from the class, regardless of their interest level.

“When it comes down to you all actually registering for classes, that’s where it gets tricky because you aren’t getting that 5.0 AP bump,” Santosuosso said.

On the other hand, Santosuosso fully

STORY MARK TAO, ERIC HIRSCHBRICH PHOTOS RILEY SANDERS

understands the college process and the desire to maximize AP credits.

“I vividly remember being in high school and even senior year,” Santosuosso said, “knowing I was going to take AP classes. I remember knowing that there were electives that looked really cool, but as a rising senior, I knew what I wanted to do in life and I knew that I needed AP. I completely respect wanting that AP grade bump, because I did, I wanted it.

It’s not a battle that is fightable, because it’s a competitive world.”

Although Santosuosso has considered making the elective an honors course, she wants to stick with the non-AP intensity the class was originially based off of.

“I’d actually met [Associate Headmaster John] Ashton to talk about making it an honors course,” Santosuosso said, “and we just talked that maybe one day, but just right now it’s going to stay as regular, because that was the original point of this course.”

••• In the future, departmental faculty members hope to offer more courses tailored to students while also appealing to the interest of the history instructors.

“We should be in the business of offering option courses that address high student interest and also play to the passions of the teachers who offer them,” Fisher said, “so hopefully [a new course] will become less unusual in the future.”

LIFE

| May 12, 2017 |life| THE REMARKER |

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|THE REMARKER |life| May 12, 2017 |

20

BUZZ

THIS ISSUE ETHNIC FOODS DAMN. REVIEW HEADLINERS

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

Global Grub

DALLAS IS A MIXING POT OF DIFFERENT CULTURES. HERE, WE UNCOVER THE BEST GLOBAL FARE IT HAS TO OFFER — FROM THE COUNTRIES OF IRAN, JAMAICA AND ETHIOPIA.

Elaine’s Kitchen: Jamaica 2717 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Dallas, TX erk chicken is undoubtedly the vorful, and the jerk seasoning had best thing about Jamaica (or an almost paste-like consistency second best, depending on how and while the rice and peas that you feel about Reggae music). came with it were average, the Finding good jerk chicken, howchicken is totally worth it. ever, is far trickier—most places Getting to Elaine’s Kitchen that claim to serve “jerk chicken” is a bit of an effort — the place in fact serve plain old roasted looks a bit run-down, and pushy chicken with jerk seasoning sprin- vendors outside will try to sell you kled on the skin. things.

I was delighted when I stumDig beneath the surface, howbled upon Elaine’s Kitchen. ever, and you’ll discover one of the It was searingly spicy, yet flashiniest hidden gems in Dallas.

J

Samad Cafe: Iran 2706 Manor Way, Dallas, TX

S

amad Cafe, which would probably be more popular if it wasn’t cash only, is an authentic Persian establishment operated on the outskirts of Dallas Love Field. And considering how addictive the food is, it might still count.

I chose the kofta kebab-veal, mutton, lamb and beef on one skewer-spiced with parsley and mint and served with hummus.

The meat melts into an explosion of spice and herb the moment it hits your tongue, and it goes perfectly with rice or roti.

A full meal that would set you back $20 anywhere else will run you less than ten here. As we were finishing, the owner wanted to put more food on our plates— It feels like eating at a friend’s house—a friend you’ll probably be dining with frequently.

Queen of Sheba: Ethiopia 14875 Inwood Rd, Addison, TX

T

he first thing you need to know is that Ethiopian food is served communally. It’s traditionally eaten with thick stews and a flat sourdough bread called “injera.” The bread is both plate and utensil—you rip off bits and use it to carry the stew to your mouth.

Our three meat dishes were a spicy beef or “zizil wat” done with stew beef chunks, a spicy chicken or “doro wat” done with thighs and/or drumsticks with

the skins removed and a mild chicken and “doro alecha” recipe where the only ingredient besides the herb/spice butter was a metric ton of tumeric.

All dishes began with a base of onions, garlic and ginger cooked in clarified butter. Vegetarians will be quite comfortable as well; my personal favorite dish was “shiro wat” a stew of roasted and ground yellow split peas. It’s a new experience in many ways but a fun one.

REVIEW AUSTIN MONTGOMERY GRAPHIC MATTHEW COLEMAN

W

Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is darned good

hat you need to know is that Kendrick’s music isn’t necessarily “fun”. You probably won’t jam out to “FEAR.” in your car or dance to “DUCKWORTH.” at a party, but DAMN. is much like poetry; it deserves your full attention and time to let it slowly burn itself into your mind.

In Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City (GKMC), he was “Compton’s human sacrifice,” robbed of his innocence by a deadly cocktail of violence, urban decay and teenage hormones.

To Pimp a Butterfly (TPAB) featured Kendrick as “the biggest hypocrite in 2015,” a man trying to confront political turmoil and be a leader for his people, while he can in fact barely lead himself.

DAMN. is the natural progression of these topics, combining GKMC’s plaintive introspection with TPAB’s barely-concealed rage, both with society and himself.

Kendrick confronts his demons in so many words, but unlike the external threat of “Lucy” on TPAB,

these demons are all character flaws.

The album is about his struggles to resolve the clashes boiling within him — between pride and humility, lust and love, urges for violent revenge and the idea that his community needs something better than another murder.

It’s aggressive, it’s unflinching, it’s raw, and at times it’s a bit uncomfortable.

This album could be perceived as Kendrick both coming to terms with and buckling under the savior complex that the world (and he himself) unofficially anointed on him after To Pimp a Butterfly’s earth-shattering release.

You hear him explicitly adopt that language on several tracks, boasting of his power and influence on “HUMBLE.” and the aptly titled “GOD.”, but he clearly denies it in others.

“XXX.”, for example, features his friend calling him for sage advice after the death of his son, and Kendrick (in what’s possibly the best verse on the album) launches into a violent revenge fantasy, declaring that were his son the one dead, he would be out for blood, whereas “LUST.” sees him wavering when confronted by his own inner desires.

On DAMN., he isn’t some great person or black savior. He’s a normal human, fighting through normal human problems.

And while he does get expressly political on several tracks, politics and social issues don’t take center

stage as they did in Butterfly. Rather, they are side characters to the central anxiety of this album: Maybe I’m just not a good person. Maybe I’m arrogant and childish and weak. Maybe I’m damned. If I were to die tomorrow gunned down like any other black man, like the fate I avoided so narrowly so many times, maybe I’m not going to heaven, maybe I’ll be forgotten. his is an extension of Kendrick’s previous sentiments about his legacy, which Butterfly’s “Mortal Man” dug into quite nicely.

Every song is its own concept inside three to seven minutes, a brief window into Kendrick’s world.

He lives and breathes music.

He processes his life through music, questions things through music and even contradicts himself through music.

This album plays more like an observer’s view of life than a first-person narrative, and features such a variety that nearly everyone will pick a different track as their favorite, and one where every record is spun without dismay. To me, that’s the earmark of a classic — which DAMN. certainly is.

T

A

REVIEW AUSTIN MONTGOMERY PHOTO CREATIVE COMMONS

LIFE

Head iners Concerts Florida Georgia Line June 3 at 7:00 p.m.

Starplex Pavilion

Kendrick Lamar July 14 at 7:30 p.m.

American Airlines Center

J. Cole

Aug. 20 at 8:00 p.m.

American Airlines Center

Zac Brown Band

Albums

Welcome Home May 12

Lil Yachty

Teenage Emotions June 2

Nickelback Feed the Machine June 9

Lorde

Melodrama June 16

Movies Baywatch May 25

Cars 3 June 16

Spider-Man: Homecoming

July7

Dunkirk July 21

ON THE MORNING OF APRIL 24, THE SENIORS GREETED EVERYONE AT SCHOOL WITH A TRAIN, A PETTING ZOO, BOUNCE HOUSES AND MORE—A DIFFERENT KIND OF SENIOR ‘PRANK’ WAS UNDERWAY — MUCH TO THE JOY OF COUNTLESS MARKSMEN.

PHOTOS RILEY SANDERS, ADNAN KHAN

1

1

LINING UP Wanting a quick snack, Marksmen of all ages looked to the senior’s snow cone stand.

The icy treats were available to cool students off in the 80 degree midday temperatures.

2

3

HOPSCOTCH By outlining hopscotch squares on the tiles in Centennial Hall, seniors gave students a chance to play this popular childhood game.

