The ReMarker | May 2022

REMARKER

the e Igoe accepts Vermont head of school post

by Zack Goforth ead of Upper School Colin Igoe announced last month he has accepted the position of head of school for the Long Trail School in Dorset, VT. The Long Trail School is an independent co-ed school that hosts grades six-12. Igoe, who grew up in Massachusetts and came to Texas in the summer of 2019 as head of Upper School, has had a relationship with the Long Trail School ever since he was a child.

“My dad actually worked in Vermont in the winter at a ski mountain right near the school,” Igoe said. “For my entire childhood, my family took the couple-hour drive to Vermont every weekend. I grew up skiing in that area as a kid, and when I was working in Massachusetts, my wife and I bought a home near the school, so I knew the school and had a lot of connections there.”

The decision to pursue the job opportunity was sudden and not premeditated, according to Igoe. “[The Long Trail School’s] head of school left unexpectedly this January, and someone I know on the board reached out to me about the opening,” Igoe said. “You just can’t predict the timing of these things.”

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COMMUNITY SERVICE | A new beginning

Helping is not going to be for everyone, and we are aware of that. But HELP IS NEEDED. students should feel an obligation to serve their own community.

— Jorge Correa, Director of Community Service

The decision comes in part as an effort to be closer to family, according to Igoe.

“I believe this is an alignment of a really wonderful professional opportunity,” Igoe said, “with also some of the more personal matters when it comes to family and being closer to them, especially as my father’s health is not great.”

Igoe cherishes his time here and hopes he has contributed to the school's development in his three years on the job.

“I’m incredibly grateful for everything that’s happened here,” Igoe said, “and I’m proud of the work that we’ve all done together. St. Mark’s is an amazing place that will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope that, looking back, I’ve left the school a little bit better than when I found it.”

inside

Friday, May 20, 2022 • St. Mark’s School of Texas • Dallas, TX • Volume 68, Issue 7

COMMITMENT

to COMMUNITY In light of a recent surge in students missing the community service hour requirements, we take a deeper look into the purpose of the program and what the future will hold.

See coverage, pages 14, 15.

STORY Shreyan Daulat, Arjun Khatti, Morgan Chow

news & issues 2 discovery & stem 8 life & 10600 10 indepth 14 arts & culture 17 ratings & reviews 20 editorials & opinion 21 health & sports 23

04antisemitism

Hate crimes and the legacy of the Holocaust and its impact 80 years later.

GRAPHIC Morgan Chow

11final goodbyes Six leaving faculty and staff members share their parting words.

26 NBA draft prospect The journey of Harrison Ingram ‘21 as he looks to further his career.

2 Anticipate ‘parental guidance’

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all me brainwashed.

In its purest sense, brainwashing is most clearly defined as making someone believe something through heavy repetition.

As someone who likes to say that I have grown out of my parents’ reach, it feels as though I’ve been forced to believe in a set of values imposed upon me through my parents.

Now, I’m certainly not saying this is a bad behavior that should be corrected. It’s actually a good habit, which helps molds kids into Dawson Yao adults Issues Editor who mirror their parents’ virtues. But for politics?

Not so much.

There’s a saying. It goes, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Up until recently, I had assumed it was simply warning people of the dangers of bad friends. Now I realize that parents take up two of five of the slots, the influence mainly coming from sessions of political indoctrination.

One of these sessions came on a road trip to Tennessee: a grueling 15 hours of no space, Netflix and gallons of Arizona Iced Tea. Unbeknownst to me, the trip also brought a debate with it, involving hours of heavy political discussion between my cousin and my mother.

When they inevitably asked me for my opinion, my ten-year-old mind found itself favoring my maternal figure, and it wasn’t even close.

Perhaps I had simply absorbed all the words, memorized the basis of an ideology and simply regurgitated it all out when they asked for my thoughts. However, I came to realize that my parents were not omniscient beings, and I could most definitely have my own thoughts.

I can’t imagine that I’m the only one who’s experienced this. Everyone on planet Earth with parents who somewhat care about politics has, in some way, had their political minds molded through debate and discussion.

The point is, it’s not the child’s fault. Too often do I see people slandered for something they thought was right, simply because their parents did.

Maybe we should actually start to take each other’s opinions with that small grain of salt, and see people as a product of their parents.

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the remarker may 20, 2022

news &

IDLC RECAP

It’s all coming together

The Inclusion & Diversity Leadership Council is a student-led leadership organization, among the likes of the Student and Discipline Councils. The council hosts events where students come together and have discussions to get to know more about different cultures. We sat down with senior co-chair Samuel Eluemunoh to discuss their accomplishments this year.

What was your attitude heading into this year?

Samuel Eluemunoh: We needed to make a very, very good first impression. We knew that we were a new council, and that not many people were even sure we existed. We had to make a point that we’re not just resume building. This council was created by students, and run by students, and we wanted the people to know who we are.

HULA DANCING Senior Enoch Ellis, an IDLC co-chair, dances alongside hula dancers, one of many events at Marksmen Multcultural Night. Other performances included a jazz performance, a lion dance and a chinese yo-yo demonstration.

What was a goal you hoped you could have accomplished?

SE: We’ve accomplished a lot, but we were hoping this year to have something available to the entire school, and not just the Upper School community. We also wanted people to know who we are, and though Marksmen Multicultural Night acted as a good springboard, we still wanted to expand, so that the Lower and Middle Schoolers could all participate.

What were some of the plans you fulfilled?

SE: Marksmen Multicultural Night was great and eventful for the first time it happened, and it was one of the initiatives we took.

Another first step we took and have been repeating is the Lions Table, where students can voice their honest opinions and have conversations on certain topics like inclusion and diversity.

What do you hope the council does next year?

SE: I hope the next leaders after us continue to make initiatives and not just stick with what we already have. Hopefully, they will build upon our efforts and create a sense of connection with the student body, while also listening to feedback. We’re always hear for people who want the help and mentorship.

MEMBERS The IDLC, comprised of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, is led by senior co-chairs Enoch Ellis, Samuel Eluemunoh, Tomek Marczewski and Zack Stone. New leaders for 2022-2023 will be announced soon.

STORY Dawson Yao PHOTOS Courtesy Lorre Allen

news in brief CHAPEL COUNCIL LEADERS Next year’s Chapel Council leaders are comprised of All-School Chapel Council co-chairs Arjun Badi and Bijaan Noormohamed, Lower School Chapel Program co-coordinators George Genender and Bowden Slates, Special Projects Chair Ethan Singleton and School Verger Bowden Slates. So far, they have already planned multiple events, such as different interfaith visits to local religious institutions, leading Lower School Chapel Council and many more.

MARQUE PREVIEW The 2021-2022 edition of the Marque came out May 9, and issues were distributed by advisory. The award-winning literary magazine, led by seniors Ekansh Tambe and Thomas Philip serving as co-editors and English instructors Lynne Schwartz and Dr. Lauren Brozovich as faculty sponsors, features student art, photography and literature, as it

attempts to depict what it means to be an artist through a literary lens.

DEBATE TOURNAMENT On April 9, seniors Zayn Bhimani and Max Chuang made it to the round of 32 at the National Debate Coaches Association National Championship and earned Academic All American status as a result of their performance.

These seniors were just two of the twenty total Marksmen representing the school. Others include the sophomore teams of Anish Guddati and Sid Bidare, as well as Ahsan Tahirkheli and Ashrit Manduva, the two of which finished 35th and 41st respectively.

SPRING BASKET DRIVE The 2022 Spring Basket Drive, orchestrated by the Community Service Board, put together 118 baskets, which were distributed to charities across Dallas. 53 baskets went to Jubilee Park Community Center, 20 baskets went to

Genesis Women’s Center and 45 baskets went to the West Dallas Community Center. Baskets were assembled in advisory groups, with each member providing different items including a chocolate bunny, easter eggs, stuffed animal, candy and a coloring book.

BACCALAUREATE PREVIEW Baccalaureate will take place May 24 in the chapel. The event is a ceremony where seniors, parents of the seniors and faculty members all unite together in the chapel for a final service. The ceremony often marks the beginning of graduation, and it is directly followed by Commencement two days later, which will culminate the seniors’ time here. The event will feature Fine Arts Department Chair Marion Glorioso and senior Henry Schecter as the speakers.

The ceremony will also feature a performance by the choir, accompanied by the Roosevelt Family Organ.

this month May 1 Amazon announces its plan to stop offering paid leave to employees with COVID-19. The leave originally lasted for two weeks, before being reduced down to 40 hours.

May 3 Former NYPD officer Thomas Webster was found guilty of assault against a federal officer during the Capitol attacks of Jan. 6, 2021. Webster will be officially sentenced September.

May 3 Politico leaks that abortion court case Roe v. Wade will be overturned, with a majority opinion

by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. The draft has not yet proven to be authentic, as the final ruling will be announced

by June.

May 6 Following the discovery of a rare, lethal blood clotting disease, the FDA limits the use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine. It will now only be administered to people who are unable to get other vaccines.

May 10 President Biden signed a law accelerating aid to Ukraine.

Biden also pushed Congress to send $40 billion in the form of security and military assistance.

May 11 A bill making abortion a constitutional right was rejected by the Senate. The final vote was 49-51. Senator Patty Murray of Washington state led the bill’s efforts, along with other female senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

five minutes with...

inside

new Interim Head of Upper School John Ashton

03Student Council

A look at the new group of Upper School leaders for the 2022-2023 school year.

“I volunteered to take on the role to hopefully provide the priorities Mr. [Headmaster David] Dini and I both agreed we needed: continuity, consistency and stability. I served as the Interim Head of Upper School and the Assistant Head of Upper School here, so it’s a role I know well and have experience with.”

06Ghost guns

“Mr. [Assistant Head of Upper School Jason] Leneau and Mr. [Head of Upper School Colin] Igoe have continued to do great work in strengthening areas of programs in the school, and I want to make sure we continue the great work that they’ve done in those areas.”

Biden cracking down on undocument firearms raises crucial questions.

07COMMENCEMENT

Previewing the Commencement ceremony for the class of 2022.

for your information

John Ashton >

“It’s a role that will put me in greater day-to-day interaction with students. I’ve always loved attending student events, answering any questions that come up and providing any support that boys need. The students are the whole reason we’re here, so I love that I’ll get to interact with you guys more often.”

INTERVIEW Grayson Redmond

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the remarker may 20, 2022

STUDENT COUNCIL

Leading the charge into next year As the Class of 2022 prepares to depart campus, a new group of students has been chosen to lead the student body. We sat down with the executive leaders to learn their plans for the coming year.

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ust one year ago, former Student Council president Blake Hudspeth ‘21 passed the torch to senior Alex Geng, both metaphorically and physically in the final Upper School assembly of the year.

Both Marksmen, along with the entire audience, wore masks, a clinging reminder of the COVID-19caused shutdowns, cancellations and precautions that marred the 2020-2021 school year.

But a lot can change in a year’s time.

From the first snap of football season to the final answer bubbled in on a final exam, this year has been the closest to “normal’’ since 2019.

Under Geng’s leadership, the Student Council made the unique traditions of 10600 Preston Road possible despite the many challenges due to COVID-19.

As Geng moves on to the next stage in his journey, junior Sal Hussain is ready to forge his own legacy next year.

Hussain came out on top in the election for Student Council president, while junior Noah Asmerom won the race for Student Council vice president, and sophomore Harry Wang won the secretary position. While eager to forge his own path as president, Hussain acknowledges the advice he’s received from this year’s leaders.

“At the start of the year especially, Student Council did a number of things really well, like Homecoming, which was great,” Hussain said. “The seniors are great, great people. [Student Council president Alex] Geng and [Senior Class president] Enoch Ellis specifically have always talked to me and shared insight that I have been blessed to receive before being in their position. But, every year is a different culture, so next year will really start with setting up a culture.”

In order to accomplish this, Hussain will prioritize interactions between Marksmen who share common pastimes, regardless of their ages.

“We definitely want to think about systems or events that bring underclassmen and upperclassmen together in an intentional, but natural, way, and SAL HUSSAIN that will continue through next year,” Hussain said. “Not just exchanging phone numbers, but

having actual interactions with students who have similar interests, whether it might be basketball players talking to underclassmen basketball players or writers talking to underclassmen writers.

There’s so many talented people on campus that can really help each other.”

Additionally, Hussain sees the continued interactions and reciprocal support between St. Mark’s and Hockaday throughout the year as key to establishing a good culture.

We want to think about systems and events that bring underclassmen and upperclassmen together in an intentional, but natural, way.

SAL HUSSAIN Incoming Student Council president

“I really want to increase the unity between St. Mark’s and Hockaday, whether it is hyping up the cheerleaders more, allowing the Hockaday girls to vote for Homecoming queen or just working more with the Hockaday Hype Women to not just plan events, but maybe intertwine themes for games,” Hussain said. “It’s going to start with the Superfanmen and the Student Council reaching out to them and saying, ‘Hey, we want to work with you. What are some ideas you guys have?’ That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll act on it every time, but we’re listening to them and hearing from them.”

History teacher and Student Council sponsor Michele Santosuosso wants younger members to step into leadership roles next year, and she is ready to work with the new officers.

“The meetings will be formatted a bit different so that freshmen and sophomores have more of an active role,” Santosuosso said. “I’ve taught Sal twice, so I know him very well. He’s been on Student Council, and he’s a great visionary who goes out of his way to get to know people, which I like.”

Junior and newly elected Student Council vice president Noah Asmerom wants the Student Council to listen to the needs of Marksmen in order to improve everyday life at the school.

“If we want Student Council to actually have power, we should make it so everybody has power, not just people who are elected,” Asmerom said. “Student Council should be more involved in day-to-day life. It shouldn’t just be planning Homecoming, Spring Fling and assemblies. It should be

THE TORCH Student Council president Alex Geng (right) passes the torch to incoming president junior Sal Hussain (left), symbolizing the end of one era and the beginning of a new one.

helping each student become who they want to be.”

Sophomore Harry Wang, next year’s secretary, hopes to continue this year’s wave of energy into events next school year.

“Everything is going really well right now, the energy has been really high,” Wang said. “We hope that carries on next fall with football games, pep rallies, Homecoming and events like these.

Show up at these so we can keep the momentum going.”

Hussain hopes next year will involve as much unity and participation as any, with students of all ages buying into the culture and contributing to the campus’ energy.

“An ideal school year will not be under me, but it will be under the student body,” Hussain said. “As much as the student council has potential, it’s inherently going to fall into the hands of the students. We can control the energy to a degree, but we can’t control the outcome. Also, the ideal school year will bring more Hockaday-St. Mark’s unity and give more confidence to the underclassmen to make them feel more alive. It’s a student body: doesn’t matter if you’re a freshman, eighth grader, junior or senior. We should try and foster that love for everyone.”

STORY Grayson Redmond, Akash Manickam PHOTO Neil Song

Class OFFICERS Senior Class Aadi Khasgiwala President Vice president: George Genender Secretary: Miles Thornburg Class rep: Luke Noack

Junior Class Nolan Marcus President Vice president: Zack Goforth Secretary: Ethan Gao Class rep: Adrian Lutgen

Sophomore Class Matthew Hofmann President Vice president: Andrew Jin Secretary: Teddy Fleiss Class rep: Jack Frary

Freshman Class Adam Dalrymple President Vice president: Joshua Goforth Secretary: Andrew Zhang Class rep: Christian Warner

Student panel to speak at IBSC conference for first time ever to inspire visiting faculty IBSC info When: June 26-29 Who: Over 500 visiting faculty and staff from boys’ schools around the world Keynote speakers: New York Times columnist David Brooks, author Julie Lithchott-Hims, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, New Horizons executive Alan Stern ‘75 Student panel speakers: Seniors Henry Schechter, Ekansh Tambe, Benjamin Gravel and Isaac Song, seventh-grader Mitchell Walker, fourth grader Mac Connatser, thirdgrader Ben McGonigle, first-grader William Johnson

by Grayson Redmond or the first time in its history, the International Boys School Coalition conference, which the school is hosting June 26-29, will feature a panel of students who will speak on how their experiences at school have translated into outside passions.

The panel, led by senior Henry Schechter, will consist of eight students from various different grades who will speak in front of the over 500 visitors from boys’ schools all over the world.

“Usually only faculty participate at this conference, but this will be the first time students will be included,” Schechter said. “The panel will have a first grader, a third grader, a couple of fourth graders and middle schoolers

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and three upper schoolers. This big event will really show these 300 visiting schools what we do here and hopefully provide some inspiration for them too.”

Assistant Head of Middle School Jason Lange, who is chairing the planning committee, brought together the panel with hopes they could teach visiting faculty to further fan the flames of their own students’ passions.

“We want to share boys who have identified a passion or an interest here at St. Mark’s that have been nurtured here and has led them to take their interest and apply it to the community outside of 10600 Preston Rd. since one of the themes is civic engagement,” Lange said. “For example, we have lower schoolers who learned

about the crisis in Ukraine here at St. Mark’s, but then organized a fundraiser for Ukraine that includes people from outside of St. Mark’s.”

Given that students are never on campus during the conference, Lange hopes hearing from students will provide a breath of fresh air and a new perspective for visitors, as well as bring about something similar at following conferences.

“The IBSC conference is unique in that it’s always hosted by a school, but it’s always in the summertime or during summer break when the students aren’t around,” Lange said.

“It can feel like something’s missing, so we hope that this will fill a little bit of that void and encourage future hosts of the conference to consider something similar.”

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the remarker may 20, 2022

ANTISEMITISM

The Holocaust’s enduring legacy The defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II seemed to many to signal a triumph over antisemitism, but the problem nevertheless persisted. With antisemitic incidents on the rise again, many worry that today’s societies are making the same mistakes as their predecessors.

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ighty short years ago, agents of Nazi Germany forced Jewish men, women and children onto trains bound for newly-built extermination camps at Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka. The ensuing genocide would bring a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions that marginalized, dehumanized and killed millions of victims — including approximately six million Jewish people. The grim scenes and facts discovered by the Allies after the end of the war shook people across their globes to their very cores and forced them to confront an uncomfortable question: “How could this have happened?”

People and governments across the world contended with that question over the following decades but were unable to reach a consensus other than a promise to never let such a catastrophe happen again. Today, antisemitism seems to be making a resurgence, with anti-Jewish harassment and marginalization surging in frequency.

Some worry that, for a world unable to learn from its mistakes, the old mantra of “never again” is slipping.

Poland, and he eventually decided that America was his future. One of many Holocaust surivors to move to and settle Dallas, Glauben was grateful for the opportunity to find refuge and opportunity in the United States after the horrors of the Holocaust.

“It means I was given a second chance in life by a country that is democratic and treats everyone with respect,” Glauben said. “I was thankful for the liberation, which started my life from a second beginning. It was a country that, by its Statue of Liberty, allowed me to come as an oppressed stranger and become a citizen.”

After moving to Dallas, Glauben made it his mission to tell the story of the Holocaust and make sure that people never forget the human harm done by the genocide.

“I cannot describe the feeling of a youngster that didn’t commit a crime, didn’t do anything bad,” Glauben said, “but I was a member of a religion that somebody didn’t like. And I couldn’t understand how they could do these horrible things to us.”

With the awful Holocaust firmly in our historical rearview, many people see antisemitism as an issue of the past; however, Abosch contends that hate targeted at Jews and Judaism is very much an issue of today.

“Antisemitism definitely exists in Dallas. It exists around the United States, and it exists worldwide,” Abosch-Jacobson said. “Sometimes it takes the form of social exclusion and nasty comments, and other times it takes the form of physical harassment. All you have to do is open up a newspaper or look online to read about Jews being verbally or physically harassed.”

One such attack happened just around the corner Jan. 15 at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, when a man stormed in during a service and took four people hostage, including the synagogue’s Rabbi Charlie CytronWalker. The gunman hoped that he could force the congregants to use their Jewish connections in government to free a friend of his serving an 86-year prison sentence in Fort Worth for attempted murder of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

“He wanted Rabbi Cytron-Walker to call the United States government and have the woman released,” AboschJacobson said. “There are conspiracy theories out there that Jews have tremendous amounts of power, that all they have to do is pick up the phone and call somebody in the government to make something happen. The theory also is that this woman was jailed because, somehow, EXPOSING HATE The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum’s mission Jews wanted her to be jailed. These are is to show the worst of humanity to bring out the best in it. The museum displays antisemitic propaganda along with historical information about the Holocaust. all part and parcel of larger antisemitic One of the intiatives taken by the Dallas Holocaust conspiracy theories.” and Humans Rights Museum is to catalog the Ethan Granito, a junior at Keller High School, had experiences and stories of local Holocaust survivors. By attended Congregation Beth Israel for many years. When doing this, the museum hopes to personalize stories of he heard of the hostage situation, Granito was stunned struggle and survival that might otherwise seem abstract that his hometown synagogue was at the forefront of an to museum patrons. One story of survival catalogued by attack. the museum is the story of Max Glauben, a Polish Jew “It was really shocking,” Granito said. “Even though who moved to Dallas after the events of World War II. so many antisemitic events happen throughout the “Max Glauben was born in 1928 in Warsaw, Poland. country, you never think that they’re going to be at the After the war broke out in the September of 1939, and the place where you practice your religion.”