Senior Class President Shailan Parmer tries out the game board between classes.

2

3

A COLD DRINK Students were able to visit seniors Gray Wood and Leo Weiser, among others, for a cup of freshsqueezed lemonade.

5 4

4

A FUN BREAK Fifth-grader Clark Cooper was one of many students to spend the afternoon making furry friends at the petting zoo featured in the senior prank.

5

SHAVED ICE Senior Rene Reeder serves a middle schooler a frozen treat, one of the seniors’ several handmade snacks offered to students during the sevenhour ‘prank.’

LIFE

| May 12, 2017 |life| THE REMARKER |

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SENIOR PRANK

|THE REMARKER |commentary| May 26, 2016 |

22 Lessons from my mini-me

EDITORIAL

CHINESE

M

y nephew Aiden and I are just alike.

Literally.

We’ve won look-alike contests, grew up watching the same shows and even order the same meal at McDonald’s, a ten piece McNuggets with large fries and barbeque sauce. You can never go wrong with that.

He was born when I was only seven years old, so he and I practically grew up side by side, learning and developing with each other.

As is common with most kids, the first thing we bonded over was video games – specifically the infamous Mortal Kombat series. Since I grew up playing those games (despite the rampant gore), I thought it would be right for him to do the same.

So, every weekend, Aiden and I would crowd in front of our Mitsubishi box TV – keep in mind this is the mid 2000’s – and play Mortal Kombat: Armageddon for hours and hours on end, seeing who could beat who. I always played ZACH with the blind ninja, GILSTRAP Kenshi, while he Managing editor commonly switched between whichever character looked the coolest.

And, to no surprise, I won most of the time.

One day in particular, I was on a ten game winning streak, and I was pretty full of myself to the point where all inhibitions left the room and I unleashed a gauntlet of intricate combos, completely annihilating Aiden’s character.

The ominous voice from the game shouted “Kenshi wins!” and I hooped and hollered in jubilant celebration. But, as I beamed in pompous pride, Aiden shouted in anger and threw the controller down the stair railing to a loud crash.

I was furious.

I immediately walked up to him and gave him a lecture on the clichés: not to be a sore loser, respect others even if you lose, treat others how you want to be treated, etc. But, at the end of my rant, I delivered a final blow: “You should be ashamed of what you did. You’re acting like a baby.”

A single rivulet of tears turned into a monsoon of sorrow as Aiden began to bawl uncontrollably. He sat back down in the chair, dejected and distraught, and remained in a stark silence for the next few minutes. till angry, I refused to show sympathy for him. I was secure in the fact that I had just assumed my role as an uncle and taught him a valuable lesson. I felt I had done the right thing.

But, while staring at his face, I noticed those big, brown eyes, that round, flared nose and those red, dimpled cheeks – features that he and I both shared. I saw myself in him.

I remember, back when I was his age, playing Mortal Kombat with my uncle, Keelen, and acting the same way whenever I lost. This whole time, my anger at him didn’t come from his rash actions.

It came from the fact that I didn’t want him to be just like me. I wanted him to be better than me.

But, for a seven-year-old kid, that was too much to expect. He looked up to me as a mentor, as an uncle, pretty much as an older brother. And that was a relationship I wouldn’t let myself disappoint.

I needed to let go of my desire to correct every fault I saw in him; he couldn’t be perfect, and I shouldn’t force him to be. I needed to be patient with him.

So, I looked at him and apologized.

His eyes quickly darted up at me but fled back in embarrassment. I grabbed his shoulder, and asked him if he wanted to play another game. He took a while to respond, but he finally agreed, and we returned to fighting — to the death.

We played and played for hours on end, and he even got a few wins in coupled with equally-jubilant celebrations. I was patient with him, and I let him express his feelings, whether they were happiness or anger, because that’s what I did when I was his age.

And I wouldn’t want him to have any different.

S

COMMENTARY

SPANISH

LATIN

Progress being made as language department addresses inequities

S

tudents here are puzzled as to why, despite offering a sophomore year honors level class in the form of advanced Spanish A-honors: history and culture of Spain, students in the same grade but taking Chinese and Latin do not have an honors opportunity.

Some contend that those students taking this sophomore honors class have a distinct advantage over those taking Chinese and Latin.

This extra year of honors gives a bit of GPA boost that could mean all the difference in the competitive race for Cum Laude, valedictorian and college admission.

A decision in taking a language should never be based on GPA. While those who select for these awards and recognitions take into account the lack of an honors

ReMarker

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

EDITOR IN CHIEF KOBE ROSEMAN MANAGING EDITORS DAVIS BAILEY ZACH GILSTRAP EXECUTIVE PAGE EDITOR MIKE MAHOWALD

opportunity for Chinese and Latin students, it is still an inequality in the Foreign Language Department that needs to be addressed.

It must be acknowledged, however, that low enrollment in Chinese and Latin classes prevents the Foreign Language Department from being able to split sophomore classes in these two languages into honors and regular classes. e understand the predicament the Foreign Language Department is put in and are encouraged that the department is taking action to expand interest in both Chinese and Latin. Two things the department is doing that give us hope are: 1. Early exposure. The Foreign Language Department is requiring fifth and sixth graders to take entry level Chinese classes, hoping to remove the stigma that Chinese

W

RESEARCH DIRECTORS ZOHEB KHAN NICK MALVEZZI COPY EDITORS MICHAEL LUKOWICZ SAM SHANE PHOTO COORDINATOR OWEN BERGER FOCUS EDITORS CJ CRAWFORD DUNCAN KIRSTEIN LIFE EDITORS SAHIT DENDEKURI MARK TAO

ASSIGNMENTS EDITOR ANDRE ARSENAULT

NEWS EDITORS KAMAL MAMDANI LYLE OCHS

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER RILEY SANDERS

SPORTS EDITORS PARKER DAVIS CONNOR PIERCE

is simply too difficult to learn.

2. Incorporation into classes.

Foreign Language Department members are visiting with humanities instructors in the Middle School about incorporating some Latin into their curriculum, one where Greek and Roman history is taught, again with the hope that introducing students to this language early could increase interest and enrollment in Latin.

We applaud the Foreign Language Department for its awareness and action towards solving this issue and hope that for future students of Chinese and Latin, a sophomore level honors class will eventually be available. This success would only strengthen the Foreign Language Department and provide more equity in the competitive academic environment of this school.

WRITERS SAM AHMED COLIN CAMPBELL ANDY CROWE JOSH DANIELS SAM GOLDFARB MATEP GUEVARA ISHAN GUPTA NATHAN HAN ERIC HIRSCHBRICH ANTONIO IVARRA DYLAN LIU JAHAZIEL LOPEZ ALBERT LUO BRETT MARSH TOBY NWAFOR JASON PENG JAMES ROGERS MOHIT SINGHAL AARON THORNE SID VATTAMREDDY NICK WALSH CHRISTOPHER WANG WALLACE WHITE TIANMING XIE MATTHEW ZHANG

CREATIVE DIRECTORS RETT DAUGBJERG NAFTAL MAUTIA

SPORTS MAGAZINE EDITOR WILL FORBES

ISSUES EDITOR BLAKE DAUGHERTY

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR ZACH LANDRY

SENIOR WRITER REECE RABIN

REVIEWS SPECIALIST AUSTIN MONTGOMERY

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR ALEC DEWAR

ARTIST MATTHEW COLEMAN

PHOTOGRAPHERS MATEO DIAZ GRAYSON FEICK ADNAN KHAN CHRIS MCELHANEY RYAN NORMAN TUCKER RIBMAN CHARLIE RUBARTH RILEY SANDERS KYLE SMITH KABEER SINGH

COMMENTARY EDITORS JIMMY RODRIGUEZ SAM SUSSMAN

BUSINESS MANAGER CARSON CROCKER

ADVISER RAY WESTBROOK

ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER PAXTON SCOTT

ONLINE VIEWING. Each issue of The ReMarker, along with archival copies, can be viewed on the school’s website, www.smtexas. org/remarker.

READER INVOLVEMENT. The ReMarker encourages reader input through letters, guest columns and story ideas. Contact the appropriate editor for submissions.

Suggestions will be given due consideration for future publication.

Letters should not exceed more than 300 words in length.

ADVERTISING. Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad in the newspaper’s pages is not an indication of an endorsement

by The ReMarker, any of its staff members or faculty or staff members of St. Mark’s School of Texas.

DISTRIBUTION. Press run is 3,800 copies. Copies are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff at various distribution sites on campus. More than 2,600 copies are mailed out to alumni courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions.

MEMBERSHIP. The ReMarker maintains membership in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, New York City, NY; National Scholastic Press Association, Minneapolis, MN; and the Interscholastic League Press Conference, Austin.

Gabe Bankston sophomore

John Gunnin junior

Word on the

“

Zach Cole senior

Dropping bombs is not good.

Matthew Raroque freshman

A few weeks ago, the U.S. dropped one of the largest bombs of all time on Afghanistan. What do you think about this choice of action, and do you believe that it was justified?

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

“

Certainly justified. We built 20 of them in 2003. They’ve got a 15 year shelf life. We’ve only got a year left to use them.

“

Yeah, I actually do think it was justified. It’s one of the of the few good decisions this recent administration has made. I have a feeling that the people who made the decision were the adults in the room rather than the child who is in control.

David Fisher History Department chair

“

I don’t really think it was a justified course of action. I heard it took out some ISIS facilities, but it also sparked a lot of controversy in other country, and I think it pins us as Americans in a bad light considering we will just bomb any place.

Yes, I do think it was justified because ISIS is a big problem, and it’s something that the United States needs to resolve, and I think Donald Trump did that when he dropped the MOAB on Afghanistan.

Rahul Vashi freshman

Seun Omonije junior

STEGOSAURUS | CARTOON KANNAN SHARMA, SAMMY SÁNCHEZ, MICHAEL LUKOWICZ

The Adventures of

OH MY GOSH!

But what

Look at what happened to

does it

MEAN?

Centennial!

Louis the Lion

Dr. Stegosaurus is on an existential rampage.

EDITORIAL

Teachers must pay attention to testing schedules

A

ccording to Lion Tracks, Middle and Upper School students are not allowed to have more than two major assignments in one day. Despite this rule, many teachers are ignoring this policy and are assigning tests and papers on days previously filled by at least two major assignments, leaving the responsibility to the student to rearrange his schedule and fix this problem.

As a result of this scheduling problem, students are either forced to cram for three tests in one day or use their free time to make up tests on other days.

For years, teachers have had to schedule their tests on the school website to prevent this problem, but in the last few years, teachers have begun to forego their responsibility of scheduling their tests

and papers on days that work and have placed their tests on whatever day they choose.

We understand that some days work better for teachers than other days for testing and exams, but there’s a reason for limiting Marksmen to two major assignments per day: the coursework here is notably rigorous. The school wants to give students time to adequately prepare for the major assingments, which have great impact on trimester and year-long grades.

The date of testing shouldn’t be detrimental toward a student’s grade because he is overwhelmed by the number of quizzes, tests, papers or even AP exams he might have on that day.

With AP exams coming to a close today, some students in the past two weeks

have had to balance studying for AP exams, while also studying for a test they might have later that day, which greatly decreases his odds of success in both the test and the exam.

Although all students have the right to move a test from a day with two other major assignments, sometimes students are so crammed during the rest of the week, that it might make their schedules more difficult by moving a test to a different day.

Teachers have the ability to remove these problems by simply selecting a day for their tests and papers that is not already occupied by two major assignments for any of their students. Teachers should adhere to these rules given to them, which will result in greater success academically and a healthier student body.

Unsung hero

ENRIQUE SALINAS

MAINTENANCE WORKER

T

he ReMarker staff would like to recognize Enrique Salinas for his help with the cross country track and field team.

For nearly every away event, Enrique drives the bus holding the members of the team to the location, no matter where it is.

For example, this year, Salinas has driven the track and field team to Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, taking time out of his day to help the school out.

Salinas does not have to do this by any means, but he chooses to continue driving the cross country and track and field tiems around every year.

Once again, we applaud Salinas’s dedication to the school and the spirit he shows day-in and day-out.

Thank you, Mr. Salinas!

TAKING Looking at the rising and falling stocks around campus

STOCK Senior ‘Prank’ enjoyed by entire community THE SENIOR PRANK this year, while not so much a prank, was enjoyed by the entire campus, with the Senior Class bringing in a petting zoo, a train ride, bounce houses and snow cones for all grades.

Double monotony breaker proves successful A FEW Tuesdays ago, many grades celebrated a double monotony breaker with both ice cream bars for the entire school, along with individual grade level monotony breakers.

Parents telling sons about Cum Laude selection

Cafeteria trays should be properly returned

WHILE WE understand that parents are proud of their sons when parents receive the phone call notifying them their son has been named to Cum Laude, parents should do as requested: keep this information secret. The element of surprise is a big part of the Cum Laude ceremony and parents should not ruin the occassion for their sons.

FAR TOO MANY students in the past few months have decided to leave their trays just inches short of the conveyor belt, creating a giant tray backup. While it’s an improvement that students are taking their trays over to the cleaning area, leaving it short of the conveyor belt wastes the time of both the students behind them and the cafeteria workers.

COMMENTARY

| May 12, 2017 |commentary| THE REMARKER |

“

“

I think that it was a justified action because it was a great blow to ISIS.

23

It’s hard to say that anything we do in the Middle East at this point is justified because of the way we’ve handled foreign relations in the Middle East in the past.

Short answer no.

24

|THE REMARKER |commentary| May 12, 2017 |

I’m a plagiarist — as good and guilty as they come

I

have a confession to make: I’m a plagiarist.

And no, it’s not what you’re thinking. Before you put me in front of the discipline council, hear me out — because odds are, you’re just as guilty as I am. Odds are, everyone reading this is a plagiarist.

But before you can accept that, you’ll need to throw away that Marksman phobia of plagiarism.

That phobia that teachers fuel from day one to prevent you from doing something wrong. That phobia that used to give me visions of being kicked out of school and Kobe Roseman failing in all my Editor-in-chief activities. And that phobia that used to send a shiver down my spine and put a pit in my stomach just at the sound of the word.

But today I can say with confidence that I’m a plagiarist — as good and guilty as they come.

In fact, the moral of this column is in many ways plagiarized from a source in the February issue of one of my favorite

publications — our very own Focus Magazine.

Months before the issue came out, Naftal Mautia, our creative director this year, texted me and told me he wanted to work on the next issue of the magazine.

The story I eventually assigned him was a profile of a man I had only heard incredible things about. A man who spent his life building the most elite high school baseball league in Dallas and now works as assistant varsity baseball coach. A man who I still have never spoken to in my life, though I hope to someday.

His name is Sam Carpenter.

On page nine of the magazine, he says, “I describe my life as three ‘P’s.’

I’m a procrastinator. I’m a plagiarist (I’ve never had an original idea and I don’t think I ever will). And I’m persistent. I stay with things. If it’s something I want to do, I’m gonna stay after it.”

When Naftal turned in this quote on his deadline, I picked up the sheet of paper, read through Carpenter’s words, and immediately realized — that’s me.

I’m a plagiarist.

I knew long before this quote that I was a procrastinator and was persistent.

But when I heard this vastly successful

W

Lunch

Chicken Masala: Will there still be chicken masala next year? This question plagues everyone as we fear living without our favorite treat.

Spring Fling Communication: Although the dance was fun, the communication was subpar leading to lots of confusion.

People like Gopal Raman who I took my spot in Philosophy Club and community service from. People like Frank Thomas who, despite the salt, I took my ability to diffuse any situation from. And people like Case Lowry and Rish Basu who I took my music taste, mannerisms and passion for journalism from.

This time next week, I might be out of things to plagiarize. I might get that same ‘what-do-I-do-now’ feeling I got when I saw Philip Smart and Jackson Cole graduate last year.

And this time next week, I’ll be six days away from taking my blue shirt out of the plastic Culwell and Son bag on my desk.

So to the blue shirts — while you are still wearing them, mine’s still in the bag and there’s still time left for me to copy you — I’m sorry I didn’t credit you sooner.

To anyone reading this that might plagiarize off me in the future, I say thank you. Afterall, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

And finally, to any plagiarist reading this who hasn’t credited their sources, don’t procrastinate like Sam Carpenter might — give credit where it is due.

Start by admitting that you, like me, are a plagiarist.