Nazis invaded, he and his family were forced to live in The attack at the synagogue might have been the the ghetto until April 19, ​1943, when the Warsaw Ghetto most severe attack he has come into contact with, but Uprising began,” Abosch-Jacobson said. “The uprising Granito also sees antisemitism in daily interactions was ultimately put down by the Nazis in May, and Max with his peers. Granito affirms Abosch’s statement that and his family were then rounded up, put on a box antisemitism is alive and well in Texas. car, and shipped to the Majdanek “Being one of the few Jews at my school, it happens Death Camp. There his mother and sometimes,” Granito said. “I would say at least once younger brother were murdered.” every school year I see a major antisemetic act, like a kid After losing his mother and hailing Hitler right in front of me or telling me, ‘You’re brother at Majdanek and losing his the reason why people hate Jews.’ I didn’t share anything father at a labor camp, Glauben about my attacks with the news or the media, so who miraculously managed to survive knows how many other kids are out there getting told until Allied soldiers liberated him. horrible things by their peers and just staying quiet about With no family left, Max Glauben it.”

Dr. Sara abosch decided that it was time to leave When Glauben hears of Americans using speech to To prevent the mistakes of human rights disasters like the Holocaust, some organizations have dedicated themselves to preserving the memory of genocides in hopes of fighting hate and prejudice. One such organization, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, makes it their mission to educate Dallas citizens about the worst of humanity.

“Our mission is to teach the history of the Holocaust and to advance human rights and to combat hatred, prejudice and indifference,” Dr. Sara Abosch-Jacobson, Barbara Rabin Chief Education Officer at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, said.

Archival photo of Auschwitz Concentration Camp in southern Poland

perpetuate antisemetism, he encourages Americans to use that very same freedom of speech to stand up for truth in the face of falsehoods like Holocaust denial.

“Thank God that I live in a country that has freedom of speech, assembly and religion,” Glauben said. “I can say that all the people that are listening would know and understand how stupid he or she is by saying that the Holocaust never happened.”

Though Glauben’s testimony Ethan Granito is certainly valuable in the face of preserving the truth of the past and combating hate and prejudice, it does have one fatal flaw: Glauben’s continued advocacy for acceptance of Jews is threatened by his mortality. When a Holocaust survivor dies, we risk their lived experience dying with them. The truth is that Holocaust victims are becoming rarer as time progresses.

The disaster having happened 80 years ago, it won’t be long before the only survivors left will have been born too late to remember what happened. This grim fact became apparent to the staff of The ReMarker when Glauben unfortunately passed away the week we were to interview him.

Thankfully, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum refuses to sit idly by while our best sources for the Holocaust dwindle in number. Glauben’s quotations here are excerpted not directly from Glauben himself, but from the museum’s “Dimensions in Testimony” exhibit, which uses modern holographic technology and thousands of recorded question and answer responses to ensure that we never forget. “[Glauben] was filmed for the ‘Dimensions in Testimony’ interactive survivor program that was created by the Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California,” Abosch-Jacobson said. “He is a permanent part of our Dimensions and Testimony theatre, and students and visitors can continue to interact with him and ask his holographic representation questions.”

Academic institutions, museums, and Holocaust survivors can do a great deal of good in fighting hate, but Abosch recognizes that it ultimately comes down to the common person to prevent a disaster like the Holocaust from happening in the future. Abosch calls on the average person to be an upstander.

“It’s really our hope to inspire upstander behavior in people who visit our museum exhibits,” AboschJacobson said. “Upstanders aren’t necessarily Medal of Honor winners or members of the armed military forces or anything like that. They come from all walks of life.

It’s all kinds of acts — big and small — that what we hope to inspire. Everybody can be an agent for change — everybody can be an upstander.”

STORY Will Spencer, Grayson Redmond, Myles Lowenberg PHOTOS Will Spencer, Courtesy Dallas Human Rights and Holocaust Museum, Creative Commons

NEW AGE Holocaust survivor Max Glabuen’s holographic representation speaks about his time in occupied Poland and in German death camps to an audience of many.

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Antisemitism

Religious roundtable To find evidence of the continuity of Jews despite their several thousand year battle with persecution, all one has to do is look around campus. The school is home to many Jewish students, some of whom we sat down with to discuss their relationship with Judaism, their religious identity and their experiences with antisemitism.

What does your Jewish faith mean to you?

Jordan Feldman: We’re all very involved in our youth groups, and we’re very passionate about that stuff.

And so we take a lot of the weekends and even for Jacob and I, a lot of the weekdays. It’s a lot of work to help build that youth group, but we wouldn’t even be there without our Judaism. In my belief of Judaism, spirituality has always been a big part of me, and it’s helped me throughout my life.

Jacob Grossfeld: For me, I’ve been like that all my life, going to a Jewish school up until eighth grade and then still being very involved in a youth group since entering high school. It has just been a way for me to connect with other people and have more friends.

Jacob Grossfeld

David Gersherson: Yeah, same really. Since I can remember I’ve been either going to services on the weekends, or if not, at least going to a BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth Organization) event, pretty much every weekend. Every week I’m doing at least something that ties to Judaism. If not Shabbat, then something else.

Why is it important to educate people on the Holocaust?

JF: I didn’t actually know Max Glauben, but I’ve met him a couple times and saw him speak a couple times. It really took a big toll on me when he died because his whole goal was to educate people about the Holocaust and tell his experience. He always talked about how it’s important to remember so you don’t forget. In terms of remembering the events, learning about the Nazis and the Holocaust in history class has put on this bigger perspective, a more worldwide perspective. It further shows that the Holocaust didn’t just affect Jews, it affected many others. As a Jew and knowing how that’s part of our past has been a big part of recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day where we light a candle for the 6 million people who died. It has just always been something that we’ve been accustomed to doing and what I plan to introduce to my kids and their kids.

still people who don’t believe that the Holocaust has happened.

In what ways can we learn about the Holocaust?

JG: Go to Holocaust museums. There’s one in Dallas, there’s big one in Washington DC and there’s an even bigger one in Israel. I think just going there is extremely helpful. They have great guides who can show you around and teach everything. They have exhibits that put into perspective about the sheer magnitude of the Holocaust. Even just looking online, you could probably find documentaries and videos with actual pictures.

And even though they’re very gruesome, if you’re fine looking at it, that’s a great way to add even more of a perspective as to just how bad it was.

JF: There’s plenty about it in entertainment. You can watch plenty of movies: Schindler’s List, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, or others about the Holocaust that are really enlightening. I especially like Schindler’s List because it talks about this guy, a German officer, who helped thousands of Jews escape. You can really see different people’s perspectives and the harsh rule of the Nazis and what they did to people. The biggest part about remembering is also the fact that there are only a couple thousand survivors left. It’s really important to listen to what they have to say because they’re the last people to have the firsthand experience, and we have to pass their stories onto future generations.

DG: Yeah, in my experience, those types of jokes are not directly to me or people I know necessarily. But every now and then, I’ll see a post on Instagram that has some sort of relation with Judaism, and I’ll just see an offensive comment that makes me think, “Why did you even say that?” It’s frustrating to see that happening.

It seems to be a lot more common now than in the past couple years.

How do you think the Jewish community survived through the antisemitism that still persists in different forms today?

JG: I remember the strong community we had after the hostage situation [in Colleyville, Texas Jan. 15]. There was a service, and everyone around the city showed up.

And the way we were able to show support and prevail through that terrible event was by being there for them together as a community. Also just being there for all my friends was very important. A lot of my friends were scared for their safety, so I was just really happy to be together with them, and we were thankful that we got through it unified.

DG: When antisemitic acts happen, I usually talk to my family about it. We talk through some of the reasons why that might happen Jordan feldman and what we can do to stop it.

From a single person’s standpoint, there’s not much you can do to stop stuff like that from happening, but it’s important just to talk and also understand if there is anything at all you can do to help the people around you.

Antisemitsm, here and now

JG: What I was taught in school is that we never forget to make sure something like that never happens again. And I think it’s important to remember it just because of not only how bad it was, but also how us Jews have stayed strong through it and persevered through it.

And we’re as strong as ever today. It’s important because it’s just part of our story — the story of how Judaism has evolved — especially in these past 100 years.

DG: There’s many things that happened during Holocaust that people look at and try to forget because it’s just so terrible. But if you forget what happened and don’t learn from the past, you’re going to recreate the same mistakes. But there’s also good things that came after the Holocaust such as the Land of Israel. It was not necessarily given to the Jewish people because of the Holocaust, but that probably was a huge reason why they David Gersherson thought to even look to that in the first place. So while bad things happen, it’s also good to remember the good things that came after.

JF: I have friends at other schools who I talk to, and one day one of them was like, “Guess what, we learned about World War II today. We finished off the unit and there was no mention of the Holocaust.” I feel like even the smallest things, such as not mentioning it, is part of not remembering. Part of it can be hateful in the smallest sense because not remembering is not really acknowledging that it has happened. There are

2,026

antisemitic incidents recorded in 2020

2,717

antisemitic incidents recorded in 2021

34

percent increase in antisemitic incidents from 2020 to 2021

106

percent increase in antisemitic incidents recorded at K-12 schools from 2020 to 2021

21

percent increase in antisemitic incidents recorded at colleges from 2020 to 2021

JF: For me, it’s a sad fact that we have gone through this repeated cycle of oppression in different forms. The part that makes the Jewish people so strong is being able to push through and being able to remember that we already have pushed through the Holocaust.

We pushed through the Tree of Life shooting a couple years ago when 11 people got shot in a synagogue. We have pushed through all of these things, from practically the beginning of time when Jews were blamed for the killing of Christ. But we’ve always been able to stand strong. We’re very connected, and it’s a very close knit community.

How have each of you started to form your own beliefs and modify your connection to the Jewish community as you grow older? antisemitic incidents recorded in JG: I think I’ve started to develop my 2021 attributed to known rightown faith as opposed to what I’ve simply been taught and told by my family. In wing extremist groups Middle School, I began to doubt Judaism and God. As I matured more and more, Source: American Anti-Defamation League however, I realized just how great the Jewish community was and how nice it was to have a good group of people that was always there for you no matter what.

What has your experience been like with regard to antisemetic ‘jokes’?

DG: I’ve been going to Hebrew school every Sunday JF: There’s often small little jokes or remarks and stuff my whole life really. Being able to learn from a teacher like that, where someone will draw a swastika as a joke has been really helpful. Also, being able to listen to my and then erase it. In reality, some people don’t realize friends’ ideas and thoughts about Judaism has in turn the extent to which that action affects certain people. If allowed me to form some of my own. you draw a swastika in front of a Holocaust survivor, or do a Hitler salute in front of a Holocaust survivor, they’ll JF: I’m similar to these guys in that I went to Hebrew immediately have flashbacks of the times that they school the first seven or eight years of my life. I learned were in at that time. And they’ll immediately remember how to read Hebrew. I learned how to read the Torah. I the harsh places they were in, so us as the younger had my Bar Mitzvah, and then after my Bar Mitzvah, my generation and the ones who are more adapted to the practice of the religion kind of fell off, because I didn’t present, we think that’s messed up. We’d react like, have the obligation to learn Hebrew anymore. But, I just “Why would you say that?” and the older generations felt like I was missing something, so I got involved with would be a lot more offended by that. my Jewish youth group, and I felt a strong connection to my Judaism through that. Now, I feel that my JG: I think that the people who make those jokes are the connection to Judaism is stronger than ever, and it’ll ones who are just uneducated. And I think the way you continue to be strong. I’m going to raise a strong Jewish can stop some of those jokes is by teaching them about family when I grow up. the Holocaust and the magnitude of it, because they definitely just don’t understand how traumatic of a time INTERVIEW Arjun Khatti, Shreyan Daulat it was for the Jewish people.

INFOGRAPHIC Will Spencer

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GUN CONTROL

Longtime faculty members honored for years of service

by Akash Manickam ower School music instructor Mary Ann Livengood and Director of Physical and Experiential Education Mark Sullivan were honored for 50 and 40 years of service, respectively, at Alumni Weekend April 21-23.

Livengood first came to 10600 Preston Road at the age of 21 in 1972. She was selected from a pool of 12 applicants and thrilled she got the opportunity to teach.

“I loved the college look of the campus,” Livengood said.

“I had no clue that it was a prestigious school. That didn’t matter to me. I just loved music and teaching young children.”

Livengood sometimes struggled with balancing school and her home life.

“This school can and does take everything if you are willing to give it,” Livengood said. “Having met my husband here and getting married and having a family, the lines were very vague between our work and home life for the first 33 years.”

Livengood also acknowledges her success stems from the many mentors she’s had over her career.

“All of the headmasters have taken me gently under their wings,” Livengood said. “[Former] Counselor Barbara Van Drie made me grow up.

[Fine Arts Department Chair] Marion Glorioso has been the leader every teacher hopes to collaborate with. My Lower School colleagues have put up with me.”

Stopping the spread

L

Unlike Livengood, Sullivan never initially expected to stay at the school for 40 years.

“I envisioned a career in education,” Sullivan said.

“That’s what I wanted to do with my life. I had no anticipation of being at St. Mark’s for as long as I have.”

Sullivan was recommended to the school by a former college professor. At first, he thought the job was temporary.

“I really thought I’d be here for five years at most,” Sullivan said. “[I would] build a resume, and I would go back to school and get an advanced degree.”

Sullivan says some things have stayed the same for all 40 years.

“We’ve always been an incredible academic institution,” Sullivan said.

“We’ve always been a school that’s been really good at developing relationships and building brotherhood.”

Livengood believes the school’s uniqueness comes from the Marksmen themselves.

“It’s all about the students,” Livengood said. “They are curious. They value being smart.”

Sullivan shares the same sentiment.

“The individual boy has always been the main focus of who we are,” Sullivan said, “and that hasn’t changed, and that won’t change.”

the remarker may 20, 2022

In a move against rising gun violence across America, the Biden administration passed new rules modernizing firearm restrictions, including banning kits that allowed people to make guns in their own homes. Will it work?

I

n 2020, 79% of all murders in the U.S. involved firearms.

Almost eight of every ten — numbers that demand action.

And action has been taken. Just a month ago, the Biden administration cracked down on so-called “ghost guns,” requiring that “buy-and-build” kits, which allow purchasers to build their own guns, be registered and serialized as firearms so that they can be accounted for, just like commercially-made firearms.

The real question is: Is the law really working?

Junior Sam Adams, a firearm enthusiast, says the law can be a benefit to tracking down gun owners.

“By serializing a receiver for these ghost guns, it allows parts to be tracked and attached to certain individuals,” Adams said. “The serial number of the gun is attached to your record after you do a background check, so it can be recorded that it belongs to you if it is lost or stolen.”

However, Adams says he sees some problems as well.

“The main downside for me is the enforcement piece, because there’s really no way to prove when something was made,” Adams said. “For example, California had a week where a federal judge overturned their magazine capacity ban, and the whole market got flooded with higher capacity magazines. After a week, they were made illegal again, but anything bought within that week was legal. So, after that week, it was difficult to prove what was legal based on when people bought their magazines.”

Adams sees the same issue here.

“I see it difficult to enforce on an individual level in a similar way,” Adams said. “It will be difficult to track down guns that were already unserialized before the law.“ Holtberg Master Teaching Chair and photography instructor Scott Hunt believes, ultimately, ghost guns aren’t the main issue because people will frequently gain access to guns through perfectly legal means.

“There are so many firearms that are not traceable, because people have stolen or handed them down,” Hunt said. “The idea of ghost guns is such a miniscule drop in the bucket.”

Additionally, Hunt believes the term “ghost guns” doesn’t actually hold weight.

“The whole idea of ghost guns is just semantics,” Hunt said. “It’s a made up name, just like how, sometimes, handheld firearms are called assault weapons when they aren’t.”

Initially, there is a process for purchasing firearms from licensed dealers.

Purchasers first have to fill a firearms transaction form, called a 4473. Then, they are required to fill out a background check form, called a National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Filling out any of these forms incorrectly is a Sam Adams felony in it of itself.

However, there are ways around the check.

“Anytime anybody wants to sell a gun to another person, I’d say 90% of

by the

numbers 6,905

gun-related homicides in 2022

8,712

suicides involving guns in 2022

12,776

injuries caused by a gun in 2022

20,000 693

suspected ghost guns in 2021 mass shootings in 2021

Enoch Ellis

them are actually federally licensed to sell guns,” Hunt said. “They will make you do a 4473 and a background check.

However, some don’t. I could buy a firearm from somebody off the street without filling out paperwork, and that would be perfecty legal. It’s called a private purchase.”

These rules vary from state to state.

“Different states have different rules,” Hunt said. “Some are more stringent, but many are relatively loose. It’s perfectly legal in Texas to sell a gun to another person without undergoing a background check, or filling out a 4473.”

Hunt believes the people are the ones to blame.

“How we stop this problem is the 10,000 dollar question,” Hunt said. “The reality is that it is a cultural issue. It’s not about guns — they’re just inanimate objects.”

Hunt says guns aren’t even the full equation, since many more techniques are available.

“There are a lot of ways people will harm others, and at the end of the day, it’s about the people who choose not to follow the rule of law,” Hunt said.

And, according to Hunt, when applied to other similar situations, the logic simply just doesn’t hold up.

“Is it the car’s fault that a drunk driver gets behind the wheel?” Hunt said.

“In that case, do we outlaw cars? Do we outlaw pools because children drown in them? Or is it the parent’s fault for not providing supervision? In the end, it all comes back to what people will do.”

STORY Ian Dalrymple, Dawson Yao GRAPHIC Morgan Chow

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the remarker may 20, 2022

commencement

Leaving the Lion’s den The Commencement ceremony is one of the final events for the seniors. Years of work is culminated into one last act, when faculty, friends, parents and students come together May 26 to celebrate the end of an era.

A

fter spending a large portion of their life here, it’s all coming to a close.

The white shirts turned into blue shirts, and now the blue shirts will turn into sparkling white tuxedos on Thursday night.

Because on Thursday night, the boys in blue will begin their final hours as Marksmen. They will stride across to receive their diplomas, walking past the statue for the final time as a student.

And, after it is all said and done, they will link arms, singing the Alma Mater for the final time.

The Commencement ceremony helps to recognize the achievements accomplished by the senior class, honoring their time here.

“Commencement is the culminating event for a marksman’s career,” Headmaster David Dini said. “It’s a time where faculty, parents, families and boys all come together to celebrate the completion of every Marksman in this journey.”

The festivities begin with Baccalaureate, where students, faculty and parents will gather in the chapel for a service.

“It’s a very intimate ceremony,” Dini said, “where a member of the class is chosen to speak on behalf of the class.

A faculty member will then respond to the speech, which makes for a very personalized event.”

The event will be performed alongside the organ, which has been rebuilt since the tornado in 2019.

“We wanted to make sure the organ was completely installed and playable for Baccalaureate,” Dini said. “Having the chapel in full force in time for this event was a big priority for us.”

May 26 at 8 p.m., Commencement will officially begin on the Perot Quadrangle. The event will start with a speech given by Senior Class President Enoch Ellis, followed by a speech by guest speaker Clark Hunt ’83.

The CEO of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees.

“Clark’s many decades of service and devotion to our school and his leadership across the community serves as a powerful example for Marksmen of all ages,” Dini said. “We look forward to what will undoubtedly be very meaningful guidance, wisdom, and perspective for the graduates.”

After an additional speech given by the valedictorian, Dini, along with Board of Trustees President Kathy Crow, will present the class, calling up each graduating senior to receive their diplomas — a meaningful process in it of itself.

“The stage is designed so that each student must walk behind the stage, right where the Path to Manhood statue is,” Dini said. “The statue is an embodiment of our values, and it’s really fun to see the boys walk past it and come out the other end.”

Finally receiving their diplomas, their time as Marksmen has officially come to an end, but the virtues and values they collected along the way still remain with them.

“They [the seniors] have reached the end of their journey, and the end of the path here,” Dini said. “However, St. Mark’s will always be a part of your life, even after you graduate. The graduation just represents the transition from student, to graduate, to alumnus.”

Regardless of whatever feat was

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Last year’s speaker was former Lieutenant General Steven M. Shepro of the United States Air Force. He was the 21st Deputy Chairman for NATO. This year’s speaker is CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs Clark Hunt ‘83. The speaker is chosen through a selection process.

accomplished or whatever mistakes were made, Dini sees the class as a culmination of great experiences, washing away the minute details.

“Inevitably, it conjures up memories of the experiences of every boy,” Dini said. “I get to be the one who shakes the hands of the boys first, and at that point, every last one of the highs and lows merge together, and they’re essentially graduating as one, cohesive unit.”