FROM AN EXCITING COMEBACK VICTORY OVER HIGHLAND PARK IN LACROSSE TO WONDERING IF THE EVER-POPULAR CHICKEN MASALA AND INDIAN FOOD WOULD BE ON THE MENU NEXT YEAR, 2016-2017 HAS PRESENTED THE COMMUNITY WITH ENDLESS QUESTIONS, SUCCESSES — AND ANXIETIES.

The Best

The Worst Quesadillas: As much as we will miss our dining service next year, one cuisine we will be happy to forget are the soggy quesadillas.

and influential man’s words, who at even his age thinks he’s never had an original idea, my phobia of plagiarism went away.

Because I realized that I — like Carpenter — have been plagiarizing people and ideas my whole life. hen I was a kid, my dad told me he loves tennis, and I’ve been a tennis player ever since. When I was in 5th grade, Mr. Foxworth told me focusing during class would make me a better student, and I’ve been trying to focus ever since. And when I was in eighth grade, Dr. Steg told me people who lead make themselves bigger, and I’ve been trying to lead ever since.

The list goes on and on.

My family. My teachers. My advisor.

My friends — I guarantee whether we know it or not, you’re influencing me with every interaction.

But there’s one source I’ve taken the most from, and if plagiarism is “passing off the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source,” then allow me to give credit where it’s due — to give credit to the blue shirts.

Because a week from today, they’ll walk off the graduation stage and leave me here, fresh out of ideas and people to copy.

DJ Umer: DJ Umer’s playlist at Homecoming had the whole crowd tempo-

Dance rarily forgetting about the homework moments they had due in two days.

Overtime Win: Down one against Highland Park in lacrosse, junior Garrett Mize made a buzzer Sports Last Second Loss: Basketball was beater goal to send it to overtime, leading to a moments triple overtime winner for junior Will Wood. up by two against Fort Worth Country Day, when the other team made a three-pointer with one second left to win.

highs &

April: In April, students were hammered with work, as teachers gave their final tests before switching their focuses to studying for finals.

lows

Month

December: After a grind of a two weeks toward the beginning of the month, students were rewarded with two weeks off for their hard work.

Wi-Fi: The Wi-Fi around campus was spotty this year, and once MarksTechnology men ventured too far from the main buildings, all connection was lost.

We remember the bests and worsts of this school year.

Printers: The school introduced new printers around the campus, improving the accessibility for all students.

‘Who the heck is Francisco Pizarro?’

I

swear that clock’s screwing with me.

One minute left.

There’s no way it’s been that long.

30 seconds.

It’s already been two hours?

Pencils down!

I walk out of the study hall from my Spanish exam, my mind on anything but Spanish.

Then my classmates and friends jog up to me, forming a crowd.

What’d you get for 29?

Who the heck is Francisco Pizarro?

Wait, the test was front and back?

Davis Bailey But as their voicManaging editor es count through conjugations and vent about useless vocab, I’m already thinking about the next time I’ll be locked in the study hall in T-minus 22 hours – my history exam.

I’ve prepared though, did all the usual last minute exam prep.

Flipped through the textbook. Wrote and rewrote my notes.

COMMENTARY

Told my friends to watch out for the official Red Cross signs of shock. The usual stuff.

So I feel pretty ready.

And when Blake suggests to everyone the best stress medicine known to man — Snuffer’s cheddar fries — I’m confident enough to at least forget about it for a couple hours.

We pile in his blue truck and drive down to Snuffer’s, blaring Spanish music we know half the words to, singing like complete idiots the whole time, completely forgetting about tomorrow’s exam.

All five of us slide into the two booths at Snuffer’s and begin to chow down, getting rid of all our stress and responsibility.

Afterwards, we head home, taking naps and playing video games, without a care in the world, almost unaware of the torture that comes at 8 a.m. tomorrow.

We goof off, and the hour hand on that stupid clock races around, leaving us less and less time.

It hits me at dinner.

Interrupting my Pei Wei sweet and sour orange chicken.

The it?

Panic — sweet panic — sets in. In a

flash, I hop into the car and speed off towards school.

On the way, I call a few friends, also in the middle of their own moments of panic, and we all pull into the parking lot at about the same time. anic in our eyes and about a thousand years of history — we hope — in our heads, we walk with nervous purpose up to our upstairs centennial history classroom, holding on to all the, admittedly weird, things that belong at a late night study session.

Matt totes a speaker.

Blake cradles a football.

Zach clutches the chips and guac.

And me? I lug along a bag of expo markers . . . and a gallon jug of chocolate milk.

We flick on the light switch, get to work — machines fueled on chocolate milk and stress.

We scrawl names and dates and battles up on the white boards, trying to cram an entire millennia of history into about 50 feet of whiteboard space.

Four hours, 300 pages and one empty milk jug later, the night comes to an end.

We walk out of battle, under the Centen-

P

nial Balcony, lit up by the yellow always-on lights.

We can barely hold onto what’s left of our supplies, shuffling towards the parking lot with our hands cramping and fingers black from writing and erasing with expo markers.

As we walk under the bright lights of the parking lot, I check the time.

“11:57!” I announce triumphantly. “Only 8 hours to go!”

Everyone groans and Zach turns to face us all, laughing as he says, “Hope we all make it!”

We all laugh, and I turn to look at campus.

All our stress and worry disappears, and even though the exam is closer than ever, nervousness leaves me, replaced by the happiness that only good friends can bring.

We exchange high fives and sarcastic good-luck’s, and I fumble with my keys, walk to the car.

A night of studying, transformed into a night of fun, only at this place.

And as I pull out of the parking lot and wave to a security guard, I can’t help but think, “I love this place.”

Sports magazine editor Will Forbes talks about the importance of supporting every team on campus

W

hen the lacrosse team beat Highland Park — perennially one of the top teams in the state — in their final game of the regular season it was one of the greatest sporting events from my 11 years at the school.

On the Scots’ home turf, junior Will Wood netted a game-winning goal to secure the 7-6 victory in triple overtime.

It was an upset win over a huge rival. The student section rushed the field. It was incredible.

Video of the postgame celebration is reminiscent of the student body’s ecstasy when Parker Dixon’s three WILL FORBES pointer beat Sports magazine the buzzer and editor earned a win against ESD in their gym.

Sporting events like those are awesome and memorable and will be talked about for years as some of the best games in school history — not just because of the results, but because of the sense of community that is created when the student body comes together to cheer their classmates to victory.

We should take it upon ourselves to create more of these unforgettable moments.

All our teams are working hard to represent the school as best they can, and they all deserve to have their classmates cheering them on.

Across the board, we need to support every single team on campus with the same enthusiasm and excitement that we storm the field after a big win by the lacrosse team.

And this widespread fandom will only lead to more of these unforgettable moments. e should be there to go crazy when water polo wins state championships, and wrestling sends guys to nationals and track has runners breaking records.

Our athletes are constantly putting together incredible athletic performances, and it is a travesty that the majority of these moments are underappreciated. Every sport deserves to create the buzz that lacrosse created when they accomplished something amazing.

Obviously, every single student can’t be at every single sporting event — I recognize how many other commitments we all have — but even if the student section isn’t that big, it can still provide the excitement that makes these sporting events memorable.

The sense of community on this campus is unparalleled by other schools, so there is no reason we should not have more moments like the pure joy of beating Highland Park in a triple OT lacrosse thriller.

Sure, not every game is going to be as exciting as that one, but if we’re all there giving our teams the support they deserve, there will certainly be more moments to rival it.

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Senior Todd Murphy earns a single in a game against Fort Worth Country Day April 28. The Lions would lose the game by a score of 4-2.

RYAN NORMAN PHOTO

a peek INSIDE

at a GLANCE

Inside the sports section

A brief look at sporting events on campus

26 28 29 32

LEAVING THEIR MARK Freshmen making an impact on varsity sports.

THE BROKEN STREAK Talking with college-bound athletes about their thoughts on recruiting.

BROTHERS AT ARMS Sitting down with Blake and Luke Rogers, football and lacrosse stars.

SCOOTERING TO FAME Talking with two seniors about one of their favorite pastimes.

JV TEAMS FINISH WITH WINS The junior varsity lacrosse team beat Highland Park April 28 to finish its season with a 5-4 record.

“Our team really came together at the end of the season and we were able to finish with a couple of wins.

We are hoping this late season success will help in our transition to varsity next year,” sophomore Gabe Bankston said.

The baseball team won a comeback victory against Greenhill April 24, finishing its season with a 7-7 record.

for the RECORD A status update on Lions sports teams

MIDDLE SCHOOL CLOSES OUT SEASON Middle School spring sports teams experienced varying degrees of success this season.

Both middle school lacrosse teams failed to reach a .500 record due to some very tough competition.

The gold team finished at 3-6, while the blue team never won a game, finishing their season at 0-8.

However, in baseball, both middle school teams found success with their respective schedules.

The seventh grade squad finished with

Varsity lacrosse

12 wins

5 losses Varsity baseball

8 wins

8

losses Varsity tennis

11 wins

2

losses

a 7-4 record, and the eighth grade team finished out the year strong at 9-3-1, winning their final three games. The team seemed to find success as they grew closer as a unit.

“One thing [eighth grade baseball head] Coach [Joshua Friesen] would always say was ‘if you’re out, you need to be the best cheerleader you can be, rooting for your teammates,’” team member Daniel Sanchez said. “We just learned how to support each other in all the games we played.”

CREW HAS STRONG SHOWING After a six hour drive that included a bus breakdown, 32 members of the crew team competed in the Texas Rowing Championships in Austin on April 22 and 23.

During their twoday stay, the team had qualifying rounds and, depending on how those preliminary events went, finals races in which they competed for medals.

Notable finishes include a lightweight double team, made up of junior Eduardo Ludwig and senior Aiden Blinn, taking third in the state, and

a JV double, manned by seniors James Hancock and Parker Kirby, taking second place.

The team now looks ahead to the Central Rowing Championships, a regatta that took place May 6 and 7 in Oklahoma City (results not available at time of time) and has National Championship implications.

DIXON ’16 SHINING AT PRINCETON Since joining the volleyball team at Princeton, Parker Dixon ’16 has experienced success.

Dixon became the second player in program history to win the AVCA National Player of the Week, tallying 4.4 kills, 4.6 points, and hitting 0.441 in wins over George Mason and NJIT. In the semifinal showdown of the EIVA tournament, the Princeton team led by Dixon took on a solid Penn State squad.

However, despite Dixon’s 12 kills and two blocks, Princeton’s efforts were not enough as the Tigers fell to the Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 3-0 sets.

Princeton finished its season with a 1214 record.

— Jahaziel Lopez, Aaron Thorne, Colin Campbell , Josh Daniels

in the SPOTLIGHT POLE VAULTER KEITH KADESKY

1st

Kadesky’s rank at the SPC championship meet this season.

The new school record height for the pole vault, set by Kadesky earlier this season.

14’5.5”

senior Keith Kadesky

SPORTS

25

| May 12, 2017 |sports| THE REMARKER |

MAKING PLAYS

Why you should be ‘just a face in the crowd’

26

|THE REMARKER |sports| May 12, 2017 |

FRESHMEN MAKING VARSITY SQUADS

‘YOU’RE ON VARSITY’ FRESHMEN ON VARSITY. THE WORDS MAKE YOU THINK OF GREAT ATHLETES AND FUTURE

STARS. THE REMARKER TAKES YOU INSIDE THE MINDS OF A SELECT FEW WHO HAVE MADE THE TEAM.

YOUNG GUNS Freshmen Andrew Laczkowski (left), Colin Campbell (center) and Alek Houillion (right) played on the varsity basketball, lacrosse and baseball, respectively.

‘Y

ou’re on varsity.”

It takes a couple seconds for the words to resonate with freshman Andrew Laczkowski. Just minutes before, he was just hoping he would make the junior varsity team.

That’s all out the window now.

Quickly changing his mindset, Laczkowski has to prepare himself mentally for his first varsity basketball game, only one night after he has learned about making the team.

Going into the first game of the season, Laczkowski has low expectations.

As a freshman on varsity who is not only new to the program, but also the school itself, he expects to warm the benches.

But two minutes into the game, with the Lions already trailing by a wide margin, Laczkowski hears his name. Thrown into the heat of battle, with no varsity game experience and only one practice under his belt, nervousness and anxiety attack the freshman’s confidence. After missing his first two shots, the butterflies in his stomach settle, and Laczkowski scores not only his first St. Mark’s career points, but the team’s first of the season.

At the end of the game, Laczkowski knows he has played well but doesn’t give it too much thought. The next day, people approach him in the hall and tell him how many points he scored, nearly twenty, and his impressive performance headlines the box scores in the The Dallas Morning News.

After just one game, Laczkowski, a freshman trying to adjust to a new school, who just two days before didn’t know if he would be playing basketball at all this year, has established himself as a key contributor to Greg Guiler’s varsity basketball team.

••• Laczkowski is one of a few select freshmen who have contributed greatly to their respective programs. Few freshmen

possess not only the athletic development, but the decision making skills that are required to make the drastic leap from eighth grade sports to the varsity level.

Freshman Alek Houillion is another ninth-grader who has shined after being given the opportunity to move up into the varsity level.

After strong showings at the junior varsity level, Houillion worked his way beyond sporadic appearances on the varsity squad.

“I think I proved myself on the junior varsity team, and I finally got my chance to start in a game,” Houillion said. “I feel like I performed pretty well, and it feels good to be able to play with the older kids.”

But being moved up to varsity also brings along the anxiety and nerves that come with playing at a higher level.

“It’s definitely a little more nerve-racking playing at the varsity level because more is expected of you,” Houillion said. “There’s a lot more stress because everyone’s eyes are all on you.

But you just have to take a deep breath and just take a step back and take your time.” ven as Laczkowski began to fully develop into a go-to player for the varsity basketball team, he faced the same pressures as Houillion.

“It definitely was intimidating at first,” Laczkowski said. “Especially when we went down to SPC and played against the big-time Houston schools, we played really big dudes that I was having to guard.”

However, Laczkowski’s confidence in his athletic prowess and what he could do with the basketball helped diminish the game-time jitters that he experienced in the early stages of the season.

“I just told myself, ‘You know what, there’s a reason I’m on the court right

E

now and that’s because I play basketball and I’m good at playing basketball so I just need to play hard, with no excuses,” Laczkowski said. “No matter if the guy is 6’10’’ or 5’10’’, doesn’t matter if he’s a freshman or a senior, just go out and play; shoot, dribble, pass and defend like you know how to.”

As her son earned a starting spot and the team embraced him as one of their own, Amy Laczkowski’s initial worries about how her son would fit in began to fade away.

“At the beginning you’re just a little worried thinking about how it’s going to work out for your kiddo, being a freshman and especially for Andrew being new,” Amy said. “Coach Guiler and his staff have been amazing, and all the upperclassmen have been super kind to him.”

Houillion echoed the same sentiment about the welcoming nature of the team.

“The older players really help in coaching the younger kids,” Houillion said, “and I really like playing with them, so being one of the only freshmen is not a big deal to me.”

Although he hasn’t found himself in a starting position, freshman Colin Campbell, who made the varsity lacrosse team, believes it is important for a player to find his role on a team, as he has done in his limited opportunities to play this season.

“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from the older guys about what it’s going to take to be successful when I’m older and a more important part of the team,” Campbell said.

But the end goal for freshmen at the varsity level is ultimately for them to earn valuable game experience, according to Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen.

“We are not going to move a guy

up to ride the bench,” Friesen said.

“We want him to gain valuable game experience and gain confidence because he’s successful in games. If you bring a guy up and he comes off the bench and doesn’t see success you can crush his confidence and that might hurt his development. We have to be very confident that this boy can perform at that level before we move him up.”

More than anything, Andrew learned over the course of his time as a freshman on varsity that being one is truly a testament to a player’s ability.

“At first I feel like I was holding shots back,” Andrew said. “But one day Coach was like, ‘Andrew, just let it fly.’

And then I just started shooting and it felt a lot better. So don’t be nervous, don’t be reserved. There’s a reason you’re on the court.”

VARSITY MEN Freshman who lettered on varsity teams Football

Paxton Scott

Cross country

Andres Arroyo, Pablo Arroyo, Tyler Nussbaumer, Luke Evangelist

Track Fencing Swimming Soccer Basketball Water polo Baseball

Eric Lai, Tianming Xie, David Li, Arjun Nair, Lee Schlosser, Paul Sullivan William Holtby Andrew Laczkowski, Paxton Scott Lee Schlosser, David Li, Odran Fitzgerald Mason Rareshide, Alek Houillion

Tennis

Alex Piccagli, Henry Stache, Austin Zhang, Sid Vattamreddy

Golf

Randall Fojtasek, Romil Mathur

STORY JOSH DANIELS, NATHAN HAN, CONNOR PIERCE PHOTOS OWEN BERGER, RYAN NORMAN

SPORTS

Pablo Arroyo, Andres Arroyo, Tyler Nussbaumer

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S CUP

Moving on AFTER A 10-YEAR STREAK OF WINNING THE SPC ATHLETIC DIRECTORS’ CUP, ST. MARK’S LOST THE TROPHY TO THE KINKAID SCHOOL. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE CUP WILL REST AT ANOTHER SCHOOL.