In Dini’s mind, that is exactly what commencement is: a chance to look back on the memories which embody the school’s experience.

“Graduation lifts you up, beyond the practical realm, and to the things that you are going to carry into college,” Dini said. “Whether it’s experiences you’ve had in athletics, or with classmates or teachers, Commencement pulls all of it together into one.”

Finally, after receiving their diplomas, the class comes together one last time, singing the Alma Mater which they have sung many times over the years.

“It’s a really awesome experience,” Dini said. “I love watching the boys sway together while the bells toll. The guys are in tears, just being together with their brothers who they have been with for such a long, long time.”

STORY Dawson Yao, Dillon Wyatt PHOTOS Development/Dave Carden

Commencement Date Time Location

Thursday, May 26 8 p.m.

Green Commencement Theater Speakers Clark Hunt ‘83 Class president (Enoch Ellis) Valedictorian (TBD at Commencement) Prizes awarded Headmaster’s Cup School Flag Citizenship Cup Reception Follows in Great Hall

Previous Commencement speakers, 15 years 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Wallace B. Jefferson Thomas S. Adams S. Alan Stern ‘75 Richard W. Fisher Stephen T. Jurvetson ‘85 H. Ross Perot Gus Lee Michael S. Rawlings Rorke T. Denver Samuel O. Acho ‘07 Jerry M. Lewis IV ‘98 Kenneth A. Hersh ‘81 Michael J. Sorrell Victor L. Vescovo ‘84 Rev. Michael Dangelo Steven M. Shepro

BROTHERS FOREVER The Class of 2021 links arms, singing the alma mater for the final time. They share these memories with all the faculty, parents, friends, and most importantly, their fellow Marksmen (above). Former Senior Class president Aayan Khasgiwala ‘21 delivers his speech, along with valedictorian Matthew Ho ‘21, Headmaster David Dini and former Lieutenant General Steven M. Shepro (top right). After years together, members of the Class of 2021 walk toward Commencement stage in sparkling white tuxedos, beginning the end of their journey here (above).

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the remarker may 20, 2022

discovery &

Under the sea

theGreen Corner

Animals among us are quite hard to find, but with nature-centric spaces such as the Grandparent’s Pond and the Arthur Douglas Greenhouse, the campus is bursting with life ranging from turtles and tortoises to an assortment of birds.

Winston the tortoise: Found in the Arthur Douglas Greenhouse, this tortoise is known for its curosity. It prefers warm and humid enviorments and often snacks on plants found outside the greenhouse.

The ocean twilight zone lies under the surface of the ocean between 650 to 3,300 feet. This region is a fundamental part of the ocean that has great benefit to humans. It serves as both a carbon sink and an essential part of the food web.

It’s the largest carbon pump in the world. Annually, the twilight zone facilitates the movement of 4 billion metric tons of carbon from the sunlight zone to the midnight zone. Once carbon reaches the midnight zone, it can stay there for several thousand years.

stats

fa acts &

It spans the world, and it consists of about 20 percent of the ocean’s volume, while contianing over 90 percent of the ocean’s biomass by weight.

Percentage of Fish (Weight)

95%

Percentage of Ocean Volume

20%

Amount of Carbon

Four billion tons

Depth

650-3,300 feet

Climate change is held back by the twilight zone. The ocean holds about 50 times the amount of carbon than the atmosphere, most of which resides in the bottom of the ocean. The twilight zone’s ecosystem serves to move the most amount of carbon out of our domain, and it has absorbed up to 93 percent of extra energy from the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Few people have explored the twilight zone, with the vast majority remaining undocumented, but organizations such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have allowed us to understand the crucial role the twilight zone plays in our climate.

Nine degrees Fahrenheit

Tempturature Saved

$300-900 billion

Carbon Cost Saved

STORY Aaron Augustine PHOTOS Courtesy Creative Commons

Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

STEM in brief

Great-tailed grackle: Nesting in various trees throughout campus, this bird is one of the most common birds found throughout the southern United States.

ISBC Perot Museum A reception will be held at the Perot Museum on June 28, for ISBC members to enjoy a drink or the interactive exhibits with their colleagues. From June 26-29, the school will be hosting the International Boys’ Schools Coalition annual conference, which hasn’t happened for three years. The IBSC is a nonprofit organization with a goal of bettering the education of boys in schools across the world.

The conference will host several hundred boys’ private schools from more than 20 different countries, with the purpose of fostering collaboration between educators, as well as the sharing and challenging of ideas.

Chemistry Olympiad Junior Michael Gao is the sole representative of the school in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Exam. He took the national test April 23 along with over 1,000 other students, and he

is now awaiting the results.

Gao passed the local regional tests, which cover topics found in the chemistry curriculum such as acids, bases and ionic compounds. Depending on the results from the exam, Gao could qualify for a study camp which could enable him to compete internationally.

hunting and fishing club April 13.

Environmental science instructor, Dan Northcut ‘81, led the trip, which has not taken place since COVID-19 began.

The objective of the trip was to both teach the students about waste and to immerse them in the natural cycles they have spent the year learning.

THE SCIENTIFIC MARKSMAN The Scientific Marksman magazine released its newest edition May 16. It is led by seniors Jonathan Yin and Jeremy Yu and sponsored by Science Department Head Fletcher Carron .

The Scientific Marksman releases a single edition a year.

Club members work to highlight scientific discoveries both within and outside the school community.

COVID UPDATE Cases have risen sharply around the United States, but total cases on campus have fallen drastically. School nurse Julie Doerge believes this is due to the air filitarion system that was implemented last year.

The filters cleanse the air nearly seven times each hour. In addition to having these filters in each room, each building’s air cirucluation system has been outfitted with the highest quality filtration systems currently accessible.

Considering future restrictions, Doerge expects no additional regulations required.

LANDFILL FIELD TRIP The AP environmental science class visited both a landfill and a

this page 08Twilight zone Big Bend slider turtle: Residing in the Grandparent’s Pond, this turtle loves to spend its days hiding under the lily pads and munching on leaves.

COMPILIATION Aaron Augustine PHOTOS Aaron Augustine

for the tech geek

An analysis of how the ocean’s twilight zone helps combat climate change.

inside 09Physics olympiad

Exploring the journey of two Marksmen to the National Physics Olympiad.

last month April 18 Amazon began Project Kuiper, which seeked to establish global broadband internet connection by utilizing over 3000 satellites.

Kuiper competes with Elon Musks’s Starlink, which already has almost 2500 satellites in orbit.

April 19 The Open Data Science Conference took place in Boston.

The conference is one of the largest data science conventions.

Its goal was to help educate, innovate and develop the data science community.

April 26 The Georgia Techonology Summit served to teach people how technological innovation can change industries. It focused on the impacts of innovation on businesses.

UPCOMING June 8 The Bloomberg Techology Summit will be held in San Fransciso, and it will host discussions regarding crypto, gaming and the future of electronic commerce.

June 27 The world’s largest data and artificial intelligence summit will be held in San Franscisco.

Presentations will be held by industry visonaries and tech sessions will be held for people of all familiarty levels.

June 6 The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference will be held online and will have presentations featuring new Apple innovations such as the new iOS and macOS.

what the tech? twitter’s new owner What happened?

Entrepreneur Elon Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion. This follow a $2 billion purchase of Twitter stock, which led to Twitter’s Board of Directors to initiate a posion pill: a tactic meant to make hostile takeovers harder.

What’s going to change?

Musk’s purchase was preceded by him claiming that “free speech is essential to a functioning democracy.”

Musk has promised to loosen Twitter restrictions, and it is expected that several previously banned Twitter accounts will be reinstated.

09Earth Day

Surveying opinions regarding the Earth Day assembly.

I hope that this new ownership brings about a more positive era for the platform.

THOMAS WHITEHURST

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the remarker may 20, 2022

BALLING OUT Senior Matthew Fan and freshmen Surya Dinesh explain their journey to the National Physics Olympiad. They were among 400 students allowed to participate, and they both received awards for their scores.

MARKSMEN compete

Physics champions What prompted you to compete?

Matthew Fan: My interest in physics came in eighth grade, and I was taking Dr. Balog’s physics class. And then from there, I kept reading stuff online, watching different physics videos and looking for new things. I think that’s what sparked the interest.

Surya Dinesh: When my father was in high school, he was really good at physics, math and science. He encouraged me to start learning more physics on my own because I liked it, so he bought a book for me to work on over the summer.

What’s your favorite physics equation?

MF: I think Gauss’s Law. It’s definitely up there, and it’s a very useful equation.

SD: Definitely F=MA, it’s both super useful and the name of one of the major physics competitions.

What was your journey to the Physics Olympiad?

MF: I first got involved with physics in eighth grade during Dr. Balog’s class. After my first semester, I was intrigued by the puzzle-like nature of the problems, which propelled me to further explore the world of physics through reading articles and watching videos online. But perhaps the most fascinating part of physics for me was witnessing real-life application come from the concepts presented in textbooks.

SD: It started with my dad encouraging me to take up physics, and after a lot of hard work, support and luck, I qualified for the Olympiad.

Who helped you the most in your journey?

SD: My dad was a big supporter of my my physics journey, so his help was worth a lot in qualifying for the Olmypiad. Also my textbook is one of the most valuable resources for me. It held several practice tests that helped me prepare for the competition.

Surya dinesh

How much time did you spend on average studying?

MF: For classes, I get probably one or two hours a night studying. As for the past two months, I’d say I actually studied not as much as before.

SD: Lately I haven’t been doing much physics because of our finals, but over the summer I was studying at least an hour a day, and I would often study for two to three hours. Over the

school year, I maintained this and spent about an hour a day on weekends.

What’s your funniest physics story?

MF: In the physics lab, half the time stuff just breaks, so it’s always a guessing game to see what happens.

Have you ever failed a physics test?

MF: No, I don’t think I failed a physics test.

How has the school helped you on your journey?

MF: I think the teachers have definitely been the most helpful part. They’re Matthew Fan always willing to answer questions and help with homework or review after school. My classmates have also been helpful when it comes to working together and helping each other on problems that may be difficult. I never seriously sat down to specifically study for the F=ma exam, so the school’s resources have been my greatest help during my physics journey. From Dr. Balog’s eighth-grade class to [Stephen] Houpt’s AP Physics one class to my current class with [Wesley] Irons, I have been well prepared with the knowledge necessary to succeed on the F=ma Exam. Being part of the Physics Club for four years, I have also learned from past competitors such as Nicholas Tsao ‘20 about how to apply skills gleaned from the classroom to more in-depth competition-style problems.

SD: In the eighth-grade physics class, I learned some useful tricks that I still use today. And also this year, physics club has been a lot of fun and it has helped definitely how much time we spend on working problems. We don’t really go over theory, but being able to see how certain problems are solved is really helpful.

INTERVIEWS Aaron Augustine, Nikhil Dattatreya PHOTO Aaron Augustine

opinion

in my

Q: What are you going to do for the Earth?

“When I’m out of high school, I’ll get an internship where I clean beaches or clean up my community” Henry Sun Freshman

“I’m going to convince my friends and family to be eco-friendly and eliminate plastic when I can.”

Warner Hartnett Sophomore

by Linyang Lee cDermott Master Teacher John Mead was named president of the Texas Association of Biology Teachers (TABT) after serving as president-elect last year.

Mead is one of the first independent school teachers to become president of TABT in the organization’s almost 40 year history. “[TABT’s] primarily focused on public school teachers, mostly because that’s the bulk of teachers in the state of Texas,” Mead said. “I think I’m the first president to be from an independent school. It’s neat to link the two worlds, the private and the public, which doesn’t happen a lot.”

After a vote by TABT members, Mead was elected in the summer of 2020.

“Basically the way our system plays out is that you become president-elect for one year,” he said. “So [you are] supporting the president and learning what the president needs to do. Then you have a few responsibilities yourself, so that was the calendar year of 2021.”

Mead became president Jan. 1, and he will serve as president through the end of 2022.

“For next calendar year, 2023, I will serve in the post of past-president,” he said.

“And that’s someone who has the experience to share with whoever is going to be next year’s president and so on.”

M

Senior Matthew Fan and freshman Surya Dinesh competed in the National Physics Olympiad this year. They shared their journeys of trials and successes.

How did you prepare for the Olympiad?

MF: This year, I actually didn’t have that much time to prepare, so it was mainly just from what I did in class, but I might do one or two practice tests beforehand.

SD: Over the summer, I studied concepts and worked through the textbook, so I did a lot of problems. And then during the year, I was taking practice tests for the F=MA, which is the round that comes before the actual Olympiad. And then, with a little bit of luck I was able to qualify for the Olympiad.

John Mead promoted to Texas Biology Board president

“I feel like joining the Green Mark’s Club and organizations like that are something I would do.”

Jackson Whitaker Junior

“I’m supporting government policies that help the climate, because they often make the biggest impact.”

Issac Song Senior

Mead has been part of TABT for over five years. As president, Mead runs meetings, represents TABT to the Science Teachers Association of Texas (STAT), helps organize sanctioned presentations for biology teachers and also helps determine who receives the Texas Outstanding Biology Teacher Award as well as other awards.

“The idea of the organization as a whole is to be a support organization for biology teachers throughout Texas,” he said. “For instance, a middle school teacher who doesn’t know much about a particular topic may reach out to someone who’s an AP teacher they might not have in their school,” he said. “It gives us a pool of talent to help each other with.”

Through TABT, Mead hopes he will be able to help provide biology teachers with the resources to teach in ways that are productive so they may bounce back from the pandemic.

“So many teachers, especially public school teachers, have had a tough time these last couple of years,” Mead said.

“It’s trying to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel and to get teachers reconnected through conferences and the like so that when we emerge from this, biology teachers feel like they are back where they were beforehand.”

10 Hangin’ Out With

Ishaan Devalla Having a passion for history for as long as he can remember, junior Ishaan Devalla has developed some unique opinions on the topic. We sat down with him to learn about his passion and what he thinks history really tells us.

10600

the remarker may 20, 2022

life & Alumni return to alma mater

For Alumni Weekend 2022, more than 1,000 alumni and community members came ‘home’ over the weekend of April 21-23.

The reunions occurred over the course of three days, allowing graduates to reconnect with former classmates and teachers.

Ishaan Devalla >

Which history class are you in right now?

Right now I’m in AP European history taught by [history teacher] Dr. Westrate. I think the class is great because it’s taught like history should be — like a story.

When did you come to St. Mark’s?

I’ve been here since ninth grade. As far as history teachers go, I’ve only had Dr. Westrate, so that’s part of the reason I think he’s such a great teacher.

So Ishaan, here’s the question that we’ve all heard in our history classes: Are those who do not study history doomed to repeat it?

Actually, I think that even those who don’t ignore history are doomed to repeat it. It was Mark Twain who said, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” and I really agree with this.

I’m Hobbesian in that I think the human race will always have the same falls, but the best thing to do is to keep a record.

What’s your hottest history take?

I’m a monarchist.

Basically, I think that a nation is best suited if it has a ceremonial monarch.

The reason it’s better than a presidential is because, in our system, the president is both the head of state and head of the government. But in a lot of other countries you have a president who’s just the head of government. A ceremonial monarch is a better option for head of state because they are above the political fray and serve as a focal point for the public to be reminded of what the nation means.

BACK ON CAMPUS Jonathan C. Snead ‘68 (speaking) and James B. Rodgers ‘85 read the names of Marksmen who have passed over the past year at the Alumni Chapel (above). Students and faculty alike sing hyms (top right) during the Alumni Chapel. Alumni (right) gather in the Great Hall for the Spring 2022 Alumni Dinner.

PHOTOS Courtesy Development/Dave Carden

for the Marksman

10600 in brief COMUNITY SERVIVCE BOARD Juniors Aadi Khasgiwala and Will Grable will be leading the Community Service Executive Board going into the 2022-2023 school year as co-chairs. The two of them will be joined by junior Svanik Jaikumar serving as vice chair, along with freshman Andrew Xuan serving as chief operating officer. The team will be coordinating drives and volunteer activities for the next year.

ADMISSION DINNER The New Family Social was held on campus April 18 for the first time since March 2020. This welcoming event was for families whose sons were admitted to grades fifth through tenth. It provided an opportunity for new families to be on campus as a group, meet one another, and get to know some current families.

Headmaster David Dini, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid David Baker and senior Owen Simon spoke in front of approximately 200 attendees.

SPRING COFFEE RECAP The Spring Admissions Coffee was held April 13 and was the first big Lion & Sword event hosted since the pandemic. There were around 90 attendees who took a tour around campus and learned about the school. The attendees were members who wanted to learn more about the school and parents considering sending their sons here.

MOCK TRIAL Freshman Aiden Moran and History and Social Sciences Department Chair David Fisher have started a Mock Trial Club for Upper School students, which will begin next year. The club will compete in interscholastic competitions where two teams of ten students compete against one another in a mock trial. Before the hearing, team members will be cast into roles as lawyers or witnesses.

Additionally, they will review packets of information about everything the participant would need to prepare for the trial.

WORDMASTERS CHAMPIONS The fourth-grade class was named the national champion in the Gold Division of the WordMasters Challenge, an annual national competition testing students on vocabulary.

The team received 590 points over the course of three meets, with a perfect team score being 600 points.

Five students also received the Highest Honors Distinction, reserved for the top 10-15 scores nationwide, and three of those students scored perfect individual scores of 60.

ZOO CLUBTRIP After a two year hiatus, the annual Senior and Buddy Zoo Trip will take place May 23 at the Dallas Zoo in South Dallas.

The trip is a time for seniors and their buddies to bond and relax.

Additionally, the parents have organized goodie bags, which are packed with matching T-shirts, animal crackers, toys, and have prepared a shared lunch.

An overview of departing faculty and staff with their parting words.

12NIGHT GUARD

An inside look into the life of the man who patrols campus after dark.

13SUMMER JObS

Examining the opportunities Marksmen have looked to when school is out and time is plentiful.

UPCOMING

Today Lower School Blue and Gold Day All Sports Athletic Banquet 6:309 p.m. in Great Hall Faculty US Senior Softball Game

May 27 Upper School short classes Class of 2023 Blue Shirt Day 7:15 a.m. in Ellipse Courtyard Freshmen dodgeball tournament in Hunt Field 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Saturday Choir rehearsal for Baccalaureate

May 31 Faculty/staff end of year Luncheon

Tuesday Baccalaureate with reception in Perot Quadrangle

June 16 Evensong at 1 p.m.

Wednesday Lower School final chapel Middle School final assembly 11 a.m.

Thursday Upper School final assembly at 11 a.m.

8 p.m. Commencement in Perot Quadrangle

June 26 2022 IBSC Annual Conference begins and lasts until June 29 August 1 51st Pecos Wilderness Trip begins for rising sophomores August 11 Rising sophomores return from Pecos, New Mexico

say what?

inside 11LEAVING TEACHERS

this week

comments overheard around campus “They need to get Sal Hussain to do a fencing hype video.”

“Mr. Owens, is your goal of teaching to breed more chemistry teachers?”

BENNETT APPLbAUM Sophomore

JORDAN FELDMAN Sophomore

“Sammy Larkin is actually my son.”

"I swear I didn’t get a perm — my hair’s just naturally curly.”

JACK JACKSON Junior

NOAH WILLIAMS Freshman

“What would you do if I bought a small lock, locked your backpack and ate the key?”

“Special fooooooooooooooorms!”

HAYDEN MEYERS Sophomore

CORINDO MARTIN Mathematics Instructor

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GOODBYES

A difficult departure With a combined 114 years of service to the school, six faculty and staff members have decided to step away from the school and take on new journeys next year. They share their favorite memories and experiences from their time at the school.

F

ifty years ago, Lower School music instructor Mary Ann Livengood arrived on campus, a student fresh out of college and looking for a job. At the time, she had no idea that she was looking at what would be her second home — after all, she had found out about the school through a friend just one day prior. Aside from receiving her dream job of teaching music, she had no idea what to expect. Now, after teaching thousands of Lower Schoolers over the course of half a century, Livengood has decided to retire and step away from teaching, a bittersweet ending to her time at the school.

Livengood first found out about the school in April of her senior year in college.

“I was a senior at SMU finishing up my undergraduate degree, and I wanted to have a job for the next year,” Livengood said. “At the time, I was sitting around a table having coffee with an actor from Home Improvement, and she said there was an opening at a school down the street for a Lower School music teacher.”

Being a piano major focused on music education, Livengood was immediately hooked — in fact, teaching music to children had been her dream job since childhood.

“After hearing about the opportunity on a Thursday night, I called Jim Livengood and found out that they were deciding the teacher the next day, with 12 other applicants at the time,” Livengood said. “So I put together a resume that night and came to visit on Friday. On Monday, I got the job.”

Shortly after arriving on campus, Livengood began working with the choirmaster at the time, Jim Livengood, her future husband.