R F

G A

I

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t all started as a friendly rivalry between the school’s athletic director and Kinkaid’s almost two decades ago. Who had the best overall athletic program in the SPC? The score was soon settled. But then St. John’s, Greenhill and a few others wanted in on the competition. Just a friendly competition.

Soon the majority of the SPC caught on. Former SPC Director Cindy Goff decided to make it official. With a trophy, true scoring and a lot of pride.

The Lions took home the newly-minted boys’ Athletic Directors’ Cup in the first year of competition. Then the second, then the third.

And, for nine years in a row the Cup sat in the trophy case outside the Great Hall, holding with it the pride of knowing 10600 Preston Road has the best group of boys’ sports teams the SPC has to offer.

For nearly 10 years it sat.

Underappreciated by many and nearly unchallenged.

The Cup still sits in its usual spot.

But this year, it will not return after the spring meetings of all the athletic directors from SPC schools. Instead, it will be taken to Kinkaid for the 2017-2018 school year.

Over the course of the next year, teams will have the chance to contribute to the reconquering of the Cup. Just one team, however, will not be able to bring the Cup back to its resting place on its own. Athletic Director Mark Sullivan, who has worked here since the beginning of the 10-year streak, has come to know every team plays a huge part in an Athletic Directors’ Cup victory.

“The trophy itself is a reflection of quality across the board,” Sullivan said.

“You could look through, say, the past 10, 15 years of this, and you could see where one team fell down a little bit, and another team really picked them back up.”

The scoring of the Cup works as such: if a team wins first place in SPC for a certain sport, they receive one point, the second place team receives two, all

the way down the list.

If a sport’s SPC tournament is played in the form of either a 12 or eight-team bracket, schools that fail to make the bracket will receive one more point than the number of teams in the bracket.

In order to make the 12-team bracket, teams have to finish the season in the top six seeds of their zone. If the sport has an 8-team bracket, they must make the top four in their zone.

Coming into the spring season, Lions teams had amassed 38 points in total. This put the school 11 points behind first place St. John’s School with a couple other schools also in the mix.

The first weekend of tournaments, lacrosse placed second and golf third, leaving a chance the Lions could reclaim the Cup. But despite another set of strong finishes by tennis, track and field and baseball of third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, The Kinkaid School in Houston ended up taking the Cup by a mere one point, the closest finish in the history of the Cup.

Even though he thinks it is important that the trophy will not be returning to 10600 Preston Road this year, Assistant Athletic Director Josh Friesen said he does not think the Cup will change how players and coaches approach the season next year.

“I definitely think the guys will try to win no matter what,” Friesen said.

“They try their best every year. I think it may put [the Cup] out there to the kids more, but no matter what, our players and coaches are doing what they can to finish as high as they possibly can.” ullivan agrees, but he also thinks having the Cup as a yearly goal not only helps him bring new excitement into each school year, but also helps him and Friesen further strengthen their emotional connection with the program.

“In a sense, this is kind of my game,” Sullivan said. “I want to go into the spring meeting every year being the guy whose school won that trophy.

There’s definitely ego involved and pride involved in doing that.”

Senior baseball captain Gordon Gunn thinks the school’s success in recent years deserves to be celebrated, especially given the academic rigor that comes in addition to work out on the field, on the court or in the pool.

“I think a lot of it comes down to school values,” Gunn said. “St. Mark’s

S

THE CUP It started as a friendly rivalry between Athletic Director Mark Sullivan and his counterpart at The Kinkaid School. But over the years, it grew into an organized — but friendly — competition between schools in the SPC. And now, after a ten-year streak, the Cup will head south to Kinkaid, after resting in the cabinets of the Great Hall here.

| May 12, 2017 |sports| THE REMARKER |

27

tends to value academics and community engagement quite a bit, which personally I think is great, especially when our athletics always tend to be dominant whether we value them [as much as other schools] or not.”

Sullivan does not want motivation for competing to come from winning the Athletic Directors’ Cup. Rather, he hopes coaches will continue to instill in their athletes the values that can be taught through sports, and the rest will fall into place.

“I wouldn’t want the Cup, and what it represents, necessarily, to drive any individual team and their effort,” Sullivan said. “To me, the Cup will take care of itself. I hope our focus will continue to be learning the right things through athletics. Learning how to be a better person, or a better man, if you will, through athletics.”

The streak Year

AD Cup Winner

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s St. Mark’s Kinkaid School

STORY PARKER DAVIS, COLIN CAMPBELL PHOTOS RYAN NORMAN

Strength coach Dilworth plans second summer workout program

by Nathan Han trength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth will implement plans to improve athletic prowess and teamwork over the summer, especially for the football team.

Dilworth plans to have all athletes playing football in the ninth through 12th grade work out Monday through Thursday for two hours each week throughout the summer until the beginning of two-a-days in late August.

“We’re strictly trying to get faster, trying to get stronger and trying to get stronger,” Dilworth said, “because we don’t want a repeat of what happened last year [in football].”

But Dilworth doesn’t just anticipate growth physically, he also hopes that the team will take a step forward in its mental growth, as well.

“We really want to get an identity of who we are, what our mission is and what we’re really trying to accomplish as a football team,” Dilworth said. “It’s not just about putting on the uniform but really

S

going out there with a purpose.”

During the two hour long workouts, there will be twenty minutes focused on agility followed up by an hour and thirty minutes in the weight room.

“It all starts in the weight room,” Dilworth said. “The main thing is if we work together and we grind together, we’re going to win successfully. But we got to go ahead and make sure we till the ground first.”

During the workouts Dilworth hopes to incorporate his new methodology: higher octane.

“So higher octane is basically taking all of it to another level,” Dilworth. “So the level we were at the past year; we’re just going to ramp it up another level.”

The football team isn’t the only focus, however. Other offseason sports also will get their time to prepare and work out over the summer.

“The offseason guys are going to get a big peek of we’re doing,” Dilworth said.

“It’s all about setting up a nice base platform for the season.”

And for everybody, the message is loud and clear.

“So that’s really the big focal point of what we’re going to do is work hard, come

together, and really become a band of brothers together to where we know we have each other’s back when we’re out there on the field no matter what,” Dilworth said.

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|THE REMARKER |sports| May 12, 2017 |

RECRUITING

COMPETING IN PRESENT FOR FUTURE AFTER A GRUELING MULTI-YEAR RECRUITMENT PROCESS, THREE SENIORS REACH THEIR GOALS OF BECOMING COLLEGE ATHLETES.

DECIDED All commited before or during their senior year, McGowan (left), Clayman (center) and Ingram (right) all pose with their respective college gear.

S

eniors Will Ingram, Sam Clayman and Nehemiah McGowan looked into the crowd and put on their respective college hats among their fellow future collegiate athletes during the school’s annual Signing Day. For years, they had been dreaming of this moment. At last, it was coming true.

For all of them, this moment was the final step in a multi-year recruitment process: one filled with joy, sadness and multiple college visits. While the payoff fulfilled lifelong dreams for all of them, the road of recruitment did not come without hardships.

Ingram, a recent basketball commit to Middlebury College, feels the process was difficult because of its length.

“The overall process of being recruited is long and a tough period of time,” Ingram said, “It’s so taxing because although some colleges may be offering you, it might not be the schools that are your top choice.”

Similar to Ingram, Princeton commit Clayman believes his recruiting process for golf was emotionally challenging.

“The recruiting process is an emotional rollercoaster.” Clayman said, “At one point, you may receive responses from all the coaches, and at another you might be ignored altogether.”

While the process is difficult, Clayman feels being recruited helped him perform better on the sports field.

“This whole experience gave me an extra motivation to perform better on the golf course,” Clayman said, “because

I am not only competing in the present, but also for my future as an athlete and as a student.”

Ingram found that being recruited made others play him with more intensity than normal. He would use this as motivation to prove to his opponents he was worth the attention he received.