“At first, it was just co-teaching—I would help him with the choirs, and that was my natural pick since I was very into singing and teaching kids about it,” Livengood said. “We continued teaching together and did a lot of things together, and during that time we started dating as well.”

The two of them organized many events with the choir, including the choir tours that still go on today.

“In 1986, Jim and I started the choir tours to England and Europe,” Livengood said. “I led the tour planning, and he led the musician part.”

In addition to working with choir, Livengood spent

time coordinating events in the chapel.

“From the minute I got here, mainly because of Mr. Livengood and my faith, I got involved with the chapel,” Livengood said. Since then, I’ve worked with 17 different chaplains. I was in charge of all the weddings and all the funerals, and I was also the briefly chaplain from 1988 to 1989, because we didn’t have one at the time.”

Aside from choir and chapel, Livengood dabbled in other musical fine arts as well. In 1972, Livengood started the school’s piano program and led the program until 2003. She was also the Lower School chapel organist for three years and taught an Upper School dancing elective as well.

Given the amount of time she’s spent here, along with the memories she’s made, Livengood finds it hard to say goodbye.

“Honestly, I’m not all that happy about retiring,” Livengood said, “because I’ve never known anything else except spending time here ever since I was 21. It’s going to be really, really hard. But I do have five grandchildren living nearby, so hopefully I can go to their activities.”

Overall, Livengood has many fond memories of the school, and she is glad to have spent her time teaching here.

“I love the enthusiasm and the excitement of the kids I teach,” Livengood said. “I’ve had opportunities to teach in Middle and Upper School every once in a while, but I never really felt like sticking with that. The school allowed me to do everything I wanted to do — it allowed me to be creative and be successful. For some people, that lack of structure might have been scary, but for me, it was just freedom.”

STORY Aaron Liu PHOTO Courtesy Development/Dave Carden

Parting words

Colin Igoe Upper School Head

Ann Dilday MS Adminsitrative Assistant

Past chaplains During Mary Ann Livengood’s time here, there have been a total of 18 different appointed chaplains. For a brief term, Livengood also led chapel activities, organizing speakers and visitors.

1970 - 1972 1972 - 1975 1975 - 1978 1978 - 1980 1980 - 1982 1982 - 1983 1983 - 1988 1988 - 1989

1989 - 1993 1993 - 2000 2000 - 2002 2002 - 2003

2003 - 2008 2009 - 2011 2011 - 2012

2012 - 2014 2014 - 2015 2015 - Present

Rev. William Millsaps Rev. Peter Ensor Rev. William Clarckson, III Rev. Peter Casparian Rev. Ellwood Hannum Rev. Norman Amps Rev. James W. Sprague No designated chaplain Livengood in charge of chapel Rev. Russell W. Ingersoll Rev. Brian E. Fidler Rev. Michael Percival Rev. John H. Barrett (LS) Scott Gonzalez in charge of MS/US Rev. Dr. Kevin Huddleston Rev. Richard Towers Rev. Pamela Theodore (LS) Scott Gonzalez in charge of MS/US Rev. Michael Dangelo Rev. Douglas Carter Rev. Stephen Arbogast

Five other faculty and staff members will be leaving at the end of the 2021-2022 school year, either partially retiring, stepping back from teaching, or moving to a new school. Here are their favorite memories from the school:

“I’m incredibly grateful for everything that’s happened here and I’m proud of the work that we’ve all done together. St. Mark’s is an amazing place that will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope that I’ve left school a little bit better than when I found it.”

See story on page 1

“I’m truly going to miss St. Mark’s — it’s a wonderful place with wonderful people, and I’ll miss the people and the boys — but I think I’m ready to retire and start the next chapter of my life. Hopefully, travel is involved.”

MELODIC MUSICAL MEASURES Singing to the class, Lower School music instructor Mary Ann Livengood teaches students the basics of singing and musical theory, including musical vocabulary like measures and scales.

Jennifer Gilbert Film Studies Instructor

Doug Rummel Founders’ Master Teacher

“I’m really going to miss working with my students — they’re the best. But after 18 years, I feel like it’s time to move on and plant seeds in a new garden, and hopefully I can build a film program for a new school in the fall.”

“It has been fantastic working here — great colleagues, wonderful kids — it’s a dream job. I’m stepping back from teaching because I want to spend more time with my family, but I’m still going to try and teach my information engineering class in the spring and help in the Maker Space.”

Lexie Zitaglio Assistant Director of Alumni Relations

“I first came in July 2012, and I can’t believe it’s already been 10 years. My teammates here are like family, and I will forever cherish this school.

It’s bittersweet, but I will be stepping back to spend more time with my baby girl, Eliza.”

INTERVIEWS Matthew Hoffman, Joseph Sun, Eric Yi

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RUNNING HIS ROUNDS Mauch checks the underground stairs leading up to Nearburg as part of his nightly routine.

Nighttime Security

Working when the lights go out From the parking lot to the back fields, security guards keep a constant watch to ensure campus safety around the clock.

Whether facing vandals, unsafe strangers or even a tornado, security guards like Daniel Mauch play a key role in addressing dangers when no one else will.

H

e was in Hicks Gym when it happened.

He was in Hicks when the sky turned gray and the rain started falling and the trees ran away with the wind.

He was in Hicks when his Jeep Grand Cherokee was picked up and thrown at the tennis courts along with several small buses.

Security guard Daniel Mauch was in Hicks on the evening of Oct. 20, 2019 — when a single wall separated him from an EF-3 tornado.

said. “I was really worried, and I was about to call the fire department, but we were able to contain the situation, so we didn’t have to.”

Fully employed by the school near the turn of the century, Mauch has experience in the contract-security field that dates back much further.

“I originally worked contract security with Republic Security,” Mauch said, “where I was subcontracted to places like Presbyterian Hospital. I started as a contract employee here in 1986, and St. Mark’s eventually bought off my contract from Silver

As the school’s overnight security guard, it is his duty to be on campus from nine p.m. to five in the morning — as he has done for about 30 years — but he never expected to be so close to death.

“I heard the sirens going off,” Mauch said, “and I saw a big cloud of solid rain coming my direction from the flagpoles on Hicks Gym. [Physical plant director] Mark Webb had just informed me of a tornado sighted in the area, so I went into the main office in the gym and closed the doors. The tornado was right next to me.”

Before Mauch knew how to react, it was over.

In a shower of noise, the violent, rotating column of air seemingly IN THE KITCHEN One of Mauch’s many jobs around campus is to check and record the disappeared as quickly as temperatures of the freezers and appliances in the cafeteria kitchen as part of his utility check. it had come.

“Once I had taken shelter underneath a desk,” Star Protective Services. I’ve been employed since Mauch said, “it was already done. That’s how quick it 1997.” was. It reminded me of being at an airport and hearing So far, Mach is most worried about on-campus the jet turbines or a freight train passing by, except ten vandalism because it’s so hard to stop. times louder.”

“People can come onto campus so quickly and Beyond the not-so-everyday occurence of having just throw wrapping paper around or even try to take a tornado hurled at him, Mauch has faced other things from buildings,” Mauch said. “Vandalism and challenges throughout his time here. robbery directly affect life at school the next day, so we “One time there was a gas leak on campus, and prioritize that in our security.” there was the threat that it would start a fire,” Mauch As of now, Mauch does not carry a weapon. He

has no desire to do so and finds it unnecessary.

“I have no option to carry a weapon right now,” Mauch said, “and I don’t want to. In the past, I’ve worked at places that are not as nice as St. Mark’s, but so far this has been a very peaceful and safe place to work.”

Undoubtedly, as an overnight security guard, Mauch doesn’t have an ordinary schedule.

“After my shift, I go to some 24-hour gyms, take a shower and then get to bed by seven to eight a.m.,” Mauch said. “I sleep six to seven hours, waking up by two or three p.m. After I wake up, I mow the lawn, check bills, do housework and then take a quick nap around five or six p.m. This nap is crucial before my night shift.”

Similarly, chemistry instructor Ken Owens ‘89 relates to Mauch’s unordinary lifestyle as Ken owens ‘89 a former campus security guard himself.

“I was a security guard for the Rice University Police Department when I was in college,” Owens said. “I did it my sophomore through senior year.

Our biggest concerns were vandalism and strangers on campus. I became used to guarding the school’s campus till four in the morning, so I understand the lifestyle.”

Owens asserts that Mauch is a strong source of security for our campus.

“Mauch is completely unflappable, nothing bothers him,” Owens said. “He deals with strangers a lot more than the students do. And he’s just totally even-keeled all the time. It’s impressive.”

After almost three decades of late-night patrolling, Mauch believes that the school has taught him a few things in life.

“Never make assumptions,” Mauch said, “and always ask and double or triple check. Sometimes people can say one thing then turn around and do the exact opposite. In my line of work, you can’t always take things literally, and you always have to be aware.”

STORY Shreyan Daulat, Zack Goforth PHOTOS Daniel Weinstein

Marksmen Ball to be held in traditional format for first time in three years

by Will Spencer he Marksmen Ball will be held for seniors and their guests May 21 at the Fairmont Hotel. The annual event will be held in honor of this year’s Marksmen yearbook and the journalism students who produced it.

After last year’s lapse in tradition caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year will return to normalcy with the event being held off campus.

“Last year, we were at Spencer Gym due to COVID-19,” Master Teacher and journalism advisor Ray Westbrook said.

“Normally, it’s held off campus, and, this year, it will be held at the Fairmont Hotel downtown. This is the first time in probably ten or 12 years it’ll be there.”

The dress code for the event will

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be black-tie, and photography of the event will be provided by Scott Peek Photography. The schedule for the event will be more or less the same as past years. “[The event] starts with photographs, and the following dinner will last in between 45 minutes and an hour,” Westbrook said. “Afterwards will be the mother-son dance, and then there’s a program for the Marksmen yearbook.”

During the program for the Marksmen yearbook, the dedicatee of the yearbook and the book’s theme will be announced by yearbook editor Camden Reeves.

“Camden will give a short speech and then reveal the dedicatee,” Westbrook said. “Then, we’ll be giving the seniors their copies of the yearbooks, since they

get to have the first distribution.”

To Westbrook, the purpose of the event is both to bring together the Senior Class and to reward the hard work of the Marksmen staff.

“It’s a culminating event for the Senior Class,” Westbrook said. “It’s a nice, formal event, and everybody’s dressed up; it’s really elegant. But the event is also to honor the yearbook staff. The yearbook seniors will be presented, and hopefully everybody will be recognized, and Camden will be in the spotlight as the editor.”

In addition to dedicating the yearbook to a faculty member, the Senior Class has invited honorary faculty members from a variety of disciplines at the school to attend the event.

Marksmen yearbook dedicatees (2002-2021) Tom Adams Joe Milliett J.T. Sutcliffe & Cecil and Ida Green Arnie Holtberg Dr. Stephen Balog Warren Foxworth Frank Jordan Larry Cavitt Valencia Mack Dr. Martin Stegomoeller David Brown Maxine Cantley Bill Kysor Jim Bob Womack Dr. John Perryman Dr. Bruce Westrate Curtis Smith Sherri Darver Katy Rubarth Julie Doerge

2002 2003 2004

2005

2006 2007 2008 2009

2010 2011 2012

2013 2014

2015 2016

2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

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Cum Laude

A scholastic success Nineteen seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society in recognition of their academic achievement. We sat down with them to discuss their journey — the habits, advice and memories from their years in Upper School.

Here are some of their responses.

How much time do you spend on homework on an average night?

Darren Xi: For most of high school, I’d say three to four hours, although I think junior year was the most with around four hours a night.

Jeremy Yu: I would say it varies. Anything from 25 to 35 minutes on a light day to three hours on a heavy day.

Jedidiah Kim: Throughout my high school career, probably like four hours. Sometimes, I didn’t have that much time, but usually, if I had as much time as I needed, it would be around four hours. With the wrestling season, sometimes I had to fit it into two to three hours.

What’s the hardest class you’ve taken?

Sal Abbasi: For the hardest course this year, BC Calculus is on top. I know Precalculus Honors last year was pretty hard. Mr. Mlakar just taught it in a fairly difficult way, but I appreciate that a lot because I now know how to manage hard math classes.

Adam Lai: I can say for a fact the hardest class I’ve taken is 11th grade English. I guess coming out of COVID, sophomore English was pretty chill just being online, and then 11th grade English hit me like a truck.

It was the first time they combined AP Language and Literature, and I had Mr. Morris. He was a really good teacher, but it definitely was not easy.

JK: I’m taking AP Chemistry right now, and it’s pretty hard. Also, with it being senior year, it’s hard to give it my all sometimes. But even in terms of pure difficulty, probably AP Chemistry.

Is there a class that you wish you’d taken that you never did?

JY: Information Engineering with Mr. Rummel. It’s a class that I could’ve taken this year, but I chose to take AP chemisty instead. I heard it’s really hands-on — they work with Arduinos and electrical engineering stuff. I feel like I would’ve learned a lot.

Evan Lai: I think DNA Science sounds really interesting. I’m not a huge biology guy, but that class looks really, really fun.

Jeffery Chen: I think Information Engineering seems like a really cool class because it involves a lot of coding and design, and I want to pursue STEM in college.

Do you listen to music while you study?

SA: I definitely used to do so a lot more in sophomore year. I would listen to very loud rap music when I did math homework. But for other work, I would listen to

ADDRESSING THE CROWD Jennifer Sampson, President and CEO of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and mother of sophomore Hilton Sampson, delivered inspiring words to the Senior Class, Junior Class and parents of the Cum Laude inductees.

softer music. For the most part, I’ve shifted towards silence, because I just work the best when I have less noise going on around me.

JC: It depends. If I’m doing homework, I’ll listen to some music because it just keeps me going and focused. If I’m trying to study for a test, I don’t listen to music because it gets distracting. I usually listen to melodic rap, trap or some older 90s and 2000s rock.

JK: I tend to get distracted when there’s lyrics in the music, so I listen to classical music. It also gets me into my zone.

What’s your favorite place that you have visited, and what’s one place you would like to visit the most?

AL: A year ago, I would say Hawaii. A couple of my friends and I went to Hawaii during spring break.

It was an absolute blast. I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii, and it was a dream come true. Now, I would definitely say Japan. Some of my friends were thinking about going to Japan and checking it out. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Japan.

Adam Wang: If we’re talking worldwide, I liked Rome a lot. As for somewhere I want to visit, probably Japan. I’ve been wanting to go there for a while.

What’s the most important thing you have learned from your time at St. Mark’s?

JK: I think the most impactful thing that I’ve learned is that grades aren’t everything. You can have a really high grade in the class but not talk to the teacher at all, or not interact with your peers about the class material.

JY: The most important thing I’ve learned from my time here is that it doesn’t matter what the subject is or how hard the subject is, it just matters who the teacher is.

SA: Don’t be afraid to buy into the things that interest

you. I think St. Mark’s gives you a lot of opportunities to be very interested in a plethora of different things. You could be in love with the clubs, sports or academics; you could be in love with any part of the school — and if you work on that, St. Mark’s will recognize you.

STORY Nikhil Dattatreya PHOTO Courtesy Development/Dave Carden

Cum Laude Inductees For their academic achievement and upstanding conduct, the following 19 seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society this year.

Sal Abbasi Jeffrey Chen Matthew Fan Alex Geng Mikhail Ghosh Jedidiah Kim Adam Lai Evan Lai Ashvin Nair Lars Ochs

Sampath Rapuri Alex Ryan Matthew Shen Will Shoup James Singhal Ekansh Tambe Adam Wang Darren Xi Jeremy Yu

Classics Club finishes fourth in state-level Latin competition

by Neil Yepuri he Classics Club finished fourth in Certamen, a Latincentric game similar to quizbowl, at the Texas State Junior Classical League State Convention.

The competitions were held April 8-9 at the Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio.

Although the club finished fourth in both the intermediate and advanced levels, many students performed even better in the individual testing areas of literature, art and language.

“We didn’t do as well as we would have liked — there are some Certamen teams that are really good,” Latin instructor and Classics Club sponsor David Cox said.

“In the other testing categories, though, we did well — we have a lot of kids who finished first in their testing category.”

Out of the 20 students who attended the event, 13 came home with a top-three finish in at least one testing category.

The students were also able to enjoy their time at the convention, soaking in the more casual atmosphere of the event.

“Everyone’s just being a bit more fun and laid back throughout the day,” senior Axel Icazbalceta said. “What

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I like most about this competition is just being able to be with other people in the club in a way that we don’t really get to very often.”

There were also some standout individual performances from some of the students.

“Freshman Tiger Yang ended up first in the state in reading Latin in his age group,” Cox said. “Junior Will Spencer placed first in a test of one’s total ability — it’s a little bit of everything: reading comprehension, your knowledge of mythology and Roman history. They call it a decathlon, because there’s ten skills being tested.”

Cox also noted Icazbalceta’s performances in Greek and Roman history and senior Jonathan Yin’s performance in Latin literature.

However, the Certamen team was not at full strength because of conflicts with the ISAS festival.

“I honestly think we had a chance to win Certamen, at least at the intermediate level,” Cox said. “We were missing freshman Surya Dinesh — he’s lightning fast — and freshman Lukas Palys, who’s also very good.”

Overall, Cox and the team was pleased with the event.

“We had a terrific time,” Cox said. “And we’ll do it again next year. Fortunately, we won’t have to drive five hours to get to the event next year.”

INSIDE LOOK | Community Service Program | continued from page one

How are we

GIVING BACK? Austin Street Center has finalized a new 60,000 square-foot building stocked with all the resources needed to continue fighting homelessness.

Here’s how this affects us.

FINISHED PRODUCT Austin Street Center’s new facility was carefully planned and constructed to best serve the homeless.

The shelter’s adminstrators believe the building will allow them to serve the community better.

Meet the 2022-2023 Community Service Board leadership Q: How do you plan to generate excitement for community service in your new role?

“My goal is to create a digital pamphlet with content such as upcoming drives and a complete X2VOL tutorial.”

“I hope to generate excitement by creating a diverse range of community service opportunites for students to choose from.”

“We plan to increase awareness for our work by displaying the array of opportunities we have through various online platforms.”

“One of the best ways to get people excited about community service is to show them that their work makes a difference.”

Will Grable Co-Chair

Aadi Khasgiwala Co-Chair

Svanik Jaikumar Vice Chair

Andrew Xuan Chief Operating Officer

Jeanie Laube and the founding of the Community Service program

by Shreyan Daulat he school’s Community Service program was originally a joint program with the Hockaday School. Retired faculty member Jeanie Laube founded and led this initiative for many years.

“I worked at Hockaday, starting in 1986, I believe,” Laube said. “I was a big part of the Community Service program at Hockaday, and one day the headmistress called me and told me St. Mark’s wanted to talk to me about our Community Service program. I JEANIE LAUBE went over and talked to the headmaster, and both Hockaday and

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St. Mark’s thought the Community Service program would be a great co-curricular opportunity. And that’s how it began. For a good amount of time, I was a faculty member at both schools, and I had an office at both schools. I ran back and forth throughout the day.”

Through this program, Laube set up partnerships with many community organizations around Dallas such as Genesis, Austin Street Center, Salvation Army and Jubilee Center.

“For me, the most important part of the program was the hands-on aspect of it,” Laube said. “Taking students to these places around Dallas and having them complete hard work that helps their community was an important part of their education. Also, can drives, money drives, clothing drives

indepth

and numerous other things were great parts of the program.”

Laube helped institute the community service requirement, which has remained 15 hours to this day. She cites it as extremely beneficial to the student’s all-round education.

“We’ve also had the community service requirement, and it’s minimal,” Laube said.

“It has been 15 hours since I started it, and during my time there, about 80 percent of students would supersede that requirement by many hours. As a student, you’ve got so much going on. So if you don’t have to do something, maybe you won’t do it. By having a requirement, we’re giving students the ability and opportunity to learn how to help. That was the goal when I founded the program, and that’s still the goal today.”

serve

ways to

Take a look at some of the most popular service opportunities students participate in, many of which were started by Laube.

> Habitat for Humanity > North Texas Food Bank > Meals on Wheels > Teaching Technology Across Generations > Austin Street Center

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he months of living on the street in a tent were taking a toll on him. He couldn’t stand the unpredictable Texas climate, and he hated going to sleep at night, afraid for his safety, unsure if he was going to find something to eat when he woke up.

A year and a half ago, U.S. army veteran Eddie Buster needed a home — a safe place to sleep, three meals a day and basic medical treatment. Above all, he needed a place to restart.

“I needed a shelter to go to. I didn’t want to sleep on the street every night.”

Austin Street Center, located in the heart of downtown and in the midst of Dallas’ largest homeless population, provided him all that and more.

“What [Austin Street Center] has done for me in the last year and a half has been incredible,” Buster said. “My life hasn’t been easy for me. But if you stick in there and keep your eye on the ball, they’ll take care of you. I didn’t have any identification papers, so they got me IDs, and they helped me get my disability and food stamps. This place has truly been a godsend.”