“Whenever you hear someone is committed, you unconsciously play harder and give maximum effort to prove you are just as good as the guy who is receiving offers,” Ingram said.

“This helped me to not take a play off in games because I knew someone was always watching and trying their hardest when playing me.” long with his performance on the sports field, Ingram feels the communication with others throughout the recruiting process helped his communication skills. “[The recruitment process] helped my people skills,” Ingram said, “because during the visits you’re introduced to tons of different people on the campus.

It gave me a sense of responsibility because I had to account for my own actions through the whole process.”

Clayman also feels the process helped him as a person. The interviews and college visits helped him learn how to interact with others better.

“I really learned how to properly communicate, whether over email, phone or in person,” Clayman said. “It helped me learn how to think on my feet and present myself as a charismatic guy that belonged at these different

A

programs.”

While some might think the recruitment process would hurt one’s grades, Amherst College lacrosse commit Nehemiah McGowan feels the process motivated him to do better in school.

“After Amherst showed interest, I had to work even harder,” McGowan said. “I got a really high score on my ACT the first time, but I wanted to build a stronger case so they wouldn’t have I AM NOT an excuse not to ONLY COMPETING accept me.”

The only way IN THE the process affected PRESENT, Ingram’s life at BUT ALSO school was its hecFOR MY tic schedule.

FUTURE AS “The only way AN ATHLETE that being recruitAND AS A ed affected my STUDENT. school life is that I — SAM missed a number of CLAYMAN days of school for college visits and camps,” Ingram said, “This was easy to overcome because all my teachers were very good at helping me catch back up.”

While Ingram is eager to play basketball in college, he feels a big part of the recruiting process is his future after basketball.

“For me, it was finding a school where I could be academically challenged and get a good education, and I could find a good job after college,” Ingram said. “Just know that your basketball career is going to end at some

STORY NICK WALSH, AARON THORNE PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

SPORTS

point, and you need to have a plan for after that.”

Clayman feels he learned multiple skills through the recruiting process.

Even after committing, Clayman feels that some of these skills from the process will stick with him long after college.

“I liked developing relationships with coaches from all around the country, relationships that will last far beyond the actual process itself,” Clayman said. “I am still in contact with certain coaches that I did not end up committing to, and it’s awesome to maintain those relationships.”

Overall, Ingram was very pleased with his recruiting experience and is excited to begin attending Middlebury in the fall.

“The recruiting process affected my life in the most positive way,” Ingram said. “The moment when I finally committed to Middlebury College was not only a proud moment for me, but I also was able to share this moment with friends and family.

Ultimately, Clayman feels the recruiting process has been a positive learning experience.

“The recruiting process is definitely worth it because of the important relationships made and the fun of learning new and different things about several schools,” Clayman said. “The recruiting process taught me how to bounce back from failure, stay humble when successful and maintain patience and positivity during uncertainty.”

TEAMMATES, COMPETITORS,

BROTHERS

Jahaziel Lopez: How does playing with your brother strengthen your bond with him?

Blake Rogers: We’ve been playing sports together in the backyard for a while.

Playing on varsity, it’s made us closer together. Playing with him is fun, but sometimes we get mad at each other, but it’s okay after a while.

JL: Last year, when you guys really started to make contributions, both of y’all were at the varsity level, so has he made you a better player by playing alongside him?

BR: Watching him and playing against has always made me better. When you play against better competition, it always makes you a better player, so doing that in lacrosse has really helped.

now that he is leaving?

BR: I wish he would have tried to play lacrosse or football in college because I feel like he could have done that. Maybe he didn’t want to, but I always thought he was good enough.

JL: Then what would you say is a characteristic about your brother away from the field that you get from him?

BR: He’s always a calm guy, especially under pressure, on the field, but even away from it. He never really freaks out at me. if I do something wrong.

JL: Who wins in a FIFA game?

BR: I destroy him in FIFA anytime, and he doesn’t like it very much. He’d get mad so we don’t really play that much anymore.

DURING FOOTBALL GAMES, THEY MIGHT LINE UP ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER. ON THE LACROSSE FIELD, ONE ATTACKS AND THE OTHER DEFENDS. BUT THEY’RE NOT JUST TWO PLAYERS. THEY’RE FAMILY.

Wallace White: When did you and your brother first start playing together on the field?

Luke Rogers: The first-time Blake and I were on the field together would have been this football season.

Blake was playing cornerback and I was playing safety in our first football game this season. It was against Greenhill at home.

WW: Do you think playing together has made you a better player or a better brother?

LR: Sports brings teammates together just naturally, and just being brothers and living together and playing on the field, it’s been a fun experience and I’ve enjoyed playing with Blake.

JL: What would you say is your dynamic with him on the field?

LR: Blake and I had a pretty close relationship before we played sports because we share a lot of similar interests.

Even before we were playing together on Varsity, we’d been playing football and lacrosse in our front lawn our entire lives. It’s like a different dynamic, competitive sports together, just being through the same stressful situations and the adversity that comes in a live action football or lacrosse game.

Sports brings togther a tighter bond for all teammates and also for our relationship as brothers.

WW: What are sports to you, I guess is a better question?

LR: Sports. No one’s really asked me that before. It’s a relief to be able to take your mind of of schoolwork and the stresses of the day that we’re all familiar with. Especially here, they’ve been so much fun just because of the time I’ve gotten to spend with my teammates.

My coaches have always been great.

It’s added a new level of meaning to me, I’d say. Sports are a massive part of my life. Sports have just always been huge with my family.

I can’t really think what I’d do with my free time if there wasn’t SportsCenter to watch, or playing with my brother and dad in the yard. They mean a ton to me.

They’re a huge part of my life.

BR: I play defense and he plays offense.

A lot of times, if he’s playing defensively and he’s in the opposite side of the field, he may not know all of the defensive schemes and stuff. I’ll help him through that and tell him where to go.

JL: Would you say having your brother on your team is just like another player? Y’all really don’t maybe interact as you would at home or something?

BR: I think on football it helps us because with him being a captain this year, he could talk me through a lot of stuff. I didn’t know what to do in a lot of situations, and he always told me what to do and calmed me down. That was awesome to have.

WW: Do think you’ve learned anything on the field about your brother that you wouldn’t know if he didn’t play sports?

SPORTS HELP MAKE A TIGHTER BOND FOR ALL TEAMMATES, AND ALSO FOR OUR RELATIONSHIP AS BROTHERS.

JL: Luke is a senior. He’s going to be leaving next year. You’re taking his spot on the football field.What do you think you need to do, and what are you doing?

BR: I’m not nervous or anything like that, but it’s going to be different not having him there-- a leading presence on our defense. Having to step into a bigger role is not frightening. It’s something that motivates me to get better and work harder in the off season.very much.

WW: Do you think sports in general can help a brother kind of have a brotherly love kind of relationship? Is that how it was?

— LUKE ROGERS Sophomore Blake Rogers

JL: What’s one thing you want to say to your brother

Senior Luke Rogers

LR: I’m really impressed with Blake, just what he does, what he’s been able to do on the field, and his composure as a sophomore. He’s picked up well and handles pressure well. I didn’t think Blake didn’t have it, but I just hadn’t seen his ability to handle pressure and be composed like he is on the field, which I was really impressed with. He’s done a great job in both football and lacrosse. He started as a sophomore in each of those and I think he’s handled the responsibility and the pressure of that.

INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED BY JAHAZIEL LOPEZ, WALLACE WHITE PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

Basketball continues 10th season of summer play

by Josh Daniels un.

It’s the three-letter word that head varsity basketball coach Greg Guiler advocates.

To Guiler, summer basketball not only serves as an opportunity for players to improve their game but to also have a good time.

“St. Mark’s students have so many other obligations and responsibilities that playing basketball ought to be fun and on the kids’ terms,” Guiler said. “Summer basketball should be an opportunity that players can take advantage of without pressure, rather than a hyper-intensive and pressurized setting where strategy and winning are the focal point.”

F

The idea of putting together a summer team first hit Guiler when he came to the school in the summer of 2006.

Having played summer ball as a high schooler, himself, the decision to form a team was ultimately an easy one.

“Numerous other sports had summer offerings, and I immediately began putting together playing opportunities in the summer because I remembered having so much fun as a high schooler in summer leagues myself,” Guiler said.

“Summer hoops has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of coaching for me.”

Besides having fun, there are spects of the game that Guiler hopes his players will implement within the school’s program.

“I think a side benefit includes gain-

ing experience as competitors,” Guiler said. “Most of the guys who play basketball play other sports, and I think that summer league games are a venue that they look forward to not just because they improve as basketball players, but because they improve as overall competitors for the St Mark’s teams they represent all year long, learning to make good decisions and gaining experience in a win or loss situation.”

Having played basketball under Guiler on both varsity and summer teams, junior Sam Sussman can attest to the benefits that participating in summer basketball provides. He believes the opportunity helps each and every player better develop their individual game.

“For the kids who don’t play bas-

ketball year round, playing in the summer helps them get back into basketball shape and lets them practice their game,” Sussman said. “For the players who do play basketball year round, it serves as a good way to get readjusted to the St. Mark’s system and all of our team philosophies.”

Ultimately, the chance to play basketball with fellow classmates and get better as a result is what drives players like Sussman to participate in summer hoops.

“It’s fun to get to play with all of my St. Mark’s friends who I don’t play basketball with throughout the year,” Sussman said. “We build a little bit of team chemistry that I hope will carry over into the next basketball season.”

SPORTS

| May 12, 2017 |sports| THE REMARKER |

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ROGERS BROTHERS

Ending on a

HIGH NOTE

A LOOK BACK ON THE SPRING SPORTS SEASON, ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN RECENT SPC HISTORY.

Baseball team faces tough teams in SPC tournament SPC FINISH 5th OVERALL RECORD 8-8 SPC RECORD 3-5 NOTABLE Two freshmen, Alek Houllion and Mason Rareshide, got their first ever taste of SPC tournament play as they suited up for the games with the rest of the varsity squad.

THEY SAID IT “We’re a talented team, but I don’t think we really played as a team in many games and that has contributed to our losing record. I do think we still have a lot of talent on the team. The only thing we can really control is our effort, and since we put forth an effort that we can be proud of, I’d be happy whatever the outcome is.” – senior captain Gordon Gunn

PHOTO RYAN NORMAN

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THROWING HEAT Sophomore Cole Arnett throws a fastball during the varsity baseball team’s game against Fort Worth Country Day during the SPC Tournament April 28.

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Track & field podium just out of reach

PHOTO GREG GUILER

SPC FINISH 4th NOTABLE Senior Keith Kadesky and the 4x800 relay team composed of freshman Pablo Arroyo and seniors Victor Barton, Scott Smythe and Daniel Cope earned spots on the All-SPC team for their finishes.

THEY SAID IT “While a fourth place finish at SPC wasn’t what we were looking for coming into the season, I was so proud of the entire team and how every person helped out and supported each other.

Whether it was the fastest or the slowest person on the team, everyone rooted for each other. We became a true team, and I know that if we keep supporting and pushing each other to get better, this team can go far in the coming years.” –senior captain Scott Smythe

630 STROKES The golf team shows its first place plaque after a first place finish after the Lost Pines Invitational. Team members overcame a 13 stroke deficit on their way to a nine stroke victory.

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Golf takes third place in SPC tournament

SPC FINISH 3rd NOTABLE 1st place (three tournaments).

THEY SAID IT “We have really come together as a team this year. The five guys who travel to tournaments have performed at the highest level while maintaining humility and respect for our competitors, and I am proud to be a part of a team who has that ability. Whether it was a low score or quality sportsmanship, every member of the golf team has contributed to the program in a positive way so far this year.” – senior captain Sam Clayman

AIRBORNE Junior Daniel Garcia (above) flies through the air during the track and field SPC Championship meet April 29. The team would go on to take fourth place.

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NUMBER OF REGATTAS Three BEST FINISH Seniors James Hancock and Parker Kirby finished in second place in their doubles race at the state regatta.

NOTABLE The team had 10 freshmen this season, continuing the trend of attracting a high number of freshmen each year.

THEY SAID IT “We have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks, but if we stick together and push each other, we have a good chance of qualifying for nationals. The underclassmen have really stepped up and have shown that they are capable of leading the team.” – senior captain Ethan Shah

COMPILATIONS CONNOR PIERCE, PARKER DAVIS, NICK WALSH, COLIN CAMPELL, WALLACE WHITE, AARON THORNE, JAHAZIEL LOPEZ

SPORTS

PHOTO RILEY SANDERS

Crew caps off strong season

PHOTO MATT POWER

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ROWING TO VICTORY Four sophomores near the finish o

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| May 12, 2017 |sports| THE REMARKER |

Water polo fourth consecutive state title, 16th straight regional championship

PHOTO RYAN NORMAN

2017 STATE FINISH 1st REGIONAL TOURNAMENT In addition to winning state, the team also won its 16th straight regional title NOTABLE The team won their fourth straight Texas State Championship May 6, beating Flower Mound 7-6.

THEY SAID IT “The capacity of effort is just tremendous with these guys. These guys I would say are sometimes better than professionals. They come in here, they know what I expect, and they just deliver. They work so hard every day, day in and day out, and it’s just truly amazing.” –head coach Mihai Oprea

PHOTO KOBE ROSEMAN

WINDUP Freshman David Li goes up for a shot during a junior varsity water polo game.

PHOTO JIM SCHROEDER

ACE Junior Davis Bailey sets himself up for a serve during a match against Kinkaid during the SPC tournament April 29.

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Lacey’s tennis team takes coveted podium position

ON THE ATTACK Senior Jake Vaughn brings the ball up the field in the SPC Championship game against ESD April 22. The Lions would go on to lose the game 13-7.

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Lacrosse finishes SPC as runner-up for second year

SPC FINISH 2nd STATE TOURNAMENT The team advanced to the quarterfinals of the THSLL State Tournament before losing 9-6 to top=seeded The Woodlands who is currently undefeated RECORD 12-5 SPC RECORD 2-1 NOTABLE The starting defense is made up entirely of sophomores, including Davis Malouf, Blake Rogers and Jonathan Taylor.

THEY SAID IT “So far, we have been successful because our young defense has played extremely well despite having no varsity experience.” – senior captain Jake Vaughn

SPC FINISH 3rd OVERALL RECORD 11-2 SPC RECORD 6-2 NOTABLE The 16-member team has a very even composition by grade level, with three seniors, five sophomores and four freshmen and juniors.

THEY SAID IT “While, by the numbers, our season has been the same as all my previous years on the varsity team, I had a deeper sense of confidence in our skill and our ability to defeat the strong opponents that we faced in the [SPC] tournament.” — senior captain Frank Thomas

of a quad race at the State Rowing Championships.

SPORTS

PHOTO MATEO DIAZ

OFF TO THE RACES Sophomore Seth Weprin paces himself in the 3200m race during the track and field SPC championship April 28 and 29.

Weprin finished in ninth place and the team placed fourth overall.

ST. MARK’S SCHOOL OF TEXAS

10600 PRESTON ROAD DALLAS, TX. 75230

THE REMARKER THE BACK SPORTS PAGE THE REMARKER FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 PAGE 32

RIDING THE RAIL SENIORS GORDON GUNN AND TODD MURPHY TURNED A CHILDHOOD RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY INTO A HIGH SCHOOL HOBBY. NOW THEY GO TO THE SKATEPARK ALMOST EVERY WEEKEND AND POST TRICK VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE. Check Gunn and Murphy out on YouTube: @Gordofilms7

‘ ‘ Todd Murphy

Gordon invited me to this skatepark in fifth grade, and we’ve kept scootering ever since. He’s always been a little better than me, but as he gets better, I get better.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from scootering is perseverance.

When you are trying to do a trick, you sometimes eat the pavement and crash, and it hurts, but you want to get up and keep going. Even though it’s physically painful, you still keep doing it, which is neat.

It’s going to be weird scootering after high school because every time I scooter, it’s with Gordon.

Gordon Gunn

I honestly would not be scootering if it wasn’t for Todd because it’s really boring to scooter alone. Having a friend that shares your interest in it really pushes you to improve and learn new tricks and go further in whatever it is you do.

If I show Todd a new trick, he’s going to be super impressed because he knows how hard it is to do that. It’s fun because we push each other to get better.

Todd and I have grown up doing action sports together.

If it wasn’t for him, there’s no way I would’ve tried mountain biking or snowboarding or continued scootering.

INTERVIEWS ZACH LANDRY PHOTOS CHRIS MCELHANEY

SPORTS