He first walked up to the gates of the center a year and a half ago. In just two weeks time, he would walk out the same way — this time, back on his feet and heading toward an apartment with plans to visit his family in Killeen, Texas.

“The thing I’ll remember most is that they helped me get my life back together,” Buster said. “Now, I’m moving to an apartment — an apartment of my own. And I’m gonna go spend some time with my grandkids and my dog.”

next year, what’s going to change?

For the past 30 years, many student volunteers have provided aid to people like Buster and have contributed to Austin Street Center’s mission as part of the school’s community service program.

Blues Club members have entertained the residents of the shelter during lunch hours. Student volunteers have packed meals and handed them out. Others have simply taken the time to start up a conversation with some of the homeless.

And, more recently, the community service board provided food for an Austin Street Center dinner, May 5.

In addition to Austin Street, countless community centers and programs around the greater Dallas area rely on volunteers to support their missions.

While the school’s community service program highly encourages students to take part in these initiatives, as of recent, the numbers show that a fifth of Upper School students have struggled to complete their required community service hours.

22.2% of student’s missed the ten-hour requirement in January, and 21.1% of students missed the five-hour deadline in April.

As the school year comes to a close and administrators and the community service board plan for

June 21, after years of planning, Austin Street Center will move over 100 residents from their current shelter to a brand-new building featuring 500 beds and completely renovated facilities. CEO of Austin Street Center Daniel Roby believes this building could add a multitude of opportunities for locals to serve their community.

“We’re calling it the Austin Street Center for Community Engagement,” Roby said. “The reason being is that we envision it as a place where the community can come to engage and serve their homeless neighbors. Specifically, we have an area that holds about 380 people. It’s a chance for schools like St. Mark’s, businesses and churches to come in and get involved.”

Roby and his team have already found several new ways for people to volunteer, giving

Marksmen the potential to further their social impact.

“We’ve lined out several new job descriptions for volunteers,” Roby said. “We’ll have people helping out at our front desk, where students can help pass out socks and other items and just be a listening ear. That engagement space has 395 tables and chairs.

That’s a space for people to get together and play bingo or dominoes or whatever. We have a lot more needs in our clothing room area, and instead of just a staff member, our volunteers are going to run that. They’re going to be responsible for distributing clothes, toiletry items and things like that.”

DANIEL ROBY

Here on campus, Director of Community Service Jorge Correa recognizes the school’s relationship with Austin Street Center as an important factor in future involvement with them, and he is excited to bring these opportunities to students.

“Students used to go to the building all the time and talk to residents,” Correa said.

“I’m very excited because this could start all over again. Before, the resident would tell the volunteer who they were, what they did and how they got there, and they would open up more and more each time they had a visitor. That process happened because we established a strong relationship with this organization.”

Roby asserts that the longstanding relationship between the school and Austin Street — which has resulted in years of McDonald’s Weeks and other charitable events — is a mutually beneficial one.

“We’ve been partners for a long time,” Roby said. “One of the cool things I love about St. Mark’s is that there’s a sense of commitment to community, just as an organization. They take that same mindset into the city of Dallas as a whole and want people to be involved and give back. That’s always been kind of a hinge point for Austin Street and St. Mark’s. More practically, St. Mark’s students come, and they serve with a great heart and attitude.”

While many students have given a profuse amount of time and effort to serve their community and organizations such as Austin Street Center, Correa knows there are a lot of problems when it comes to setting aside time to volunteer.

“There just isn’t enough time to do everything,” Correa said. “You’re juggling all the school activities plus your family, personal and social life. The student’s response is, ‘Do I really have to do this?’ The answer is yes. Helping is not going to be for everyone, and we are aware of that. But help is needed. Students should feel an obligation to serve their own community.”

Associate Headmaster John Ashton firmly believes in requiring community service hours, citing it as meaningful for two main reasons.

“The overarching goal of the community service requirement is to encourage boys to invest themselves in activities and services that they are passionate about and then in turn develop a sense of purpose,” Ashton said. “We are going to require that, one, because it’s our responsibility to Dallas, and two, because we feel civic engagement is really important.”

Furthermore, Correa believes that even though there are some students who aren’t as passionate about community service, there are also many students who dive deep into the program and continue to incorporate service into their adult lives.

“We can’t just pretend or enforce the thinking that everybody’s going to love it,” Correa said, “but there is a basic requirement of 15 hours, not 100 or 50. You can do 15 hours in a weekend or two if you wanted to. There are so many classes, clubs and organizations within the school so that guys can have a little taste of everything. It’s the same thing with community service. Students can discover if community service is something they enjoy. I’ve been here long enough to see students who make it part of their professional lives. I’m not just making that up to sell the program. I know those guys, and I still talk to some of them.”

Ashton also understands there is a “scale” when it comes to the number of hours students complete. Ultimately, he believes that the overall impact is noticeable.

“While there is a percentage of students that haven’t completed their 15 hour requirement,” Ashton said, “there’s also a percentage of students who have gone above and beyond the 15. Also, for the students who haven’t completed the requirement, maybe they have ten hours. I think there’s a complexity in that regard, but I know, as a community, that the hours of service add up.”

According to Roby, community service should be much more than fulfilling a requirement. It can take on a much more spiritual meaning.

“The real challenge is to live in such a way that we keep the neediest and the most helpless in mind,” Roby said. “For some people, that may mean living simply so that other people can simply live. For other people, that may mean doing all the service you can in all the ways you can for as long as you can. But regardless of whatever your mantra, life calling or personal mission statement is, make sure that it includes helping not only those who can reciprocate, but also those who can’t.”

STORY Shreyan Daulat, Arjun Khatti, Morgan Chow PHOTOS Morgan Chow, Courtesy Austin Street Center

by the

Improvements projected to transpire with the completion of the new Austin Street Center facility

numbers

114

40

percent increase in facility growth

26 SERVING THE HOMELESS Volunteers at Austin Street Center hand out meals and waters to residents of the shelter, hoping to brighten their day. Complimentary meals are one of many benefits — including medical, transportation and spiritual assistance — that these residents recieve.

percent increase in shelter

100

percent growth in staffing

percent increase in case management

300 percent increase in medical respite care service capacity

54

percent increase in nutritious meals served annually

14,15

10600

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life &

the remarker may 20, 2022

SUMMER JOBS

Working overtime

As the school year wanes and Marksmen start thinking about how they’re going to spend their summers, many students decide to take on summer jobs. How do Marksmen find jobs? What do they like about them? Would they recommend them?

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he month of May features quite a few important dates on a student’s calendar: exams, Mother’s Day and, of course, the all-important last day of school — a day when Marksmen can look forward to three months of summer vacation. Three months of not having anywhere to be at 8:30 a.m. Three months of freedom. The nine-month grind beginning in late August has finally come to a close.

However, some students on campus take this opportunity to pursue a different grind with a new uniform. Junior Blake Malouf has found a way to occupy his summers with a job.

He started his own power washing business over the summer of 2021.

“I always had an old power washer laying around the house,” Malouf said, “and one day my dad asked me to use it to wash the driveway, so I thought it’d be a profitable way to make money.”

For Malouf, venturing into entrepreneurship was as easy as going door-to-door.

“There isn’t any need for a license to power wash as long as you have the consent from the owner to use their water supply,” Malouf said.

“That’s the process of starting.

Eventually, once someone sees that their neighbor’s driveway is clean, they’re like: ‘Oh I want to do this,’ and they’ll refer to me.

Initially, the process was slow, BLAKE MALOUF but it started growing once I got to more neighborhoods.”

In addition to word-of-mouth advertisement, Malouf also made his business known through broadcasting his services online.

“I actually have a website for my business,” Malouf said, “and I ran ads for a little bit on Facebook and had flyers that I could drop off at people’s houses. Once I washed someone’s house, I could then drop a flyer right off at their neighbor’s house and get more recognized.”

Similarly, freshman Sebastian Illum worked for a small, local landscaping business over the past

stats

fa acts &

GRAPHIC Joshua Goforth

THE DECISION To many students, the diversity and amount of jobs available may appear daunting.

What makes a good summer job?

summer, in part because of the regulations placed on jobs for younger people.

“A lot of other jobs require you to be 16,” Illum said, “even though the legal working age in Texas is 14 years old. They want you to be able to drive yourself to get there.”

To navigate around the issue of transportation, Illum’s employer, who knew Illum’s father, had an easy solution. “[My employer] would text me and tell me whether or not he needed me that day,” Illum said.

“He’d then come by my house and pick me up.”

Illum worked from nine in the morning to six in the evening, saving the money he accumulated and investing it in the stock market.

While Malouf and Illum both work home-improvement, junior Nat Fisher works in the foodservice industry at Rusty Taco, a job he obtained fairly easily.

“I just went online, and they had a job opening,” Fisher said.

“And I applied and they said, SEBASTIAN ILLUM ‘Yeah, we’d love to have you.’”

Before working at Rusty Taco, Fisher was first introduced into the workforce at AMC Theaters during his sophomore year. But he soon realized not every job was suitable for him.

“I just thought [working at AMC] was a lot of work considering how little I was paid,” Fisher said.

“I thought minimum wage didn’t justify doing triple or quadruple the work I’m doing now. Also, it really

wasn’t that fun because it was mostly sweeping and cleaning up after people.”

Just like Malouf and Illum, Fisher started working his current job over the summer of 2021. However, he continued his occupation throughout the course of the school year, where he worked on the weekends.

Both employers were lenient NAT FISHER and recognized a student’s busy schedule, according to Fisher.

“There were times where I’d have to request work off because I’d have big tests or papers due,” Fisher said. “But there were other times where I kind of just had to sit through it and do the best I could with the amount of time I did have available to study.”

Ultimately, Fisher believes gaining experience through a job, whether over the summer or during the school year, ought to be an essential part of a Marksman’s path to mahood.

“I think [summer jobs] are a great way to diversify yourself and experience what working is like,” Fisher said. “So far, I’ve enjoyed my experience and sometimes even get benefits while I’m working, and discounts while I’m not. I think everybody at St. Mark’s should at least experience working a job sometime during their high school career.”

STORY Zack Goforth, Arjun Poi GRAPHIC Joshua Goforth

Percent of US teens (ages 16-19) with a job

Percent of US teens (ages 16-19) with a summer job during the pandemic

17.6% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Percent of the labor force consisting of teens (ages 16-19)

4.5% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Average monthly pay for a US teen with a job

$2,901 (ZipRecruiter)

30.8% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Upper School academic team wins Small School National Championship second year in a row

by Linyang Lee inning by an average margin of 309 points, the A team of the Upper School academic team repeated as national champions at the Small School National Championship Tournament in Chicago, April 23-24.

The A team, which was made up of seniors Miki Gosh and Tomek Marczewski and sophomores Aditya Shivaswamy and Ethan Bosita, went undefeated against schools from all over the country. The A team’s only loss of the weekend was to the St. Mark’s B team in the semifinal match

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of the double-elimination tournament. The B team, made up of senior Isaac Song and sophomores Arnav Lahoti, Will Bowers and Vardhan Agnihotri, took home third place.

This is the third national title the academic team has won in the last six years. Academic team sponsor Paul Mlakar feels the team’s hard work played a role in helping the team win this year.

“I think they put in a lot of hours in preparation behind the scenes — studying, practicing and playing a lot of ProtoBowl,” Mlakar said.

Mlakar also thinks the team chemistry allowed them to secure the national title this year.

“Even though we had two teams competing at the Small School National Championship,” Mlakar said, “they recognized that we are one team, and they cheered on the success of each other throughout the entire tournament and all the way through to the end.”

The team held practices every Wednesday after school and additional practices during the week for specific team members.

Because of the team’s success, Mlakar has been affectionately called “The Nick Saban of Quiz Bowl” by students here.

“As the coach of the Quiz Bowl team, I can speak for the hard work the guys do,” Mlakar said. “I certainly hope I set a fun and competitive atmosphere, but none of our success would come if they weren’t working really, really hard in and outside of practices.”

In addition to the Small School National Championship, the team finished third at the Texas Quiz Bowl Alliance Championship April 30.

the remarker may 20, 2022

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arts &

my instagram A look at sophomore Daniel Weinstein’s photography from his Instagram account, @danielweinsteinphoto.

In his own words:

I was in Chicago during Thanksgiving break with my dad and two brothers and I saw online there was a light festival down Michigan Avenue, which is one of the major streets in Chicago. It was completely crowded down the street for well over a mile, and it turns out there were 1.2 million people on that street.

PHOTOS Alex Barrett SPIRIT WEEK Sophomore Sharang Vyas sports his favorite Kobe Bryant jersey for Major League Monday (left). Junior Keats Leffel and sixth-grader Ferris Gotlich pose on the Perot Quadrangle for Throwback Thursday (top right). Sophomore Jimmy Francis goes all out with a golden suit on blue and gold Friday (bottom right).

for the art enthusiast this week

This one was for my “Heaven” assignment.

I asked if I could do one shot that was more related to a kind of purgatory, or hell, for that matter.

I actually took that photo in a Home Depot, and I had this idea of someone falling and missing this rope.

Today Lower School Blue and Gold Day Middle School Museum of the Ancient World exhibit all day in N114 They Might Be Giants presents “30th anniversary of Flood”concert Saturday Jimmie Allen Bettie James concert Monday Yellowjackets Ensemble performs Jazz Series Tuesday Moveable Feast Book Club at the Dallas Museum of Art Wednesday Upper School fine art critiques Charles Schwab Challenge at the Colonial Country Club

culture in brief

this month May 27-29 Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Mussorgsky’s Pictures June 1 The Heard Museum showcases new “Texas Nessie” exhibit June 2 The Windbreakers perform at the Dallas Arboretum National Go to an Art Museum Day June 6 Perot Museum of Nature and Science Discovery Camp Coppell Summer Music Camp June 7 Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents Yanga June 23 Immersive Van Gogh venue at Lighthouse Dallas

NEW LIT FEST LEADERSHIP Sophomore Grayson Redmond will be the director of the 2023 Literary Festival. As director, Redmond will oversee all the elements involved in putting the Literary Festival together, such as budgeting, flight arrangements, accommodations and organizing the writing contest. This yearround planning is divided between the two co-chairs, sophomores Sid Bidare and John Ma, as well as the three assistants, freshmen Gavin Bowles, Aidan Moran and Lukas Palys. The Literary Festival will take place in January 2023.

BAND CONCERTS The band concert took place April 26 in Decherd Performance Hall. It was held as a memorial concert for the late director Timothy Hicks, who passed away March 4 from complications in surgery.

He left a lasting legacy during his 20 years at the school. The concert consisted of mostly

inside 18Asian American Art

19Ceramics Showcase

Photos of award-winning art pieces on display at Decherd Performance Hall.

20MUSEUM REVIEW

Some of the coolest museums around Dallas to check out over the summer.

HONOR SOCIETIES The Language Honor Societies’ Induction Ceremony was held April 27 in Decherd Performance Hall, where students in all three foreign language classes were honored for their academic achievements. The inductees included students from grades 10-12, with 12 new members inducted into the Chinese society, nine in the Latin society, and 20 in the Spanish society. A reception was hosted for families and advisors after the event.

RISING STAR AWARD Freshman Hans Hesse received the Rising Star Award, an exclusive award for freshmen, winning a $50 cash prize from

the Young American Talent Competition (YAT). The Young American Talent Competition is an annual competition for performing and visual arts, sponsored by Booker T. Washington High school and open to North Texas applicants.

It has a variety of different categories ranging from drawing and painting to ceramics and graphic arts. Hesse won the Rising Star Award for his ceramics piece, Tree of Wisdom.

MUSEUM OF THE WORLD The Museum of the Ancient World exhibit is currently taking place in Nearburg 114.

The exhibit is featuring projects created by sixth graders, who worked on them as part of a multi-week research assignment.

Assistant Head of Middle School Jason Lange joined humanities instructors Dr. Katherine Magruder and William Atkinson ’97 in guiding the students on the project.

headliners videogames

movies Sonic Origins Jun. 23

A look at Asian American student art and a community group working to feature works at the Crow Museum.

I was emulating Richard Avedon.

He was originally a fashion photographer, and lived in the world of wealthy people, but he decided to do something more artistic rather than commercial in a project called “In the American West.” He spent a lot of time shooting the everyday people of America, so I was inspired by him.

pop music pieces, which Hicks enjoyed playing, with the addition of a few jazz pieces. At the end of the concert, there was a student musical presentation in which the school fight song, arranged by Hicks, was played.

Capcom Fighting Collection

Jun. 24

Delicious Last Jun. 30 Course

concerts

Jurassic World Dominion

Jun. 10

Lightyear

Jun. 17

Elvis

Jun. 24

Thor: Love and Thunder

July 8

albums Andy Grammer

Jun. 1

The New Dark Ages, GWAR

Jun. 5

Gucci Mane

Jun. 5

Twelve Carat Toothache, Post Malone

Jun. 5

Ugly Season, Perfume Genius

Jun. 17

Machine Jun. 11 Gun Kelly, Blackbear and iann dior

culture

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arts &

the remarker may 20, 2022

Asian Art Exhibition

An ode to student artistry Two students — junior Morgan Chow and Hockaday junior Olivia Park — express their desire for social change through an AsianAmerican student art exhibition at the Crow Museum of Asian Art.

F

ive days ago, the work of two juniors culminated in the creation of the Asian representation they often didn’t experienced growing up — representation that a new generation can now find at a major Dallas museum.

From May 15 to June 4, the Crow Museum of Asian Art is showcasing “Dear Asian Youth,” an exhibition of art created by young Asian artists from the Dallas area, organized by junior Morgan Chow and Hockaday junior Olivia Park. Chow and Park helped collect the art and create the layout at the museum’s skybridge.

“We’re going to feature about 20 to 30 artists from the Greater Dallas area,” Chow said. “In the skybridge, which is kind of narrow, we’re going to be hanging up all the artwork that we’ve chosen on both sides of the bridge. After that, we’ll display some 3D work, like ceramics and woodworking.”

For Park, the intention behind the exhibition is based on her own personal experience of doubt due to her Asian background.

Houpt takes his second career to the stage tonight What: Strictly Tablue feat.

Joseph Vincelli Where: Poor David’s Pub 1313 Botham Jean Blvd, Dallas, TX 75215 When: 8 p.m.

STAYING OPEN The Dear Asian Youth exhibition will continue in the Crow Museum of Asian Art from the University of Texas at Dallas May 15 to June 4.

“Ever since I was young, I always felt like I couldn’t be Asian and be an artist since I never saw anyone else do it,” Park said. “So, as soon as we got the idea for this exhibition, I felt it was something we really needed to do.”

Chow also wanted to highlight Asian art he had never seen growing up.

“I had a lot of friends who were Asian artists, but nobody knew who they were,” Chow said. “I thought it would be a good thing to do because I previously hadn’t seen anything from Asian student artists in exhibitions like this.”

When Park and Chow pitched the idea to the museum through a contact Park had, they were encouraged to treat the space they were given as their own.

“They had been so supportive,” Chow said. “They literally left us in an unopened room nobody else was able to access to just look around and see how we wanted to use the space.”

Park also organized this exhibition because she wanted to bring people together in order to influence future

generations of artists.

“It aims to increase representation at the local level while bringing a group of like-minded people together, so that we can start to dismantle stereotypes about Asian people and guide younger Asian artists,” Park said. “That’s why the exhibition is called ‘Dear Asian Youth.’”

Chow, too, has a wish for the exhibition to have larger consequences than what happens in the weeks it’s on display. For him, it’s about providing the inspiration that young, Asian artists of his and Park’s generation never felt that they had.

“Through this exhibition, we hope artists who are younger than us don’t get discouraged from following their passion at a young age,” Chow said. “Because without role models already in place, people won’t be encouraged to follow their dream. And that’s not something that should continue.”

STORY Myles Lowenberg PHOTOS Morgan Chow

EXHIBITION READY To portray his family’s struggles as immigrants to America, senior Evan Lai created portraits, Two sides of One Dream and Tired but Proud, to be displayed at Dear Asian Youth (top left). Senior Axel Icazbalceta (above) adjusts scroll art of senior Ian Lin on the windows. Made of wood and live orchids, junior Winston Lee’s Boxes With No Names takes its place near the other 3D works (below).

A look at the origins of Houpt’s second career:

by Shreyan Daulat hen he’s not teaching students about Newton’s laws or conservation of energy, physics instructor Stephen Houpt is playing a musical instrument — most often an acoustic guitar.

“When I was in college, I bought a harmonica and I just started teaching myself,” Houpt said. “That was the start of my passion for music. I then started playing an acoustic guitar and a bottleneck guitar.”

For the past seven years, performing music has gone from being a hobby to a second career.

“When I was 67 years old, I met my neighbors across the street, and they were a young couple,” Houpt said. “I was talking to the wife, and out of the blue I asked, ‘Is there any chance you sing?’ And the husband was like, ‘Oh yeah, she’s great.’ So we started performing together all over Dallas, in places like the Bath House Cultural Center, the Wine Therapist and more. We started recording some songs, and before I knew it, I had an entire album.”

He records all his songs at Audio Dallas Recording Studio.

In addition to performing in various venues across Dallas, Houpt has taken his talents to online platforms as well.

“There’s a bunch of stuff on my Youtube channel, and it has grown a lot over the years,” Houpt said. “There’s all kinds of music videos and other content that I have put together. You can also find my songs and albums on every streaming platform, which is pretty neat.”

For Houpt, one of the best takeaways from this second career is the connections he has built.

“I have been able to connect with many people through my music career,” Houpt said. “Not only have I recorded a song with Mrs. [Head of Fine Arts Marion] Glorioso, but I have also been able to play with Chirag Gokani [‘17], among other people. I spend a lot of time with these people while recording music, so I get to know them very well.”

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the remarker may 20, 2022

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arts &

Ceramics EXHIBIT

Marksmen awarded at festival

This year, ceramics students have participated in numerous festivals and showcased their work. Because of their exceptional work, many students won awards. Among these winners, eighth grader Mason Boscoe won a cash prize at the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts festival (NSECA), and freshman Hans Hesse won the Rising Star Award — an award specifically for freshmen — at the Young American Talent Show.

ON DISPLAY Marksmen showcase their yearlong work and projects in the display case next to Dechard Performance Hall. Many of the artworks seen were entered into festivals.

HANDS AT WORK Carefully molding his design, sophomore Ryland Ellis creates a bowl out of clay using a pottery wheel.

DETAILS MATTER Using a small carving tool, junior Henry Baxter carves a design into his rectangular block to finish his project.

PHOTOS Zachary Bashour COMPILATION Dillon Wyatt

Six student publications recognized by press association as top publications in the country

by Joseph Sun eating out 841 other schools, six student publications have received crown awards, the highest honors from Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA).

These student publications include The Marque, Scientific Marksman, The Lion’s Share Business Journal and Focus Magazine, all winning Gold Crowns, while the Marksmen yearbook won silver.

“This award means the publications are among the best in the nation,” said Master Teaching Chair and journalism instructor Ray Westbrook. “This is a very elite group for student publications.

They are the highest awards given by the CSPA.” Focus Magazine and Scientific Marksman

B

are two out of four specialized magazines in the nation that have earned the prized gold crown from CSPA. “About 15 newspapers won the gold crown and much fewer magazines,” Westbrook said. “CSPA has about 1500 to 1700 schools as members and 14 to 15 print newspapers won the Gold Crown, so it is very select.”

The ReMarker has won 20 consecutive gold crowns, a feat no other publication has ever come close to.

“That’s by far the most consecutive wins in a row by any newspaper in the country,” Westbrook said. “I think the next newspaper has six in a row, so it is a very amazing record.”

The ReMarker emphasizes strongstorytelling on issue-driven, controversial

topics, something many other newspapers stay away from.

“They are strong writers, but more importantly than their writing, they have a real strong sense of what their readers need to hear,” Westbrook said. “From the stories they tell, the issues they bring forth through issue driving stories, feature stories, editorials, columns, they are not afraid to tackle stories that are considered a little dicey for other schools.”

Furthermore, publications received much-needed backing from administrators.

“For the first time, we wrote about abortion in the paper, and not a lot of schools tackle that,” Westbrook said.

“Most schools aren’t even allowed by their administrators to go there. All the

administrators here are so supportive of these students.”

In addition to the support from administrators, The ReMarker has also earned the administator’s faith.

“The administrators all trust the boys to do a professional job, so it makes it pretty easy to present sensitive and meaningful stories our community needs to read,” Westbrook said.

These CSPA awards were for last year’s publications, produced during the 2020 - 2021 school year. The award for this year’s publications will be released March 2023.

“It’s just the boys here working,” Westbrook said. “They take their work seriously and they are talented. They’re committed in all areas of their work.”

reviews

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the remarker may 20, 2022

ratings &

MUSEUM REVIEW

Culture clash?

Summer is almost here, so The ReMarker’s Hilton Sampson visited three of Dallas’ leading museums — The Perot, the DMA and the Nasher — to find which ones are worth an outing.

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science illuminates facinating new subjects

I

Perot Museum of Nature and Science — 2201 N Field St, Dallas, (214) 428-5555

Grade: A-

f you find yourself looking for a museum to wile away the hours in Dallas this summer, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science is well worth your time.

Walking in, you’ll realize the Perot is not just any natural history museum. The huge windows and vaulting ceilings create a modern and clean atmosphere, the perfect environment for ancient dinosaur bones.

The $20 entry ticket is well worth it.

There is something for everyone within the levels of the museum. On

the second floor, explore the biology of Earth’s creatures and everything that makes us all humans.

Also, learn about how engineers work behind the scenes of everything we do with hands-on activities, building bridges, creating music, and controlling robots.

Moving up to the third floor, walk through the cave-like exhibit of huge minerals and gems. On the fourth floor, you’ll be shot out into space to observe the universe and our solar system.

Among the components of the exhibit, a unique

screen system plays a breathtaking movie explaining what we know about outer space.

The next exhibit, however, will really knock you off your feet, sending you back in time to days when dinosaurs walked the Earth. The gigantic fossilized remains of an Alamosaurus, a long-necked herbivore, and a well-known Tyrannosaurus Rex tower above the exhibition hall, dominating the room.

Several massive fossils of ancient sea creatures and a mammoth only add to the grandeur.

And don’t forget to travel down to the base level to explore the sports hall. You even get the chance to race a cheetah or Usain Bolt. Good luck with that!

The Perot Museum brings new life to ancient history, but some exhibits feel like they are meant for children. The use of hands-on models might seem to be intended for a younger audience, but the museum still holds items of interest for all ages.

All in all, the Perot is one of the most unique places to visit in all of Dallas.

At the Dallas Museum of Art, witness a captivating, expansive exhibit that is free-to-view

M

any people aren’t familiar with the extensive art collections in Dallas, so there’s nowhere better to start than at the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA).

At the center of the Dallas Arts District, the DMA will blow you away even before youwalk inside. A massive red steel sculpture overlooking the museum invites you inside for a bold and exciting adventure.

Containing almost every

form of artwork imaginable, the museum will capture your attention for days on end. Stretching centuries and continents, with constantly rotating exhibits, the DMA collection will almost certainly pique your curiosity in more than one way.

The standout portion of the museum is definitely the European collections from the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.

You might even

forget you’re in Dallas as the famous paintings surrounding you on the walls send you across the Atlantic Ocean to France where the names of artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir become familiar.

Here in the middle of Texas, however, the pieces help to create an unparalleled environment for all people to enjoy. And experiencing the museum comes at no cost.

The main drawback to

the massive museum is its sheer size. The DMA may seem daunting to those exploring the Dallas art scene, so taking multiple trips to the museum is the best way to slowly digest all the art it has to offer.

Don’t miss out on the Islamic art exhibit on show from now until August.

Overall, the DMA Dallas Museum of Art— 1717 Harwood St., 214-922contains some of the best 1200 art in the country and is an absolute must-see this summer.

Grade: A+

The Nasher Sculpture Center: A recluse from the city with sometimes polarizing modern art

D

The Nasher Sculpture Center — 2000 Flora St., 214242-5100

Grade: B

Two movies to look out for this summer

by Blake Backes With a vaccinated public and lifted social distancing requirements, movie theaters hope for ticket sales to finally bounce back this summer blockbuster season. From a Top Gun sequel to a Buzz Lightyear origin story, there is an extensive slate of new releases coming up, but here are two you just can’t miss:

espite its position right in the heart of downtown Dallas, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a great escape from the city.

Inside, a $10 entry fee will allow you to explore the diverse collection of modern art.

The tunnel-like halls are covered with a waving glass ceiling, letting in an abundance of natural light.

The white-washed walls and bright oak floors soothe the eyes, helping to focus your attention on the pieces surrounding you.

The sculptures are displayed in various fashions, creating a maze on the floor for you to navigate through. With an endless array of colors, shapes, designs and materials, the Nasher is sure to present something you have never even imagined.

Although the building itself is not as big as other museums in the area, the primary component of the complex is the outdoor sculpture garden, nearly quadrupling the size of the indoor structure.

Thor 4: Love and Thunder On July 8, get ready for another Marvel adventure from the indie directorturned-blockbuster supermind-turned-Academy Award winner, Taika Waititi.

Get ready for more Thor with Thor 4: Love and Thunder.

After using his paycheck for Thor: Ragnarok to finance his Oscar-winning war satire Jojo Rabbit, the self-proclaimed “kiwi” is back to do it all again.

With an increased production budget and more creative liberties, expect a zany romp with headbanging seventies music and a breakneck pace. The

film is set to cover Thor’s mid-life crisis as he confronts the traumatic loss of his brother: teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to face off against Gorr the God Butcher. It sounds like a lot of smiles, laughs, and maybe even a few cries, so make sure to watch this one with an audience.

Additionally, Thor: Love and Thunder marks Christian Bale’s debut in the Marvel universe, playing what Waititi professes is the “best Marvel villain ever”. Will the Dark Knight star fit in with the Marvel Universe? See for yourself this July.

It seems impossible that a huge courtyard could fit right into the middle of a bustling city, but the Nasher does just that. With massive trees towering above, and vibrant landscapingaccentuating the sculptures, the Nasher truly becomes a modern oasis.

Whether you’re looking for a calm place to get work done or an innovative one to rethink your understanding of art, the Nasher fits the bill.

Unlike other Dallas museums, the Nasher focuses on one singular

concept: modern art.

While their collection is presented in an engaging way, for some, the Nasher may not sustain your interests.

In regards to modern art, you either love it or you don’t, so for those who aren’t captivated by the contemporary designs, Dallas has many more museums to choose from.

But for those who do enjoy modern art or for those who want to give it a try for the first time, the Nasher is definitely worthwhile.

Jordan Peele’s Nope After making a body horror thriller and a doppelgänger slasher, former Comedy Central star, now Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jordan Peele is tackling an extraterrestrial epic.

Although Nope’s trailer is very cryptic about plot details, it does reveal that the movie will center on a group of ranchers who encounter a mysterious force from outer space.

That’s right. Aliens! And with Peele’s Get Out and Us earning second on Rotten Tomatoes annual movie list, Nope will surely be out of this world. Starring Oscar-

winning Daniel Kaluuya, the lead actor in Get Out, and Walking Dead alum Steven Yeun, this star-studded cast will deliver some of the best performances of the summer.

I gravitate towards the prediction that the next Oscar season will revolve around them as well.

With the stellar puns aside, this movie is bound to Bode well—Peele will certainly rock-et, and general audiences and critics alike will fall in love with Nope when it crash-lands into theaters July 22. As a matter of fact, they may even rate it five stars.

the remarker may 20, 2022

opinion

editorials &

MAIN EDITORIAL

While court leak is a clear misstep, institutions endure

21 student newspaper of st. mark’s school of texas 10600 preston road dallas, texas 75230 214.346.8000 Editorial Board assignments editor IAN DALRYMPLE editor in chief SHREYAN DAULAT editorial director KESHAV KRISHNA executive content editor DILLON WYATT head photographer CHARLIE ESTESS indepth editor WILL SPENCER managing editors MORGAN CHOW ARJUN KHATTI Section Editors news & issues GRAYSON REDMOND DAWSON YAO discoveries & stem AARON AUGUSTINE life & 10600, arts & culture ZACK GOFORTH AARON LIU ratings and reviews HILTON SAMPSON health & sports BEN ADAMS NOLAN MARCUS focus magazine MYLES LOWENBERG Advertising brand manager WILL CLIFFORD business manager HENRY HOAK

PHOTO Creative Commons

Regardless of politics, the leak of a Supreme Court opinion was a breach of trust. But faith in our institutions must remain.

A

fter the shocking leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion May 2 revealed that the court intended to overturn the landmark rulings of Roe v. Wade and Casey vs.

Planned Parenthood, the American public has not only grappled with uncertainty regarding the possible banning of reproductive rights at the state level but has also reckoned with a breach of trust and security in one of the nation’s most sacrosanct institutions.

Written by Justice Samuel Alito, the draft was leaked to Politico, which later revealed that Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas had voted with Alito in overturning the monumental decision. Meanwhile, according to a recent the University of Massachusetts Amherst poll, only 34 percent of Americans concur with the Supreme Court’s course of action.

Simply put, the leak is unprecedented in its nature. The court operates on trust, and many of the security measures, while archaic, remained untested – until now. As it stands, the Marshall of the Court is currently investigating the matter, but the fact is that a threshold was crossed and an institution was weakened.

Thomas, at a conference here in Dallas last week, said the leak represented an “infidelity you can’t undo,” reiterated the previously inconceivable nature of

the breach, and believes it “changes the institution fundamentally.” Despite rueing the partisan nature of the court and the nation today, he later went on to attack liberals for protesting against the decision after the leak, encouraging conservatives to take the high ground in the debate.

While his outward promotion of unity contradicts his often somewhat partisan comments, Thomas is essentially correct: the Supreme Court, as a non-partisan institution, was one of the last bastions of Americans’ faith in their government. When the legislative branch or executive branch faced scrutiny, the Supreme Court maintained itself as a steady, albeit somewhat dreary, protector of the Constitution and the public will. The absence of petty political squabbles and the prestige of the court often created a contrast between the judiciary and Congress. That is no longer the case. At a time of stark partisanship in the country, the Supreme Court has become politicized.

Beyond the singular leak, Americans’ faith in their government and institutions has gradually but continually declined over the past several decades, according to the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy. Already facing historic lows of confidence in institutions and the repercussions of an insurrection against the

government a year ago, some may see the recent draft opinion leak as a point of no return.

However, despite this setback, the Supreme Court remains one of the most respected and significant institutions in our democracy, as intended by the framers of our Constitution. As long as we strive to uphold our institutions and commit to working with our fellow Americans in good faith, they will endure. We cannot let current political events interfere with our belief in our institutions.

The structure of the Supreme Court fundamentally enables it to withstand the test of time. The consequences of the court’s decision on abortion will undoubtedly play out in the near future, and the mechanisms put in place by Governor Greg Abbott in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned will impact the lives of women across Texas. But as long as our institutions remain ailing and the confidence in our institutions continues to decrease, reaching a resolution to abortion and many other issues will be difficult.

Ultimately, the sense of helplessness over the overturning of Roe v. Wade has led to some frustration, particularly in young people.

There isn’t a direct path to influence the outcome of the court’s decision, but continual civic engagement and community action can ensure that our institutions are capable of resolving the debates of today and tomorrow.

EDITORIAL

Lack of definitive finals policy for AP classes creates unnecessary stress

T

o help students prepare for the two-week period of AP exams, many teachers decide to implement subject final exams in addition to normal preparation. These tests are a decent way to prepare students for the format and subject matter of the AP tests.

However, these finals bring added stress to students that might, in turn, hinder their ability to ready themselves for the weighty ones that come right after. Especially when these finals happen to fall on the same day, students may

feel overwhelmed, and it can result in lower scores, affecting their GPA on top of the actual AP exams.

To alleviate this problem, there needs to be a concrete policy on final exams that occur before APs, especially one about stacking exams. In Lion Tracks, the only rules outlined about final exams are those regarding after school ones.

We think that there should be a procedure not allowing more than one before-AP final exam in a given day to ensure that students can feel

prepared for the tests without having to split time to other subjects at the same time.

In the future, we hope administrators will address concerns with multiple finals on the same day, and we encourage students to communicate with their teachers. While approaching them during such a stressful time can seem intimidating, in reality, most teachers are very understanding. Even so, without a clear safety net that offers a solution, students might fall into an exam hole they can’t climb out of.

Writers BLAKE BACKES NIKHIL DATTATREYA LAWRENCE GARDNER MATTHEW HOFFMAN LINYANG LEE AKASH MANICKAM OLIVER PECK ARJUN POI VIKRAM SINGH JOSEPH SUN NEIL YEPURI ERIC YI Photographers ZACHARY BASHOUR HUDSON BROWN SAL HUSSAIN AKASH MUNSHI NEIL SONG TIGER YANG adviser RAY WESTBROOK headmaster DAVID W. DINI audience The ReMarker is intended for the students, faculty, staff and alumni community of St. Mark’s School of Texas. Press run is 4,000 copies, with more than 2,600 of those mailed out to alumni, courtesy of the school’s offices of External Affairs, Development and Alumni divisions. opinions and editorials Editorials represent the views of the Editorial Board and are not necessarily those of the Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff. All personal opinion columns, bylined with the writer’s name and photo, represent the views of that writer only and not necessarily those of The ReMarker, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty or staff. online viewing www.smtexas.org/remarker podcast @focalpointpodcast instagram @remarkernewspaper reader involvement The ReMarker encourages reader input through guest columns and story ideas.

Contact the appropriate editor for suggestions. letters to the editor Letters to the editor are welcome and encouraged. They must be typed, signed and not exceed 300 words. E-mail submissions are not accepted. advertising Contact the business staff at 214.346.8145. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Inclusion of an ad does not represent an endorsement by the school’s administration, faculty, or staff or ReMarker staff members. 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.

opinion

22 Rally reviews: the good, the bad and the ugly of Texan politics

I

t’s the most important election in our lifetimes — you know, for the fourth time in a row. But with the boundless wonders of campaign season approaching, our TVs and phones are once again filled with biannual warnings of Texas’ fate of a potential reign of terror in the governor’s third term or Marxisim with Tejano characteristics, depending on who you listen to.

What’s a well-informed voter to do?

Due to me being 16, and therefore neither well-informed nor a voter, I can now provide The ReMarker with the nonpartisan, impartial reporting that every other media source in the nation lacks. That’s why I just showed up to two rallies to give the world a truly balanced view of our governor race.

First up: a rally for former Congressman Beto O’Rourke. The Democrat with the yard signs that look like Whataburger ketchup packets is gearing up for his third election in a row, one that seems even more Quixotic than his failed Presidential campaign.

Trailing by more than seven points in the polls right now, he’s leading a fresh, new campaign strategy, which I call, “Please forget about the time I said I would take your guns. I totally won’t, guys. Pinky promise?”

His effort to make honorable, gun-fearing — whoops, I mean God-fearing — Texans forget about that soundbite seems far-fetched, but Myles Lowenberg don’t say he Focus Editor didn’t try. Before his speech, Beto’s campaign forced me to wait and listen to “We didn’t start the fire” by Billy Joel (ugh), so that probably loses him, like, a thousand votes by default.

In the speech, he railed against Abbott’s handling of the snowpocalypse and made wonderfully general statements which affirmed that better-quality jobs, health care and schools were, in fact, good things. Seriously, though, Beto’s best chance at winning this election is to emphasize that he has popular stances in Texas — and not the unpopular ones advocated for by the party’s activist wing, which would create many a “take your guns” soundbite that would crush him in the election.

Beto has been able to take advantage of Abbott’s unenforced blunders, like millions of dollars of rotting produce on the Mexican border. Abbott seems to do odd things like these because he is too heavily influenced by political nerds in Austin and Washington who did not have much fun in high school, so now they don’t want you to say gay or whatever.

Abbott, however, is undeterred by those who say he is too divisive because everyone who has concerns is in favor of “big government socialism.” I have learned that calling someone a socialist is the right-wing equivalent of a Democrat calling someone a Trump supporter — as a loyal political partisan, you can now safely disregard their opinion!

Abbott also apologized for saying “Beto,” now a forbidden word. In the red elephant canon, the man whom some call “Beto” must be forever known as “Robert Francis.” What does he have against people named Robert? My investigative work has not yet been able to find out.

Overall, Beto had the better speech and yard signs — Whataburger ketchup is still better than a generic red, white and blue one, but Greg had better music at his rally and will actually win the election.

Mostly, I just hope both teams have fun!

editorials &

the remarker may 20, 2022

EDITORIAL

Next year’s fan behavior needs to see major improvement

W

hen showing support at sports games, students have always been told two things: as many students as possible should come out, and that everybody should cheer for our team, not against the other team.

Our student body has excelled at the first. The other needs work.

The attendance at our games from our student body has been phenomenal.

The chants that ring out across the stands have electrified the field with an unmatched amount of energy and school spirit. The dedication of our students to lift up our athletes shows not only in the bleachers filled with open mouths and hand-made posters, but in the excellent turnouts that teams like track and field,

lacrosse and water polo have had this year.

But some of the cheers need to change. For the most part, student participation at these games has been a beacon of positive reinforcement toward our teams. Those students are helping to make our Athletic Program a force to be reckoned with.

However, it only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch. There are a few students on our side of the field who are cheering against the other side of the field. And that needs to stop.

How each one of us acts during the game reflects on how all of us act during the game. When tensions are running high during games, mistakes can be made, but ultimately all of us, St.

WATCH

stocks to

Mark’s students and students from other schools, are just fans hoping that our respective team will win.

We represent our school at these games, so let’s leave a good impression.

Just because other teams are booing our players doesn’t mean we should reciprocate. Signs with slogans against the other teams and chants that jeer certain players are not acceptable.

Ultimately, sports aren’t just about the wins and losses, but how we learn from them and respond to them. Our school has been excellent at showing up during the games and supporting our athletes, but we need to respond better to both victories and setbacks by continuing to encourage our brothers on the field, not by pushing against their opponents.

the bulls and bears of stocks on campus

Assemblies Spike

Lunch offerings

After a string of dull assemblies, the student council has stepped it up with games and energy.

SLIGHT INCREASE

The cafeteria selections have become more varied and delectable as the year nears its end.

Senior prank KEEPING STEADY

In recent years, the quality of senior pranks have been high, and this year was no exception, with a wonderful carnival-themed event put together by the Senior Class.

Printer availability STEADY DECLINE

Ease of connecting to printers has gotten worse recently, and we would appreciate some guidelines for printer connection troubleshooting.

CARD

report repo rt Backpack migrations

Office hours

Alumni Weekend

Library environment

Frocketing

The Marque’s release

The masses of carelessly strewn backpacks in front of building across campus creates disorganization and poses safety risks, specifically for older community members.

Alumni Weekend was a major success, with many interactions between alumni and students.

The Carl Sewell III ‘02 talk with the Upper School was especially memorable.

The annual tradition of seniors ripping shirt pockets off of underclassmen remains dangerous and disrespectful to those wishing not to participate.

While most teachers have provided ample time to meet with them for office hours, widespread access has stayed inconistent.

We appreciate the efforts of librarians to minimize noise, but the lower floor remains raucous and disrupts students’ finals preparation.

The latest edition of the Marque, with its theme of hatch, continues to elegantly showcase artistic and literary excellence on campus.

the remarker may 20, 2022

Sports

23

health &

CAMPUS SPIRIT

Hangin’ Out With

Farewell, Superfanmen.

When it comes to health and sports, junior Roome Becker has quite the extensive profile. He has competed in three different spring sports in three years and knows a thing or two about unorthodox diets. The ReMarker sits down with him to discuss.

Seniors Camden Reeves, Alex Nadalini and Cole Norman sign off as Superfanmen and recap all things sports from this year.

Roome Becker

Your favorite moment this year was...

Cole Norman: Storming the field when we beat ESD in lacrosse. It was really fun singing the alma mater on their logo.

Alex Nadalini: Yeah, that was fun. I’d say when volleyball won SPC. That was pretty sick.

Camden Reeves: Honestly, every moment was great because we were back with fans.

What I’m going to miss most…

CN: Watching our guys compete on Friday nights. It was awesome seeing everyone come together and get hyped for them.

AN: Giving the highly anticipated announcements at assembly.

I know it was something on everyone’s minds when they woke up Friday morning.

CR: Talking to athletes about pressing questions during pep rallies. It really helped us get to know our athletes better.

How did you also become a 3v3 basketball star?

I got picked up mid-season, and the team I joined only had 3-point shooters who were all very short. They desperately needed a man in the middle to gets some rebounds. That’s where I came in.

<

Speaking of odd diets, what led you to eating liver with your crew teammates?

There’s this very fit guy on TikTok who goes by ‘Liver King.’ He has this crazy raw meat diet, and he eats liver every meal. We had joked about having one of those meals and ended up actually trying one after a big workout. It tasted gross and chewed like sushi meat.

<

How does your unique cut and bulk diet work?

This is my thought process: I enter the lunchroom and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna get bigger, this is my bulk meal.’ But when lunch ends, I’m like, ‘Now I should eat healthier.’ That’s where the cut comes in. I go back to the cafeteria and get a to-go plate of vegetables.

Don’t ask a nutritionist for their input on that.

Your advice to the next Superfanmen is…

AN: Be involved with every sport. Each athlete works hard year round, and it’s important to show your support to each one, even if it means going out and watching their game on a week night. Oh, and also get loud when you are cheering.

CR: Going off of that, when teams have games on weekdays and not everyone can pack the stands, you have to keep people My favorite Lions team to informed, so they know what’s going on. cheer on was…

Give that recognition where it’s due.

AN: Basketball. Being able to be CN: Make some original chants. Other really close to the players made teams and fans have heard our “You Cole Norman Alex Nadalini Camden Reeves the games very electric. When can’t do that!” and “We can’t hear you!” we had that insane comeback during SPC, being so close to our bench, chants, but if y’all create new ones, it’ll take them by surprise and it will our energy made it impossible for the other team to respond. hype up our players.

CN: Every sport’s different, but I got to agree with Alex. Basketball and soccer got really hype because we were right there next to the players.

STORY Dillon Wyatt CR: I gotta show some love to lacrosse. The lax team was really PHOTO Courtesy Superfanmen impressive this year and beating ESD on their field was awesome. <

Could you explain why you’ve done three different spring sports each year of high school so far?

I played lacrosse in Middle School, so that seemed like the right thing to do coming into freshman year.

Then, after coming back from Swiss Semester in sophomore year, I hadn’t done any of the preseason training, so I just decided to do tennis because I used to play it when I was little.

Then, at the very beginning of this school year, Evan McGowan came up to me and told me I should try out for fall crew. Now I’m just a crew guy.

What I’m going to miss most…

CN: Watching our guys compete on Friday nights. It was awesome seeing everyone come together and get hyped for them.

AN: Giving the highly anticipated announcements at assembly. I know it was something on everyone’s minds when they woke up Friday morning.

CR: Talking to athletes about pressing questions during pep rallies. It really helped us get to know our athletes better.

sports in brief SHATTERING RECORDS Members of the track team set two new school records and one new SPC record in the final few meets of the season.

At the Nick Finnegan Invitational April 15-16, the 4x400-meter relay team ran a time of 3:19.82, breaking the 33-yearold previous school record by nearly two seconds. In the same meet, the 4x800-meter relay team ran a time of 7:57.01, breaking the eight minute barrier for the first time in school history and surpassing the previous school record by over three seconds.

At the SPC championship meet May 29-30, junior Zane Wallace set a new SPC record with a 46’7.75” mark in the triple jump.

The previous record was set in 2013 by Kendrick Spraglin ‘13.

BEGINNING THE GRIND With the school year coming to a close, many fall sports teams have begun summer workouts in preparation for the upcoming season.

After winning the SPC championship, cross-country has started running around campus and participating in potato runs to help achieve faster times.

Before summer football, players have been lifting with strength and conditioning coach Kevin Dilworth, while also recording measurements in the 40-yard dash, broad jump and verticle jump. Moving to a fall sport, water polo will have tournaments over the summer.

ALUMNI UPDATE Former Lion athletes have been competing at the next level across the country and have proved they can compete with the best.

Reece Rabin ’18, a pitcher for Princeton, recently won pitcher of the week with an incredible 5.2 innings of shutout relief against No. 8 Rutgers.

Kit Colson ’21 and the Yale Bulldogs placed third at the Mark Young Invitational April 23rd and will be competing in the Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor

inside 24SPC AND STATE REVIEW

Recapping the SPC and state tournaments of each Lions’ spring sports team.

26HARRISON INGRAM ‘21

Detailing the process of declaring for and being in the NBA draft.

27TAYLOR JENKINS ‘03

The year that led to an NBA Coach of the Year nomination for this alum.

for the sports fan Track & Field Championships May 7.

Jonathan Taylor ’19 and the Villanova Wildcats won their first game in the Big East Tournament 15 to 14 against the University of Denver. Looking to continue the streak, the Wildcats will play Georgetown on May 7 in the second round of the tournament.

TABLE TENNIS Senior Evan Lai committed to continue his table tennis career at Dartmouth announced April 27.

Lai began his table tennis career at a young age and participated in his first tournament when he was seven years old.

Since then, Lai has successfully competed in numerous tournaments including winning Southern Regional Qualifiers and winning the U19 and U21 Men’s Championship tournaments.

While Dartmouth doesn’t have a table tennis program, Lai will play club under the Big Green’s name.

Next week Today All-Sports Athletic Banquet at 6:30 p.m. at the Great Hall Texas Rangers at Houston Astros at 7:20 p.m.

Saturday Texas Rangers at Houston Astros at 6:10 p.m.

Minnesota Lynx at Dallas Wings at 7 p.m.

Sunday Minnesota United at FC Dallas at 4 p.m.

Texas Rangers at Houston Astros 1:10 p.m.

French Open begins Tuesday Dallas Wings at Connecticut Sun at 6 p.m.

Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels at 8:38 p.m.

THIS SUMMER June Cross country summer training begins NBA Finals 2022 begin June 2 Last FIFA World Cup qualifier on June 5 Football summer training begins June 6 NBA Draft 2022 on June 23 in Brooklyn July NHL Draft July 6-7 in Montreal NBA Free Agency begins NBA Summer League in Las Vegas Wimbledon final July 10 August Football two-a-days begin Aug. 1 Cross country trip to Wimberley, Texas for pre-season training

five minutes with... eighth-grader Ian McGowan on starting crew early “From Evans’s perspective, rowing was kind of a joke of a sport, or not really hard, until one of his upperclassmen friends invited him to go to a practice and it really caught him. He started loving it and worked hard. Then he passed it down to the family, to Abby and me.”

“I really liked basketball, but rowing has taken over, and I’ve spent a lot of time on it. It’s really fun to see the work I put in translate to success. So I really like rowing. It’s probably my favorite sport right now.”

“I lift in the morning, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I erg with some of my teammates, and then whenever the team is at school and erging, I will join in with them and work with them.”

< Ian McGowan

24

Sports

health &

the remarker may 20, 2022

SPRING SPORTS RECAP

Track, water polo crush In the final stretch of the spring season, four teams finished third place or higher in the SPC standings, including a commanding first-place

One more for the books

Tennis takes third in SPC

by Keshav Krishna much,” Yu said. “It’s been such a fter an SPC championship last great ride the last few years, even season, the Lions tennis team from the very first scrimmage.” fell agonizingly short of a repeat Moving on to college at MIT, Yu this year, finishing third after a remains optimistic on the tennis semifinal loss against St. John’s. team’s chances to bounce back next Starting their tournament as the year. second seed in the North Zone, the “I can’t wait to see how next Lions clinched a 3-2 victory over St. year’s team turns out because Andrew’s. However, in the second whenever we have practice, we round, the team fell to eventual always see Middle School practice runner-up St. John’s, with senior finishing up. We’ve seen a couple captain Jeremy Yu’s victory being of very, very good eighth-graders. the sole win over the Mavericks.

And of course, our guys already “It was definitely a on the team are only going to get disappointing way to go out,” Yu stronger.” said. “It was tough, but I still feel like we had an amazing season and RETURNING an amazing tournament overall, Senior captain especially for the seniors with this Jeremy Yu awaits his being our last high school season.” opponent’s Yu credits the team’s serve. spirit for helping them achieve their success.

All-SPC “Obviously, all us seniors throughout > Senior Jeremy Yu the entire season did — 6-1 record our best to give a > Senior Alex Ryan good experience to the — 5-2 record younger guys because tennis has given us so

A

REPEAT After winning last year’s SPC championship at home, the Lions took care of business April 30.

R

ecord-breaking. Energetic. Inspiring.

Hoisting the SPC trophy at home last year was a special moment for the team. Ending their nine-year title drought, they reached the pinnacle of the sport.

However, they weren’t content with one title.

They wanted more.

They wanted to be back-to-back SPC champions.

The team knew they had what it took to defend their crown and cement their reign over the conference.

The hard work they put in during the season showed off as the team cruised to another SPC championship, and what started out as an expectation coming into this year has turned into reality.

The Lions have started a new dynasty in the SPC. As the season began, senior captain Fisayo Omonije knew they would have a target on their backs, being defending champions. The team took this in stride as Omonije and his teammates treated this season as a chance to be better than the previous.

“We came into the season with a mentality that it’s a new season,” Omonije said. “It’s a lot of the same people, but it’s still a new team. We knew we were going to have to work just as hard as we did last year and have an unproven mindset to win this year.”

Losing many seniors that were key to winning the 2021 SPC championship was a big loss for the team, but senior captain Samuel Elumenoh knew each athlete would help fill the void.

“For us, we had the attitude that we were going to prove to everyone that we still had it,” Elumenoh said. “Missing critical seniors was something people talked about. But throughout the season, we knew we could win SPC again.”

Though the team had a serious mindset throughout the season, their ability to work hard while also having fun helped the team

grow together.

“A lot of the most important parts of the season didn’t actually happen on the track,” Omonije said. “As captains, we worked hard to have good chemistry on the team. One of the most fun parts of the year was when [varsity head] Coach [John] Turek was telling us about our plan before our meet, and he put me on the spot to do a freestyle rap, and I did it.”

The confidence the team had built throughout the season showed in the SPC championships, where the Lions would win by a 65 point margin.

“Winning SPC took a lot of work every day,” Omonije said. “Going in with the mindset we had all season helped us come together during the final weekend and have everyone across the board have really good performances.”

Throughout all the hard work the seniors had put in during their four years on the team, it was now make or break in their final meet wearing blue and gold.

“We saw how everyone tried their hardest on the very last day, especially all the seniors who would be participating in their last track and field meet,” Elumenoh said.

“Whether we were running or throwing, it was really special to see what we were able to do, knowing that it was our last moments we would have with St. Mark’s.”

STORY Dillon Wyatt PHOTO Courtesy Fisayo Omonije

All-SPC > Seniors Sahil Dodda, Elijah Ellis, Enoch Ellis, Zach Lightfoot, Sam Eluemunoh, Fisayo Omonije > Juniors Jack Jackson, Blake Malouf, Zane Wallace > Sophomores Raja Mehendale, Temi Balogun

PHOTO Patrick Flanagan

Baseball falls short of SPC tournament

by Arjun Khatti fter a difficult counter season against tough North Zone competition, the baseball team fell short of the SPC tournament this season. For varsity baseball head coach John Hunter, the Lions’ struggles boiled down to simple matters.

“It came down to showing up in the right moments,” Hunter said. “In several counter games, we had the lead but just couldn’t close it out. A lot of that was due to not making the right play at the right time or falling behind hitters and giving up a timely hit to the other team.”

In recent years, the teams from Fort Worth have given the Lions the most trouble, and this was certainly still the case this season.

“The baseball season is tough every year when we have to play those Fort Worth teams, especially on their home turf,” Hunter said. “We had to travel to both of those places this year, and we just

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didn’t do enough early in the games to stick with them.”

While the results from this season were not what the team was looking for, Hunter still believes that there were some aspects of the season that went well.

“There were plenty of bright spots that occurred in practice,” Hunter said. “Even though our record doesn’t reflect it, our players worked really hard. I thought we had good senior leadership as far as motivating the younger guys to stay focused.”

All-SPC > Junior Silas Hosler — 41 strike outs — .750 earned run average

PHOTO Sal Hussain

CURVEBALL Senior captain Camden Reeves gets the hitter to bite on an offspeed pitch.

Golf shoots 598 to place second in SPC, averages under 300 a day for first time in over ten years

by Arjun Khatti inishing with a score of 598, the golf team took second place in the SPC tournament, held April 25-26 at Pecan Valley Golf Course in Fort Worth.

For junior captain Logan Johnson, who All-SPC shot a team best 147, this > Senior Mac McKenzie tournament > Juniors Logan Johnson, allowed him James Thompson to step into a bigger role.

“It was

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nice to fill my spot as a team leader,” Johnson said. “I still feel like I could have performed a lot better, even though the scoreboard looks fine in my favor.”

The Lions fell to the first place Kinkaid Falcons by 21 shots, but the team performed very well in comparison to recent years.

“We shot under 300 as a team for each of the two days, which we haven’t done in [over ten] years,” Johnson said.

“I think that was a really good sign of the depth in our program for years to come.”

According to Johnson, the tournament provided both mental and physical challenges for him and his teammates.

“I know a couple of guys on the team struggled with the course difficulties,” Johnson said. “We fought hard, but at the end of the day, it all boils down to the scores themselves.”

All in all, Johnson feels that this SPC championship performance gives the team a bright future to look forward to.

“I’m very excited for next season,” Johnson said. “We need to take our momentum from this year and build

on it. We’ll take what we learned from losing this year and use it to benefit us in the future.”

PHOTO Courtesy Logan Johnson

LOOKING AHEAD After a solid performance this year, the Lions have all the necessary pieces to make another deep run next season.

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SPRING SPORTS RECAP

postseason competition victory from track and field. In addition, water polo completed the three-peat, and crew took control of regionals with multiple gold medals.

Cementing their legacy

Lacrosse gets runner-up spot at SPC

by Keshav Krishna be playing lacrosse at Princeton eartbreak.

University. Despite the departure of a That’s all lacrosse senior number of senior leaders, he remains captain Ian Mize felt after the Lions confident of the team’s ability. lost in the SPC championship to “We’ll be graduating a lot of archrival ESD April 23. guys,” Mize said. “We’ve still got “After the way we beat them in some great players such as [juniors] the regular season, by one goal, it Jake Park and Henry Boykin. [Junior] was tough,” Mize said. “Especially Grant Warnecke will be solid on to lose to a school like ESD. It’s defense, and [junior] Ian Williams always heated when we play them, really stepped up when our starting and unfortunately, we didn’t get the goalkeeper got injured. Those are result we wanted.” just a couple of names. The future’s Entering the tournament as the bright.” one seed and led by first-year head PHOTO Courtesy coach Jason Leneau, the Lions got Murphy Paul off to a hot start in the first round, beating Episcopal High School 21-1.

Mize credits the team’s trip to the championship game with the seniors’ leadership.

“I think our team situation was unique last year, we didn’t have any seniors on the team,” Mize said. “The All-SPC juniors were basically the ‘seniors’ of the team, > Seniors Alex Geng, and we didn’t graduate Ian Mize, James Fults anybody when the > Junior Henry Boykin season was done. So we had the same roster for both years. I think we just DOWN THE ALLEY In the class AA had really great chemistry going into state semifinals against Jesuit May 7, junior the season.”

Murphy Paul dodges his defender.

Looking ahead, Mize will

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DYNASTY In their final year playing in the spring, the Lions brought home their tenth state championship.

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he expectation from the start was to win the State championship.

It didn’t matter that they had lost six of its seven starters.

It didn’t matter that only three players remained from last season.

For the Lions’ water polo team, there was no question they would be bringing home their third straight state title.

Despite losing their best player for a couple of weeks and experiencing an initial team chemistry struggle, the Lions brought back the state title May 7, scoring a total of 73 goals over the four tournament games.

Although many outside the team may have underestimated the Lions, varsity head coach Trent Calder had high expectations for this young team from the start of the season.

“A lot of people didn’t know what we could do if they just looked at the players we lost,” Calder said. “But I knew what we had in the underclassmen and in the potential of this team. I didn’t come here to be average.

Our potential was to win state.”

As players missed games for academic reasons and the team struggled to gel, senior captain Brett Honaker took it upon himself to bring the team into a cohesive and mature unit.

“During team functions, instead of the younger guy getting on their phones and playing Clash of Clans or stuff like that, I wanted us to be together as a team, having conversations and just having fun,” Honaker said. “By the end of the season, we started to do that, but it took a long time.”

After all the problems of injuries and team identity throughout the season, the Lions’ win at regionals and their team bonding helped them gather momentum going into state.

“We were just focused on staying loose

State Dominance Since the TISCA tournament was formed, there have been 50 state championships. The Lions have dominated for half a century, winning ten of them.

1975, 1977, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, & 2022.

and focusing on us,” Calder said. “Being together allowed us to block out any outside noise and just focus on each other. That’s really what made all the difference and kept our team in one direction.”

Honaker won the state championship his freshman year before the tournament was canceled during his sophomore year. He won it again as a junior. However, he feels that this state championship, which culminated in a 12-9 win over Dawson, was the most special.

“My freshman year, I was the little guy on the team,” Honaker said. “I was the only freshman, and it felt great to win, but I was really carried by the older guys. Every year since then, I’ve become more important to the team. This year, I was the guy everybody looked up to, and a lot of the pressure was on me. Winning it this year just felt that much better.”

Although the season had many highlights, including a few clutch goals from junior Michael Gao, there was nothing better for Calder than jumping in the pool with his team after the final win.

“Every time you jump in the pool after a championship, it’s the best the water ever feels,” Calder said. “We got to sing the alma mater as we cheered to our fans, and it was just a lot of fun.”

After laboring to build team chemistry and find the team identity all season, the bus ride back from the state tournament was very rewarding for Honaker, who was wearing his Lions gear one final time.

“The bus right back from state was amazing,” Honaker said. “Nobody was on their phone because everybody was just enjoying the moment. We were all just hanging out together like a team.”

STORY Ben Adams PHOTO Courtesy Sammy Larkin

All-State > Senior Brett Honaker — State MVP — 1st Team All-State > Junior Sammy Larkin — Honorable Mention All-State > Sophomore Ethan Gao — 2nd Team All-State

Crew dominates at regionals and state

by Nolan Marcus together. t their central region “The downside of this championship, the Lions crew year was the wind,” Ness said. squad had six boats place in the top “This means there were far less three of their respective divisions. opportunities for the team to go The meet took place in Oklahoma out onto the lake to work on form City May 7-8. and get in-sync in the boats.”

To senior captain Evan Yet, the poor weather McGowan, conditions have proved to at this meet least yield some benefits to Nationals was one of the team because the athletes qualifiers his favorites were forced to erg, making throughout >Seniors Drake Elliot, Paul them stronger and getting the year. them into peak shape.

Valois, Evan McGowan “It was “The upside to the wind >Junior Spiros Hallax my favorite is the team has gotten so moment much faster,” Ness said. this year, “This is the fastest team in especially terms of erg times that the my doubles race with [senior coaches have ever had.” captain] Paul [Valois],” McGowan Looking forward toward to said. “Paul and I never actually next season, Ness believes that the raced in a double together, but team’s biggest need is more time because of his previous success in on the water. a double, we decided that he and I “In the fall, the winds are not would be an optimal pairing. Then nearly as strong as they are in the we got to centrals and obliterated spring, so we can use that time to the competition.” work on our form because we have In addition, the team had the strength,” Ness said. “Now, we a successful outing in the state just need to put it all together.” tournament, as four boats placed PHOTO Courtesy Evan McGowan in the top three at White Rock Lake April 17.

“I think we performed well [at state],” sophomore rower C.J. Ness said. “We had our two top varsity doubles place third and first in state, and 2v quads placed first and second. One of our boats could not perform due to injury, but overall I think it went really well.”

However, according to THE NEXT STEP Junior Spiros Hallax Ness, the season presented some and senior captains Paul Valois, Evan struggles, as the team hasn’t had McGowan and Drake Elliott (left to the opportunity to fully come right) will head to nationals June 9-12.

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NBA PROSPECT

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e all saw him dominate SPC basketball.

We all watched him become a McDonald’s All American.

We all witnessed him go to Stanford and win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

His name is Harrison Ingram ‘21, and now, we all hopefully get to watch him continue his journey, into the NBA. Ingram decided to potentially forgo his sophomore year and declare for the NBA draft March 30 via an Instagram post, thanking all his teammates and friends and concluding the post by saying, “With that being said, I would like to announce I will be declaring for the NBA Draft.”

Now, with the draft on his mind, Ingram has nowhere to look but onward.

“Knowing the season I had, knowing my potential and what teams are saying about me, I thought it was my best bet,” Ingram said. “The best plan for me is seeing what coaches and scouts are saying and look at where I’m projected.”

Ingram began his collegiate career as a key player on Stanford’s basketball team, which, according to Ingram, helped give him the confidence to go and play his best ball.

“The trust my coaches had in me to bring me in as a freshman and give me the reins to the team definitely helped boost my confidence,” Ingram said. “They allowed me to be myself and play my own game and I didn’t have to think too much on the court about what I could or couldn’t do. If I made a mistake, I could just play through it.”

In addition to his supportive coaches, Ingram’s chemistry with his teammates helped him feel comfortable with his role in the Stanford Cardinal’s system.

“A lot of these athletes have been there for four years and have built bonds and still helped me come in and allow me to be a leader on the team,” Ingram said. “For example, during end-of-game situations, knowing the ball was going to be in my hands, whether I would be taking the final shot, or passing to the open man: it was a blessing.”

Ingram entered his freshman year with aspects of his game that he wanted to improve upon. With the backing of the entire team from top to bottom, Ingram grew and developed throughout the season into the NBA prospect he is today.

“I wanted to be a more aggressive scorer,” Ingram said. “I’ve always been a pass-first player, but I needed to understand that there are times when I need to score first. As my college season progressed, I slowly started to realize that in order to win, I would have to adapt to a different mentality.”

However, Ingram’s lessons from his time at Stanford extend beyond basketball, as he learned the importance of unity and togetherness.

“You can’t do anything alone,” Ingram said. “You always need people around you no matter what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter if you want to be a scientist or a businessman, you always need people that you can trust and help get you through hard times.”

With that said, Ingram still believes in the importance of self-reliance.

“Then at the same time, worry about yourself and

With Harrison Ingram’s ‘21 stellar freshman season with Stanford, he has no where to look but forward as he furthers his journey to the NBA draft.

make your own decisions and don’t feel pressured into making decisions because of someone else,” Ingram said.

While the NBA is Ingram’s ultimate goal, there are still more paths to get there than just being drafted during this offseason.

“I still have the option to return back [to college] by June 1 if I don’t like where my draft process is,” Ingram said.

Ingram’s final decision on whether to maintain his draft declaration or not will be made by a number of different factors.

“It’s not a question of if I get drafted, it’s a question of if I will get drafted in the first round,” Ingram said. “I don’t see a benefit to leaving school early if I’m going to be a second-round pick.”

Yet, no matter when or how he gets into the NBA, Ingram has still committed himself to finishing his education at Stanford.

“Yes, you can go far without a degree,” Ingram said. “But no matter what room you’re in, with a Stanford degree, you are just as qualified as everyone else there.

Stanford does semesters, so when I’m in

LOOK

A simplified six-step process of how an NBA prospect goes from playing in college to showing up on draft night.

2.

3.

The first step college players take to get drafted into the NBA is declare for the draft typically after the athlete’s last game of their season.

Once the athlete declares for the draft, they begin training in preparation for workouts with teams and the combine.

After rigorous training, NBA prospects are invited to workout for teams so that scouts can look at their talent and assess the prospect.

GOING GOLD After winning a gold medal for team USA, Ingram takes a moment to reflect on his acheivement.

Shooting for the big leagues

inside 1.

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4.

In between personal workouts and workouts with teams, prospects who are invited to the combine participate at the event.

This year’s combine is May 16-22.

5.

While all the workouts are going on, prospects will also talk with general managers about potentially playing for their team.

6.

Finally, the prospects show up on draft night and hope that all the hard work put in pays off.

the NBA I will probably do one quarter of school during every summer to finish my degree.”

Even still, at the end of the day, Ingram believes he’ll always be living his dream.

“It’s so surreal,” Ingram said. “I’ve been working my whole life for this, and I have made so many sacrifices, from not hanging out with my friends as much as I wanted to, to losing the opportunities to go on vacations with my family because I had basketball. But knowing that all the sacrifices I made help me get one step closer to achieving my life goal, makes it all worth it to me.”

STORY Nolan Marcus, Ben Adams PHOTO Courtesy Harrison Ingram

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TAYLOR JENKINS

Alum leads Grizzlies to playoffs Less than two decades ago, Taylor Jenkins ‘03 was captain of the Lions on the basketball court for two straight years. Now, he is the head coach of the 56-win, high-flying Memphis Grizzlies. This year, he recently placed second in NBA coach of the year voting for his leadership and strategy.

HUDDLE Jenkins motivates his team in an intense game at FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies.

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MENTORSHIP Jenkins speaks with Grizzlies star Ja Morant about the gameplan for the rest of the game.

n June of 2019, former Marksmen all over the country were extremely proud of their school and their fellow alum, Taylor Jenkins ’03, for being hired as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.

A little less than three years later, they have a new reason to be proud. Just 37 years old, Jenkins is one of three finalists for NBA Coach of the Year. His team, the Memphis Grizzlies, have tied the franchise record for regular season wins and boast the 2021-22 NBA’s Most Improved Player, Ja Morant.

Jenkins believes the transition from the eighth seed in the Western Conference to the second overall seed in the league should be attributed to the player development program the Grizzlies have.

“The DNA of our program is player development,” Jenkins said. “We value it and prioritize it every single day. Our coaches are available all summer long to work with the guys, and it has translated to a number of our guys including Ja [Morant] and Desmond [Bane] being in the conversation for the league’s most improved player.”

The Grizzlies have constantly received praise across NBA media for their strong team culture, and Jenkins believes the culture is a product of the vision he came to Memphis with.

“I want everyone, whether it’s our players, coaches or performance staff, to be excited to come to work every single day,” Jenkins said. “We want to play a disciplined style of basketball that’s also fun, and we want to have a disciplined work ethic that’s also fun.

The way that we create that atmosphere is through the players we bring in.”

Any coach can say their goal is to create a fun environment, Jenkins was actually able to create an atmoshere where his team is very competitive but also joyful in both practice and games.

“We’re going to celebrate with each other, whether it’s in the middle of a game, on someone’s birthday, or when someone wins a shooting game in practice and earns the WWE champion belt we have in our gym,” Jenkins said. “Healthy competition is fun competition. I want to make sure I’m bringing the best out of everyone by saying it starts with competing, but telling them to do it together and have fun doing it.”

Although Jenkins is excited to be one of the nominees for coach of the year, he stands by the belief that the award is a team award and not just an individual award. He also believes the team’s ‘next man up’ mentality is crucial to their success this season.

“Obviously, I have a vision for our system and what we have to do every single day, but our players challenged me a lot, and it’s great to be able to have that motivation,” Jenkins said. “I missed eight games this year with COVID protocols, and my assistants stepped up and did a fantastic job. Ja missed out on more than 20 games, and we still went 20-5 without him.”

Despite a disappointing loss to the first seed Utah Jazz in the first round of last year’s playoffs, Jenkins believes his team is ready to make a deep playoff run after a learning experience last year.

“Last year revealed that we had a long way to go, and we were far from a finished product and had more work to do,” Jenkins said. “There’s always something that you can work on. Coming into this year, we could

reflect on that. It really boils down to how you just plan to win one possession at a time, one game at a time and eventually win one series at a time.”

Although Jenkins never wants to look too far ahead, he was aware that the Grizzlies could have potentially met the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, which would have brought him back where he watched so many Mavericks games as a child.

“If we’re fortunate enough to continue to advance and it lines up where we play the Mavericks, that would be a full circle life experience,” Jenkins said. “For a kid who grew up in Dallas, went to school in Dallas, has family and friends in Dallas and was a season ticket holder, that would be very special. Every time I come back to Dallas, coaching in front of family and friends, it’s probably one of the most memorable road trips of the year.”

Despite the fact Jenkins has coached succesfully at the highest level of basketball, he has never forgotten how much this school has contributed to his current success.

“At St. Mark’s, everyone’s striving to be the most successful student, leader or athlete, but we’re all members of a community, and the bonds that you have at St. Mark’s are going to carry you for a lifetime,” Jenkins said. “My best friends to this day are guys that I met in third grade when I entered St. Mark’s, all the way to the guys that came to St. Mark’s my junior year.”

STORY Ben Adams, Nolan Marcus PHOTO Courtesy Taylor Jenkins

A pain in sports much worse than losing — how I’ve overcome my biggest challenge

by Ben Adams hat damn knee brace.

The knee brace with its endless straps, ugly color and hinges that never stopped squeaking.

It represented everything that came with my ACL recovery. My lack of fitness. The snickers from both my teammates and opponents. The lack of playing time I got.

And it was finally time to get rid of it. On that October day at Scottish Rite Hospital, I was looking forward to the years I had left playing soccer at a high level, finally healthy. Despite the blood, sweat and tears that went into recovering from a torn ACL and meniscus, I was well on my way to making the kind of recovery I had read about on ESPN so many times before.

The initial exams of my knee were good. Then came the fateful x-ray.

Thirty minutes after hearing that my knee looked good and I could start playing again without the brace, I heard the words that I could barely comprehend at the time. “Ben, you’re going to need another knee surgery.”

This buried me with questions,

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doubts, and, most of all, pain. While the answers would slowly come on why I needed surgery on my growth plate, the pain — more emotional than physical — never seemed to go away.

My life seemed to whizz by as three months came and went, bringing another surgery, more physical therapy, and worst of all — more BEN ADAMS watching from the Sports Editor sidelines.

“I’m done.” These two words were uttered to my parents more times than I can remember these last six months.

Suddenly, the sport I had loved and played since literally before I could walk, the sport that gave me some of the greatest moments of life, the sport that led me to meet some of my best friends in life, didn’t give me the same happiness it used to.

I didn’t even want to go back to soccer practice after my second surgery.

I didn’t want to buckle the straps on the knee brace I was forced to wear

again. Even after I completed that first obstacle, there came many nights after practice when I would come home telling my parents I wouldn’t go back.

There were some good moments, including having one of my best performances at the prestigious Dallas Cup. Then came more bad moments, culminating in one of the worst of them all.

It came on a warm Thursday night, and I was not in the best mood on the way to practice. I hadn’t done too well on a chemistry test, increasing the pressure of my final exam, and I was annoyed with my playing time, or lack thereof, in our two games the previous weekend. My bad mood came to a head when, after analyzing our two teams for our scrimmage, the coach switched me to the other team to make it fairer.

There were a few snickers from my teammates, but they stopped quickly when they saw my face. Wiping tears from my eyes, all I thought was, “He thinks I’m not good enough.”

That statement was cemented in my mind as I proceeded to play poorly

for the rest of practice, and as my dad drove me home, that statement became, “I’m not good enough.” Over the following weekend, I had many tough discussions with my parents, but the overarching message was this: they had heard about this lack of happiness I’d felt from playing soccer for a while, and they understood and stood behind me in my decision to tell my coach I’d be quitting at the next practice.

The night before I was supposed to talk to my coach, my brain wanted nothing to do with sleep. I kept asking myself the same question, “Could I leave behind the sport I had loved and played for the last ten years?” Sure, there was watching and coaching and refereeing to possibly look forward to, but as so many have said before, nothing beats playing.

I finally decided no, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave behind the hilarious road trips with my teammates, the practices where I’d do anything to stay and the opportunity to play a game where seemingly everything was on the line. No matter how tough it gets, that brace will keep squeaking.

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REMARKER

the e

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

NEW BEGINNINGS The ReMarker staff members—past and present—stand with Ray at the endof-year newspaper banquet, an annual event to celebrate the team’s hard work throughout the year.

END OF AN ERA

Ray, it has been an honor — thank you!

After 21 years with newspaper and yearbook staffs, the dedicated and impactful Ray Westbrook is stepping down as adviser and taking on a new role in the Advancement Office where he will become the school’s Director of Communications. From The ReMarker editors old and new, here are some parting words.

What’s your favorite memory of Ray? Robert Pou ‘21

In all my memories of him, I think a few things stand out. First, he’s always the first one in the Pub Suite every morning.

And while he may not always be the last to leave (he’s gotta get his afternoon nap in of course), there’s no questioning his dedication to the journalism program and his boys. Second, he’s always gonna shoot you straight, even if it’s not what you wanna hear. Writing could be tighter?

Visual cleaner? Headline snappier? He’ll let you know about it, and that’s why we’ve been so successful under his watch.

And third, he cares about us beyond journalism and even beyond our St. Mark’s careers. If there’s a rec letter he can write, an introduction he can make, or advice he can give, you can bet he’ll do it — simply because he cares. So thank you Ray and good luck on this next chapter of your service to St. Mark’s.

Dean Itani ‘11

Today, I live in New York City, and my desire to live there started as a sophomore in high school on a journalism spring break trip with Ray. I remember Ray teaching me how to read the subway maps and get to and from the Columbia campus - the same 1,2,3 subway line I frequent today. I often walk by restaurants or places that I first experienced with Ray, and they always make me think of Ray and these formative trips.

Kobe Roseman ‘18

I have plenty of memories that highlight why Ray is the legendary journalism advisor that he is. He’s consistently recognized across the country for what he’s done for St. Mark’s and beyond, but not many people know Ray’s secret expertise: beauty pageants. I never thought there’d be any parallels between how you prep someone for a beauty pageant and a big interview, but it turns out Ray’s experience coaching and judging beauty pageants came in handy when it was time to interview my senior year. I remember Ray spending free period after free period with me prepping questions and coaching me on how to “win over” the interviewers as if they were beauty pageant judges. Ray is one of the best advocates and mentors you could ask for — always willing to give up his time to help a student — and I’m really grateful for his support both in and out of the Publication Suite.

Austin Williams ‘22

On a work night before we printed our final paper, Ray surprised the group of us guys with a huge Sonic order. Fries, burgers, grilled cheeses, mozzarella sticks — he brought it all. Plus, his dog Theo accompanied him and it made everyone super happy for the rest of the night. Not to mention that it was almost 8:30 p.m.!

Daniel Hersh ‘13

For me, it’s so hard to pick one specific

memory of Ray. He was such an amazing teacher and mentor while I was at St. Mark’s and continues to be a close friend today. He really made a huge impact in my life and the lives of countless others. If I had to pick one specific memory for him, I would say the time that he and my nowfiancé schemed to fill the editor ’s office full of balloons to ask me to Hockaday Winter Formal. He knew I would always get into the office early in the morning, so he worked with her to get in even earlier and pack the whole office full of balloons and a sign that asked me to winter formal.

It was truly surprising and hilarious, and Ray was the mastermind of the whole thing.

Shreyan Daulat ‘23

My favorite memory with Ray came just a couple months back. I was just named editor, so we met for lunch at Mi Cocina to plan for this very edition of the newspaper. He looked like he was in a bit of pain, and he told me that he had hurt his shoulder pretty bad and had been going to the doctor throughout the week. He could have easily rescheduled, but Ray is so dedicated to what he does that that was simply out of the question.

He cares deeply for every member of the newspaper and yearbook staffs, and he makes an effort to get to know everyone on a personal level. What he has done for the journalism program over the years has been truly incredible, and while I’ll miss working with him next year, I’m so grateful to have been under his guidance for the past three years.

What is your favorite ReMarker story on which you worked closely with Ray? Robert Pou ‘21

My favorite story I ever worked on with Ray probably has to be the very first one I wrote for The ReMarker. It was about what it’s really like to referee an SPC sports game, and I was pretty overwhelmed by just the newness of it all. I had never written something that would be read by so many people (or at least I hoped), and Ray not only reassured me of my abilities, but he also encouraged me. He praised the best parts of my work while still offering constructive criticism. It’s this delicate balance that Ray has mastered and that motivates us all to perform at our best.

of that magazine — looking for ways to address the issue with new perspectives and stories. His advice ended up helping me find Officer Misty McBride — one of the officers shot on July 7 — and the opportunity to interview her and write her story was one of the best experiences I had on The ReMarker.

Sam Ahmed ‘20

October 2020, my senior year, the famous tornado ripped through campus on Sunday night. I still remember calling Ray that next morning to figure out how best to help the St. Mark’s community and think about how to cover this tragic event.

Within 48 hours, we already had a slate of stories and were able to put out a special section to the community just three weeks after the tornado hit. I still remember meeting at La Madeleine at Preston & Forest with most of the junior and senior staff when we weren’t allowed on campus.

We were in constant communication the week and a half we were out of school as new stories and updates continued to emerge. Ray always pushed me to be the best version of myself as an editor and a man, and with this story, we were able to capture a pivotal moment in St. Mark’s history. It was something that I couldn’t imagine to have accomplished without his help.

Austin Williams ‘22

Ray played an instrumental role in our October cover story on Senate Bill 8. It was such a difficult topic to cover as an all-boys school, and we absolutely could not have executed it without his wise

judgment and guidance. He made sure our coverage was broad and balanced; he was an awesome board to bounce ideas off of and he never hesitated to trust us with where we wanted to go.

Daniel Hersh ‘13

Ray and I worked on so many stories together, but the most fun one was definitely when we interviewed 4th graders and asked them to give life advice to the new first graders. It was the first cover story my senior year, and it was a total hit. We asked them questions like “What do you do if you like a girl” and asked what advice they would give the new students on teachers at St. Mark’s.

The quotes are hilarious. The whole thing was fun, lighthearted, and I just remember Ray and I reading the quotes together and laughing cause some of them were so funny. It was the first issue when I was the editor, so September 2012 I believe, and I would imagine some of the kids we interviewed may be seniors or a little older by now — whoever was a 4th grader in the 2012 - 2013 school year.

Shreyan Daulat ‘23

I worked closely with Ray on a story we did about the timeliness of tradition in light of Hockaday’s change in graduation dress policy. We met in his office, and he gave me great interview tips and prepared me for my conversation with Hockaday’s head of school. The skills that Ray has taught me will last not only through my career on The ReMarker, but through my professional life as well — and I am so grateful for that.

HIS HOME Ray has returned to his desk every single school day since the turn of the century.

Now, he’s moving on — but not too far — to Nearburg.

Kobe Roseman ‘18

I loved working with Ray on making Focus a bigger part of what The ReMarker is all about. On July 7, 2016 — the summer before my junior year — the Dallas police shootings occurred and our whole staff knew the story would be important to cover for the school.

From July until November when the magazine came out, Ray and I worked closely on planning how to expand Focus and integrate it further into the existing ReMarker workflows. But beyond that, he continually pushed me to get the most out

BACKPAGE The ReMarker staff PHOTOS Shreyan Daulat, Courtesy Ray Westbrook